US07870740B2

An afterbody for a turbojet engine is disclosed. The afterbody includes an afterburner casing, a thermal protection liner, and a diaphragm-forming assembly interposed between the liner and the casing. The diaphragm-forming assembly defines a flow area which is traversed by a ventilation stream. The diaphragm-forming assembly includes two annular plates overlapping one another, each being perforated with a plurality of apertures and being mounted on the liner and the casing respectively. The apertures jointly define the flow area of the assembly. Furthermore, the assembly is designed such that the expansion of the liner causes an angular displacement of the plate with respect to the plate, leading to an increase in the size of the flow area.
US07870726B2

A backup system is provided that has a local electric motor and pump for some or all of hydraulic actuators. A local backup hydraulic actuator has two power sources, hydraulic as primary and electrical as backup. During normal operation, the hydraulic actuator receives pressurized fluid from a hydraulic system and the fluid flow to the chambers is controlled by a servo valve. If the hydraulic system fails, the electronic controller detects the failure by observing the signal indicative of the pressure from the pressure sensor, and the controller powers the local hydraulic pump to provide high pressure hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic actuator via the servo valve.
US07870725B2

An exhaust mounting system includes an exhaust component having a pair of ridges along an outer perimeter. A mounting band is disposed around the outer perimeter of the exhaust component between the ridges. An isolation pad is disposed between the exhaust component and the mounting bracket for absorbing vibration energy between the mounting band and the exhaust component.
US07870723B2

A method for operating an international combustion engine, the engine also includes a first cylinder, a second cylinder, an exhaust system, and a fuel cell in the exhaust system. The method comprises operating the first cylinder lean to provide air to the fuel cell during at least one condition; and operating the second cylinder rich or stoichiometric to provide torque output and fuel to the fuel cell.
US07870709B2

A system and method for controlling the lateral tilt of a header of an agricultural plant cutting machine, such as, but not limited to, a combine, windrower or the like, and more particularly, to an automatic lateral tilt control system for precisely controlling an angle of lateral tilt of the header relative to the machine based on a lateral tilt angle of the machine relative to a reference and at least one additional characteristic such that, when the machine is disposed on a laterally inclined surface, and the machine is at a tilt angle differing from an angle of the laterally inclined surface, the angle of lateral tilt of the header relative to the machine is responsively adjusted so an angle of the lateral tilt of the header relative to the reference is substantially equal to the angle of the laterally inclined surface, the system especially useful when operating in a stubble mode and traversing inclined surfaces.
US07870706B2

A method of packaging and curing manufactured stone can include packaging a plurality of partially cured de-molded manufactured stones in a curing container having airflow apertures therein. The loaded container is then loaded into a drying oven for further curing for a suitable period. After curing in the oven, the curing container is removed and may be shipped to a customer without unpacking and repacking the manufactured stones.
US07870704B2

The invention concerns an insulating glazing wherein the gap between the substrates is filled with at least one rare gas such as argon, krypton or xenon, the inter-layer sheet (50) has a thermal conductivity less than 1 W/m.K, preferably less than 0.3 W/m.K, a low-emissive coating being deposited on at least part of one of the substrates, an anti-frost coating being deposited on part of at least the outer surface of one substrate, the glazing being free of heating element, the glazing having a thermal conductivity coefficient U less than 1.2 W/m.K with a gas filling of at least 85%, and having a light transmission of at least 67% and a light reflection less than 18%.
US07870702B2

An apparatus (“chair”) for supporting one or more reinforcement bars or post-tension cables (“bars/cables”) in a concrete structure includes a base member having a centered opening, a pair of opposing first leg members extending upward from the base member at a first angle, a pair of opposing second leg members extending upward from the base member at a second angle, and a strap-shaped locking cradle. The strap-shaped locking cradle includes an arc-shaped receiving portion attached to the first and second leg members, a flexible portion suitable for wrapping over the bars/cables and a fastener to affix the flexible portion to the arc-shaped receiving portion or one of the first leg members such that transverse and vertical movement of the bars/cables is limited and longitudinal movement of the bars/cables is allowed.
US07870696B2

A panel assembly for decoration glass is disclosed herein, which is to be attached to a side of a pane of transparent glass. The panel assembly includes a panel piece and at least one embedding piece. The panel piece is a thin plate and has at least one through hole. The embedding piece is corresponding to and fitted in the through hole. The embedding pieces are configured as a pattern or a character and have various colors. When the panel assembly is attached to the glass, it gives the glass a vivid appearance. The individual embedding pieces or the whole panel assembly may be replaced with other colors or patterns to make the glass present a diverse appearance.
US07870695B2

Embodiments of the invention relate to an apparatus for assisted walking on stairs or other sloped surfaces. The apparatus may also be used for assisted walking on slippery surfaces. The apparatus comprises a fixed support and a moveable support. The fixed support is fixed relative to the stairs or other walking surface, while the movable support is selectively moveable relative to the stairs and fixed support in a direction substantially parallel to an incline of the stairs. The movable support is selectively positionable relative to the fixed support in one of a plurality of closely spaced discrete locking positions in which the movable support can support a personal relative to the stairs.
US07870680B2

Support liners and cushions which include including a plurality of compressible protrusions. An arrangement is provided for interconnecting the compressible protrusions, the interconnecting arrangement being adapted to ensure strict compression of the compressible protrusions upon acceptance of a compressive force.
US07870676B2

An eyeglass frame shape-measuring apparatus is provided in which deformation of the frame shape is determined at each measurement point based on the actual measurement values and even in the case where the frame shape changes in a direction that differs from prediction, measurement of the lens frame shape of the eyeglass frame can be performed precisely, the eyeglass frame shape-measuring apparatus that measures a shape of a lens frame of an eyeglass frame includes a feeler 37 for a lens frame, a drive motor 6 and a control device (FIG. 11) for measurement and calculation of the shape of the lens frame, the control device separates a whole circumference of the shape of the lens frame into a plurality of measuring points and obtains as frame shape information (θn, ρn, Zn) frame shape values (ρn, Zn) measured at each measuring point by moving the feeler for the lens frame so that the feeler 37 is in sliding contact along the shape of the lens frame, the control device compares a frame shape value at one measuring point with an already measured frame shape value and determines an amount of pressing pressure in correspondence to an amount change of a frame shape detected at the one measuring point, in the case where the pressing pressure value differs from a preliminarily set pressing pressure value, the control device resets the pressing pressure value and measures again the frame shape at the already measured measuring point.
US07870671B2

Brazed double wall plate heat exchangers are manufactured so that the double walls are connected and sealed to each other around port holes of the exchanger. This is obtained by providing areas that are shaped so as to include areas not covering each other. The brazing is provided by capillary suction of brazing material from other plate areas.
US07870670B2

The invention proposes a process for producing components (10) or semi-finished products which contain intermetallic titanium aluminide alloys, which includes the following process steps: rough contouring of a plurality of plate-like bodies (11) so as to correspond to a desired final shape of the component (10) or semi-finished product, some of these plate-like bodies or all the plate-like bodies consisting of titanium aluminide alloys; carrying out surface-to-surface joins between the plurality of plate-like bodies (11) stacked on top of one another so as to form an overall body (10); and forming the desired final shape of the overall body (10). The invention also concerns a component, in particular for jet engines, which is produced using this process.
US07870669B2

A multi-axially forged mono-bloc piston includes a lower crown part forged of steel and including a pair of pin bosses and an integral skirt formed as one piece with the pin bosses 20. The lower crown part is friction welded to an upper crown part to form at least one closed oil gallery within the piston head. The lower crown part is forged in the longitudinal direction of the piston as well as laterally to impart longitudinal and laterally forged features of the piston. The laterally forged features may comprise undercut recesses formed in the piston skirt to reduce material in the overall piston structure. The lateral forging may also result in the piston skirt portion being discoupled from the piston head by laterally forged slots formed in the lower crown part 14 between the skirt and head.
US07870663B2

Provided is a method for manufacturing a multilayer wiring board, by which interlayer connection is efficiently performed and a non-penetrating hole having a hollow structure or a through hole can be formed at the same time without damaging a plated portion on the inner wall of the through hole. A first printed board (1) is provided with a wiring, which has a wiring section and a bump mounting pad (14), and a substrate section. The method is provided with a step of forming a solder bump (3) on at least a bump mounting pad on the first printed board or a pad section of a second printed board (2) having the pad section (15) by using a solder paste, and a step of bonding the first printed board and the second printed board in layers by having an insulating adhesive (4) between the first printed board and the second printed board and electrically connecting the first printed board with the second printed board.
US07870658B2

A method for sheathing an armature for electric machines, in which a stack of lamellae that is equipped with grooves for armature windings is mounted on an armature shaft by means of a bore and is provided with at least one groove insulation with the aid of the sheathing process. The sheathing plastic flows through ducts that extend along the bore of the stack and the armature shaft. The plastic is molded in only on a first face of the stack and flows into the grooves and through the ducts. The plastic invades the grooves also from the second face after being discharged from the ducts and converges with the plastic discharged from the first face. The method implements fixing and insulation of the grooves while the groove insulation is provided with a minimum layer thickness for such sheathings at the bottom thereof in order to allow for maximum copper fillings.
US07870657B2

The manufacturing device for bending an electromagnetic element of an electrical machine, which includes a stator lamination (5), has a first device (10) for bending the stator lamination (5) to form a pre-curved stator lamination and a second device (25) for final forming of the pre-curved stator lamination. The second device (25) includes a first assembly (29) for axially fixing and pressing the pre-curved stator lamination and a second assembly for radially centering and pressing the pre-curved stator lamination. The first device (10) includes a bending mandrel (11) around which the stator lamination (5) bendable, which has an outer diameter that is larger than an inner diameter of the fully bent electromagnetic element.
US07870655B2

A method for endforming a tubular member for use assembly for a hydraulic system comprises (1) a connector member having an inner surface exhibiting a stepped configuration and a fixing member at the distal end thereof, and (2) an endform tubular member having an outer surface corresponding to the inner surface of the connector member, wherein the endform tubular member mates with inner surface of the connector member to provide an endform tubular assembly having an improved design for conveying fluids in a hydraulic system. The endform tubular assembly has inherent features therein that are measured to provide quantified values for assessing the robustness of the assembly and predict the performance of such assembly in high pressure applications for prolonged periods of time.
US07870645B2

A mobile device has a first object, a second object, and a hinge device to slide open and close the second object with respect to the first object. The hinge device has a sliding unit that is slidable with respect to a first object, and a rotary unit that is rotatable with respect to the sliding unit, and engaged with the second object. The hinge device requires a relatively smaller space to be installed in the mobile apparatus so that the mobile apparatus can be smaller. Furthermore, there is no installation line for the hinge device so that the aesthetic design of the mobile apparatus is more refined.
US07870641B2

The invention relates to a support housing comprising a housing part for an active component of a door stay, the housing part having at a first end an opening for receiving the active component. The problem of developing a support housing which can be produced on an industrial scale easily and flexibly in line with changing requirements is solved by the invention in that the housing part comprises a cut-off extruded profile. The invention also relates to a door stay comprising a stay bar with a first side, a first active component, which co-operates with the first side of the stay bar, and a support housing with a first housing part, the first end of which is open, and with an opening for the first active component, the first housing part comprising a cut-off extruded profile.
US07870636B2

A wringer has a support surface and a first wringer surface depending from the support surface to a second wringer surface having perforations and curving to a free edge substantially below the support surface. The second wringer surface may be curved in an approximately 180 degree arc. The first wringer surface may be flat and also perforated. The support surface may be formed as an inverted channel structure with a closed upper surface and an angled surface extending away from the first wringer surface. The angled surface may extend at an angle approximately 45 degrees. The wringer may be used with one or more buckets, where the wringer is supported from the rim of one bucket or from the adjacent rims of two buckets. A flat first wringer surface may be used to ring a flat mop, and the curved second wringer surface may be used to wring a round mop.
US07870635B2

The present invention relates to a cleaning tool sheet and a cleaning tool capable of use for wiping cleaning by contacting the surface of objects to be cleaned in various locations. In a cleaning tool sheet (1), fiber bundles (3) are laminated on one side face of a base sheet (2); the central parts in the direction of flow of the fibers constituting the fiber bundles (3) are joined by a central joining part (4) continuously formed in the central part of the base sheet (2) and joined at a spot-form joining part (7) formed intermittently on a parallel line between the central joining part (4) and two end edges (2a, 2b) parallel therewith. The two ends (31a, 31b) in the direction of flow of the fibers of the fiber bundles (3) are not joined to the base sheet (2). An attaching part (8) for attaching onto a holding member is provided at both ends of the base sheet (2).
US07870631B2

A ramp assembly is suitable for use with a vehicle having a floor. The ramp assembly includes a ramp rotatably coupled within the vehicle, and a moving floor having an inboard panel and an outboard panel. The outboard panel has an outboard end hingedly coupled to the inboard end of the ramp to define an outboard hinge line that moves between a raised position when the ramp is in a stowed position and a lowered position when the ramp is in a deployed position. An outboard end of the inboard panel is hingedly coupled to an inboard end of the outboard panel. A reciprocating mechanism reciprocates an inboard end of the inboard panel between a lowered position and a raised position.
US07870625B2

A child management system is provided for entertaining, calming, and affecting the proper development of a child. The child management system comprises a mat having a top and bottom surface, a timing device mounted on the mat and set for a pre-determined amount of time, and a pressure sensitive sensor embedded within the mat electronically connected to the timing device such that the timing device counts down a predetermined amount of time while a child is activating the pressure sensitive sensor. The system further comprises a speaker mounted on the mat that is electronically connected to the sensor wherein the type of audio sound emitted by the speaker is a function of a child activating the pressure sensitive sensor. Additionally, a control device is connected to the timing device and speaker to set the pre-determined amount of time and control the audio sound emitted by the speaker.
US07870617B2

The present invention relates generally to a protective helmet that includes a shell defining a shell exterior and a shell interior configured to protectively receive a wearer's head. The helmet also includes an internal support disposed in the shell interior in supportive association with the shell for supporting the shell on the wearer's head, and an adjustment member associated with the internal support for adjusting the size of the internal support to fit to the wearer's head. The adjustment member and the shell are configured and dimensioned such that the adjustment member is operable to adjust the internal support from outside the shell while the helmet is mounted on the wearer's head.
US07874016B2

To realize to adapt to a shape of a surface, shorten a measurement time period and promote a measurement accuracy by setting a sampling interval in accordance with a slope of the shape of the surface and controlling a stylus in accordance with the interval, there is provided a scanning probe microscope, in which in scanning the stylus, an observation data immediately therebefore is stored as a history, the sampling interval in X or Y direction is set at each time based on a shape of the observation data, and the stylus is scanned to a successive sampling position.
US07874015B2

A method for controlling distribution of digital content includes fragmenting a digital content file into fragments and tagging at least some of the fragments with corresponding tags to provide tagged fragments for distribution. The tags may be generated using a pseudo-random number (PRN) bit sequence. A digital rights license is generated for the digital content file based on the tags and/or fragments. The digital rights license is configured to allow reassembly of the tagged fragments to provide the digital content file. Later, the fragments may be re-tagged with corresponding second tags to provide second tagged fragments for distribution that are different from the first tagged fragments. Related systems and computer program products are also discussed.
US07874002B2

A method for connecting equipment in a network system, enabling prevention of the spread of viruses throughout the network resulting from connection to the network of a server, client, PC, or other equipment infected with a virus, in which the network configuration is separated into an operation network and a virus check network using VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) functions, and at the time of connection of equipment, a virus check is performed in the virus check network, and equipment confirmed by the virus check to be safe is accommodated in the operation network. When safety cannot be confirmed through the virus check, the equipment is isolated from the operation network and from the virus network.
US07873994B1

A network device may manage communication sessions with clients so that attempts at the client to automatically keep the session alive can be ignored for purposes of timing out the session. The device may examine resource requests received from the client as uniform resource locators (URLs) and determine whether the URLs include a context variable. The device may determine whether to reset a timeout period for the communication session based on a presence of the context variable in the URL. At the client side, the context variable may be attached to URLs that are part of functions configured to automatically access the network device.
US07873992B1

A system for parsing an arbitrary input stream is provided that includes a plurality of parsers 304a-n operable to parse an input stream, each parser corresponding to a unique input structure, and a parser selection agent 300 operable to receive the input stream and select a subset of the plurality of parsers to parse the input stream.
US07873990B2

An information processing apparatus is connectable to a user device over a network. The apparatus includes a processor. The processor transmits, in response to reception of a request for a particular item of content, an identification of a security scheme which is applicable to transmission of the particular item of content in accordance with a license policy. When the item of content can be received by the user device in the security scheme, the processor transmits the item of content in the security scheme.
US07873989B2

An access device includes means for receiving, via a wireless communication link, a key and validity information. The access device also includes wireless communication means for establishing a connection with another party, and for providing the key and validity information to that party. If the key and validity information are determined by the other party to be valid access is provided.
US07873986B2

A communication apparatus includes a first generation unit which sequentially generates image data in accordance with an event occurring due to a change in an operating state of an application program; a difference detecting unit which detects a difference between a plurality of consecutive image data generated by the first generation unit; a second generation unit which generates send data to be sent to the display terminal by compressing to the difference; a message generating unit which generates a message to change the spatial multiplexing number to either one or a plural number according to the change in the operating state of the application program or the difference; and a sending unit which sends the message to the wireless access apparatus prior to sending to the display terminal of the send data generated by the second generation unit.
US07873984B2

A network configuration device or entity has control of defined management and security functions in the network, or in many embodiments, in a Fiber Channel fabric. The network configuration device may control many functions. Foremost, it may control the recognition, operation and succession procedure for network configuration entities. It may also control user configurable options for the network, rules for interaction between other entities in the network, rules governing management-level access to the network, and rules governing management-level access to individual devices in the network. In addition, the network configuration entity may exploit policy sets to implement its control.
US07873973B2

An interactive television program guide system is provided in which the program guide may provide the user with a selectable list of combination categories. Combination categories are composed of multiple simple categories such as sports, news, comedy, movies, children, etc. Program listings are supplied to the program guide. At least some of the program listings are associated with combination categories. A combination category build process may be used to assign combination categories to program listings. The user is able to use the selectable categories list to quickly identify programming of interest.
US07873972B2

In one embodiment, there is provided a method for operating a decoder. The method comprises receiving, on a first channel, an electronic program guide data stream comprising multiple video streams which have been encoded and multiplexed for transmission on the first channel, each video stream comprising a low resolution version of a high resolution video stream which is being simultaneously received on a separate channel; decoding the electronic program guide data stream into frames, each frame defining a mosaic-style image comprising image areas for images in the electronic program guide data stream corresponding to images from each of the multiple video streams; and displaying each of the frames on a display screen coupled to the decoder.
US07873968B2

A position detecting device of an optical drive utilizes a simple wire to connect a CPU of the optical drive to a latch part and a fixing part, such that the latch part, the CPU and the fixing part, which are original parts of the optical drive, form a detecting circuit. When the latch part clasps or releases a tray, the latch part latches or releases the fixing part to close or open the detecting circuit so that the CPU can correctly judge whether the tray enters for positioning, and thus start or shut down the optical drive. In addition, the members such as a flexible cable, a casing and a mainboard may replace parts of the wire to simplify the detecting circuit.
US07873960B2

To package an application and a component to be available for use in connection with the application into a package, a type of the package and a location where the package is to be stored are received, as is a selection of the component to be packaged with the application. For the selected component, at least one packaging-specific object in such component is referred to to determine information on how to package the component in the package and/or how to install the component on the computing device of the user.
US07873959B2

A read-only management object is created to contain information relating to firmware components that can be updated. This information includes a component identifier, a component version and a user-friendly name for the component. The information also includes a state identifier that indicates a state of a device that includes firmware components. Information from the management object can be used by other components as part of a firmware update process. An update management object is dynamically created to deliver an update package to the device. The update package can contain updates to multiple firmware components.
US07873956B2

Disclosed herein are a communication terminal and communication network for partially updating software, a software update method, and a software creation device and method therefor. The software is divided into a plurality of areas each having a predetermined size, and unique identification keys are assigned to the areas of the software, respectively. A search is made for at least one changed area among the areas of the software on the basis of version information of the software or the identification keys, and data of the changed area is downloaded to upgrade the software. Therefore, it is possible to shorten an upgrade time of the software.
US07873952B2

A code, which may be a post-link binary or a pre-link object file, can be transformed to optimize code fragments that implement loading a constant from memory. A constant loading code fragment includes address computing operations that compute (or copy) an address representation of a constant for consumption by a memory access operation, and the memory access operation that loads the constant. Information from control flow analysis, data flow analysis, and binary structure/configuration analysis are examined to identify code fragments of a code that implement constant loading. A tool transforms the code to convert the identified code fragments. To optimize, the tool may convert operations, eliminate operations, convert indirect calls to direct calls, inline functions called indirectly, eliminate unused constant data, modify relocations, etc. This optimization can also be applied recursively. The same tool or another tool can subsequently analyze the transformed code one more times to identify additional opportunities for optimizations revealed by the transformation or to apply the transformation for a different profile of the application.
US07873951B1

A Java code directive automatically defines the fields declaring methods in delegation objects such that the compiler generates the corresponding delegation signatures and/or headers. The configurations define a predetermined sequence, or annotation, of compiler interpreted instructions to identify a class as a delegation class from an invoking object, and generate the required signature, or header in the invoking object. The resulting signature satisfies the compiler restriction to implement each method in the delegation class. Particular methods for which a specific implementation is desired may then be superceded or supplemented by specific coded instructions in the invoking object. In this manner, a developer need not manually code the implementation, or signature (so-called “boilerplate code), for each method in a delegated object (class).
US07873950B2

A technique in accordance with one embodiment of the invention automatically generates class interfaces for regular expressions based on graphs that correspond to the regular expressions. According to one embodiment of the invention, a graph is automatically generated based on a regular expression. Strongly connected components within the graph are automatically identified. For each strongly connected component within the graph, a separate method is generated within a class interface for the regular expression. In one embodiment of the invention, if a strongly connected component contains a cycle, then the method corresponding to that strongly connected component is generated to return a List of “T,” where “T” is a type that is as specific as the contents of the strongly typed component permit.
US07873945B2

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for automatically generating test cases for binary code. Embodiments of the present invention can automatically generate test inputs for systematically covering program execution paths within binary code. By monitoring program execution of the binary code on existing or random test cases, branch predicates on execution paths can be dynamically inferred. These inferred branch predicates can then be used to drive the program along previously unexplored execution paths, enabling the learning of further execution paths. Embodiments of the invention can be used in combination with other analysis and testing techniques to provide better test coverage and expose program errors.
US07873937B2

A system has been developed for simulating, verifying, inspecting, characterizing, determining and/or evaluating the lithographic designs, techniques and/or systems, and/or individual functions performed thereby or components used therein. In one embodiment, the system accelerates lithography simulation, inspection, characterization and/or evaluation of the optical characteristics and/or properties, as well as the effects and/or interactions of lithographic systems and processing techniques. In this regard, in one embodiment, the system employs a lithography simulation system architecture, including application-specific hardware accelerators, and a processing technique to accelerate and facilitate verification, characterization and/or inspection of a mask design, for example, RET design, including detailed simulation and characterization of the entire lithography process to verify that the design achieves and/or provides the desired results on final wafer pattern. The system includes: (1) general purpose-type computing device(s) to perform the case-based logic having branches and inter-dependency in the data handling and (2) accelerator subsystems to perform a majority of the computation intensive tasks.
US07873929B2

Method and apparatus for designing an integrated circuit. A new layout is generated for at least one standard cell that incorporates an auxiliary pattern on a gate layer to facilitate cell-based optical proximity correction. An original placement solution is modified for a plurality of standard cells to permit incorporation of cells containing auxiliary patterns while improving an objective function of a resulting placement solution for the plurality of standard cells.
US07873923B2

Power gating logic cones is described. In one embodiment a method includes synthesizing logic for an integrated circuit (IC) design; identifying low switching nodes within the logic that switch less than a threshold; determining a potential power gating cone (PGC) based on the identified low switching nodes; determining a power gating logic expression for the potential PGC that includes a minimum set of inputs to the potential PGC that are least switching; determining whether energy savings using the power gating logic expression meets a criteria; and accepting the potential PGC in response to meeting the criteria.
US07873920B2

Methods and systems for displaying a network structure using force-directed layout are provided. The network includes a plurality of nodes, each node including an associated slack parameter having a value. The method including selecting a central time-directed axis, positioning each network node along the axis using the associated slack parameter value of the network node to determine a distance from the central time-directed axis, and applying force-directed computations to sets of concurrent nodes.
US07873917B2

Some embodiments provide a method for locking in a mathematical relationship between a set of at least two parameters in a computer program. The method selects a first parameter. The method defines a mathematical relationship that ties the value of the first parameter to the value of a second parameter. In some embodiments, the mathematical relationship can be a mathematical function, a Boolean function, or a lookup table. The relationship could be directly entered by the user, or the computer program itself could derive it from the user's actions. In some embodiments, the first parameter can be locked to the mathematical relationship. The lock prevents the value of that parameter from being changed, except by changing the value of the second parameter. Some embodiments implement this method by using a GUI with an intuitive set of controls.
US07873916B1

A method for providing visual cues to a user of a graphical user interface (GUI) for a computer system is disclosed. The visual cues indicate a relationship with an icon having text and/or image elements. In some embodiments, the method receives a color for labeling an icon that has a text-element and an image-element. The method applies the color to a background-region of the text-element of the icon without applying the color to the image-element. In some embodiments, the method does not affect the font of the text. In some embodiments, the method receives a selection of an icon. The icon has a background-region that has a first color. The method changes the first color of the background-region to a second color but retains the first color in a section of the background-region. In some of these embodiments, the method outlines the section of the background-region with a third color.
US07873898B2

A user interface component receives an input error message. A query enhancer component derives error messages from the input error messages using error pattern(s) representative of the input error message and error sub-pattern(s) of the error pattern(s). A result aggregator component inputs each error message to search engines, receives search results, aggregates the search results, and provides the search results to the user interface. The enhancer component may include a pattern composer component to locate error patterns representative of the input error message, and a sub-pattern generator component to derive error sub-patterns from the error patterns. The aggregator component may determine whether the search results are in agreement with a predetermined criterion. If not, the aggregator component may request the enhancer component to provide additional error messages to input to the search engines. This process can be iteratively repeated until the search results are in agreement with the predetermined criterion.
US07873893B2

A method and apparatus for turbo encoding with a contention-free interleaver is provided herein. During operation an input block of size K′ is received. The original input block and the interleaved input block are encoded to obtain a codeword block, wherein the original input block is interleaved using an interleaver of size K′ and a permutation π(i)=(f1×i+f2×i2)mod K′, where 0≦i≦K′−1 is the sequential index of the symbol positions after interleaving, π(i) is the symbol index before interleaving corresponding to position i, K′ is the interleaver size in symbols, and f1 and f2 are the factors defining the interleaver. The values of K′, f1, f2 are taken from at least one row of a table. The codeword block is transmitted through the channel.
US07873891B2

A test circuit and programmable voltage divider that may be used in the test circuit. The programmable voltage divider develops a voltage difference signal that may be digitally selected. The test circuit may be used to test and characterize sense amplifiers. The programmable voltage divider develops a signal with a selected polarity and magnitude that is provided to a sense amplifier being tested. The sense amplifier is set and its output latched. The latch contents are checked against an expected value. The difference voltage may be changed and the path retested to find passing and failing points.
US07873884B2

An RF/Microwave on-chip signal source for testing an integrated circuit embedded in a substrate is provided. The signal source includes an on-chip antenna embedded in the substrate to receive a signal from a signal source external to the substrate. The signal source also includes a frequency divider circuit also embedded in the substrate. The frequency divider converts one or more frequencies of the signal into an operating frequency of the integrated circuit, the signal at the operating frequency of the integrated circuit defining an on-chip test signal. The signal source further includes one or more output buffers embedded in the substrate to provide a signal interface with the integrated circuit.
US07873882B2

Some embodiments of the invention include a memory device has a number of memory segments connected to a supply source through a supply control circuit. The supply control circuit isolates a selected memory segment from the supply source when the selected memory segment is defective. The memory device replaces a defective memory segment with a redundant segment. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07873876B2

An image forming device which enables a user to determine a diagnostic item and to perform a system diagnosis easily. The image forming device includes a storage unit to store information corresponding to diagnostic items and keyword information for the respective diagnostic items, an input unit to receive an input of at least one input device, and a control unit to search for information corresponding to a diagnostic item stored in the storage unit which corresponds to the at least one input keyword if the at least one keyword is inputted, and performing a system diagnosis of the image forming device.
US07873874B2

A system for testing a processor. The system includes a gold processor and a test access port (TAP). A processor that is a under test (DUT) is coupled to both the gold processor and the TAP. Test signals are simultaneously provided to both the gold processor and the DUT such that the gold processor and the DUT operate in synchronous functional lockstep. The TAP may also input test signals into the gold processor and DUT simultaneously and access data from each of these processors through separate test data out (TDO) connections. Test output data accessed from the gold processor may be compared to test output data accessed from the DUT to determine if any differences are present. The comparison data generated may then be used for analysis purposes.
US07873864B2

A system and method for controlling peer-to-peer remote copy (PPRC) operations initiated from one or more host devices that desire to store data contents written to a first storage system to a second storage system over a communications link. The system enables receipt and generation of copy services commands from host devices and the determination of whether a received command pertains to a copy service over an established PPRC relationship for that particular customer to enable that customer to perform storage operations effecting data written to a first storage server having source volumes and stored in a remote second storage system having target volumes. The copy services command effecting data contents of source volumes and/or remote target volumes will be enabled if it is determined that said PPRC relationship is already established for that customer; and, prevented if the received copy services command does effect any volume not already in a copy services relationship.
US07873856B2

The single chip microcontroller unit includes a processing unit having normal power mode of operation and a low power mode of operation. Analog circuitry and digital circuitry are connected to the processing unit. Monitoring circuitry determines if a chip supply voltage level exceeds a threshold level necessary to maintain operation of the digital circuitry.
US07873852B2

A logical battery partitioning approach is disclosed. In one embodiment, a power management system in a portable computing device having a plurality of subsystems can include: (i) a battery coupled to a plurality of subsystems; (ii) a first battery variable provided to a first subsystem to indicate a characteristic of a first logical battery partition; and (iii) a second battery variable provided to a second subsystem to indicate a characteristic of a second logical battery partition. A battery variable can include an accessibility control, or a percent of battery power available, for example.
US07873851B1

A method is used in powering disk drive spinup. A disk drive is powered with a primary power source and is temporarily powered with a secondary power source in addition to the primary power source. The secondary power source powers the disk drive when the disk drive is spinning up.
US07873846B2

In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for receiving a request for power-up of a first blade of a chassis, enabling the first blade to power-up in a reduced boot mode and receiving a communication including characteristic information and policy information associated with the first blade, and analyzing the characteristic information and the policy information to determine a policy and a boot configuration for the first blade. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07873827B2

There is provided a communication systems in which a public key certificate is easily updated. The administration PC transmits SSL communication request to the print server which is searched by the print server search broadcast. If the server certificate (public key certificate) received from the print server at the time of SSL handshake is determined to be likely to expire, the CSR create request and the CSR parameters are transmitted to the print server. The print server creates CSR based on the received CSR parameters, and transmits the CSR to the administration PC. The administration PC transmits the received CSR to the CA. The CA generates the server certificate based on the received, and transmits the CSR to the administration PC 20. The administration PC transmits the certificate install request and the server certificate to the print server. The print server updates the server certificate by installing the received server certificate.
US07873826B2

