US07756738B2

A computer-implemented project-based point system for professional services uses a database including a list of professional employees, a menu of project codes, and an assignment of a point value to each of the project codes. The method calculates total points earned by a professional by adding point values assigned to project codes of completed projects, which may be billable and/or non-billable projects. The calculated total points earned by the professional may be compared to a point requirement, whereby the performance of the professional may be evaluated. In addition, the method may calculate a total charge to a client for professional services by adding fixed fees assigned to project codes of completed billable projects.
US07756736B2

A server (10) enables users (A-B) sharing the same working machine (1) to mutually monitor a usage state by each user. The server (10) receives a user ID, the working time, the engine cooling water temperature, and the current position that are detected in the working machine (1) through a satellite communication network, and calculates the usage time, the usage location, the load amount, and a usage proportion for each user. The server (10) sends a warning to the user terminals 20 when the usage time or location is not as planned, or the load amount is excessive. The server (10) periodically reports the usage times and locations, the load amounts, and the usage proportions for the users (A-B) to the user terminals (20). The server (10) allocates maintenance costs of the working machine (1) automatically between the users (A-B) according to the usage proportions of the users (A-B).
US07756732B2

The invention affords a method of and system for processing data relating to the value creation and value realization performance of a business enterprise in which an assurance report can be provided, for example by third parties, on an outcome display as selected by a stakeholder-user. Certain assurance procedures are automated so that they can be undertaken in real time, in parallel with the generation of the outcome displays on which assurance is being provided. Where appropriate, stakeholder-users are able to specify the level of assurance they require. Assurance reports generated by the system may be customized in order to be relevant to the particular outcome display to which they refer, for example by using the particular choices made by a stakeholder-user in selecting the attributes of a particular outcome display. Certain of the real time automated procedures and the generation of an assurance report in real time may be performed independently, for example, by a third party assurance provider, on a parallel system.
US07756729B2

Methods and systems are provided for assigning liability estimates to past or theoretical accidents. Embodiments may be used in association with methods and systems for estimating liability in a vehicle accident. In one embodiment, liability estimation in a vehicle accident may be based on a plurality of characteristics that describe the accident. The characteristics from an actual accident may be compared to those in a past or theoretical accident. Liability may be estimated from the assigned liability associated with a nearest matching past or theoretical accident.
US07756727B1

A presentation detailing a recommended course of treatment to a patient, frequently referred to as a case, is constructed with a single action. The presentation describes recommended healthcare procedures for a given patient using information specific to that patient's healthcare record. The presentation is constructed by assembling information on the recommended healthcare procedures and all necessary clinical and financial information for the patient stored in a healthcare management desktop application into a template having a format accepted by any standard presentation software program. Finally, using the presentation software program, the recommended course of treatment is presented to the patient. In addition, the presentation software program includes tools to permit customization and storage of each constructed presentation.
US07756725B2

A breakaway interface between radiological information systems, imaging equipment and picture archive and communications systems has automated filtering and handling of multiple study work orders or affiliated work orders, while passing single study work orders through unaltered. The work orders are processed by the breakaway interface to consolidate multiple procedure or multiple study work orders into a single super order, which is then communicated, preferably using DICOM standard protocol, to an imaging machine. The imaging machine returns a single image sequence, and the breakaway interface will then break images away from the single image sequence into a plurality of grouped image sequences. The preferred grouping is based upon anatomical regions, and separate but adjacent anatomical regions will preferably share one or more images at the boundary between the adjacent regions. The exact number of shared images may preferably be preset at the system level. A number of different techniques for analyzing the single image sequence are proposed individually or in combination, including histogram analysis, peak finding techniques, moments of order analysis, evaluating information from one or more previous analyses, and evaluating image sequence series information to distinguish discrete imaging procedures.
US07756722B2

Patients with chronic illnesses resist using conventional automated healthcare management systems to supply necessary clinical data because such systems feel impersonal, preferring to actually visit a clinic where the patient interacts with various healthcare practitioners. In this invention, the patient interacts with a clinical management system via a series of initial GUI screens that replicate the experience of actually visiting the clinic. Additional screens allow the patient to submit clinical information, to communicate with that patient's healthcare practitioner and other healthcare practitioners, to access management information that aids the patient in managing that patient's chronic illness, and to access educational information regarding that chronic illness. The clinical management system may be used to manage a plurality of different chronic illnesses while providing a consistent look and feel to the screens. At least one appearance characteristic can be altered to indicate the particular chronic illness to which a screen applies.
US07756717B2

A system (10) for ensuring the quality of lubricating oil in an engine of a locomotive without the need for specialized diagnostic and fluid handling systems on the locomotive. A test portion (28) of lubricating oil is removed from the engine and is analyzed at an oil analysis center (26) to determine an oil quality parameter (32). The oil quality parameter is used as an input to a calculator (34) to determine a quantity of oil (36) that must be replaced by fresh oil during a current maintenance outage in order to ensure that the engine oil quality will remain acceptable throughout a forthcoming operating period. In this manner, a complete change-out of the lubricating oil may be delayed or avoided. The oil replacement decision and quantity is communicated to a service center (18) via a communications link such as the Internet (40) prior to the arrival of the locomotive at the service center. The used oil may be removed from the engine using a portable transfer device and mixed with fuel in a fuel storage tank for subsequent refueling of other locomotives.
US07756713B2

In the conventional art inventions for coding multi-channel audio signals, three of the major processes involved are: generation of a reverberation signal using an all-pass filter; segmentation of a signal in the time and frequency domains for the purpose of level adjustment; and mixing of a coded binaural signal with an original signal coded up to a fixed crossover frequency. These processes pose the problems mentioned in the present invention. The present invention proposes the following three embodiments: to control the extent of reverberations by dynamically adjusting all-pass filter coefficients with the inter-channel coherence cues; to segment a signal in the time domain finely in the lower frequency region and coarsely in the higher frequency region; and to control a crossover frequency used for mixing based on a bit rate, and if the original signal is coarsely quantized, to mix a downmix signal with an original signal in proportions determined by an inter-channel coherence cue.
US07756712B2

A signal processing method is provided for processing a plurality of input frequency domain data within a frequency band, each of the input frequency domain data having magnitude and phase characteristics and being associated with a phase parameter that corresponds to the phase characteristic thereof. The method includes: arranging the input frequency domain data in sequence on a variable axis; rearranging positions of the input frequency domain data on the variable axis with reference to at least the phase parameters of the input frequency domain data; and combining the rearranged input frequency domain data that are disposed on the same position on the variable axis to result in processed frequency domain data. The signal processing method can preserve and transmit phase characteristics at various frequencies, and is suitable for application to cochlear implant systems, retinal implant systems, and multi-phase data transmission systems.
US07756710B2

In one embodiment, the present invention is a method and apparatus for error correction in speech recognition applications. In one embodiment, a method for recognizing user speech includes receiving a first utterance from the user, receiving a subsequent utterance from the user, and combining acoustic evidence from the first utterance with acoustic evidence from the subsequent utterance in order to recognize the first utterance. It is assumed that, if the first utterance has been incorrectly recognized on a first attempt, the user will repeat the first utterance (or at least the incorrectly recognized portion of the first utterance) in the subsequent utterance.
US07756709B2

A method for identifying end of voiced speech within an audio stream of a noisy environment employs a speech discriminator. The discriminator analyzes each window of the audio stream, producing an output corresponding to the window. The output is used to classify the window in one of several classes, for example, (1) speech, (2) silence, or (3) noise. A state machine processes the window classifications, incrementing counters as each window is classified: speech counter for speech windows, silence counter for silence, and noise counter for noise. If the speech counter indicates a predefined number of windows, the state machine clears all counters. Otherwise, the state machine appropriately weights the values in the silence and noise counters, adds the weighted values, and compares the sum to a limit imposed on the number of non-voice windows. When the non-voice limit is reached, the state machine terminates processing of the audio stream.
US07756707B2

A signal processing apparatus and method for performing a robust endpoint detection of a signal are provided. An input signal sequence is divided into frames each of which has a predetermined time length. The presence of the signal in the frame is detected. After that, the filter process of smoothing the detection result by using the detection result for a past frame is applied to the detection result for a current frame. The filter output is compared with a predetermined threshold value to determine the state of the signal sequence of the current frame on the basis of the comparison result.
US07756705B2

A method and apparatus for performing multiple descriptive source coding in which a plurality of homogeneous encoders are advantageously employed in combination with a corresponding plurality of advantageously substantially identical decoders. In particular, diversity is provided to the multiple encoders by modifying the quantization process in at least one of the encoders such that the modified quantization process is based at least on a quantization error resulting from the quantization process of another one of the encoders. In this manner, diversity among the multiple bit streams is obtained, and in particular, the quality of a reconstructed signal based on a combination of multiple decoded bit streams at the receiver is advantageously superior to that based on any one of the decoded bit streams. In accordance with a first illustrative embodiment of the present invention, two Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) coders are employed. In accordance with a second illustrative embodiment of the present invention, two Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM) coders are employed. And in accordance with a third illustrative embodiment of the present invention, two Low-Delay Code Excited Linear Prediction (LD-CELP) coders are employed. In each case, diversity is ensured by an appropriate modification to the quantization process of at least one of the encoders, and the total error may be advantageously reduced when decoded bit streams from both coders are combined at the receiver.
US07756694B2

A method is disclosed for sensing fault-fault relationships, comprising: automatically sensing interrelationships among faults, and presenting a final model including a fault-fault intersection curve and one fault truncated at the curve to an interpreter representing the interrelationships among faults.
US07756693B2

A simulator is provided for simulating a real-water-droplet for an arbitrary simulation time in an entire space to be observed in which the real-water-droplets collide by a certain probability within a predetermined volume in a predetermined time interval, and in which the real-water-droplet is specified by a group of an arbitrary number of attributes and position coordinates at an initial time in one of divided spaces into which the entire space is divided, a super-water-droplet representing a group of an arbitrary number of the real-water-droplets which have a predetermined identical group of the attributes, when the multiplicity which is the arbitrary number of the real-water-droplets represented by the super-water-droplet changes when the super-water-droplet collides with another by a probability based on the certain probability and the multiplicity, calculating data about the super-water-droplet to output data about the real-water-droplet after the arbitrary simulation time elapses.
US07756690B1

A system framework for supporting system performance prediction that includes a system having a plurality of external interactors interfacing thereto, each external operator operates to service a plurality of items for input to the system, the system operates to determine arrival rates of the plurality of items arriving at the plurality of external interactors and to calculate a service time that each of the plurality of external interactors takes to service those items it receives; and a queue modeling module that operates to select a queuing model based on the received arrival times and the calculated service times and to calculate a queue length of items at each of the external interactors.
US07756688B2

A design optimization system includes an initial design evaluation module evaluating a system model using initial subsystem designs to extract interactions between subsystem models and/or between the system and the subsystem models. An updating module updates the interactions for the subsystem models, and an optimization module performs subsystem design optimization using the subsystem model and most recently updated interactions, thereby obtaining an updated subsystem design.
US07756684B2

A flexible process optimizer for recording and analyzing various parameters to improve the efficiency of a production process. The flexible process optimizer acquires and conditions signals from a variety of transducers mounted on a production machine. Through qualitative and quantitative data analysis, specific aspects are of the production process which need improvement are identified. The qualitative evaluation looks at the presence, absence, or duration of certain features of the production cycle as revealed by the sensor data. The quantitative evaluation of data involves the computation of certain data attributes. By providing useful data acquisition and data analysis tools, necessary adjustments are made to the required parameters of the production process to provide improved efficiency. The results of the changes are immediately verifiable using the flexible process optimizer.
US07756679B2

A remote maintenance system has a monitoring computer for monitoring a facility and a monitoring center computer for maintenance management. The monitoring computer has a database for storing image data of the monitored facility. The monitoring center computer has a database for storing CAD data for the monitored facility. The monitoring center computer provides coordinates to the image data sent from the monitoring computer, and superposes the image coordinate data and CAD coordinate data for the CAD. The center computer locates a needed maintenance location on the basis of the result of the superposition processing.
US07756677B1

Improved optical characterization is provided by organizing the optical modeling calculations such that incident radiation parameters (e.g., wavelength) are varied in the outermost loop of any modeling run. By completing calculations for all combinations of structure parameters at one wavelength before moving to the next wavelength, calculation efficiency can be greatly improved. In particular, with this approach it is not necessary to cache (or re-compute) intermediate results pertaining to different wavelengths, in contrast to conventional approaches. Further improvements in efficiency can be obtained by organizing reflectance calculations such that for any layer Ll, stored intermediate results pertaining to layers below Ll can be used to calculate optical response as parameters for Ll and layers above Ll are varied. Similarly, transmittance calculations can be organized such that for any layer Ll, stored intermediate results pertaining to layers above Ll can be used to calculate optical response as parameters for Ll and layers below Ll are varied.
US07756664B2

There is provided a test apparatus for testing a device under test. The test apparatus includes a gradient adjusting section that separately adjusts a gradient of a rising edge of a signal under measurement which is output from the device under test and a gradient of a falling edge of the signal under measurement, a sampling section that samples the signal under measurement whose edge gradients are adjusted by the gradient adjusting section, and a judging section that judges whether the device under test passes or fails the test based on a result of the sampling performed by the sampling section.
US07756660B2

A lithographic apparatus has an array of individually controllable elements to impart a projection beam with a pattern in its cross-section. The projection system includes an array of lenses and an actuator configured to change the shape of the array of lenses. In one example, the actuator is a piezoelectric actuator
US07756658B2

Systems and methods for detecting defects on a wafer and generating inspection results for the wafer are provided. One method includes detecting defects on a wafer by comparing output generated by scanning of the wafer performed by an inspection system to one or more defect detection thresholds. The method also includes sampling outliers in the output by selecting the output having the highest values from bins defined based on one or more predetermined criteria. In addition, the method includes selecting a portion of the sampled outliers based on wafer-level analysis of the sampled outliers. The method further includes generating inspection results for the wafer by combining information about the selected portion of the sampled outliers with information about the defects detected using the one or more defect detection thresholds.
US07756650B2

An apparatus for detecting and processing a multiplicity of measured values in an HVDCT system has measuring units for detecting measured variables of the HVDCT system, while obtaining measured values, and preprocessing units which are connected to one another in series, are each connected to at least one measuring unit and are connected to a control, regulation and monitoring system by means of a last preprocessing unit which is connected downstream of the rest of the preprocessing units, each preprocessing unit being set up to receive and preprocess the measured values, while obtaining optical measured values, and transmitting both the optical measured values generated by it and the optical measured values received from the upstream preprocessing units to a downstream preprocessing unit or to the control, regulation and monitoring system, with the result that the last preprocessing unit provides all of the measured values for the control, regulation and monitoring system.
US07756645B2

Provided are methods of storing, aligning, and retrieving haplotype data. A method of storing the haplotype data includes: determining the order of alleles in each single nucleotide polymorphism position of the haplotype data; aligning the haplotype data according to the order; and storing the aligned haplotype data in a predetermined data structure.
US07756644B2

Methodology for the automated selection and/or optimization of T-cell epitopes is disclosed. The invention provides a data processing system which utilizes sequence-based statistical pattern recognition to compute an epitope selection matrix based on the informational content of epitopes known to bind to a particular major histocompatibility class I allele. The resulting Bayes-corrected scoring matrix is used to predict the relative binding affinities of candidate T-cell epitopes derived from immunologically relevant antigens of self or foreign origin. One aspect of the invention describes an analytical method for identification of modifications in known or predicted T-cell epitopes that confer upon the epitopes the ability to elicit stronger cellular immune response due to more efficient processing and/or presentation to T-cells. The disclosed epitope identification algorithm is applicable to the design of vaccines for infectious diseases, cancer and autoimmune diseases as well as for developing methods for the in vitro evaluation of cellular immunity.
US07756642B2

To characterize an earth subterranean structure using a measurement assembly including electromagnetic (EM) receivers and one or more EM sources, measured voltage data collected by EM receivers in response to transmission by one or more EM sources is received. Based on a model, predicted EM data is computed. Inversion is iteratively performed according to a function that computes a difference between the measured voltage data and a product of a term containing the predicted EM data and a term containing distortion data that accounts at least for distortion effect by an environment of the measurement assembly. The inversion is iteratively performed to solve for parameters of the model and the distortion data.
US07756641B2

The present invention provides methods and systems for numerically computing tool response sensitivities of subterranean measurement tools such as resistivity logging tools. The methods and systems enable much faster computation of sensitivities than previously available for resistivity tools. For typical tools that apply dozens or hundreds of parameters, the methods of the present invention may reduce sensitivities computation time by a factor substantially equal to the number of parameters.
US07756640B2

A vehicle control system includes a route setting unit for setting a route from a start point to a destination; an information obtaining unit for obtaining from a memory position information of at least one base point and at least one control point existing in the route set by the setting unit; a base point recognition unit for recognizing that a current position of a vehicle reaches a position of the base point obtained by the obtaining unit; a running situation monitoring unit for determining as a predetermined distance a running distance from the base point most lately recognized by the recognition unit; and a control unit for executing an advanced control to the vehicle if the predetermined distance obtained by the monitoring unit is shorter than any of first and second threshold distances, when the current position reaches a position of the control point obtained by the obtaining unit.
US07756639B2

A map-matching feedback interface uses added information to bound a mapping solution and calibrate a navigation system, thus enabling the navigation system to navigate more accurately over a longer period of time. The system recognizes erroneous measurements and reduces or eliminates them from the mapping solution, thus preventing position inaccuracies. The system interfaces the navigation system with a mapping system that feeds back map-based data to the navigation system and combines the map-matching feedback data with other sensor data to produce an accurate navigation solution even in environments where GPS or dead reckoning input data is inaccurate.
US07756636B2

A navigation apparatus includes: a route acquiring unit that acquires a route that connects a departure place and a destination, the route including a plurality of section routes for which different kinds of transportations are used; a guiding unit that performs a guidance based on the route acquire by the route acquiring unit; and a guidance controller that receives an instruction whether to perform the guidance for each of the section routes, and controls the guiding unit to perform the guidance for a section route for which an instruction to perform the guidance is received.
US07756633B2

A method and system for a comprehensive security-enhanced rideshare system is provided. The rideshare program includes localization, mapping and ride matching for participants. Participation incentives and revenue methods provide for the financial viability of the rideshare system. Participant security is monitored in near real-time using location-determining communication devices used by the participants in the system. The rideshare system monitors a number of security-indicating criteria and takes action when an anomalous condition is recognized.
US07756627B2

Procedure and device for the operation of a gasoline engine with direct gasoline injection and with a variable valve-train assembly in a mode of operation with self-ignition, in which when a deviation by the actual values of physical parameters characterizing a combustion from set point values occurs in a work cycle, a closed-loop control of the actual values results in such a way that in succeeding work cycles, conditions, particularly a thermodynamic state of a combustible gas in a combustion chamber, exist for the mode of operation with self-ignition.
US07756625B2

A control apparatus for a vehicle includes a RAM adapted to require a power to store and retain data. A nonvolatile memory is provided to be adapted not to require a power to store and retain data. Additionally, a CPU is provided to be adapted to make watch and/or control of an engine and/or an automatic transmission based on the data stored in the RAM. In this control apparatus, the CPU includes a park range position selection judging device for making a decision that the park range position is selected by an operator, and a data storing device for causing the data stored in the RAM to be stored in the nonvolatile memory, based on the decision that the park range position is selected.
US07756618B2

An object of the present invention is to provide a drive assisting apparatus capable of displaying a high-precision predicted locus in a camera picture in a superimposing manner while suppressing an increase of cost in a minimum value, and further, capable of displaying loci on a screen up to edges of the screen with respect to all of locus data irrespective of adjusting amounts of display positions.Display data is formed which is used to display a travel prediction locus of a vehicle corresponding to a steering angle of a steering wheel on a screen of an on-vehicle monitor (5) in a superimposing manner; adjusting data used to adjust a display position of the travel prediction locus is set; and the display position of the travel prediction locus formed based upon the display data corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel in connection to steering operation of the steering wheel is adjusted based upon the adjusting data, and the position-adjusted travel prediction locus is displayed on the screen of the on-vehicle monitor (5) in the superimposing manner.
US07756617B1

A portable electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device can be used inside a motor vehicle to collect and store information regarding operation of the motor vehicle. The electronic device can include a processor and a digital memory. The processor can determine miles traveled by the motor vehicle during a trip and store data representing the miles in the digital memory with a trip identifier identifying the trip. The miles traveled can be determined using data from a location sensor, such as a global positioning satellite device, that determines locations of the motor vehicle during the trip. The electronic device can also include an audio mechanism into which a user can speak information about the trip. Such audio data can be stored in the digital memory and associated with the trip identifier. Other data representing information about the trip can also be stored in the digital memory. The electronic device can also include a mechanism for transferring data stored in the digital memory in association with the trip identifier to a computing device.
US07756611B2

An operator-specifying apparatus is combined with an on-board device such as a navigation device mounted on an automotive vehicle. An ultrasonic sensor device is mounted on a frame of a display panel of the navigation device. A hand of a person who is manipulating the navigation device, a driver or an assistant, is detected by the ultrasonic sensor device. If it is determined that the driver is manipulating (or about to manipulate) the navigation device when the vehicle is being driven, manipulation of the navigation device is prohibited to secure safety in driving. On the other hand, if it is found out the assistant is operating the navigation device, such prohibition is canceled to effectively use the navigation device.
US07756608B2

A method for calibration of an industrial robot including a plurality of movable links and a plurality of actuators effecting movement of the links and thereby of the robot. The method includes mounting a measuring tip on or in the vicinity of the robot, moving the robot such that the measuring tip is in contact with a plurality of measuring points on the surface of at least one geometrical structure on or in the vicinity of the robot, reading and storing the positions of the actuators for each measuring point, and estimating a plurality of kinematic parameters for the robot based on a geometrical model of the geometrical structure, a kinematic model of the robot, and the stored positions of the actuators for the measuring points.
US07756600B2

In the case of forming fine wires and the like by a droplet discharging apparatus to manufacture electric circuits, discharging controls including controls of a discharging position, a discharging timing, and the like are required to have very high accuracy. After forming design diagram data of an electric circuit by a CAD tool, the design diagram data is converted into first raster data, which is then converted into second raster data. The first raster data is a square grid regarding a dot pitch Xdp in a horizontal direction and a dot pitch Ydp in a perpendicular direction as one unit. The second raster data is a rectangular grid regarding the dot pitch Xdp in the horizontal direction and a dot pitch Ydp/V (V>1) as one unit. It is to be noted that arbitrary discharging number is the same before and after the conversion from the first raster data to the second raster data.
US07756595B2

When each live performance signal is transferred from one live performance providing apparatus to the next, with the live performance providing apparatuses having the respective connection orders thereof, the live performance signal is mixed with a live performance signal captured by the one apparatus. The end (n-th) live performance providing apparatus mixes a live performance signal captured by itself with the live performance signals mixed by all prior live performance apparatuses, thereby finally providing a complete live performance signal as a concert sound.
US07756591B2

A method and apparatus for optimizing air flow to a boiler of a power generating unit using advanced optimization, modeling, and control techniques. Air flow is optimized to maintain flame stability, minimize air pollution emissions, and improve efficiency. An optimizer determines optimal setpoint values for manipulated variables associated with the power generating unit by using a model to minimize the value of a cost function while observing at least one constraint associated with operation of the power generating unit.
US07756590B2

An appliance control system is described for controlling a plurality of appliances. The system includes a control station located remotely from the appliances and having a control unit for controlling the plurality of appliances, at least one client station being associated with at least one of the plurality of appliances and being adapted for allowing a user to make requests to the control station for using the at least one of the plurality of appliances, actuators connected to the control station and the at least one of the plurality of appliances for receiving control signals from the control station and controlling the at least one of the plurality of appliances, and sensors connected to the water appliance and the control station for recording information about the at least one of the plurality of appliances and providing the information to the control station.
US07756584B2

The following disclosure is drawn to methods of electrically stimulating areas of the brain in which neuroplasticity are occurring. The stimulation site may be different than the region in the brain where neural activity is typically present to perform the particular neural function according to the functional organization of the brain. The disclosure provides methods of identify the location in which neuroplasticity is occurring, not occurring or expected to occur.
US07756579B2

A sensor which can be implanted in a body part to collect data relating to the body part, the sensor includes a jacket which has a side wall which can be deformed inwardly, and first and second ends. A sensor part is contained within the jacket, and fastened to the jacket at or towards the first end of the jacket. The sensor part is at least partially isolated from compressive forces applied to the sensor which cause the side wall of the jacket to deform inwardly.
US07756577B1

A device and methods for automatically evaluating one or more patient physiological parameters and, upon determination that certain therapies are indicated, delivering therapeutic mechanical stimulations to tissue of the patient. The mechanical stimulations generally include vibrations delivered at frequencies somewhat higher or lower than an intrinsic frequency and the therapeutic vibrations are delivered to drive the intrinsic frequency towards a desired value. The device and methods more closely emulate natural physiologic feedback mechanisms and can reduce undesired side effects of other known therapies. The device can include a small and efficient electrical motor which is interconnected with a crank and link mechanism to generate oscillatory motion which is conducted to a flexible wall of a bio-compatible housing of the device.
US07756576B2

Apparatus and methods are provided for determining in near realtime the position of a probe placed within a living body. Electric currents are driven between one or more electrodes on the probe and electrodes placed on the body surface. The impedance between the probe and each of the body surface electrodes is measured, and three-dimensional position coordinates of the probe are determined based on the impedance measurements. Dynamic compensation is provided for changing impedance of the body surface and its interface with the electrodes, resulting from such causes as electrode peel-off and changes in moisture and temperature. The compensation improves the accuracy of, inter alia, medical procedures, such as mapping the heart or performing ablation to treat cardiac arrhythmias.
US07756569B2

It is the object of a method for measuring the vessel diameter of optically accessible blood vessels to measure vessel diameters of optically accessible blood vessels in a simple manner based on digital images and with high accuracy even when the vessel diameter is on an order of magnitude at which the determination of the diameter by image point counting is associated with an unacceptably high error. According to the invention, the vessel diameter is determined photometrically from the logarithmized ratio of the intensities of the reflection of the vessel-free environment of the blood vessel and of the reflection of the blood vessel, which intensities are determined in a first monochromatic image.
US07756567B2

An image-guided radiosurgery method and system are presented that use 2D/3D image registration to keep the radiosurgical beams properly focused onto a treatment target. A pre-treatment 3D scan of the target is generated at or near treatment planning time. A set of 2D DRRs are generated, based on the pre-treatment 3D scan. At least one 2D x-ray image of the target is generated in near real time during treatment. The DRRs are registered with the x-ray images, by computing a set of 3D transformation parameters that represent the change in target position between the 3D scan and the x-ray images. The relative position of the radiosurgical beams and the target is continuously adjusted in near real time in accordance with the 3D transformation parameters. A hierarchical and iterative 2D/3D registration algorithm is used, in which the transformation parameters that are in-plane with respect to the image plane of the x-ray images are computed separately from the out-of-plane transformation parameters.
US07756560B2

Sensor arrangement having capture molecules immobilized on any of three sensor electrodes, wherein molecules to be detected can hybridize with the capture molecules; a control circuit for applying a first electrical signal to a selected sensor electrode and simultaneously applying a second electrical signal to at least two of the other sensor electrodes; a detection device, wherein in a first operating state a reference liquid is introduced into the sensor arrangement and a reference value of an electrical signal is detected at the selected sensor electrode, and in a second operating state an analyte possibly having molecules to be detected is introduced into the sensor arrangement and a sensor value of the electrical signal is detected at the selected sensor electrode; and an evaluation circuit, which, on the basis of the reference value and the sensor value, determines whether a hybridization event has taken place at the selected sensor electrode.
US07756558B2

The present invention includes apparatuses and methods for mitigating the effects of foreign interferents on analyte measurements. The present invention comprises several interferent mitigation steps. Examples include sample cleaning procedures, detection of the presence of interferents, determination of the identity of interferents, and modification or selection of a multivariate calibration model to mitigate the effects of one or more interferents on analyte measurements. The interferent mitigation steps of the present invention can be applied individually, and in some embodiments can be applied in combination. Some examples of relevant analyte measurements include the noninvasive determination of the presence or concentration of alcohol, glucose, urea, byproducts of alcohol metabolism, and substances of abuse.
US07756555B2

Portable information terminal equipment having a function to perform the informing process at the time of reception in cooperation with a connecting section driving mechanism as well as a function to enable the open/close movement of the upper and lower units through one-touch operation making use of the connecting section driving mechanism. Depending on informing modes, a motor drive circuit drives a motor under the control of a controller on receipt of a call or a message to apply a driving force to the open/close mechanism of a hinge unit. Thereby, the portable information terminal equipment is folded/unfolded, that is, the posture of the portable information terminal equipment is changed, and a user is informed of the receipt of the call or the message. Besides, the portable information terminal equipment performs conventional informing processes, such as ringing, light emitting, message or image display and the like, in combination with the open/close or rotative operation.
US07756552B2

Disclosed is a holding device for a cellular phone (100), comprising a holding surface (215), a top holding rail (220, 435) that is spaced apart from the holding surface (215), and a pressing unit (300, 450). Said pressing unit (300) encompasses an elastic pressing element (340) which can apply a holding force (Fhold) extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cellular phone (100) to a base region (107) of the cellular telephone (100) such that a top region (106) of the cellular phone (100) is pressed against the top holding rail (220, 435). Said top holding rail (220, 435) and a bottom holding rail (260, 436) are provided for securing the cellular telephone (100) against a transversal force on the holding surface (215).
US07756547B2

A communication interface device includes a wireless Internet packet (IP) transceiver and a PCMCIA card electrically connected to the transceiver. Also, a universal serial bus (USB) connector is plugged into a hub that holds the PCMCIA card, with a cord extending from the USB connector and terminating in another USB connector. Accordingly, the device can be engaged with the PCMCIA bay of a user terminal or, if a user terminal has no PCMCIA bay, with a USB receptacle of the user terminal, to establish wireless communication. To simplify set-up, a CD containing all operating system versions of PCMCIA and USB drivers is engaged with the user terminal. The terminal's operating system is then automatically determined, and only the drivers associated with that operating system are loaded onto the terminal.
US07756544B1

The present invention provides method and systems for activating or deactivating network devices by managing the power of the network device. By controlling the power for network devices, the size and coverage of the network can be adjusted to meet the needs for the current usage. This can be particularly advantageous in wireless networks where multiple wireless access points may be provided to provide coverage during peak usage but present the additional security concern of the network being accessible to unauthorized users. Being able to power down unneeded wireless access points during off-peak usage allows for the minimization of such potential security concerns.
US07756539B2

A method and system for notifying a push-to-talk enabled user of an event. The method includes the steps of: receiving event data to be provided to a user; determining a push-to-talk configuration including carrier information for the user; and based on the push-to-talk configuration, providing the event data and user identification information to a carrier identified in the carrier information. The system may include an aggregation service controller; a text to speech converter; a user PTT connection mapping database; an online service interface; and a PTT service provider interface.
US07756537B2

A server for a communication system is disclosed. The server is configured to receive group communication information comprising a group detail indicator. The group detail indicator provides information on at least an identity of a group and a type of the group. The server is further configured to store the group communication information, and to make the group communication information available to predefined entities.
US07756531B2

A telecommunication system and method for notifying a calling party, via a Preventive Disturbance Announcement (PDA), that a called party is in an area where the called party would prefer not to be disturbed with non-urgent calls. The calling party is then given the opportunity to either talk to the mobile called party or to leave a message or callback number. If the calling party decides to try to talk to the user, a Home Location Register (HLR) directs the call to a Visitor Location Register (VLR), and a mobile ending call is generated via a Mobile Switching Center (MSC). For non-urgent calls, the called party is given an option to refuse a voice mail page or Caller ID page of the non-urgent calls. The HLR will direct the Short Message Service (SMS) Service Center (SMS/SC) to store, in a buffer or external source, the Caller ID of non-urgent calls that were not connected to the called party while the PDA was active.
US07756529B2

