US07879398B2
A carbon-nano tube (CNT) structure comprises a substrate and a plurality of CNTs, each CNT comprising a plurality of first CNTs grown perpendicular to the substrate and a plurality of second CNTs grown on sidewalls of the first CNTs. A method of manufacturing CNTs includes growing first CNTs on a substrate on which a catalyst material layer is formed, and growing second CNTs on surfaces of the first CNTs from a catalyst material on surfaces of the first CNTs. The second CNTs grown on the sidewalls of the first CNTs emit electrons at a low voltage. In addition, the CNT structure exhibits high electron emission current due to the second CNTs being used as electron emission sources, and exhibits uniform field emission due to the uniform diameter of the first CNTs. A display device incorporates the above-described structure.
US07879393B2
The invention relates to a method for applying fluids, especially particle material, on a area that is to be coated, wherein the fluid is applied on the area to be coated in front of a blade when observed from the direction of forward movement of the blade and said blade is then displaced on the applied fluid. The method is characterized in that the blade performs an oscillation similar to a rotational movement.
US07879392B2
The present disclosure is generally directed to a composition comprising one or more elongated particles having a diameter of from about 5 nm to about 500 nm, a length that is greater than the diameter and an aspect ratio of greater than about 1. The aspect ratio affects the orientation of such elongated particles in relation to a surface on which the composition is applied.
US07879390B2
Black matrix (BM) material is deposited on glass and patterned to form walls that define an array of wells. Various surface treatments and masking schemes are utilized to achieve surface energy control of the BM glass. The surface treatments include one or more of chemically treating the BM walls by depositing hydrophobic self-assembled monolayers on the uppermost wall surfaces, and plasma treatments to control the surface energy of the various BM glass surfaces. Masking processes include backside exposure and development of photoresist, and maskless, self-aligned photo-patterning of the monolayers. Color filter ink is then injected into each well from an ink jet print head. The high surface energy of the lower and side wall surfaces facilitates wetting of the ink, and the low surface energy of the monolayers prevents intermixing of ink between adjacent wells. The ink then dries to form a color filter in each well.
US07879384B2
Lipid compositions are provided that are effective as edible moisture barriers for reducing moisture migration between food components. The lipid compositions include a mixture of structured glycerol ester (SGE) compositions bearing short chain (two to four carbons), medium chain (six to twelve carbons), and saturated long chain (fourteen to twenty-two carbons) fatty acid residues. The SGE compositions of the invention are reduced calorie and fully saturated, contain essentially zero trans-unsaturated fatty acids, and contain components present in stable alpha crystal forms.
US07879382B2
Compositions containing microcrystalline cellulose, cellulose ether, and salt are provided together with methods for making them. Additionally, there are also described edible food products and industrial suspensions formed from these compositions.
US07879367B2
The invention relates to a medical implant made of a metallic material. After fulfilling its temporary support function, the implant is degraded by corrosion at a predetermined rate. Negative long-term effects are thus avoided.
US07879366B2
A method of stimulating tissue healing in humans or animals includes administering to a human or animal a pharmaceutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition which includes (i) at least one halogenated compound, and (ii) at least one N-halogenated derivative of at least one compound selected from zwitterionic compounds and/or amino acids or their derivatives.
US07879354B2
The present invention relates to an improved gelatinous coated dosage form having two end regions coated with gelatinous materials and an exposed circumferential band. Openings are provided in at least the exposed band to reveal the core material. The invention also relates to methods for manufacturing such gelatinous coated dosage forms.
US07879350B2
A method for reducing odors is provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises contacting a substrate containing a thin coating of colloidal nanoparticles with an odorous compound. The colloidal nanoparticles have an average size of less than about 500 nanometers, a surface area of from about 50 to about 1000 square meters per gram, and a pore volume of less than about 0.5 milliliters per gram. The colloidal nanoparticles may adsorb at least about 25% of the odorous compound when contacted therewith.