A method and system to rout a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call based on a service class of a subscriber enables efficient utilization of bandwidth by providing service corresponding to the subscriber service class, while enabling use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) which provides security to a VoIP service. The method includes: determining a service class of a subscriber upon packet data being received from the subscriber; determining whether the received current packet is packet data to be routed over an encrypted network or a non-encrypted network, based on the service class of the subscriber; encrypting the received packet data with an encryption processor and then routing the encrypted packet data to a final destination with a router upon a determination that the received packet data is to be routed over the encrypted network; and directly routing the received packet data to the final destination with the router without encrypting the received packet data upon a determination that the received packet data is to be routed over the non-encrypted network without being encrypted.
US07873825B2

A method of using the Host Identity Protocol (HIP) to at least partially secure communications between a first host operating in a first network environment and a second, HIP-enabled, host operating in a second network environment, with a gateway node forming a gateway between the two environments. An identifier is associated with the first host, stored at the gateway node, and sent to the first host. The identifier is then used as a source address in a subsequent session initiation message sent from the first host to the gateway node, having an indication that the destination of the message is the second host. The stored identifier at the gateway node is then used to negotiate a secure HIP connection to the second host. The first network environment may be a UMTS or GPRS environment, in which case the gateway node may be a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN).
US07873823B2

A large bit width multiplier with multiple copies of a core small bit width multiplier and ROM cells. The present invention provides a power system that trades off processing speed against power dissipation. The present invention reduces power dissipation to about half of the best industry implementation at about half the speed. Its power dissipation is 10% of another industry standard implementation at 1.5 times the speed. The present invention has a gate count that is about twice the gate count for these implementations.
US07873821B2

The present invention provides a system and method for a modular and enhanced kernel device manager (KDM). KDM is passed control during POST after Enhanced Device Initialization Manager (eDIM) has performed device initialization. KDM configures and manages all the devices enumerated by the eDIM. KDM groups these devices into Input Device, Output Device and/or Storage Device classifications and links them with proper class specific kernel (Input Kernel, Output Kernel, and Storage Kernel) through an Input Pipe, Output Pipe, and/or Storage Pipe.
US07873812B1

The new system provides for efficient implementation of matrix multiplication in a SIMD processor. The new system provides ability to map any element of a source vector register to be paired with any element of a second source vector register for vector operations, and specifically vector multiply and vector-multiply-accumulate operations to implement a variety of matrix multiplications without the additional permute or data re-ordering instructions. Operations such as DCT and Color-space transformations for video processing could be very efficiently implemented using this system.
US07873810B2

A modular subtraction instruction for execution on a microprocessor having at least one register. The instruction includes opcode bits for designating the instruction and operand bits for designating at least one register storing an offset index, a decrement value, and an address index. When the modular subtraction instruction is executed on the microprocessor, the address index is modified by the decrement value if the address index is not zero and is modified by the offset index if the address index is zero. For example, the address index is repeatedly decremented using the decrement value until it reaches zero, and then the address index is reset back to the offset index. The operand bits may include multiple fields identifying multiple registers selected from the general purpose registers of the microprocessor. The modular subtraction instruction enables access to a buffer in memory in circular fashion by virtue of its operation.
US07873807B1

Methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media for relocating a program module executing within a PEI phase from a NVRAM to a RAM are provided. According to one method, a program module is executed from NVRAM prior to RAM being initialized in the PEI phase. While the program module is executing from the NVRAM, it is operative to store an in-memory entry point in a hand-off block. When the RAM is initialized and becomes available in the PEI phase, the in-memory entry point for the module is retrieved from the hand-off block. The RAM address of the in-memory entry point is then calculated, and the program module is executed from the RAM at the calculated in-memory entry point.
US07873805B2

Nearline disaster recovery (“nearline DR”) storage systems and methods that permit the use of previously restored stored data from a near time period by virtual applications operating off a backup storage location during the period of disaster recovery at a primary site. This is generally referred to as a “nearline DR storage process.”
US07873804B2

An apparatus, method, and computer program for facilitating disaster recovery of a first computer system, wherein first data residing on a first storage device associated with the first computer system is recoverable from second data residing on a second storage device associated with a second computer system and wherein the second storage device is operable to have an associated state of powered up or powered down. A receiver receives an update operation for updating the second storage device. A processor updates a non-volatile storage means with the update operation, prior to update of the second storage device, wherein the non-volatile storage means is associated with the second computer system.
US07873788B1

A re-fetching cache memory improves efficiency of a processor, for example by reducing power consumption and/or by advantageously sharing the cache memory. When the cache memory is disabled or temporarily used for another purpose, a data portion of the cache memory is flushed, and some or all of a tag portion is saved in an archive. In some embodiments, the tag portion operates “in-place” as the archive, and in further embodiments, is placed in a reduced-power mode. When the cache memory is re-enabled or when the temporary use completes, optionally and/or selectively, the tag portion is repopulated from some or all of the archive, and the data portion is re-fetched according to the repopulated tag portion. The re-fetching is optionally performed in a cache coherent fashion. According to various embodiments, processor access to the cache is enabled during one or more of: the saving; the repopulating; and the re-fetching.
US07873786B1

A compression device recognizes patterns of data and compressing the data, and sends the compressed data to a decompression device that identifies a cached version of the data to decompress the data. Both the compression device and the decompression device cache the data in packets they receive. Each device has a disk, on which each device writes the data in the same order. The compression device looks for repetitions of any block of data between multiple packets or datagrams that are transmitted across the network. The compression device encodes the repeated blocks of data by replacing them with a pointer to a location on disk. The decompression device receives the pointer and replaces the pointer with the contents of the data block that it reads from its disk.
US07873783B2

Mapping management information denoting the mapping of a first host and first host volume and a second host and second host volume is prepared beforehand. First-path-redundancy information, which is related to the redundancy of a first path of the first host volume, is acquired, and a second host volume and second host mapped to this first host volume and the first host thereof are specified by referencing the mapping management information. The redundancy of a second path, which links the specified second host volume and a second storage volume, is decided based on the first-path-redundancy information. Second-path-redundancy information, which is related to the decided second-path redundancy, is outputted to configure the decided second-path redundancy in the above-mentioned specified second host.
US07873779B2

Methods and apparatuses are presented for memory page size auto detection. A method for automatically determining a page size of a memory device includes receiving page size extents of the memory device, determining a bus width of the memory device, detecting a number of pages having an automatic detection marker, and determining the page size of the memory device based upon the detected number of pages and the received page size extents. An apparatus for automatically determining page size detection includes logic for performing the above presented method.
US07873776B2

A multiple-core processor with support for multiple virtual processors. In one embodiment, a processor may include a cache including a number of cache banks, a number of processor cores and core/bank mapping logic coupled to the cache banks and processor cores. During a first mode of processor operation, each of the processor cores may be configurable to access any of the cache banks, and during a second mode of processor operation, the core/bank mapping logic may be configured to implement a plurality of virtual processors within the processor. A first virtual processor may include a first subset of the processor cores and a first subset of the banks, and a second virtual processor may include a second subset of the processor cores and a second subset of the cache banks. Subsets of processor cores and cache banks included in the first and second virtual processors may be distinct.
US07873773B2

A circuit arrangement, method and apparatus utilize communication links that are selectively configurable to operate in both unidirectional and bidirectional modes to communicate data between multiple nodes that are interconnected to one another in a daisy chain configuration. As a result, in many instances communications may be maintained with nodes located both before and after a discontinuity in a daisy chain configuration.
US07873770B2

In one embodiment, an input/output memory management unit (IOMMU) comprises a control register and control logic coupled to the control register. The control register is configured to store a base address of a device table, wherein a given input/output (I/O) device has an associated device identifier that selects a first entry in the device table. The first entry comprises a pointer to an interrupt remapping table. The control logic is configured to remap an interrupt specified by an interrupt request received by the IOMMU from the given I/O device if the interrupt remapping table includes an entry for the interrupt.
US07873757B2

A direct memory access controller for controlling data transfer between a plurality of data sources and a plurality of data destinations is disclosed. The plurality of data sources and data destinations communicate with the direct memory access controller via a plurality of channels, the direct memory access controller further communicates with a memory and a processor. The memory stores two sets of control data for each of the plurality of channels and for the processor. The direct memory access controller is responsive to a data transfer request received from one of said plurality of channels or from said processor to access one set of said corresponding control data stored in said memory, said direct memory access performing at least a portion of said data transfer requested in dependence upon said accessed control data.
US07873756B2

This invention increases the design efficiency of an upper layer such as a job control means. To accomplish this, an image processing apparatus having a plurality of types of external interfaces (a USB and LAN) different in protocol has an external interface adaptor 203 which dynamically allocates external interfaces as objects of processing to lower layer IDs within a predetermined range, and a job controller 202 which controls execution of various types of jobs by using the lower layer IDs, and a value which the lower layer ID can take is constant regardless of the type of external interface.
US07873755B2

A method for controlling a reproduction device which reproduces data held in a USB device connected to a USB terminal is provided. The method includes: detecting that the USB device is connected to the USB terminal; transmitting a call to the USB device, if the connection of the USB device is detected; detecting, during a first waiting time, a response from the USB device to the call transmitted to the USB device; detecting, during a second waiting time, different from the first waiting time, a response from the USB device to the call transmitted to the USB device, if the response from the USB device is not detected during the first waiting time; and reproducing the data held in the USB device, if the response from the USB device is detected during the first waiting time or during the second waiting time.
US07873754B2

A design structure embodied in a machine readable storage medium for designing, manufacturing, and/or testing a design is disclosed for option ROM characterization by establishing an isolating execution environment for an expansion adapter of a computer, the adapter having an option ROM containing initialization code for the adapter, executing the initialization code for the expansion adapter in the isolating execution environment, identifying operating characteristics of the option ROM, including characteristics of the option ROM unavailable prior to execution of the initialization code in the isolating execution environment, and allocating virtual memory address space in a normal execution environment of the computer to the option ROM of the expansion adapter in dependence upon the identified operating characteristics of the option ROM.
US07873749B2

Disclosed is a scalable, hierarchical, distributed network architecture and processes for the delivery of high-performance, end-to-end online multimedia services, including Internet services such as World Wide Web access. The network architecture connects a high-speed private backbone to multiple network access points of the Internet, to a network operation center, to a back office system, and to multiple regional servers in regional data centers. Each of the regional servers connects to several caching servers in modified head-ends, which in turn connect via fiber optics to many neighborhood nodes. Finally, each node connects via coaxial cable to multiple end-user systems. The processes include those for replicating and caching frequently-accessed content, and multicasting content customized per region or locality.
US07873738B2

The present method provides for a session initiation protocol timing arrangement which facilitates instant communications in a packet data communication system (50). Each network server (15-25) sets a time out timer (92) which is coordinated with each of the downstream network servers. Network server (15), for example, sets a time out timer value which is selectable by the system operator. Subsequent network servers (20 and 25) then set the value of the time out timer to be that of the originating server (15) or client (10) less a fixed time such as one second. Further, a provisional message (118) is sent through the network to avoid expiration of the time out timer in upstream stages.
US07873730B2

A method and system for collaborative computing environment access restriction and orphan data management is provided in the form of establishment and implementation of a data handling policy in which the data handling policy for one of a person and a role is stored on a computer storage medium. The data handing policy is implemented in the collaborative computing environment by providing access to data in accordance with the established data handling policy. Access to the data handling policy is provided to a person affected by the data handling policy in which the access to the data handling policy includes allowing the affected person to view the data handling policy.
US07873726B2

A terminal adapter, along with a value added network, is disclosed that interworks a plurality of terminals with a processing host to accomplish transaction processing. The terminals can use different protocols and typically incorporate card readers for completing financial or other types of transactions typically involving credit, debit, ATM or similar cards. The terminal adapter provides reliable and secure communication using a network based in part on the Internet as a primary form of communication. The terminal adapter also provides a secondary communication path in the event of a failure of the primary communication path, as well as automatic recognition of different terminal protocols, various security functions, error detection, and other network administration functions to ensure a flexible system and efficient transaction processing system.
US07873725B2

Attention of a user is direct to content offered via a Web site by monitoring interactions of a user with a currently displayed Web site page to determine if the user has indicated a desire to exit from the currently displayed Web site page. When it is determined that the user has indicated a desire to exit from the currently displayed Web site page, the Web site page is automatically caused to be scrolled to thereby cause a display, for a predetermined period of time, of content that is located in a portion of the Web site page that is not currently being viewed by the user.
US07873722B2

Techniques for interacting with a client process on a mobile device connected to a network over a wireless link includes managing information at a mobile applications server executing on a platform connected to the network. The information includes device profile information about the mobile device. First data is received from an application. The first data describes graphical elements for display on the mobile device. It is determined whether the first data exceeds a capacity of the mobile device based on the device profile information. If it is determined that the first data exceeds the capacity, then a subset of the first data is formed that does not exceed the capacity of the mobile device. The subset of the first data is sent to the client process. If it is determined that an external converter does not convert using a particular format, then a first description of graphical elements is converted internally into a second description using the particular format. Second data including the second description is sent to the client process. These techniques allow network-based services to be made readily available to a wide range of mobile devices without having to explicitly program each application for providing one or more network-based services to support all forms of mobile devices.
US07873715B1

A method and system are provided for optimized instrumentation of web pages in a performance management system. A web server receives a request for a web page from a web client. A callout to a performance management agent is inserted into the requested web page. The web page, including the callout to the agent, is sent to the web client. The web client may use the callout to load the agent by sending a request for the agent to a collector server. The agent may collect performance metrics on the web client and send the performance metrics to the collector server for storage and/or analysis.
US07873714B2

The invention relates to a method for determining the priority of a management object in a device management system comprising management object data in a management tree for maintaining the arranged device management server and management customer device. The contents of sub objects included in at least one management object of the management tree are determined, and thereafter the management server determines a data element comprising the priority data of the sub objects in relation to other sub objects. The data element is attached to the management tree maintained by the management server, and a file definition according to said management tree is sent to a management customer device. The management customer device deassembles the file definitions into management tree form so that the priority data shows the priority data of the sub objects in relation to the other sub objects.
US07873713B2

A DSL customer premises equipment modem (DCPE) avoids the requirement of a flash or other static memory for storing an application image or configuration on the modem. The modem instead stores microcode used to boot its chipset and obtain the application image and/or configuration from a remote site, such as the central office (CO). In one possible startup procedure, this microcode initializes the modem's chipset, starts the DSL driver, establishes a data link with the service provider's CO equipment, and downloads the application image and/or the configuration from the CO. Other types of communications devices, such as cellular phones or other portable devices, can perform a similar procedure to obtain an application image from a remote source, such as a base station.
US07873707B1

A system and method for client-side URL rewriting. In one embodiment the method comprises a client sending a request for content to a client proxy, wherein the request for content comprises a first URL. The client proxy may then rewrite the first URL and redirect the request for content to a reverse proxy server. In such an embodiment, the request for content may be sent to the client proxy based on a proxy configuration of the client. In a further aspect of the method above, rewriting the first URL with the client-side URL rewriter may comprise rewriting the request for content to a second URL, and including an indication of the first URL in the rewritten request for content. Furthermore, the first URL may correspond to an intranet server, while the second URL may correspond to the reverse proxy server.
US07873705B2

The present invention discloses a new method for identifying current content service visited by a mobile device user within a content server through a cellular network. According to this method the received content from the content provider server is parsed for identifying embedded hyperlinks and respective link titles. The parsed content is analyzed for identifying chosen hyperlinks of previous received content, recording thereof and identifying mobile device location within content server site according to the sequence of at least two successive hyperlinks titles.
US07873704B2

A communication management table is provided to a gateway server 400 relaying data communication between Java-enabled MS 600 and Java-enabled CS 200. Gateway server 400 refers to Java application related information included in a request message sent from the Java-enabled MS 600 and to a communication management table stored in gateway server 400, thereby determining whether to permit the communication request. In a case that the communication request is determined to be rejected, gateway server 400 does not transmit the request message RQ to Java-enabled CS 200; instead, the gateway server sends a response message to Java-enabled MS 600, indicating that the communication request will be rejected.
US07873702B2

Efficiency in the operation of a data archive and media life cycle management system is achieved by utilizing multiple system cores to avoid potential failures and appropriately distribute activities, along with multiple communication channels for efficiently moving information. The two system cores operate in a redundant system fail-over mode, thus insuring continuous operation. The two communication channels include different operating characteristics, one cable of low cost communication, while the other capable of higher cost/higher data rate communication. In the application where large amounts of data are moved between components, efficiency is achieved by having the higher cost/higher data rate network move this large amount of information, while the lower data rate/lower cost communication system allows instructions to easily be communicated, thus coordinating operations of the overall system.
US07873696B2

A system and method for servicing user accounts are disclosed. The system includes one or more blades for servicing the user accounts, where each blade includes software components and hardware components, and each blade serves a group of user accounts, a blade manager for managing states of the one or more blades, and logic for incrementally adding one or more new blades in response to increase in the number of new user accounts.
US07873695B2

A method and apparatus for managing connections and messages at a server by associating different actions for both different senders and different recipients is disclosed. The server manages connections from different senders by receiving incoming connections from the different senders and determining sender identifiers for the incoming connections. The server inspects a mapping of sender identifiers to actions to identify which action should be applied to each incoming connection. The server applies the actions, such as accepting the connection, rejecting the connection, relaying the connection, or refusing the connection. Also, the server manages electronic messages for different recipients by determining recipient identifiers for the electronic messages. The server inspects a mapping of recipient identifiers to actions to identify which action should be applied for the recipients of the email messages. The server applies the actions, such as accepting or rejecting the email message for delivery to a recipient.
US07873692B2

A customer submits a service application by accessing the home page of a service provider through a personal computer 3, and transmits the data including the operation amount and the control amount of a temperature controller 4 to a server 2 of the service provider. The server 2 accumulates the received data, and in accordance with the contents of the received service application, processes the accumulated data and provides the services of calculating the control parameter for the temperature controller 4, producing a model of the object of control and making a diagnosis by checking for a temperature control fault.
US07873691B2

A network controller is connected to a peripheral device and to a communication line. The network controller receives a data packet from a management apparatus via the communication line. The network controller identifies a variable to be processed by the network controller and a variable to be processed by the peripheral device in the received data packet. The network controller assembles a data packet with the variable to be processed by the network controller and a data packet with the variable to be processed by the peripheral controller. The network controller sends the data packet with the variable to be processed by the peripheral controller to the peripheral device and causes the peripheral device to process the sent data packet. The network controller processes the data packet with the variable to be processed by the network controller.
US07873688B2

A computer system execute summation processing even if the computing sequence is not adhered to in a system for computing a sum of floating point data of a plurality of nodes. Each node sends floating point data to a reduction mechanism, and the reduction mechanism computes the sums only for a group of which exponent sections have a highest value and a group of which exponent sections have a second highest value, and adds the sum of the group of which the exponent sections have a highest value and the sum of the group of which the exponent sections have a second highest value. By this, the consistency of the computation result can be guaranteed even if the sum is computed regardless the computing sequence of the values.
US07873684B2

Approaches described herein may be used for provisioning of databases that requires a bulk transfer of data within a distributed computing environment, such as a grid. The approaches do not require the manual intervention of a DBA to, for example, transfer a tablespace between the file systems of operating systems. Instead, the tablespaces may be provisioned automatically and dynamically by a grid computing system whenever it determines the need to dynamically provision a database. In addition, as copies of tablespaces are provisioned, synchronization mechanisms can also be automatically provisioned to keep the tablespaces and their copies in sync.
US07873670B2

An example management system comprises an indexing engine, an index store and an example engine. The indexing engine indexes content of source business oriented metadata. The indexing engine has a content scanner for reading the business oriented metadata, and building a content index of the business oriented metadata. The index store stores the content index of the business oriented metadata. The example engine manages logical associations of terms in a query using the content index.
US07873662B2

In order to have operations of a central system executed by a satellite system, a linking structure is located between the central system and the satellite system. The linking structure includes: a communications link between the central system and satellite system; a control card, in the central system, that places said operations in one or more data blocks; and a coupler, in the satellite system, that sends through the link to the control card at least one read command to which the control card responds by sending said data block or blocks through the link to the coupler.
US07873661B2

In a method for controlling access from a first network component to at least one second network component, a unique user identification for a user of the first network component is calculated by the first network component. A request created by the first network component on the basis of an order is transmitted with the unique user identification to the second network component. A rights checking instruction is created by the second network component on the basis of the unique user identification. The rights checking instruction is transmitted by the second network component to the first network component. Access for the user to the second network component is provisioned by the second network component when a transmitted result of a check indicates that the user is authorized for access to the second network component.
US07873659B2

A meta-information storing section records a plurality of pieces of taxonomy data in ranks. A plurality of pieces of leaf meta-data respectively correspond to pieces of the lowest taxonomy data. A database records a plurality of pieces of real data which respectively correspond to pieces of leaf meta-data. A server control section searches for upper taxonomy data corresponding to the keyword included in a search request and acquires lower taxonomy data associated with the upper taxonomy data. The server control section is capable of repeatedly acquiring further lower taxonomy data until the lowest taxonomy data is specified, and as a result, acquiring leaf meta-data. The server control section samples real data corresponding to all of the leaf meta-data from the database and outputs it.
US07873651B2

A method in a server coupled to at least one client for modifying a data mining model for display to a user of the client, the data mining model maintained by the server, the method comprising: receiving a request message from the client to modify the data mining model; generating change definitions from the request message to modify the data mining model; storing the change definitions in a document; and, transmitting the document to the client, the client being adapted to generate a modified data mining model for display to the user from the change definitions.
US07873642B2

A method and apparatus for ontology-based classification of media content are provided. With the method and apparatus, initial confidence values of classifiers in a hierarchical classification structure are modified based on relationships between classifiers. A confidence value for a classifier is boosted by a boosting factor based on a correspondence between the confidence value and confidence values of ancestor classifiers in the hierarchical classification structure. A confidence value for a classifier is modified by a confusion factor based on a correspondence between the confidence value of the classifier and the confidence values of mutually exclusive classifiers in the hierarchical classification structure. In this way, a more accurate representation of the actual confidence that media content falls within the classification associated with the classifier is obtained. From this improved classification mechanism, indices for media content may be generated for use in accessing the media content at a later time.
US07873637B2

An index imparting system is capable of avoiding reconditioning work, automatically generating accurate metadata, and automatically imparting information relevant to a program. The index imparting system is provided with: a control signal detecting section to identify a type of each control signal and an identifier for uniquely specifying each control signal following the detection of various kinds of control signals and obtain time of the detection. An index generating section to generate metadata following the acquisition of a type, an identifier, and time identified at the control signal detecting section and, in the meantime, imparts attribute information to the metadata.
US07873636B2

Under the present invention, a set of filters (e.g., one or more) is associated with a hierarchical tree, which includes sets of namespace nodes, element nodes and variable nodes. Once the set of filters is associated with the hierarchical tree, a network document is parsed and compared to the hierarchical tree to identify a set of corresponding filters. Each corresponding filter is then evaluated based on the network document to determine which, if any, are “satisfied.” The network document is then communicated to the user(s) that correspond to the satisfied filter(s).
US07873635B2

Defeating click-through cloaking includes retrieving a search results page to set a browser variable, inserting a link to a page into the search results page and clicking through to the page using the inserted link. Investigating cloaking includes providing script associated with a suspected spam URL, modifying the script to de-obfuscate the script and executing the modified script to reveal cloaking logic associated with the script.
US07873624B2

Structured content and associated metadata from the Web are leveraged to provide specific answer string responses to user questions. The structured content can also be indexed at crawl-time to facilitate searching of the content at search-time. Ranking techniques can also be employed to facilitate in providing an optimum answer string and/or a top K list of answer strings for a query. Ranking can be based on trainable algorithms that utilize feature vectors for candidate answer strings. In one instance, at crawl-time, structured content is indexed and automatically associated with metadata relating to the structured content and the source web page. At search-time, candidate indexed structured content is then utilized to extract an appropriate answer string in response to a user query.
US07873623B1

Linked documents are ranked by observing link selections for referred documents from referring documents and counting such selections. The counts for each of the link selections are stored at various computer systems of a distributed network, a centralized collection of computers connected through a local network, or a hybrid system (collectively, the “system”) consisting of combinations of distributed and centralized systems, and processed (e.g., using a discrete probability distribution defined by the counts of the link selections) to obtain page ranks for the referred documents. The link selections may be observed by a browser extension running on individual ones of the computer systems of the distributed network and the counts of the link selections may be stored at locations within the system determined by a distributed hash table. Search request results may be displayed in a ranked order as determined by the page ranks.
US07873622B1

Graphical user interfaces that are well suited for displaying search results from multiple search categories are described. In one aspect of the invention, a graphical user interface is provided that includes a window having at least two panes that are arranged to display search results from searches in different search categories. Each pane can be presented in an open state suitable for displaying information and a closed state. A user may adjust the relative sizes of the panes and the user may switch the panes between the open and closed states.
US07873621B1

The present disclosure includes a system and method for embedding advertisements associated with names. In some implementations, a method includes receiving a request for an advertisement to embed in a Web page identifying one or more search results. The search results are based, at least in part, on a name of an individual. One or more advertisements associated with the name of the individual are identified.
US07873617B2

A device for coordinating a machine fleet includes a memory for storing a large number of data records, an interface for communicating with several users who are capable of making changes to the data records, in the case of which each data record represents a given portion of the working capacity of a machine in the machine fleet, and the changes relate to the assignment of the portion of the working capacity represented by the data record to the users making the change, and an administration unit designed to allow a change to be made to a data record by a user requesting the change if the data record is not assigned to any other user and an urgency of the change indicated by the requesting user reaches a threshold specified for the particular portion.
US07873616B2

Methods of inferring user preferences using ontologies use ontology structure based similarity and an inference mechanism in defining ontology filtering (OF). Items are recommended to users by identifying items that the users may prefer, but may not have been aware of. This is performed by computing personalized scores for concepts and selecting an instance having a highest score.
US07873615B2

A system and technique for generating reports dealing with control objects utilizing a central class, such as a control factory class, without redundant use of container and control classes. The central class creates the entire graphical user interface needed in a particular report during the report's initialization. By calling the central class, the programmer does not have to initialize the class and use a special object within the program and simply may provide the central class with two tables: a container table and a control table. The programmer need not provide the actual control and container classes to the central class through the tables. The programmer need only provide the description of the construction of the graphical user interface through the tables.
US07873613B2

An apparatus for providing storage control in a network of storage controllers is disclosed. The apparatus includes an owner storage controller; an I/O performing component, an ownership assignment component, a lock manager and a messaging component. The ownership assignment component assigns ownership of metadata for data to an owner storage controller. The lock manager controls the locking of metadata during I/O. The messaging component passes messages among storage controllers to request metadata state, to grant locks, to request release of locks, and to signal lock release. The I/O is performed on data whose metadata is owned by an owner storage controller, subject to compliance with metadata lock protocols controlled by the owner storage controller, and any copy of the data held from time to time is maintained in a coherency relation with the data.
US07873611B2

Techniques for object relational mapping in database technologies are described herein. According to one embodiment, in response to a query statement for accessing a relational database, a syntax tree is generated to represent semantic information of the query statement, where the query statement has a boolean parameter and is implemented as an SQL object. A data type of the boolean parameter is predicted based on the semantic information obtained from the syntax tree in view of a structure representing the syntax tree. The boolean parameter is configured to be either a numeric value or a string dependent upon metadata used to map the SQL object to the relational database. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.
US07873609B2

Provided is a contents distribution management system and method for supporting a plurality of global servers that provide the contents and managing the contents by applying different policies based on the global server and service type of the contents. The inventive system comprises a plurality of global servers for supplying contents to a plurality of local servers, each global server having a large capacity contents library, and the local servers for managing the contents provided from the global servers based on global servers and service types using contents tables, and providing a contents service in response to a contents streaming service demand from a last terminal using a local contents cache.
US07873606B2

Various embodiments of the invention provide solutions that can offer a consistent framework for tools that assist in the configuration, tuning, and/or troubleshooting of a database and/or an RDBMS. Merely by way of example, one set of embodiments provides a software framework for an advisor component of a database and/or RDBMS. In accordance with some embodiments, the framework might specify a common data model for such advisor components. The data model can include, merely by way of example, a set of one or more findings (which might, in some cases, describe the result of an analysis of a circumstance in the database, RDBMS, and/or a mid-tier application used with the database) and/or a set of one or more recommendations (which might provide suggestions for addressing the circumstance). In particular embodiments. In particular embodiments, the data model might include a set of on or more rationales, which can explain the recommendations. In some cases, the software framework might include a task associated with the advisor component and/or one or more interfaces, which can include, inter alia, user interfaces and/or APIs. Other sets of embodiments can provide methods, systems and/or software programs for implementing an advisor framework.
US07873596B2

An extensible file system format for portable storage media is provided. The extensible file system format includes the specification of primary and secondary directory entry types that may be custom defined. The primary and secondary directory entry types can be further classified as critical and benign directory entries. The directory entry types can define whether a cluster chain corresponding to a file can be contiguously allocated.
US07873589B2

A system for developing and implementing empirically derived algorithms to generate decision rules to predict invalidity of subject reported data and fraud with research protocols in surveys allows for the identification of complex patterns of variables that detect or predict subject invalidity of subject reported data and fraud with the research protocol in the survey. The present invention may also be used to monitor invalidity of subject reported data within a research protocol to determine preferred actions to be performed. Optionally, the invention may provide a spectrum of invalidity, from minor invalidity needing only corrective feedback, to significant invalidity requiring subject removal from the survey. The algorithms and decision rules can also be domain-specific, such as detecting invalidity or fraud among subjects in a workplace satisfaction survey, or demographically specific, such as taking into account gender or age. The algorithms and decision rules may be optimized for the specific sample of subjects being studied.
US07873583B2

A classification system is described for resiliently classifying data. In various embodiments, the classification system constructs a combined classifier based on multiple classifiers that are constructed to classify a set of training data. The combined classifier can be constructed in parallel with the multiple classifiers and applied to classify data.
US07873582B2

An antenna optimum design method according to this invention includes the steps of generating blocks by dividing a metal patch on an antenna element plane vertically and horizontally; setting reference point blocks in alternate blocks and assigning chromosomes to the reference point blocks; determining ways to arrange metal patches in blocks contiguous on one side to the reference point blocks, based on the chromosomes assigned to the reference point blocks; and searching for an optimum chromosomes to be assigned to the reference point blocks by a genetic algorithm to optimize antenna characteristics.
US07873577B1

Database management and security is implemented in a variety of embodiments. In one such embodiment, data sets containing retail transaction information are analyzed using aliases representing transaction card identifiers. In another embodiment, the transaction card identifiers are stored in an encrypted form for use from a secure access, while the alias identifier is available for standard access.
US07873571B1

The funds of a client of a brokerage, are automatically transferred into and retrieved from affiliated banks on an as-needed basis. Funds on deposit at banks are F.D.I.C. insured and earn interest. Multiple banks that are commonly owned and separately chartered and which receive brokerage account funds, enable the brokerage to multiply the F.D.I.C. insurance coverage for client funds. The aggregate amount of funds transferred into affiliated banks is limited to prevent runs on a bank. The funds of a client transferred into each bank is limited to multiply the amount of FDIC insurance that can be provided to each client of a brokerage.
US07873563B2