A position information management system in which a portable remote terminal includes a plurality of kinds of positioning means for positioning based on a GPS, positioning based on a portable-telephone or PHS base station, positioning based on a radio marker, and independent positioning based on a direction detector, so that the holder of the portable remote terminal can be navigated anywhere. The holder of the portable remote terminal can know the position of a third party similarly holding such a portable remote terminal, by inquiring of a central system, and he/she can supervise, for example, the action of an old person, a child, or a skier in a skiing area. Further, only the map data of a district which is often used by the holder is stored in the portable remote terminal. In this regard, when the holder is in a district not contained within the retained map data, he/she downloads corresponding map data from the central system and uses the downloaded map data.
US07756528B2

An area estimation system includes: a radio signal transmitting unit configured to transmit a radio signal to certain radio signal receiving terminal; a radio signal capturing unit configured to capture the radio signal transmitted from the radio signal transmitting unit, to obtain an RSSI for indicating a strength of the captured radio signal; an RSSI receiver unit configured to receive the RSSI, a radio signal transmitting unit ID for uniquely identifying the radio signal transmitting unit, and a radio signal capturing unit ID for uniquely identifying the radio signal capturing unit; an RSSI storage unit configured to store the RSSI, the radio signal transmitting unit ID and the radio signal capturing unit ID in association with one another; and a presence area estimating unit configured to estimate the presence area of the radio signal transmitting unit, by using the RSSI which is obtained by the radio signal capturing unit and stored in the RSSI storage unit.
US07756521B2

A method for allocating subcarrier frequencies to a user terminal in a wireless system using multi-carrier modulation such as OFDM in which a network is adapted to communicate with a plurality of user terminals for data transmission, signaling control and link adaptation via an air interface downlink channel and feedback channel, and where a number of terminals estimate their own specific channel transfer function, wherein upon terminal channel transfer function estimation over a certain period of time, a set of terminals report to the network, over their feedback channel, information about their measured channel transfer function and interference noise estimate and the network, according to this information, allocates the subcarrier frequencies of at least one first frequency subset to the set of terminals which sent said information following a frequency-selective allocation scheme and allocates the subcarrier frequencies of at least one second frequency subset to the rest of the terminals according to a frequency interleaving scheme.
US07756520B2

A method and apparatus are provided for selecting an optimum base station for communicating with a terminal in a wireless communication system. A base station controller stores two candidate sets for each terminal within communication range of the base stations controlled by the base station controller. One candidate set lists base stations for which the channel quality of the uplink channel between the base station and the terminal is acceptable for communication. The other candidate set lists base stations for which the channel quality of the downlink channel between is acceptable for communication. This allows the base station controller to take into account the predominant direction of traffic when assigning base stations for communication with the terminal.
US07756518B2

Provided is a method and system for minimizing call setup delay in a network. The system includes a central node that may be connected to multiple home location registers (HLRs) and a number portability database (NPDB). The central node may also be associated with two tables. The first table includes mobile station identifiers and associated location routing numbers (LRNs), and the second table includes mobile station identifiers and associated home location registers (HLRs). The method searches the first and second tables for a mobile station identifier that matches a mobile station identifier associated with a call. If a match is found, the method uses the associated LRN or HLR to continue with the call setup or to obtain further information. If no match is found, the method sends a query to the NPDB. The method may also dynamically update the first and second tables as current information is obtained.
US07756514B2

A method and a related system for forwarding a telephone call from a caller intended to be directed to a first, fixed, telephony number to a second, mobile, telephone number in order to render an intended responder associated with the mobile telephony number reachable at a mobile phone instead that at a fixed telephone. The method includes having the caller place a call to a virtual mobile telephony number associated with the fixed telephony number; conditioned to the fact that call forwarding from the fixed telephony number to the mobile telephony number is enabled, routing the call to the mobile telephony number; and, if the responder accepts, terminating the call from the caller at the mobile telephony number of the responder instead of at the fixed telephony number, so as to establish a direct telephone call between the caller and the responder. This direct telephone call is viewed by the caller as a call to a mobile telephony number, and, in particular, the caller sustains the cost of the call.
US07756509B2

Embodiments of methods and apparatus for providing an access profile system associated with a broadband wireless access network are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US07756504B2

In one embodiment, the present invention includes a mixer circuit to receive and generate a mixed signal from a radio frequency (RF) signal and a master clock signal, a switch stage coupled to an output of the mixer circuit to rotatingly switch the mixed signal to multiple gain stages coupled to the switch stage, and a combiner to combine an output of the gain stages.
US07756502B2

The high-frequency IC according to an embodiment of the invention includes a mixer down-converting the RF signal into an IF signal with a given center frequency lower than that of the RF signal, a first-order low-pass filter with a pass band set narrower than a bandwidth of the IF signal down-converted by the mixer, and an active low-pass filter removing a signal outside the bandwidth of the IF signal.
US07756500B1

An integrated front-end filter for a tuner provides an array of from several to a multitude of passbands, each for passing at least one but less than all channels designated in a band of frequencies. Each passband is exclusively selectable. The integrated front end filter includes at least one active filter unit with an active reactance element in either of fixed and variable filter configurations and a decoder coupled to said at least one active filter unit and being responsive to a control signal for selecting a one of the passbands. In one example a multitude of active filter units of fixed filter configuration provide the multitude of passbands. Each data is stored at a predetermined location and reproduced in response to a corresponding control data signal from a tuner controller. Each data characterizes one of the plurality of passbands. The filter element is switchable from one passband to another in response to the control data signal. Lower power dissipation and lesser requirements of an on-following integrated circuitry tuner permit a reduction of “off chip” connections and cost.
US07756496B2

An oscillation controlling apparatus for controlling an oscillation frequency of an oscillation circuit to be a target frequency comprises a variable range dividing unit configured to dividing a variable range of a control signal into a plurality of portions, the control signal increasing or decreasing the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit as a value thereof is increased or decreased; and a determining unit configured to determining the portion including the control signal setting the oscillation frequency to the target frequency, by outputting the control signal at a boundary of each portion divided by the variable range dividing unit and by acquiring the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit, wherein the variable range dividing unit is configured to divide repeatedly the variable range until the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit is set to the target frequency with using the portion determined by the determining unit as the variable range.
US07756486B1

Circuits, methods, and apparatus that provide isolation between receive and transmit circuits in a wireless transceiver. One example provides switches that can be included on an integrated circuit with at least portions of a wireless transceiver. These switches vary the impedance of transmitter and receiver circuits between a termination impedance and a high impedance by inserting or removing components in parallel with matching networks. Signal losses are minimized since these switches are shunt connected to input and output paths on the wireless circuit and are not connected directly in either signal path.
US07756480B2

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for transmitter leak-over cancellation. In one example, a method includes transmitting a signal via a transmit chain in a wireless device, where a portion of the signal leaks over into a receive chain of the wireless device and generates higher order products that interfere with a signal being received by the wireless device. A portion of the signal from the transmit chain is diverted into cancellation circuitry coupled to the receive chain prior to a location in the transmit chain where leak-over occurs, and an amplitude and phase of the portion is manipulated. The manipulated portion is combined with the received signal and other portion to at least partially cancel interference caused by the portion leaking over into the receive chain.
US07756479B2

A system that provides for Bluetooth communications from a first Bluetooth enabled device to a second Bluetooth enabled device is provided. The system comprising a Bluetooth manager that provides a graphical user interface, an Outgoing Port Driver that shares configurational information with and is started by the Bluetooth manager, a first serial port that receives data from an application operating on the first device, the first serial port acting as a virtual serial port where the first serial port is not connected to communications hardware, a second serial port that is connected to communications hardware, the second serial port acting as an outgoing port, and a Bluetooth stack that receives data to be communicated from the second serial port, wherein the Outgoing Port Driver directs the data from the first serial port to the second serial port via the Outgoing Port Driver.
US07756478B2

A method, apparatus, and system for using Bluetooth devices to secure sensitive data on other Bluetooth devices is described. A Bluetooth device is paired with a “trusted” Bluetooth device. When contact with the trusted device is lost, designated sensitive data on the secured Bluetooth device is automatically encrypted. When contact is restored, the data is automatically decrypted. In an alternate embodiment, a secured device can be associated with multiple trusted devices, and the secured device designate different sensitive data for each trusted device. In this way, multiple users can share a common, “public” Bluetooth device without concern that the other users will access their sensitive data on the device when the device is not being used by that user.
US07756475B2

A device and method support dialup modem access over a wireless local area and/or personal area network such as, for example, an IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n and/or IEEE 802.15.3a network. A representative embodiment permits a user of a conventional Internet web browser application to access a dialup information provider via a switched telephone network, using the wireless network. A terminal adapter comprising a wired network interface and a wireless network interface receives messaging containing dialing information from a user of a personal computer, via the wireless network. The terminal adapter establishes a dialup connection to the information provider, and exchanges information between the personal computer and the information provider via the wired and wireless interfaces. Information used for dialing may be contained within a universal resource locator received by the terminal adapter, or may be received as a result of user input on a webpage type user interface displayed by the browser application using information sent by the terminal adapter.
US07756473B2

Provided are an on-channel repeater and a method thereof. The repeater receives signals on one channel and distributes the signals on the same channel by converting RF signals from a main transmitter into baseband signals; equalizing them in a high-performance equalizer, adding a repeater identifier to them; modulating the baseband signals with the repeater identifier into RF signals. The repeater includes: a receiver for receiving RF signals; a demodulator for demodulating the RF signals into baseband signals; an equalizer for equalizing the baseband signals; an adder for adding a repeater identifier to the baseband signals; a modulator for modulating the baseband signals with the repeater identifier added in the adder into RF signals; and a transmitter for transmitting the RF signals modulated in the modulator. The technology of the present invention is used to form an on-channel repeating network in an arbitrary transmission system including a digital television broadcasting system.
US07756463B2

After a skew of a sheet as a recording medium is corrected by correcting a sheet curve, exposure writing on a photosensitive drum is started synchronously with re-driving of resist rollers. When a sheet front edge is detected by a sensor, sheet conveyance is continued while adjusting a sheet conveying speed when an exposure start position reaches a transfer position at a pressure contact point between the drum and a transfer roller, thereby adjusting the time of arrival at the transfer position. A time/distance interval between the preceding and subsequent sheets are shortened, a conveying path is shortened, and the whole apparatus is miniaturized. Print processing efficiency is raised and stable printing without a variation is executed. A transfer start position of the sheet is made to accurately coincide with the exposure start position of the drum, thereby realizing a high print processing speed.
US07756459B2

In a fixing device, a magnetic flux generated by a coil passes through a magnetic circuit made of a heat generating layer of a fixing member and a magnetic substance core. The magnetic substance core includes a plurality of main cores each having an elongated form along a circumferential direction of the fixing member and arrayed at intervals along a width direction of a sheet. The end row main cores have a second shape effectively closer to an outer peripheral face of the fixing member compared to a first shape possessed by the central row main cores so as to enhance density of the magnetic flux, which passes the magnetic circuit, more in end sections than in a central section with respect to width direction of the sheet.
US07756456B2

An image forming apparatus includes: a belt member stretched across at least two rollers; a protrusion disposed, such that it protrudes along the traveling direction of the belt member, on an inner surface of one edge side of the belt member; an engagement portion that is formed in an end portion of the rollers and with which the protrusion is engageable; and an image carrier that retains a toner image transferred to a recording medium conveyed by the belt member or the surface of the belt member. The end portion at the opposite side, in the width direction of the belt member, of one roller of the rollers is shifted in the direction where it separates from the image carrier and axially supported.
US07756450B2

The toner transport device of the present invention includes a toner transport pipe, internally having a toner transport path for allowing toner to pass therethrough, which is disposed so that the toner transport path extends in an up-and-down direction and which vibrates in upward and downward directions. Further, on an upper joint section and a lower joint section of the toner transport pipe are provided an upper foamed elastic member and a lower foamed elastic member which internally has a toner passage for allowing the toner transported to/from the toner transport path to pass therethrough, wherein a wall surface of the toner passage is coated with a resin layer which does not allow the toner to pass therethrough. As a result, it is possible to properly prevent retention and solidification of toner in the toner transport path by the upward-and-downward vibration of the toner transport member and it is possible to properly prevent toner from leaking from the toner transport device.
US07756438B2

A device for fusing a predetermined toner image on a paper and which electrically insulates a heating body of a fusing unit from a power supply unit by heating the heating body using an induced current generated by a transformer. The fusing device includes an insulation unit for generating an induced current in response to an alternating current, a heating body heated by the generated induced current, a toner fusing unit which fuses the toner image on the paper using the heat received from the heating body, and a tube-expansion adhesion portion closely adhering the heating body to the toner fusing unit using a predetermined tube-expansion pressure.
US07756437B2

In an image forming system wherein manual duplex printing can be performed by printing an image on one side of a sheet and thereafter printing an image on the other side of the manually-fed printed sheet, a first instruction screen is displayed on a display apparatus at the beginning of manual duplex printing for showing how to set the sheet onto a paper rest of the image forming apparatus for the first half of manual duplex printing. The first instruction screen includes instruction on whether a distinctive side of the sheet should face up or down on the paper rest.
US07756436B2

A developing roller supplies toner to an image on an image bearing body, the image being formed in accordance with image data. A toner supplying member supplies developer material to the developer bearing member. A computing section computes a dot population density in corresponding one of a plurality of sub data areas. The plurality of sub data areas are obtained by dividing the image data such that the plurality of sub data areas are aligned in a printable area of a print medium in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the print medium. A controller performs a developer material removing process based on the dot population density, in which the toner deposited on the developing roller is removed from the developing roller in an area corresponding to a low dot population density of image data.
US07756435B2

A cleaning method and cleaning device including a cleaning unit to clean a moving surface of a cleaning target by contacting a portion thereof with the moving surface of the cleaning target and moving the portion so that an unused portion thereof contacts the moving surface of the cleaning target, a detection unit to detect a moving speed of the moving surface of the cleaning target, a setting unit to set a plurality of setting times, and a control unit to select a setting time from the plurality of the setting times based on information detected by the detection unit. The control unit includes a cleaning time measurement unit to measure a cleaning time in which the portion of the cleaning unit contacts the moving surface of the cleaning target, and a determination unit to determine whether or not the cleaning time exceeds the selected setting time.
US07756422B2

During initial start-up of an optical communication system, an ASE reference span loss is calculated based on transmitting power and received power of ASE light generated by an optical amplifier, and an OSC reference span loss is calculated based on the transmitting power and the received power of OSC light. During normal operation of the optical communication system, a span loss is calculated using the OSC light, and an amount of change in the span loss representing a difference between the span loss and the OSC reference span loss is calculated. A current span loss between a transmitting station and a receiving station is calculated by adding the amount of change in the span loss to the ASE reference span loss.
US07756416B2

The present invention relates to prevention of erroneous connection in an optical network and, in particular, it provides an optical communication node having route switching function as well as an optical network system using the same in a wavelength division multiplex (WDM) network system. There is provided an optical communication node that is connected to a specific optical path in an optical network, the optical communication node having: an external network that is placed thereunder; and an interruption part for interrupting connection between the optical network and the external network, wherein the interruption part interrupts the connection until a sequence of changing a route is completed when the route setting of the optical path is changed.
US07756415B2

A method for automatically estimating the spatial positions between cameras in a camera network utilizes unique identifying signals, such as RFID signals, transmitting between nearby cameras to estimate the relative distances or positions between cameras from received signal strength (RSS), time of arrival (TOA), or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements to thereby determine the neighboring relationship among the cameras. A discover-locate process can be used to discover, from the estimated relative distances, unknown cameras in the vicinity of at least three cameras at known locations. Absolute locations of the discovered unknown cameras can then be calculated using a geometric calculation. The discover-locate process can be cascaded throughout the network to discover and locate all unknown cameras automatically using previously discovered and located cameras. Such methods can be implemented in systems having cameras with transceivers integrated therein and a controller operably linked to the cameras.
US07756410B2

A side face of an external flash device is provided with an illumination operation button, and side and lower faces thereof are provided with illumination light emitters. Each of the illumination light emitters has a built-in LED and turns on by pressing the illumination operation button. When an image is captured under a dark environment, a user can operate the operation ring, and operating dials and under the illumination.
US07756409B2

An image pickup device and image pickup method are disclosed, wherein an image is picked up by changing the shutter speed in accordance with the illuminance of an object in the case where the rate at which the object moves in the whole image is smaller than a predetermined value, and an image is picked up without changing the shutter speed regardless of the illuminance of the object in the case where the rate at which the object moves in the whole image is not smaller than the predetermined value.
US07756403B2

A light irradiation heating process in which, even in the case of an asymmetrical physical property of an article to be treated, uniform heating is possible, or in which heating can be performed such that the article acquires a desired physical property after heat treatment. Based on the measured value of the local physical property of the article to be treated, the emissivity distribution is obtained and the distribution pattern of the light intensity on the article to be treated is determined. According to this light intensity pattern, the individual intensity of the light emitted from respective light emitting parts of lamp units of the heating device are determined beforehand. According to this determined result, the intensity of the light emitted from the respective light emitting parts of the lamp units are controlled individually, and thus, the article to be treated is irradiated with light.
US07756400B2

A method of an embodiment of the invention optically writes a plurality of image data files on an optically writable data side of an optical disc. The method optically marks a plurality of thumbnail images on an optically writable label side of the optical disc. Each thumbnail image corresponds to one of the image data files.
US07756395B2

An apparatus and method to store a recording pattern of a user. Recording information and recording pattern including the record repetition count are stored to record the user's favorite programs and a message is displayed to notify the user of the recording start time of the favorite programs.
US07756385B2

An antisqueezed light generator system is built with only the components for optical communications with long-term reliability. A cw-LD light is made pulses by an intensity modulator and amplified by an optical amplifier. The amplified optical pulses are made short by high-order soliton pulse compression effect at a first optical fiber and peak power is increased. A fluctuation is expanded in a phase direction through propagation in a second optical fiber. Because an initial fluctuation is amplified by the optical amplifier, the fluctuation expanded in the phase direction is increased to the extent of the amplification and sufficient antisqueezing strength can be obtained.
US07756371B1

Optical fiber interconnection devices, which can take the form of a module, are disclosed that include an array of optical fibers and multi-fiber optical-fiber connectors, for example, a twenty-four-port connector or multiples thereof, and three eight-port connectors or multiples thereof. The array of optical fibers is color-coded and is configured to optically interconnect the ports of the twenty-four-port connector to the three eight-port connectors in a manner that preserves transmit and receive polarization. In one embodiment, the interconnection devices provide optical interconnections between twenty-four-fiber optical connector configurations to eight-fiber optical connector configurations, such as from twenty-four-fiber line cards to eight-fiber line cards, without having to make structural changes to cabling infrastructure. In one aspect, the optical fiber interconnection devices provide a migration path from duplex optics to parallel optics.
US07756365B2

Biosensors are disclosed based on one- or two-dimensional photonic-crystal reflectance filters operating at near-ultraviolet wavelengths. The biosensors feature a tightly confined resonant electric field at the surface of this biosensor and provide a high surface-sensitivity to bulk-sensitivity ratio, and therefore enables enhanced detection resolution for biomolecules adsorbed on the biosensor surface. These new biosensors can be fabricated in mass by replica molding. They are especially well suited for applications requiring the detection of small molecules or ultra-low analyte concentrations.
US07756357B2

A host system defines a plurality of partial areas for a observation object which is a sample, obtains a partial image of an observation object in the partial area captured using a TV camera at the interval of the depth of focus of an objective lens in the depth-of-focus direction of the objective lens, generates from the partial images a focused partial image in which an object contained in the partial area is represented in a focusing state regardless of the difference in a position in the depth-of-focus direction, and generates and displays a focused image of an observation object by combining focused partial images generated in the respective partial area.
US07756354B2

An image processing apparatus, which obtains a synthesized image whose exposure is corrected by synthesizing a first image and a second image, is disclosed. The image processing apparatus comprises a detection section which detects an amount of displacement of the second image with respect to the first image which is a reference image, a coordinate conversion section which performs coordinate conversion to the second image so as to conform to the first image, and a synthesis section which synthesizes the second image having been subjected to the coordinate conversion with the first image.
US07756351B2

First and second integer transform matrices can be used to approximate the discrete cosine transform. An input matrix of data is multiplied by a first transform matrix of integers to produce an intermediate matrix of data. The intermediate matrix is multiplied by a second transform matrix of integers to produce a transform result matrix of data. The multiplications by the first and second transform matrices can be pipelined to increase throughput. A plurality of transform data paths can also be provided in parallel to increase throughput.
US07756348B2

In a method for decomposing a block of a video sequence frame, it is determined as to whether either or both of the dimensions of the block equals a predetermined minimum dimension. In response to either or both of the dimensions equaling the predetermined minimum dimension, a motion vector for the block is sent. In response to both of the dimensions exceeding the predetermined minimum dimension, a motion vector for the block is determined, the block is partitioned into two wedges, the block is divided into four N/2×N/2 sub-blocks, and these steps are repeated on each of the four N/2×N/2 sub-blocks until either or both of the dimensions equal the predetermined minimum dimension.
US07756347B2

Techniques for performing the processing of blocks of video in multiple stages. Each stage is executed for blocks of data in the frame that need to go through that stage, based on the coding type, before moving to the next stage. This order of execution allows blocks of data to be processed in a nonsequential order, unless the blocks need to go through the same processing stages. Multiple processing elements (PEs) operating in SIMD mode executing the same task and operating on different blocks of data may be utilized, avoiding idle times for the PEs. In another aspect, inverse scan and dequantization operations for blocks of data are merged in a single procedure operating on multiple PEs operating in SIMD mode. This procedure makes efficient use of the multiple PEs and speeds up processing by combining two operations, inverse scan (reordering) and dequantization, which load the execution units differently. The reordering loads mainly the load and store units of the PEs, while the dequantization loads mainly other units. By combining the inverse scan and dequantization in an efficient VLIW packing performance, processing gain is achieved.
US07756342B2

A method for exploiting the nonlinear structure of hyperspectral imagery employs a manifold coordinate system that preserves geodesic distances in the high-dimensional hyperspectral data space. Data representing physical parameters such as a scene is divided into a set of smaller tiles. The manifolds derived from the individual tiles are then aligned and stitched together to complete the scene. Coordinates are derived for a very large although not complete representative subset of the data termed the “backbone”. Manifold coordinates are derived for this representative backbone and then the remaining samples inserted into the backbone using a reconstruction principle using the property of local linearity everywhere on the manifold to reconstruct the manifold coordinates for the samples not originally belonging to the backbone. The output is a global manifold coordinate system, which for topographical image data depicts clearer detail of land and water portions of a scene.
US07756341B2

Generic visual categorization methods complement a general vocabulary with adapted vocabularies that are class specific. Images to be categorized are characterized within different categories through a histogram indicating whether the image is better described by the general vocabulary or the class-specific adapted vocabulary.
US07756336B2

The present invention is a processing system for identifying a string formed from a number of hand-written characters. The system includes a processor and memory, an input device and an output device, a bus connecting the processor, memory, input and output devices, as well as an external interface for connecting the bus to an external database. The processor is configured to perform the steps of determining character probabilities for each character in the string, each character probability representing the likelihood of the respective character being a respective one of a number of predetermined characters; and determining template probabilities for the string, each template probability representing the likelihood of the string corresponding to a respective one of a number of templates, each template representing a respective combination of character types.
US07756328B2

A color chart processing apparatus includes a spectrum calculating unit for receiving information regarding a spectral reflection factor of each color contained in a predetermined color chart and information regarding determination illumination light, and determining a spectrum of the color contained in the predetermined color chart under the determination illumination light by calculating the received information, and a determination information output unit for receiving a color signal of a subject, determining which color of the predetermined color chart closest matches the color signal of the subject by comparing the spectrum of each color determined by the spectrum calculating unit with the color signal of the subject, and outputting information identifying the resulting determination color.
US07756323B2

A 3D scanning device comprises: a digital light encoding unit comprising a digital micromirror device for encoding a rapidly changing shape signal onto a light beam directed to an object, a shape of said signal being selected such that distortions thereof by a contoured object reveal three-dimensional information of said contour; a detector synchronized with said digital light processing unit for detecting reflections of said light beam from said object, and a decoder for determining a 3D shape of said object from distortions of said signal in said detected reflections.
US07756322B2

A mobile robot that is fitted with a camera and can be controlled from a remote terminal such as a mobile phone moves about in an event site to detect and track a moving object such as a visitor and entertainer. Because the camera along with the robot itself can change its position freely autonomously and/or according to a command from the mobile terminal, a desired frame layout can be accomplished by moving the position of the robot. Therefore, the operator is not required to execute a complex image trimming process or other adjustment of the obtained picture image so that a desired picture can be obtained quickly and without any difficulty. If the user is allowed access the managing server, the user can download the desired picture images and have them printed out at will. Also, because the selected picture images can be transmitted to the managing server, the robot is prevented from running out of memory for storing the picture images.
US07756315B2

A method for expanding a field-of-view of a volumetric computed tomography scan comprises identifying truncated views having projection truncation and non-truncated views without projection truncation based on an average value of one or more edge channels. An estimated missing projection is calculated for each of the truncated views based on at least one neighboring non-truncated view. A projection profile is calculated for each of the truncated views based on the estimated missing projection, and the projection profile provides at least one of attenuation data and projection data for an area outside a field-of-view.
US07756311B2

An optical image measuring device which can form a highly reliable image even if an object moves during scanning of a signal light is provided. An optical image forming device 1 comprises: an interferometer that splits a low coherence light L0 into a signal light LS and a reference light LR and generates an interference light LC by overlaying the signal light LS reflected by a fundus oculi with the reference light LR reflected by a reference mirror 14; a CCD 34 which receives the interference light LC and outputs a detection signal; Galvanometer mirrors 22 and 23 to scan the signal light LS in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction; and a computer 40 forming tomographic images G1 to Gm along the main scanning direction at different positions of the sub-scanning direction. The Galvanometer mirrors 22 and 23 scan the signal light LS in a given direction crossing the main scanning direction, and the computer 40 forms a tomographic image for correction GR along the given direction to correct displacement of each topographic image Gi based on the tomographic image for correction GR.
US07756306B2

A method and apparatus for extracting a cerebral ventricular system from images of one or more cerebral ventricular regions comprises defining multiple regions of interest (ROI) in the images, defining seed points within each ROI, growing images of ventricular regions while correcting for leakages into extraventricular space and connecting the ventricular regions grown.
US07756303B2

A method of recognizing an injury pattern on a fingerprint is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of providing biometric information to a contact imager; imaging and characterizing the biometric information; comparing an image of the biometric information against previously stored templates; upon a comparison result of the comparison, determining an injury pattern; wherein upon an injury pattern determination, performing a comparison against a stored template based on features extracted from the biometric data and the damage data.
US07756294B2

System and method for estimating and tracking an orientation of a user's face by combining head tracking and face detection techniques. The orientation of the face, or facial pose, can be expressed in terms of pitch, roll and yaw of the user's head. Facial pose information can be used, for example, to ascertain in which direction the user is looking. In general, the facial pose estimation method obtains a position of the head and a position of the face and compares the two to obtain the facial pose. In particular, a camera is used to obtain an image containing a user's head. Any movement of the user's head is tracked and the head position is determined. A face then is detected on the head and the face position is determined. The head and face positions then are compared.
US07756286B2

A mobile terminal comprising a body, at least one pair of speakers movably provided at the body, and an operating mechanism provided at the body and operatively coupled with the speakers to move the speakers into and out of the body such that a distance between the pair of speakers is increased when the operating mechanism moves each speaker out of the body in opposite directions, whereby more stereophonic sound can be outputted through the speakers.
US07756277B2

A distributed stereo system includes two (or more) speakers; a source of audio signals; an amplifier in the same room as the speakers that drives the speakers; and a mains-operated electrical power supply to power the amplifier. The amplifier is remote from the signal source and power supply and is connected to the signal source and power supply by means of a category 5, four-pair twisted cable or similar, which provides right and left channel audio signals from the signal source to the amplifier and DC power from the power supply to the amplifier. A distributed intercom system features a bi-directional intercom hub; a mains-operated power supply; and two or more remote modules each having an amplifier and speaker. The modules are connected to the hub via category 5 cable or similar, which carries audio signals between the hub and the modules and power from the supply to the modules.
US07756275B2

A system and method for processing multiple channel audio signals to create a realistic soundscape in a space largely independent of the number of loudspeakers and audio source channels is provided. The system includes an encoding system in the recording process and a decoding system in the local listening area.
US07756273B2

A method and apparatus are disclosed for efficiently bit-reversing and scrambling one or more bytes of payload data according to DSL standards on a processor. In one embodiment, this is achieved by providing an instruction for bit reversing and scrambling one or more bytes of data according to the DSL standards. Accordingly, the invention advantageously provides a processor with the ability to bit reverse and scramble data with a single instruction thus allowing for more efficient and faster scrambling operations for subsequent modulation and transmission.
US07756271B2

A flexible framework for generating “scalable layered access” codestreams allows a bitstream architect to select the number of access types and the number of access layers within each access type. At least some of the access layers are encrypted (or scrambled). Some of the access layers may be left unencrypted or unscrambled to allow free access to those layers. The framework facilitates simultaneous access of multimedia content by different users enjoying selective decryption of different access types and different access layers. An exemplary key schema for the framework sends only one or only a few keys to an end user for a given access layer, from which decryption keys for the content can be derived by hashing and then combining under a Group Diffie-Hellman key agreement. In one implementation, only one key is sent in a license to an end user and other partial key information for Group Diffie-Hellman combination with the licensed key is included in the publicly distributed codestream.
US07756268B2

A method and an apparatus for upgrading an existing service outlet (e.g. LAN, telephone, power or CATV outlet) in a house by adding functionality thereto. The functionality is added by an add-on module, connected electrically and secured mechanically to the existing outlet. Several attachment devices are exampled, including surface attachment, side clamping, snap locking, strap securing and fastening screws. The add-on module may include a service connector for retaining the basic existing outlet function. The module may be attached in a permanent way or by using a detachable solution.
US07756255B1

There is disclosed a method and system that allows a telephone user to send voice messages to multiple recipients. According to an embodiment, DTMF signals along with a voice message may be sent over a voice call to a network service platform. The voice message may then be delivered to contacts identified in the DTMF signal.
US07756252B2

A method for network denial case generation includes receiving a plurality of third-party carrier call records associated with a plurality of subscriber telematics units at a call center wherein each call record includes a call status, determining at least one call record having a failure condition based on the call status, determining a subscriber telematics unit associated with the call record having the failure condition, and determining a network denial case action for the subscriber telematics unit based on the failure condition. A computer usable medium with suitable computer program code is employed for network denial case generation.
US07756247B2

An apparatus for generating a panoramic image of part of a target, the apparatus including a source of penetrating radiation and a detector aligned with the source of penetrating radiation. The detector and source of penetrating radiation are rotate-able together with respect to the target. The detector has an array of radiation sensors arranged in rows and columns and is configured to output contents of each radiation sensor in the array of radiation sensors. The apparatus also includes a computer connected to the detector and configured to generate a panoramic image by combining data from sensors in the same row in different columns in different readout intervals, corresponding to different positions of the detector as it rotates with respect to the target. The combined outputs are selected to represent rays of radiation passing through a point on a defined curve. The computer is further configured to alter the defined curve and generate a second panoramic image using the altered curve and combing data from the sensor a second time.
US07756246B2

The time for obtaining ultrasonic images can be reduced by using a two-dimensional transducer array and good radiation images can be obtained even when radiation imaging is performed with the fixed array. The medical imaging apparatus includes a radiation generating unit for generation radiation, a radiation detecting unit for detecting radiation, an ultrasonic transducer array provided between the radiation generating unit and the radiation detecting unit and including two-dimensionally arranged ultrasonic transducers, a radiation image data generating unit for generating radiation image data based on a detection result of the radiation detecting unit, and an image processing unit for performing image processing on the radiation image data generated based on a detection result of radiation transmitted through an object to be inspected and the ultrasonic transducer array, thereby removing an image of the ultrasonic transducer array from a radiation image represented by the radiation image data.
US07756244B2