US07879349B2
A stable pharmaceutical mercury-free aqueous solution of cyanocobalamin comprised of cyanocobalamin and water wherein said solution of cyanocobalamin is suitable for intranasal administration, has a viscosity less than about 1000 cPs, and wherein said solution of cyanocobalamin has a bioavailability of cyanocobalamin when administered intranasally of at least about 7% relative to an intramuscular injection of cyanocobalamin with the proviso that the solution is essentially free of mercury and mercury-containing compounds. The present invention is also directed towards a method for elevating the vitamin B12 levels in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) comprising administering intranasally a sufficient amount of a mercury-free cyanocobalamin solution so as to increase the average ratio of vitamin B12 in the CSF to that in the blood serum (B12 CSF/B12 Serum×100) to at least about 1.1 comprising intranasally administering an aqueous solution of a cyanocobalamin, wherein said solution of cyanocobalamin has a bioavailability of at least 7% relative to an intramuscular injection of a cyanocobalamin.
US07879348B2
Pesticide strips used to control parasitic mites in honeybees. The pesticide strips are designed to have a lifetime or period of existence, after which the strip no longer exists in its original form. The strip breaks down, such as by disintegration, dissolving, decomposition, being eaten or carrier away, or otherwise degrading over time, so that at the end of the recommended lifetime, the strip is no longer in its original form. In most embodiments, at least 50% of the strip is no longer present, and in other embodiments at least 75% of the strip is no longer present. Preferably, at the end of the recommended lifetime, the strip no longer exists, at least the body of the strip that included the active ingredient. With this design, the strip does not provide extended low-dose pesticide that can be detrimental in treating the mites.
US07879344B2
The present disclosure generally relates to compositions for reducing inflammation, and more particularly, to compositions comprising oleocanthal. The oleocanthal-containing compositions are particularly suitable for transdermal delivery. The compositions may also be used in combination with personal care products, such as wipes and absorbent articles, and may be incorporated into transdermal patches.
US07879325B2
A composition comprising a main species HER2 antibody that binds to domain II of HER2, and an amino acid sequence variant thereof comprising an amino-terminal leader extension is disclosed. Pharmaceutical formulations comprising the composition, and therapeutic uses for the composition are also disclosed.
US07879321B2
The present invention provides methods and compositions for generating novel nucleic acid molecules through RNA trans-splicing that target a highly expressed pre-mRNA and contain the coding sequence for antibody polypeptide(s). The compositions of the invention include pre-trans-splicing molecules (PTMs) designed to interact with the target precursor messenger RNA molecule (target pre-mRNA) that is abundantly expressed or tumor specific and mediate a trans-splicing reaction resulting in the generation of novel chimeric RNA molecule (chimeric RNA) capable of encoding an antibody polypeptide. The invention provides for the in vivo production of chimeric RNA molecules that encode and result in the production of an antibody polypeptide that is therapeutically effective against, for example, infectious agents, cancer cells, transplantation antigens, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
US07879317B2
Polymeric compositions capable of forming stable micelles in an aqueous solution, comprising an amphiphilic block copolymer of a hydrophilic block and a hydrophobic block, and a polylactic acid derivative wherein one end of the polylactic acid is covalently bound to at least one carboxyl group. The carboxyl group of the polylactic acid derivative may be fixed with a di- or tri-valent metal ion, obtained by adding the di- or tri-valent metal ion to the polymeric composition.
US07879312B1
The invention discloses the nanoparticles composed of chitosan, poly-glutamic acid, and at least one DNA/RNA or bioactive agent characterized with a positive surface charge and their enhanced permeability for gene delivery and bioactive agent delivery.
US07879311B2
Zeolites with uniform intracrystal textural pores between 1 and 10 nm are described. Intracrystal pores, an alumina source and a silica source are reacted in the presence of a silane modified polymer as a porogen and the reaction product is calcined to form the zeolite. The zeolites are useful in catalytic reactions and adsorption processes.
US07879304B1
The present invention provides for evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) within microdroplets produced by a vibrating orifice aerosol generator (VOAG) for the production of monodisperse mesoporous silica particles. The process of the present invention exploits the concentration of evaporating droplets to induce the organization of various amphiphilic molecules, effectively partitioning a silica precursor to the hydrophilic regions of the structure. Promotion of silica condensation, followed by removal of the surfactant, provides ordered spherical mesoporous particles.