A system and method for identifying a candidate set of at least one buy order associated with an investment account, determining a back out target value that identifies a fiscal amount by which the candidate set must to be reduced, and progressively decrementing a respective initial asset quantity of one or more buy orders of the candidate set until the back out target value is achieved at a final asset quantity of the one or more buy orders. The candidate set of buy orders can then be modified by replacing the respective initial asset quantity with the respective final asset quantity for at least one of the one or more buy orders. The modified candidate set of buy orders can then be provided for trade execution.
US07873560B2

A system for automated transaction compliance processing comprises a list server providing access to one or more lists of securities with trading restrictions and a rules engine which processes compliance requests to determine if, based upon the relationship between the requesting party and the company on behalf the compliance is being performed, the transaction is permissible. Compliance determinations are made using a set of predefined compliance rules. When a request is evaluated, a compliance rule set indicating which rules are to be evaluated at that time is generated in accordance with a party profile indicating the relationship between the party and the company. A message indicating whether or not the transaction complies with trading restrictions is then returned. The system can be stand-alone or integrated with an electronic trading system. The compliance processor can also be used to analyze reports to ensure that the report contents comply with confidentiality requirements prior to public release of the report.
US07873557B2

A method and system for integrating and managing information, documents, and compliance among financial professionals, financial professional clients, and financial professional supervisors. The method and system of the invention considers all information necessary for a financial professional to run their business and includes information relevant to the client and supervisor. This information includes full information management, electronic file management, compliance management, broker/dealer oversight, portfolio management, calendar management, and communications management. This information is presented to the financial professional, client, and supervisor in distinct yet integrated modules. Additionally, the method and system of the present invention offers tools for the financial professional, client, and supervisor that are relevant to their respective needs.
US07873551B2

A method for conducting a review including the step of detecting a payment request from a vendor; generating a review based on the payment request; and, transmitting a reference to the review to a customer, wherein the reference provides a link to retrieve the review. A system for performing the method is also described.
US07873548B2

A method of placing an order for a custom stamp, including purchasing a standard stamp mount where each stamp mount has associated with it a separate discreet identifier. Under control of a client system, information for ordering the custom stamp is displayed and a request to order the custom stamp is sent using the separate discreet identifier to a server system. Under control of the server system, the request is received and additional information previously stored and identified by the identifier is retrieved. Under control of the client system, a custom impression is designed and previewed. Under control of an ordering component of the server system, the request is received and identifying information to identify a purchaser is requested. An order to produce the custom impression for the purchaser is generated. Under control of a manufacturing component of the server system, the generated order to complete the purchase of the custom impression is fulfilled, and the custom impression is mailed to the purchaser.
US07873547B2

An enhanced shopping system for facilitating grocery shopping and in-store advertising is disclosed. The system utilizes uniquely changes (1) the way grocery retail industry captures and retains customers, (2) how customers organize their shopping efforts in grocery stores, (3) the approach to advertising and reaching customers, and (4) the information available to retailers and merchandisers related to customer (a) shopping patterns, (b) responses to merchandising and advertising, and (c) specific impact of discounting/coupons.
US07873541B1

The present invention relates to a method and system for aggregating advertising pricing data and providing that data to one or more clients. This data may be provided to the client in the form of various reports that allow a client to gauge the advertisement market more accurately and make a better informed decision when deciding to purchase advertisements. In one embodiment, a client is also able to access forecasting reports that predict the future of the advertisement market so that the client can more accurately make a decision about purchasing advertisement slots in advance.
US07873540B2

A method of obtaining payer authorization for a purchase instrument transaction with a customer includes using a wireless device of a merchant to contact a virtual terminal service to process the transaction, entering transaction information into the wireless device, which transaction information includes an account identifier relating to the purchase instrument of the customer, forwarding the transaction information from the wireless device to the virtual terminal service, receiving at the wireless device a request from the virtual terminal service to receive payer authorization information from the customer, receiving the payer authorization directly from the customer into the wireless device of the merchant, forwarding the payer authorization from the wireless device to the virtual terminal service, and receiving an approval message from the virtual terminal service at the wireless device of the merchant.
US07873533B2

An employment recruiting communications system selectively employs language translation to support multi-cultural communications.
US07873532B2

A method for determining whether secondary activities (activities that can be executed during system “down time”) should be executed at a time, and executing at least one of the secondary activities according to a priority or interrupt scheme. The invention monitors a threshold, which can be based on several factors, to determine when system conditions are such that secondary activities should be conducted. When system conditions are such that secondary activities should occur, the invention conducts secondary activities according to an interrupt scheme.
US07873513B2

There is provided a method of transcoding an Enhance Full Rate (EFR) 12.2 Kbps encoded frame into an Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) 12.2 Kbps encoded frame, where the method comprises receiving the EFR 12.2 Kbps encoded frame from a first codec; determining if the EFR 12.2 Kbps encoded frame is a Silence Insertion Descriptor (SID) frame; if the EFR 12.2 Kbps encoded frame is determined to be the SID frame, the method further comprises transcoding the EFR SID frame. There is also provided a method of transcoding an EFR 12.2 Kbps encoded frame into an AMR 12.2 Kbps encoded frame, where the method comprises receiving the AMR 12.2 Kbps encoded frame from a first codec; determining if the AMR 12.2 Kbps encoded frame is an SID frame; if the AMR 12.2 Kbps encoded frame is determined to be the SID frame, the method further comprises transcoding the AMR SID frame.
US07873509B1

A memory system for storing and retrieving experience and knowledge with natural language through methods and apparatus is disclosed. The primary components of this memory system include syntactic processes, function word processes, ellipsis processes, morphology processes, meaning word sense number processes, purpose identification processes, plausibility and expectedness processes, communication processes, context storage processes, and text generation processes. The function word processes select and evaluate functions associated with function words which are certain words in each part of speech. Ellipsis processes replace unstated words. Morphology processes replace morphological words with phrases or clauses composed of function words and word sense numbers. A word sense number is an address to the meaning of a word. Certain nouns, verbs, and adjectives are meaning words. Word sense numbers are selected to be consistent with the context of the clause containing the words, the context, and stored experience and knowledge. Experience and knowledge are stored as nodes with associated clause implying word sense numbers organized into paths in a directed graph. Nodes in the directed graph have access conditions which determine if a node is accessible on a path. A path has an associated purpose relation which is any concept that labels the path. Purpose identification processes select: purpose relations, experience and knowledge, processes for setting a verb's result states or a state value, object classification paths, and activity selection paths. The communication processes coordinate incoming and outgoing natural language text. Text generation processes generate natural language text from word sense numbers.
US07873508B2

A communication support apparatus includes a speech recognizer that recognizes a first speech of a source language as a first source language sentence, and recognizes a second speech of the source language following the first speech as a second source language sentence; a determining unit that determines whether the second language sentence is similar to the first language sentence; and a language converter that translates the first source language sentence into a first translation sentence, and translates the second source language sentence into a second translation sentence different from the first translation sentence when the determining unit determines that the second language sentence is similar to the first language sentence.
US07873504B1

Computer-implemented methods, carrier media, and systems for creating a metrology target structure design for a reticle layout are provided. One computer-implemented method for creating a metrology target structure design for a reticle layout includes simulating how one or more initial metrology target structures will be formed on a wafer at different values of one or more parameters of one or more fabrication processes that will be used to form a metrology target structure on the wafer based on the one or more fabrication processes, one or more parameters of the wafer, and one or more initial metrology target structure designs. The method also includes simulating one or more spectra that will be produced by a predetermined metrology system configuration for each of the simulated one or more initial metrology target structures. In addition, the method includes creating the metrology target structure design based on the one or more spectra.
US07873492B2

In a method for determining a compaction degree of a surface segment, the following steps are provided: passing over the deposited layer of the surface segment to be compacted, determining positional data of a position of the compacting machine, defining a current partial surface of the surface segment of the deposited layer, the current partial surface possibly consisting of a plurality of subsegments which have already been passed over, measuring and/or picking up parameters at the position of the compacting machine, and storing the parameters together with the position data, assigning the parameters to the current partial surface or to all subsegments of the current partial surface, computing, from the parameters, a current compaction degree for the current partial surface or each subsegment of the current partial surface.
US07873491B2

In an AC magnetic tracker one or more multi-axis field sources, each operating at a different frequency, or frequency set, are detected and tracked in three-dimensional space, even when wireless or otherwise not physically connected to the tracking system. Multiple sources can be tracked simultaneously as they each operate with their own unique detectable set of parameters. The invention not only provides the ability to uniquely identify one or more sources by their frequencies, but also to synchronize with these frequencies in order to measure signals that then allow tracking the position and orientation (P&O) of the source(s). Further, these sources need not be present at the time of system start-up but can come and go while being detected, discriminated and tracked. It also should be noted that application of such systems in multiples with more sensors not synchronized to a source or sources also could be employed to give the reverse appearance of a known source phase and incoherency with the sensors.
US07873490B2

A Solar Access Measurement Device (“SAMD”) located at a predetermined position is disclosed. The SAMD may include a skyline detector enabled to detect a skyline of a horizon relative to the SAMD, an orientation determination unit enabled to determine the orientation of the skyline detector, and a processor in signal communication with the skyline detector and orientation determination unit.
US07873487B2

A position detecting device for a motor includes a resolver, amplifiers and a microcomputer. The microcomputer corrects an amplified sine wave signal to have the same amplitude in both positive and negative polarities, and corrects an amplified cosine wave signal to have the same amplitude in both positive and negative polarities. The microcomputer further corrects the corrected sine wave signal or the corrected cosine wave signal to have the same amplitude therebetween. The rotation position is determined accurately based on the sine wave signal and the cosine wave signal of the same amplitude, even if the amplifiers have different operation characteristics.
US07873477B1

Methods and systems for providing biological results in the form of systematically varied libraries of sequences or as data representing sequences or physical preparations of systematically varied libraries and/or selections from systematically varied libraries.
US07873471B2

A vehicle navigation system includes an adaptive routing module (210) that allows a user to provide inputs that influence routes that are calculated to predetermined destinations. A route calculation module (204) executed by a navigation server (102) is operable to calculate a first route from the trip origin to the trip destination. An adaptive route calculation (204) executed by the navigation server (102) is operable to allow the user to enter a user modification of the first route. After the user modification is entered by the user, a second route to the trip destination is calculated as a function of the user modification. The second route is then transmitted to a vehicle navigation system (104).
US07873470B2

A map moving apparatus capable of performing desired map movement by a simple input operation without requiring a continuous operation by a user in moving a map screen display region is disclosed. An operated direction, an operated position, an operated speed and the like are detected from an input operation that a user performs on the map screen display region, and a map screen display region input shape recognizing section recognizes an input shape. A polygon shape identifying section extracts data having substantially the same shape as the recognized input shape from polygon data in map display data by using a matching method. When data having substantially the same shape exists, a type of the polygon is identified. In a movement mode selecting section, the movement of a screen map reverses direction when it reaches an end portion in the case where the polygon type is a linear shape, and the movement circulates to continue movement of the map screen where the type is a ring shape with no end portion. In the case where guidance information is detected during the movement of the map, guidance is provided on a screen or by voice.
US07873469B2

A method for moving a mobile drive unit within a workspace includes receiving a path. The path includes at least an initial segment and one or more additional segments. The initial segment includes a portion of the path adjacent to the first point; and at least one of the additional segments includes a portion of the path adjacent to the second point. The method further includes storing the path, reserving the initial segment of the path, and moving away from the first point along the initial segment. After initiating movement along the initial segment, the method includes reserving each of the additional segments of the path and moving toward the second point along each of the additional segments while that segment is reserved.
US07873462B2

A method for operating a speed-controlled internal combustion engine, including regulating the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine, information concerning a torque to be set being provided as a manipulated variable, limiting the manipulated variable according to a torque limiting value in order to obtain a limited manipulated variable, activating the internal combustion engine as a function of the limited manipulated variable, and increasing the air volume fed to the internal combustion engine for achieving the torque to be set irrespective of the torque limiting value.
US07873459B2

A method of controlling a vehicle that includes determining a dynamic normal load for the vehicle wheel, modifying the requested torque signal from a traction control system in response to the dynamic normal load to form a modified requested torque and controlling the engine in response to the modified requested torque. The controlling may be performed using the ratio of the dynamic normal load and the steady state normal load to form the modified requested torque.
US07873451B2

An air supply mechanism for a vehicle seat comprises a control device for driving a fan and a heating element connected downstream of the fan. When the vehicle is unlocked, a vehicle door is opened and/or a folding-top switch is actuated in order to open the folding-top, the control device causes a heating element to be preconditioned. When there is a switching-on signal for the air supply mechanism, the control device ends the preconditioning and switches on the heating element and the fan. The heating element and fan are subsequently regulated by the control device as a function of vehicle speed and external temperature. In this manner, a seat occupant does not experience an initial draft or a delayed switching-on reaction but rather experiences a pleasant warmth even immediately after the air supply mechanism is switched on.
US07873444B1

An unmanned vehicle (UV) embodiment can include a motor for movement of the UV in at least two dimensions, a receiver mechanism for receiving communication from the control station, a control unit for controlling the actuation of the motor, and memory having instructions stored thereon and executable by the control unit to, utilize environmental information to maintain the UV in a stable position and to move the UV according to control information received from the control station.
US07873443B2

A system, methods, and user-friendly program product to optimize energy recovery or a process or cluster of processes under all possible process changes and stream-specific minimum temperature approach values without enumeration, are provided. The program product can utilize stream-specific minimum temperature approach values ΔTmini, where the superscript i represents the specific hot stream, as the optimization parameters instead of the single global ΔTmin currently used, in addition to identifying the optimal operating conditions. The program product can determine optimal global minimum energy utility values and define optimal process conditions and an optimal driving force distribution in heat recovery systems, and can produce an optimal Pareto-curve that shows the rigorous trade off between energy cost and capital cost for any energy recovery system.
US07873434B2

Automated methods implemented in a computer system are provided that allow the translation of geometric shapes from a cutting pattern having a nested configuration to geometric shapes shown in an installed configuration and vice-versa. Methods are also provided that allow modification of cutting patterns based on various modifications applied to the geometric shapes therein. Additionally, certain methods herein allow cutting patterns to be automatically modified to conform to protective films of different sizes. In certain embodiments, methods are provided for optimization of the arrangement of geometric shapes in a nested configuration so as to substantially minimize the surface area occupied by the geometric shapes. Automated pattern manipulation systems implementing one or more of the methods herein are also provided.
US07873428B2

A method and apparatus are disclosed for improving the implementation of automated job management for equipment in a factory. A software library is provided that allows a job management client, such as a thin station controller client, to communicate with an equipment server, such as an equipment interface bridge (EIB). The job management client can create, control and monitor jobs conveniently and efficiently utilizing industry standard protocols. The equipment server communicates directly in real-time with factory equipment. By providing an interface between a job management client and an equipment server, data consumer clients are effectively decoupled from job management clients, allowing next generation station controllers for monitoring and controlling equipment processing to be easily implemented. Layers of expensive and complex code currently in use for job management can be replaced with a superior and cost-effective thin-client, distributed architecture. Such a system may operate in conjunction with legacy station controllers, or the station controller can be eliminated and replaced by multiple modules that distribute the many types of functions typically incorporated into conventional station controllers.
US07873426B2

A digital recording device includes a microphone configured to convert collected sound into an analog audio signal; a first analog to digital converter configured to convert the signal converted by the microphone into a digital audio signal; a first memory configured to store the digital audio signal of the first analog to digital converter; an attenuator configured to attenuate the analog audio signal with a predetermined attenuation factor; a second analog to digital converter configured to convert the attenuated signal into a digital audio signal; a second memory configured to store the digital audio signal of the second analog to digital converter; an audio signal generating unit configured to extract the digital audio signal in one of the first memory and the second memory for a required time range according to an amplitude maximum value of the signal, and generate a new digital audio signal; and an audio signal memory for storing the generated digital audio signal.
US07873424B1

A system and method for optimizing digital audio playback is disclosed. The system and method can prevent playback of a digital audio file in an enhanced mode if the digital audio file does not meet a predetermined criterion, such as a particular bit rate. One example of an enhanced mode is a simulated multi-channel surround sound mode.
US07873423B2

A system and method for tracking media is disclosed. A tracking device package includes a container for shipping media and a tracker coupled to the container wherein access to the media is monitored electronically by the tracker to enable media access. The tracker can be a combination of a GPS system, for determining the location of the media, and a mobile phone for communicating the location to interested parties. The tracker can verify the location of the container and the length of time that the container has been at a particular site. If anomalies are detected with respect to the location and/or the length of time that a container has been located at a particular site, then the tracker can report this information back to the owner of the media being tracked through a central repository and database system.
US07873417B2

Methods and apparatus are provided for pulsed electric field neuromodulation via an intra-to-extravascular approach, e.g., to effectuate irreversible electroporation or electrofusion, necrosis and/or inducement of apoptosis, alteration of gene expression, changes in cytokine upregulation and other conditions in target neural fibers. In some embodiments, the ITEV PEF system comprises an intravascular catheter having one or more electrodes configured for intra-to-extravascular placement across a wall of patient's vessel into proximity with target neural fibers. With the electrode(s) passing from an intravascular position to an extravascular position prior to delivery of the PEF, a magnitude of applied voltage or energy delivered via the electrode(s) and necessary to achieve desired neuromodulation may be reduced relative to an intravascular PEF system having one or more electrodes positioned solely intravascularly. The methods and apparatus of the present invention may, for example, be used to modulate one or more target neural fibers that contribute to renal function.
US07873415B2

A system and method for cardiac rhythm management, which includes an electrode system having at least one electrode and control circuitry coupled to the electrode system from which a first cardiac signal is sensed. The control circuitry includes a pulse circuit to produce electrical pulses at a first value to be delivered to the electrode system in a first cardiac region. At least one cardiac signal is sensed from a second cardiac region, where the cardiac signal includes indications of cardiac depolarizations from the second cardiac region which occurs in direct reaction to the electrical pulses delivered to the first cardiac region. The first value of the electrical pulses are then modified by a pulse adjustment circuit when a cardiac depolarization which occurs in direct reaction to the electrical pulse delivered to the first cardiac region is detected from the second cardiac region.
US07873413B2

Various aspects of the present subject matter relate to a method. According to various method embodiments, cardiac activity is detected, and neural stimulation is synchronized with a reference event in the detected cardiac activity. Neural stimulation is titrated based on a detected response to the neural stimulation. Other aspects and embodiments are provided herein.
US07873409B2

The digital signal amplifier and acquisition system includes at least one catheter input module (CIM) configured to receive, route and digitize incoming analog cardiac signals from a number of catheters, as well as outgoing stimulator pulses. A plurality of CIMs are mechanically stacked and electrically daisy-chained and coupled with a mounting. The mounting platter is clamped to the bedrail and provides a single digital output cable to the base. The system also includes an acquisition device and the aforementioned base, which is configured to collect, filter and distribute the acquired data. Lastly an analog output module receives filtered digital signals from the base and is configured to reconstruct analog representations of such filtered digital signals for outside devices.
US07873405B2

A method for detecting Alzheimer's disease using positron emission tomography. A normal population mean is obtained using PET. The normal population mean is obtained through the assimilation of a number of normal brain scans. Non-AD images and AD images are compared to observe differences in the uptake of FDG. PET scan results are expressed as relative uptake intensities and indexed by Brodmann's areas. An image is tested by comparing the distance of each mean for each Brodmann's area from the normal distribution. A Receiver Operating Characteristic curve is plotted based on the variation of deviation for the total population of both normal and probable Alzheimer's brain images. Variations in FDG uptake in a brain image as compared to the normal distribution confirms the probability of AD.
US07873401B2

A system whereby a magnetic tip attached to a surgical tool is detected, displayed and influenced positionally so as to allow diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to be performed rapidly, accurately, simply, and intuitively is described. The tools that can be so equipped include catheters, guidewires, and secondary tools such as lasers and balloons, in addition biopsy needles, endoscopy probes, and similar devices. The tip position and orientation information and the dynamic body part position information are also utilized to provide a display that allows three dimensional viewing of the magnetic tip position and orientation relative to the body part.
US07873400B2

An adapter can be easily used to assist a surgical navigation system to determine the effector axis or the effector plane of a surgical instrument. The adapter has a body with a geometrical feature, the geometrical feature has a known relation with a navigation tracker device that can be attached to the adapter. When the adapter is held against a surgical instrument in a non-fixed manner, the effector axis or the effector plane of the instrument can be tracked by the surgical navigation system. The method includes a calibration method to determine the known relation between the effector axis or the effector plane and the location of the navigation tracker.
US07873390B2

A mobile voice communication device including a wireless transceiver circuit for transmitting and receiving voice communications and for receiving data; a digital processor; and a memory storing application program code which when executed on the digital processor causes the mobile voice communication device to provide predetermined functionality to the user of the mobile voice communication device. The predetermined functionality includes basic features and it includes enhanced features that are in addition to the basic features. The application program code has a deactivated state in which the mobile voice communication device provides the basic features to the user without providing the enhanced features and an activated state in which the mobile voice communication device provides the enhanced features. Toggling between the deactivated and activated states is accomplished by receiving through the wireless transceiver circuit a transmitted key that was sent by a remote source to that mobile voice communication device.
US07873389B2

In response to a connection request from a terminal, a base station provides a signal indicating a reception operation adapted to a transmission operation of the base station to the terminal. Based on the indicating signal, the terminal selects and performs the optimum reception operation. The terminal also provides its own reception operation information in advance to the base station. Based on the reception operation information, the base station transmits a reception operation indication to the terminal. These processes are realized with software by DSP (12, 14) and the like.
US07873388B2

In response to a connection request from a terminal, a base station provides a signal indicating a reception operation adapted to a transmission operation of the base station to the terminal. Based on the indicating signal, the terminal selects and performs the optimum reception operation. The terminal also provides its own reception operation information in advance to the base station. Based on the reception operation information, the base station transmits a reception operation indication to the terminal. These processes are realized with software by DSP (12, 14) and the like.
US07873384B2

A system and method in a multimode mobile communication device for providing communication configuration update capability. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise establishing a first communication link characterized by a first communication mode of a plurality of communication modes in which the multimode communication device is capable of communicating. Such a first communication link may, for example, be established utilizing a first communication interface module. Communication configuration (or profile) information for a second communication mode may be received over the first communication link. The communication configuration information for the second communication mode may then be utilized to configure the mobile communication device to perform communications in the second communication mode (e.g., utilizing a second communication interface module).
US07873380B2

There are provided a method of communication which can reliably transmit information from a base station to a wireless terminal in a system which can reduce power consumption by intermittent operation in which the wireless terminal repeats operating state and suspended state by power on and off and the base station used for the method. The method includes the steps of storing base station information such as a command or data supplied to the wireless terminal in the base station, transferring the wireless terminal from the suspended state to the operating state to transmit information from the sensor to the base station, coupling the base station information stored in the base station to a response signal to transmit it to the wireless terminal in the operating state for transmitting the sensor information, and returning the wireless terminal to the suspended state after completing the transmission of the base station information and sensor information.
US07873377B1

A method and system for implementing a background scan in a wireless device having at least two independent radio interfaces is disclosed. Aspects of the exemplary embodiment include using a first one of the radio interfaces for transferring data with an access point; and simultaneously using a second one of the radio interfaces for receiving scan data to search for a new access point.
US07873375B2

A method for determining the location coordinates of a mobile terminal with respect to reference elements adapted to send toward the mobile terminal radioelectric signals involves the steps of measuring the radioelectric signals to derive respective measurements, the measurements being affected by measurement errors, and subjecting the measurements to state-based statistical filtering, such as, a Kalman filtering, to derive therefrom the location coordinates of the mobile terminal. At least some of the reference elements are terrestrial reference elements and in the statistical filtering at least one further state is included in addition to the coordinates. The further state is representative of the measurement errors. The terminal is adapted to be mounted on a vehicle, such as, a motorcar, and to have associated therewith a measurement source, such as, an altimeter adapted to provide additional measurements indicative of the location, e.g., the altitude, and/or the displacement of the mobile terminal.
US07873373B2

A positioning method in a SUPL based position information system, and more particularly, a method for performing periodic positioning capable of processing a periodic positioning request by a location server or a periodic positioning request by a mobile communications terminal when the location server and the terminal respectively manage a trigger generating the periodic positioning, are discussed.
US07873372B2

A method and system for targeting content (e.g., a service or an advertisement) according to location-based information derived from a mobile wireless transceiver device. Position information as a function of time is used to calculate a rate of travel and a direction of travel. This information can be used to identify a likely mode of transportation. Geographical information can be used to further refine the mode of transportation. Thus, in addition to the position of the wireless transceiver devices, factors such as the rate of travel, the direction of travel and the likely mode of transportation are also considered to more precisely identify the appropriate service. Moreover, a potential destination can be predicted, allowing further refinement of the targeted service.
US07873364B2

The present invention relates to an accounting method and an accounting apparatus in a mobile communication system. The amount of radio resources and traffic used by a mobile terminal of each subscriber accessing a base station can be measured and analyzed without changing a structure of the mobile communication system. In addition, since a provider who does not own an IP network and thus uses a leased network of an existing provider can measure and analyze the amount of traffic used by a mobile terminal in the leased network regardless of an IP network of the existing provider, a more precise accounting reference can be provided to the corresponding provider.
US07873360B2

Disclosed are a soft handoff system, a soft handoff method, and a mobile terminal equipped with the soft handoff system. The soft handoff system for a mobile terminal analyzes periodically monitored wireless conditions of neighbor base stations, transmits a PSMM (Pilot Strength Measurement Message) to a current base station when a condition arises that needs reporting to the current base station, receives an HDM (Handoff Direction Message) from the current base station, wherein upon receiving the HDM from the current base station, the system allows a handoff drop timer of an active base station belonging to an active set having a pilot channel signal strength less than a predetermined value to continue running rather than to be reset until the handoff drop timer expires.
US07873356B2

The subject disclosure pertains to systems and methods for providing a user interface for mobile devices. The user interface can include a search function that utilizes user input to search multiple software applications and data sources. Content can be retrieved and presented to a user without requiring the user to navigate to the underlying application or sources supplying the content. The applications or content sources can be local to the mobile device or remotely located, such as an Internet site. One or more types of data can be retrieved and presented to a user based upon the user input. Search results can be displayed and dynamically updated as additional user input is obtained.
US07873355B2

A method includes storing a setting in a profile of a wireless device to cause an automatic message response to incoming calls. When the profile is set as the active profile and an incoming call is received, an automatic response is provided to the incoming call in accordance with the setting.
US07873352B2

A fast roaming (handoff) service is provided for a WLAN infrastructure. A given mobile station (STA) obtains a pairwise master key (PMK) when it associates with an access point (AP) in the infrastructure. A neighbor graph identifies prospective APs to which the STA may then roam. At initialization, preferably the neighbor graph is fully-connected (i.e., each AP is assumed to be connected to every other AP). The PMK (obtained by the STA initially) is shared proactively with the neighbor APs as indicated in the neighbor graph. Thus, when the STA roams to a neighbor AP, because the PMK is already available, there is no requirement that the STA initiate a real-time request to an authentication server to re-associate to the new AP. Further, the new AP causes an update to the neighbor graph information implicitly by simply issuing a notification that it is now handling the STA that arrived from the prior AP; in this manner, the prior AP is confirmed as a neighbor, but there is no requirement for any inter-AP dialog before a given neighbor graph is updated. As roaming occurs the neighbor graph is pruned down (to reflect the actual neighbor AP connections) using the implicit notification data.
US07873349B1

A mobile communication device that may be used by an investigator to secretly record a suspect and track the investigator's location includes a microphone for detecting sounds, a communication component for transmitting signals or data representative of the sounds to one of the portable computers via the wireless communication network, a display for displaying information related to operation of the device, a computing device, and a computer program implemented by the computing device. The computer program is operable to place the device in a stealth mode in which the display is turned off or otherwise deactivated to make the entire device appear to be turned off while the microphone continues to detect sounds and the communication component continues to transmit signals or data representative of the sounds to a surveillance or support team operating one of the portable computers. The mobile communication device may also include a location-determining component for determining geographic locations of the device and for transmitting location data to the portable computer.
US07873345B1

The disclosed technology automatically terminates wireless service that a mobile communication network provided to a telematics unit, e.g. when the customer is no longer active for telematics service. The disclosed deactivation allows the network service provider to reuse any resources, such as mobile numbers, that were previously assigned to the particular telematics unit. In a disclosed example, a SMS deactivation message causes the telematics unit to delete its mobile provisioning data, such as its MDN and/or its MIN, and replace that data with a dummy number. The deactivation procedure may also provide a replacement destination number for emergency calls, typically a cleared number, such as 911. For example, the deactivated telematics unit would be able to call a PSAP, and the PSAP would recognize that the unit is inactive for wireless service (and cannot be called-back) from the dummy number used to identify the unit.
US07873342B2

Provided are an image signal rejection method capable of avoiding demodulation of an image signal along with a real signal in a radio frequency (RF) signal and a low IF receiver of rejecting an image signal by using the method. The low IF receiver of rejecting an image signal includes a low noise amplifier, a quadrature I/Q mixer, a signal complex filter, and a phase and gain control block. The low noise amplifier amplifies a radio frequency (RF) signal. The quadrature I/Q mixer generates an I signal and a Q signal by down-converting the amplified RF signal into an IF signal. The phase and gain control block generates an I′ signal and a Q′ signal which are obtained by changing phases and amplitudes of the I signal and the Q signal by using a real signal. The signal complex filter minimizing the image signal in the IF signal and passing the real signal by performing filtering on the I′ signal and the Q′ signal.
US07873338B2

A determination of link quality (CSR) is made from the subscriber station to a relay station. A determination of link quality (CRB) is made from the relay station to the base station, and a determination of link quality (CSB) is made from the subscriber station to the base station. A quality of a first link path from the subscriber station to the base station that passes through the relay station is determined based on at least the link qualities (Csr, Crb). A quality of a second link path from the subscriber station to the base station that does not pass through the relay station is determined based on at least the link quality (Csb). Finally, a determination is made whether to utilize the first link path or the second link path from the subscriber station to the base station based on at least the quality of the first and second link paths.
US07873331B2

System and methods are provided for multi-path orthogonal recursive predistortion. The systems and methods may include generating a first orthogonal signal and a second orthogonal signal, where the first and second signals are orthogonal components of an input signal and processing, at a first predistortion module, the first orthogonal signal and a first error correction signal to generate a first predistorted signal. The system and methods may also include processing, at a second predistortion module, the second orthogonal signal and a second error correction signal to generate a second predistorted signal, and providing the generated first and second predistorted signals to a nonlinear device, where the nonlinear device generates an output based upon the first and second predistorted signals, where the first error correction signal is determined based upon an analysis of the output and the first predistorted signal, and where the second error correction signal is determined based upon an analysis of the output and the second predistorted signal.
US07873328B2

A base station for controlling transmission power during the establishment of a communication channel utilizes the reception of a short code during initial power ramp-up. The short code is a sequence for detection by the base station which has a much shorter period than a conventional access code. The ramp-up starts from a power level that is lower than the required power level for detection by the base station. The power of the short code is quickly increased until the signal is detected by the base station. Once the base station detects the short code, it transmits an indication that the short code has been detected.
US07873327B2