A system for determining a position of an object includes a block having a base, and a plurality of elongate members secured to the block. A system for determining a position of an object includes a processor configured to obtain an image of portions of respective elongated members, and determine a position of an object that is coupled to the plurality of elongated members. A method of determining a position of an object includes obtaining a first image of portions of respective elongated members, and determining a first position of an object using the first image.
US07756237B2

A method of absolute nuclear material assay of an unknown source comprising counting neutrons from the unknown source and providing an absolute nuclear material assay utilizing a model to optimally compare to the measured count distributions. In one embodiment, the step of providing an absolute nuclear material assay comprises utilizing a random sampling of analytically computed fission chain distributions to generate a continuous time-evolving sequence of event-counts by spreading the fission chain distribution in time.
US07756232B2

Disclosed is a clock and data recover circuit including N flip-flops (F/Fs) for sampling an input data signal using N-phase clocks, a phase comparison circuit for performing phase comparison based on outputs of the F/Fs, a filter or smoothing a result of the phase comparison and outputting an up/down signal, up/down counters, each for receiving an output of the filter and counting up or down a count value thereof, a phase shift circuit for adjustably controlling phases of the clocks for edge detection and the clocks for data sampling according to phase control signals from an up/down counter and an up/down counter, respectively, and an up/down control circuit for receiving a control signal for controlling maximum and minimum values of count values of the up/down counter, generating a signal for controlling counting up and down of the up/down counter based on the count value of the up/down counter, and supplying the generated signal to the up/down counter.
US07756229B2

A self-tuning filter is disclosed. The self-tuning filter includes a digital clocking signal and an input coupled to the digital clocking signal, whereby the input reads a value incident on the input when the digital clocking signal changes to a predetermined state. A clock-tunable filter is, furthermore, coupled to the digital clocking signal so that the frequency of the clock-tunable filter is adjusted in relation to a sampling frequency at which the digital clocking signal operates. The self-tuning filter may be applied to an input of a data acquisition unit and applied to an input having a variable sampling frequency. A method of controlling the frequency of a clock-tunable filter is also disclosed.
US07756222B2

A quadrature frequency division multiplexing (“OFDM”) wireless receiver, including methods and devices for adaptive quantization of OFDM signals according to modulation and coding schemes and sub-carrier frequency responses, is provided. Efficient quantization may be utilized to reduce the large dynamic range of signals to achieve circuit simplification and chip area reduction. In one embodiment, a quantization circuit includes a quantization selector to select quantization thresholds according to modulation and coding schemes and sub-carrier frequency responses, and a non-uniform quantizer to reduce input dynamic range so that an output is represented by fewer bits than an input.
US07756221B2

A system and method for compensating for DC offset and/or clock drift on a wireless-enabled device is described. One embodiment includes a radio module, an A/D converter connected to the radio module, a DC tracking loop connected to the A/D converter, and a multi-hypothesis bit synchronizer.
US07756219B2

A WLAN transmitter capable of transmitting data signals modulated in accordance with an individual one of at least two different modulation schemes and corresponding methods and integrated circuit chips are provided. The WLAN transmitter contains a front end section having a low-IF topology and including a digital front end unit and an analog front end unit. The digital front end unit contains a first signal processing branch for processing transmission data signals modulated in accordance with a first one of said at least two different modulation schemes. The digital front end unit further contains a second signal processing branch for processing transmission data signals modulated in accordance with a second one of said at least two different modulation schemes. The analog front end unit contains one single signal processing branch for processing transmission data signals modulated in accordance with any one of said at least two different modulation schemes.
US07756218B2

A wireless transmission system exerts a maximum path diversity effect even if the maximum number of effective branches is limited to a small number. A transmission timing control section determines a transmission start timing to be a timing obtained by delaying a reference timing by a predetermined delay amount. A modulation section modulates a signal by a modulation scheme such that an anti-multipath property is exerted when the signal is demodulated on a receiver side, and transmits the modulated signal at the transmission start timing. In a receiving station, a demodulation section demodulates the receive signal to obtain receive data. The predetermined delay amount is such that signals are received at the receiving station at a plurality of signal-receiving timings, and the number of signal-receiving timings is less than or equal to a predetermined maximum number of effective branches, a difference between the signal-receiving timings is greater than or equal to a predetermined delay resolution and is less than or equal to a predetermined maximum delay.
US07756206B2

A system and method for providing improved FGS identification in scalable video coding. According to the present invention, each FGS enhancement layer is assigned a unique dependency identifier and contains only FGS enhancement information. For subsequent enhancement layers, the base dependency identifier for the subsequent enhancement layers will point to either a base-quality layer or an FGS enhancement layer.
US07756205B2

A moving image encoding method of encoding a moving image while switching between variable-length encoding schemes. In this method, a continuous unit to be continuously reproduced is determined (S5201), a stream is generated by encoding the moving image without switching between variable-length encoding schemes in the continuous unit (S5202), and management information is generated that includes a first flag information indicating that a variable-length encoding scheme is fixed in the continuous unit (S5204, and S5205).
US07756181B2

A device including a semiconductor laser device having a semiconductor laser chip, and a molded resin having a light diffusion capability. The semiconductor laser chip is covered with the molded resin.
US07756180B2

A semiconductor laser is provided which emits laser light in which the intensity center of the far-field pattern in the horizontal direction does not vary with variation of the optical output and in which the shape of the far-field pattern in the horizontal direction is stable. The width of trenches is determined so that the magnitude (E1) of the electric field at the center of a ridge and the magnitude (E2) of the electric field at the edges of the trenches provide. a ratio E1/E2 that is larger than 0.0001 and smaller than 0.01. In a semiconductor laser with a double-channel ridge structure, layers having a larger equivalent refractive index than the trenches exist outside the trenches. Accordingly, the semiconductor absorbs the light distributed outside the trenches and it is possible to obtain laser light in which the intensity center of the far-field pattern in the horizontal direction does not vary with variation of the optical output and in which the shape of the far-field pattern in the horizontal direction is stable.
US07756172B2

In order to operate a laser amplifier system comprising a solid-state body thermally coupled to a cooling member and having a laser active volume area, in which at least one laser-active amplifier structure consisting of semiconductor material is arranged in at least one surface and extends at least over partial areas of the surface, a pumping radiation source generating a pumping radiation field for the optical pumping of the laser-active volume area and an optical means of the amplifier defining a laser amplifier radiation field passing through the laser active volume area, as efficiently as possible it is suggested that the absorption of pumping radiation from the pumping radiation field in the laser-active amplifier structure be equal to or greater than the absorption of pumping radiation by a surrounding structure adjacent to the amplifier structure and that the pumping radiation field proceed such that it passes several times through the amplifier structure.
US07756166B2

In a transmission system with a transmitter coupled to a receiver a main signal encoded according to a coding property is transmitted together with an auxiliary signal (AUX).In order to transmit the auxiliary signal without needing additional space in the transmission frame, the auxiliary signal is transmitted by changing the coding property according to a predetermined sequence. This is done by means of the sequencer. In the receiver, the decoding of the predetermined sequence is performed by a decoder.
US07756164B2

On a communications bus, a relatively low frequency timing reference is distributed by regularly transmitting numbers that represent its instantaneous phase. An active framer component maintains a wrapping count of root superframes and, during each block, transmits in encoded form an expected value for the root superframe count at the start of the following block.
US07756162B2

A wireless communication apparatus having a relay function comprises a memory to store an address of a first wireless communication apparatus connected to the wireless communication apparatus and having a relay function, and a transmitting unit configured to transmit a first relay frame addressed to the first wireless communication apparatus, the first relay frame including a first address field prepared for a final destination address, an address of a second communication apparatus not connected to the wireless communication apparatus being set in the first address field, and a second address field prepared for an address of a third wireless communication apparatus connecting the second communication apparatus and having a relay function, one of an address except for the address of the third wireless communication apparatus and a specific value being set in the second address field.
US07756157B2

Provisioning bandwidth for a digital media stream, the digital media stream characterized by a bandwidth, including adapting by a media server a first portion of the bandwidth for transmission of the content of a first channel and at least one second, smaller portion of the bandwidth for transmission of the content of at least one second channel; and transmitting, multiplexed together in the digital media stream, by the media server to a media display device, the content of the first channel and the content of the second channel, the content of the second channel transmitted with a lower quality than the content of the first channel.
US07756153B1

The invention provides a method and apparatus for end-users to allocate a communication medium locally without requiring a central arbitration device while guaranteeing access to the end-users. The end-users bid for control of an upstream data channel by concurrently transmitting auction data and address data on a first upstream signaling channel and a second upstream signaling channel. An end-user gains control of the upstream data channel when data received from the first and second downstream signaling channels match the auction and address bits. When it is determined that the end-user lost the bid, the end-user backs off from the first and second upstream signaling channels and refrains from bidding until the first and second upstream signaling channels become quiet.
US07756151B2

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a network element that is configured to be associated with a network having a number of nodes. The master node is configured to communicate with a number of nodes and allocate bandwidth therebetween by sending outgoing signals and receiving incoming signals over a transmission medium. The master node is further configured to adaptively account for hidden nodes with which the master node cannot bi-directionally directly communicate by communicating at least one signal with at least one proxy node. Other methods and network elements are disclosed.
US07756144B2

A parallel computer operates to reduce data held by a plurality of nodes. Each node constituting a parallel computer transfers the data divided into n to other nodes, and each node summarizes the respective 1/n data and operates, then a plurality of nodes transfer the respective operation result to a summarizing node. Since all the nodes execute operation for divided data respectively, reduction processing time can be decreased. And more nodes (network adapters) can participate in data transfer through the first and second data transfers, high-speed transfer processing can therefore be implemented, and transfer time can be decreased.
US07756143B2

A system pushes documents to one or more wireless data devices. The system receives a push request from a user to push a specified document to one or more identified wireless data devices. The system then constructs a wireless gateway server request for each identified wireless data device, and the document is subsequently pushed to the devices.
US07756134B2

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for enqueuing transport protocol commands with data in a low-bandwidth network environment. The method may include receiving data for transmission via a network connection, enqueuing the data, enqueuing a transport protocol command related to the network connection, transmitting the data via the network connection, and transmitting the transport protocol command after transmission of the data. In certain embodiments, the data and the transport protocol command are enqueued based at least in part on manipulating a transport protocol layer of a communication network, such as a tactical data network. In certain embodiments, the data is prioritized based on at least one rule, such as a content-based rule and/or a protocol-based rule. In certain embodiments, the transport protocol command includes a close connection command, for example.
US07756132B2

An apparatus and method for transmitting data over a wireless connection uses a transmitter and receiver. The receiver assembles received data packets according to an identified predefined template and sequence numbers assigned at the transmitter. The transmitter also maintains an optimum packet load of the wireless connection at a selected level responsive to a packet count maintained at the transmitter.
US07756123B1

A peripheral component interface express (PCIe) controller include a crossbar to reorder data lanes into an order compatible with PCIe negotiation rules. A full crossbar permits an arbitrary swizzling of data lanes, permitting greater flexibility in motherboard lane routing.
US07756118B2

Disclosed herein are system controllers and larger systems incorporating such that can dynamically prioritize critical digital video data streams traveling across a network backbone over other non-priority video data and make the selection of which video streams are to be connected and prioritized through real-time use of video control panel equipment. Detailed information on various example embodiments of the inventions are provided in the Detailed Description below, and the inventions are defined by the appended claims.
US07756111B2

An IP telephone access system preventing the use of the 0AB-J number beyond the geographically identified area transfers an existing fixed telephone economically to an IP telephone without changing the telephone number. There is provided an address management table, in the ONU, coordinating the LLID and the address of the IP telephone terminal, an ID management table of the LLID of the ONUs included in the OLTs, and a subscriber's management table, in the IP network, coordinating the OLT-ID, the LLID, the IP address and the subscriber's number. The ONUs extract and store IP packets transmitted from the IP telephone to a server, and then, collate the IP packets with IP addresses transmitted and received, and in the case that these IP addresses are mismatched, transmit the abnormality notification to the server.
US07756109B2

An Internet system for providing call-back services for a subscriber includes a web page having a call-back link to a subscription server; a call-back application operating on the subscription server and adapted for accepting input from a browsing person linked to the subscription server by the call-back link; and a call-switching system connected to and responsive to the call-back application on the subscription server. In this system the browsing person, upon activating the call-back link, is linked to the call back application on the subscription server and prompted for input including a call-back number, and the subscription server, after accepting the input, directs the call-switching system in establishing a telephony link between the subscriber and the browsing person. In some instances the telephony switch is part of a call-center with connected agents, and agents are assigned to represent selected subscribers. In this instance call-back connection is made between a browsing person and an agent. In some embodiments connections can be made either by conventional telephony links or by Internet telephone. In some instances as well provision is made for delivery of a full range of multi-media services from a subscriber to a browsing person.
US07756097B2

A system (20) and method (50) of establishing a rapid push-to-send data exchange in a multi-wireless network environment can include a first wireless network (24 and 26) having a fast network channel to exchange an Internet Protocol (IP) address or other data, a second wireless network (23 and 27) operatively coupled to the first wireless network having a high bandwidth data channel to exchange data using the IP address in a wireless peer to peer data transfer, and a communication protocol. The first wireless network can be an iDEN network and the second wireless network can be a CDMA network. The communication protocol can relinquish (66) communication using the first wireless network once a dedicated data channel on the second wireless network is established. The communication protocol can also simultaneously transfer (56) voice traffic on the first network when the first network is exchanging the IP address.
US07756095B2

A station in a basic service set in a wireless local area network is disclosed. The station includes a frame classification entity (FCE), a frame scheduling entity and a QoS management entity. The FCE is logically located in a logical link control layer of the station and has a classification table containing at least one classifier entry. Each classifier entry contains a virtual stream identifier (VSID) and a frame classifier associated with a user session. The FCE receives a data frame associated with the user session The data frame contains in-band quality of service signaling information for the user session. The FCE classifies the received data frame to a selected VSID contained in a classifier entry in the classification table based on a match between an in-band frame classification information contained in the received frame and the frame classifier contained in the classifier entry.
US07756091B2

A gateway (GW) and a plurality of foreign agents (FA) are connected in a ring-like manner, and the procedures of (1) the GW receiving an IP packet, addressed from a corresponding node CN to a mobile node MNa; (2) the GW transferring the packet to a link L1 in one direction; (3) an FA1 transferring the received packet to a link L2 in the same direction; (4) FA1 furthermore transferring the received packet to a link L4, connected to MNa, if the destination address of the received packet is already registered in the visitor list; (5) an FA2 transferring the received packet to a link L3 in the same direction; (6) FA2 furthermore ending the process as it is if the destination address of the received packet is not registered; and (7) the GW discarding the received packet.
US07756087B2

A mobile communication system using an enhanced uplink dedicated transport channel transmits data at a relatively low effective data rate through non-scheduled transmission. Data transmission time intervals for user equipments (UEs) have different values in the non-scheduled transmission and therefore uplink interference is reduced. An non-scheduled transmission period N and the number of non-scheduled transmissions k are determined such that each UE performs the non-scheduled transmission. A Node B and each UE are notified of possible non-scheduled transmission time intervals based on the determined non-scheduled transmission period N and the determined number of non-scheduled transmissions k through signaling. The UE transmits the uplink data without the Node B's scheduling at the possible non-scheduled transmission time intervals.
US07756086B2

The present invention is generally directed to methods for communicating in a dual-mode communication protocol. A representative embodiment of the present invention comprises: enabling communication in a spread-spectrum communication protocol, comprising: receiving a first portion of a communication frame at a first frequency channel, wherein the first portion of the communication frame comprises a data channel index that indicates a second frequency channel for receiving a second portion of the communication frame; switching to the second frequency channel; and receiving the second portion of the communication frame at the second frequency channel.
US07756078B2

The present technology relates to protocols relative to utility meters associated with an open operational framework. More particularly, the present subject matter relates to protocol subject matter for advanced metering infrastructure, adaptable to various international standards, while economically supporting a 2-way mesh network solution in a wireless environment, such as for operating in a residential electricity meter field. The present subject matter supports meters within an ANSI standard C12.22/C12.19 system while economically supporting a 2-way mesh network solution in a wireless environment, such as for operating in a residential electricity meter field, all to permit cell-based adaptive insertion of C12.22 meters within an open framework. Cell isolation is provided through quasi-orthogonal sequences in a frequency hopping network. Additional features relate to apparatus and methodology subject matters relating to cell size management.
US07756074B2

A method is provided for the transmission of at least one group message to at least one group of one or more radio communication devices in at least one radio cell of a radio communication network, working in particular on the UMTS standard, using at least one linked set of data, transmitted during at least one time interval from at least one transport channel, in particular embodied as a DSCH channel, to a multiplex channel, in particular embodied as a CCTrCH, whereby permitted data sets are determined with a flag, identifiable by a first indicator, whereby the first indicator is allocated to the group during the time interval. The present invention further provides for a network control unit and a radio communication device with the capacity to carry out the method.
US07756069B2

A communication system, wireless LAN base station controller, and a wireless LAN base station device for efficiently communicating a broadcast frame or multicast frame through a downstream channel. The communication system (10) comprises an AP controller (100) and a wireless LAN base station device (200). A frame converting section (102) of the AP controller (100) performs conversion into a 802.11 frame according to the network-side tunnel header of the downstream broadcast or multicast frame, and a tunnel creating/managing section (103) creates a tunnel header having a destination MAC address which is a broadcast or multicast address, and encapsulates the 802.11 frame by the tunnel header. A tunnel creating/managing section (202) of the wireless LAN base station device (200) adds the BSSID of the wireless LAN base station device (200) to the header of the 802.11 frame from which the tunnel header is removed, and terminal-side input/output section (204) sends the 802.11 frame with the BSSID.
US07756064B2

Methodologies for determining one or more staged topologies for a communication network, communication networks implementing one or more staged topologies, and systems for determining one or more staged topologies for a communication network are provided. In one embodiment, a method of determining a staged topology for a wireless communication network including a plurality of nodes includes identifying a plurality of topologies comprising different subsets of available communication links among the nodes, establishing the beaming capabilities at each node, selecting a subset of the identified topologies meeting the beaming capabilities of each node, associating a connection matrix with each identified topology in the subset of topologies, establishing one or more sequences of topologies using the identified topologies in the subset of topologies, multiplying the connection matrices associated with the topologies in each sequence of topologies to obtain a sequenced connection matrix corresponding with each sequence of topologies, multiplying each sequenced connection matrix by a weighting matrix to obtain a total cost matrix corresponding with each sequence of topologies, and selecting one of the sequences of topologies as the staged topology based on the total cost matrices corresponding with each sequence of topologies.
US07756052B2

The present invention provides a method for managing a voice call over a packet switched network, in which the voice call is rerouted when voice quality is below a predetermined level. In particular, the voice quality is determined by calculating a parameter representing the voice quality based on information regarding codec, network delay and packet loss. Preferably, R-factor and MOS is calculated based on the information obtained from Cisco CDRs during the call session.
US07756048B2

A method in a data processing system for monitoring for errors on a network. Responsive to detecting a change in a state of the network, determine whether the change in state is a loss of a communications link to a remote data processing system. If the change in state is a loss of the communications link, determine whether the communications link was established for at least a first period of time to be considered an acceptable connection to the remote data processing system; and create a new serviceable event, if a second period of time passes without reestablishing the communications link to the selected data processing system. Repeat occurrences of identical outages are tracked and multiple detected instances of an outage for different partitions are counted as a single failure in the examples.
US07756046B2

When a communication abnormality has occurred, links that are included in the communication path on which the communication abnormality has occurred and that are included in communication paths between nodes that allow communication are excluded while referring to information on physical links between nodes in the communication network and path information specifying at least one link included in communication paths between two points, and thereby the scope of positions that are plausible candidates for having been involved in a failure is narrowed.
US07756037B2

A method for communication includes allocating target bandwidths to two or more packet sources and defining one or more of the packet sources as preferred sources. Quantum values defining maximum amounts of data to be sent during a single scheduling round are defined for the respective packet sources. Repetitive scheduling rounds are performed in order to determine a schedule for processing pending data packets produced by the packet sources. In each scheduling round, all pending packets that are produced by the preferred sources and are within the target bandwidths allocated to the preferred sources are scheduled. Pending packets produced by packet sources other than the preferred sources are scheduled in accordance with the quantum values, within the target bandwidths allocated to the packet sources other than the preferred sources. The pending packets are processed responsively to the schedule. The target bandwidths may comprise, for example, guaranteed bandwidths or excess bandwidths.
US07756035B2

A method is provided of planning routes and allocating route identifiers in a managed frame-forwarding network. The network comprises a plurality of nodes interconnected by links, with each node being arranged to forward data frames according to a combination of an identifier and a network address carried by a received data frame and forwarding instructions stored at the node. A first step of the method identifies a sub-set of nodes which are core nodes of the network. The remaining nodes are termed outlying nodes. A spanning tree is then built off each of the identified core nodes, with the spanning tree stopping one link short of any other core node. Each spanning tree defines a loop-free path between a core node at the root of the spanning tree and a set of outlying nodes. Connections are planned between roots of the spanning trees and a different identifier is allocated to each planned connection between a pair of spanning trees.
US07756034B2

A system and method for handling network overload includes receiving one or more requests, wherein an originating client originates the one or more requests. It is determined if a network element handling the one or more requests is overloaded. If the network element is overloaded, a pushback message associated with a specific request of the one or more requests is generated. The pushback message is sent to the originating client.
US07756026B2

A quality of service for various classes of services for the transfer of electronic data packets is provided by establishing classes of packets for a customer and for assigning bandwidths to the classes for the customer. Accordingly, the amount of bandwidth for one type of service may vary from the bandwidth for another type of service over the same data connection. A device, such as an edge router of a network, may police the data packets being transferred by a customer to maintain the bandwidth being utilized by a given class of packets of the customer to within the assigned bandwidth for that class of the customer. The data packets may further be policed by core routers of the network may also to maintain the bandwidth being utilized by a given class of packets to within the assigned bandwidth for that class as specified by the service provider.
US07756019B2

A method for implementing group protection in a Multiple Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network disclosed in the present invention includes: monitoring a Label Switched Path (LSP) in an MPLS network; and performing a group protection switching when a failure is determined on an LSP of the working LSP group according to a monitoring result. In the present invention, a state of each monitored LSP of the working LSP group and the protection LSP group is monitored without merging LSPs of each LSP group. Moreover, as long a Signal Fail (SF) or a Signal Degrade (SD) is detected on an LSP of the working LSP group and no SF/SD is detected in the protection LSP group, an LSP group protection switching will be triggered, thereby easy the implementation of the LSP group protection.
US07756012B2

A hash table in the network device driver maintains data on the traffic characteristics for each network interface (“NIC”) within a computing device. If one of the NICs in the computing device becomes unreliable, the cost function in the hash engine allows the software driver to initiate network traffic redistribution among the remaining reliable NICs in the computing device. Using this hash engine, the software driver is able to intelligently redirect each of the network connections on an unreliable NIC to a reliable NIC within the computing device, in a way that optimizes the distribution of network traffic across the remaining reliable NICs. Alternatively, if a connection is moved from an old NIC to a new NIC, the software driver can detect the moved connection and offload the moved connection to a hardware offload engine on the new NIC. With this approach, issues such as network interface overloading and computing device performance degradation may be more easily avoided when failing over network connections, thereby improving overall system performance relative to prior art techniques.
US07756007B2

A channel response matrix gathering all unknown elements for all K pilot subcarriers on links between transmitting and receiving antennas, is Least Squares (full-rank) estimated. The interference covariance matrix is estimated from the residual. The correlation of the interference covariance matrix is computed at each new symbol and compared with a threshold. If the interference is significantly changed, the interference covariance matrix is re-initialized, otherwise a running average of the interference covariance matrix is updated with the actual value. Both the updated/re-initialized interference covariance matrix and the autocorrelation matrix of the transmitted pilot sequences (stored in the receiver) are used for whitening the estimated channel matrix before submission to modal filtering for rank reduction. The original spatial and/or temporal correlations are reintroduced in the reduced-rank channel matrix by inverse whitening. After estimation in the discrete-time domain, DFT for conversion is applied for estimation in the whole frequency band.
US07755997B2

A method for writing data to an optical storage medium which includes a storage space with blocks having hardware addresses (HA). The storage space includes a pre-embossed area, and the data to be written includes data addresses (DA). Data having data addresses DA=X are stored in storage space blocks having hardware addresses HA=XΔ, wherein Δ is an integer equal to 1 or more.
US07755996B2

In a method for adjusting a write strategy, data is written into the optical disc according to a first write strategy in forms of a first type of data storage structures with variable lengths and a second type of data storage structures with variable lengths. A plurality of the first type of data storage structures corresponding to a specified reference length are located, and the recording lengths thereof are operated with the specified reference length to obtain a first averaged deviation. A plurality of the second type of data storage structures formed next to the first type of data storage structures are located, and the recording lengths thereof are operated with respective reference lengths to obtain a second averaged deviation. A parameter of the first write strategy is adjusted so as to generate a second write strategy for subsequently writing data into the optical disc.
US07755992B2

A method and apparatus for controlling tilt in an optical disc device are provided. The method includes determining tilt offset values corresponding to different positions of an optical disc for a first tilt control mode, and deciding whether to switch to a static tilt control mode, based on a difference between the detected tilt offset values. If the disc is subject to defect management, a static tilt control mode is selected so that stable focus and tracking servo operations are maintained. If the disc is not subject to defect management, a dynamic tilt control mode is selected so that tilt control optimal for the skew of the optical disc, which gradually increases towards the outer perimeter of the disc, is performed. If the difference between tilt offset values detected respectively for inner and outer peripheral areas of the disc is small when the dynamic tilt control mode is selected, the device determines that the skew is low and changes the tilt control mode to the static tilt control mode.
US07755988B2

An information recording medium, a recording and/or reproducing apparatus and a recording and/or reproducing method are provided. The recording apparatus includes: a write/read unit for recording data on an information storage medium in which a user data area for writing user data and a spare area for replacing a defect occurring in the user data area are disposed, and a replacement recording block to replace an original recording block recorded in the user data area is recorded in a non-recorded area of the spare area or the user data area; and a control unit for controlling the write/read unit so that a replacement entry indicating that part of the recording block is replaced is recorded on the storage medium. As a result, data reproduction time can be advantageously reduced so as to improve system performance, particularly, in a system where data replacement by logical overwrite (LOW) is implemented both in a user data area and a spare area, or in a system performing defect management.
US07755987B2

An optical pickup irradiates laser light upon a track of an optical disk and receives light reflected therefrom. A tracking actuator shifts an objective lens of this optical pickup in a tracking direction. A tracking error signal detection circuit outputs a tracking error signal based upon the reflected light received by the optical pickup. A phase compensation circuit generates a tracking drive signal based upon the tracking error signal, and outputs this tracking drive signal to the tracking actuator. A balance compensation value calculation circuit calculates a balance compensation value for the tracking error signal according to the tracking drive signal outputted by the phase compensation circuit. And a balance compensation circuit adds this balance compensation value to the tracking error signal detected by the tracking error signal detection circuit, and inputs this compensated value to the phase compensation circuit.
US07755983B2

An optical disc reproducing apparatus comprising: a buffer memory configured to store data read from sectors of an optical disc when information is reproduced; a controlling unit configured to cause the buffer memory to store first data read from a first sector and second data read from a second sector other than the first sector when the first sector of the sectors is designated; and an output unit configured to output the first data stored in the buffer memory to a processing circuit configured to reproduce the information when the first sector of the sectors is designated, and thereafter output the second data stored in the buffer memory to the processing circuit when the second sector of the sectors is designated.
US07755981B2

The invention relates to a method and system for recording data by a plurality of laser beams (A, B) on an optical disc, said optical disc comprising segments which (1-51) are each identified by a synchronization pattern, said plurality of laser beams comprising at least a first laser beam (A) which has a first position on said optical disc for recording/reading data on a first segment and a second laser beam (B) which has a second position on said optical disc for recording data on a second segment, said method comprising the steps of: —calculating (410) said second position from said first position and the relative distance between said first laser beam and said second laser beam, —detecting (420) a synchronization pattern by said second laser beam, and —starting (430) to record data with said second laser beam on the basis of said second position and said detected synchronization pattern.
US07755975B2

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for providing wireless waterproof audio to a user in an aquatic environment. The systems may include earphones adapted to be waterproof and coupled to a receiver for receiving a wireless signal. The systems may also include a waterproof housing containing a transmitter and adapted to receive an electronic audio device such that the signal generated by the device may be transmitted by the transmitter.
US07755973B2

Methods and apparatus for in situ, continuous, automatic, and real-time acoustic impedance calibration of a transducer in an acoustic logging system. By taking the frequency characteristics of the ultrasonic transducer which are present in the internal casing reflection and convolving them with the frequency characteristics of the casing being logged, a theoretical model is created with a theoretical acoustic impedance fluid producing a theoretical free pipe signal at each measure point. The measured signal is then compared to the theoretical free pipe signal thereby yielding a calibrated acoustic impedance value for at each measure point. The only model employed is in the theoretical calculation of spectrum characteristics of free pipe.
US07755964B2

A memory device with configurable delay tracking is described. The memory device includes M normal word line drivers, a dummy word line driver a memory array, N sense amplifiers, and a timing control circuit. The memory array includes M rows and N columns of memory cells and a column of dummy cells. The word line drivers drive word lines for the rows of memory cells. The dummy word line driver drives a dummy word line for at least one dummy cell in the column of dummy cells. The timing control circuit generates enable signals having configurable delay, which may be obtained with an acceleration circuit that provides variable drive for a dummy bit line coupled to the column of memory cells. The sense amplifiers detect bit lines for the columns of memory cells based on the enable signals.
US07755953B2

A semiconductor memory device includes an FIFO block connected to a data input/output terminal DQ, a time-division transfer circuit that inputs and outputs in parallel n-bit data inputted and outputted continuously via the data input/output terminal DQ, a data bus RWBS that performs a data transfer between the time-division transfer circuit and the FIFO block, and a mode register that sets a burst length. When a minimum burst length settable to the mode register is m (
US07755950B2

A method of programming a multilevel cell flash memory includes dividing a memory cell array of the flash memory into a user block and a cache block, programming first LSB data into a page of the user block, programming first MSB data into the page of the user block after programming the first LSB data, programming second LSB data into a page of the cache block, and storing control data for controlling the flash memory in the cache block.
US07755949B2

A method and circuit for termination of internal cycle and its associated tracking circuits in high performance self timed compiler memories is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of timing the precharging of BLs in a self timed compiler memory array includes initiating an internal clock during the start of a read/write cycle by a control block, triggering DWL and WLs to go high upon initiating the internal clock by the control block, triggering DBL and BLs to go low upon the DWL and WLs going high by the control block, generating a reset BL signal upon the DWL going high and the DBL going low by the tracking circuit, disabling the DBL from going further low upon receiving the reset BL signal by the tracking circuit, and precharging the DBL to go high upon receiving the reset BL signal by the precharge circuit.
US07755936B2

An embodiment of the invention provides an integrated circuit having a cell. The cell includes a first magnetic layer structure having a first magnetization along a first axis, a non-magnetic spacer layer structure disposed above the first magnetic layer structure, and a second magnetic layer structure disposed above the non-magnetic spacer layer structure. The second magnetic layer structure has a second magnetization along a second axis that is arranged in an angle with regard to the first axis such that by changing the direction of the second magnetization, the direction of the first magnetization along the first axis can be determined.
US07755930B2