Disclosed is a method of controlling a transmit power constraint at a mobile station using a pilot power ratio (PPR) or other measurement of relative received powers (or signal strengths) between a neighbor cell transmission and a serving cell transmission such that other-cell interference produced by the mobile station may be managed. The transmit power constraint may, for example, correspond to a total or per sub-carrier maximum allowable mobile station transmit power. The transmit power constraint may be decreased if an adjacent neighbor cell, or an adjacent neighbor cell with a strongest pilot signal strength at the mobile station, is interference overloaded, i.e., interference levels in the adjacent neighbor cell is above a threshold interference level. Such decrease may be based on a pilot power ratio between a received pilot power of the overloaded adjacent neighbor cell at the mobile station and a received pilot power of the serving cell at the mobile station. Conversely, the transmit power constraint may be decreased if at least one adjacent neighbor cell, or the adjacent neighbor cell with the strongest pilot signal strength at the mobile station, is not interference overloaded. Such increase may be based on a pilot power ratio between a received pilot power of the adjacent neighbor cell with the strongest pilot signal strength at the mobile station and a received pilot power of the serving cell at the mobile station.
US07873323B2

In the method, positions of a plurality of transmitting sources within a proximity of a base station are determined. A received signal spectrum of signals received at the base station from the plurality of transmitting sources are simulated. Inter-modulation distortion products are estimated based on the simulated signal spectrum. The estimated inter-modulation distortion products may be used in the design of a radio architecture. The simulating step may be repeated a plurality of times until an acceptable solution is found. Base station operating parameters associated with the acceptable solution may be selected for use in a proposed base station.
US07873319B2

A method, according to various aspects of the present invention, for assigning channels to a plurality of wireless cells. The method is performed by the plurality of wireless cells. The method includes in any practical order: (1) assigning an initial integer to a master wireless cell, wherein the integer is denominated a current hop number and each one wireless cell has a shape of coverage similar to a square; (2) setting a next hop number as the current hop number plus one; (3) assigning the next hop number to each one wireless cell nearest to each one wireless cell assigned the current hop number; (4) incrementing the current hop number by one; (5) repeating setting, assigning the next hop number, and incrementing until all wireless cells of the plurality of wireless cells are assigned a hop number; (6) forming a nine-cell channel pattern by assigning a channel assignment pattern to the master wireless cell, to each of the wireless cells assigned the initial integer plus one, and to each of the wireless cells that are substantially adjacent to two wireless cells assigned the initial integer plus one; and (7) assigning the nine-cell channel pattern to the plurality of wireless cells such that the center cell of the nine-cell channel assignment pattern falls only on wireless cells assigned the initial integer plus an even integer.
US07873315B2

A repeater and methods thereof are provided. The example repeater first receives a donor signal (e.g., from a base station for repeating in a downlink direction, from a mobile station for repeating in an uplink direction, etc.) and a transmitted version of an internally generated pilot signal. The repeater configures an adaptive filter signal to cancel the received transmitted version of the internally generated pilot signal. In an example, the first receiving and configuring steps may be performed during a first mode of operation (e.g., a “training” mode). The repeater second receives the donor signal and a retransmitted version of the donor signal (e.g., retransmitted from the repeater). The repeater cancels the retransmitted donor signal based on the configured adaptive filter signal.
US07873311B2

In a belt transfer device according to an embodiment, rotation of a rear side detection roller or a front side detection roller, which contacts with a rib of a transfer belt and is rotated, is converted into linear driving by using a worm gear. The movement of a linear movement shaft is transmitted to a steering roller through a slider. The steering roller is tilted and meandering of the transfer belt is regulated.
US07873309B2

Exemplary embodiments provide a digital development system and methods for making and using the system. Specifically, the digital development system can utilize a roll member that includes a plurality of actuator cells arranged in a 2-dimensional array with each actuator cell having an actuator membrane individually addressable to eject one or more toner particles adhered thereto. In addition, the digital development system can utilize an imager architecture that includes an addressing logic circuit connected to each cell to selectively control the ejection of the one or more toner particles onto an image receiving member that is closely spaced from each actuator membrane. The disclosed digital development system can be used for non-interactive development systems for image-on-image full-color printing similar to HSD (Hybrid Scavengeless Development) technology with the donor roll becoming a high quality silent imager.
US07873303B2

An upper frame opening and closing mechanism, including an upper frame pivotally attached to a main body, which may include an image forming device, so as to open and close on a hinge, which receives a moment in an opening direction due to gravity when the upper frame is opened at an angle exceeding an inversion angle to expose the image forming device, an arm member, a rail member to guide a leading edge of the arm member along with opening and closing of the upper frame, a biasing member to bias the upper frame in the opening direction, and a cushion member to be pressed by the leading edge of the arm member so as to cushion the opening of the upper frame when the upper frame is opened at a maximum opening angle relative to the main body.
US07873293B2

The heater includes an elongated substrate, two electrodes disposed along a longitudinal direction of the substrate, and a heat generation resistive member connected between the two electrodes. The heat generation resistive member is formed on the substrate by one of a sputtering method and a vapor deposition method. The uniform heat generation distribution of a heat generation resistive member in a heater can be achieved so as to reduce a temperature difference between a pass-through area through which a recording material passes and a no sheet pass-through area through which the recording material does not pass.
US07873291B2

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a charging device to apply a charging bias, a developing device to develop a latent electrostatic image with toner, a transfer device to transfer the toner image to a recording medium, a fixing device to fix the toner image on the recording medium, an image formation speed switching device to switch from one image formation speed to another speed, a storage device to store a charging current target of the charging bias for each image formation speed, an electric current detection device to detect electric current flown through the charging device, and an AC voltage adjustment device to adjust AC voltage of the charging bias applied to the charging device. The charging current target is set for each of at least two image formation speeds such that each AC voltage adjusted by the AC voltage adjustment device is substantially the same.
US07873289B2

An image forming apparatus and a method to control a velocity ratio thereof. The image forming apparatus includes a developing device to rotate opposite a photoconductive medium and to supply the photoconductive medium with a developer, and a controller to control a velocity ratio of the developing device to the photoconductive medium according to an accumulated number of printed copies.
US07873285B2

This anti clipping circuit is for a laser transmitter used to transmit sub-carrier multiplexed signals for CATV applications. The circuit design is based on actual clipping measurements showing the specific time and duration of the clipping events is random. The individual clipping pulses interval is fixed, every 4 us. A PHEMT peak detection circuit is used in conjunction with a missing pulse detector/timer to catch all the clipping events. Thus the laser bias current is adjusted automatically at the specific time of the clipping event and for the duration of all the clipping pulses in the event. The controlled increase and decrease of the lasers bias current is DC coupled back into the normal DC bias path via a diode. This gives the anti clipping circuit noise isolation when there are no clipping events and avoids laser clipping during the laser current recovery time as when using an AC coupling scheme.
US07873283B2

The invention aims to provide a monitoring method that can measure an optical SNR in an ultra high speed optical transmission system with high accuracy, and an optical transmission system using the same. To this end, in the optical transmission system to which the monitoring method of the present invention is applied, the degree of polarization of an optical signal transmitted from an optical transmission apparatus to an optical receiving apparatus via an optical transmission path is measured by a DOP measuring device, and an optical SNR of the optical signal is determined by an optical SNR calculation circuit based on a measured value of the degree of polarization.
US07873279B2

An electronic device [200] includes a housing [100] for containing circuitry [205] that generates a light beam. The electronic device includes pivotal portions [105, 110] of the housing. A light receiver [245] is associated with one of the housing pivotal portions. A light redirecting mechanism [215] is mounted at a predetermined location of the housing other than to the one pivotal portion thereof and is configured to redirect the light beam in a plurality of predetermined optical paths in which the light receiver is disposed with relative pivoting between the housing pivotal portions.
US07873271B2

Two photography operations are performed without emitting flash during a second photography operation, to obtain image signals P1 and P2. A flash influence signal value F1 is calculated in image signal P1. A flash influence signal value F2, which is the amount of influence due to flash in the case that flash was emitted during the second photography operation, is calculated based on the differences between the imaging conditions of the first photography operation and the second photography operation and the flash influence signal value F1. An image signal P2″, which is an image signal which is estimated to be obtained in the case that flash was emitted during the second photography operation, is obtained by adding flash influence signal value F2 to image signal P2 obtained by the second photography operation. A dynamic range expanded image signal Pc is calculated based on image signal P1 and image signal P2″.
US07873265B2

A filament lamp comprising a bulb which has a hermetically sealed portion on at least one end and multiple filament assemblies, each filament assembly comprising a coiled filament and connected leads to supply power to that filament, the filament assemblies being sequentially arranged in the axial direction of the bulb, the leads of each filament assembly being electrically connected to respective multiple conductive parts set in the sealed portions, and power being independently suppliable to each of the filaments. A respective one of the coiled filaments is located in a respective first quadrant formed by intersecting planes that are perpendicular to each other and that are tangent to an outer coil diameter of the respective coiled filament. The leads are positioned in quadrants other than the quadrant in which the coiled filament is located. A light irradiation type heat treatment apparatus uses a plurality of such filament lamps.
US07873261B2

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media provide for the display of overlying alternative media content in real time upon the initiation of a fast-forwarding action associated with underlying media content. According to implementations, a method includes displaying underlying media content at a first playback rate. A modification of the playback rate, from a first rate to a second rate, is detected. As a result of detecting the second playback rate, alternative media content is retrieved and displayed. According to one aspect, the underlying media content is television programming while the alternative media content is screen frames selected from the television programming at predetermined time intervals. According to another aspect, the alternative media may include media content that is unrelated to the television programming.
US07873257B2

The present invention is that of a solar energy system that uses a light-guide solar panel (LGSP) to trap light inside a dielectric or other transparent panel and propagates the light to one of the panel edges for harvesting by a solar energy collector such as a photovoltaic cell. This allows for very thin modules whose thickness is comparable to the height of the solar energy collector. This eliminates eliminating the depth requirements inherent in traditional concentrated photovoltaic solar energy systems.
US07873246B2

An optical system comprising a combination optical switch and monitoring system based on an array of mirrors, and a moveable reflective element co-packaged together, including discrete sets of fiber ports wherein λn from input fiber ports is focused on λn mirror via the use of shared free space optics; such as shared beam steering elements, dispersive elements, and optical elements, and discrete arrays of MEMS mirrors utilized to select and switch selected wavelengths from the input fiber port(s) to an output fiber port(s) of the optical switch, and wherein a moveable reflective element sharing the same free space optics is utilized to sweep across and reflect selected portions of the optical spectrum back to a photodetector. By correlating reflective element position with power measured, a processor can obtain a spectral plot of the wavelength band of interest, as well as calculate parameters such as center wavelength, passband shape, and OSNR.
US07873241B2

A method for superimposing optical information in a scanning microscope includes determining a transformation matrix, and superimposing first optical information of a CCD image and second optical information of at least one piece of second image information using the transformation matrix.
US07873239B2

A first direction determining unit determines, with respect to each of directions in image data corresponding to an image that contains text, a degree of certainty that the direction corresponds to a predetermined direction of the image to obtain a first direction with the highest degree of certainty and a second direction with the second-highest degree of certainty. When the first direction is opposite to the second direction, a second direction determining unit determines whether the predetermined direction corresponds to the first direction or the second direction based on a position of a text line extracted from the image data.
US07873235B2

An imaging processing system adapted for use with a vehicle is provided in one aspect of the present invention. The system generally includes an image capturing device and an image processing device. The image capturing device is operable to capture an original image of a scene exterior to the vehicle. The captured original image is generally defined by a group of pixels. The image processing device is operable to receive the captured original image and morphologically process the captured original image to remove distortion from the captured original image to produce a final filtered image.
US07873227B2

For the reduction of the rounding error, a first and a second non-integer input value are provided and combined, for example by addition, in non-integer state to obtain a non-integer result value which is rounded and added to a third input value. Thus, the rounding error may be reduced at an interface between two rotations divided into lifting steps or between a first rotation divided into lifting steps and a first lifting step of a subsequent multi-dimensional lifting sequence.
US07873226B2

An image encoding apparatus includes a detection unit detecting edge block candidates as blocks including an edge in an image composed of plural blocks, and a determination unit excluding an edge block candidate that is recognized as no necessity of image quality improving processing executed in image encoding processing from the detected edge block candidates and determining a remaining edge block candidate as edge block to be targeted in the image quality improving processing.
US07873222B2

Methods of capturing image pixel data representing a scene may be practiced using a camera and may be implemented as software, such as an application program executing within the camera. The methods are particularly advantageous where user modification to the camera control parameters leads to a difference between the values of the pre-capture control parameters for the camera when compared to the pre-capture control parameters that the camera would determine in fully automatic mode. The measured difference may be compared to one or more predetermined threshold values.
US07873220B2

A method and algorithm for measuring the symmetry (SYM=total symmetry) of N points based on counting the number of “elementary symmetric recognition acts”, or having two distances d(A,B) and d(C,D) be equal within a given tolerance t. The same algorithm can be adapted to measure un-normalized positional entropy deficit (UPED) and positional entropy of N points. These parameters (SYM and UPED) come out almost the same for small occupation numbers (1<=k<=4). Here the occupation number k is the number of equal distances in the figure for a given value d. The algorithm can be incorporated into an imaging device, such as computer graphic programs or cameras, to solve problems of defect detection, say in gems, or object detection.
US07873214B2

A method for segmenting an image includes computing a color gradient map based on an inputted image and selecting at least one initial seed of at least one pixel based on the color gradient map. The method further includes growing a region of pixels adjacent to the initial seed and merging adjacent regions of pixels using a measure of similarity.
US07873205B2

A classification model optimum for realization of a defect classification request by a user is not known by the user. Then, the user sets a classification model which is not necessarily suitable and makes classification, resulting in degradation in classification performance. Therefore, the present invention automatically generates plural potential classification models and combines class likelihoods calculated from the plural classification models to classify. To combine, an index about the adequacy of each model, in other words, an index indicating a reliable level of likelihood calculated from the each potential classification model, is also calculated. Considering the calculated result, the class likelihoods calculated from the plural classification models are combined to execute classification.
US07873192B1

A method of and apparatus for enhancing an array of values, which may be tomographic data, are disclosed. The values are divided into categories. Values in at least one first category are smoothed by replacing an original individual value with a new individual value determined from a plurality of neighboring values. The values in at least one second category are retained relatively unsmoothed.
US07873191B2

A capacitive array comprising at least two capacitive entities, comprising a substrate layer. The substrate layer comprises a comb comprising at least four substantially identical teeth, and, for each capacitive entity, a set of fingers comprising one or more interlinked fingers. At least two sets of fingers comprise a different number of fingers, each finger being nested between two teeth of the comb and being substantially identical to the other fingers. The fingers of each set of fingers are substantially distributed symmetrically relative to a median axis of the comb. The comb and the fingers are integrated in a single block.
US07873160B2

Disclosed is a telephone to be installed in a house or an office and capable of effectively preventing leakage of data stored in or unauthorized use of the telephone. For this end, a security button 15 is provided for inhibiting the use of all or a part of the stored data in or functions of the telephone. The security button 15 enables the user to set the security condition by a single push-down operation or choose desired security levels by continuous operations. An LED may be installed in the security button 15 to emit light in different colors or patterns for respective security levels.
US07873159B2

A portable electronic apparatus, a mobile phone and a method of selecting a function in a portable electronic apparatus are disclosed. The portable electronic apparatus comprises a body and a lid pivotally mounted to the body with a hinge. Changes in the position of the lid around the hinge are detected and one of at least two possible functions available for a user is selected according to the detected change in the position of the lid.
US07873149B2

A method for retrieving information may include receiving a telephone call from a caller and identifying a telephone number from which the telephone call was made. The method may also include retrieving information from a database based on the identified telephone number. The method may further include providing an audible message to the caller to verify whether the retrieved information is correct.
US07873146B2

A compact apparatus can form multi X-ray beams with good controllability. Electron beams (e) emitted from electron emission elements (15) of a multi electron beam generating unit (12) receive the lens effect of a lens electrode (19). The resultant electron beams are accelerated to the final potential level by portions of a transmission-type target portion (13) of an anode electrode (20). The multi X-ray beams (x) generated by the transmission-type target portion (13) pass through an X-ray shielding plate (23) and X-ray extraction portions (24) in a vacuum chamber and are extracted from the X-ray extraction windows (27) of a wall portion (25) into the atmosphere.
US07873138B2

A neutron reflector bolt fastening structure is disclosed in which even upon relaxation in the fastening forces thereof being generated in tie rods for divided stage portions as a result of neutron irradiation, it is possible to press the neutron reflector firmly against a core vessel. The neutron reflector bolt fastening structure includes: a neutron reflector which includes of a plurality of divided stage portions and situated in a core vessel in a reactor vessel; a plurality of tie rods for fixing the neutron reflector to the core vessel; and a plurality of bolts for exclusively fixing the lowermost stage portion of the plurality of stage portions of the neutron reflector to the core vessel.
US07873137B2

A fast reactor including a reactivity control assembly including a reactor shutdown rod and neutron absorbers, a reactor shutdown rod drive mechanism, and units of neutron absorber drive mechanism. The reactor shutdown rod drive mechanism causes an inner extension tube to fall and release the reactor shutdown rod by a gripper section by turning off the power supply to a holding magnet at the time of scram. When grasping the neutron absorbers, an outer extension shaft is pulled up to allow both of the extension shafts to be inserted. After the outer extension tube gets to a handling head section of the neutron absorber, the outer extension shaft is pushed down to grasp the neutron absorber externally by latch fingers of the gripper section so that the neutron absorber can be moved up and down.
US07873132B2

A method and apparatus of recovering a clock signal from an input data signal consistent with certain embodiments, where the clock signal has a clock cycle equal to one data bit period, involves identifying an earliest transition time position in a sequence of data signal transitions; identifying a latest transition time position in the sequence of data signal transitions; calculating an approximate average transition time of the sequence of clock transitions; calculating a sampling time for sampling data in the input data signal as the approximate average transition time plus one half clock cycle; and adjusting a sampling clock time to approximate the sampling time. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
US07873130B2

Systems, algorithms, circuits, and methods for pattern detection of signature events in signal dynamics defined by instantaneous states of applied square-wave signals. Selected patterns may be recognized individually or in equivalence classes, and detection may be implemented via state or transition analysis. Varieties of conditions may be detected in parallel, including phase, ambiguity states, and frequency comparison. One embodiment realizes a real-time frequency comparator for asynchronous square-wave signals. Realizations detect various classes of symmetry conditions unique to enveloping events occurring for these classes of square-wave signal pairs. This approach provides feedback-free implementations operating over an extremely wide frequency range and does not require signals of quadrature form. A typical logic circuit implementation involves two to four flip-flops, or two-stage two-bit shift registers, and modest combinational logic. The resulting system can be readily implemented as a utility integrated circuit of modest scale or as a small-scale “IP core” within larger system-on-a-chip (SoIC) devices.
US07873127B2

Sample vectors of a signal received simultaneously by an array of antennas are processed to estimate a weight for each sample vector that maximizes the energy of the individual sample vector that resulted from propagation of the signal from a known source and/or minimizes the energy of the sample vector that resulted from interference with propagation of the signal from the known source. Each sample vector is combined with the weight that is estimated for the respective sample vector to provide a plurality of weighted sample vectors. The plurality of weighted sample vectors are summed to provide a resultant weighted sample vector for the received signal. The weight for each sample vector is estimated by processing the sample vector in accordance with the expression: min w _ , c _ ⁢  X * ⁢ Y ⁢ ⁢ w _ - ( C 0 ⁢ c _ 0 + C ⁢ ⁢ c _ )  p ⁢ where c0=1 and 0
US07873125B2

Aspects of a method and system for a sliding window phase estimator for wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) automatic frequency correction are presented. Aspects of the system may include one or more circuits that enable adjustment of a current demodulation frequency for receiving at least one subsequent symbol based on a computed weighted sum of a plurality of computed frequency error values. Each of the plurality of computed frequency error values may be derived from a current symbol, a corresponding previous symbol, and/or a previous frequency error value. The current symbol may include a current received symbol segment and one or more previously received symbol segments.
US07873123B2

A null detector and its corresponding method are provided. The null detector includes a power detector, a smoother, and an overlapper. The power detector outputs a power level signal according to the power level of a received signal. The smoother is coupled to the power detector for determining according to the power level signal whether the received signal is transmitting a null symbol, and then the smoother outputs a null detection signal at a first state value or a second state value indicating the result of the determination. The overlapper is coupled to the smoother for providing the duration and position of the null symbols transmitted by the received signal according to the null detection signal.
US07873119B2

Various embodiments described herein relate to a power management block and an amplification block used in the transmitter of a communication subsystem. The power management block provides improved control for the gain control signal provided to a pre-amplifier and the supply voltage provided to a power amplifier which are both in the amplification block. The power expended by the power amplifier is optimized by employing a continuous control method in which one or more feedback loops are employed to take into account various characteristics of the transmitter components and control values.
US07873116B2

A transmitter is provided which effectively reduces a peak that occurs in transmitting signal electric power. A baseband limiter applies a peak reduction process to digital signals on a plurality of carriers in a baseband. A band limiting filter applies a band limitation process to the digital signal on each of the carriers to which the peak reduction process is applied. Quadrature modulation processing is applied to the digital signal on each of the carriers to which the band limitation process is applied. The digital signals on the carriers to which the quadrature modulation process is applied are added. An intermediate frequency limiter multiplies a signal of the added result by a window function that is weighted depending on the magnitude of the detected peak, and applies a peak reduction process thereto.
US07873102B2

A variable-bit-rate (VBR)-encoding of a plurality of clips from a plurality of video content items is performed to produce a VBR-encoded aggregated video content item. The VBR-encoding of each of the clips is based on an encoding complexity of at least one other one of the clips. This can be performed by combining the clips into aggregated video content and two-pass VBR-encoding the aggregated video content. A video quality test may be performed using the VBR-encoded aggregated video content item.
US07873101B2

A digital filter pre-calculates C(1)*S(n−1), C(2)*S(n−2) . . . C(p−1)*S(n−p+1), prior to the arrival of sample S(n). As such y ⁡ ( n ) = ∑ k = 0 k = p - 1 ⁢ C ⁡ ( k ) * S ⁡ ( n - k ) may be calculated as a result of a single further multiply and accumulate operation, upon arrival of the symbol S(n). This, significantly reduces the latency of the filter.
US07873098B2

Detecting a symbol of interest comprises despreading a received signal to obtain despread values corresponding to the symbol of interest and to one or more interfering symbols, combining the despread values to generate combined values for the symbol of interest and the interfering symbols, computing spreading waveform correlations between the spreading waveform for the symbol of interest and the spreading waveforms for the interfering symbols, computing interference rejection terms representing the interference present in the combined value for the symbol of interest attributable to the interfering symbols based on the spreading waveform correlations, and generating an estimate of the symbol of interest by combining the combined values with the interference rejection terms. The interference rejection terms are computed by scaling the spreading waveform correlations by corresponding signal powers and compensating the estimates for noise. This provides a robust interference model that avoids numerical problems associated with conventional joint detection.
US07873089B2

Using sampled Bragg grating structure, the present invention proposes a distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor laser based on reconstruction-equivalent-chirp technology. Namely, the Bragg grating in the said DFB semiconductor laser cavity is a sampled Bragg grating, in which there is an equivalent grating corresponding to the original ordinary DFB grating as feedback for lasing. The laser wavelength of the said semiconductor laser located within the operation bandwidth of the said equivalent grating. The said equivalent grating is designed and fabricated using REC technology and has equivalent chirps, one equivalent phase shift or multiple equivalent phase shifts. The said sampled Bragg grating has multiple ghost gratings and the wavelength spacing between neighboring ghost gratings is inversely proportional to the sampling period and the effective refractive index of the said semiconductor laser. Only one ghost grating except the ghost grating related to the center wavelength is selected to be as equivalent grating. In semiconductor laser fields, only based on sub-micron precision, the present invention provides a method to realize various complex equivalent chirps and equivalent phase shifts in the resonant cavity of the said semiconductor laser. These equivalent chirps and equivalent phase shifts have the same functions with the corresponding true chirps and true phase shifts, so as to avoid the processes of fabrication of grating structure with complex true chirps and true phase shifts.
US07873073B2

An interworking device, method and system distribute reference timing between at least two communication networks. The interworking device includes a first communication interface operable to communicate with a first communication network operating using a first communication protocol and a second communication interface operable to communicate with a second communication network operating using a second communication protocol. The interworking device also includes a client generic framing procedure/optical transport network (“GFP/OTN”) mapping block in communication with the first communication interface and the second communication interface. The client GFP/OTN mapping block recovers a first reference timing signal from data received from the first communication network. At least one hybrid synchronous equipment timing source transforms the first reference timing signal into a second reference timing signal that is phase and frequency locked to the first reference timing signal, and supplies the second reference timing signal to the client GFP/OTN mapping block to clock the second communication network.
US07873069B2

Methods and apparatus for controlling the audio characteristics of a networked voice communications device (NVCD) are presented. One method presented includes receiving a settings file, extracting at least one audio control parameter from the settings file, deriving audio processing parameters based upon a value selected from the at least one audio control parameter, and controlling the audio characteristics of the networked voice communications device using the audio processing parameters and the at least one audio control parameter. A method for providing audio parameters to an NVCD is also presented which includes establishing a settings file, which includes at least one audio control parameter, receiving a request to send the settings file, and sending the settings file over a network to the networked voice communications device.
US07873064B1

An audio decoding system comprises a buffer module, an audio decoding module, a packet loss concealment module, an uncompressed adjustment module, and a playout control module. The buffer module receives packets including audio data. The audio decoding module decodes the audio data and outputs decoded audio samples. The packet loss concealment module outputs adjusted audio samples based on the decoded audio samples. The adjusted audio samples include reconstructed samples when packet loss occurs. The uncompressed adjustment module incorporates the adjusted audio samples into an output stream of audio samples at a first rate. The playout control module regulates the first rate based on packet delay information.
US07873059B2

Provided is a gateway device for interconnecting an IEEE1394 network and an IP network, which automatically detects and operates an AV device connected to the IEEE1394 network from a player device connected to the IP network, thereby enabling the player device to watch and hear contents stored in the AV device. The gateway device interconnects a network, to which an AV/C installed IEEE1394 device is connected, and a network, to which a player device compliant with a UPnP is connected, and includes: a conversion unit for converting Plug-and-Play processing of the IEEE1394 device to each step of Plug-and-Play of the UPnP; a conversion unit for converting an action of a UPnP AV to an AV/C command of the IEEE1394 device; and a stream transfer unit for transferring stream data transmitted from the IEEE1394 device to the IP network.
US07873049B2

A system comprises a station manager for associating a queue block to each active station in a network, each queue block being configured to implement a contention-based process, e.g., IEEE 802.11e, to select a winning frame from a set of frames; a multiplexer for receiving frames, each frame having a destination address, and for routing each received frame to a queue block based on the destination address; an access controller for receiving the winning frame from each queue block, for forwarding the winning frame(s) to a physical layer for simultaneous transmission to the active station(s) when the number of winning frames is equal to or below a threshold greater than one, and for forwarding a subset of the winning frames to the physical layer for simultaneous transmission to the active stations when the number of winning frames is above the threshold; and a physical layer capable of simultaneous frame transmission.
US07873038B2

Network devices, systems, and methods are provided for packet processing. One network device includes a network chip including logic and a number of network ports for the device for receiving and transmitting packets therefrom. The logic is operable to group a number of ports into a membership group based on a criteria, and define a filter index in association with a network packet to indicate the membership group.
US07873029B2

A system and method of providing multimedia communication services is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, the method includes receiving contextual information including a subscriber identification associated with a wireline communication device at an intelligent service switch (ISS) of an integrated wireline-wireless (IWW) network from a network edge device, where the network edge device has detected a service request at the wireline communication device. The method also includes determining at least one multimedia communication service based on the contextual information and at least one service filter associated with the subscriber identification.
US07873018B2

Various embodiments are disclosed relating to scheduling data transmissions to improve power efficiency in a wireless network. In an example embodiment, uplink transmissions may be scheduled after the downlink transmissions within the frame sequence. One or more nodes having only scheduled downlink transmissions during the frame sequence may be scheduled for downlink transmissions at or near the start of the downlink transmissions. In another embodiment, one or more nodes having only scheduled uplink transmissions during the frame sequence may be scheduled for uplink transmissions at or near the end of the uplink transmissions. In yet another embodiment, one or more nodes having scheduled both downlink and uplink transmissions during the frame sequence may be scheduled for transmissions near a transition from downlink to uplink transmissions.
US07873014B2

A handover method for controlling communication between a mobile station and base station(s) in a wireless communication system. The method includes measuring signal qualities transmitted from the base station(s), the measured signal qualities including a measured quality of a signal received from a certain base station; identifying the base station as an addition candidate based on the measured quality exceeding an addition threshold; thereafter detecting that the measured quality of the signal received from the addition candidate has further exceeded an active threshold which is greater than the addition threshold. The active threshold is determined in accordance with a quality of a signal transmitted from one or more active base stations. In response, the base stations are notified of information about the addition candidate; and a handover process is performed on the bases on this information.
US07873012B2

A method of reducing tunneling in a wireless packet network. The method includes defining a home access point for a client station, determining that the client station is being serviced by an access point different from the home access point, deciding if the client station should change its home access point to the access point from which the client station receives service and initiating a change of the home access point of the client station, if so decided.
US07873003B2

Provided is a method for allocating an Internet protocol (IP) address to a mobile station in a mobile communication system. The method includes the steps of: a) receiving an “Activate Packet Data Protocol (PDP) request” message including router solicitation from the mobile station; b) acquiring a global IP address of the mobile station by performing the router solicitation and a router advertisement procedure instead of the mobile station; and c) loading the acquired global IP address in an “Activate PDP context Accept” message and transferring the “Activate PDP context Accept” message to the mobile station.
US07873001B2

A mobile application gateway configured to interconnect mobile communication devices on a cellular network with an enterprise network is provided. The mobile application gateway includes a voice and data signaling gateway configured to provide routing functionalities, service functionalities and admission control. A gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) is configured to establish a secure data session between one or more of the mobile communication devices and the enterprise network by establishing a GPRS tunneling protocol (GTP) tunnel between a carrier-hosted serving GPRS support node (SGSN) and the GGSN.
US07872997B2

A technique for multiple receiver aggregation that allows for multiple immediate responses of acknowledgements or block acknowledgements. The technique uses a spoofed network allocation vector (NAV) implemented within an aggregate's PLCP header to protect the aggregate and all of the immediate responses from multiple receivers. The immediate responses are scheduled, the information indicating the scheduled offset time and granted transmission duration for response of each receiver being included in the physical sublayer data unit (PSDU) headers within the aggregate.
US07872996B2

A communication method in a mobile communication system that copies and transmits data, to which transmission sequence numbers have been attached, over a plurality of paths from a mobile station to a radio network controller via a plurality of base stations; where the radio network controller monitors the communication state of each path, determines to transmit the data over all of a plurality of paths, transmit the data over two or more specified paths, or transmit the data over only one specified path, based on the communication state of each path, and notifies the mobile station of the determined path/paths; and where the mobile station transmits said copied data over said notified path/paths.
US07872991B2

Methods and systems for forwarding packets over Label Switched Paths (LSPs) in a Virtual Private Network (VPN) are implemented within a Layer-2 architecture. A system includes a number of multi-purpose nodes connected by a number of multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) LSP links. Each multi-purpose node contains at least one bridging module (BM) that runs an extension of a bridging protocol (BP) contained in the IEEE 802.1d standard. The BP is used to establish MPLS LSPs between the BMs. The BP then generates a spanning tree using a spanning tree program to establish an optimal number of active LSPs. The remaining LSPs are then set to “inactive” The BM de-allocates the resources assigned to inactive LSPs and makes the resources available to other active LSPs.
US07872981B2

Techniques for selecting rates for data transmission on eigenmodes of a MIMO channel are described. An access point transmits an unsteered MIMO pilot via the downlink. A user terminal estimates the downlink channel quality based on the downlink unsteered MIMO pilot and transmits an unsteered MIMO pilot and feedback information via the uplink. The feedback information is indicative of the downlink channel quality. The access point estimates the uplink channel quality and obtains a channel response matrix based on the uplink unsteered MIMO pilot, decomposes the channel response matrix to obtain eigenvectors and channel gains for the eigenmodes of the downlink, and selects rates for the eigenmodes based on the estimated uplink channel quality, the channel gains for the eigenmodes, and the feedback information. The access point processes data based on the selected rates and transmits steered data and a steered MIMO pilot on the eigenmodes with the eigenvectors.
US07872966B2

A method and apparatus are provided for protecting a connection during implementation of an Active Connection Modify request. Before initiating the ACM request, an alternate connection between the source node and the destination node of the connection are established using Domain-Based Rerouting. The alternate connection may be established in conformance either with the traffic parameters of the existing connection or with the new traffic parameters specified in the ACM request. If the connection along the original connection is to be torn as a result of lost ACM signaling messages, the connection is first switched to the alternate connection in a hitless manner. If the alternate connection is established in conformance with the new traffic parameters, and the ACM request can not be implemented along the original connection, due for example to resource shortage along the original connection, then the connection is switched to the alternate connection in a hitless manner. In this way, connections are protected in the event of lost ACM messages resulting from signal congestion, and the ACM may be implemented even in the event of resource shortage along the original connection.
US07872962B1

The disclosed technology relates to a communication system and method in which multiple versions of a signal are processed to detect the signal. The communication system can include transmitters that communicate different versions of a signal to a receiver. The different versions are weighted versions of the signal and are communicated on different channels. The weight for a weighted signal is based on an inverse of an estimate of the phase shift of the particular channel to which the weighted signal will be communicated. The weights are also based on a unity gain such that each weighted signal has the same magnitude as the original signal. A receiver that receives the weighted signals processes the received signals to detect the original signal.
US07872960B2

A recording medium, such as a high-density and/or read-only recording medium including a data area including at least two data sections and a linking area to link neighboring data sections, the linking area including user data and parity data, and to methods and apparatuses for forming, recording, and reproducing the recording medium.
US07872958B2

In an optical information recording/reproducing device which executes information reading or writing on multiple types of optical discs having different data densities by selectively using first through third light beams having first through third wavelengths, respectively, at least one side of an optical element is provided with a step structure including a plurality of concentric refracting surfaces and steps between them. The steps include first steps each giving a first optical path length difference specified by a first optical path difference function, second steps each giving a second optical path length difference specified by a second optical path difference function, and special steps each giving an optical path length difference obtained by the sum or difference of/between the first and second optical path length differences. Annular zone widths between adjacent steps are set at 10 times the first wavelength or more.
US07872955B2

The present invention provides a method of recording control information in a recordable optical disc including at least one recording layer. In recording control information within a management area of an optical disc including at least one or more recording layers, the present invention includes providing the control information to each of the at least one or more recording layers per recording velocity, recording an information identifying a type of the corresponding control information within the control information, and recording a write strategy (WS) interworking with the type of the control information. In recording a write strategy (WS) within disc information, CLV and CAV are separately recorded, whereby it is able to efficiently cope with the record/playback of the optical disc.
US07872953B2

An apparatus generates outgoing data (OD) to be provided on an optical disk (1) in a burst cutting area (2). The burst cutting area (2) further comprises markings (3) which cause a marking frequency spectrum (MFS) when reading out the burst cutting area (2). The apparatus comprises a channel coder (4) which receives processed data (PD) and supplies the outgoing data (OD) having an outgoing data frequency spectrum (DFS) with suppressed DC-content. The apparatus further comprises a data processing device (5) which generates the processed data (PD) to obtain an outgoing frequency spectrum (DFS) wherein a frequency component causing interference with a low frequent component of the markings (3) is suppressed or not present.
US07872950B1

A time display device and a time display method are provided. The time display method implemented by the time display device, the method comprising, providing a current time information; controlling the first stepper motor to drive the light source to rotate an angle, then the emitted light representing as an hour hand; determining the current emitted reflector according to hour value in the second time information; determining a rotation angle of the reflector according to hour value, minute value in the second time information and a calculation formula; and controlling the second stepper motor group to drive the reflector to rotate the rotation angle, thus emitted light reflected by the reflector points to a corresponding minute marker, the reflected light representing as a minute hand.
US07872948B2

A method and apparatus for detecting an aircraft. The method is provided for wide area tracking of aircraft. An acoustic emission of the aircraft is detected from a plurality of locations. A position of the aircraft at a set of times is estimated by comparing a set of harmonically related Doppler shifted frequencies for the acoustic emission to an expected zero Doppler shifted frequency of the aircraft to form an estimated position. The position of the aircraft and a heading of the aircraft are tracked using the estimated position. The aircraft type is classified based on the corresponding set of zero Doppler frequencies at each acoustic sensor.
US07872939B2

A semiconductor memory device includes: a first address buffer configured to be used in a test mode and a normal mode and to receive more addresses in the test mode than in the normal mode; and a second address buffer configured to be used in the normal mode and disabled in the test mode.
US07872934B2

It is an object to provide memory and a semiconductor device in which falsification of data written thereinto is prevented. The memory includes a memory circuit, a writing circuit, and a reading circuit. The memory circuit has a memory cell array in which a plurality of memory cells where “0” and “1” of binary data can be written are arranged. The writing circuit includes a first writing circuit which writes one of “0” and “1” of binary data into one of the memory cells included in the memory circuit, and a second writing circuit which writes the other of “0” and “1” of binary data into one of the memory cells included in the memory circuit.
US07872931B2

An integrated circuit includes an array of memory cells, a clock generator configured to generate a clock signal, and a control circuit configured to perform a retention test on the array of memory cells based on the clock signal. A period of the clock signal defines a retention period for the retention test.
US07872923B2

A low voltage sensing scheme reduces active power down standby leakage current in a memory device. During memory's active power down state, the leak current may increase because of the use of P and Nsense amplifiers having low threshold voltages (Vth) for low Vcc sensing of data signals. A clamping device or diode is used between a Psense amplifier control line (e.g. ACT) and Vcc and/or between an Nsense amplifier control line (e.g. RNL*) and Vss (ground potential). The clamping diode is not enabled during normal memory operations, but is turned on during active power down mode to reduce leakage current through ACT and/or RNL* nodes. The clamping device connected to the ACT node may reduce the voltage on the ACT line during power down mode, whereas the clamping device connected to the RNL* node may increase the voltage on the RNL* line during power down mode to reduce sense amplifier leakage current through these nodes. Because of the rules governing abstracts, this abstract should not be used to construe the claims.
US07872913B2

A nonvolatile analog memory has a floating gate point. The nonvolatile analog memory includes a capacitor, a first current source, a second current source and a current adjuster. The first current source controlled by a voltage value at the floating gate point and generates a first current. The second current source controlled by the voltage value at the floating gate point and generates a second current. The current adjuster receives the output voltage and a reference voltage and adjusts the first current and the second current based on the output voltage and the reference voltage. The current adjuster charges or discharges the capacitor to equalize the output voltage to the reference voltage.
US07872902B2

An integrated circuit includes a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells. A first plurality of bit lines is positioned in a first plane. The first plurality of bit lines is electrically coupled to a first set of the memory cells. A second plurality of bit lines is positioned in a second plane that is different than the first plane. The second plurality of bit lines is electrically coupled to a second set of the memory cells.
US07872899B2

The memory cell array includes a memory cell, the memory cell including a ferroelectric capacitor and a transistor. The memory cell array includes a word line selecting the memory cell, a plate line applying a drive voltage to the ferroelectric capacitor, and a bit line reading data from the ferroelectric capacitor. A selection transistor selectively connects the memory cell to the bit line. A dummy cell provides a reference potential, the reference potential being referred to for a potential read from the memory cell. A sense amplifier circuit includes a plurality of amplification circuits amplifying the potential difference between a bit-line pair. A decoupling circuit electrically cuts off the bit line between the amplification circuits.
US07872898B2

A one time programmable read only memory disposed on a substrate of a first conductive type is provided. A gate structure is disposed on the substrate. A first doped region and a second doped region are disposed in the substrate at respective sides of the gate structure, and the first doped region and the second doped region are of a second conductive type which is different from the first conductive type. A third doped region of the first conductive type is disposed in the substrate and is adjacent to the second doped region, and a junction is formed between the third doped region and the second doped region. A metal silicide layer is disposed on the substrate. An clearance is formed in the metal silicide layer, and the clearance at least exposes the junction.
US07872897B2

A programmable device includes a substrate (10); an insulator (13) on the substrate; an elongated semiconductor material (12) on the insulator, the elongated semiconductor material having first and second ends, and an upper surface S; the first end (12a) is substantially wider than the second end (12b), and a metallic material is disposed on the upper surface; the metallic material being physically migratable along the upper surface responsive to an electrical current I flowable through the semiconductor material and the metallic material.
US07872896B2

A magnetic shift register includes at least a magnetic memory track of which several walls separate the memory track into multiple magnetic domains to serve as magnetic binary memory cells. The magnetic memory track includes multiple data regions. Each data region has multiple of the magnetic binary memory cells for storing bit data at a quiescent state and registering at least one of the bit data shifted from the adjacent data region at a shifting state. Wherein, the bit data of the magnetic binary memory cells is shifted between the adjacent two data region under an operation current.
US07872894B2

A memory cell is protected against current or voltage spikes. The cell includes a group of redundant data storage nodes for the storage of information in at least one pair of complementary nodes. The cell further includes circuitry for restoring information to its initial state following a current or voltage spike which modifies the information in one of the nodes of the pair using the information stored in the other node. The data storage nodes of each pair in the cell are implanted on opposite sides of an opposite conductivity type well from one another within a region of a substrate defining the boundaries of the memory cell.
US07872878B2

An EMI shielding device is set in an electronic device. The electronic device includes a shell, a circuit board set in the shell, and an electrical component set on the circuit board. The shielding device includes a middle board and a shielding cover. The middle board is set inside the electronic device. The shielding cover is set on the middle board and covers an outside of the electrical component. Thus, the EMI shielding device is structured. The material of the shielding cover is widely used, so the cost of the material is markedly reduced. After the shielding cover is opened, it is easy to restore the shielding state. The shielding cover is set inside the electronic device via the middle board, so assembly is easy and it is not limited by changes in the shape or the structure of the shell, so applicability is improved.
US07872868B2

A mounting structure for a power module, in which a power module and a heat sink can be easily separated without additional labor and time and without requiring an extra disassembly space in a product and in which parts are not damaged during the disassembly. In the heat sink (5a), screw holes (7a) having female screw threads into which power module fixing screws (2a) are screwed are formed so as to penetrate a power module mounting surface (5c) of the heat sink (5a) and heat radiation fins (9a). The power module fixing screw (2a) is constructed such that, to mount the power module (3) on the heat sink (5a), the screw head of the power module fixing screw (2a) is tightened from the printed circuit board (4a) side with a tool (8a) and that, to remove the power module (3) from the heat sink (5a), the power module fixing screw (2a) is loosened with the tool (8a) from the heat radiation fin (9a) side on the opposite side of the screw head.
US07872866B1

A computer includes a casing; the computer further comprises a motherboard, a hard disk drive mounting structure and a hard disk drive accommodated in the casing. The motherboard is mounted on a fixing plate of the casing. The hard disk drive mounting structure is located above the motherboard, and includes a heat dissipation apparatus including a heat sink, a mounting frame, and a supporting bracket connected between the mounting frame and a base of the heat sink. A bottom end of the supporting bracket is fixed to the base of the heat sink. A top end of the supporting bracket is fixed to one end of the mounting frame to support the mounting frame, which has another end fixed to a side plate of the casing. The hard disk drive is mounted on the mounting frame.
US07872863B2

A portable electronic device comprises a main body, a sliding cover slidably mounted on the main body, a flipping cover rotatably mounted on one end of the main body, and a transmission mechanism connecting the flipping cover to the sliding cover such that when the flipping cover rotates relative to the main body, the sliding cover slides relative to the main body.
US07872862B2

A fixing device for detachably fastening an electronic element inside thereof is described. Two fastening modules are respectively disposed on the two opposite inner walls of a housing. A positioning disk is rotatably connected with the positioning frame and has a concave section with a pair of inner side surfaces. The positioning disk is disposed between the first pair of positioning surfaces while the positioning disk is disposed between the second pair of positioning surfaces. When the positioning disk is at a first position, the pair of inner side surfaces is aligned with the first pair of positioning surfaces to allow the electronic element to be inserted between. When the positioning disk is rotated from the first position to the second position, the pair of inner side surfaces is aligned with the second pair of positioning surfaces, and the first and second connection members engage each other to fasten the electronic element.
US07872861B2

A portable electronic device has a lower body, an upper body, and a moving assembly installed between the parts. The moving assembly has a lower base fixed to the lower body, a middle base pivoted to the lower base along a first axis, and an upper base pivoted to the middle base along a second axis that is substantially paralleled to the first axis and slidably connected to the upper body.
US07872857B2

The present subject matter includes a capacitor that includes at least a first element having a first element thickness, including at least a first substantially planar electrode with a first connection member, at least a second substantially planar electrode, and a first spacer member and at least a second element having a third substantially planar electrode with a second connection member, the first element and the second element stacked in alignment and defining a capacitor stack, the capacitor stack disposed in a case containing electrolyte, wherein the first spacer member, the first connection member, and the second connection member are in adjacent alignment defining a connection surface for electrical connection of the first substantially planar electrode and the third substantially planar electrode, with the adjacent first spacer member and first connection member having a first thickness approximately equal to the first element thickness.
US07872856B2

An energy storage cell pack cradle assembly for holding multiple rows of energy storage cells oriented along a dominant axis of vibration includes a first cradle member including a plurality of energy storage cell body supporting structures including respective holes; a second cradle member including a plurality of energy storage cell body supporting structures including respective holes; and one or more fasteners connecting the first cradle member and the second cradle member together. The energy storage cell body supporting structures are configured to structurally support the energy storage cells, with the energy storage cells oriented along a dominant axis of vibration, by energy storage cell bodies of the energy storage cells with respective electrically conductive terminals extending through the respective holes without structural support of the electrically conductive terminals by the cradle members.
US07872846B2

A protective circuit (30) for intrinsically safe electromagnetic actuators operating at the voltage of a power supply approved for underground mining, for switching electrohydraulic valves in underground mining, comprising a coil (11) connected to a first potential (2) and a second potential (3) of the power supply and associated with at least two spaced apart short-circuit means (12) connected in parallel with the electromagnetic actuator coil (11) for short-circuiting ting the coil in the event of a reversal of the potential of the coil voltage. In accordance with the present invention the protective circuit comprises a semiconductor switch (T3) which is inserted between the coil (11) and the second potential (3) and, in the event of a voltage reduction or potential reversal, isolates the coil (11) from the second potential, so that the discharge from the coil (11) has no adverse effect on the energy supply system or the intrinsic safety.
US07872845B2

One embodiment relates to a control system. In one embodiment, a control system is configured to drive a load based on a set-point of the load, a measured load characteristic and a supply voltage of the load. The controller is configured to determine a duty cycle based on the load characteristic, the set-point, and the supply voltage. The controller is further configured to drive the load in response to the duty cycle.
US07872838B2

Improved performance uniformity among CPP magnetic read devices that include an oxide barrier has been achieved by fabricating the oxide layer from at least two separately formed CCP layers. Each CCP layer is given its own PIT and IAO treatment which is of shorter duration than the PIT/IAO treatment that is used when only a single CCP layer is formed.
US07872834B1

A dual stage microactuated head suspension includes a base plate, a mounting region attached to the base plate, a load beam coupled to the mounting region, a flexure supported by the load beam and the mounting region, and a microactuator mechanically and electrically coupled to the mounting region. The mounting region is oriented in a plane and includes a microactuator slot for receiving the microactuator such that the microactuator lies substantially or entirely in the plane of the mounting region. The head suspension includes a microactuator support structure provided for mechanically and electrically coupling the microactuator to the mounting region.
US07872831B2

The invention provides a thin-film magnetic head wherein the combined release angle Φ for a dominant recording magnetic field generated from a magnetic pole layer toward a patterned media for the purpose of recording magnetic information is set to within an angle range of 35° to 65° with respect to a patterned media surface. It is thus possible to invert, with efficiency and reliability, the directions of magnetization of isolate bits lined up on the patterned media for high-density recording.
US07872818B2

An exemplary apparatus for coupling a first lens to a second lens includes a base, a first plate, a second plate, a recess, and an elastic member. The base has a top surface. The first plate protrudes from the top surface. The second plate is opposite to the first plate and protrudes from the top surface. The recess is defined in the top surface and positioned between the first plate and the second plate. The recess is configured for receiving the second lens. The elastic member is positioned on the top surface. A first end of the elastic member is connected with the first plate. The elastic member is configured for exerting a force on the first lens such that the first lens can be cooperatively clamped between a second end of the elastic member and the second plate.
US07872799B2

Device for controlling light radiation, which is excited in a specimen and/or which is backscattered and/or reflected and which contains one or more wavelengths, at a plurality of light outlets, wherein a separation of the light radiation into differently polarized components is carried out; and the components of the excitation radiation and/or detection radiation are affected in their polarization by means of a preferably birefringent, preferably acousto-optic or electro-optic medium, which changes the ordinary and extraordinary refractive index.
US07872798B2

A microscopic apparatus and an observing method can obtain information of a super-resolved image of an object under observation with a high SN ratio. Therefore, the microscopic apparatus including an illuminating optical system that illuminates a specimen plane of a sample with line-shaped illuminating light, a modulating unit that spatially modulates the illuminating light in a lengthwise direction, an image-forming optical system that forms an image of light from the specimen plane illuminated with the spatially modulated illuminating light, and a detector that detects light from the specimen plane. Accordingly, a confocal effect is obtained with respect to an unstructuring direction of an illuminated area. The essential contrast of the structured illumination of the illuminated area is enhanced by the confocal effect, and thus the modulated image of the illuminated area is detected with a high SN ratio.
US07872793B2

A spatial light modulator system includes an optically addressable spatial light modulator (OASLM) and an electrical addressable spatial light modulator (EASLM) arranged to transmit light onto the OASLM. A first controller is configured to address the EASLM with both a positive image and a negative image. A second controller is configured to apply a first bipolar voltage pulse to the OASLM associated with reception of the positive image and apply a second bipolar voltage pulse to the OASLM associated with reception of the negative image.
US07872786B2

The invention provides an image display apparatus that includes a display image creation unit capable of creating a display image that has a plurality of objects superposed on each other; a image display unit capable of displaying the display image created by the display image creation unit on a display; a selection-and-judgment unit capable of receiving selection input from an external source, and based on the selection input, determining which one of the plurality of objects in the display image is selected; and an index information arrangement unit capable of placing an index image at a position different from the position of the display image on the display, wherein the index image visually indicates which of the plurality of objects is determined to be selected by the selection-and-judgment unit, wherein the image display unit displays the index image on the display in addition to the display image.
US07872781B2

Visible and infrared radiation is generated from phosphors within a cold cathode lamp. At least partially transparent media is irradiated with the visible and infrared radiation from the cold cathode lamp. Infrared radiation that passes through the at least partially transparent media is sensed, and an artifact signal is generated from the sensed infrared radiation. The artifact signal corresponds to one or more unwanted artifacts on the at least partially transparent media.
US07872779B2

An image reading apparatus includes an image sensor fixed to a main body of the image reading apparatus, a light scanning carriage, a light reflection carriage, a pair of transport modules to move the light scanning carriage and the light reflection carriage in a sub-scanning direction with a predetermined speed ratio, and a wire having both ends fixed to the main body of the image reading apparatus and a portion fixed to the light scanning carriage, the wire wound around carriage pulleys of the light reflection carriage and fixing pulleys of the main body. Therefore, an accuracy of a moving of the carriages is improved, thus preventing a defective reading operation. Manufacturing costs of the image reading apparatus are reduced.
US07872777B2

Methods of the present invention allow for optimization of color and shades of gray documents prior to their conversion to a monochrome format. If color/gray elements are identified in the document, the distance between them and their intensity is determined. If there are elements with the same or similar intensity in close proximity to each other, colors of some of the elements may be replaced with solid monochrome colors, and/or dithered surfaces, and/or monochrome patterns. Further, the elements may be outlined. These improvements make elements in the document more distinguishable after its conversion to a monochrome format. The described color optimization and outlining may have wide applicability in the Internet Fax technology.
US07872770B2

A printing system includes a printer and at least one workstation operatively connected to the printer. The work station comprises at least one input/output device connecting the workstation to the printer, a controller connected to the at least one input/output device, and a memory connected to the controller. The workstation further includes an operating system, a first application, a second application, and a print driver, all residing on the memory. A first item of the first application and a second item of the second application are both receivable by the print driver. The print driver is selectively able to concatenate the first and second items into a compound print set, able to receive a selected number of copies to be printed of the compound print set entered through the at least one input/output device and able to submit the compound print set and the selected number of copies as a single print job to the printer. Finishing attributes are able to be applied to the compound print set for processing by the printer.
US07872765B2

A method for automatically generating a custom printer description file is disclosed. The custom printer description file enables a computer's printing system to insert, into a print data stream, commands (e.g., PCL, PJL, JCL, JDF, or PJTF commands) that cause a non-Postscript-enabled printing device (e.g., a non-Postscript printer) to perform operations in accordance with a user's specified desires. The custom printer description file is automatically generated based on an existing PPD file, which already indicates the features that the user's printing device supports. According to one aspect, an automated tool reads both an existing PPD file and translation data. Using the translation data, the automated tool generates a custom printer description file that contains appropriate non-Postscript commands for each feature/option combination that the printing device supports.
US07872764B2

A predictive suspension system for a vehicle includes an imaging sensor, and energy source and a control. The imaging sensor is disposed at a vehicle and has a generally downward field of view, with the field of view encompassing an area forward of a tire of the vehicle. The energy source is operable to emit illumination in at least one linear pattern so that the linear pattern is projected onto a portion of the area forward of the tire of the vehicle that is encompassed by the field of view of the imaging sensor. The control processes image data captured by the imaging sensor and detects surface irregularities on a surface in front of the vehicle tire in response to the image processing.
US07872758B2

Determining linear modulator dynamics in an interferometric fiber-optic gyroscope may be accomplished by applying a stimulus at a point within the gyroscope, observing a response in an output of the gyroscope, and determining, from the observed response, the linear modulator dynamics.
US07872748B2

A real-time, 3D, non-linear microscope measuring system and method for examining a set of microscopic image points in different image planes. The system comprises a pulsed laser or parametric oscillator light source generating an examining optical signal, and is applicable to measure and/or photochemically stimulate pre-selected points within a short time interval. The system further comprises a bundle of fibers composed of optical fibers or other waveguides, a rapidly working optical switch, a imaging system, a light source and an optical system. The examining optical signal is a fluorescent or other optical signal imaged on the required spot.
US07872747B2

A reflex sight (10) comprises a housing (20) fitted with a proximal aperture (21) and a distal aperture (22) along an optics axis (A). It further includes a projection unit (40) reproducing the light generated by a light source (50) as a target mark (Z), and a feed optics (60) feeding the target mark (Z) reproduced by the projection unit (40) into the beam along the optic axis (A). To preclude the target mark (Z) from being visible to the sighted object, the invention provides that at least one implementing means (61, 62) of the invention be used whereby the target mark (Z) reproduced by the projection unit (40) substantially shall be visible only from the proximal aperture (21). The implementing means (61, 62) of the invention may be a polarizing beam splitting layer (61) designed as an interface layer (65) between two prisms (63, 64). Alternatively a band blocking filter (62) may be used which is configured between the feed optics (60) and the distal aperture (22) and which precludes light reflected by the feed optics (60) from passing through the distal aperture (22) by blocking/filtering such light. To attain economic and simple manufacture of the sight (10), the components (40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100) of the sight (10) are prefabricated sub-assemblies that can be installed rapidly and accurately in the housing (20).
US07872746B2

A continuous high resolution fluid level monitoring system is provided by embodiments of the present invention. This continuous high resolution fluid level monitoring system includes a unique fluid level sensor having a point light source, parabolic reflector, sensor array, and detection, processing and control system. The point light source illumines a parabolic reflector wherein the point light source is located at the focus of the parabolic reflector. The parabolic reflector reflects light from the point light source to produce a parallel light curtain. This parallel light curtain is parallel to an axis of symmetry of the parabolic reflector. The parallel light curtain illumines a chamber such as a chamber in an ophthalmic surgical device used to contain surgical fluid. The sensor array coupled to the chamber detects the parallel light curtain illuminating the chamber. The sensor array provides an output to a detection/processing/control system in order to determine the fluid level within the chamber. This optical method of determining the surgical fluid levels may be advantageous in that it prevents physical contamination of the surgical fluids.
US07872743B2

In a defect inspection system using a plurality of detectors such as an upright detector and an oblique detector, if illumination light and wafer height are adjusted to the detection field of view of one detector, a defocused image is detected by other remaining detectors, resulting in degradation of the detection sensitivity. The present invention solves this problem.When a plurality of detectors such as an upright detector and an oblique detector are used in the defect inspection system, the reduction of the inspection sensitivity can be prevented by correcting the field positions of the other remaining detectors with respect to the field of view of the one detector. Further, the variation in optical axis for each inspection system due to the variation in parts and assembly errors can be reduced.
US07872733B2

A tracking type laser interferometer that detects displacement of a retroreflector 300 being an object to be measured by utilizing interference of a laser beam 102 irradiated onto the retroreflector 300 and reflected by the retroreflector 300 in the returning direction, and carries out tracking by means of a two-axis turning mechanism 240 using displacement in the position of the optical axis of the laser beam 102; the same tracking type laser interferometer, includes; a light irradiator 600 that emits a fan-shaped laser light 602 that is fan-shaped including the optical axis of the laser beam 102, is interlocked with turning movements of the two-axis turning mechanism 240 around an axis orthogonal to the center axis of the corresponding fan shape; and a light receptor 620 that has a specific positional relationship with the retroreflector 300 or the light irradiator 600 and receives the fan-shaped laser light. Thereby, tracking can be automatically reset when the tracking is disabled due to a reason such as interruption of laser light or initial adjustment work can be automated when commencing measurement.
US07872727B2

A liquid crystal display (LCD) panel transferring system including a panel transferring apparatus that takes out and transfers a LCD panel formed at a surface of a substrate; a camera installed at the panel transferring apparatus that captures an image of the LCD panel; and a controlling unit that aligns the LCD panel with the panel transferring apparatus based on an image captured using the camera. The panel transferring apparatus includes a main body; a plurality of suction holes formed at the main body that fix an LCD panel to the main body; and a pin formed at the peripheral area of the main body that applies an impact to a dummy region to separate the LCD panel from the substrate.
US07872720B2

A liquid crystal device includes a pair of substrates facing each other, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates. One of the pair of substrates includes data lines and scanning lines that intersect each other, pixels arranged in a matrix, at least one first electrode, and at least one second electrode that applies an electric field generated between the first electrode and the second electrode to the liquid crystal layer. Each of the first electrode and the second electrode includes a plurality of electrode portions, and a joint portion for connecting the plurality of electrodes. At least a portion of the joint portion of the first electrode and at least a portion of the joint portion of the second electrode are arranged so as to overlap at least the data lines or the scanning lines, and are aligned in a line extending along the at least the data lines or the scanning lines.
US07872715B2

A liquid crystal display device may include a first substrate; a second substrate; a first polarizing plate on the first substrate; a second polarizing plate arranged on the second substrate, and so that a direction of an absorption axis of the second polarizing plate being perpendicular to a direction of an absorption axis of the first polarizing plate; a liquid crystal layer arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate; a color filter layer arranged between the liquid crystal layer and the first or the second substrate, the color filter layer having a plurality of pixels of two or more colors. The retardation thin film has in-plane birefringence index satisfying 0.75≦Δn[fr]/λd[fr]≦1.35 for a region corresponding to a reflection part of a pixel and satisfying Δn[t]<1.2 ×10−3 for a region corresponding to a transmission part of a pixel.
US07872708B2

The problem to be solved is to suppress image quality degradation caused by polarizers and provide improved light fastness.To solve the above problem, the embodiment of the present invention is a liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal display device includes a driving-side substrate 1 on which a drive transistor 5, pixel electrode 6 and orientation film are formed. The liquid crystal display device further includes an opposed-side substrate 2 on which an opposed electrode and orientation film are formed. The liquid crystal display device still further includes liquid crystal 4 filled between the pixel electrode 6 of the driving-side substrate 1 and opposed electrode of the opposed-side substrate 2. The liquid crystal display device still further includes a reflective inorganic polarizer 3 formed between the drive transistor 5 and pixel electrode 6 of the driving-side substrate 1. The embodiment of the present invention is also a projection-type display device using the liquid crystal display device.
US07872706B2

Polarized light-emitting device with a light source, multiple layers of first optical thin films and second optical thin films alternately stacked is disclosed. Each first optical thin film has a number of first geometric units, and each second optical thin film has a number of second geometric units. The first geometric units and the second geometric units are arranged as a secondary periodic structure on the light-emitting surface of the light source. The polarized light-emitting device is able to provide polarized light with higher brightness and polarized light of a specified polarization characteristic.
US07872698B2

In the display area of the TFT array substrate, a pixel electrode, a switching element connected to the pixel electrode, a gate line connected to the switching element and a source line connected to the switching element are formed. In the terminal forming area of the TFT substrate, a terminal electrode for connecting the gate line or source line to external signal source is formed. Around the terminal forming area, a first metallic line and a second metallic line are extended below the terminal electrode. The first metallic line and the second metallic line are connected to the terminal electrode via respective contact holes. The first metallic line and the second metallic line are in different layers interposing an insulating layer therebetween.
US07872696B2

Image display device having an electrode forming layer which includes a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of drain lines, a plurality of switching elements and the a plurality of pixel electrodes, and having reference electrode layer between the electrode forming layer and a substrate where the electrode forming layer formed thereon, and the reference electrode layer and the electrode forming layer are insulated by insulating layer.
US07872686B2

A integrated camera module (10, 10a) for capturing video images in very small digital cameras, cell phones, personal digital assistants, and the like. A lens assembly (24, 24a) is rigidly affixed in relation to a sensor array area (14) of a camera chip (12) by a molding (26). The molding (26) is formed on the camera chip (12), and optionally on a printed circuit board (16, 16a) on which the camera chip (12) is mounted. The lens assembly (24, 24a) is held in place in a recess (29) of the molding (26) by an adhesive (28). The molding (26) is formed such that a precise gap (30) exists between the lens assembly (24) and a sensor array area (14) of the camera chip (12).
US07872681B2

A method of implementing high-performance color filter mosaic arrays (CFA) using luminance pixels. The introduction of luminance pixels greatly improves the accuracy of the image acquisition process for a given pixel and image sensor size.
US07872680B2