Provided are a semiconductor memory device and a magneto-logic circuit which change the direction of a magnetically induced current according to a logical combination of logic states of a plurality of input values. The semiconductor memory device comprises a current driving circuit, a magnetic induction layer, and a resistance-variable element. The current driving circuit receives a plurality of input values and changes the direction of a magnetically induced current according to a logical combination of logic states of the input values. The magnetic induction layer induces magnetism having a direction varying according to the direction of the magnetically induced current. The resistance-variable element has a resistance varying according to the direction of the magnetism induced by the magnetic induction layer.
US07755926B2

A design structure for a three-dimensional memory circuit provides reduction in memory cell instability due to half-select operation by reduction of the number of memory cells sharing a sense amplifier and, potentially, avoidance of half-select operation by placing some or all peripheral circuits including local evaluation circuits functioning as a type of sense amplifier on an additional chips or chips overlying the memory array. Freedom of placement of such peripheral circuits is provided with minimal increase in connection length since word line decoders may be placed is general registration with any location along the word lines while local evaluation circuits and/or sense amplifiers can be placed at any location generally in registration with the bit line(s) to which they correspond.
US07755917B2

Digital control of a switching regulator in one aspect includes a compare circuit to be coupled to receive a feedback signal representative of an output level of a power supply. A feedback state signal is generated having a first feedback state and a second feedback state. An adjustment circuit is coupled to the compare circuit to adjust the feedback state signal in response to at least one of adjusting the threshold level or adjusting the feedback signal. The adjusted feedback state signal causes the feedback state signal to revert from a state at the time of adjustment to a state immediately preceding the adjustment. A control circuit is to be coupled to a power switch and is to be coupled to receive an oscillating signal and the feedback state signal.
US07755915B2

An exemplary power supply circuit (20) includes a first commutating and filter circuit (21), a transformer (24), a second commutating and filter circuit (25), a transistor (27), a pulse width modulation circuit (26) outputting a control signal to control operation state of the transistor, and a feedback circuit (29). An external alternating current voltage is converted into a direct current with a cooperation operating of the transistor, the first commutating and filter circuit, the transformer, and the second commutating and filter circuit. The feedback circuit feeds an operating state of the transformer back to the pulse width modulation circuit, and the pulse width modulation circuit outputs corresponding control signals to turn on or turn off the transistor.
US07755904B2

A sliding flat panel display and keyboard module for monitoring and controlling server computers on a server rack is described. The sliding flat panel display and keyboard module has an L-shaped supporting frame, a vertical sliding rail, a horizontal sliding rail, a flat panel display, and a keyboard. The vertical sliding rail and the horizontal sliding rail are respectively disposed on a vertical surface and a horizontal surface of the L-shaped supporting frame. The flat panel display couples to the vertical sliding rail and the keyboard couples to the horizontal sliding rail, so that the flat panel display and the keyboard are able to slide on the L-shaped supporting frame horizontally.
US07755891B2

A notebook computer comprises a base casing, a display casing hingeably coupled to the base casing, and a plurality of support members disposed in each of said base casing and said display casing around a perimeter of the casings. When the display casing is closed, the support members in the display casing align with the support members in the support members in the base casing.
US07755887B2

A mounting device for a disk drive includes a bracket for receiving the disk drive, and a securing member for mounting the disk drive in the bracket. The bracket includes a pair of side panels for receiving the disk drive therebetween. A cutout is defined in each side panel in a front portion thereof. The securing member includes a handle and a pair of cantilevers extending from opposite ends of the handle. The handle includes a base body and a pair of arms extending from opposite ends of the base body to connect the pair of cantilevers. Each arm includes a first bent portion protruding outwardly from the base body, and a second bent portion protruding inwardly from the first bent portion. A resilient protrusion is formed on the second bent portion for inserting in the cutout.
US07755885B2

A housing (100) of portable electronic devices includes a main body (10) and a decorative layer (16). The main body defines a through groove (12) therein and a recessed portion (14) sunken from an outer surface thereof. The groove is formed adjacent to the recessed portion. The decorative layer is formed on the outer surface of the main body and extending in the groove and the recessed portion. A method for manufacturing the housing is also provided.
US07755872B2

Provided is an intelligent electronic device for protection, monitoring, controlling, metering or automation of electrical power system. The system, method and device of the present invention preserves current differential protection active during a breaker bypass or similar operation. A current differential protection system is coordinated by one relay (transfer), which simultaneously establishes and handles multiple two-terminal 87L protection zones with several relays. This “enhanced multiple-terminal system” requires no change to protection settings on any local or remote relays during a bypass process.
US07755868B2

The electrical equipment comprises electrical elements corresponding to at least one phase of the distribution network and housed in a tank. The equipment is insulated with a dielectric liquid wherein the elements are immersed. The equipment comprises an input for each phase in the tank, and also a protection device, associated with at least one failure detector and configured so that, in the event of detecting such a failure, a short circuit will be established in the phases. The protection device is situated so as to establish the short circuit in a position before any protection, control or transformer element of the electrical equipment.
US07755862B2

An apparatus for writing a magnetic layer writable with either low or high coercive field strength includes a magnetic head having a magnet coil and a voltage source. The apparatus includes switches between the voltage source and opposing ends of the magnet coil. Two further switches serve to maintain the direction of current flow through the magnet coil. A current measuring device determines the current intensity through the magnet coil. The current measuring device drives the switches in such a way that the current intensity in the magnet coil does not exceed or undershoot a level required for writing the magnetic layer.
US07755857B2

A spacer includes an annular spacing portion defining a first surface and an opposite second surface, a flange defining a through opening; and a connecting portion connecting the flange to the spacing portion. The connecting portion defines a first inclined stopping surface and a second inclined stopping surface on opposite sides thereof. The first and second inclined stopping surfaces respectively extend from the first and second surfaces of the spacing portion to the flange.
US07755852B2

A molding material is heated and pressed plural times when molded is an optical element having a radius of curvature smaller than a radius of a sphere having the same volume as the optical element. When such an optical element is molded, a closed space is formed between a molding material and a transfer surface of a mold in a state where the molding material is placed thereon. Thus, an appearance defect such as a recess is easily generated on the molded optical element. However, since the molding material is molded plural times, it is possible to place the molding materials on the transfer surfaces of the molds after a size of the closed space is adjusted so as not to generate the appearance defect prior to each heating/pressing process. Thereby, it is possible to suppress generation of an appearance defect in the molded optical element.
US07755850B2

A lens apparatus includes an optical lens unit including a movable lens portion, a drive unit configured to drive the movable lens portion, a control unit configured to control the drive unit, a difference calculation unit configured to calculate a difference between command signals received at intervals of a predetermined period, and an addition unit configured to add the difference calculated by the difference calculation unit to each of the command signals, wherein the control unit controls the drive unit based on a result of an addition performed by the addition unit.
US07755848B2

A zoom lens system includes a rear lens group having in order from an object side, a first lens unit G1 having a positive refracting power, a second lens unit G2 having a negative refracting power, and a third lens unit G3 having a positive refracting power, and an aperture stop S which is disposed between the second lens unit G2 and the third lens unit G3. At the time of zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, when focused on an object at a longest distance, each of the first lens unit G1 , the second lens unit G2, and the third lens unit G3 moves such that a distance between the first lens unit G1 and the second lens unit G2 is widened (increased), and a distance between the, second lens unit G2 and the third lens unit G3 is narrowed (decreased).
US07755846B2

A zoom lens includes, from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power and including a reflective member configured to fold an optical path, a third lens unit having a negative refractive power, an aperture stop, and a rear lens unit having a positive refractive power as a whole and including at least one lens unit. During zooming, the second lens unit does not move and the distances between the adjacent lens units change.
US07755843B2

A zoom lens includes a first lens unit having a negative optical power located closest to an enlargement side. In the zoom lens, a focal length of the zoom lens at a wide-angle end (fw) and a focal length of the first lens unit (f1) satisfy the following condition: −2.50
US07755838B2

An optical manifold for efficiently combining a plurality of blue LED outputs to illuminate a phosphor for a single, substantially homogeneous output, in a small, cost-effective package. Embodiments are disclosed that use a single or multiple LEDs and a remote phosphor, and an intermediate wavelength-selective filter arranged so that backscattered photoluminescence is recycled to boost the luminance and flux of the output aperture. A further aperture mask is used to boost phosphor luminance with only modest loss of luminosity. Alternative non-recycling embodiments provide blue and yellow light in collimated beams, either separately or combined into white.
US07755833B2

A corrective device for compensating disturbances of polarization distribution across the cross section of a light beam (10). The corrective device includes a corrective member (18; 118) encompassing two double refractive corrective elements (20, 22; 120a, 120b, 122; 220; 222; 320, 322) with two substantially parallel surfaces (24, 26; 126, 127). The thickness (d) of the corrective element (22; 122, 222) is essentially constant between the surfaces (26; 126, 127). At least one of the surfaces (24, 26; 126, 127) of at least one of the corrective elements (20, 22; 120a, 120b, 122; 220; 222; 320, 322) is refinished in such a way that local irregularities in thickness Δd are created, by which the disturbances of polarization distribution are at least nearly compensated. The arrangement, thickness (d), and double-refractive properties of the corrective elements (20, 22; 120a, 120b, 122; 220; 222; 320, 322) are selected such that the double-refractive effects thereof mutually cancel each other out if the local irregularities in thickness Δd are not taken into consideration. The corrective device influences polarization only at points where disturbances are to be compensated.
US07755830B2

The present invention provides a mirror device, comprising: an electrode placed on a substrate; a memory circuit connected to the electrode; an elastic hinge disposed near said electrode and extending from said substrate for supporting a mirror above said electrode wherein said elastic hinge having a negative temperature coefficient of resistance.
US07755828B2

A method and system for modifying the detected phase of a signal by driving a photodetector into saturation. This system and method differs from current manual and electrical microwave phase modification by using saturation means for modifying the phase. The system and method may use a plurality of the signal generators for saturating the photodetector.
US07755825B1

A method of fabricating an optical modulator on a silicon substrate, comprising: forming a silicon nitride layer on the silicon substrate; forming a first polycrystalline silicon layer (PSL) on the silicon nitride layer; patterning the first PSL; forming a first silicon dioxide layer (SDL) on the first patterned PSL; patterning the first SDL; forming a second PSL on the first patterned SDL; patterning the second PSL; forming a second SDL on the second patterned PSL; patterning the second SDL; forming a third PSL on the second patterned SDL; patterning the third PSL; forming a metal layer on the third patterned PSL; patterning the metal layer; removing the first and second SDLs to effect release of first and second side reflectors; forming an active layer on the metal layer; and patterning the active layer or stack to form a base reflector and associated conductive traces for biasing.
US07755819B2

A hologram recorder (A2) includes: a light source (10) for emitting a coherent beam; a spatial light modulator (20) provided with unit areas having a plurality of beam reflection elements (21) to reflect the beam from the light source (10) in a main direction as a signal beam or a cut-off direction; and a signal beam optical system (30, 31) for directing the signal beam to the hologram recording medium (B). The recorder (A2) further includes: a wavefront reshaper (40, 41, 42) for condensing the beams thinned out in the cut-off direction by the beam reflection element (21) of the modulator (20), and reshaping the wavefront of the condensed beams; and a reference beam optical system (50, 51) for directing the beam from the reshaper (40, 41, 42) to the recording medium (B) as a reference beam to be shone in an overlapping manner with the signal beam.
US07755814B2

An image reading apparatus includes a reading unit, a control unit, and a pattern region. The reading unit moves a linear reading range, which is provided in a main scanning direction, in a sub-scanning direction that intersects with the main scanning direction while reading an object that faces the reading range, and generates image data on the basis of a read result. The control unit controls the reading unit. The pattern region includes a predetermined pattern that defines a reference position for specifying a reading position that is read by the reading unit. The predetermined pattern has a characteristic portion that specifies a schematic position of the predetermined pattern in the sub-scanning direction. The control unit includes a first image acquisition unit, a pattern searching unit, a second image acquisition unit, a characteristic portion searching unit, a first reprocessing instruction unit, and a second reprocessing instruction unit.
US07755811B2

A document illuminator includes a light-transmissive element having an embedded source of illumination fitted in a cavity formed therein. The light-transmissive element preferably has one or more optical notches and preferably is encased in an opaque surround to promote total internal reflection of the light rays emanating from the LED. The one or more optical notches may include a dual-V notch or an elliptical notch. The reflected light rays are collected at an aperture which in turn transmit light at high power and highly uniform illumination profile to illuminate a document.
US07755799B2

A method of correcting periodic banding defects in a printing system is provided. The method comprises: determining a banding profile estimate; determining a compensation profile; adjusting the compensation profile based on the transfer function of a motion system and the transfer function of a printing system; waiting until a defect once-around signal returns; and applying the output of the adjustment step to a controller controlling the speed of an imaging surface.
US07755798B2

The invention relates to picture color tone control for a printing press. A target color mixture halftone density for each ink supplying unit width when a printing picture is divided with an ink supplying unit width of ink supplying apparatus 6, 7 is set, and an actual color mixture halftone density for each ink supplying unit width of an actually printed sheet obtained by printing is measured using an IRGB densitometer 1. The color mixture halftone densities are individually converted into tone values. A changing ratio for the converted target tone values is set suitably and is reflected on the target tone values and then converted into a monochromatic halftone density. Then, a solid density difference corresponding to a difference between the target monochromatic halftone density and an actual monochromatic halftone density is determined, and the ink supplying amount is adjusted for each ink supplying unit width in response to the solid density difference. The density of each ink can be changed freely to the target density set based on plate making data and so forth.
US07755795B2

A tincture adjustment value used to adjust a monochrome signal to a tincture desired by a user is set, and a tincture conversion table and chromaticity line table are generated based on that tincture adjustment value and the profile of an image output apparatus. Using the generated tables, a lightness signal L* corresponding to an input monochrome signal is converted into a distance signal l on a chromaticity line, and the distance signal l is converted into a chromaticity signal (a*, b*). The lightness signal L* and chromaticity signal (a*, b*) are converted into a color signal of the image output apparatus.
US07755794B2

A method of limiting access to a media tray, wherein the method includes defining a target pass code associated with a media tray. The method includes restricting access to the media tray to print jobs associated with job pass codes having a predefined relationship with the target pass code.
US07755787B2

A method for managing a plurality of printers shared among at least one user is provided. At least two of the plurality of printers are of the same model. The method includes configuring the at least two of the plurality of printers to report a common serial number by setting a serial number flag in a memory unit of the printer to a predefined value. When a computer is connected to the printer, the printer reports the common serial number to the computer.
US07755782B2

A consumable resource option control unit includes a consumable resource and an option key coupled to the consumable resource. The option key is configured to enable an optional mode of operation for an image-forming device and to cause a display associated with an image-forming device to indicate availability of the mode of operation.
US07755772B2

A tire shape measuring system measures a surface shape on the basis of an image of a line of light (a light section line) emitted to a surface of a relatively rotating tire using a light-section method. The shape measuring system includes a light projector for emitting a plurality of lines of light onto a tire surface in directions different from a direction in which the height of the surface is detected so as to form a plurality of separate light section lines and a camera for capturing images of the light section lines in directions in which chief rays of the lines of light are specularly reflected by the tire surface. The shape measuring system individually detects the coordinates of the light section lines from images of pre-defined independent image processing target areas for each captured image and calculates the distribution of the surface height using the detected coordinates.
US07755770B2

A method for inspecting a surface of an object, including scanning the surface using an array of opto-electronic sensors, obtaining a reflected light signal from a location on the surface, combining the light signals to form a representation of geometrical features of the surface, and processing the representation to obtain geometric quantities of the geometrical features. An apparatus for inspecting a well screen, including an array of a plurality of opto-electronic sensors, a motion control unit, and a processor for obtaining a geometric quantity of the well screen based on an image obtained by the sensor array and the location registered by the motion control unit.
US07755768B2

In respective measurement operations on a first sample surface area having a layer structure (81) and a characterized second sample surface area (82), light reflected by the region of the sample surface and the reference surface interfere and a sensing device (10) senses light intensity representing interference fringes at intervals during the relative movement along a measurement scan path to provide first intensity data in the form of a first series of intensity values resulting from a measurement operation on the first sample surface area and second intensity data in the form of a second series of intensity values resulting from a measurement operation on the second sample surface area. A layer structure determiner (100) determines a frequency transform ratio corresponding to a ratio between the first and second intensity data and fits a layer structure model having variable model parameters related to the layer thicknesses and refractive indices of the layers of a layer structure to the determined ratio by adjusting the model parameters, thereby obtaining for the model parameters values representing the layer thicknesses and refractive indices of the layers of the sample layer structure.
US07755760B2

A particle counter for measuring the number of floating particles contained in a sample to determine the particle concentration therein includes: a memory section for storing a relational expression between the direct current level output from a photoelectric converter when no particles exist and the frequency of occurrence of false counts; and a subtraction section for determining the frequency of occurrence of the false counts corresponding to the direct current level output from the photoelectric converter at the time of commencement of measurement with reference to the relational expression stored in the memory section and subtracting a value based on the frequency of occurrence of the false counts from a discrete value after commencement of measurement.
US07755755B2

A method is provided for identifying a contaminant in a gaseous space. The method includes: generating a broadband optical waveform; shaping the optical waveform to match an expected waveform for a known contaminant; and transmitting the shaped optical waveform towards an unknown contaminant. Upon receiving a reflected optical waveform from the unknown contaminant, determining whether the unknown contaminant correlates to the known contaminant based on the reflected waveform.
US07755751B2

In the conventional contaminant particle/defect inspection method, if the illuminance of the illumination beam is held at not more than a predetermined upper limit value not to give thermal damage to the sample, the detection sensitivity and the inspection speed being in the tradeoff relation with each other, it is very difficult to improve one of the detection sensitivity and the inspection speed without sacrificing the other or improve both at the same time. The invention provides an improved optical inspection method and an improved optical inspection apparatus, in which a pulse laser is used as a light source, and a laser beam flux is split into a plurality of laser beam fluxes which are given different time delay to form a plurality of illumination spots. The scattered light signal from each illumination spot is isolated and detected by using a light emission start timing signal for each illumination spot.
US07755735B2

A pixel structure of a liquid crystal display panel includes a scan line, a data line, a thin film transistor (TFT), a pixel electrode, a light-shielding pattern, and a common line. The data line includes a first data line section and a second data line section composed respectively of the first material layer and second material layer and electrically connected to each other through a plurality of contact plugs. In addition, the pixel electrode is electrically connected to a drain of the TFT, and the light-shielding pattern, which is a floating metal, is disposed over the first data line section. The common line, the light-shielding pattern, and the second data line section are composed of the same material layer.
US07755733B2

A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a first display substrate, a second display substrate and a liquid crystal layer disposed therebetween. The first and second display substrates include first and second vertical inorganic alignment layers, respectively, to vertically align liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer. The first and second vertical inorganic alignment layers each include a silicon carbide and are formed on the first and second display substrates, respectively, by a chemical vapor deposition method or a sputtering method. Thus, processes for the vertical inorganic alignment layer may be simplified, thereby improving manufacturing productivity of the liquid crystal display apparatus.
US07755728B2

An optically anisotropic film comprising a liquid crystal compound forming a nematic phase or smectic A phase, the liquid crystalline phase satisfying the following inequality: Δn(450 nm)/Δn(550 nm)<1.0 in which each Δn (λ) represents an intrinsic birefringence at a wavelength of λ, wherein the optically anisotropic film (A) has an absolute in-plane retardation (Re) of 40 nm or less and a retardation in the thickness direction (Rth) of −10 nm or less.
US07755727B2

Provided is a liquid crystal display module having a liquid crystal display element, an optically anisotropic optical sheet on a backside of the display element, and a backlight element on the backside of the optical sheet. The angle of the phase advancing axial orientation or the phase retarding axial orientation, measured with respect to the short side of the display, of the optical sheet is at least π/16 but not more than 3π/16.
US07755719B2

A color filter has a light-transmissive substrate, a reflecting layer formed on the back substrate and provided with openings, boundary layers and formed on the reflecting layer, and a plurality of coloring layers enclosed by the boundary layers. A transparent coat layer is provided between the reflecting layer and the boundary layers. A step is formed between the openings and the transparent coat layer. The coloring layers are formed by applying the droplets of colored fluid to the openings first, and then to the transparent coat layer. The difference in color saturation of the color filter in a reflective display mode and a transmissive display mode is reduced. Also, a liquid material is appropriately applied to the color filter, to enhance color balance.
US07755718B2

An optical element having a function of splitting incident light into polarized beams includes a substrate transparent for the incident light; a diffractive structure that includes a plurality of concave portions and a plurality of convex portions alternately arranged with each other, each of the plurality of concave portions and convex portions having a rectangular sectional shape and that is provided on a first surface of the substrate; and a grid that includes a plurality of fine lines extending in a single direction and that is provided across a top surface of the diffractive structure on the first surface of the substrate, wherein conditions: d<λ and λ/n<δ≦λ are satisfied when λ represents a wavelength of the incident light; d represents a distance between the neighboring fine lines; δ represents a distance between the convex portions; and n represents a refractive index of a material forming the substrate.
US07755717B2

A polarizing element manufacturing method includes (a) forming a plurality of fine metal wires by forming a metal film on a substrate and patterning the metal film, (b) applying, onto a base material, a glass precursor solution for forming a protective layer for protecting the fine metal wires, (c) placing the substrate on the base material so that ends of the fine metal wires are immersed in the glass precursor solution, and (d) forming the protective layer by drying the glass precursor solution, and bonding together the base material and the substrate with the protective layer therebetween.
US07755711B2

A liquid crystal device includes: a first scan line, a second scan line parallel to first scan line, a signal line intersecting the first scan line, a pixel arranged in a matrix; and a first light-shielding film. The pixel includes: a first transistor having a gate coupled to the first scan line, a source, and a drain, wherein either the source or drain is coupled to the signal line; a pixel electrode coupled to remaining source or drain of the first transistor; a common electrode disposed facing the pixel electrode; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the pixel electrode and common electrode; a second transistor having a gate coupled to the second scan line, wherein a source or drain of the second transistor is coupled to a source or drain of the first transistor, and the other source or drain is coupled to a power source line.
US07755709B2

Disclosed is a liquid crystal display (LCD) device having gate and data driving elements with improved heat dissipation properties. The driving elements each have the following: a source and a drain electrode, each with contact holes that provide electrical contact with an active area formed on the driving element's substrate; multiple separate channels between the source and the drain; and a gate electrode formed crossing the multiple channels. Also formed are dummy contact holes that allow the metal of the electrodes to penetrate to a layer below the active layer without contacting it. The dummy contact hole provides a thermally conductive channel whereby heat that would otherwise build up in the channels, and degrade the performance of the driving element, is conducted through the dummy contact hole and radiated away by the electrode metal.
US07755706B2

An image distortion correction method is provided which is capable of correcting for distortion of a projected image by designating an arbitrary correction point by using a simple and easy operation without independently providing a display device and/or a pointing device. The distortion correction method includes a first step of displaying first to eighth correction function indicating marks corresponding to first to eighth correction functions to make corrections to first to fourth correction points on a screen, a second step of displaying the first correction function indicating mark corresponding to the first correction function selected by an operator on the screen in a highlighted manner, a third step of moving the first correction point to be corrected by the selected first correction function and to be displayed on the screen according to an instruction of the operator and of calculating a correction parameter corresponding to a moved distance, and a fourth step of correcting for distortion of projected image based on the correction parameter.
US07755700B2

According to one embodiment, a motion-adaptive non-interlace conversion apparatus includes an interference elimination process circuit which executes a cross-color & dot interference elimination process, an intra-field interpolation process circuit which generates an intra-field interpolation signal using a signal that is obtained by delaying a processed signal, which is subjected to the interference elimination process, with a delay corresponding to 1 field, an inter-field interpolation process circuit which generates an inter-field interpolation signal by using the processed signal and a pre-process signal which is yet to be subjected to the cross-color & dot interference elimination process, a motion detection circuit which obtains a motion detection signal, a mixing circuit which mixes the intra-field interpolation signal and the inter-field interpolation signal with a mixing ratio corresponding to the motion detection signal and outputs a mixed signal, and a multiple-speed conversion circuit which executes a multiple-speed conversion process.
US07755698B2

According to the invention, a system for dynamically scaling bias current on an imaging system is disclosed. In the invention an image sensor capable of producing at least a two-dimensional image and capable of at least two modes of operation is equipped with a control unit. The control unit determines a digital output for each of the modes of operation of the imaging system and outputs the digital outputs to a converter. The converter converts the digital output from the control unit to a bias current and provides this output to an analog and or mixed signal circuit associated with the imaging system that has operating characteristics that may be varied by the application of different bias currents.
US07755697B2

A webcam with an optical lens that can manually be moved into a position in front of the camera lens. The lens may slide or be rotated to a position in front of the camera lens. The optical lens may be a zoom lens, such that, in combination with the lens of the camera, a fixed zoom or magnification function is provided. Alternately, at least a second lens may also be provided, such as to provide two fixed zoom positions. The two lenses could be moved together with a single mechanical structure, or separately with two different manual controls.
US07755695B2

A camera system is disclosed which allows different types of lens apparatuses to be used in combination with a single image-taking apparatus without requiring changes of focus control signals on the side of the image-taking apparatus depending on the type of a lens apparatus mounted on the image-taking apparatus. The camera system includes an image-taking apparatus which outputs a focus control signal and a lens apparatus which includes a focus lens and is mounted on the image-taking apparatus. The lens apparatus includes a controller which produces a drive signal according to a type of focus of the lens apparatus based on the focus control signal and controls drive of the focus lens based on the drive signal.
US07755692B2

An image pickup apparatus of the present invention can eliminate the trouble of starting up the image pickup apparatus once to change settings in order to turn off a start-up picture image and mute start-up sound or operation sound. A method of controlling the same, a program for the method and a storage medium having the program stored therein all can attain such technological advantages. Start-up sound, operation sound after the start-up and display of a start-up picture image of the image pickup apparatus are inhibited by depressing a predetermined button in starting up the image pickup apparatus.
US07755688B2

This invention discloses a photoelectric conversion device. The photoelectric conversion device includes a pixel array in which a plurality of pixels are arrayed in a row direction and a column direction, a plurality of readout circuits which read out signals from pixels for respective columns in the pixel array, and a control unit which controls the plurality of readout circuits, wherein each of the plurality of readout circuits includes a holding unit which holds a reference voltage supplied from an external power source, an operational amplification unit which amplifies the signals from the pixels for each column based on the reference voltage held in the holding unit, and a disconnection unit which electrically disconnects the external power source and the holding unit, and the control unit controls the disconnection unit to electrically disconnect the external power source and the holding unit when the operational amplification unit amplifies the signals from the pixels for each column.
US07755681B2

Provided are an apparatus and method of gamma correction, and more particularly, an apparatus and method for varying a gamma curve according to a brightness level of a detected image signal to adaptively perform gamma correction, in a digital image processor. The gamma correction apparatus in the digital image processor includes a brightness level detector detecting a brightness level from an image signal generated by capturing an image, a gamma curve calculator moving a start point and/or an end point of an existing gamma curve for correcting an input brightness level to a predetermined output brightness level, according to the detected brightness level, and calculating a new gamma curve, and a gamma corrector correcting an input brightness level of the image signal using the new gamma curve, and outputting the corrected brightness level.
US07755679B2

A method and apparatus for forming dummy pixels exhibiting electrical characteristics virtually identical to the clear pixels of the imaging array. Arrays of such dummy pixels are used to form regions that isolate the main imaging array and sub-arrays of optical black pixels while preventing edge effects. The dummy pixels are preferably clear but can also be covered with optical black. By setting quiescent operation in soft reset, the dummy pixels exhibit the diode ideality and RoA product that are typical of any of the pixels in the entire array.
US07755673B2

In the method of properly deleting music data in a music player or other equipment with audio reproduction function, and a camera with audio reproduction function, unnecessary audio file can be exactly deleted to keep a recording area of image data during image-capturing. The camera is a digital camera for recording electronic image data picked up via a CCD in a memory card. This camera contains an audio decoder circuit that can reproduce a music file stored in the memory card and can output audio from a speaker or a head phone. When the music file is deleted, a part of the file is reproduced to prompt an operator to make a confirmation. Also, when the memory card becomes full in an image-capturing mode, the music file can be reproduced if a photographer depresses a shutter button, thereby prompting the operator to confirm deletion.
US07755672B2

Techniques for modifying data of an image that can be implemented in a digital camera, video image capturing device and other optical systems are provided to correct for non-uniform illumination and/or effects of saturation appearing in data obtained using one or more artificial illumination sources. In an implementation, correction factors are derived using data from at least two images that have been captured with different illumination levels of the object scene and close in time to the capture of the image of interest. Typically, the image of interest is of higher resolution than at least one of the at least two images.
US07755666B2

An actuator that has a simple mechanism capable of locking a movable member, and a lens unit and a camera with the same. The actuator (10) includes a fixed member (12), a movable member (14) having a locking element (14a), a movable member supporting means (18) for supporting the movable member so as to permit the movable member to move to an arbitrary position in a plane in parallel with the fixed member, a drive mechanism (20a, 20b, 20c, 22) translating and rotating the movable member relative to the fixed member, and an engagement member (15) engaged with the locking element to lock the movable member when the movable member has been rotated to a predetermined position.
US07755660B2

A video inspection system and method for facilitating inspection of a rail component while traveling on the railroad track. The system includes a light source that provides illumination to a rail of the railroad track, a triggering device for automatically providing a trigger signal, a camera adapted to provide an image of the illuminated rail component, and a computing device adapted to capture the image provided by the camera based on the trigger signal. A method for inspecting rail components is also provided, the method including the steps of illuminating a rail of the railroad track, automatically providing a trigger signal, providing a camera adapted to provide an image of the rail component, and capturing the image of the rail component that is provided by the camera based on the trigger signal.
US07755659B2

A laser printer for Braille that obviates the need for embossing mechanisms and specialized paper. A laser printer for Braille according to the present teachings increases an amount of a toner that adheres to an area of a paper that corresponds to the Braille element. The increased amount of toner yields a printed Braille element that may be read by touch.
US07755657B2

The present invention includes a method to print patterns with improved edge acuity. The method for printing fine patterns comprises the actions of: providing an SLM and providing a pixel layout pattern with different categories of modulating elements, the categories differing in the phase of the complex amplitude.
US07755656B2

In one embodiment, a system and method pertains to detecting a position of a sheet of media that has been loaded onto the print surface, determining from the detected position a current loading error with which the media sheet has been loaded onto the print surface, and calculating a loading offset that can be used to adjust the position at which a future media sheet will be loaded onto the print surface.
US07755650B2

A technique includes pulse width modulating an illuminating beam of a light to establish a pixel intensity and modulating the illuminating beam to create different tonal resolution ranges for the pixel intensity.
US07755643B2

A system, including apparatuses, software and methods, is disclosed for capturing and delivering images as to which various interactive functions are enabled for a user. The images introduced to the system can come from any one of a variety of sources, including from a digital camera. A graphical user interface permits a user to customize a set of interactive functions to be enabled for a given set of images. The interactively enabled images can be delivered via a webpage to a user, for example, via email, the Internet or downloaded from a disk or from disk drive on a computer on which the webpage is stored. Each image is delivered to a user in its own layer of software, which permits complex sets of images of relatively high resolution to be delivered to users without any appreciable delay associated with the delivery or the need for the user to have additional software, such as a plug-in to receive images and enable interactive functions with respect to the images. Whenever an interactive function is being carried out, a viewer perceives only one image layer at a given time, but the currently viewable image layer can be changed rapidly, so that the user can perceive the illusion of motion, including virtual rotation of an object depicted in a set of images.
US07755641B2

A method and system are disclosed for decimating an indexed set of data elements to generate a decimated set of data elements. The indexed set of data elements are grouped into groups of at least two data elements per group. The indexes of the data elements in each group are used to address a look-up-table (LUT) that is pre-programmed to perform the decimation operation. For each group of data elements presented to address the LUT, a decimated data value is output from the LUT. The decimated data value is a function of the data values of the corresponding data elements addressing the LUT.
US07755640B2