In a solid-state image sensor in which a large number of pixel cells each comprised of a combination of a main photosensitive pixel having a relatively large area and a subsidiary photosensitive pixel having a relatively small area are arranged, if the subsidiary photosensitive pixel has a defect for any pixel cell, division photometry data during AE processing is read, and the defective pixel is replaced with a value obtained by dividing the output value of the main photosensitive pixel at the same position by a sensitivity ratio only for a section for which it is determined that the main photosensitive pixel is not saturated. Thus, the pixel value of a defective pixel can be accurately corrected without causing a reduction in resolution sensitivity compared to a conventional method of correcting a defective pixel using surrounding pixel information.
US07872676B2

Methods, devices, and systems for offset compensation in an amplifier are disclosed, wherein the amplifier inputs may be exposed to large loads from an array of pixel columns coupled in parallel. During a sampling phase, an amplifier offset may be sampled by selectively coupling a first amplifier output to a first amplifier input and a second amplifier output to a second amplifier input. During a portion of the sampling phase, the first amplifier output may be buffered to a first storage element. During a different portion of the sampling phase, the second amplifier output may be buffered to a second storage element. To sense the pixel columns during an amplification phase, the first storage element and the second storage element are coupled to the first and second amplifier inputs, respectively, with the result that the amplifier offset is canceled from the amplifier output.
US07872675B2

Embodiments include an apparatus, device, system, computer-program product, and method. In an embodiment, a device includes a user-accessible digital storage medium, and a storage medium manager module. The storage manager module includes a storage manager module operable to save a digital image in a form in the user-accessible digital storage medium, and then alter the form of the saved digital image if a condition is met.
US07872665B2

Apparatus and systems, as well as methods and articles, may operate to capture a portion of an omniscopic or omni-stereo image using one or more image capture media. The media may be located substantially perpendicular to a converging ray originating at a viewpoint on an inter-ocular circle and having a convergence angle between zero and ninety degrees from a parallel viewpoint baseline position that includes a non-converging ray originating at the viewpoint. The media may also be located so as to be substantially perpendicular to a non-converging ray originating at a first viewpoint at a first endpoint of a diameter defining an inter-ocular circle, wherein the origin of the non-converging ray gravitates toward the center of the inter-ocular circle as spherical imagery is acquired.
US07872649B1

An image rendering method for a computer system includes identifying a point in space to be illuminated from at least one line light for the point, and determining an illumination direction of the line light. The method further includes generating a plane passing through the point, and projecting the line light onto the plane. The method further includes determining a brightness contribution for the point responsive to a function characterizing the brightness contribution.
US07872647B2

A system and method is provided for modeling a world database that is a spheroid in a computer graphics simulation system. The method includes the operation of modeling the world database using a plurality of geodetic terrain gridposts. A further operation is creating a triangulated network mesh based on the geodetic terrain gridposts in real-time as a function of eye position. In addition, the triangulated network mesh is stored in geodetic coordinates. The triangulated network mesh is then rendered using geometry formed by the triangulated network mesh.
US07872642B2

A controlling device using a source of energy, such as light energy, to provide the controlling device with a user interface having multiple, different visual appearances.
US07872634B2

A status sensing mechanism is disclosed, which comprises: a post, and a sleeve, ensheathing the post for enabling the post to slide up and down therein; wherein the post is abutted against a side of the sleeve as the inertial cursor-control device is subject to a first movement while the post is separated from the side of the sleeve as the inertial cursor-control device is subject to a second movement. By the use of the aforesaid status sensing mechanism, an improved cursor-control device can be provided, in which a sensor is used to detect and determine whether the status sensing mechanism is subjecting to the first movement or the second movement so as to issue different electrical signals corresponding to the detection to an inertial cursor processor arranged inside the cursor-control device for directing the inertial cursor processor to perform one of the following operation: (1) to perform a two-dimensional or three-dimension operation with respect to the received electrical signal for controlling the switching of the sensing capabilities of the cursor-control device, that is, the cursor-control device is controlled to be in a mode of two-dimensional detection or in a mode of three-dimensional detection; and (2) to perform either a displacement locking operation for freeing the cursor from the control of the cursor-control device, or a calculation of displacement for directing the cursor to move accordingly.
US07872632B2

An information processing apparatus may include a light source which illuminates a display panel and a first area in which a first red element, first green element and first blue element and a second area which is arranged in one direction with respect to the first area and in which a second red element, a second green element connected in series to the first green element and a second blue element, a first control circuit which is connected to an anode of the first red element and a cathode of the second red element, a second control circuit which is connected to an anode of the first green element and a cathode of the second green element, and a third control circuit which is connected to an anode of the first blue element and a cathode of the second blue element.
US07872628B2

A shift register and an LCD device to prevent the deterioration of a transistor by controlling a bias stress are disclosed. The shift register includes a plurality of stages for sequential shift signals, wherein each of the plurality of stages is connected with first and second supplying voltage input lines having opposite phases inversed by at least every frame, a start pulse input line, and at least one clock signal input line in which a phase of a first logic state is shifted in sequence, and a clock signal inputted to the clock signal input line is maintained in a second logic state different from the first logic state during a blanking time between frames.
US07872620B2

A pixel structure using a voltage programming type active matrix organic light emitting diode (OLED) which can minimize a current deterioration phenomenon. The pixel structure includes a fifth TFT receiving an external management signal EMS through its gate, having a drain region connected to a cathode part of an OLED, and receiving an input of an OLED current through its source-drain current path when the OLED emits light, a fourth TFT receiving a set scan signal SCAN through its gate and having source and drain regions connected to gate and drain parts of a third TFT T3; respectively, the third TFT T3 being a current driving transistor for determining the OLED current when the OLED emits light, a capacitor C having upper and lower plates connected to the gate part of the third TFT T3 and a ground voltage VSS.
US07872618B2

A data-line drive circuit controls a current value of a control signal in every cycle T1 based on upper 8-bit digital data DAB of digital data In, and performs pulse-width control in a cycle T2 based on lower 2-bit digital data SUB of the digital data In for the portion which is D/A-converted based on the same digital data of the control signal. It is thus possible to provide an electronic circuit suitable to inhibit a variation in the luminance so as to control the luminance levels of pixels with high precision.
US07872617B2

A display apparatus includes a matrix display unit including light-emitting devices that emit light of one of a plurality of colors with a brightness corresponding to a current and pixel circuits that drive the light-emitting devices, a plurality of column control circuits that receive input image signals and generate and output current-data signals, and a plurality of data lines each provided for each column of the matrix display unit to transfer the current-data signal output from the column control circuit to one of the pixel circuits in the column. The light-emitting devices have different current-luminance efficiencies depending on colors of emitted lights, and the plurality of data lines are divided into sets of data lines, each set of data lines transferring the current-data signals of the plurality of colors to the pixel circuits, and the number of data lines in the set of data lines is equal to the number of colors. In addition, one set of the column control circuits, comprised of a number larger than a number of colors of the display unit, is provided for one set of the data lines, comprised of a number equal to the number of colors.
US07872614B2

A deployable microwave phasing structure having a plurality of sub-panels forming a non-planar reflective surface when in a deployed state. In one embodiment, the phasing structure includes a plurality of joints configured to inter-connect the plurality of sub-panels. In one embodiment, the deployable microwave phasing structure includes a folding means for arranging the phasing structure into a plurality of states, the plurality of states including the deployed state and a collapsed state, wherein the collapsed state is characterized by a substantially planar profile.
US07872608B2

An antenna system includes first, second and third antennas that are arranged on a substrate. The first, second and third antennas include an arc-shaped element having a concave side and a convex side and a conducting element that extends substantially radially from a center of said concave side.
US07872607B2

A system, apparatus and method for a diverse spectrum antenna is disclosed. The diverse spectrum antenna may comprise a circuit board having a ground plane and a chip antenna including a notch, wherein the chip antenna is mounted on the circuit board at a selected distance from the ground plane.
US07872595B2

A terminal with a keypad enables a user to input an alphabet character through the keypad at high speed without modification of the keypad. The terminal comprises receiving a first input character in an alphabet input mode; waiting for a key input for at least one second input character succeeding the first input character; upon receiving a key input for the second input character, searching for a priority table in which a displaying order of a succeeding alphabet character is designated; and controlling a displaying order of the second input character according to the priority table.
US07872594B1

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for providing attenuation alerts for a radar-based terrain warning.A method for providing radar-based terrain warning attenuation alerts may comprise: (a) receiving a radar return; (b) detecting a region of atmospheric disturbance limiting the range of the radar return; and (c) providing a notification of radar-based terrain awareness warning system attenuation in the region of atmospheric disturbance.
US07872584B2

A system and method for analyzing smoke or other emissions are provided. An image is analyzed and processed to identify characteristics associated with the emission, such as color, densities, dispersion rates, fuel mixture characteristics, and other suitable analysis factors. If the analysis indicates that abnormal conditions exist or that any user-defined alerts are warranted, a message is sent to an operator terminal. The system and method may continue to capture subsequent images and thus provide real-time data. The data may be stored in memory and collected over time. The data may be associated with a digital signature and used to create reports for company quality control boards, regulatory control agencies, and the public. The system and method thus provide a cost effective, reliable, and repeatable mechanism for real-time analysis of smoke stacks and other environmental changes.
US07872581B2

A method is provided, comprising transmitting a first radio frequency identification tag wake-up sequence by a master reader device; responsive to said first wake-up sequence, transmitting a second radio frequency identification tag wake-up sequence by at least one slave reader device; responsive to receiving said first and/or said second wake-up sequence at one or more radio frequency identification tags of a plurality of radio frequency identification tags, responding to said wake-up sequence; receiving responses from said one or more radio frequency identification tags at said master reader; deriving first tag information from said responses; and providing said first tag information. A corresponding system, master reader device and slave reader device are also provide.
US07872580B2

Synthetic geomaterials, such as geotextiles, geocomposites or geogrids (woven, knitted or of monolithic strips), characterized in that the synthetic geomaterial comprises at least one transponder applied thereon for storing and for calling up data related to product and/or state and condition and/or project.
US07872570B2

The present invention is an informational display that utilizes cognitive science in the appearance and geographical location of a plurality of gauges and indicators located within the display. Through the use of color, size, depth, location and appearance, information transmitted to an operator through the present invention is rapidly perceived and interpreted. Such rapid interpretation of information by the present invention allows an operator to use a vehicle or the like in a more safe and lawful manner than that of traditional dashboard displays.
US07872569B2

A built-in instrument cluster for a motor vehicle includes at least one display device, which emits image-forming light and is arranged in the direct field of view of an observer, and at least one illuminated and/or self-illuminating electromechanical indicator device, which is arranged in the observer's field of view, at an angle to the display device, and is moved into the observer's field of view together with the display device via an optical combiner, which is arranged to reflect the image-forming light of the electromechanical indicator device. In order to be able to integrate such an instrument cluster into the tight spatial conditions in the instrument panel in the steering-column region, it is provided that the electromechanical indicator device is at least partially provided by light guides and/or light projectors to save depth at abutting vehicle components.
US07872566B1

Apparatus, systems, and methods may include providing a power-on reset function to many types of receiving circuitry, including radio frequency identification (RFID) tag processing circuitry. Thus, the power-on reset function may be realized by applying a supply voltage to a power-on reset circuit coupled to RFID tag processing circuitry. Operations may include sensing a first current substantially independent of the supply voltage, sensing a second current substantially dependent on the supply voltage, and indicating a power-on reset condition based on a comparison between the first current and the second current. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
US07872562B2

A method for constructing a conductor assembly of the type formed of one or more coil rows which, when conducting current, generate a magnetic field or in which, in the presence of a changing magnetic field, a voltage is induced. In one embodiment comprises forming a conductor pattern in a first coil row according to the relationship X(θ)=[h/(2*π)]θ+ΣAn sin(nθ+φn) Y(θ)=R cos(θ) Z(θ)=R sin(θ), the first coil row pattern suitable for simultaneously generating at least two multipole orthogonal field components of different orders, wherein: X is measurable along an X axis, Y is measurable along a Y axis and Z is measurable along a Z axis, the coil row extends along the X axis, the coil row is formed with a conductor configured in a series of turns about the X axis creating spaced-apart segments of the conductor such that, along first portions of the segments, individual segments are relatively straight and along second portions of the segments the segments follow a contour having a definable radius of curvature, the series of turns providing a geometrical configuration for generating a first multipole component of order n=i with An=Ai and φn=φi and a second multipole component of order n=j with An=Aj and φn=φj with φi not equal to φj.
US07872552B2

A method and a device for the secure operation of a switching device are disclosed, including at least one main contact which can be switched on and off and which includes contact pieces and a displaceable contact bridge, and also at least one control magnet which includes a displaceable anchor. The anchor acts upon the contact bridge when it is switched on or off such that the corresponding main contact is opened and closed. In at least one embodiment, the method includes: a) the displaceable contact bridge of the at least one main contact recognizes when an opening point has been exceeded after being switched off, and b) the additional operation of the switching device is interrupted, according to a predetermined duration of time, when the opening point is not exceeded.
US07872544B2

A modulation/demodulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a sine wave generating circuit configured to output two sine waves which are orthogonal to each other and have equal amplitude, an orthogonal modulator connected to the sine wave generating circuit and configured to modulate the sine waves to generate a modulated signal, a detecting section configured to detect amplitude fluctuation in the modulated signal, a multiplying section configured to multiply the modulated signal and the amplitude fluctuation detected by the detecting section together, and an orthogonal demodulator configured to demodulate the modulated signal multiplied with the amplitude fluctuation by the multiplying section to generate a demodulated signal.
US07872540B2

An oscillator device includes a resonator including a coil and a capacitor connected to the coil in parallel; and an oscillator connected to the resonator. Electric waves are emitted from the coil to at least one receiving antenna of the receiver while the oscillator device changes position and direction over time. The coil has an outer diameter and a total length which is approximately the same as the outer diameter.
US07872533B2

A regulator with decreased leakage and low loss for a power amplifier is described. Switching circuitry is used to connect the regulator input bias to a bias control voltage when the power amplifier is to be operated in an on condition or to a voltage generator when the power amplifier is to be operated in an off condition.
US07872530B2

An amplifying device (10) includes first, second, third and fourth transistors (M1, M2, M3, M4). In the first and third transistors (M1, M3) the source is connected to an input signal source (IN+, IN−), the gate is connected to a biasing potential (VB) and the drain is connected to a signal output (O+, O−). There is a first and second branch (B1, B2) between the source and drain of the first and third transistor (M1, M3), respectively, each including a corresponding second or fourth transistor (M2, M4). The device also includes a third branch (B3) comprising a first capacitor (C1) and a first switch (SW1) connected between the first transistor (M1) source and the third transistor (M3) gate, and a fourth branch (B4) comprising a second capacitor (C2) and a second switch (SW2) connected between the third transistor (M3) source and the first transistor (M1) gate.
US07872527B2

A circuit, system and method determine the control voltage for a DC-DC converter. A control module determines a raw battery voltage and an operating temperature. It references a look up table to determine a voltage regulator control voltage based on the battery voltage and the operating temperature during normal operation. In some cases, the control module also uses a level of interference to determine the control voltage.
US07872524B2

[Problems] to provide a CMOS low-noise amplification circuit which can reduce a chip area and design time, and which is easy to be digital-controlled from outside. [Means For Solving the Problems] The amplification circuit includes; an amplification stage (12) which amplifies an input signal up to an intended value; a sample and hold circuit (13) which samples the output signal from the amplification stage (12) by sampling the output signal with a sampling frequency which is at least twice the frequency band of the output signal to convert the output signal to a discrete time signal; a moving average calculation unit (15) which selects and outputs a particular frequency from the discrete time signal outputted from the sample and hold circuit (13) by a moving average operation; and a smoothing filter (17) which smoothes the output signal from the moving average calculation unit (15) and feed it back to the input of the amplification stage (12).
US07872520B2

A semiconductor integrated circuit device which substantially reduces drop in a supply voltage generated by a regulator and ensures stable supply of a supply voltage with high efficiency and high accuracy. In the device, a memory power supply includes a plurality of transistors and an error amplifier. In the transistors, source pads and drain pads are alternately arranged in a row along one edge of a semiconductor chip in a peripheral area of the chip. Transistor gates are formed in parallel with the alternately arranged source pads and drain pads (so that the longitudinal direction of the gates is parallel to the direction of the arrangement of the source pads and drain pads). Consequently, the length of wirings coupled to drains and sources is shortened and the sheet resistance is decreased.
US07872505B2

A semiconductor apparatus includes an arithmetic circuit that executes a program based on an operating clock signal input through a clock transfer node, an internal oscillator that generates an internal clock signal to be used internally, a watch dog timer that counts the internal clock signal, detect that a count value reaches a predetermined value of an execution time of the program in the arithmetic circuit and output a notification signal, and a clock monitor circuit that detects presence or absence of the operating clock signal in response to the notification signal.
US07872500B2

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device including: a first circuit portion including: a first circuit that is connected between a first high-side power line and a low-side power line and that outputs a second signal based on a first signal input thereto; and a second circuit portion including: a first transistor that is connected between a second high-side power line and a node and that has a normally-on characteristic; a second circuit that is connected between the node and the low-side power line and that outputs a third signal based on the second signal input thereto.
US07872498B2

In some embodiments, a chip includes transmitters to transmit differential signals on conductors; and current mode circuitry to selectively modulate a common mode voltage of the differential signals to communicate data. In other embodiments, a system includes a first chip to transmit first and second differential signals on conductors, and a second chip. The second chip includes receivers to receive the first and second differential signals from the conductors and provide received signals representative thereof, and current mode circuitry to selectively modulate a common mode voltage of either the first or second differential signals to communicate data and wherein the first chip includes common mode detection circuitry to detect changes in the common mode voltage. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07872497B2

A fast, flexible carry scheme for use in clustered field programmable gate array architectures is described. Each cluster has a cluster carry input node, a cluster carry output node, a cluster carry output circuit having an output coupled to the cluster carry output node, a first input coupled to the cluster carry input node, and a second input and a plurality of logic modules each comprising a logic function generator circuit coupled to a carry circuit. The logic modules are coupled in a series carry arrangement between the cluster carry input node and the second input of the cluster carry output circuit such that the least significant bit of an arithmetic logic circuit can be programmably placed in any of the logic modules.
US07872496B2

Some embodiments of the invention provide a configurable integrated circuit (IC). The IC includes a logic circuit for receiving input data sets and configuration data sets and performing several functions on the input data sets. Each configuration data set specifies a particular function that the logic circuit has to perform on the input data set. The IC also includes a connection circuit for supplying sets of the configuration data to the logic circuit at a particular rate for at least a particular time period. At least two supplied configuration data sets are different and configure the logic circuit to perform two different functions on the input data.
US07872489B2

A method of locating a defect of a failed semiconductor device which includes applying a test pattern to the failed semiconductor device and providing failed semiconductor device test responses as a pass signature, applying radiation to each of multiple locations of circuitry of a correlation semiconductor device with sufficient energy to induce a fault in the circuitry, applying the test pattern to the correlation semiconductor device while the radiation is applied to the location and comparing correlation semiconductor device test responses with the pass signature for each location, and determining a defect location of the failed semiconductor device in which correlation semiconductor device test responses at least nearly match the pass signature. The radiation may be a laser beam. The method may include determining an exact match or a near match based on a high correlation result. Asynchronous scanning may be used to provide timing information.
US07872484B2

A test apparatus includes a printed circuit board, a chip carrier socket, and a display circuit. The chip carrier socket includes a space to receive a chip including a plurality of pins, a plurality of contact terminals, and a grounded ground portion. The display circuit includes a power supply and a plurality of light-emitting elements. When the chip is received in the space, the ground portion contacts a middle portion of each pin. When a pin of the chip is normal, a distal end of the normal pin contacts a corresponding contact terminal to connect a corresponding light-emitting element to the ground portion, causing the light-emitting element to light up. When a pin of the chip is askew, a distal end of the askew pin cannot contact a corresponding contact terminal, the corresponding light-emitting element will not light up.
US07872483B2

An electronic device having a printed circuit board is provided. In one embodiment, the printed circuit board includes a plurality of external pads to be coupled with an external device and a plurality of bypass pads for testing an electric circuit. The external pads are exposed and at least one of the plurality of bypass pads are not exposed from an outer surface of the PCB. A system using the electronic device and a method of testing an electronic device are also provided.
US07872476B2

An NMR probe is offered which enables a 1H/19F compatibility mode having a sample coil, a hollow tubular body, and two rod electrodes disposed inside the tubular body substantially in a parallel relationship to each other. The tubular body is formed by a conductive wall at ground potential. An RF input-output portion corresponding to the resonant frequency of 1H nucleus is connected with the one end of the coil via a tuning and matching device. Another RF input-output port corresponding to the resonant frequency of 19F nucleus is connected with an end of the coil via another tuning and matching device.
US07872471B2

Provided is a method for testing a head element that enables proper evaluation of the head element based on a characteristic of the head element under high-temperature and high-stress conditions. The testing method can be performed on a thin-film magnetic head including a head element and a heating element capable of applying a heat and stress to the head element, or performed on a row bar or a substrate wafer on which a plurality of the head elements and a plurality of the heating elements are disposed. The testing method comprises the steps of: causing the heating element to generate heat to apply a heat and stress to the head element; and measuring a characteristic of the head element under the heat and stress to evaluate the head element.
US07872462B2

A bandgap reference circuit is provided. An input node receives a supply voltage. An output node provides a reference voltage. A first transistor is coupled between the input node and the output node and has a first control terminal. A resistor is coupled between the input node and the first control terminal. A second transistor is coupled to the first control terminal and has a second control terminal coupled to the output node. A third transistor is coupled between the second transistor and a ground terminal and has a third control terminal. A voltage dividing unit provides a first voltage and a second voltage according to the reference voltage. A differential amplifier provides a signal to the third control terminal according to a difference between the first and second voltages.
US07872459B2

A semiconductor integrated circuit device (IC1) comprises a semiconductor chip (CHIP1), a first frame lead (FR1), and a second frame lead (FR2). The semiconductor chip (CHIP1) includes common-base transistors (P1, P2), pads (T11, T12) connected to the respective emitters of the common-base transistors (P1, P2), pads (T21, T22) connected to the respective collectors of the common-base transistors (P1, P2), and a means (DRV, ERR, E1) for generating a base signal. The pads (T11, T12) are connected through the respective bonding wires (W11, W12) to the first frame lead (FR1). The pads (T21, T22) are connected through the respective bonding wires (W21, W22) to the second frame lead (FR2). This structure can easily detect breaking of the bonding wires connected in parallel.
US07872456B2

One embodiment of the invention includes a power regulator system. The system includes a switching system configured to generate an output voltage across a load based on a high-side switch coupling a power voltage to an output at an edge-trigger of a PWM control signal having an activation pulse-width of the high-side switch. The system also includes a switch driver system configured to set a duty-cycle of the PWM control signal such that the activation pulse-width of the PWM control signal is based on the power regulator system operating in one of a continuous conduction mode (CCM) and a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). The edge-trigger of the PWM control signal can occur based on a relative magnitude of the output voltage and the power voltage while operating in the DCM.
US07872452B2

A battery pack capacity adjusting device for adjusting a capacity of a battery pack having a plurality of secondary cells includes a control circuit board and a control section. The control circuit board is installable in the battery pack, and includes a capacity adjusting section to be electrically connected to the secondary cells to adjust a capacity of each of the secondary cells. The control section is configured to determine a number of the secondary cells whose capacities are adjustable together based on a relationship between a heat radiation amount of the control circuit board and a heat emission amount of the capacity adjusting section, and to control the capacity adjusting section to adjust the capacities of the number of the secondary cells that were determined to be adjustable together.
US07872451B2

An on-vehicle charging apparatus charges a battery mounted on the vehicle. In the apparatus, a generator generates electric power to output voltage for charging the battery and a controller, which is located outside the generator, outputs a pulse signal for controlling a generated state of the generator. A reception device receives the pulse signal outputted from the controller. The received signal is subjected to filtering at a filter, where pulse signals whose cycles are different from a predetermined cycle are removed. Further, using the outputted pulse signal from the filter, a duty ratio of the pulse signal is calculated. A voltage outputted from the generator is regulated based on the calculated duty ratio.
US07872435B2

A motor control apparatus provided with an inverter for successively commutating the current to a motor using a PWM signal; a PWM signal generating device for generating the PWM signal using a carrier signal; a rotational state quantity sensor for detecting a rotational state quantity; a phase difference detecting device for detecting the phase difference between the carrier signal and the rotational period based on the rotational state quantity; a frequency setting device for setting a frequency of the carrier signal to a value in accordance with a multiplier for one period in terms of electrical angle of the rotational period of the motor, when the rotational frequency is equal to or greater than a specified frequency and the phase difference is equal to or less than a specified value; and a synchronizing device for synchronizing a control period of the carrier signal to the rotational period.
US07872434B2

An electronically commutated electric motor (110) has a permanent-magnet rotor (28), a stator having a stator winding arrangement (40), a motor control module (20) implemented as an IC and having a control logic unit (27), and an external power stage (50), separate from the IC, for influencing the current flow in the stator winding arrangement (40). The motor control module (20) has an internal power stage (29) having at least one open collector output (21, 23). The control logic unit (27) is configured to process a rotor position signal (24′, 24″) and to generate therefrom control signals (27′) for the internal power stage (29), which control signals (27′) serve to apply control to the internal power stage (29). Using an external power stage (50) reduces vulnerability to motor overheating and provides design flexibility.
US07872419B2

A plasma display panel (PDP) capable of reducing the defect rate of a dielectric layer is provided. The PDP includes a first substrate, a second substrate spaced from the first substrate by a predetermined distance, a barrier rib structure disposed between the first and second substrates and defining discharge cells in cooperation with the first and second substrates, sustain electrodes arranged between the first and second substrates, a first dielectric layer covering the sustain electrodes, a phosphor layer arranged within the discharge cells, a frit disposed on edges of the first and second substrates between the first and second substrates, and a discharge gas arranged within the discharge cells, wherein at least portions of corners of the first dielectric layer are curved toward the center of the first dielectric layer so as not to contact the frit.
US07872417B2

A diode chip is sealed by a glass material.There are provided a light emitting diode chip and a glass member in close contact with at least one portion of the surface of the light emitting diode chip. The glass member has a surface shape containing a curved surface at least a portion thereof. The curved surface is preferably a portion of a spherical surface or a spheroidal surface. The glass member has a surface shape containing a spherical portion and a flat portion, and the diode chip is preferably disposed on the flat portion.
US07872409B2

A white light LED is disclosed. The white light LED includes a dual-wavelength chip and an optical thin film. The dual-wavelength chip generates a first wavelength light and a second wavelength light. The optical thin film is disposed above the dual-wavelength chip. The optical thin film can partially be a quantum well thin film. Therefore, the quantum well thin film can be excited by the first wavelength light and/or second wavelength light to generate a third wavelength light. The optical thin film further comprises a plurality of windows to let the first and second wavelength lights pass through. By predetermining a ratio of the quantum well thin film area and the window area that belong to the optical thin film, a lumen ratio of the first, the second, and the third wavelength lights can be adjusted to realize white lights of different color temperatures.
US07872405B2

Spark plug devices are formed of a conductive loaded resin-based material. The conductive loaded resin-based material comprises micron conductive powder(s), conductive fiber(s), or a combination of conductive powder and conductive fibers in a base resin host. The percentage by weight of the conductive powder(s), conductive fiber(s), or a combination thereof is between about 20% and 50% of the weight of the conductive loaded resin-based material. The micron conductive powders are metals or conductive non-metals or metal plated non-metals. The micron conductive fibers may be metal fiber or metal plated fiber. Further, the metal plated fiber may be formed by plating metal onto a metal fiber or by plating metal onto a non-metal fiber. Any platable fiber may be used as the core for a non-metal fiber. Superconductor metals may also be used as micron conductive fibers and/or as metal plating onto fibers in the present invention.
US07872397B2

An energy conversion apparatus having a pair of flexible beams that are supported at first ends thereof from a base. The beams each include at least one piezoelectric material layer. Second ends of each of the beams are operatively coupled to rigid links. The rigid links are in turn operatively coupled to a working element that may form, in one application, a drive member for a motor, or in a second application form a valve element for an electronic fuel injection system, or in a third application form a piston for a fluid pump. The working element is free to move linearly in a path generally parallel to the longitudinal axes of the flexible beams. As electrical signals are applied to and removed from the piezoelectric material layer(s) of each flexible beam, the beams flex repeatedly and uniformly over their full lengths. This causes a linear movement of the working element that can be used to help form a rotational motor output or a linearly moving fluid control element.
US07872388B2

The present invention relates to an electrical machine including a rotor shaft, a hollow-cylindrical magnet element, a first covering disk, and a second covering disk, in which the first and second covering disks are secured to the rotor shaft, and the magnet element is secured on its first axial end to the first covering disk and on its second axial end to the second covering disk.
US07872381B2

A counter-rotating axial-flow fan is provided that is capable of increasing effect of cooling a stator. One or more through-holes 83 penetrating support frame bodies (21, 75) in the axial direction are formed in support frame bodies 21 and 75. One or more vent holes 57a for introducing air, sucked from a suction port 19, into a cup-like member 51 are formed in a bottom wall portion 57 of a cup-like member 51 of a first impeller 9. One or more vent holes 111a for discharging air, introduced into an internal space of a second motor 61, to the outside are formed in a bottom wall portion 111 of a cup-like member 105 of a second impeller 63.
US07872363B2

A system for harvesting energy from wave oscillation includes an energy harvesting vessel and, possibly, a transport vessel. The energy harvesting vessel can have multiple hulls disposed in parallel with wave channels there between for receiving incoming waves. Multiple bobber devices can be disposed in series within each wave channel to absorb energy from incoming waves. Reciprocating movement of buoyant float heads of the bobber devices can be converted to electrical energy by a hydraulic engine and a generator. The electrical energy can power an electrolyzer to separate supplied water into hydrogen and oxygen. Once harvested, the hydrogen and oxygen can be transferred between storage tanks on the energy harvesting vessel and the transport vessel for transport and usage. A horizontal movement sea anchor can resist undesired horizontal movement, and a vertical movement sea anchor can resist undesired vertical movement.
US07872359B2

An electronic component contained substrate in which an electronic component is mounted between a pair of wiring substrates, wherein the wiring substrates are connected electrically via solder balls, an opening portion opened larger than a planar shape of the electronic component is formed in the other wiring substrate, which faces to one wiring substrate on which the electronic component is mounted, in a position that opposes the electronic component, and a space between a pair of wiring substrates is sealed with a sealing resin.
US07872357B2

The formation of bonding pad protective layer over exposed bonding pad materials between stacked integrated circuit (IC) dies or wafers is described in preferred embodiments in which the bonding pad protective layer is formed in the integrated process of forming wafer bonding pads. The bonding pad protective layer prevents the exposed bonding pad materials from oxidation and corrosion in open-air or other harsh environments. By providing a bonding pad protective layer on exposed bonding pad materials, significant product reliability improvement is expected on ICs having a three-dimensional “stacked-die” configuration.
US07872354B2

High voltage-resistant semiconductor devices adapted to control threshold voltage by utilizing threshold voltage variation caused by plasma damage resulting from the formation of multilayer wiring, and a manufacturing method thereof. Exemplary high voltage-resistant semiconductor devices include a plurality of MOS transistors having gate insulating films not less than about 350 Å in thickness on a silicon substrate, and the MOS transistors have different area ratios between gate electrode-gate insulating film contact areas and total opening areas of contacts formed on the gate electrodes.
US07872350B2