The invention discloses a gamma image correction method and device that employs an improved interpolating operation, comprising receiving an original image data point; retrieving p conversion values (p is larger than 2) from a memory unit according to the original image data point; and arithmetically processing the p conversion values for generating a gamma corrected image parameter value from the original image data point wherein the original image data point is a N bits data, the memory unit contains 2k conversion values and N is lager than k.
US07755635B2

A system and method for combining computer generated 3D environments (virtual environments) with satellite images. In a specific application, the system enables users to see and communicate with each other as live avatars in the computer generated environment in real time.
US07755632B2

A GPU pipeline is synchronized by sending a fence command from a first module to an addressed synchronization register pair. Fence command associated data may be stored in a fence register of the addressed register pair. A second module sends a wait command with associated data to the addressed register pair, which may be compared to the data in the fence register. If the fence register data is greater than or equal to the wait command associated data, the second module may be acknowledged for sending the wait command and released for processing other graphics operations. If the fence register data is less than the wait command associated data, the second module is stalled until subsequent receipt of a fence command having data that is greater than or equal to the wait command associated data, which may be written to a wait register associated to the addressed register pair.
US07755629B2

A method of rendering an image described by a list of graphical objects includes the steps of assigning objects in the list to at least one of a first set of objects and a second set of objects, and rendering the first set of objects to an image store using a first rendering method that determines whether a portion of an object of the first set contributes to a rendered output of the first set of objects and, if so, the first rendering method renders each pixel of the portion in sequence. The second set of objects to the image store are rendered using a second rendering method that renders each object in the second set in sequence and independently of the other objects in the second set.
US07755628B2

A method, apparatus, and system related to thermal management. The method includes generating a beam including a group of rays; evaluating the beam against a spatially ordered geometrical database until the beam can no longer be evaluated as a whole in order to discard a portion of the spatially ordered geometrical database from further consideration; noting the location where the beam can no longer be evaluated as a whole; and traversing, starting at the noted location, the spatially ordered geometrical database for each of the rays by executing a query against the spatially ordered geometrical database not discarded by the evaluating.
US07755627B2

A method for a computer system includes determining a plurality of illumination modes associated with a plurality of scene descriptors, wherein the plurality of scene descriptors includes a first scene descriptor and a second scene descriptor, determining a first plurality of weights, wherein each weight from the first plurality of weights is associated with an illumination mode from the plurality of illumination modes, determining illumination data associated with the first scene descriptor in response to the first plurality of weights and in response to the plurality of illumination modes, determining a second plurality of weights, wherein each weight from the second plurality of weights is associated with an illumination mode from the plurality of illumination modes, and determining illumination data associated with the second scene descriptor in response to the second plurality of weights and in response to the plurality of illumination modes.
US07755626B2

Soft shadows in computer graphics images are created by rendering the scene from the camera viewpoint and at least one light viewpoint. The positions of scene fragments and light fragments in the scene are stored. For each scene fragment, a frustum is defined between the position of the scene fragment and the light source. Light fragments are evaluated with respect to the frustum to select light fragments blocking light between the light source and the scene fragment. A color or monochromatic shading value is determined for each scene fragment that indicates the amount of light blocked or transmitted by the light fragments. The shading values are then used to alter scene fragments accordingly. Computer graphics images with soft shadows can be created entirely by a graphics processing subsystem or by a graphics processing subsystem in conjunction with a central processing unit using a pipelined, deferred shading approach.
US07755622B2

A method and system are described that allow conversion of a three-dimensional representation of a wire harness to a two-dimensional representation. In one aspect, an optimal viewing angle of the three-dimensional representation is automatically computed such that overlap of nodes and/or branches is minimized. Using the optimal viewing angle, the three-dimensional representation is converted to two dimensions.In another aspect, the optimal viewing angle is obtained through rotation of the three-dimensional data. One technique for performing such a rotation is by determining a plane associated with the viewing angle, the plane being such that the average distance from nodes in the wire harness to the plane is a minimum.
US07755621B2

Methods, systems, and program products for detecting user manipulation of one or more elements of a presentation of a complex solid represented by a solid history tree. A reduced history representation of the complex solid is created. The reduced history tree is repeatedly evaluated to recreate the presentation of the complex solid in response to the user manipulation of the one or more elements.
US07755617B2

A method drives an electronic circuit for driving a driven element including a transistor which includes control, first, and second terminals, and in which a conduction state representing conduction between the first and second terminals changes depending on a potential of the control terminal, a first capacitive element that includes first and second electrodes, the first electrode being electrically connected to the control terminal, and a second capacitive element that includes third and fourth electrodes, the driven element being supplied with at least one of a driving voltage having a voltage level based on the conduction state in the transistor and a driving current having a current level based on the conduction state in the transistor. The method includes holding a threshold voltage of the transistor by the first capacitive element, with the second and third electrodes separated from each other, holding a data voltage by the second capacitive element, with the second and third electrodes separated from each other, and generating a sum voltage representing the sum of voltages of the first and second capacitive elements by electrically connecting the second and third electrodes, and supplying a potential based on the sum voltage to the control terminal of the transistor.
US07755610B2

A system and method for writing bistable media is described, wherein the media has at least one through hole that interacts with at least one protrusion on a writer to align the media with the writer.
US07755602B2

A man-machine interface which provides tactile feedback to various sensing body parts is disclosed. The device employs one or more vibrotactile units, where each unit comprises a mass and a mass-moving actuator. As the mass is accelerated by the mass-moving actuator, the entire vibrotactile unit vibrates. Thus, the vibrotactile unit transmits a vibratory stimulus to the sensing body part to which it is affixed. The vibrotactile unit may be used in conjunction with a spatial placement sensing device which measures the spatial placement of a measured body part. A computing device uses the spatial placement of the measured body part to determine the desired vibratory stimulus to be provided by the vibrotactile unit. In this manner, the computing device may control the level of vibratory feedback perceived by the corresponding sensing body part in response to the motion of the measured body part. The sensing body part and the measured body part may be separate or the same body part.
US07755601B2

The present invention is to provide a display unit for a vehicle. The display unit has an attractive and three dimensional appearance and is manufactured with low cost. A display unit for a vehicle includes a display screen having display areas displaying a plurality of informations about conditions of the vehicle, a first controller for controlling images displayed on the display screen, and a display partition member disposed on a part of the display areas and having an opening, wherein the first controller controls the display screen to display an image of a display design of a dial on a first display area surrounded by the opening of the display partition member and to rotate the image of the display design based on a prescribed display change specifier signal.
US07755600B2

In an information display device according to the first to third inventions of the present invention, when a particle movement type information display device of passive matrix drive and dynamic drive is driven, the particle movement type information display device configured to be driven by using a drive circuit having an output stage equivalent circuit capable of outputting only two values of a predetermined drive voltage value and ground level (0V). Moreover, in the forth and fifth inventions of the present invention, in the method for driving the information display device, wherein the display media are sealed between two opposed substrates, at least one of which is transparent, and wherein the display media, to which an electrostatic field is applied, are made to move so as to display information such as an image or the like, electrodes of the information display device are connected to predetermined potential in the driving voltage range with low impedance while information refresh (scan) is not performed.
US07755597B2

A liquid crystal display device is provided which is capable of reducing a number of components and fabricating processes and of realizing a bright display even at time of a transmissive display and of simplifying configurations of a data signal. Transistors are controlled ON/OFF based on selecting signals input to selecting signal lines and a one kind of data signal input from data lines distributed and supplied, as a sub-pixel data, to a data electrode selected based on selecting signals corresponding to a successive additive color mixture or juxtapositional additive color mixture process. At time of the transmissive display operation, data electrodes corresponding to three sub-pixels making up each pixel are simultaneously selected and, at time of the reflective display operation, data electrodes selected based on selecting signal corresponding to the juxtapositional additive color mixture.
US07755584B2

A voltage boosting circuit performs variable frequency control that gradually increases frequencies of clock signals from a low frequency to a high frequency during a boosting operation period for which a low output voltage of a DC-DC converter when the power is turned on is boosted up to a predetermined voltage. Thus, the frequencies of clock signals may be set according to the boosting operation of the DC-DC converter. Consequently, the operation of the DC-DC converter may be stabilized until the stable operation period is performed after the DC-DC converter starts to operate.
US07755580B2

A method for regulating the biasing voltage of column control circuits of an array screen formed of LEDs distributed in lines and columns, the column control circuits being adapted to turning on at least one LED of a line. The method includes increasing the biasing voltage when the current flowing through at least one activated LED is smaller than a determined luminance current and of decreasing the biasing voltage when the current flowing through each activated LED is equal to the determined luminance current.
US07755577B2

An electroluminescent device includes a first optical output part having a light-emitting layer emitting a light ray of a first color, a second optical output part having a light-emitting layer emitting a light ray of a second color, and a third optical output part having a light-emitting layer emitting a light ray of a third color, the colors being different from one another. Each of the optical output parts also has a resonator structure that resonates the light ray emitted from the light-emitting layer. In each optical output part, a resonant peak wavelength indicating a peak value of a transmission spectrum of light transmitted through the resonator structure in a direction perpendicular to a main surface of the light-emitting layer is on a longer or shorter wavelength side of an emission peak wavelength indicating a peak value of an emission spectrum of the light ray emitted by the light-emitting layer.
US07755569B2

A method is provided. The method includes displaying a first image pixel on a first display pixel of a plurality of display pixels of a monitor, and displaying a second image pixel following the first image pixel on a portion of sub-pixels of the first display pixel and a portion of sub-pixels of a second display pixel so as to avoid loss of image data when displaying the image pixels on a monitor of a small resolution.
US07755561B2

A rigid antenna support structure is designed and prefabricated to rest on two or more existing support foots normally found on a roof or similar structure. The antenna support structure, to which antennas are attached, possess mounting brackets associated with the exterior of the structure configured to accept a plurality of vertical support members composed of a substantially RF transparent material. Attached to the vertical support members are a number of horizontal support members thereafter forming a concealment assembly skeleton. A plurality of RF transparent panels are then connected to the horizontal support members so as to form a concealment assembly that conceals the antenna support structure and antennas. The concealment assembly is environmentally and aesthetically pleasing, and retains RF transparency so as to not to attenuate the RF signals being sent to or originating from the antennas housed within.
US07755559B2

A dual-band omnidirectional antenna is provided. The antenna comprises a vertically stacked antenna array, in the following order: a first dual-band dipole which resonates at a first frequency band and a second frequency band, a first single-band dipole which resonates only at the first frequency band, a second single-band dipole which resonates only at the first frequency band, and a second dual band dipole which resonates at the first frequency band and second frequency band. The first frequency band is of a higher frequency than the second frequency band.
US07755553B2

Antenna assembly 100 to be worn by a user includes a low-band dipole antenna (310) and at least one high band dipole antenna (312, 612). The high-band dipole antenna is comprised of a high-band dipole feed (102, 602) interposed at a location along a length of a low-band dipole element (105, 110). The high-band dipole feed divides the first low-band dipole element into a first high-band dipole element (128) and a second high-band dipole element (130). One of the high-band dipole elements (130) is formed as a flexible electrically conductive sleeve. An RF control device (308) is provided for selectively directing RF energy in a high-band to the high-band dipole feed (102), and for selectively directing RF energy in a low-band to the low-band dipole feed (202). A transmission line (113) extends from the RF control device (308) to the high-band dipole feed (102).
US07755551B2

The specification discloses various embodiments of modular antenna assemblies for automotive vehicles. In one exemplary embodiment, an antenna generally includes a base assembly that may be used on a variety of vehicle platforms. The antenna may also include a radome assembly that is specific to a particular vehicle platform. The radome assembly may snap-fit onto the base assembly, and be installed during or after vehicle assembly. A wide variety of radome assemblies of different shapes, styles, and colors may be used in conjunction with a single base assembly.
US07755545B2

A small antenna operating in multiple modes including three or more modes. There are provided an antenna that includes a ground conductor having a ground potential, a single feeding point whose one end is formed by a part of the ground conductor, and a plurality of transmission lines to which RF power supplied to the feeding point is input, the transmission lines each radiating electromagnetic waves of three frequencies of three modes into space. These transmission lines comprises a transmission line 41 that is connected to the feeding point at one end and to a branching point at the other end, a transmission line connected between branching points, and transmission lines connected to the branching points. The lengths of the respective transmission lines are set so that impedance matching is performed at the feeding point with respect to a plurality of frequencies. The antenna is formed from an integrated metal plate.
US07755542B2

Methods and apparatus for processing of data from a network of GNSS reference stations are presented. An ionosphere-free, federated geometry filter is employed so that computation time increases only linearly with the increase in number of reference stations, significantly reducing processing time as compared to a centralized filter approach.
US07755536B1

The present invention is a method of finding range and velocity of a target in a radar system using a time scale factor. Specifically, sending at least one signal from at least one transmitter to a target. A return signal is then received from the target at each transmitter and the elapsed time is recorded. The range to the target and velocity of the target are calculated based on a time scale factor of the recorded elapsed times. These values are appropriately output to the user.
US07755531B2

An analog reference voltage generator for generating a monotonously increasing or decreasing analog reference voltage includes a plurality of dump cells in front of an operational amplifier and controls the dump cells using a plurality of clock signals, respectively, which do not overlap each other in time, thereby increasing a ramping speed. The analog reference voltage generator including the plurality of dump cells controls the generation of an analog reference voltage using the plurality of clock signals obtained by dividing a master clock signal, thereby preventing the voltage level of the reference signal from decreasing due to an increase of the load.
US07755529B2

An AD converter comprising: a delta-sigma-modulation circuit to output an analog signal from a bridge circuit as a quantized signal; a switch circuit to switch between a first state, where a first level voltage is applied to one terminal of the bridge circuit and a second level voltage different in level from the first level voltage is applied to the other terminal thereof, and a second state, where voltages opposite in level to those in the first state are applied thereto, based on a logic level of a control signal; and an up-down counter to increase a count value based on a rate of the quantized signal being one logic level, during a predetermined period, in the first state, and decrease the count value based on the rate, during the predetermined period, in the second state, the count value representing a digital signal according to the physical quantity.
US07755527B2

A mixed signal integrated circuit device, e.g., digital-to-analog converter (DAC), has a serial interface communication protocol that accesses volatile and/or non-volatile memory and allows a preprogrammed output voltage whenever the mixed signal device is powered-up. However, unlike conventional DACs, DACs with non-volatile memory may need special interface communication protocols for effective operation of the DAC and communications between a system master controller unit (MCU). Interface communications protocols that do not violate standard serial bus communications protocols are provided for communicating between the volatile and non-volatile memories of the DAC so that the MCU may access the DAC's memories (non-volatile and/or volatile memories). The mixed signal integrated circuit device has a user programmable address.
US07755525B2

A power control system includes a delta sigma modulator to generate output values for use in controlling a switching power converter. In at least one embodiment, the delta sigma modulator includes two ranges of available output values and a range of one or more unavailable intermediate output values, wherein the range of one or more unavailable intermediate output values represent a gap in available output values. Each unavailable intermediate output value represents an output value that is not generated by the delta sigma modulator. In at least one embodiment, the delta sigma modulator includes a quantizer output remapping module that remaps quantizer output values within the range of one or more unavailable intermediate output values of the delta sigma modulator to new output values within one of the ranges of available output values.
US07755519B2

A vehicle traveling through an environmental media such as air experiences drag. The drag is actively modulated by energy beams which may either increase or decrease the drag. The energy beams may provide either a chemical, acoustic or electromagnetic energy at a transition region between turbulent and laminar flows or at the leading edge of a laminar flow or in the direction of a crosswind in order to facilitate the respective increase or decrease in drag. Where the energy beams are acoustic or ultrasonic, some or all of the beams may be used to generate an audible signal, in a directional manner, outside the vehicle.
US07755518B2

The dynamic, predictive information system and method assigns shipping assets (drivers-tractors-trailers) from carriers to transport orders by shippers. Computer databases hold shipping asset data. Specific transport orders are electronically joined to specific driver-tractor-trailer combinations. A search and sort routine produces resulting records based upon proximity, trailer type, proximity of the joined driver-trailer combination, carrier service region and pick-up and delivery date constraints. The sort is by price or performance indicators which are pre-selected shipper ranges matched to historical shipping data from carriers. The system books the carrier, the driver-tractor-trailer combination and the shipper to transport order with an electronic communications phase. In a truck lane scenario, the system joins a specific driver and a specific tractor and a non-specific trailer to a specific transport order. GPS data and electronic shipping document data from PDAs with the drivers is logged into the system and is viewable by the participants.
US07755513B2

A visual navigational aid for guiding the approach path of incoming aircrafts, ships or other vehicles. The visual navigational aid comprises high intensity light emitting diodes (LEDs) or LED arrays and optical beam shaping apparatus that produce multiple light beams with different colors or flash patterns to guide the incoming aircrafts, ships or other vehicles to a pre-determined approach path.
US07755511B2

In a parking assistance apparatus disclosed herein, a position and a yaw angle of a vehicle are acquired continuously from an initial stop position A, and a vehicle mark C2′ in moving the vehicle backwards with a steering angle maintained during a backward movement operation from a backward movement start position B in parking the vehicle in a target parking space S is displayed on a display. The vehicle mark C2′ is displayed in a shifting manner on the display such that the target parking space S is traced based on a momentary steering angle and a momentary yaw angle of the vehicle, which result from backward movement of the vehicle. When the vehicle mark C2′ deviates from the target parking space S during the backward movement operation, a driver adjusts the steering angle. The vehicle mark C2′ is shifted on the display based on a change in the steering angle to be turned into a vehicle mark C4 at a suitable position corresponding to the target parking space S.
US07755507B2

A control device that is used in a distributed control system and controlling a control target while serially transmitting data to a reception side control device by a pulse train signal, wherein when the control target is normal, state quantity data representing the state quantity of the control target is transmitted to the reception control device, and when abnormality occurs in the control target, the abnormality data representing the abnormality concerned and the state quantity data are transmitted to the reception control device in a predetermined order.
US07755506B1

An integrated controller for complete automation with the ability to control electrical devices through both RF transmission and IR transmissions. In one illustrative embodiment, the integrated controller comprises an antenna for two-way communication with stations located throughout a structure. Each station may control the power supply to an attached electrical device. The buttons on the station may control any electrical device on the system through RF transmission with the integrated controller. The integrated controller also may comprise an IR receiver and at least one IR output. The IR receiver may receive signals from a remote and pass them through to a device, such as a device used in a home theater system, with a built in IR receiver via the IR output. In this manner, the integrated controller is capable of providing complete in home automation.
US07755490B2

A method and system for identifying a lost or stolen device is disclosed herein. The system includes: a transmitter, coupled to said device, for transmitting identification information; a receiver for receiving the identification information transmitted by the transmitter, when the transmitter is within a defined distance from the receiver; and a computer, coupled to the receiver for receiving the information from the receiver, and having a database for storing data associated with lost or stolen devices; wherein the computer compares the information with the data, and generates an alarm if the information indicates that the device is lost or stolen. The method includes: receiving information transmitted by a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, coupled to an item, when the item comes within a defined range of a receiver which receives the information; storing data associated with lost or stolen goods in a database coupled to the receiver; comparing the information to the data and determining if the information matches the data associated with the lost or stolen goods; and generating an alarm, if the information matches the data.
US07755488B2

An access site disconnection system and method employ RFID sensors that are sensitive to moisture and their presence may not be detected if the sensor is wetted. When a patient receives dialysis treatment, wetness may arise from blood if the access needle becomes disconnected from the access site. At least one RFID sensor is mounted on or near gauze or other absorbent material placed adjacent the access site. After the sensors are placed, the dialysis machine and RFID control circuit may be initialized and dialysis treatment, such as hemodialysis, begun. If blood leaks from the access site, such as if the access needle is dislodged, the RFID sensor is wetted and sends a different or no response to periodic inquiries from an RFID reader. A signal is sent to a controller or to an output device to raise an alert or sound an alarm.
US07755478B2

The present invention relates to assisting patients in the taking of medication, and to assisting third parties in accumulating information regarding patient medication intake. The invention may be embodied a system including a portable medication monitor used in association with an instrumented medication package to provide intake data acquisition and patient support functions. The system may further be connected to a computer or computer network allowing information distribution between the medication monitor and third parties, such as physicians or pharmacists.
US07755460B2

A micro-switching device includes a movable electrode provided on a movable support having an end fixed to a fixing member. The switching device also includes first and second stationary electrodes. The movable electrode includes first and second contact portions. The first stationary electrode includes a third contact portion facing the first contact portion of the movable electrode. The second stationary electrode includes a fourth contact portion facing the second contact portion of the movable electrode. The distance between the first and the third contact portions is smaller than the distance between the second and the fourth contact portions. The switching device further includes a driving mechanism having a driving force generation region provided on the movable support. The center of gravity of the driving force generation region is closer to the second contact portion than to the first contact portion.
US07755459B2

A micro-switching device includes a fixing portion, a movable portion, a first electrode with first and second contacts, a second electrode with a third contact contacting the first contact, and a third electrode with a fourth contact opposing the second contact. In manufacturing the micro-switching device., the first electrode is formed on a substrate, and a sacrifice layer is formed on the substrate to cover the first electrode. Then, a first recess and a shallower second recess are formed in the sacrifice layer at a position corresponding to the first electrode. The second electrode is formed to have a portion opposing the first electrode via the sacrifice layer, and to fill the first recess. The third electrode is formed to have a portion opposing the first electrode via the sacrifice layer; and to fill the second recess. Thereafter the sacrifice layer is removed.
US07755457B2

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for design of low loss, size restricted high frequency circuits. In a preferred embodiment, an electronic device includes: a first circuit layer located above the main circuit board comprising a first stripline passive circuit; and a second circuit layer located above the first circuit, the second layer comprising a second stripline circuit. The two stripline circuits can be separately coupled to leads, or coupled to each other and other leads using vias through the ground layer(s) separating each stripline. The stacked stripline elements can be used together with other circuits, and the stacked circuit board can be conveniently joined together with other assemblies, e.g., by surface mounting to a main board. The utility of this topology can be extended by the use of n-circuit embodiment or embedding in a multilayered main circuit board.
US07755454B2

Provided is a micro-electromechanical device capable of processing an electric signal in the high frequency region by a simple device structure. The micro-electromechanical device is formed, including an oscillator element having a plurality of electrodes disposed on a substrate and a beam facing the electrodes to oscillate by electrostatic drive. An input/output of a high frequency signal is applied to one of the combinations of the electrodes and the beam.
US07755449B2

A printed circuit board (PCB) including an impedance-matched strip transmission line includes a strip transmission line including a main line and at least one pair of branch lines branching off from the main line. An upper ground layer is disposed over the strip transmission line and has upper opening parts corresponding in position to the branch lines. A lower ground layer is disposed under the strip transmission line and has lower opening parts corresponding in position to the branch lines. The upper and lower opening parts are symmetric about the branch lines of the strip transmission line.
US07755446B2

A waveguide comprises a connecting part, a main chamber and a buffer. The connecting part is connected to the main chamber via the buffer. The side length of the junction between the connecting part and the buffer is smaller than that of the junction between the buffer and the main chamber.
US07755443B2

An apparatus for providing an angle modulated signal includes a tunable oscillator circuit, a variable time delay circuit, and an optional scaling and delay control apparatus. The tunable oscillator circuit generates an oscillatory signal having a predetermined frequency. The variable time delay circuit operates to delay the oscillatory signal in accordance with time varying changes in an angle control signal, thereby producing the desired angle modulated signal. The scaling and delay control apparatus is configured to scale the angle control signal to account for frequency dependent phase delays of the oscillatory signal through the variable time delay circuit. The methods and apparatus of the present invention may be advantageously used in RF transmitters and receivers, such as in a polar transmitter, where the oscillatory signal generated by the tunable oscillator apparatus serves as a carrier signal, and the angle control signal used to control the delay of the variable time delay circuit comprises a phase modulation signal from the phase path of the polar transmitter.
US07755440B2

A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) includes a VCO unit having multiple VCO unit output terminals and an amplifier having multiple amplifier output terminals respectively connected to the VCO unit output terminals. The VCO unit generates first output signals having an oscillation frequency corresponding to a supply voltage. The amplifier amplifies a value obtained by performing n-th differentiation on a transconductance component of each first output signal (n being a natural number). Second output signals, corresponding to the first output signals, are output through the amplifier output terminals. Each second output signal includes the amplified value of the corresponding first output signal.
US07755438B2

There is provided a PLL circuit 15, a voltage follower 19, and an output terminal 23, and a control voltage V1 of a voltage controlled oscillator circuit in the PLL circuit 15 is outputted to the output terminal 23 via the voltage follower 19.
US07755434B2

An electronic circuit includes a differential amplifier circuit, a first smoothing circuit, a second smoothing circuit and a first switch. The differential amplifier circuit receives a digital input signal and a reference signal. The first smoothing circuit smoothes the digital input signal with a first capacitance value. The second smoothing circuit smoothes the digital input signal with a second capacitance value larger than the first capacitance value. The first switch selects one of output signals from the first smoothing circuit and the second smoothing circuit as the reference signal.
US07755426B2

Various example embodiments are disclosed. According to one example embodiment, a high bandwidth, fine granularity variable gain amplifier (“VGA”) may comprise an attenuator, a gain block and a gain adjustment control. The attenuator may comprise at least one pair of attenuator differential input nodes and at least one pair of attenuator differential output nodes. The gain block may comprise at least one pair of gain block differential input nodes coupled to the at least one pair of attenuator differential output nodes and at least one pair of gain block differential output nodes. The gain adjustment control may be configured to adjust a gain of the gain block.
US07755419B2

A circuit (200) can include a reference circuit (202) and a start-up circuit (204). A start-up circuit (204) can include a low threshold voltage reference current device (N3) that can pull a start node (210) low in a start-up operation. This can enable activation device (P3), which can place reference circuit (202) in a stable operating mode. Operation of transistor (N3) can be essentially independent of a high power supply voltage and start-up circuit (204) can include no resistors.
US07755416B2

A temperature-sensor circuit includes: a transistor having an emitter that is grounded, a collector, and a base; a first resistor having a first end and a second end, the first end being coupled with the collector; and a second resistor having a third end and a fourth end, the third end being coupled with the second end of the first resistor. A junction joining the first resistor and the second resistor is coupled with the base.
US07755407B2

Provided is a variable delay circuit outputting an output signal delayed with respect to an input signal by a designated delay time, including: a delay controller outputting a control voltage according to the delay time; a MOS transistor receiving the control voltage at a gate, and outputs a drain current according to the control voltage; a correction section connected in parallel to a source and a drain of the current controlling MOS transistor, and outputs a correction current on a monotonic decrease as the drain current increases in a range larger than a predetermined boundary current within a normal usage range of the drain current; and a delay element running an output current resulting from adding the correction current to the drain current, between the delay element and an output terminal of the variable delay circuit, in changing a signal value of the output signal according to the input signal.
US07755406B2

A duty cycle correction circuit with wide-frequency working range utilizes a pulse generator having adjustable pulse width function to adjust the width of the pulse and outputs a clock signal with the duty cycle of 50%. The pulse generator includes a NAND gate, a modulation device, and an inverter. The inverter is coupled between the second input end of the NAND gate and the modulation device. The modulation device modulates the low-level status of the input clock signal and accordingly outputs to the inverter. The first input end of the NAND gate receives the input clock signal. The NAND gate operates NAND calculation to the signals received on the input ends of the NAND gate and accordingly outputs a periodic low-level pulse signal.
US07755401B2

A DLL circuit includes: a phase determining circuit that compares phases of respective rising edges of CK and LCLK to generate a determining signal R-U/D; a phase determining circuit that compares phases of respective falling edges of CK and LCLK to generate a determining signal F-U/D; a first adjusting circuit that adjusts a position of an active edge of LCLKR based on the determining signal R-U/D; a second adjusting circuit that adjusts a position of an active edge of LCLKF based on the determining signal F-U/D; a clock generating circuit that generates LCLK based on LCLKR and LCLKF; and a stop circuit that stops an adjusting operation by the second adjusting circuit in response to an adjusting direction of the active edge of LCLKR being opposite to each other to an adjusting direction of the active edge of LCLKF.
US07755394B2

A circuit (01) combining level shift function with gated reset is described, performing a simple logic function with inputs supplied from a lower voltage (VD) and a drive out at its output (05) with a higher voltage (VC). Said circuit (01) comprises a gated reset scheme plus devices (10, 30, 40) for logic function.
US07755392B1

A level shift circuit includes a high voltage circuit, a clamp circuit, an input circuit, and a bypass circuit. The high voltage circuit is electrically connected to a high voltage terminal. The clamp circuit can prevent the transistors of the high voltage circuit from high voltage stress when a voltage level of the high voltage terminal is greater than a voltage level of a voltage source. The bypass circuit is used to bypass the clamp circuit when a voltage level of the high voltage terminal is smaller than a voltage level of transistor breakdown voltages.
US07755391B2

There is provided a three-valued logic function circuit capable of remarkably reducing the kinds of basic circuits necessary for realizing all 33^2=19683 kinds of two-variable three-valued logic function circuits, remarkably reducing asymmetry of the switching time, and improving an operation speed and symmetry of waveform of the logic function circuit. In a three-valued logic function circuit, three transfer gates T1, T2, and T3 are turned on or off by one-variable three-valued logic function circuits C1, D1, C3 and D3, according to three logic values −1, 0, and 1 constituting a first input a, to select outputs of three one-variable three-valued logic function circuits B1, B2, and B3 connected to a second input b. The transfer gate T2 is configured by parallel connection of a switch pair of serial connection of two n-type MOS transistors and a switch pair of serial connection of two p-type MOS transistors.
US07755390B2

An XOR logic circuit includes a first transfer unit configured to transfer a logic high level data to an output terminal in response to data applied to first and second input terminals; a multiplexing unit configured to output a power voltage or a ground voltage in response to the data applied to the first and second input terminals; and a second transfer unit configured to transfer a logic low level data to the output terminal in response to an output signal of the multiplexing unit and the data applied to the first and second input terminals.
US07755380B2

Apparatus and methods for repairing display devices of a type that include a first substrate having a plurality of signal lines formed thereon and/or a second substrate having a plurality of color filters formed thereon include a laser that radiates laser light having a wavelength in a range of from about 750 to about 850 nm, or alternatively, of from about 1000 to about 1100 nm, and a pulse width of femtoseconds (10−15 seconds) to picoseconds (10−12 seconds) and arranged such that the laser light can be focused on selected ones of the signal lines and/or color filters. The apparatus enables repairs to be effected on the display device during any one of several manufacturing test processes using only a single laser apparatus, without the need for additional or different repair devices for each test process.
US07755379B2

This invention discloses a circuit for performing an unclamped inductive test on a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) device driven by a gate driver. The circuit includes a current sense circuit for measuring an unclamped inductive testing (UIS) current that increases with an increase of a pulse width inputted from the gate driver to the MOSFET device wherein the current sensing circuit is provided to turn off the gate driver when a predefined UIS current is reached. The test circuit further includes a MOSFET failure detection circuit connected to a drain terminal of the MOSFET device for measuring a drain voltage change for detecting the MOSFET failure during the UIS test. The test circuit further includes a first switch for switching ON/OFF a power supply to the MOSFET device to and a second switch connected between a drain and source terminal of the MOSFET. Furthermore, the test circuit further includes a timing and make before break (MBB) circuit for receiving an MOSFET failure signal from the MOSFET failure detection circuit and for controlling the first and second switches for switching off a power supply to the MOSFET device upon a detection of an UIS failure under the UIS test to prevent damages to a probe.
US07755369B2

A capacitive fingerprint sensor comprises a fingerprint capacitor, a reference capacitor, a first transistor, a second transistor, a comparator and a multiplexer. The fingerprint capacitor has a capacitance that is either a valley capacitance CFV or a ridge capacitance CFR, wherein CFV is smaller than CFR. One end of the reference capacitor CS is connected to the fingerprint capacitor, and the other end is connected to a trigger signal, wherein the trigger signal is initiated only during a precharge phase. The first transistor is configured to control the fingerprint capacitor during a scan line period. The second transistor is configured to precharge the fingerprint and reference capacitors. One end of the comparator is connected to the second transistor. The multiplexer is connected to another input end of the comparator for providing a first voltage VA and a threshold voltage Vth.
US07755360B1

A portable self-standing electromagnetic (EM) field sensing locator system with attachments for finding and mapping buried objects such as utilities and with intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) displays. Accessories include a ground penetrating radar (GPR) system with a rotating Tx/Rx antenna assembly, a leak detection system, a multi-probe voltage mapping system, a man-portable laser-range finder system with embedded dipole beacon and other detachable accessory sensor systems are accepted for attachment to the locator system for simultaneous operation in cooperation with the basic locator system. The integration of the locator system with one or more additional devices, such as fault-finding, geophones and conductance sensors, facilitates the rapid detection and localization of many different types of buried objects.
US07755353B2

A three-axis fluxgate-type circuit having three fluxgate sensors for outputting three analog voltage values respectively. A controller normalizes three digital voltage values corresponding to said three analog voltage values, select a set of linear voltage values from the three normalized digital voltage values and calculate an azimuth based on the set of linear voltage values.
US07755346B2

A mounting structure for a current sensor is provided. The current sensor is arranged between a negative terminal of a battery and a grounding unit. The mounting structure includes a battery grounding cable which has one end connected with the negative terminal of the battery, and a fixing unit which is electrically conductive to electrically connect other end of the battery grounding cable with the grounding unit. The fixing unit and the battery grounding cable constructs a current path which connects the negative terminal with the grounding unit. The current sensor is fixed by the fixing unit to the grounding unit, and disposed to detect current flowing through the fixing unit.
US07755333B2

A SVC control section detects a bus voltage from an instrument transformer, and adjusts reactive power generated by a SVC according to the detected bus voltage. A cooperative control section generates a control command for controlling the interconnection and parallel-off of a phase lead capacitor and a phase lag reactor on the basis of the amount of reactive power generated by the SVC and the bus voltage detected by the instrument transformer and a voltage sensor. A voltage comparator compares the bus voltage with a predetermined threshold voltage set to a voltage lower than a lower limit value of a steady state fluctuation range of the bus voltage and outputs the comparison result to a circuit breaker control section. When the bus voltage is lower than the threshold voltage, the circuit breaker control section locks the control command from the cooperative control section.
US07755328B2

An exemplary charging circuit (200) includes for charging a load component (210) includes a power supply unit (220), a feedback circuit, and a sampling resistor (230). The power supply unit includes a pulse width modulation circuit (221) and a power output terminal (222) configured to output a direct current supply. The feedback circuit includes an amplifying comparator (241), a constant voltage circuit (242), a transistor (243), and an optoelectrical coupler (244). The constant voltage circuit is configured to generate a reference voltage and apply the reference voltage to a negative input terminal of the amplifier comparator. An output terminal of the amplifier comparator is connected to the pulse width modulation circuit via the transistor and the optoelectrical coupler. The sampling resistor includes a current sampling terminal connected to a positive input terminal of the amplifier comparator.
US07755321B2

The present invention relates to a method for battery removal detection in a portable communication device and also to a portable communication device comprising a detection circuit. During start-up of the portable communication device the detection circuit is powered on and a first input of the detection circuit is set to a first logical level and a second input of the detection circuit is set to a second logical level. An output from the detection circuit is fed to a third input of the detection circuit and a new output value for the detection circuit is generated based on the first, second and third input and the new value of the output is stored in a memory means.
US07755313B2

According to an example embodiment, a method is provided for limiting an operational temperature of a motor. The method includes generating a maximum allowable current I*S(max) for a motor based on a temperature difference between a temperature reference T* of a power inverter module and a semiconductor device temperature T of the power inverter module. The method further includes generating a maximum allowable torque T*e(max) based on the maximum allowable current I*S(max) and a maximum allowable flux Ψ*S(max), and using the maximum allowable torque T*e(max) to limit the torque command T*e in order to suppress the semiconductor device temperature T to below the temperature reference T*.
US07755311B2

When a fan drive current has become excessive, a fan drive device intercepts that current, waits for just a fixed time period T1, and thereafter flows that current for a second time. The fan power supply current flowed to the fan drive device is detected by a shunt resistor R. The value of the fan power supply current detected by the shunt resistor R is inputted to a controller, and the cause of any abnormality of the fan is decided upon by this controller, based upon the magnitude of the above described fan power supply current and the time period over which it has continued.
US07755305B2

A charged particle beam extraction system and method capable of shortening the irradiation time and increasing the number of patients treatable per unit time. The charged particle beam extraction system comprises a synchrotron for cyclically performing patterned operation including four steps of introducing, accelerating, extracting and decelerating an ion beam, an on/off switch for opening or closing connection between an RF knockout electrode and an RF power supply for applying RF power to the RF knockout electrode, and a timing controller for controlling on/off-timing of the on/off switch such that when extraction of the ion beam is stopped at least once during the extraction step of the synchrotron, an amount of the ion beam extracted from the synchrotron in one cycle is held substantially at a setting value.
US07755302B2

The present invention discloses a multi-modulation mode LED driving circuit, which controls an inverter to perform energy conversion to drive at least one LED. The driving circuit of the present invention is modulated by a timing control signal containing an on time and a standby time. In the present invention, a varying-amplitude modulation energy is added to the standby time. In the present invention, the start and end of the on time respectively have a gradually-ascending interval and a gradually-descending interval, and/or the start and end of the standby time respectively have a gradually-descending interval and a gradually-ascending interval. In the present invention, two or more different cycles are mixed to generate high-reliability and wide-dynamical range modulation modes, which can make an energy conversion unit and a rear-end LED group operate in reliable ranges of some performance characteristics.
US07755299B2

The invention relates to a transformer (10) for balancing the current in an AC circuit, comprising a primary winding (12), a secondary winding (14) and a main inductance (16). The transformer is characterized in that a capacitive component is connected in parallel to the primary winding (12) or to the secondary winding (14), whose capacitance value is determined such that the reactive current IL brought about by the main inductance (16) is substantially compensated. A transformer of this kind can preferably be employed in current balancing circuits as used, for example, in systems for backlighting LCD displays.
US07755296B2

The present invention provides a low-cost resonant inverter circuit for ballast. The resonant circuit includes a transformer connected in series with a lamp to operate the lamp. A first transistor and a second transistor are coupled to switch the resonant inverter circuit. A second winding and a third winding of the transformer are used for generating control signals in response to a switching current of the resonant inverter circuit. The transistor is turned on once the control signal is higher than a high-threshold. Next, the transistor is turned off once the control signal is lower than a low-threshold. Therefore, soft switching operation for the first transistor and the second transistor is achieved.
US07755291B2

An incandescent lamp that emits infrared light and a method of making the lamp includes a filament assembly inside a polycrystalline aluminum oxide (PCA) envelope, where the filament assembly preferably has a coiled tungsten filament, solid metal ends of tungsten or molybdenum attached to the coiled tungsten filament, and leads at distal ends of the solid metal ends. End caps are attached to ends of the envelope and have openings through which a respective one of the leads extends, where the leads are each made of an electrically conductive material having a coefficient of thermal expansion compatible with the end caps, such as niobium. The leads are attached to the end caps with glass-ceramic sealing frits. The end caps and sealing frits seal a suitable gas inside the envelope.
US07755286B2

Disclosed is a dense silicon oxide film having a high insulation resistance, which is a glass film having a certain level of thickness. Specifically, disclosed are a silicon oxide film, and a glass film comprising the silicon oxide film and silica particles incorporated in the silicon oxide film. The glass film can be produced by a process comprising the steps of: applying a paste comprising silica particles, an organic silicon compound which is in a liquid form at room temperature and water onto a substrate; and oxidizing the organic silicon compound in the paste.
US07755273B2

A field emission device and its method of manufacture includes: a substrate; a plurality of cathode electrodes formed on the substrate and having slot shaped cathode holes to expose the substrate; emitters formed on the substrate exposed through each of the cathode holes and separated from both side surfaces of the cathode holes, the emitters being formed along a lengthwise direction of the cathode holes; an insulating layer formed on the substrate to cover the cathode electrodes and having insulating layer holes communicating with the cathode holes; and a plurality of gate electrodes formed on the insulating layer and having gate holes communicating with the insulating layer holes.
US07755268B2

An electron emission display device includes first and second substrates facing each other with a non-active area and an active area having a plurality of pixel, a first pixel portion, e.g., an electron emission unit, formed on the first substrate, a second pixel portion, e.g., a light emission unit, formed on the second substrate, and one or more alignment marks formed in the non-active area of at least one of the first and the second substrates and having a pattern substantially similar to that of the plurality of pixels.
US07755255B2

A technique that can make a heat radiation effect higher and makes even a transmission voltage of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus higher and then makes a diagnostic depth deeper is disclosed. According to this technique, an ultrasonic probe has: a plurality of piezoelectric elements 1 which are long in an X-direction, are arrayed in a y-direction and transmit and receive ultrasonic waves in a z-direction (diagnostic depth direction); a plurality of ground electrodes 2 and signal electrodes 3 which are placed on the front surfaces and the rear surfaces of the individual piezoelectric elements, respectively; a plurality of signal electrodes 4 for extracting respective signals from the individual signal electrodes; a backing load member 5 which has a function for mechanically holding the piezoelectric elements through the signal electrodes and attenuating the unnecessary ultrasonic signal as necessary; a plurality of sheet-shaped heat conduction members 6 which are embedded inside the backing load member and positively transmit the heat generated from the piezoelectric elements; and a heat radiating block 7 which is linked to the heat conduction members on the rear side of the backing load member and radiates the heat transmitted through the heat conduction members.
US07755252B2

A driving device includes an electro-mechanical transducer having first and second end portions opposite to each other in an expansion/contraction direction, a stationary member coupled to the first end portion of the electro-mechanical transducer, a vibration friction portion mounted to the second end portion of the electro-mechanical transducer, and a rod-shaped moving portion frictionally coupled to the vibration friction portion, whereby moving the moving portion in the expansion/contraction direction of the electro-mechanical transducer. The stationary member consists essentially of a base alloy which consists of, by weight, 88 to 97% tungsten, 2 to 11% nickel as a binder, and, as the balance, 0.1 to 2% at least one metal having an ionization tendency which is higher than that of tungsten. The stationary member has a surface without nickel plating.
US07755249B2

An alternator has a rotor rotated on its own axis to generate electric power in a stator. The rotor has pole cores with claw portions arranged along the circumferential direction, and a holder unit is disposed between two adjacent claw portions in each pair. Each holder unit has a magnet accommodating holder and a magnet covering holder. Each holder has one bottom wall, four side walls and one opening. The magnet accommodating holder accommodates a magnet. The magnet covering holder is placed between the claw portions and accommodates the magnet accommodating holder while covering the magnet exposed to the opening of the magnet accommodating holder. The magnet accommodating holder has convex portions existing in the respective side and bottom walls and being in elastic contact with the magnet.
US07755248B2

Proposed is an integrated drive element (110) which is particularly suitable for use in an automatic shift transmission of a motor vehicle. The integrated drive element (110) has at least one electric motor (112), with preferably precisely two electric motors (112) being provided which can be used for example for a dual-clutch transmission. Also provided is at least one electronic engine control unit (114) which is designed for controlling the functionality of the at least one electric motor (112). Said electronic engine control unit (114) in turn has a housing (116). The at least one electric motor (112) spatially directly adjoins the housing (116) and/or is at least partially integrated into the at least one housing (116).
US07755245B2

A synchronous motor with permanent-magnet rotor, of the type comprising a stator with corresponding windings and a rotor arranged between pole shoes formed by the stator. The stator is constituted by two C-shaped ferromagnetic bodies whose ends form two pairs of pole shoes. Respective spools with windings are arranged along the ferromagnetic bodies. The two pairs of pole shoes are angularly mutually offset so that two pole shoes, each belonging to a distinct ferromagnetic body, are internal with respect to the angular configuration thus formed and the other two pole shoes are external with respect to the same angular configuration. The external pole shoes have a same axial height and wrap around a same axial portion of the rotor.
US07755243B2

A rotating electric motor includes a rotary shaft capable of rotation, a stator core formed in a cylindrical configuration, a rotor core fixed to the rotary shaft, a magnet set at the rotor core such that a pair of magnetic poles of different magnetism are aligned in the radial direction of the rotor core, a field yoke provided at the perimeter of the stator core, and a winding that can control the magnetic flux density across the rotor core and the stator core by forming a magnetic circuit across the field yoke and the rotor core.
US07755237B2

A motor for a plate of a labelling machine comprises a housing with a connecting portion for connecting the motor to a carousel of the labelling machine, a motor shaft pivotally supported within the housing, a coupling flange having a first end connected to the motor shaft and a second end that can be connected to the plate. The motor defines a through opening, which is substantially parallel to the motor shaft that allow alignment means to have access to the plate through the motor.
US07755234B2

A brushless motor includes a bottom base, a circuit board, a rotator, a big gear, a big driven gear, a driving gear and a lid. Positioned around a shaft base inside the bottom base are two stopping posts that form an included angle with the shaft base. A positioning plate is formed at the bottom of the driving gear, restricted to move between the two stopping posts to keep the driving gear rotated in a preset angle. And, a single injection mold can make various bottom bases with diverse rotating angles for being used in the brushless motor employed for different lamps, achieving the purpose of reducing manufacturing cost.
US07755233B2

An adjustment device for a motorized vehicle seat has an electric motor and a gear connected to the electric motor. The electric motor has a nominal speed of more than 12,000 rpm, in particular of more than 15,000 rpm at nominal voltage.
US07755232B2

A DC motor (1), in particular for a blower device of a motor vehicle, having a pole housing (10), a plurality of contact elements (13) effecting the bonding to a collector (12), a pole housing opening (16) making it possible to feed electrical connection lines (18) through into the pole housing (10), and an interference suppressor (28, 28.1) serving to reduce and/or eliminate line-conducted electrical interference signals, in which the interference suppressor (28, 28.1) has at least one leadthrough capacitor (48), which is located in an electrical path of at least one connection line (18). The invention further relates to an electrical interference suppressor (28, 28.1) for an electrical device located in a housing, in particular for a DC motor (1) in a pole housing (10), as well as to the use of a leadthrough capacitor (48, 48.1) for interference suppression in a DC motor (1).
US07755224B2

A system and method for producing electricity through the action of waves on floating platforms. The hydraulic force of the water in the waves causes the platform to create a series of reverse incline planes. The system adjusts or tunes the frequency of various components in relation to the natural frequency of the waves. The system has a mass carried on a track that moves relative to the track to create kinetic energy. One feature is to have the track and the mass tuned to the hull. Another feature is to tune the track and mass and the hull relative to the waves to increase power generated. In addition, the system has a microprocessor in one embodiment, that takes input related to waves, the mass, and the floating platforms and actively tunes parameters to increase the power generated. As a mass moves down the reverse incline planes, it gains mechanical energy, which is then converted into electrical energy.
US07755217B2

A method for controlling a pulse generator is provided. The method includes measuring a switch-on time difference for each cell and controlling the semiconductor switches of each cell for the voltage pulse as a function of the switch-on time difference. The switch-on time difference is measured between a switch-on signal for switching the respective semiconductor switch of the cell to a conducting state and a system response dependent on the switching to the conducting state. A second switch-on signal for each cell is generated in such a time-shifted manner that the system response of each cell occurs simultaneously. The system response is dependent on the switching to the conducting state.
US07755216B2

A Universal Power Supply (UPS) protects audio/visual (A/V) components from damage that may occur due to a sudden power loss by first, providing back up power via a battery, and then initiating the normal, that is powered, shut down of the protected component via an infrared control signal. The infrared control signal is learned from the A/V components remote control unit.
US07755211B2

A device for maintaining a plurality of ocean wave energy converters at a predetermined proximity. The device includes at least one deck having a plurality openings, each adapted to receive a portion of an ocean wave energy converter.
US07755205B2

The present invention is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, by forming a wiring on or above a wafer so that the wiring is electrically connected to a first electrode disposed on a first surface of the wafer, forming a first resin layer on or above the wafer such that the wiring is disposed between the wafer and the first resin layer, forming an opening in the first resin layer such that the opening overlaps the wiring, forming a conductive member in the opening such that the conductive member being electrically connected to the wiring, forming a second electrode on the conductive member such that the second electrode is electrically connected to the wiring via the conductive member, and separating the wafer into individual elements after the forming of the first resin layer.
US07755204B2

A technique for forming die stacks. Specifically, a stacking tip is provided to facilitate the stacking of die in a desired configuration. A first die is picked up by the stacking tip. The first die is coated with an adhesive on the underside of the die. The first die is brought in contact with a second die via the stacking tip. The second die is coupled to the first die via the adhesive on the underside of the first die. The second die is coated with an adhesive coating on the underside of the die. The second die is then brought in contact with a third die via the stacking tip. The third die is coupled to the second die via the adhesive on the underside of the second die, and so forth. Die stacks are formed without being coupled to a substrate. The die stacks may be functionally and/or environmentally tested before attaching the die stack to a substrate.
US07755201B2

A semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same reduce the likelihood of the occurrence of electrical defects. The device includes a first interlayer insulating film on a semiconductor substrate; a contact pad spacer on the first interlayer insulating film; and a contact pad in the first interlayer insulating film and the contact pad spacer. The cross-sectional area of an upper portion of the contact pad in the contact pad spacer in a direction horizontal to the substrate is equal to or less than a cross-sectional area of an intermediate portion at an interface between the contact pad spacer and the first interlayer insulating film in a direction horizontal to the substrate.
US07755200B2

The present invention relates to methods and arrangements for forming a solder joint connection. One embodiment involves an improved solder ball. The solder ball includes a perforated, metallic shell with an internal opening. Solder material encases the shell and fills its internal opening. The solder ball may be applied to an electrical device, such as an integrated circuit die, to form a solder bump on the device. The solder bump in turn can be used to form an improved solder joint connection between the device and a suitable substrate, such as a printed circuit board. In some applications, a solder joint connection is formed without requiring the application of additional solder material to the surface of the substrate. The present invention also includes different solder bump arrangements and methods for using such arrangements to form solder joint connections between devices and substrates.
US07755196B2

A method for production of an integrated circuit arrangement which contains a capacitor. A dielectric layer is structured with the aid of a two-stage etching process, and with the aid of a hard mask. In the case of an electrically insulating hard mask, the hard mask is removed again. In the case of an electrically conductive hard mask, parts of the hard mask may remain in the circuit arrangement.
US07755194B1

A composite α-Ta/graded tantalum nitride/TaN barrier layer is formed in Cu interconnects with a controlled surface roughness for improved adhesion, electromigration resistance and reliability. Embodiments include lining a damascene opening, such as a dual damascene opening in a low-k interlayer dielectric, with an initial layer of TaN, forming a graded tantalum nitride layer on the initial TaN layer and then forming an α-Ta layer on the graded TaN layer, the composite barrier layer having an average surface roughness (Ra) of about 25 Å to about 50 Å. Embodiments further include controlling the surface roughness of the composite barrier layer by varying the N2 flow rate and/or ratio of the thickness of the combined α-Ta and graded tantalum nitride layers to the thickness of the initial TaN layer.
US07755193B1

Non-rectilinear routing in a rectilinear mesh. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an integrated circuit comprises a first substantially continuous metallization layer. The first substantially continuous metallization layer further comprises first and second portions electrically isolated from one another. The integrated circuit includes a trace disposed between and electrically isolated from the first and second portions of the first substantially continuous metallization layer. The trace is not parallel to an edge of the integrated circuit.
US07755191B2

A semiconductor device includes a first copper-containing conductive film formed on a substrate, insulating films formed on the first copper-containing conductive film with a concave portion reaching the first copper-containing conductive film, a second barrier insulating film formed to cover the side wall of the concave portion of these insulating films, a second adhesive alloy film made of copper and a dissimilar element other than copper, and coming in contact with the first copper-containing conductive film at the bottom surface of the concave portion and in contact with the second barrier insulating film at the side wall of the concave portion to cover the inside wall of the concave portion, and a second copper-containing conductive film containing copper as a main component, and formed on the second adhesive alloy film in contact with the second adhesive alloy film to fill the concave portion.
US07755189B2

An optical device with a CAN package is disclosed, where the cap is resistance-welded to the stem without causing failures due to fragments by the welding flying within the package. The cap of the invention has a flange portion to be welded to the stem. The flange portion provides a ringed groove in addition to the ringed projection for the welding. The fragment due to the welding may be captured in the ringed groove and is prevented from flying within the package. The ringed groove and the ringed projection are simultaneously formed in the stamping to form the body portion of the cap.
US07755186B2

Systems for cooling the backside of a semiconductor die located in a die-down integrated circuit (IC) package are described. The IC package is attached to the topside of a printed circuit board (PCB) with the backside of the die residing below the topside surface of the PCB. A cooling plate is attached to the backside of the die and thermally connected to a heat sink located above the topside surface of the PCB via conduits that pass through openings in the PCB.
US07755183B2

According to this invention, a wiring board includes a conductive pattern formed from leads each of which is formed on an organic layer and has a thickness t larger than a width W.
US07755178B2

A base semiconductor component for a semiconductor component stack is disclosed. In one embodiment, the base semiconductor component has a semiconductor chip arranged centrally on a stiff wiring substrate. The wiring substrate has, in its edge regions, contact pads which are electrically connected to external contacts and at the same time to contact areas of the semiconductor chip and also to stack contact areas. The stack contact areas simultaneously form the upper side of the base semiconductor component and have an arrangement pattern corresponding to an arrangement pattern of external contacts of a semiconductor component to be stacked.
US07755177B2

The present invention discloses a carrier structure of a System-on-Chip (SoC) with a custom interface. The carrier structure includes a substrate, at least one common die, at least one custom interface and a molding compound. The common die and the custom interface are disposed on the substrate. The molding compound is used to package the common die which electrically connects to the substrate and the custom interface respectively. The carrier structure which includes the common die can form a complete SoC by connecting to an expansive die through the custom interface. The carrier structure with the common die which can be tested and certified in advance allows reducing and simplifying the developing procedures of the SoC.
US07755176B1

A die-mounting substrate and method incorporating dummy traces for improving mounting film planarity makes the use of film attach possible with a simplified manufacturing process and in applications where film-attach was not previously practical. The die-mounting substrate includes dummy traces that are generated along with signal traces extending into the die mounting area of the substrate. The dummy traces are designed according to the same design rules as the signal traces and are disposed in otherwise empty regions between signal traces and vias within the die mounting area. The result is die mounting area without regions empty of signal traces that previously either lack conductor or are filled completely with conductor, either of which will result in surface variation that compromises the film bond.
US07755175B2

A stack-type semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a circuit board with bonding pads; a first semiconductor chip which includes first electrode pads and is mounted on the circuit board; a second semiconductor chip which includes second electrode pads and is mounted on the first semiconductor chip; a plurality of bonding wires sequentially connecting the bonding pads, the first electrodes and the second electrodes as a whole; and a sealing resin for sealing the first semiconductor chip, the second semiconductor chip and the bonding wires.
US07755168B2

A semiconductor device has a first conductivity-type first semiconductor region, a second conductivity-type second semiconductor region and a second conductivity-type third semiconductor region both located on or above the first semiconductor region, a second conductivity-type fourth semiconductor region between the second semiconductor region and the third semiconductor region, and a first conductivity-type fifth semiconductor region between the third semiconductor region and the fourth semiconductor region. The fourth semiconductor region and the fifth semiconductor region are electrically connected by a conductive member. A distance between the fourth semiconductor region and the third semiconductor region is larger than a width of the fourth semiconductor region.
US07755164B1

An anodic metal layer, e.g., a tantalum layer, is deposited. An anodization mask is formed, the anodization mask exposing first portions of the tantalum layer and covering second portion of the tantalum layer. The exposed first portions of the tantalum layer are anodized to form a tantalum pentoxide layer. The amount of the tantalum layer converted to the tantalum pentoxide layer is precisely controlled by the applied anodization potential. Accordingly, the thicknesses of the remaining tantalum layer and the formed tantalum pentoxide layer are precisely controlled allowing the values of passive devices, e.g., resistors and capacitors, formed with the tantalum layer and/or the tantalum pentoxide layer to be precisely set.
US07755160B2

A method for producing a layer arrangement is disclosed. A layer of oxygen material and nitrogen material is formed over a substrate that has a plurality of electrically conductive structures and/or over a part of a surface of the electrically conductive structures. The layer is formed using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process with nitrogen material being supplied during the supply of silicon material and oxygen material by means of an organic silicon precursor material. The layer of oxygen material and nitrogen material is formed in such a manner that an area free of material remains between the electrically conductive structures. An intermediate layer including an electrically insulating material is formed over the layer of oxygen material and nitrogen material. A covering layer is selectively formed over the intermediate layer such that the area free of material between the electrically conductive structures is sealed from the environment and forms a cavity.
US07755157B2

Solar cells and methods of their manufacture are described that exhibit decreased or eliminated leak current, improved open voltage and improved fill factor characteristics. In an embodiment, a separate processed surface is interposed between a first and a second main surface of a crystal substrate, as prepared by laser irradiation and cut processing. The laser irradiation is applied to an amorphous semiconductor layer of the same conductive type as an underlying single crystal substrate, but does not penetrate an underlying amorphous opposite type layer. Details of lamination and laser characteristics for processing the layers are provided.
US07755152B2

A method for producing a micromechanical diaphragm sensor includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a first region, a diaphragm, and a cavity that is located at least partially below the diaphragm. Above at least one part of the first region, a second region is generated in or on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, with at least one part of the second region being provided as crosspieces. The diaphragm is formed by a deposited sealing layer, and includes at least a part of the crosspieces.
US07755148B2

Logic LSI includes first power domains PD1 to PD4, thick-film power switches SW1 to SW4, and power switch controllers PSWC1 to PSWC4. The thick-film power switches are formed by thick-film power transistors manufactured in a process common to external input/output circuits I/O. The first power domains include second power domains SPD11 to SPD42 including logic blocks, control circuit blocks SCB1 to SCB4, and thin-film power switches SWN11 to SWN42 that are connected to the thick-film power switches via virtual ground lines VSSM1 to VSSM4, and formed by thin-film power transistors manufactured in a process common to the logic blocks. In this way, power switches having different thickness of gate insulating films from one another are vertically stacked so as to be in a hierarchical structure, and each power switch is individually controlled by a power switch controller and a control circuit block correspondingly to each mode.
US07755140B2

A SOI device features a conductive pathway between active SOI devices and a bulk SOI substrate. The conductive pathway provides the ability to sink plasma-induced process charges into a bulk substrate in the event of process charging, such as interlayer dielectric deposition in a plasma environment, plasma etch deposition, or other fabrication provides. A method is also disclosed which includes dissipating electrostatic and process charges from a top of a SOI device to the bottom of the device. The top and bottom of the SOI device may characterize a region of active devices and a semiconductor method respectively. The method further includes a single masking step to create seed regions for an epitaxial-silicon pathway.
US07755139B2

A power device is formed by a thyristor and by a MOSFET transistor, series-connected between a first and a second current-conduction terminal. The power device moreover has a control terminal connected to an insulated-gate electrode of the MOSFET transistor and receiving a control voltage for turning on/off the device, and a third current-conduction terminal connected to the thyristor for fast extraction of charges during turning-off. Thereby, upon turning off, there are no current tails, and turning off is very fast. The power device does not have parasitic components and consequently has a very high reverse-bias safe-operating area.
US07755138B2

A semiconductor device of the invention includes: a super junction structure of an n-type pillar layer and a p-type pillar layer; a base layer provided on the p-type pillar layer; a source layer selectively provided on a surface of the base layer; a gate insulating film provided on a portion being in contact with the base layer, a portion being in contact with the source layer and a portion being in contact with the n-type pillar layer on a portion of a junction between the n-type pillar layer and the p-type pillar layer; a control electrode provided opposed to the base layer, the source layer and the n-type pillar layer through the gate insulating film; and a source electrode electrically connected to the base layer, the source layer and the n-type layer. The source electrode is contact with the surface of the n-type pillar layer located between the control electrodes to form a Schottky junction.
US07755136B2

A memory cell in a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a tunneling insulating film, a floating gate electrode made of a Si containing conductive material, an inter-electrode insulating film made of rare-earth oxide, rare-earth nitride or rare-earth oxynitride, a control gate electrode, and a metal silicide film formed between the floating gate electrode and the inter-electrode insulating film.
US07755125B2

A semiconductor device includes a ferroelectric capacitor formed above the lower interlevel insulating film covering a MOS transistor formed on a semiconductor substrate, including lamination of a lower electrode, an oxide ferroelectric film, a first upper electrode made of conductive oxide having a stoichiometric composition AOx1 and an actual composition AOx2, a second upper electrode made of conductive oxide having a stoichiometric composition BOy1 and an actual composition BOy2, where y2/y1>x2/x1, and a third upper electrode having a composition containing metal of the platinum group; and a multilayer wiring structure formed above the lower ferroelectric capacitor, and including interlevel insulating films and wirings. Abnormal growth and oxygen vacancies can be prevented which may occur when the upper electrode of the ferroelectric capacitor is made of a conductive oxide film having a low oxidation degree and a conductive oxide film having a high oxidation degree.
US07755121B2

A pixel array resolution is doubled by adding a plurality of second photodiodes, but only a single, common transfer control line. By controlling a combination of the single, common transfer control line and a transfer control line unique to controlling first transfer transistors in pixels in a row, first and second photodiodes in a pixel can be separately readout.
US07755118B2

The present invention provides a solid-state image pick-up device without shading in the dark state, and capable of making a dynamic range and a S/N high. Reference numeral 505 denotes an N-type cathode of a photodiode, 506 denoting a surface P-type region for forming the photodiode into an embedded structure, 508a denoting an N-type high concentration region which forms a floating diffusion and which is also a drain region of a transfer MOS transistor. Reference character 508b denotes a polysilicon lead-out electrode brought into direct contact with the N-type high concentration region. Light incident from the surface passes through an aperture without a metal third layer 525 to enter into the photodiode. Among incident lights, light reflected by the top surface of a gate electrode 504 of the transfer MOS transistor is reflected by a first layer metal 521 right above the polysilicon, so as to repeats reflection a plurality of times to attenuate sufficiently before entering into the floating diffusion section, thereby making the aliasing extremely small.
US07755115B2

A field effect transistor according to the present invention includes a carbon nanotube of two or more walls having an inner wall and an outer wall, source and drain electrodes formed on both sides of the carbon nanotube, and a gate electrode formed in a gate formation region of the carbon nanotube, wherein the outer wall of the carbon nanotube is removed in the gate formation region to expose the inner wall, an insulation film is formed on the exposed inner wall, the gate electrode is formed on the exposed inner wall via the insulation film or via a Schottky junction, the source and drain electrodes are formed in contact with the outer wall and inner wall, and the carbon nanotube between the source and drain electrodes and the insulation film is covered by the outer wall.
US07755112B2

A field effect transistor includes a channel region fabricated on a compound semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode fabricated on the channel region, a source electrode and a drain electrode alternately arranged on the channel region with a gate electrode interposed between the source electrode and the drain electrode, a bonding pad to be connected with an external circuit; and an air-bridge connected with the bonding pad. The air-bridge includes an electrode contact terminal to be connected with the source electrode or the drain electrode and an aerial circuit line for connecting the electrode contact terminal with a contact terminal of the bonding pad, the widthwise cross sectional area of the electrode contact terminal being equal to or less than that of the aerial circuit line.
US07755111B2