A multi-chip module includes at least one integrated circuit chip that is electrically connected to first external terminals of the multi-chip module and at least one power semiconductor chip that is electrically connected to second external terminals of the multi-chip module. All first external terminals of the multi-chip module are arranged in a contiguous region of an terminal area of the multi-chip module.
US07872348B2

A semiconductor device formed by using semiconductor packages is provided. The semiconductor device includes two semiconductor packages adjacently arranged in opposite directions on an inductive conductor. Terminals of the two semiconductor packages are joined by a third lead. the third lead is arranged substantially in parallel to the inductive conductor. Leads at the joint portions have, for example, a bent structure, and the third lead is arranged to be close to the inductive conductor.
US07872345B2

An integrated circuit package system includes: providing a protective layer having an opening; forming a conductive layer over the protective layer and filling the opening; patterning a rigid locking lead, having both a lead locking portion and a lead exposed portion, from the conductive layer; connecting an integrated circuit and the rigid locking lead; and forming an encapsulation over the integrated circuit with the lead locking portion in the encapsulation and the lead exposed portion exposed from the encapsulation.
US07872344B2

A compliant semiconductor chip package assembly includes a a semiconductor chip having a plurality of chip contacts, and a compliant layer having a top surface, a bottom surface and sloping peripheral edges, whereby the bottom surface of the compliant layer overlies a surface of the semiconductor chip. The assembly also includes a plurality of electrically conductive traces connected to the chip contacts of the semiconductor chip, the traces extending along the sloping edges to the top surface of the compliant layer. The assembly may include conductive terminals overlying the semiconductor chip, with the compliant layer supporting the conductive terminals over the semiconductor chip. The conductive traces have first ends electrically connected with the contacts of the semiconductor chip and second ends electrically connected with the conductive terminals. The conductive terminals are movable relative to the semiconductor chip.
US07872340B2

A method for manufacturing an integrated circuit package system includes: providing a base package including a first integrated circuit coupled to a base substrate by an electrical interconnect formed on one side; and mounting an offset package over the base package, the offset package electrically coupled to the base substrate via a system interconnect.
US07872334B2

Diodes and method of fabricating diodes. A diode includes: an p-type single wall carbon nanotube; an n-type single wall carbon nanotube, the p-type single wall carbon nanotube in physical and electrical contact with the n-type single wall carbon nanotube; and a first metal pad in physical and electrical contact with the p-type single wall carbon nanotube and a second metal pad in physical and electrical contact with the n-type single wall carbon nanotube.
US07872332B2

Interconnect structures for stacked dies, including penetrating structures for through-silicon vias, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A system in accordance with a particular embodiment includes a first semiconductor substrate having a first substrate material, and a penetrating structure carried by the first semiconductor substrate. The system further includes a second semiconductor substrate having a second substrate material with a preformed recess. The penetrating structure of the first semiconductor substrate is received in the recess of the second semiconductor substrate and is mechanically engaged with the recess and secured to the second semiconductor substrate.
US07872330B2

A bipolar transistor includes a base layer design and a method for fabricating such a bipolar transistor that employ a built-in accelerating field focused on a base region adjacent to a collector, where minority carrier transport is otherwise retarded. The accelerating field of the base layer includes on average, a relatively low p-doping level in a first region proximate to the collector and a relatively high p-doping level in a second region proximate to an emitter. Alternatively, the accelerating field can be derived from band gap grading, wherein the grade of band gap in the first region is greater than the grade of band gap in the second region, and the average band gap of the first region is lower than that of the second region.
US07872319B2

A deflectable structure includes a layer having a first area and a second area, a trench structure in the layer which penetrates the layer and separates the first area from the second area, a first junction between the first area and the second area, and a second junction between the first area and the second area, the first area being permanently moveable from a first, permanent position with regard to the second area to a second position, deflected as compared to the first position, with regard to the second area by applying a force.
US07872312B2

A semiconductor device includes a first gate electrode formed in a first region on a semiconductor substrate with a first gate insulating film sandwiched therebetween; and a second gate electrode formed in a second region on the semiconductor substrate with a second gate insulating film sandwiched therebetween. The first gate insulating film includes a first high dielectric constant insulating film with a first nitrogen concentration and the second gate insulating film includes a second high dielectric constant insulating film with a second nitrogen concentration higher than the first nitrogen concentration.
US07872309B2

A recessed-gate thin-film transistor (RG-TFT) with a self-aligned lightly doped drain (LDD) is provided, along with a corresponding fabrication method. The method deposits an insulator overlying a substrate and etches a trench in the insulator. The trench has a bottom and sidewalls. An active silicon (Si) layer is formed overlying the insulator and trench, with a gate oxide layer over the active Si layer. A recessed gate electrode is then formed in the trench. The TFT is doped and LDD regions are formed in the active Si layer overlying the trench sidewalls. The LDD regions have a length that extends from a top of the trench sidewall, to the trench bottom, with a doping density that decreases in response to the LDD length. Alternately stated, the LDD length is directly related to the depth of the trench.
US07872305B2

A shielded gate field effect transistor (FET) comprises a plurality of trenches extending into a semiconductor region. A shield electrode is disposed in a bottom portion of each trench, and a gate electrode is disposed over the shield electrode in each trench. An inter-electrode dielectric (IED) extends between the shield electrode and the gate electrode. The IED comprises a first oxide layer and a nitride layer over the first oxide layer.
US07872301B2

A semiconductor device is provided with first and second silicon pillars formed substantially perpendicularly to a main surface of a substrate, a gate electrode covering side surfaces of the first and second silicon pillars via a gate insulation film, first and second diffusion layers provided on a lower part and an upper part of the first silicon pillar, respectively, a cap insulation film covering an upper part of the second silicon pillar, a gate contact connected to the gate electrode, and a protection insulation film in contact with the upper surfaces of the first and second silicon pillars. The gate contact is connected to an upper region of the gate electrode provided at the periphery of the cap insulation film. An opening is formed on the protection insulation film provided at the side of the first silicon pillar.
US07872297B2

The present invention relates to a flash memory device and its fabrication method. The device comprises a structure for improving a scaling-down characteristic/performance and increasing memory capacity of the MOS-based flash memory device. A new device structure according to the present invention is based on a recessed channel capable of implementing highly-integrated/high-performance and 2-bit/cell. The proposed device suppresses the short channel effect, reduces the cell area, and enables 2-bit/cell by forming the charge storage node as a spacer inside the recessed channel. Moreover, if selectively removing the dielectric films around the recessed silicon surface, the sides as well as the surface of the recessed channel is exposed. A spacer can be used as a storage node, thereby improving the channel controllability of the control electrode and the on-off characteristic of a device. The proposed structure also resolves the threshold voltage problem and improves the write/erase speeds.
US07872296B2

A semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor substrate having a projection, an upper end portion of the projection being curved, a first element isolation insulating film formed on the substrate surface at the root of the projection, having an upper surface lower than an upper surface of the projection, a second element isolation insulating film formed in the projection, a gate insulating film formed on the projection, and including a charge storage layer, and a gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film. A height of a first portion where the gate electrode is in contact with the gate insulating film above the upper surface of the first element isolation insulating film is smaller than that of a second portion where the gate electrode is in contact with the gate insulating film above an upper end of the second element isolation insulating film.
US07872294B2

A dielectric film is formed by depositing an amorphous strontium oxide film to a thickness of one to several atomic layers on a first electrode layer, then depositing an amorphous titanium oxide film to a thickness of one to several atomic layers on the amorphous strontium oxide film, and then heat-treating a laminated film of the amorphous strontium oxide film and the amorphous titanium oxide film at a temperature close to a crystallization start temperature, thereby converting the laminated film to a single-layer amorphous strontium titanate film containing a plurality of crystal grains therein. The laminated film may have a plurality of amorphous strontium oxide films and a plurality of amorphous titanium oxide films that are alternately laminated. A semiconductor device includes a capacitor having as its dielectric film a single-layer amorphous strontium titanate film containing a plurality of crystal grains therein.
US07872291B2

A method of enhanced atomic layer deposition is described. In an embodiment, the enhancement is the use of plasma. Plasma begins prior to flowing a second precursor into the chamber. The second precursor reacts with a prior precursor to deposit a layer on the substrate. In an embodiment, the layer includes at least one element from each of the first and second precursors. In an embodiment, the layer is TaN. In an embodiment, the precursors are TaF5 and NH3. In an embodiment, the plasma begins during the purge gas flow between the pulse of first precursor and the pulse of second precursor. In an embodiment, the enhancement is thermal energy. In an embodiment, the thermal energy is greater than generally accepted for ALD (>300 degrees Celsius). The enhancement assists the reaction of the precursors to deposit a layer on a substrate.
US07872288B2

An organic light-emitting display device includes a substrate, a first buffer layer and a second buffer layer on the substrate, a thin film transistor on the second buffer layer, an organic light-emitting diode electrically connected with the thin film transistor, and a photo sensor with an intrinsic region on the second buffer layer, wherein the photo sensor is capable of absorbing red light from the organic light-emitting diode and of exhibiting quantum efficiency of from about 50% to about 90%.
US07872286B2

An image pickup device, wherein a part of the carriers overflowing from the photoelectric conversion unit for a period of photoelectrically generating and accumulating the carriers may be flowed into the floating diffusion region, and a pixel signal generating unit generating a pixel signal according to the carriers stored in the photoelectric conversion unit and the carriers having overflowed into the floating diffusion region, is provided. The expansion of a dynamic range and the improvement of an image quality can be provided by controlling a ratio of the carriers flowing into the floating diffusion region to the carriers overflowing from such a photoelectric conversion unit at high accuracy.
US07872276B2

A method of manufacturing a vertical GaN-based LED comprises forming a light emission structure in which an n-type GaN-based semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a p-type GaN-based semiconductor layer are sequentially laminated on a substrate; etching the light emission structure such that the light emission structure is divided into units of LED; forming a p-electrode on each of the divided light emission structures; filling a non-conductive material between the divided light emission structures; forming a metal seed layer on the resulting structure; forming a first plated layer on the metal seed layer excluding a region between the light emission structures; forming a second plated layer on the metal seed layer between the first plated layers; separating the substrate from the light emission structures; removing the non-conductive material between the light emission structures exposed by separating the substrate; forming an n-electrode on the n-type GaN-based semiconductor layer; and removing portions of the metal seed layer and the second plated layer between the light emission structures.
US07872272B2

A structure and method for improving UV LED efficiency is described. The structure utilizes a tunnel junction to separate a P-doped layer of the LED from a n-doped contact layer. The n-doped contact layer allows the use of a highly reflective, low work function metal, such as aluminum, for the p-side contact. The reflectivity at the contact can be further improved by including a phase matching layer in some areas between the contact metal (The metal above the phase matching layer does not necessarily need to have a low work function because it does need to form an ohmic contact with the n-contact layer) and the n-doped contact layer.
US07872267B2

A light emitting diode comprises a substrate having a first surface and a second surface, a light emitting epitaxy structure placed on the first surface of the substrate, and a compound reflection layer placed on the second surface of the substrate. The second surface of the substrate further has a protection structure.
US07872262B2

A method of manufacturing a pixel structure is provided. A first patterned conductive layer including a gate and a data line is formed on a substrate. A gate insulating layer is formed to cover the first patterned conductive layer and a semiconductor channel layer is formed on the gate insulating layer above the gate. A second patterned conductive layer including a scan line, a common line, a source and a drain is formed on the gate insulating layer and the semiconductor channel layer. The scan line is connected to the gate and the common line is located above the data line. The source and drain are located on the semiconductor channel layer, and the source is connected to the data line. A passivation layer is formed on the substrate to cover the second patterned conductive layer. A pixel electrode connected to the drain is formed on the passivation layer.
US07872261B2

An embodiment of the present invention is an transparent thin film transistor which has an substantially transparent substrate, a gate line made of a thin film of a substantially transparent conductive material, a substantially transparent gate insulating film, a substantially transparent semiconductor active layer, a source line made of a thin film of a metal material and a drain electrode made of a thin film of a substantially transparent conductive material. In addition, the source line and the drain electrode are formed apart from each other and sandwich the substantially transparent semiconductor active layer. Moreover, at least any one of the thin film of the gate line and the thin film of the source line is stacked with a thin film of a metal material.
US07872259B2

An object of the present invention is to provide a new light-emitting device with the use of an amorphous oxide. The light-emitting device has a light-emitting layer existing between first and second electrodes and a field effect transistor, of which the active layer is an amorphous.
US07872258B2

A thin-film transistor uses a semiconducting layer comprising a semiconducting material of (A): where X, Ar, Ar′, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, a, b, m, and n are as defined herein. The transistor has improved performance.
US07872257B2

An n-type TFT and a p-type TFT are realized by selectively changing only a cover coat without changing a TFT material using an equation for applying the magnitude of a difference in the Fermi energy between an interface of semiconductor and an electrode and between an interface of semiconductor and insulator. At this time, in order to configure a predetermined circuit, the process is performed, as a source electrode and a drain electrode of the p-type TFT and a source electrode and a drain electrode of the n-type TFT being connected all, respectively, and an unnecessary interconnection is cut by irradiating light using a scanning laser exposure apparatus or the like.
US07872256B2

An organic light emitting display that includes a substrate, a plurality of first electrodes arranged in a corresponding plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels including red pixels, blue pixels and green pixels, a hole injection layer arranged on the first electrodes arranged on the substrate, the hole injection layer having different respective thicknesses in correspondence with the pixels, a hole transport layer entirely covering the hole injection layer, a white light emitting layer entirely covering the hole transport layer, an electron transport layer arranged on the white light emitting layer, a second electrode arranged on the electron transport layer and a color filter arranged on the second electrode.
US07872251B2

Formulations for voltage switchable dielectric materials include two or more different types of semiconductive materials uniformly dispersed within a dielectric matrix material. The semiconductive materials are selected to have different bandgap energies in order to provide the voltage switchable dielectric material with a stepped voltage response. The semiconductive materials can comprise inorganic particles, organic particles, or an organic material that is soluble in, or miscible with, the dielectric matrix material. Formulations optionally can also include electrically conductive materials. At least one of the conductive or semiconductive materials in a formulation can comprise particles characterized by an aspect ratio of at least 3 or greater.
US07872247B2

A guide tube for an ion beam in an ion implanter which is located adjacent a semiconductor wafer being implanted has an outwardly tapering central bore, thereby alleviating problems of beam strike as the ion beam passes through the guide tube.
US07872242B2

The present invention provides a method for extracting a charged particle beam from a charged particle source. A set of electrodes is provided at the output of the source. The potentials applied to the electrodes produce a low-emittance growth beam with substantially zero electric field at the output of the electrodes.
US07872239B2

A lens assembly having an electrostatic lens component for a charged particle beam system is provided. The assembly includes: a first electrode having a conically shaped portion, a second electrode having a conically shaped portion, and a first insulator having a conically shaped portion, wherein the first insulator comprises two extending portions towards each of its ends, and wherein the two extending portions are formed to generate a gap between the insulator and each of the adjacent electrodes.
US07872237B2

Embodiments of the invention are concerned with semiconductor circuit substrates for use in a radiation detection device, said radiation detection device comprising a detector substrate having a plurality of detector cells arranged to generate charge in response to incident radiation, each of said detector cells including at least one detector cell contact for coupling charge from said detector cell to said semiconductor circuit substrate. More particularly, in embodiments of the invention the semiconductor circuit substrate comprises: a plurality of cell circuit contacts, each of which is configured to receive charge from a corresponding detector cell contact, cell circuitry associated with said plurality of cell circuit contacts; one or more conductive pathways arranged to carry at least one of control, readout and power supply signals to and/or from said cell circuitry; and one or more signal pathways extending through said semiconductor circuit substrate, said one or more signal pathways being electrically coupled to said conductive pathways so as to provide an external signal interface for said cell circuitry. Embodiments in accordance with the present invention thus provide a means of routing signals through the semiconductor circuit substrate to an electrical contact on a surface of the semiconductor circuit substrate. The electrical contact on the surface of the circuit substrate can then be directly coupled to a corresponding electrical contact on a mount.
US07872231B2

In a chamber of a charged particle beam apparatus, the sample on the sample substrate is gripped and carried to the sample holder, and there is controlled the attitude of the sample when the sample is fixed on the sample holder. There possesses a marking process applying, in the chamber, a marking to a surface of the sample Wb existing on the sample substrate by a beam, a carriage process gripping the sample by a sample gripping means and carrying it from the sample substrate to the sample holder, and an attitude control process controlling, when fixing the sample to the sample holder, the attitude of the sample while observing the marking applied to the surface of the sample.
US07872228B1

In an apparatus for performing a mass spectrometric analysis of a sample, a plurality of electrodes are positioned and driven by RF potentials to form a plurality of adjacent pseudopotential wells. Ions may be manipulated, reacted, analyzed, and ejected from the apparatus in a manner similar to conventional ion traps. In addition, selected ions or groups of ions may be passed from one pseudopotential well to another pseudopotential well without ion losses due to physical obstructions. The apparatus may be used alone or in conjunction with other mass analyzers to produce mass spectra from analyte ions.
US07872222B1

A nuclear density gauge includes a base and at least one gamma radiation detector mounted at a predetermined location relative to an axis extending longitudinally of the base. The gauge further includes a gamma radiation source and a source mount that mounts the gamma radiation source for movement along a path between an active first position located at a first longitudinal distance from the detector and an active second position located at a second longitudinal distance from the detector. In this way, gamma radiation is detected emanating from the source and backscattered from the underlying material sample through a first path of travel when the source mount is at the first active position and through a second path of travel when the source mount is at the second active position. The source mount may also move the source from the active first and second positions to an inactive third position shielded by gamma radiation shielding material.
US07872219B2

An illumination apparatus includes a light source (1), a first integrator (11) into which light from the light source (1) enters, and a second integrator (33) into which light exiting from the first integrator (11) enters. Accordingly, the aperture shape of the first integrator (11) can be optimally designed, so that the light utilization efficiency can be increased. Furthermore, even when the length of the first integrator (11) is reduced, a deficiency in the light uniformity due to the first integrator (11) is compensated for by the second integrator (33), so that high uniformity can be secured at the surface to be illuminated.
US07872218B2

Each pixel is provided with a photoelectric converting device S1(1-1) or the like, a source-follower-type first transistor T1(1-1) or the like, a second transistor Te(1-1) to be turned on when reading an electrical signal from a pixel selected by a shift register SR1 for each line and outputting the signal to a readout circuit unit and a third transistor T3(1-1) to be turned on when resetting a photoelectric converting device set to a pixel selected by a shift register SR1 for each line. Moreover, a bias power source for supplying a photoelectric conversion bias to a photoelectric converting device and a reset power source for supplying a reset bias to a photoelectric converting device are set in the readout circuit unit. By using the radiation image pickup apparatus and its control method, it is possible to improve the S/N ratio while restraining noises and preferably, it is possible to perform stable and high-speed dynamic-image photographing and restrain dark current.
US07872217B2

When it is estimated that first average brightness of image information of a projection image is under second average brightness of image information of a source image having a single spatial frequency on which a normal compensation is performed, an area having brightness above the second average brightness in the image information of the projection image is increased, and when it is estimated that the first average brightness is above the second average brightness, an area having brightness under the second average brightness in the image information of the projection image is increased.
US07872216B2

A projector includes a first image formation unit including a first color separation system, first to third light modulation elements, and a first color combining system; a second image formation unit including a second color separation system, fourth to sixth light modulation elements, and a second color combining system; a polarization combining system that combines an image light beam outputted from the first image formation unit and an image light beam outputted from the second image formation unit; and a projection system that projects the image light beam that has been combined in the polarization combining system.
US07872211B2

Two general effects of laser radiation interaction with balloon surface material or with gases surrounding or filling balloons are used for the play: the destruction and the shift of the inflated balloons. The kind of the laser-material interaction is selected depending on the game structure so that the desirable effect is produced by the minimal laser energy. The energy minimization is provided by the selection of the surface properties, the laser radiation parameters, the characteristics of the gases surrounding and inflating balloons, and the creation of the gas pressure inside the balloons. The desirable effects are generated by absorption of the used laser radiation or by laser-induced breakdown.
US07872210B2

A method for the connection of two wafers (11, 12), in which a contact area (15) is formed between the wafers (11, 12) by placing the two wafers one on top of the other, and in which the contact area (15) is heated locally and for a limited time. A wafer arrangement is also described in which two wafers (11, 12) which have been placed one on top of the other and between whose opposite surfaces a contact area (15) is located. The wafers are connected to one another at selected areas (21) of their contact area.
US07872209B2

The thermal processing device includes a stage, a continuous wave electromagnetic radiation source, a series of lenses, a translation mechanism, a detection module, a three-dimensional auto-focus, and a computer system. The stage is configured to receive a substrate thereon. The continuous wave electromagnetic radiation source is disposed adjacent the stage, and is configured to emit continuous wave electromagnetic radiation along a path towards the substrate. The series of lenses is disposed between the continuous wave electromagnetic radiation source and the stage, and are configured to condense the continuous wave electromagnetic radiation into a line of continuous wave electromagnetic radiation on a surface of the substrate. The translation mechanism is configured to translate the stage and the line of continuous wave electromagnetic radiation relative to one another. The detection module is positioned within the path, and is configured to detect continuous wave electromagnetic radiation.
US07872194B2

The present invention provides a photovoltaic device having excellent environmental durability and good adhesion with a collector electrode made of metal paste. The photovoltaic device comprises an ITO film on a p-type amorphous silicon hydride film on a light incident side of the photovoltaic device and a collector electrode made of silver paste on the ITO film. A silicon oxide insulation film made of SiOx is provided on at least regions on the ITO film where the collector electrode is not formed. The thickness of the silicon oxide insulation film is about 1 to 10 times thicker than an arithmetic mean deviation (Ra) of the underlying ITO film. The silicon oxide insulation film is a film having a Si-2p peak with a full width at half maximum of 2.45 or less, which is evaluated by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
US07872193B2

A method is provided for producing a solar panel, which is made by building up a solar cell layer on a glass base as a covering glass, having a good performance in sealing the solar panel. A solar panel produce by the method is also provided. The production method of the present invention comprises a step of building up a solar cell layer which consists of a plurality of films on a glass substrate which is used as a covering glass, a step of removing a part of the solar cell layer which is built up on the glass substrate, a step of sealing the solar cell layer by using a face, which is exposed by the removing of the part of the solar cell layer, for adhering a sealing material.
US07872188B2

Determining a plurality of heart rate sections for an individual, and selecting a plurality of songs, wherein each of the plurality of songs has an average beats per minute approximately equal to an average beats per minute of one of the plurality of heart rate sections, and playing the plurality of songs in a sequence on a song playing device. The plurality of songs includes a middle song, which has an average beats per minute which is greater than the average beats per minute of all of the other songs of the plurality of songs. The plurality of songs includes one or more preceding songs which precede the middle song, and each of which has an average beats per minute which is less than the average beats per minute of the middle song. The plurality of songs includes one or more succeeding songs which succeed the middle song, and each of which has an average beats per minute which is less than the average beats per minute of the middle song.
US07872183B2

According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the corn variety designated CV605722. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CV605722, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CV605722 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to corn seeds and plants produced by crossing plants of variety CV605722 with plants of another variety, such as another inbred line. The invention further relates to the inbred and hybrid genetic complements of plants of variety CV605722.
US07872180B1

A novel maize variety designated PHHEB and seed, plants and plant parts thereof. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprise crossing maize variety PHHEB with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PHHEB through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. Hybrid maize seed, plant or plant part produced by crossing the variety PHHEB or a trait conversion of PHHEB with another maize variety. Inbred maize varieties derived from maize variety PHHEB, methods for producing other inbred maize varieties derived from maize variety PHHEB and the inbred maize varieties and their parts derived by the use of those methods.
US07872177B2

According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH151527. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH151527, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH151527 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH151527.
US07872176B1

According to the invention, there is provided a novel soybean variety designated RJS54001. This invention thus relates to the seeds of soybean variety RJS54001, to the plants of soybean RJS54001 to plant parts of soybean variety RJS54001 and to methods for producing a soybean plant produced by crossing plants of the soybean variety RJS54001 with another soybean plant, using RJS54001 as either the male or the female parent.
US07872172B2

The present invention concerns a method for improving the yield of plants by introducing into a plant a nucleic acid encoding a cyclin D3 protein under the control of a promoter capable of preferentially expressing the nucleic acid in shoots. The invention also relates to transgenic plants comprising a nucleic acid encoding a cyclin D3 protein under the control of a promoter capable of preferentially expressing the nucleic acid in shoots, which plants have improved yield relative to corresponding wild type plants. The invention also concerns constructs useful in the methods of the invention.
US07872167B2

An adhesive for medical patches or for transdermal therapeutic systems which contains a component or a combination of at least two components, such as (a) polyvinyl alcohols, (b) cellulose derivatives, (c) polyethers, (d) acid anhydrides and their acids and salts, as well as (e) non-pressure-sensitive adhesive polyacrylates. The adhesive has a tackiness which is activated and/or increased by contact with moisture or by absorption of moisture.
US07872163B1

3,4-Dichlorobutene-1 is produced by a process comprising the step of contacting 1,4-dichlorobutene-2 with either 1) a ferric carboxylate catalyst of the formula where R is an alkyl or alkenyl group of 4-18 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl group of 6-18 carbon atoms or an aryl group selected from phenyl, benzyl, xylyl, tolyl, and naphthyl groups, whereby a portion of the 1,4-dichlorobutene-2 is isomerized to form 3,4-dichlorobutene-1, or 2) a ferric carboxylate catalyst of the formula where R, R′ and R″ are independently alkyl or alkenyl groups of 4-18 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl groups of 6-18 carbon atoms or aryl groups selected from phenyl, benzyl, xylyl, tolyl, and naphthyl groups, the sum of m, n and o is 3 and m, n and o are independently 0, 1 or 2, whereby a portion of the 1,4-dichlorobutene-2 is isomerized to form 3,4-dichlorobutene-1.
US07872158B2

Chemical production processes are provided that can include exposing a reactant composition to a catalyst composition to form a product composition. The reactant composition can include a multihydric alcohol compound and the product composition can include a carbonyl compound. The catalyst composition can include a metal effective to facilitate catalyst activation. Processes disclosed also include supplementing a dehydration catalyst with a promoter, and activating the supplemented catalyst in the presence of oxygen. Processes also include providing a supplemented dehydration catalyst to within a reactor, and exposing a multihydric alcohol compound to the dehydration catalyst, with the exposing forming coke within the reactor. Oxygen can be provided to the reactor to remove at least a portion of the coke.
US07872156B2

Novel fluorophosphite compounds having the structure of general formula (I): where Ar1 and Ar2 are aryl groups containing 4 to 30 carbon atoms; R1 to R6 are H or alkyl or aryl hydrocarbon radicals containing 1 to 40 carbon atoms; and X is a connecting group or a simple chemical bond, were developed and found to be very active for hydroformylation processes for ethylenically unsaturated substrates. Catalyst solutions prepared from these compounds with a Rh metal show an unusual “ligand acceleration effect” for simple alkenes, i.e., the hydroformylation activity increases as the concentration of ligand increases, and are capable of producing linear or branched aldehydes under typical hydroformylation conditions.
US07872137B2

A process for preparing the [R—[R*,R*-(E)]]-2,2′-(1,8-dioxo-4-octene-1,8-diyl) bis(oxy-3,1-propanediyl)bis(1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6,7-dimethoxy-2-methyl-1-[(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl) methyl]isoquinolinium) dichloride, commonly known as mivacurium chloride, useful as short-duration neuromuscular blocking agent.
US07872134B2

2-{[2-(Substituted amino)ethyl]sulfonyl}ethyl N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)phosphorodiamidates and their salts, their preparation and intermediates in their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions containing them, and methods of treatment using them. The compounds are useful for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases, alone and in combination with other therapies.
US07872130B2

For the reproducible manufacturing of particularly uniform and brilliant i.e., highly bright copper coatings that are leveled and ductile as well, a copper plating bath is utilized that contains as an additive a mixture of oligomeric phenazinium compounds. The mixture contains at least one phenazinium compound selected from the group comprising compounds containing two monomeric units and compounds containing three monomeric units having the general chemical formulae and set forth in the patent claims and in the specification as well as further oligomeric phenazinium compounds.
US07872128B2

The present invention comprises a new class of compounds capable of modulating the c-kit protein kinase and, accordingly, useful for treatment of c-kit mediated diseases including, without limitation, autoimmune disease, allergies, mastcytosis, mast cell related tumors and various fibrotic diseases. The compounds have a general Formula I wherein R1-5, X, Y and Z are defined herein. The invention further comprises pharmaceutical compositions, methods for treatment of c-kit mediated diseases, and intermediates and processes useful for the preparation of compounds of the invention.
US07872124B2

Compounds, pharmaceuticals, kits and methods are provided for use with DPP-IV and other S9 proteases that comprise a member selected from the group consisting of: wherein E is CH or N, Q is selected from the group consisting of CO, CS, SO, SO2, or C═NR4, and L, X, Z, R2 and R3 are as defined herein.
US07872121B2

Nitrogen-protecting groups are removed from the exocyclic nucleobase portion of a 2′-O protected nucleotide or 2′-halo nucleotide by contacting the nucleotide with an inorganic base. Typical is the removal of t-butylphenoxyacetyl protecting groups from the nucleobase portion of a 2′-O protected nucleotide on which the 2′-O protecting group is t-butyldimethylsilyl, removal or deprotection being accomplished by contact with a potassium carbonate solution.
US07872112B2

The present invention relates to isolated and/or purified rat apoptosis-specific eucaryotic initiation Factor-5A (eIF-5A) and deoxyhypusine synthase (DHS) nucleic acids and polypeptides. The present invention also relates to methods of modulating apoptosis using apoptosis-specific eIF-5A and DHS, and antisense oligonucleotides and expression vectors of apoptosis-specific eIF-5A and DHS useful in such methods.
US07872110B2

This invention is directed to deimmunized antibodies that are useful as immunotherapeutic drugs against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and CD4-mediated autoimmune disorders. More specifically, antibodies expressed by clones, Clone 7 containing the recombinant genes B4DIVHv1/VK1CHO#7, Clone 16 containing the recombinant genes B4DIVHv1/VK1#16, and clone 21 containing the recombinant genes B4DIVHv1/VK1#21, are derived from mouse monoclonal B4 antibody (mAb B4). The antibodies were produced by removing particular murine determinants recognized as foreign by the human immune system. These recombinant antibodies were generated by the chimerization and deimmunization of the Fv region of mouse monoclonal antibody (mAb) B4. For improved safety, the coding sequence may further be mutated to express an aglycosylated IgG1 antibody that is unable to bind complement. The deimmunized antibodies retain the specificity of the murine mAb B4 for a receptor complex involving CD4 on the surface of the host T cells, and retain the characteristic ability of mAb B4 to neutralize primary isolates of HIV.
US07872108B2

Compositions and methods for the isolation and manipulation of misfolded, or partially misfolded, proteins present in blood and other biological materials are provided. In one aspect of the invention, the compositions, hereinafter termed “proteons” are comprised of misfolded proteins. Also provided are compositions and methods for the isolation and manipulation of proteon nucleation centers (PNCs) upon which the proteons of the present in blood and other biological materials form. In another aspect of the invention, the PNCs are comprised of metallic nanoclusters.
US07872103B2