Programmable power management using a nanotube structure is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes coupling a nanotube structure of an integrated circuit to a conductive surface when a command is processed, and enabling a group of transistors of the integrated circuit based on the coupling the nanotube structure to the conductive surface. A current may be applied to the nanotube structure to couple the nanotube structure to the conductive surface. The nanotube structure may be formed from a material chosen from one or more of a polymer, carbon, and a composite material. The group of transistors may be enabled during an activation sequence of the integrated circuit. In addition, one or more transistors of the group of transistors may be disengaged from the one or more power sources (e.g., to minimize leakage) when the nanotube structure is decoupled from the conductive surface.
US07755110B2

An integrated semiconductor circuit has a regular array of logic function blocks (L) and a regular array of wiring zones (X) corresponding thereto. The wiring lines in at least one wiring layer of a wiring zone (X) are realized as line segments that are continuous within the wiring zone and are interrupted at zone boundaries. Furthermore, the semiconductor circuit comprises driver cells that surround a logic cell of the logic function block in an L-shaped manner.
US07755109B2

Ge/Si and other nonsilicon film heterostructures are formed by hydrogen-induced exfoliation of the Ge film which is wafer bonded to a cheaper substrate, such as Si. A thin, single-crystal layer of Ge is transferred to Si substrate. The bond at the interface of the Ge/Si heterostructures is covalent to ensure good thermal contact, mechanical strength, and to enable the formation of an ohmic contact between the Si substrate and Ge layers. To accomplish this type of bond, hydrophobic wafer bonding is used, because as the invention demonstrates the hydrogen-surface-terminating species that facilitate van der Waals bonding evolves at temperatures above 600° C. into covalent bonding in hydrophobically bound Ge/Si layer transferred systems.
US07755106B2

An integrated semiconductor structure includes a heterojunction bipolar transistor and a Schottky diode. The structure has a substrate, the heterojunction bipolar transistor overlying and contacting the substrate, wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor includes a transistor collector layer, and a Schottky diode overlying the substrate and overlying the transistor collector layer. The Schottky diode includes a Schottky diode barrier layer structure that desirably is not of the same material, doping, and thickness as the transistor collector layer.
US07755097B2

A light emitting device having a light extraction structure, which is capable of achieving an enhancement in light extraction efficiency and reliability, and a method for manufacturing the same. The light emitting device includes a semiconductor layer having a multi-layered structure including a light emission layer; and a light extraction structure formed on the semiconductor layer in a pattern having unit structures. Further, the wall of each of the unit structures is sloped at an angle of −45° to +45° from a virtual vertical line being parallel to a main light emitting direction of the light emitting device.
US07755096B2

A single or multi-color light emitting diode (LED) with high extraction efficiency is comprised of a substrate, a buffer layer formed on the substrate, one or more patterned layers deposited on top of the buffer layer, and one or more active layers formed on or between the patterned layers, for example by Lateral Epitaxial Overgrowth (LEO), and including one or more light emitting species, such as quantum wells. The patterned layers include a patterned, perforated or pierced mask made of insulating, semiconducting or metallic material, and materials filling holes in the mask. The patterned layer acts as an optical confining layer due to a contrast of a refractive index with the active layer and/or as a buried diffraction grating due to variation of a refractive index between the mask and the material filling the holes in the mask.
US07755093B2

A nonvolatile semiconductor storage device is provided in which memory cells comprising PN junction diodes having satisfactory rectifying characteristics are arranged in three dimensions. The semiconductor storage device includes: a first wire which extends in one direction; a second wire which extends in a direction intersecting the first wire; and a memory cell which is positioned at a portion of intersection of the first wire with the second wire between the first wire and the second wire, the memory cell comprising a storage element and a PN junction diode connected thereto, positioned on a side of the second wire used in selecting the memory cell, and a P-type semiconductor forming the PN junction diode forms a portion of the second wire, wherein a plurality of structures, each structure comprising the first wire, the second wire, and the memory cell is provided three-dimensionally.
US07755089B2

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, p-type first and n-type second semiconductor regions formed on the substrate so as to be insulated with each other, n-channel and p-channel MOS transistors formed on the first and second semiconductor regions, the n-channel transistor including a first pair of source/drain regions formed on the first semiconductor region, a first gate insulator formed in direct contact with the first semiconductor region and formed as an amorphous insulator containing at least La, and a first gate electrode formed on the first gate insulator, the p-channel MOS transistor including a second pair of source/drain regions formed opposite to each other on the second semiconductor region, a second gate insulator including a silicon oxide film and the amorphous insulating film formed thereon on the second semiconductor region, and a second gate electrode formed on the second gate insulator.
US07755083B2

A package module with an alignment structure is provided by this invention. The package module comprises a package substrate having a die region and a die disposed thereon. At least one pair of conductive alignment protrusions is disposed in the die region and is separated from each other by the die. A test pad is disposed on the package substrate opposing the die and electrically connected to the pair of conductive alignment protrusions. An electronic device with an alignment structure and an inspection method after mounting is also disclosed.
US07755081B2

A dielectric material prepared from a siloxy/metal oxide hybrid composition, and electronic devices such as thin film transistors comprising such dielectric material are provided herein. The siloxy/metal oxide hybrid composition comprises a siloxy component such as, for example, a siloxane or silsesquioxane. The siloxy/metal oxide hybrid composition is useful for the preparation of dielectric layers for thin film transistors using solution deposition techniques.
US07755057B2

A medical imaging system is provided including a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging apparatus and a computed tomography (CT) imaging apparatus. The CT imaging apparatus includes a rotatable gantry. A radioactive source loader is attached to the rotatable gantry to rotate therewith. The radioactive source loader further includes a radioactive source to calibrate the PET imaging apparatus.
US07755054B1

Lutetium gadolinium halide scintillators, devices and methods, including a composition having the formula LuxGd(1-x)Halide and a dopant.
US07755052B2

A passive infrared sensor has two detection members established by respective detectors and optical elements, with alternating spatial volumes being monitored by each detection member. No dead space need exist between volumes. The detection members are configured such that a moving object causes the members to output different frequencies, whereas a non-moving stimulus produces the same frequency from both detection members.
US07755044B2

The apparatus for working and observing samples comprises a sample plate on which a sample is to be placed; a first ion beam lens barrel capable of irradiating a first ion beam over a whole predetermined irradiation range at one time; a mask that can be arranged between the sample plate and the first ion beam lens barrel, and shields part of the first ion beam; mask-moving means capable of moving the mask; a charged particle beam lens barrel capable of scanning a focused beam of charged particles in the range irradiated with the first ion beam; and detection means capable of detecting a secondarily generated substance.
US07755031B2

A calibration phantom for quality assurance of an image-based radiotherapy apparatus The calibration phantom includes a body comprising a cylindrical acryl member having a predetermined diameter, the body having a center hole at a center axis thereof and a plurality of through-holes in outer circumferential portions thereof at a predetermined interval from the center hole; round stick-type density bars inserted into corresponding through-holes of the body and made of materials each with different densities; an acrylic cover detachably coupled with both ends of the body and having the same diameter as the body; and a plurality of bolts closely fastening the body with the cover by extending through the cover and the body and coupling with the nuts and each made of different materials. The cross-sectional shapes of the density bars and bolts appear on the image scanned by the CT apparatus and the radiotherapy apparatus.
US07755029B2

An optical navigator sensor for sensing an image of an object comprises a substrate, a laser diode, an optical sensor device and a housing. The optical sensor device and the laser diode are fixed on the base plate and covered by the housing. The housing guides the light emitted from the laser diode to the object and guides the light reflected from the object to the optical sensor device.
US07755028B2

An optical scanning device with a dustproof function includes a shell defining a first receiving room and a second receiving room communicating with the first receiving room through an open window defined on the shell for scanning light beams passing therethrough. An optical scanning module is mounted in the first receiving room. A glass platform is located on the second receiving room at a position facing the open window for insulating the first receiving room from the outside of the shell. A correcting plate is stuck on the bottom of the glass platform. Such structure of the optical scanning device enables the glass platform to be firstly assembled with the shell in a dustless chamber, which prevents the suspending dust from falling in the first receiving room and attaching to the optical scanning module during the subsequent assembly process and ensures the scanning quality of the optical scanning device.
US07755023B1

Electronically tunable and reconfigurable hyperspectral IR detectors and methods for making the same are presented. In one embodiment, a reconfigurable hyperspectral sensor (or detector) detects radiation from about 0.4 μm to about 2 μm and beyond. This sensor is configured to be compact, and lightweight and offers hyperspectral imaging capability while providing wavelength agility and tunability at the chip-level. That is, the sensor is used to rapidly image across diverse terrain to identify man-made objects and other anomalies in cluttered environments.
US07755022B2

The present invention provides systems and methods for attenuating the effect of ambient light on optical sensors and for measuring and compensating quantitatively for the ambient light.
US07755020B2

There is provided a light receiving circuit including, a light receiving element outputting electrical current corresponding to input light, and a current-voltage converter having current-voltage conversion characteristic, the current-voltage conversion characteristic becoming smaller at a low frequency side and larger at a high frequency side, the current-voltage converter converting the current to the voltage and outputting the voltage.
US07755017B2

A method of driving a solid-image-pickup device is provided. The driving method includes the steps of converting light incident on a plurality of pixels arranged in matrix form into an electric signal, selecting and controlling the pixels for each of rows and/or columns, and scanning the pixels in sequence, converting at least one analog signal obtained from at least one of the selected and controlled pixels into a first digital signal, the at least one pixel corresponding to a first group of rows and/or columns, and performing first counting for data on a result of the conversion, and converting at least one analog signal obtained from at least one of the selected and controlled pixels into a second digital signal, the at least one pixel corresponding to a second group of rows and/or columns, and performing second counting for data on a result of the conversion. A period where the first counting is performed is separate from a period where the second counting is performed.
US07755015B2

A neutron multi-detector array feeds pulses in parallel to individual inputs that are tied to individual bits in a digital word. Data is collected by loading a word at the individual bit level in parallel. The word is read at regular intervals, all bits simultaneously, to minimize latency. The electronics then pass the word to a number of storage locations for subsequent processing, thereby removing the front-end problem of pulse pileup.
US07755013B1

Disclosed is a laser guidance system for diamond wire stone cutting apparatus. The laser guidance system includes a targeting laser light source that is fitted to one of two wire guide wheels between which the cutting wire extends and travels. A photo sensor with laser beam detectors is attached to the other wire guide wheel. During ideal operation of the cutting apparatus, the laser beam shines through the kerf in the stone being cut. When the kerf is linearly straight, as intended, the laser beam will be clearly detected by the laser beam detectors. When the kerf is not straight, the laser beam will be at least partially obscured across the cutting span, and the laser beam detectors will detect the lack of full intensity and report this to a controller so as to indicate that adjustments are necessary to re-straighten the kerf.
US07755012B2

A control surface actuation system has the ability to move aerodynamic control surfaces using a rotational motion of a motor. In an arrangement, rotational motion of the motor enables the aerodynamic control surfaces of a rotating projectile to oscillate and thus vary the angle of the control surfaces as the projectile spins. The rotation of a motor in one direction in combination with a gear and a link and a crank arm attached to a shaft of the aerodynamic control surfaces allows the control surfaces to move in fluttering motion to induce the maneuvering of a projectile in the desired direction. A controller takes information regarding the current condition of the projectile and drives the motor to move the aerodynamic devices to maneuver the projectile.
US07755002B2

A panel gripping jig for gripping a panel, regardless of the size and shape of the panel, includes a welding unit for temporarily holding the panel. A separation unit releases the coupling state of the panel and the welding unit. A mounting arm has the welding unit mounted thereon, moves the welding unit in a longitudinal direction thereof, and has a connection part to connect the mounting arm to a working robot. A displacement unit adjusts the position of the welding unit on the mounting arm. A control board outputs control signals to operate the welding unit, the separation unit, and the displacement unit according to a user input.
US07754995B2

A plasma processing apparatus comprising at least a plasma processing chamber for plasma-processing an object; object-holding means for disposing the object in the plasma processing chamber; and plasma-generating means for generating a plasma in the plasma processing chamber. The inner wall of the plasma processing chamber is at least partially covered with an oxide film based on a pre-treating plasma. A plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method effectively prevent the spluttering and the etching of the inner wall of the plasma processing chamber while suppressing contamination to the object.
US07754994B2

Atmospheric gas discharge plasma is generated in a gas whirlpool cavity. Then the plasma is sprayed out in a gas flow to clean an object. The whole process is simple with merits of utility and cost savings. And objects can be cleaned one after one continuously.
US07754988B2

A keypad module including at least one key (30) is described. The key (30) includes a keycap (32), a base (34), a supporting member (36), a resisting member (40) and a dome (42). The base includes a pressed portion (341) and a carrier portion (342) connected to the pressed portion. The keycap is arranged on the pressed portion. The supporting member is located on the carrier portion to support the keycap. The resisting member is located between the pressed portion and the dome to press the dome into a position electrically connected to a circuit board (44).
US07754987B2

A switch includes a substrate including a main body and a cylindrical portion protruding upright from the main body and defining a transverse groove in the outer surface thereof, a light emitter fixed on the cylindrical portion to receive light beams from the light emitter and produce three electrical outputs respectively, and a dial member including a cylindrical dial and two arms protruding upright from the cylindrical dial and forming two engagement portions on the inner surfaces thereof respectively. The engagement portions are engaged in the groove so that the cylindrical dial is rotatable to a number of orientations in which the produced electrical outputs are coded into a number of different switch signals by selectively blocking the radiated light beams using the two arms.
US07754985B2

An electrical switch assembly comprises a generally planar substrate. A functional switch and at least one identification switch are mounted to the substrate. A switch body supports a switch actuator which is movable between multiple positions. An arrangement of one or more projecting members extends from the switch body. The switch body is mounted on or to the substrate such that the switch actuator operatively engages the functional switch, and the arrangement of projecting members operatively engages at least one of the identification switches to create a unique electronic identifier for the electrical switch assembly.
US07754981B2

A metal film 21 is laminated directly to or by means of an adhesive 13 to a transparent base sheet 11. A mesh metal film including lines defining apertures is formed by coating the metal film 21 with a mesh resist layer 109a patterned in a mesh, etching the metal film 21 through the mesh resist layer 109a, and removing the mesh resist layer 109a. The front surfaces and side surfaces of the lines of the mesh metal film are coated with a black coating layer 23.
US07754974B2

The present invention is to provide a metal-core substrate without mounting large size terminals and connectors. Hence, the metal-core substrate can be smaller and thinner. A metal-core substrate includes a metal plate, an insulating layer formed on a surface of the metal plate and a circuit pattern formed on a surface of the insulating layer, wherein a part of said metal plate is exposed to outside of the insulating layer and is utilized as connector terminals. The metal plate has a heat sink plate to heat sink a heat-generating device mounted on the metal-core substrate and connector terminal plates disposed separately from the heat sink plate and utilized for the connector terminals. The heat-generating device and a driving part thereof each are disposed on a different surface of the metal-core substrate.
US07754972B2

A transmission manifold for an automobile is molded of material with low electrical conductivity. Ports are formed on opposite faces of the manifold, with a passage between a port on one face of the manifold and a port on an opposite face of the manifold. Electrically conductive inserts extend into the passage from the ports on opposite faces of the body, and an electrically conductive spring is compressed between the inserts, to establish continuous electrical contact between the first insert and the second insert.
US07754971B2

A detectable pull tape comprising at least one elongated conductive wire extending longitudinally in the tape, wherein each elongated conductive wire has a coating of insulation, a woven outer cover formed from nonconductive warp and nonconductive weft yarns, the warp yarns extending longitudinally in the tape and the weft yarns extending transversely in the tape and weaving over and under the warp yarns, and a set of binder yarns extending longitudinally in the tape, the binder yarns weaving with the weft yarns on at least one side of the conductive wires to lock the warp yarns and the conductive wires in position relative to each other. A method of detecting the location of conduit using a detectable pull tape is also disclosed.
US07754964B2

An apparatus and method for solar conversion using nanocoax structures are disclosed herein. A nano-optics apparatus for use as a solar cell comprising a plurality of nano-coaxial structures comprising an internal conductor surrounded by a semiconducting material coated with an outer conductor; a film having the plurality of nano-coaxial structures; and a protruding portion of the an internal conductor extending beyond a surface of the film. A method of fabricating a solar cell comprising: coating a substrate with a catalytic material; growing a plurality of carbon nanotubes as internal cores of nanocoax units on the substrate; oxidizing the substrate; coating with a semiconducting film; and filling with a metallic medium that wets the semiconducting film of the nanocoax units.
US07754961B1

A video game controller includes: a string instrument-shaped housing comprising a body portion and a neck portion, said body portion including a opening; a console interface for coupling with a game console; and a strum interface coupled to the console interface. The strum interface includes: a pin having a central portion and distal end portions; a pin support structure for supporting the distal end portions of the pin; a strum bar comprising a body portion rotatably coupled to the central portion of the pin and a flange portion protruding from the opening in the housing; a compressible liner provided between at least a portion of the strum bar and the pin; an upper button positioned adjacent the strum bar so as to be depressed when the strum bar is rotated in a first direction; and a lower button positioned adjacent the strum bar so as to be depressed when the strum bar is rotated in a second direction.
US07754960B2

Electronic equipment includes a processing unit which controls light emission from LEDs by referring to music data described in a music file such as a MIDI file. The processing unit controls light emission from the LEDs by detecting the occurrence of sound described in the music file. Light emission from the LEDs may be controlled in accordance with tone data and/or a track number included in the music file. Alternatively, light emission from the LEDs may be controlled in accordance with volume data.
US07754958B2

A sound analysis apparatus stores sound source structure data defining a constraint on one or more of sounds that can be simultaneously generated by a sound source of an input audio signal. A form estimation part selects fundamental frequencies of one or more of sounds likely to be contained in the input audio signal with peaked weights from various fundamental frequencies during sequential updating and optimizing of weights of tone models corresponding to the various fundamental frequencies, so that the sounds of the selected fundamental frequencies satisfy the sound source structure data, and creates form data specifying the selected fundamental frequencies. A previous distribution imparting part imparts a previous distribution to the weights of the tone models corresponding to the various fundamental frequencies so as to emphasize weights corresponding to the fundamental frequencies specified by the form data created by the form estimation part.
US07754956B2

A programmable system for integrating signals in a musical instrument including a programmable device that is configured to create re-callable scenes, where the scenes are representations of audio signals generated by signal devices. The programmable system also includes a plurality of input/output modules to couple the signal devices and the musical instrument to the programmable device. Also included in the programmable system is a memory to store the scenes and a switch to change the combination of audio signals that go in and out of the signal path of the musical instrument by switching scenes.
US07754940B2

A sanitary absorbent article is disclosed which is intended to be worn against a pudendal region of a user. The sanitary absorbent article is thin, i.e. having a thickness equal to or less than 5 mm and comprises a body contacting surface with at least one protrusion on the body contacting surface. The protrusion has a height H of at least 0.5 mm, and an equivalent width W. The protrusion also includes a ratio W/H ranging from about 2 to about 10.
US07754938B2

An olfactory patch comprises a well formed by a reservoir layer, the well is sandwiched between a barrier layer and a permeable layer. The permeable layer defines a pathway for olfactory fluid flow from the well. The flow of the olfactory fluid may be commenced by an initiator mechanism. The olfactory patch may utilize any olfactory fluid or combination of fluids within the same patch. The patch may utilize olfactory fluid which provides aromas or masks odors or has deodorizing capability or the olfactory fluid may contain therapeutic or pest control agents which are released from the patch by aromatization or by direct skin absorption or by inhalation.
US07754932B2

Processes, methods and apparatus relating to olefin oligomerization include the use of Raman spectrometry to monitor the concentration of reactants, products or other chemical components. One or more oligomerization conditions are adjusted in response to those monitored concentrations. The present processes, methods and apparatus are capable of monitoring olefin oligomerization with the use of low resolution Raman spectrometry equipment, even where there is some degree of overlap between Raman spectral peaks. Apparatus for olefin oligomerization reactions have at least one Raman probe located in the oligomerization equipment, the Raman probe providing an output signal, and Raman spectrometry equipment located outside the oligomerization equipment and operatively connected to at least one Raman probe.
US07754919B2

The present invention provides for compounds useful for treating an HIV-1 infection, or preventing an HIV-1 infection, or treating AIDS or ARC. The compounds of the invention are of formula I wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and X are as herein defined. Also disclosed in the present invention are methods of treating an HIV infection with compounds defined herein and pharmaceutical compositions containing said compounds.
US07754913B2

Isotopically labeled alpha-keto acids and esters are disclosed herein. Also disclosed are methods of synthesizing isotopically labeled alpha-keto acids and esters.
US07754911B2

The invention relates to a process for isolating methylglycinenitrile-N,N-diacetonitrile (MGDN) from an aqueous emulsion which comprises MGDN and has an MGDN content of 3-50% by weight in a crystallizer, comprising the steps: (a) the aqueous emulsion is, starting from a temperature above the solidification point, cooled to a temperature below the solidification point, the cooling rate averaged over time not exceeding 5 K/h, until substantially the entirety of the emulsified MGDN has solidified, (b) the resulting aqueous suspension is cooled further and/or concentrated, and the cooling rate may be greater than in step (a).
US07754901B2

A fluorinated polymer comprising a unit represented by the following formula (1), a method for producing fluorinated compounds and the fluorinated polymers, and an optical/electrical material or coating material comprising the fluorinated polymer.
US07754899B2

This invention provides a method for producing an optically active aziridine compound or amine compound, which uses as a catalyst a Ru(salen)(CO) complex represented by the following formula (I) or its enantiomer having a high stability, in a high turnover number (TON) and a high enantioselectivity. In the formula (I), Ar is represented by the following formula (VI) or (VII), wherein in the formula (VI), Xs are independently a halogen or a halogenated alkyl group and R1 and R2s are independently hydrogen or an alkyl group or a trialkylsilyl group having a carbon number of 1-4, and in the formula (VII), R3 is a bulky group.
US07754896B2

The present invention relates to agonists of the S1P4 receptor, which are selective for the S1P4 receptor over one or more of the S1P1, S1P2, S1P3 or S1P5 receptors of at least 10 fold, in particular new indol-alanine derivatives of structure I, process for their production, their uses, in particular in transplantation, and pharmaceutical compositions containing them wherein R1 is phenyl or naphthyl, wherein phenyl is substituted by one or two of halogen, C1-6alkyl, C1-6alkoxy or phenylC1-6alkyl; and R2 is hydrogen or C1-6alkyl; in free or salt form.
US07754891B2

The present invention relates to a 5,5′-position linked 1,1′-biphenyl axis chiral ligand in chemical industry field. The present invention incorporates both the central chirality of oxazoline and the axial chirality of diphenyls. Such ligand can be used in various asymmetric reactions catalyzed by metal with high reactivity and stereoselectivity, and thus represents a good application outlook. The ligand of the present invention has the formula of: wherein: n=5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12; R1=hydrogen, alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted aryl, substituted or unsubstituted benzyl; R2=hydrogen, alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted aryl, substituted or unsubstituted benzyl; R3=hydrogen, alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted aryl, substituted or unsubstituted benzyl; R4=hydrogen, alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted aryl, substituted or unsubstituted benzyl.
US07754874B2

The present invention provides methods of producing libraries of compounds with enhanced desirable properties and diminished side effects as well as the compounds produced by the methods. In preferred embodiments, methods of the present invention use a universal chemical glycosylation method that employs reducing sugars and requires no protection or activation. In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides a library of neoglycoside digitoxin analogs that includes compounds with significantly enhanced cytotoxic potency toward human cancer cells and tumor-specificity, but are less potent Na+/K+-ATPase inhibitors in a human cell line than digitoxin.
US07754871B2

The present invention relates to novel nucleic acid and protein molecules and their use in neuroblastoma therapy and diagnosis.
US07754865B2

The present invention provides compositions, methods and kits for enhancing the amplification of PrPsc for use in increasing the sensitivity of identifying the presence of PrPsc in a sample.
US07754862B2

Disclosed is a compound comprising three or more moieties of the formula said moieties being bonded to a central atom, monomeric group of atoms, oligomer, or polymer. Also disclosed is a phase change ink composition comprising a phase change ink carrier and a colorant compound comprising three or more moieties of the formula said moieties being bonded to a central atom, monomeric group of atoms, oligomer, or polymer.
US07754861B2

The present invention provides methods and kits for purifying a target protein group. The method comprises the steps of contacting a sample comprising at least 95% of the target protein group and at most 5% of contaminating proteins with a library of binding moieties having different binding moieties, binding the contaminating proteins and a minority of the target protein group to the library of binding moieties, separating the unbound target protein group from the proteins bound to the library of binding moieties and collecting the unbound target protein. The collected target protein is more pure than the target protein group in the sample.
US07754859B2

Targeted binding agents directed to the antigen PDGFR-alpha and uses of such agents are disclosed herein. More specifically the invention relates to fully human monoclonal antibodies directed to the antigen PDGFR-alpha and uses of these antibodies. Aspects of the invention also relate to hybridomas or other cell lines expressing such antibodies. The described targeted binding agents and antibodies are useful as diagnostics and for the treatment of diseases associated with the activity and/or overexpression of PDGFR-alpha.
US07754858B2

The invention concerns antibodies to new tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factors, designated TRAF. The new factors are capable of specific association with the intracellular domain of the type 2 TNF receptor (TNF-R2), and are involved in the mediation of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) biological activities.
US07754857B2

Novel human genes falling within the category of family genes relating to p53 gene which is known as a cell proliferation regulatory gene, and gene products thereof. A human p51 gene characterized by containing a base sequence encoding an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:1; a human p51 gene having a base sequence consisting of the 145- to 1488-bases in the sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:2; vectors containing these genes; host cells transformed with these vectors; a process for producing a p51 protein having the amino sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:1; which comprises culturing the above host cells and harvesting the protein from the thus obtained culture; and the p51 protein having the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:1.
US07754856B2

A novel sodium-dependent bile acid transporter protein, an Na+/H+ exchange transporter protein, a P-type ATPase protein and a vanilloid receptor protein, and polynucleotides encoding these proteins are useful in screening preventives/remedies for hyperlipemia, arteriosclerosis, genital diseases or digestive diseases; respiratory diseases, renal diseases or digestive diseases; pancreatic diseases, central nerve diseases, digestive diseases or respiratory diseases; inflammatory diseases, rheumatoid diseases or diabetic neurosis; etc.
US07754841B2

The present invention relates to new semiconductive oligomers and polymers, a process for their manufacture and their use in thin film electronic and optical devices, such as organic light emitting diodes (OLED) and photovoltaic devices, eg. solar cells and photodetectors.
US07754838B2

A composition comprising a copolymer having repeating units in any sequence of Formula I wherein Rf is a straight or branched perfluoroalkyl group having from about 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or a mixture thereof, which is optionally interrupted by at least one oxygen atom, X3 is oxygen or X1, each X1 is independently an organic divalent linking group having from about 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, optionally containing an oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur, or a combination thereof, G is F or CF3, A is an amide, j is zero or positive integer, X2 is an organic linking group, Y is O, N or S, h is zero when Y is N, and h is one when Y is O or S, Z is H, a straight or branched alkyl group having from about 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, or halide, B is H or wherein Rf, X1, X3, G, A, and j are as defined above, provided that when B is H, j is a positive integer, m is a positive integer, q is zero or a positive integer when Y is O, and q is a positive integer when Y is N or S, p is zero or a positive integer when Y is O, and p is a positive integer when Y is N or S, each W is independently various copolymer units.
US07754833B2

Provided is a process for polymerization and copolymerization of ethylene, specifically comprising carrying out polymerization or copolymerization ethylene in the presence of (a) a solid complex titanium catalyst which is produced by the process comprising: (i) preparing a magnesium compound solution by contacting a halogenated magnesium compound and an alcohol for allowing a reaction; (ii) reacting the resulted magnesium compound solution with an ester compound having at least one hydroxyl group and a silicon compound having at least one alkoxy group; (iii) reacting the resulted solution with a mixture of a titanium compound and a silicon compound to obtain a solid titanium catalyst component; (iv) washing the resulted solid titanium catalyst component with a halogenated saturated hydrocarbon compound; and (v) further reacting the washed solid titanium catalyst component with a titanium compound to obtain a solid complex titanium catalyst, and (b) an organometallic compound from Group II or III of Periodic table of elements. According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a process for polymerization or copolymerization of ethylene in which the catalyst activity is improved and a polymer of high bulk density is provided, with the use of a catalyst prepared by a simple process.
US07754828B2

A two-component bonding agent composition. The composition contains: (a) an isocyanate component comprising a difunctional isocyanate-terminated prepolymer having polymerized residues of at least one difunctional aromatic isocyanate and at least one difunctional polymer of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide or a combination thereof; (b) a polyol component comprising a triglyceride having hydroxyl functional groups; and (c) an adhesion promoter.
US07754825B2

Ultraviolet light stabilized copolyetherester compositions that comprise at least one nanoparticulate mineral selected from titanium dioxide, cerium oxide, and zinc oxide and at least one organic ultraviolet light stabilizer. Articles formed from the compositions are also disclosed.
US07754816B2

A chlorinated rubber composition which is resistant to various fluids such as transmission fluids comprises a blend of a chlorinated polyethylene elastomer, an ethylene acrylic elastomer and/or polyacrylic rubbers, and optionally a chlorosulfonated polyethylene. The rubber composition has many uses such as a tube and generally contains various additives such as fillers, plasticizers, vulcanizing agents, and the like.A heat resistant rubber composition comprises a blend of a chlorinated polyethylene elastomer, an ethylene-acrylic elastomer and/or polyacrylic rubbers, an ethylene-octene copolymer, and an ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer, and the same can be used as a cover or jacket as on the above chlorinated rubber tube.
US07754813B2

A resin modifier (C) obtained by reacting a polyolefin (A) having a group which reacts with a carbodiimide group, and a carbodiimide group-containing compound (B), wherein the content of the carbodiimide group is from 1 to 200 mmol per 100 g of the resin modifier, and a polar group-containing polymer composition (F) comprising from 1 to 30% by weight of the resin modifier (C), from 99 to 20% by weight of a polar group-containing polymer (D), and from 0 to 80% by weight of an olefin polymer (E). The modifier can provide improved low-temperature impact resistance of a polymer alloy including a polar group-containing polymer and an olefin polymer (such as polylactic acid and polypropylene), and can provide a molded article with smooth surface when the polymer alloy is molded. A polar group-containing polymer composition is also set forth.
US07754810B2

An emulsion polymerization process for the production of fluoropolymers is disclosed wherein a combination of at least two fluorosurfactants is employed as dispersants. At least one fluorosurfactant is a perfluoroalkyl or perfluoroalkoxy sulfinate. At least one other fluorosurfactant is a perfluoropolyether having at least one endgroup selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acid, a slat thereof, sulfonic acid and a salt thereof.
US07754795B2

A coating composition having (i) an aqueous dispersion of fluoropolymer particles comprising a non-melt processible polymer of tetrafluoroethylene, (ii) a fluorinated surfactant, (iii) a non-ionic non-fluorinated surfactant and (iv) a non-fluorinated polymer, wherein the fluorinated surfactant is selected from fluorinated carboxylic acids or salts thereof of the general formula (I): [Rf—O-L-COO−]iXi+  (I) wherein L represents a linear partially or fully fluorinated alkylene group or an aliphatic hydrocarbon group, Rf represents a linear partially or fully fluorinated aliphatic group or a linear partially or fully fluorinated aliphatic group interrupted with one or more oxygen atoms, Xi+ represents a cation having the valence i and i is 1, 2 or 3.
US07754787B2

Curable film-forming compositions comprising a film-forming resin and an organic sol of particles are provided. The sol of particles may be prepared by providing a suspension of particles in an aqueous medium; adding a first organic liquid compatible with the aqueous medium to form an admixture; reacting the particles with a first and a second modifying compound; adding a second organic liquid compatible with the liquid portion of the admixture wherein the second organic liquid is different from the first organic liquid; and maintaining the admixture at a temperature and pressure and for a time sufficient to substantially remove the water and the first organic liquid. The film-forming resin comprises an active hydrogen-functional polymer having low functionality; i.e., a functional group equivalent weight greater than 380 g/equivalent, and a crosslinking agent, yet surprisingly offers outstanding mar and scratch resistance.
US07754783B2

Disclosed herein is a resin-containing composition comprising a solvent, a coloring material insoluble in the solvent and a block polymer compound having a repeating structural unit represented by the following general formula (1): wherein X is a polyalkenyl group which may be substituted, A is a linear or branched alkylene group having 1 to 15 carbon atoms, which may be substituted, at least one CH2 of the alkylene group may be substituted by O, m is an integer of from 0 to 30, the respective A groups may be different from each other when m is plural, Y is at least one of S, O and Se with the proviso that Y contains at least one S and that S, O and Se are each linked via a single bond, and R is a linear or branched alkyl group which may be substituted, an aromatic ring which may be substituted, or a structure in which at most 3 fused rings or aromatic rings, which may be substituted, are bonded via a single bond.
US07754782B2

The present invention relates to novel, rapidly curing adhesives based on hydrophilic polyisocyanate prepolymers for use in surgery.
US07754777B2

The invention relates to a method for obtaining micro- and nanodisperse systems. In particular, it relates to a method that allows said systems, such as liposomes, emulsions and suspensions, to be obtained with a size of less than 50 μm, and preferably less than 1 μm, and with improved stability properties over time, which includes the stages of a) Dissolving or suspending a compound C in a fluid A, to obtain a mixture AC, in the form of a solution or dispersion; b) Thermostatising said mixture AC to a temperature of between −50° C. and 200° C.; c) Adding a fluid B to mixture AC until a pressure P is obtained; and it is characterised in that in said stage (c) formation of the solution AB occurs and because it includes, d) Reducing the pressure of solution AB to a pressure lower than or equal to 100 bars, and then e) Adding a fluid E, in which fluid A is miscible and in which compound C is partially or totally insoluble at atmospheric pressure, with said fluid E acting as a crystallisation interruption agent.
US07754771B2

The present invention provides methods for treating Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and other viral diseases and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) related infections by administering one or more compounds of formula I: wherein: the dotted line represents a single or a double bond; and R1 and R2 are the same or different and independently of each other represent —CH2OH, —CH2OR4, —CH(OH)CH3, —CH(OR4)CH3 or a group represented by the formula: or salts or hydrates thereof in a carrier which minimizes micellar formation or van der Waals attraction of molecules of said compound. The invention also provides S enantiomeric forms of such compounds which possess the ability to inhibit cell growth whilst being of low toxicity to such cells and methods of making such compounds.
US07754769B2

The present invention relates to methods for modulating the inflammatory response of respiratory tract cells using an agent that increases ceramide levels in the cells of the respiratory tract.
US07754757B2

Novel bicycloester derivatives and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof have high DPP-IV inhibitory activity.The novel bicycloester derivatives are represented by the general formula (1): Pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof are also included (Example: (2S,4S)-1-[[N-(4-ethoxycarbonylbicyclo[2.2.2]oct-1-yl)amino]acetyl]-4-fluoropyrrolidine-2-carbonitrile)).
US07754742B2

The present invention provides certain imidazole carboxamide derivatives, pharmaceutical compositions thereof, methods of using the same and processes for preparing the same.
US07754735B2

The present invention relates to substituted indoles of formula (I), useful as pharmaceutical compounds for treating respiratory disorders.
US07754734B2

The present invention relates to methods of alleviating and inhibiting a lymphoproliferative disorder in a mammal, the method comprising administering one or more rapamycin derivatives (including rapamycin) to the mammal. Further, the invention provides a method for identifying agents which are useful for alleviating and inhibiting a lymphoproliferative disorders, as well as a method for identifying agents which are capable of inhibiting metastasis of lymphatic tumors in a mammal.
US07754726B2

Benzamide combounds of Formula I: and their compositions for modulating the activity of p38 kinases are provided, including p38α, and p38β kinase. Methods for treating, preventing or ameliorating one or more symptoms of a p38 kinase mediated disease or disorder such as inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases, destructive bone disorders, proliferative disorders, angiogenic disorders, infectious diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and viral diseases are also provided.
US07754720B2

A compound of formula (1) and its salts and solvates are provided for the treatment or prophylaxis of hepatitis C virus infections Methods of making and formulating compound (1) are provided.
US07754715B2

The present invention, which is applicable in the pharmaceutical industry, relates to the use of molsidomine or one of its pharmaceutically acceptable salts, especially in the form of a sustained-release solid oral composition effective over 24 hours, for the manufacture of a drug for preventing or reducing the development of atherosclerosis.
US07754713B2

Disclosed are compounds of the general formula (I), where the definition of the substituents A, B, D, E, R1 and R2 are detailed in the description, and the physiologically tolerated salts thereof, a process for the preparation of these compounds and their use as pharmaceuticals. These compounds are kinase inhibitors, in particular inhibitors of the kinase CDK2 (cyclin-dependent kinase 2).
US07754698B2

Disclosed herein are compounds, compositions and methods for modulating the expression of FR-alpha in a cell, tissue or animal. Also provided are methods of target validation. Also provided are uses of disclosed compounds and compositions in the manufacture of a medicament for treatment of diseases and disorders.
US07754695B2

The present invention provides lipase inhibitory agents comprising a gallotannin or ellagitannin component(s) isolated from teas or Tellima grandiflora as well as foods and beverages and medicines containing said inhibitory agents.The present invention provides lipase inhibitory agents comprising at least one of compounds represented by formula I below: wherein R1, R2 and R3 independently represent H or a gallic acid residue, and R4 and R5 represent H or a gallic acid residue, or R4 and R5 together form an HHDP group represented by the formula below: provided that at least two of R1 to R5 represent a gallic acid residue or when all of R1, R2 and R3 are H, R4 and R5 together form the HHDP group; as well as foods and beverages and medicines containing said lipase inhibitory agents.
US07754693B2

This invention provides compositions and methods for the treatment of cancer. An inhibitor cocktail buffer includes at least one sugar, a non-potassium containing buffer, and an inhibitor having the general formula: Such an inhibitor cocktail buffer allows for the efficacious and safe delivery of various compounds, including halopyruvates and derivatives thereof, to human cancer patients.
US07754689B2

Members of the TGF-β superfamily and peptide fragments based on member proteins are employed to purify solutions containing member proteins or as therapeutics.
US07754685B2

This invention relates to cyclosporin derivatives of general formula (I): wherein A, B, R1, R2 and X are as defined in the specification, and pharmaceutical compositions prepared from the same, for use in treatment of hepatitis C virus.
US07754678B2

The present invention is directed to membrane penetrating peptides useful as in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro intracellular delivery devices for compound of interest. More particularly, the invention involves identification of membrane penetrating peptides which may be used as protein carriers for delivery of a compound of interest to cells, to methods of delivering a compound of interest attached to membrane penetrating peptides to cells.
US07754674B2

A liquid and readily flowable composition includes (a) a room-temperature-solid solute, such as a nonionic surfactant, preferably having a hydrophile-lipophile balance from about 11.1 to about 18.4, a (ii) C8-C14 fatty acid, or combinations thereof; (b) an alkoxylated fatty alkanolamide; and (c) water, if needed. The alkoxylated fatty alkanolamide, which is substantially liquid at room temperature, solvates the solid solute to form a homogeneous composition which is liquid and readily flowable at room temperature. The select classes of nonionic surfactants include polyalkylene oxide carboxylic acid esters, ethoxylated fatty alcohols, poloxamers, alkyl polysaccharides, or combinations thereof. Useful alkoxylated fatty alkanolamides include propoxylated fatty ethanolamides.
US07754671B2

This invention relates to a aqueous liquid laundry composition which both cleans and conditions fabrics. The composition includes certain alcohol ethoxylates as a nonionic surfactant component, certain alkyl ether sulfates as an anionic component and a quaternary ammonium fabric softening agent. All of the foregoing are in specified proportions.
US07754656B2

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for synthesizing combinatorial materials libraries using pyrolysis techniques. In certain embodiments, the methods involve varying the precursors and/or reactant gases in an operating pyrolysis unit to continuously vary the resulting nanoparticle composition and collecting different nanoparticles at different locations on a substrate using a spatially addressable particle collector.
US07754651B2

Disclosed is an Cu/Zn/Al-catalyst containing copper oxide and zinc oxide as catalytically active components and aluminium oxide as thermostabilising component. The catalyst is characterized in that the Cu/Zn atomic ratio is <2.8 and the aluminium oxide component is obtained from an aluminium hydroxide sol.
US07754650B2

The present invention relates to a trifunctional catalyst used in catalytic cracking device in petroleum refining industry and a method for preparing the same. The trifunctional catalyst of the invention comprises absorbent, cerium dioxide and vanadium pentoxide acting as oxidative catalyst and cerium oxyfluoride acting as structural promoter. The oxidative catalyst and structural promoter are dispersed over the absorbent. The absorbent is spinel-based composite oxides having a general formula of MgAl2-xFexO4.yMgO, where the x is 0.01-0.5 and y is 0.2-1.2. In the trifunctional catalyst, the raw material for forming the chemical compound containing rare-earth cerium is hamartite powder. The method for preparing the trifunctional catalyst of the invention is shown as follows: the components relating to the preparation of the finished product are dissolved or dispersed into liquid materials; then the trifunctional catalyst is obtained after the mixing, drying and calcining of such liquid materials. The trifunctional catalyst of the invention is used for highly efficient absorption and desorption of sulfoxides contained in the catalytic cracking flue gas regenerated in the process of petroleum refining, the combustion promoting of carbon monoxide and the reduction of nitrogen oxides. Furthermore, the method for preparing such trifunctional catalyst is featured for its lower cost.
US07754649B2

A structure having strong contact with solid particles comprising an assembly formed by secondary aggregation which is further aggregation of aggregates each formed by primary aggregation of primary particles each made of a metal and/or a metal oxide, wherein an average primary particle diameter of the primary particles is in a range from 1 to 100 μm, and, among void pores formed by the aggregates, a volume of void pores having pore diameters in a range within ±50% away from an average void pore diameter of the void pores is equal to or above 60% of a total volume of the void pores.
US07754642B2

Disclosed are a hydrophobic oil-adsorbent material that is capable of adsorbing oil and separating oil from water and methods for production and application of said material, suitable for collecting and removing hydrocarbons and other contaminations of oil content from solid surfaces and water.
US07754634B2

There is provided a low-loss microwave dielectric ceramic having a composition represented by xCaO.yLn2O3.zAl2O3.mTiO2 wherein Ln is Nd or Sm, 25.0 mole %≦x≦75.0 mole %, 10.0 mole %≦y≦30.0 mole %, 10.0 mole %≦z≦30.0 mole %, 0.8 mole %≦m≦20.0 mole %, x+y+z+m=100 mole %. It has a dielectric constant in the range from 18 to 25, an extremely large Qf value ranging from 80,000 to 200,000 GHz, and a temperature coefficient of resonant frequency tunable in the vicinity of 0. It can make the applications of dielectric resonators, filters, and antennas extended to higher frequency and larger power; it can also be applied to microwave capacitors, temperature-compensated capacitors, microwave substrates, et al.
US07754624B2

Fluoroalkyl amidoalkyl alcohols of the formula are disclosed and their corresponding (meth)acrylate esters. These fluoroalkyl amidoalkyl (meth)acrylate monomers can be copolymerized with a wide variety of conventional ethylenically unsaturated monomers. The resulting copolymers are useful as water, oil- and grease-proofing agents for paper, textiles and hard surfaces such as masonry and wood.
US07754620B2

A method of forming a metal silicate film on a silicon substrate in a processing container is disclosed that includes the steps of (a) forming a base oxide film on the silicon substrate by feeding an oxidation gas into the processing container; and (b) forming the metal silicate film on the base oxide film by continuing to feed the oxidation gas and by feeding a first gaseous phase material formed of an amidic organic hafnium compound and a second gaseous phase material formed of a silicon-containing material into the processing container.
US07754619B2

A method of forming a liquid coating on a substrate that reduces the amount of consumption of the coating liquid and achieves a more even distribution of the thickness of the liquid coating film. The method may include supplying a solvent to a surface of a substrate, starting a supply of a coating liquid to the surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed, stopping a rotation of the substrate by decelerating the rotation of the substrate at a deceleration larger than 30000 rpm/sec at a point of time when the supply of the coating liquid is stopped, and then rotating the substrate at a second rotation speed. Accordingly, the dispense amount of the coating liquid is reduced and the film thickness of the coating liquid is flatten.
US07754600B2

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods of forming nanostructures on non-single crystal substrates, and resulting nanostructures and nanoscale functional devices. In one embodiment of the present invention, a method of forming nanostructures includes forming a multi-layer structure comprising a metallic layer and a silicon layer. The multi-layer structure is subjected to a thermal process to form metal-silicide crystallites. The nanostructures are grown on the metal-silicide crystallites. In another embodiment of the present invention, a structure includes a non-single-crystal substrate and a layer formed over the non-single-crystal substrate. The layer includes metal-silicide crystallites. A number of nanostructures may be formed on the metal-silicide crystallites. The disclosed structures may be used to form a number of different types of functional devices for use in electronics and/or optoelectronics devices.
US07754595B2

An insulating film on a semiconductor substrate has a first titanium nitride film, an aluminum film, and a second titanium nitride film formed thereon, and an insulating film is formed so as to cover a lower electrode wiring. Then, the insulating film is dry-etched anisotropically so that the insulating film on the lower electrode wiring is removed, and a portion of the insulating film on the lower electrode wiring is left as a sidewall. A deposit deposited during the etching of the insulating film on the lower electrode wiring is removed by radical etching without using ion bombardment. The deposit contains Ti that is a metal element forming the second titanium nitride film. Subsequently, the second titanium nitride film is nitrided through ammonium plasma, and an insulating film to cover the lower electrode wiring is formed.
US07754594B1

A metal gate and high-k dielectric device includes a substrate, an interfacial layer on top of the substrate, a high-k dielectric layer on top of the interfacial layer, a metal film on top of the high-k dielectric layer, a cap layer on top of the metal film and a metal gate layer on top of the cap layer. The thickness of the metal film and the thickness of the cap layer are tuned such that a target concentration of a cap layer material is present at an interface of the metal film and the high-k dielectric layer.
US07754592B2

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming an etch target layer over a substrate including a cell region and a peripheral region, forming a first mask pattern having a first portion and a second portion over the etch target layer in the cell region and forming a second mask pattern having a first portion and a second portion over the etch target layer in the peripheral region, forming a photoresist pattern over the cell region, trimming the first portion of the second mask pattern, removing the photoresist pattern and the second portion of the first mask pattern and the second portion of the second mask pattern, and etching the etch target layer to form a pattern in the cell region and a pattern in the peripheral region.
US07754591B2

A method for forming a fine pattern of a semiconductor device include forming a stack structure including a 1st layer hard mask film to a nth layer hard mask film (n is an integer ranging from 2 or more) over an underlying layer formed over a semiconductor substrate. The nth layer hard mask film, the top layer, is selectively etched to obtain a first hard mask pattern of the nth layer. A second hard mask pattern of the nth layer is formed between the first hard mask patterns of the nth layer. A (n−1)th layer hard mask film is etched using the first and the second hard mask pattern of the nth layer as etching masks. The (c) step to the (d) step repeat to form the first and the second hard mask patterns of the 1st layer over the underlying layer. And, the underlying layer is etched using the first and second hard mask patterns of the 1st layer as etching masks.
US07754588B2

Embodiments of methods for improving a copper/dielectric interface in semiconductor devices are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US07754584B2

In a semiconductor substrate 1, a plurality of semiconductor elements 2 having diaphragm structures are formed in the form of cells in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, and V-grooves 3 are formed by anisotropic etching continuously on only division lines 4 parallel formed in one direction, out of the division lines 4 which are orthogonal to each other and divide the respective semiconductor elements 2 individually.
US07754581B2

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of forming first and second semiconductor wafers each including an array of chips and elongate electrodes, forming a groove on scribe lines separating the chips from one another; coating a surface of one of the semiconductor wafers with adhesive; bonding together the semiconductor wafers while allowing the groove to receive therein excessive adhesive; and heating the wafers to connect the elongate electrodes of both the semiconductor wafers.
US07754574B2

An RF structure that includes an optimum padset for wire bonding and a high performance inductor that contains relatively thick metal inductor wires, both of which are located atop the final interconnect level of an interconnect structure. Specifically, the RF structure includes a dielectric layer having metal inductor wires of a first thickness and a metal bond pad having a major area of a second thickness located on a surface thereof, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness. In the inventive RF structure, the majority of the metal bond pad is thinned for wire bonding, while maintaining the full metal wire thickness in the other areas of the structure for inductor performance requirements, such as, for example, low resistivity. Methods for fabricating the aforementioned RF structure are also provided.
US07754573B2

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. In one example embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes various steps. First, a gate pattern is formed on a substrate. Next, a first oxide layer is formed on the gate pattern. Then, a second oxide layer, a first silicon nitride layer, and a second silicon nitride layer are sequentially formed over the substrate and the first oxide layer. Next, a first etching process is performed to remove horizontal portions of the first and second silicon nitride layers. Then, source/drain regions are formed in the substrate. Next, the vertical portions first and second silicon nitride layers are removed. Then, a third silicon nitride layer is formed over the second oxide layer. Finally, a second etching process is performed to remove horizontal portions of the third silicon nitride layer and the second oxide layer.
US07754572B2

A semiconductor device has a semiconductor substrate, a pair of diffusion layers formed in a predetermined regions of the semiconductor substrate, a gate insulation film formed on a region of the semiconductor substrate being interposed between the pair of the diffusion layers, a gate electrode formed on the gate insulation film, insulation films formed on the sides of the gate electrode, each of the insulation films being constructed from one or more layers, sidewall spacers formed on the sides of the gate electrode while the insulation films are interposed between the sidewall spacers and the gate electrode, and highly doped diffusion layers formed in the diffusion layers except for the parts under the insulation films and the sidewall spacers.
US07754570B2

Threshold voltage of a field effect transistor is successfully adjusted with a smaller dose of an impurity, as compared with a conventional adjustment of the threshold voltage only by doping an impurity into the channel region. A semiconductor device 100 has a silicon substrate 101 and a P-type MOSFET 103 comprising a SiON film 113 formed on the silicon substrate 101, and a polycrystalline silicon film 106. Any one of, or two or more of metals selected from the group consisting of Hf, Zr, Al, La, Pr, Y, Ti, Ta and W are allowed to reside at the interface 115 between the polycrystalline silicon film 106 and the SiON film 113, and concentration of the metal(s) at the interface 115 is adjusted to 5×1013 atoms/cm2 or more and less than 1.4×1015 atoms/cm2.
US07754567B2

A method for forming a field effect transistor (FET) includes the following steps. A well region of a first conductivity type is formed in a semiconductor region of a second conductivity type. A gate electrode is formed adjacent to but insulated from the well region. A source region of the second conductivity type is formed in the well region. A heavy body recess is formed extending into and terminating within the well region adjacent the source region. The heavy body recess is at least partially filled with a heavy body material having a lower energy gap than the well region.
US07754559B2

A capacitor structure is fabricated with only slight modifications to a conventional single-poly CMOS process. After front-end processing is completed, grooves are etched through the pre-metal dielectric layer to expose polysilicon structures, which may be salicided or non-salicided. A dielectric layer is formed over the exposed polysilicon structures. A conventional contact process module is then used to form contact openings through the pre-metal dielectric layer. The mask used to form the contact openings is then removed, and conventional contact metal deposition steps are performed, thereby simultaneously filling the contact openings and the grooves with the contact (electrode) metal stack. A planarization step removes the upper portion of the metal stack, thereby leaving metal contacts in the contact openings, and metal electrodes in the grooves. The metal electrodes may form, for example, transistor gates, EEPROM control gates or capacitor plates.
US07754552B2

A hard mask may be formed and maintained over a polysilicon gate structure in a metal gate replacement technology. The maintenance of the hard mask, such as a nitride hard mask, may protect the polysilicon gate structure 14 from the formation of silicide or etch byproducts. Either the silicide or the etch byproducts or their combination may block the ensuing polysilicon etch which is needed to remove the polysilicon gate structure and to thereafter replace it with an appropriate metal gate technology.
US07754546B2

Including a process for forming a fin 12a having a first height and a fin 12b having a second height lower than the first height, a process for forming a silicon oxide film on the upper and side faces of each of the fins 12a and 12b, a process for forming a conductive poly silicon film on the silicon oxide film, a process for forming a gate insulating film 15 and a gate electrode 16 on from the upper face to the side face of each of the fins 12a and 12b by patterning the silicon oxide film and the poly silicon film, and a process for forming a couple of diffusion regions 14 in two regions clipping a region underneath the gate electrode of each of the fins 12a and 12b. According to the present invention, a semiconductor device manufacturing method and a semiconductor device including a fin-type FET having capability of changing the design of the gate width corresponding to an application can be realized.
US07754542B2

An electronic device and/or component is manufactured using additive processing steps, including additive printing steps. A first layer is printed using additive printing techniques wherein a single first material is used to print the first layer in a single processing step. A second layer is printed in more than a single printing step where a first portion of the second layer is printed using a second material and a second portion of the second layer is printed using a third material, and the second and third materials are different from each other.
US07754541B2

In a thin film transistor using a polycrystalline semiconductor film, when a storage capacitor is formed, it is often that a polycrystalline semiconductor film is used also in one electrode of the capacity. In a display device having a storage capacitor and thin film transistor which have a polycrystalline semiconductor film, the storage capacitor exhibits a voltage dependency due to the semiconductor film, and hence a display failure is caused. In the display device of the invention, a metal conductive film 5 is stacked above a semiconductor layer 4d made of a polycrystalline semiconductor film which is used as a lower electrode of a storage capacitor 130.
US07754534B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a wiring substrate is provided which can facilitate the handling of the wiring substrate. The method includes the steps of forming a peelable resin layer on a silicon substrate, forming the wiring substrate on the peelable resin layer, mounting semiconductor chips on the wiring substrate, forming semiconductor devices by sealing the plurality of semiconductor chips by a sealing resin, individualizing the semiconductor devices by dicing the semiconductor devices from the sealing resin side but leaving the silicon substrate, peeling each of the individualized semiconductor devices from the silicon substrate between the silicon substrate and the peelable resin layer, and exposing terminals on the wiring substrate by forming openings through the peelable resin layer or by removing the peelable resin layer.
US07754533B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. One embodiment provides a carrier. A semiconductor chip is provided with a first face and a second face opposite to the first face. The semiconductor chip is placed over the carrier with the first face facing the carrier. A voltage is applied between the second face of the semiconductor chip and the carrier for attaching the semiconductor chip to the carrier.
US07754530B2

A thermal enhanced low profile package structure and a method for fabricating the same are provided. The package structure typically includes a metallization layer with an electronic component thereon which is between two provided dielectric layers. The metallization layer as well as the electronic component is embedded and packaged while the substrates are laminated via a lamination process. The fabricated package structure performs not only a superior electric performance, but also an excellent enhancement in thermal dissipation.
US07754527B2

An LED can include a pair of electrode members, and an LED chip joined to a chip mount portion disposed at the extremity of one of the pair of electrode members. The LED chip can be electrically connected to the pair of electrode members. A transparent resin portion can include a wavelength conversion material mixed therein, the transparent resin portion formed in such a manner as to surround the LED chip, wherein the LED chip is positioned offset toward one side in the transparent resin portion, and wherein the wavelength conversion material mixed in the transparent resin portion has a higher density around the LED chip within the transparent resin portion.
US07754524B2

Methods and systems for depositing nanomaterials onto a receiving substrate and optionally for depositing those materials in a desired orientation, that comprise providing nanomaterials on a transfer substrate and contacting the nanomaterials with an adherent material disposed upon a surface or portions of a surface of a receiving substrate. Orientation is optionally provided by moving the transfer and receiving substrates relative to each other during the transfer process.
US07754523B2

A method for fabricating an organic thin film transistor includes forming a gate electrode on a substrate, forming a gate insulating layer on the substrate including the gate electrode, forming an organic active pattern on the gate insulating layer using a rear exposing process, and forming source and drain electrodes on the organic active pattern.
US07754521B2

An organic electroluminescent device includes first and second substrates facing each other and spaced apart from each other, each of the first and second substrates having a first region and a second region in a periphery of the first region; an array element on an inner surface of the first substrate, the array element having a thin film transistor; an organic electroluminescent diode on an inner surface of the second substrate in the first region; a connection electrode between the first and second substrates in the first region, the connection electrode connecting the first and second substrates electrically; a spacer on an inner surface of the first substrate in the second region, the spacer having a thickness corresponding to a height of the connection electrode; an absorbent layer on an inner surface of the second substrate in the second region; and a seal pattern attaching the first and second substrates, the seal pattern outside of the absorbent layer, wherein first laminate layers including the organic electroluminescent diode of the second substrate in the first region have a thickness substantially equal to a thickness of second laminate layers including the absorbent layer of the second substrate in the second region.
US07754508B2

A method of manufacturing a silicon optoelectronic device, a silicon optoelectronic device manufactured by the method, and an image input and/or output apparatus including the silicon optoelectronic device are provided. The method includes preparing an n- or p-type silicon-based substrate, forming a microdefect pattern along a surface of the substrate by etching, forming a control film with an opening on the microdefect pattern, and forming a doping region on the surface of the substrate having the microdefect pattern in such a way that a predetermined dopant of the opposite type to the substrate is injected onto the substrate through the opening of the control film to be doped to a depth so that a photoelectric conversion effect leading to light emission and/or reception by quantum confinement effect in the p-n junction occurs. The silicon optoelectronic device has superior light-emitting efficiency, can be used as at least one of a light-emitting device and a light-receiving device, and has high wavelength selectivity. In addition, the silicon optoelectronic device panel having the two-dimensional array of the silicon optoelectronic devices can be applied in the image input and/or output apparatus capable of directly displaying an image and/or inputting optical information in a screen.
US07754500B2

Asymmetrically branched polymers are combined with bioactive agents for a variety of purposes including drug delivery and conjugation to one member of a binding pair for use in an assay.
US07754491B2

An assembly and method for gas analysis. The assembly comprises a catalyst compartment for catalytically reacting a component of a gas sample, producing one or more gas species as products. A product compartment receives the gas species, and a sensing element within the compartment senses the amount of one or more of the gas species. This amount is compared to the amount of the same gas species present in a reference compartment containing a non-catalyzed gas sample, providing the amount of the gas species produced by catalysis. Using this value, the content of the gas component in the gas sample is calculated based upon the stoichiometry of the catalyzed reaction. In preferred embodiments, the gas for analysis is a process gas for fuel production, and the catalyst is a high temperature shift catalyst that catalyzes the reaction of carbon monoxide and water into hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
US07754488B2

The invention relates to a method to analyze the condition of a functional fluid comprising: (1) obtaining a sample of the used fluid; (2) placing the sample of the fluid to a test medium; (3) reacting the fluid with an indicator in the test medium; (4) analyzing visually the results of the reactor resulting in the determination of the condition of the fluid. Further an apparatus for analyzing functional fluids is disclosed in the form of a test medium consisting of an absorbent or nonabsorbent material which has been treated with a chemical indicator, marker substance or a developer or detector reagent upon which a sample of the fluid to be tested is placed. The components in the treated test medium react with components in the test fluid providing a visual indication, for example a color change, to judge the condition, the presence of a marker substance or another parameter of the fluid. The functional fluid may be a lubricant, fuel or other functional fluid of innumerable sources, including internal combustion engines, turbines, transmissions, differentials, pumps, metalworking operations, cooling systems, etc, and be either organic solvent or aqueous based.
US07754483B2

A number of human disorders are characterized by degeneration or loss of specific cells, resulting in pathology associated with reduction or absence of cell function. Such diseases include neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes. Methods are described for obtaining a substantially homogeneous population of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells including incubating a population of human embryonic stem cells with an amount of a selection agent. The selection agent is effective to reduce or eliminate differentiated embryonic stem cells from the population of cells such that a substantially homogeneous population of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells is obtained. The substantially homogeneous population of undifferentiated embryonic stem cells may be produced without use of feeder cells.
US07754474B2

Sample processing systems and methods of using those systems for processing sample materials located in sample processing devices are disclosed. The sample processing systems include a rotating base plate on which the sample processing devices are located during operation of the systems. The systems also include a cover and compression structure designed to force a sample processing device towards the base plate. The preferred result is that the sample processing device is forced into contact with a thermal structure on the base plate. The systems and methods of the present invention may include one or more of the following features to enhance thermal coupling between the thermal structure and the sample processing device: a shaped transfer surface, magnetic compression structure, and floating or resiliently mounted thermal structure. The methods may preferably involve deformation of a portion of a sample processing device to conform to a shaped transfer surface.
US07754473B2

A method for rapid thermal control of a reaction volume from a preceding temperature to a target temperature includes first bringing at least the reaction vessel's second wall, which has high thermal conductivity, into direct contact with a first thermal block at a temperature higher than the target temperature if the target temperature is higher than the preceding temperature, or at a temperature lower than the target temperature if the target temperature is lower than the preceding temperature, until the reaction volume temperature is at least close to the target temperature; and then bringing the second wall into direct contact with a second thermal block at the target temperature. Also disclosed is a system (20) for detecting and/or quantitating a biological and/or chemical analyte in a sample and a software product for the system.
US07754457B2

A continuous process for treating a lignocellulosic feedstock is provided. This method comprises pretreating the lignocellulosic feedstock under pressure in a pretreatment reactor at a pH between about 0.4 and about 2.0. One or more than one soluble base is added to this pressurized, pretreated feedstock after it exits the pretreatment reactor to adjust the pretreated lignocellulosic feedstock to an intermediate pH of between about pH 2.5 to about pH 3.5. This pressurized, partially-neutralized feedstock is then further processed at the intermediate pH. This may include flashing one or more than one time at the intermediate pH. The pH of the pressurized, partially-neutralized feedstock may then be adjusted with one or more than one base to produce a neutralized feedstock having a pH between about 4 and about 6. Prior to adjusting the pH to between about 2.5 and about 3.5, the pressurized, pretreated feedstock truly be partially depressurized.
US07754446B2

An isolated mutant of a coryneform bacterium comprising a gene coding for a polypeptide having GTP-pyrophosphate kinase activity, wherein said polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence in which one of the proteinogenic amino acids other than L-proline is present in position 38 or a corresponding or comparable position. In addition, an isolated polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having GTP-pyrophosphate kinase enzyme activity, a vector comprising the isolated polynucleotide, a recombinant microorganism comprising the vector, and a process for preparing the recombinant coryneform bacterium is described. A method for over-expressing a GTP-pyrophosphate kinase, a method of preparing an L-amino acid, an L-lysine comprising and L-tryptophan comprising feed is also described.
US07754445B2

The invention relates to a method for the enzymatic production of a curing agent in its fluid state, e.g. liquid, comprising, in free phase, at least one oxygenated chemical species. Said method consists in bringing into contact at least one enzymatic catalysts agent, comprising at lease one peroxidase-type enzyme; an oxidizable substrate in aqueous phase that can be oxidized by the action of an oxygen donor, by catalysis by said enzymatic catalysis agent, generating said oxygenated chemical species in free phase; and said oxygen donor. The inventive method is characterized in that: e) an aqueous reaction bath is formed comprising, in addition to the oxidizable substrate and the oxygen donor, said enzymatic catalysis agent in divided solid phase, but in free phase, distributed is said bath, which may be set in motion; f) the aqueous reaction bath is separated into a fraction enriched with the enzymatic catalysis agent in divided solid phase and a fraction free from said catalysis agent, from which the curing agent is obtained.
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