The invention provides methods for modulating the immune system using anti-CD83 antibodies that can influence CD83 function.
US07872097B2

The present invention relates to a new cyclic peptide compound or a salt thereof, which has anti-hepatitis C virus activities based on inhibitory activity against the RNA replication of hepatitis C virus replicon, to a process for preparation thereof comprising a rearrangement reaction under a mild acidic condition and the following amino acid changing reactions etc., to a pharmaceutical composition comprising the same, and to a method for prophylactic and/or therapeutic treatment of hepatitis C in a human being or an animal.
US07872096B2

The invention provides methods and compositions for production of a cyclic polymer in a cell free system. In general, the methods of the invention involve ligating first and second recombinant intein domains to a linear synthetic polymer to form a compound containing the structure: D1-X(n)-D2, where D1 is a first catalytic domain of an intein; D2 is a second catalytic domain of an intein; where the second catalytic domain has at its N-terminus a first reactive site for the intein; and X(n) is a polymer of a number n of monomer X, where the polymer N-terminus has a second reactive site for the intein. D1-X(n)-D2 compounds autocatalytically cyclize the X(n) polymer to produce a cyclic polymer. The invention finds use in a variety of drug discovery, clinical and therapeutic applications.
US07872095B2

An insulin compound coupled to a modifying moiety having a formula: —X—R1—Y-PAG-Z—R  (Formula VI) where, X, Y and Z are independently selected linking groups and each is optionally present, and X, when present, is coupled to the insulin compound by a covalent bond, either R1 or R2 is is a lower alkyl, optionally including a carbonyl group, and when R1 is a lower alkyl, R2 is a capping group, and PAG is a linear or branched carbon chain incorporating one or more alkalene glycol moieties, and optionally incorporating one or more additional moieties selected from the group consisting of —S—, —O—, —N—, and —C(O)—, and where the modifying moiety has a maximum number of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, or 25 heavy atoms.
US07872087B2

Golf ball compositions, and components formed therefrom, including trifunctional materials, such as trifunctional isocyanates, polyols, and amines, that have improved performance and durability characteristics, e.g., improved heat resistance, improved resiliency, and dimensional stability.
US07872086B2

Disclosed herein is a polymer composition, its manufacture and use, said composition may comprise greater than about 90 mole % propylene monomer, and having a unique combination of properties, including one or more of the following: a heat of fusion of more than about 108 J/g, a melting point of 165° C. or higher, a Melt Flow Rate so low that it is essentially not measurable and a molecular weight of greater than about 1.5×106. Further disclosed herein are blends or mixtures of the present novel polymer composition and products, such as, for example, microporous film structures and the like comprising same.
US07872079B2

The present invention is intended to provide a novel naphthoxazine composition having a smaller amount of volatile components (weight reduction) upon curing, and is to provide a naphthoxazine composition characterized in that a naphthoxazine compound having a phenolic hydroxyl group in the same molecule is further added with an epoxy resin, and a molded product obtained by molding the naphthoxazine composition.
US07872078B2

The present invention is directed to curable film-forming compositions comprising: (a) a polymeric binder comprising a polyester having hydroxyl functional groups; and (b) a curing agent comprising a polyisocyanate having at least three isocyanate functional groups. In certain embodiments, after application to a substrate as a coating and after curing, the compositions demonstrate a Fisher microhardness of at least 120 at ambient temperatures of 15 to 25° C. and a softening point greater than or equal to 35° C. Additionally, in certain embodiments, after application to a substrate as a coating and after curing, the compositions demonstrate a 20° gloss recovery of at least 75% when subjected to the DRY ABRASION TEST METHOD.
US07872076B2

An object of the present invention is to provide a particulate water-absorbent resin composition and its production process, wherein the particulate water-absorbent resin composition is an enhanced one in both of the “liquid permeability” and “liquid-sucking-up property” (which have hitherto been antithetical physical properties) of the water-absorbent resin. As a means of achieving this object, a first particulate water-absorbent resin composition according to the present invention is a particulate water-absorbent resin composition comprising a water-absorbent resin (A) of a crosslinked structure obtained by polymerizing an acid-group-containing unsaturated monomer, with the composition being characterized by: having a particle size such that particles in the range of 850 to 150 μm (but not including 850 μm) account for not less than 90 weight % of the entirety; and containing a tetra- or more functional polyol (B) at least on surfaces.
US07872074B2

The present invention provides polyolefin composition comprising a 50-80 wt % of propylene homopolymer or copolymer and a first and a second ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer, said composition having good stress whitening resistance and gloss, in combination with a good balance of mechanical properties.
US07872060B2

An inkjet ink composition includes a polyurethane material having a weight-average molecular weight ranging from about 50,000 to about 500,000. The polyurethane material is present in an effective amount ranging from about 0.2 wt. % to about 5 wt. %. The composition also includes a solvent present in an effective amount ranging from about 5 wt. % to about 20 wt. %, and an anionic surfactant present in an effective amount ranging from about 0.01 wt. % to about 3 wt. %. The inkjet ink composition is adapted to exhibit enhanced decap.
US07872058B2

An object of the present invention is to provide a photopolymerizable dental composition which causes less change in a color tone before and after curing and exhibits excellent photopolymerizability to irradiation in a wide wavelength range, and has also excellent thin-layer surface curability, and to provide a photopolymerization initiator used therefor.Disclosed is a visible light-polymerizable dental composition which does not substantially contain an amine compound as a photosensitizer, comprising 0.01 to 10 parts by weight of a (bis)acylphosphine oxide compound, 0.01 to 10 parts by weight of an α-diketone compound and 100 parts by weight of a polymerizable monomer.
US07872053B2

The present invention relates to new organodisilanes or carbodisilanes, a process for manufacturing the same and their use, in particular, as surface active agents, especially as spreading agents.
US07872045B2

A method is disclosed herein comprising administering a compound and a second drug to an eye of a mammal for the treatment of glaucoma or the reduction of intraocular pressure, said compound represented by the general formula I; wherein A, B, D, X, Y, Z, R1, R3 and R4 are as defined in the specification.
US07872042B2

The present invention provides methods for elevating IKBKAP gene expression and the level of functional IKAP protein in cells, which are beneficial to human individual, such as an individual suffering from Familial Dysautonomia, by providing one or more tocotrienols alone or in combination with one or more tocopherols to the cells. The present invention also provides methods for treating Familial Dysautonomia by providing tocotrienols alone or in combination with one or more tocopherols to a patient having Familial Dysautonomia. Related therapeutic kits are also provided.
US07872038B2

The invention relates to 1-(2,4,6-trisubstituted-phenyl)-5-amino-4-substituted-pyrazole derivatives of formula (I) or salts thereof wherein the various symbols are as defined in the description, to processes for their preparation, to compositions thereof, and to their use for the control of pests (including arthropods and helminths).
US07872037B2

Compounds, methods and pharmaceutical compositions for treating viral infections, by administering certain novel compounds in therapeutically effective amounts are disclosed. Methods for preparing the compounds and methods of using the compounds and pharmaceutical compositions thereof are also disclosed. In particular, the treatment and prophylaxis of viral infections such as caused by hemorrhagic fever viruses is disclosed, i.e., including but not limited to, Arenaviridae (Junin, Machupo, Guanarito, Sabia, Lassa, Tacaribe, Pichinde, and LCMV), Filoviridae (Ebola and Marburg viruses), Flaviviridae (yellow fever, Omsk hemorrhagic fever and Kyasanur Forest disease viruses), and Bunyaviridae (Rift Valley fever).
US07872036B2

To provide novel 3-triazolylphenyl sulfide derivatives having excellent soil treatment activity as insecticides, miticides or nematicides for agricultural and horticultural plants.3-Triazolylphenyl sulfide derivatives represented by the formula [1]: wherein R is a cyclopropylmethyl group or a trifluoroethyl group, B2 is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom or a methyl group, B4 is a halogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group or a C1-C6 alkyl group, and each of A1 and A3 is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a C1-C6 alkyl group which may be substituted or an amino group which may be substituted.
US07872026B2

Novel ligand compounds having the structural formula (I): in which: Ar is a radical selected from among the radical of formulae (a) to (c) below: are formulated into pharmaceutical compositions suited for administration in human or veterinary medicine, or, alternatively, into cosmetic compositions.
US07872020B2

The present invention provides crystalline 2-(6-methyl-pyridin-2-yl)-3-[6-amido-quinolin-4-yl)-5,6-dihydro -4H-pyrrolo[1,2-b]pyrazole monohydrate.
US07872014B2

The present invention comprises compounds and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds that are inhibitors of ALK. The invention also comprises methods of using the compounds and compositions to treat diseases mediated by ALK, including diseases such as cancer, immunological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and other degenerative disorders.
US07872010B2

Provided herein are compositions of a class of substituted diazabicycloalkane derivative compounds, which are useful as modulators of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The compounds are useful in treating conditions and disorders prevented by, or ameliorated by, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.
US07872007B2

It is disclosed a process for the preparation of 2-(4-hydroxy-3-morfolinyl)-2-cycloesenone (BTG-1675A) comprising the steps of: i) reacting N-hydroxymorpholine with cycloesanone in the presence of an oxidation agent thus obtaining an isoxazolidine of Formula IV; and ii) converting the isoxazolidine of Formula IV into 2-(4-hydroxy-3-morfolinyl)-2-cycloesenone. Advantageously, the oxidation agent of the step i) is selected from the group consisting of metal oxides, esters and amides of the azodicarboxylic acid and the step ii) of conversion is carried out by basic catalysis followed by trituration in an aromatic hydrocarbon, preferably toluene. The process disclosed allows to obtain BTG-1675A according to the invention in an amount of hundreds of grams and on an industrial scale. The invention further concerns a new process for preparing hydroxylamines, particularly N-hydroxymorpholine, which is used in the process for preparing BTG-1675A.
US07872004B2

The present invention relates to a compound represented by the following formula [I] wherein each symbol is as defined in the specification, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, or a solvate thereof, and a pharmaceutical composition, an anti-HIV agent and an HIV integrase inhibitor containing such compound. The compound of the present invention has an HIV integrase inhibitory activity, and is useful as an anti-HIV agent, or as an agent for the prophylaxis or treatment of AIDS. In addition, by the combined use with other anti-HIV agents such as a protease inhibitor, a reverse transcriptase inhibitor and the like, it can be a more effective anti-HIV agent. Because it shows integrase-specific high inhibitory activity, the compound can be a pharmaceutical agent safe on human body, which causes only a fewer side effects.
US07872000B2

Bicyclic aryl substituted triazoles or heteroaryl substituted triazoles and pharmaceutical compositions containing the compounds are disclosed as being useful in inhibiting the activity of the receptor protein tyrosine kinase Axl. Methods of using the compounds in treating diseases or conditions associated with Axl activity are also disclosed.
US07871998B2

Compounds of formula (I): (wherein variable groups are as defined within) pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates, solvates of such salts and prodrugs thereof and their use as cholesterol absorption inhibitors for the treatment of hyperlipidaemia are described. Processes for their manufacture and pharmaceutical compositions containing them are also described.
US07871996B2

The present invention provides methods of inhibiting nitric oxide synthase (NOS) using corrin derivatives that bind NOS but do not bind NO. It also provides methods of inhibiting NOS in vivo by administering corrin derivatives, and methods of treating diseases and medical conditions using this inhibition of NOS.
US07871992B2

The present invention describes organophosphorus compounds of general formula (I) their preparation and their uses in the activation of gamma/delta T-cells, in the screening of GcpE and LytB enzyme inhibitors and in the prophylaxis and treatment of diseases in humans and animals.
US07871988B1

The invention discloses the nanoparticles composed of chitosan, poly-glutamic acid, and at least one protein drug or bioactive agent characterized with a positive surface charge and their enhanced permeability for paracellular protein drug and bioactive agent delivery.
US07871980B2

Human adult hepatocytes are transplanted into an immunodeficient hepatopathy mouse and then human growth hormone is administered to the mouse to thereby elevate twice or more the replacement ratio by the human adult hepatocytes having been transplanted. Further, human growth hormone is administered to an immunodeficient hepatopathy mouse carrying human young hepatocytes transplanted thereinto so as to improve fatty liver of the mouse in which about 70% or more of the hepatocytes have been replaced by the human hepatocytes.
US07871974B2

A process for making bleach granules comprising a bleach selected from the group of diacyl, tetraacyl peroxide and mixtures thereof, selected from diacyl peroxides of the general formula: R1—C(O)—OO—(O)C—R2 in which R1 represents a C6-C18 alkyl group and R2 represents an aliphatic group compatible with a peroxide moiety, such that R1 and R2 together contain a total of 8 to 30 carbon atoms; the tetraacyl peroxide is selected from tetraacyl peroxides of the general formula: R3—C(O)—OO—C(O)—(CH2)n-C(O)—OO—C(O)—R3 in which R3 represents a C1-C9 alkyl group and n represents an integer from 2 to 12, wherein the process comprises the step of dry granulating the diacyl and/or tetraacyl peroxide.
US07871970B2

Carboxylic acid diesters are employed for treating, in particular for cleaning textile and other materials, and more particularly for removing paint stains from textile fibers to improve the cleaning thereof; the subject formulations contain at least one dicarboxylic acid diester having the formula (I), R1—OOC-A-COO—R2, in which R1 and R2, which may be the same or different, are each a linear or branched, cyclic or non-cyclic C1-C20 alkyl, aryl, alkyaryl, or arylalkyl radical; and the group A is a branched divalent alkylene radical; and including at least one nonionic polyalkoxylated terpene surfactant.
US07871967B2

The present invention is generally directed to diester-based lubricant compositions. The present invention is also directed to methods of making these and other similar lubricant compositions. In some embodiments, the methods for making such diester-based lubricants utilize a biomass precursor and/or low value Fischer-Tropsch (FT) olefins and/or alcohols so as to produce high value diester-based lubricants. In some embodiments, such diester-based lubricants are derived from FT olefins and fatty acids. The fatty acids can be from a bio-based source (i.e., biomass, renewable source) or can be derived from FT alcohols via oxidation.
US07871962B2

A drilling fluid having an oleaginous fluid that forms the continuous phase; a non-oleaginous fluid, which is the discontinuous phase; a primary emulsifier in sufficient concentration to stabilize the invert emulsion; and a rheology modifier, which serves to moderate the rheology change across a temperature range of 40 to 150° C. The rheology modifier may be a dimer poly-carboxylic C12 to C22 fatty acid, trimer poly-carboxylic C12 to C22 fatty acid, tetramer poly-carboxylic C12 to C22 fatty acid, mixtures of these acids, or a polyamide wherein the polyamide is the condensation reaction product of a C12-C22 fatty acid and a polyamine selected from the group consisting of diethylenetriamine, triethylenetetramine; and pentaethylenetetramine. The drilling fluid preferably includes a weighting agent or bridging agent which may be selected from galena, hematite, magnetite, iron oxides, illmenite, barite, siderite, celestite, dolomite, calcite as well as combinations and mixtures of these and similar compounds. Optionally organophillic clay, fluid loss agents, alkali reserve materials, and other conventional invert emulsion drilling fluid components may be added to the drilling fluid.
US07871959B2

A heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet, having a support and a receptor layer containing at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of polyester polymers and polycarbonate polymers, and further having between the support and the receptor layer an intermediate layer containing hollow polymer particles.
US07871957B2

A durable catalyst support/catalyst is capable of extended water gas shift operation under conditions of high temperature, pressure, and sulfur levels. The support is a homogeneous, nanocrystalline, mixed metal oxide of at least three metals, the first being cerium, the second being Zr, and/or Hf, and the third importantly being Ti, the three metals comprising at least 80% of the metal constituents of the mixed metal oxide and the Ti being present in a range of 5% to 45% by metals-only atomic percent of the mixed metal oxide. The mixed metal oxide has an average crystallite size less than 6 nm and forms a skeletal structure with pores whose diameters are in the range of 4-9 nm and normally greater than the average crystallite size. The surface area of the skeletal structure per volume of the material of the structure is greater than about 240 m2/cm3. The method of making and use are also described.
US07871956B2

This invention relates to a cerium-zirconium-base composite oxide, which is useful, e.g., for the purification of exhaust gas discharged from combustion engines such as internal combustion engines and boilers and can release a high level of oxygen in a low temperature region, a method for producing the same, an oxygen storage/release component using the same, an exhaust gas purification catalyst, and an exhaust gas purification method. The cerium-zirconium-base composite oxide satisfies requirements (1) that the oxygen release initiation temperature is 380° C. or below, (2) that the oxygen release amount is not less than 485 μmol/g, and further (3) that the oxygen release amount at 400° C. is not less than 15 μmol/g. The cerium-zirconium-base composite oxide can be produced, for example, by mixing a starting material for cerium and a starting material for zirconium at a predetermined mixing ratio together, melting the starting material mixture at a temperature at or above the melting point, then cooling the melt to form an ingot, then optionally grinding the ingot to prepare powder, subsequently removing strain within powder crystal grains under heating, and then grinding to a further fine state.
US07871950B2

This invention provides a colored zirconia-based sintered body, mainly composed of zirconia containing a stabilizer, which contains alumina and nickel spinel, and has a novel color tone, and a method for manufacturing such a zirconia-based sintered body. The colored zirconia-based sintered body is applicable not only to a highly decorative product such as a watch, but also to knives, tweezers, machining jigs and holding jigs for electronic parts, and sliding members.
US07871943B2

Embodiments of the invention provide methods for making an integrated circuit comprising providing a substrate, forming a structured layer stack on the substrate comprising a dielectric layer located on the substrate and an oxide-free metallic layer located on the dielectric layer, wherein the metallic layer comprising a transition metal. The method further comprises oxidizing the metallic layer, thereby increasing a work function of the metallic layer. Moreover, a substrate for making an integrated circuit is described.
US07871941B2

By providing a silicon cap layer on a compressive silicon nitride layer, the diffusion of nitrogen into sensitive resist material may be efficiently reduced, while the silicon may be converted into a highly compressive silicon dioxide in a later manufacturing stage. Consequently, yield loss due to contact failures during the formation of semiconductor devices requiring differently stressed silicon nitride layers may be reduced.
US07871940B2

A silicon nitride thin film formation apparatus is provided for stationary and moving substrates and a process for forming such films. The process provides high uniformity of film thickness and film properties as well as a high deposition rate. The film properties are adequate for application as an antireflection layer or passivation layer in solar cell devices or as dielectric layer in thin film transistors. The apparatus includes a number of metal filaments. In the space within the formation apparatus opposite to the substrate with respect to the filaments, a gas dosage system is arranged at a predetermined distance of the filaments. The film formation apparatus for stationary substrates also contains a shutter to control the starting and ending conditions for film formation and to control the film thickness.
US07871938B2

Disclosed is a producing method of a semiconductor device produced by transferring a plurality of substrates into a processing chamber, supplying oxygen-containing gas and hydrogen-containing gas into the processing chamber which is in a heated state to process the plurality of substrates by oxidation, and transferring the plurality of the oxidation-processed substrates out from the processing chamber, wherein the hydrogen-containing gas is supplied from a plurality of locations of a region corresponding to a substrate arrangement region in which the plurality of substrates are arranged in the processing chamber.
US07871934B2

A process is provided for forming vertical contacts in the manufacture of integrated circuits and devices. The process eliminates the need for precise mask alignment and allows the etch of the contact hole to be controlled independent of the etch of the interconnect trough. The process includes the steps of: forming an insulating layer on the surface of a substrate; forming an etch stop layer on the surface of the insulating layer; forming an opening in the etch stop layer; etching to a first depth through the opening in the etch stop layer and into the insulating layer to form an interconnect trough; forming a photoresist mask on the surface of the etch stop layer and in the trough; and continuing to etch through the insulating layer until reaching the surface of the substrate to form a contact hole. The above process may be repeated one or more times during the formation of multilevel metal integrated circuits.
US07871931B2

The present invention provides a method for planarizing a metal layer, and a method for manufacturing a micro pixel array. The method for planarizing the metal layer, without limitation, may include the steps of forming a metal layer over a photoresist layer, and then planarizing the metal layer using a chemical mechanical planarization process.
US07871929B2

Methods for improving electrical leakage performance and minimizing electromigration in semiconductor devices containing metal cap layers. According to one embodiment, a method of forming a semiconductor device includes planarizing a top surface of a workpiece to form a substantially planar surface with conductive paths and dielectric regions, forming metal cap layers on the conductive paths, and exposing the top surface of the workpiece to a dopant source from a gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) to form doped metal cap layers on the conductive paths and doped dielectric layers on the dielectric regions. According to some embodiments, the metal cap layers and the doped metal cap layers contain a noble metal selected from Pt, Au, Ru, Rh, Ir, and Pd.
US07871925B2

A stack package comprises a substrate having a circuit pattern; at least two semiconductor chips stacked on the substrate, having a plurality of through-via interconnection plugs and a plurality of guard rings which surround the respective through-via interconnection plugs, and connected with each other by the medium of the through-via interconnection plugs; a molding material for molding an upper surface of the substrate including the stacked semiconductor chips; and solder balls mounted to a lower surface of the substrate.
US07871919B2

Structures with improved solder bump connections and methods of fabricating such structures are provided herein. The method includes forming a plurality of trenches in a dielectric layer extending to an underlying metal layer. The method further includes depositing metal in the plurality of trenches to form discrete metal line islands in contact with the underlying metal layer. The method also includes forming a solder bump in electrical connection to the plurality of metal line islands.
US07871912B2

Various methods for forming active electronic devices, such as field-effect transistors, and devices made using these methods are disclosed. Some of the methods include growing freestanding nano-, micro- and milli-scale semiconducting structures that are used for the active semiconducting channels of the active electronic devices. Others of the methods include forming strands of active electronic devices along a wire. Yet others of the methods utilize both of these concepts so that the active electronic devices on a particular strand include freestanding semiconducting structures.
US07871890B2

A semiconductor device having a resistor and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first circuit region and a second circuit region. A lower interlayer insulating layer is provided over the semiconductor substrate. A first hole passing through the lower interlayer insulating layer in the first circuit region and a second hole passing through the lower interlayer insulating layer in the second circuit region are provided. A first semiconductor pattern and a second semiconductor pattern are sequentially stacked in the first hole. A first resistor having the same crystalline structure as the second semiconductor pattern is provided in the second hole.
US07871888B2

A p− RESURF region is formed as a surface layer in an n− semiconductor layer. Then, trenches, gate insulating films, and a thick insulating film, gate electrodes, and a gate polysilicon interconnection are formed in this order. Subsequently, a p-well region is formed using the gate polysilicon interconnection as a mask. Then n+ source regions are formed. Since the p− RESURF region is formed and the p-well region is formed after forming the gate electrodes and the gate polysilicon interconnection, the severeness of a high-temperature heat history is lowered and the diffusion depth of the p-well region is decreased. The formation of the p− RESURF region and the shallow p-well region makes it possible to reduce the on-resistance while increasing the breakdown voltage, as well as reducing the gate capacitance.
US07871862B2

A ball grid array package stacking system includes: forming a heat spreader having a centrally located access port; mounting a substrate in the heat spreader for providing a connection pad in the centrally located access port; coupling an integrated circuit die to the substrate; and coupling a system interconnect to the integrated circuit die, the connection pad, or a combination thereof.
US07871856B2

A method of manufacturing a stacked-type semiconductor device, comprises: arranging a plurality of stacked chips obtained by stacking semiconductor chips on a plurality of stages on a support substrate; connecting a semiconductor chip of each stage in each stacked chip and the support substrate by wire while performing heating in units of stacked chips; performing plastic molding of each stacked chip; and separating the stacked chips from each other; an apparatus for manufacturing a stacked-type semiconductor device, comprising divided heater blocks formed under a support substrate on which a plurality of stacked chips obtained by stacking a plurality of semiconductor chips are arranged, the divided heater blocks being formed with respect to the stacked chips, and a heating device to selectively transmit heat to a stacked chip subjected to a wire bonding.
US07871852B2

A method for fabricating a carbon-enriched film includes the following steps. First, a substrate is provided. Next, a CFx film (fluorinated carbon films) containing carbon-fluoride bonded molecules is formed on the substrate. Next, a treatment process is performed on the CFx film to convert the carbon-fluoride bonded molecules into carbon-carbon bonded molecules.
US07871847B2

A method for creating an array of thermoelectric elements includes applying a first coating of dielectric material to P-type wafers and N-type wafers to form coated P-type wafers and coated N-type wafers. A P/N-type ingot is formed from the coated P-type wafers and the coated N-type wafers. The coated P-type wafers and the coated N-type wafers are alternatingly arranged in the P/N-type ingot. P/N-type wafers comprising P-type elements and N-type elements are sliced from the P/N-type ingot and a second coating of the dielectric material is applied to the P/N-type wafers to form coated P/N-type wafers. Furthermore, a P/N-type array from the coated P/N-type wafers.
US07871839B2

The present invention relates to a light emitting element with arrayed cells, a method of manufacturing the same, and a light emitting device using the same. The present invention provides a light emitting element including a light emitting cell block with a plurality of light emitting cells connected in series or parallel on a single substrate, and a method of manufacturing the same, wherein each of the plurality of light emitting cells includes an N-type semiconductor layer and a P-type semiconductor layer, and the N-type semiconductor layer of one light emitting cell is electrically connected to the P-type semiconductor layer of another adjacent light emitting cell. Further, the present invention provides a light emitting device including a light emitting element with a plurality of light emitting cells connected in series. Accordingly, it is possible to simplify a manufacturing process of a light emitting device for illumination capable of being used with a household AC power source, to decrease a fraction defective occurring in manufacturing a light emitting device for illumination, and to mass-produce the light emitting device for illumination. Further, there is an advantage in that DC driving efficiency can be enhanced in an AC operation by installing a predetermined rectifying circuit outside the light emitting element.
US07871831B1

An automated system and method for determining flip chip connections involves generating a first projection that includes representations of bumps arranged over a core of the flip chip and generating a second projection that includes representations of I/O pads arranged around the core. The first projection is generated by drawing a line through each bump between a location of the flip chip and an outer portion of the flip chip and marking a location where the line terminates at the outer portion with a representation of the bump. The outer portion of the flip chip is traversed, and the first projection is generated based on the order in which bump representations are encountered. The second projection is generated by drawing a line through each I/O pad between a location of the flip chip and an outer portion of the flip chip and marking a location where the line terminates at the outer portion with a representation of the I/O pad. The outer portion of the flip chip is traversed, and the second projection is generated based on the order in which I/O pad representations are encountered. Connections between bump and I/O representations are made and connecting between bumps and I/O pads determined based on the connections between bump and I/O pad representations of respective first and second projections. The determined connections can be adjusted according to a hierarchy of bump representations to reduce or eliminate congestion, e.g., by changing a sequence of or deleting bump representations.
US07871826B2

A method for determining a carbon content value of a hydrocarbon-containing mixture. At least one composition-dependent bulk property of the hydrocarbon-containing mixture is measured and optionally at least one non-hydrocarbon component concentration is measured with the resulting measurements used in a carbon content correlation for calculating the carbon content of the hydrocarbon-containing mixture. The carbon content may be used in a hydrogen and/or synthesis gas production process for calculating a target flow rate of steam to be combined with the hydrocarbon-containing mixture to form a mixed feed having a target steam-to-carbon ratio.
US07871824B2

A flow chamber having a vacuum chamber and a specimen chamber. The specimen chamber may have an opening through which a fluid may be introduced and an opening through which the fluid may exit. The vacuum chamber may have an opening through which contents of the vacuum chamber may be evacuated. A portion of the flow chamber may be flexible, and a vacuum may be used to hold the components of the flow chamber together.
US07871823B2

Data on a secular change of each denitration catalyst is managed based on data obtained by a periodic maintenance and a daily management. Management of a secular change and prediction on performance variations that occur until a next periodic check is performed. It is determined whether the denitration catalyst is deteriorated such that an exhaust-gas denitration system cannot maintain its performance. When the denitration catalyst is deteriorated, regeneration, replacement, or addition of the denitration catalyst is performed, and the denitration catalyst is altered as necessary. When the denitration catalyst is usable, the denitration catalyst is not replaced nor regenerated.
US07871819B2

The invention provides a recombinant vector comprising an ovine adenovirus genome and a sequence encoding a heterologous polypeptide, wherein the sequence encoding the heterologous polypeptide is inserted between E4 and E3 transcription units of the ovine adenovirus genome.
US07871814B2

The present invention provides recombinant bicistronic flaviviruses, particularly live attenuated recombinant bicistronic flavivirus, which comprise, in order from 5′ to 3′, a viral 5′UTR, an ORF encoding all viral proteins, an internal ribosome entry site, an exogenous nucleotide sequence that encodes an exogenous polypeptide, and a viral 3′UTR. Infection of a host cell with a recombinant flavivirus provides for expression of the exogenous nucleic acid in a host cell. Such recombinant flavivirus are useful for delivering a protein to a mammalian host; and for eliciting an immune response to the exogenous polypeptide.
US07871812B2

An embodiment of a scanning system is described including optical elements that direct an excitation beam at a probe array, detectors that receive reflected intensity data responsive to the excitation beam, where the reflected intensity data is responsive to a focusing distance between an optical element and the probe array, a transport frame that adjusts the focusing distance in a direction with respect to the probe array, an auto-focuser that determines a best plane of focus based upon characteristics of the reflected intensity data of at least two focusing distances where the detectors further receive pixel intensity values based upon detected emissions from a plurality of probe features disposed on the probe array at the best plane of focus, and an image generator that associates each of the pixel intensity values with at least one image pixel position of a probe array based upon one or more position correction values.
US07871809B2

Methods for production of highly unsaturated fatty acids by marine microorganisms, including the heterotrophic marine dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium, using low levels of chloride ion are disclosed. Specifically, methods of increasing production of highly unsaturated fatty acids by marine microorganisms while growing in low chloride media by manipulating sodium ion and potassium ion levels. The invention also relates to methods of production of highly unsaturated fatty acids by marine organisms at low pH levels, and includes methods for generation of low pH tolerant strains.
US07871791B2

A method for preparing a biofilm includes the steps of rinsing the biofilm. There is the step of staining the biofilm with potassium permanganate and water.
US07871789B2

An albumin denaturing agent for digesting an albumin by a protease efficiently is provided. The albumin denaturing agent contains quaternary ammonium having a hydrocarbon group with a carbon number of 12 or more, or a salt of the quaternary ammonium. The albumin in a sample is digested by the protease in the presence of the albumin denaturing agent, a glycated part of the thus obtained albumin digestion product and a FAOD effect a reaction, and a redox reaction between the glycated part and the FAOD is measured, thereby determining a ratio (GA (%)) of the glycated albumin of the glycated albumin with respect to the albumin.
US07871786B2

The present invention relates to diagnosing abnormal cell proliferation in biological samples and screening for drugs which inhibit, reduce or abolish cell growth, especially tumorigenic cell growth, by detecting a phosphovariant isoform of a guanine nucleotide exchange factor biomarker, such as the novel GEF-H1S.
US07871783B2

A method of activating an antigen is herein described. The method comprises providing an antigen activation solution and contacting the cell with the solution to activate the antigen. A method of detecting a cell fixed by a nonbridging fixation solution is also described. The method comprises providing an antigen activation solution, contacting the cell with the solution, immunostaining the cell, and detecting the stained cell. The solution used for these methods comprises an agent for breaking a hydrogen bond, and is also described herein.
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