US07879288B2
This invention provides a process of sterilizing a medical device, and preferably the contents of a sealed container which comprises said medical device, comprising the step of exposing said medical device to monochromatic ultraviolet radiation whereby the Dvalue of Bacillus stearothermophilus (ATCC 7953) is at least 23.7 mJ/cm2 monochromatic ultraviolet radiation at 257 nm to the spore. Further, this invention provides a process of sterilizing a medical device comprising the step of subjecting said medical device to monochromatic ultraviolet radiation wherein the minimum total energy density of said monochromatic ultraviolet radiation at 257 nm which reaches the microorganisms present on said medical device is at least 284 mJ/cm2.This invention further provides an apparatus for delivering UV radiation to a medical device for sterilization comprising a laser and a scanner for the laser such that at least 284 mJ/cm2 at 257 nm is applied to a treatment area for said medical device. This invention provides a process and apparatus in which sterilization can be achieved in less than 20 seconds, preferably less than 15 seconds, more preferably in less than 5 seconds. The process and apparatus are efficient and continuous.
US07879286B2
A method of producing a high strength, high stiffness and high ductility titanium alloy, comprising combining the titanium alloy with boron so that the boron concentration in the boron-modified titanium alloy does not exceed the eutectic limit. The carbon concentration of the boron-modified titanium alloy is maintained below a predetermined limit to avoid embrittlement. The boron-modified alloy is heated to a temperature above the beta transus temperature to eliminate any supersaturated excess boron. The boron-modified titanium alloy is deformed at a speed slow enough to prevent microstructural damage and reduced ductility.
US07879272B2
An oriented thermoplastic elastomer film having reduced permeability and improved fatigue resistance comprising a dynamically vulcanized polymer blend of (A) a halogenated isobutylene elastomer and (B) polyamide, the film is produced by casting or blowing the above polymer blend under the condition such that a shear rate at a die lip for casting or blowing is regulated to control the molecular arrangement in the film, whereby the planar birefringence (PBR) of the resultant film becomes greater or equal to 0.002 and a production process of the same.
US07879260B2
An object of the invention is to provide such an additive for a lithium secondary battery that improves the battery capacity and the initial efficiency of the lithium secondary battery.In the invention, a fullerene derivative having a group having a formula weight of 6 or more is used as an additive for a lithium secondary battery. A fullerene derivative having a group having a formula weight of 6 or more is contained in an anode material for a lithium secondary battery, an anode for a lithium secondary battery, and a lithium secondary battery using an anode containing the anode material. The group having a formula weight of 6 or more in the fullerene derivative is preferably one selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal atom, a chalcogen atom, a halogen atom, an aliphatic hydrocarbon group, an aromatic hydrocarbon group, a heterocyclic group, a characteristic group containing oxygen, a characteristic group containing sulfur and a characteristic group containing nitrogen.
US07879257B2
An organic-inorganic hybrid material comprising a metal oxide and a chelating ligand is synthesized. The function of a coloring property, a light-emitting property, or semiconductivity of the organic-inorganic hybrid material can be controlled by chelating ligand. The organic-inorganic hybrid material is prepared by sol-gel method using sol which includes a metal alkoxide and/or a metal salt and a functional chelating agent.
US07879255B2
Polishing compositions and methods for removing conductive materials from a substrate surface are provided. The method includes providing a substrate comprising dielectric feature definitions, a barrier material disposed in the feature definitions, and a bulk conductive material disposed on the barrier material in an amount sufficient to fill feature definitions; polishing the substrate to substantially remove the bulk conductive material; polishing a residual conductive material to expose feature definitions, comprising: applying a first voltage for a first time period, wherein the first voltage is less than the critical voltage; and applying a second voltage for a second time period, wherein the second voltage is greater than the critical voltage.
US07879237B2
A biological treatment method and device for organic wastewater, whereby the amount of minute organisms which reduce the amount of excess sludge and held within an activated sludge tank can be stabilized so that the treatment can be stabilized, are provided. Substrates for growing dispersed bacteria and/or dispersed bacteria are supplied to a sludge treatment tank 51 which reduces the sludge by the minute organisms, so that the minute organisms grow stably and reduce the sludge. Specifically, a first and a second biological treatment step are conducted respectively in a first activated sludge tank 21 and a second biological treatment tank 31. The sludge included in effluent which flows from the biological steps is separated in a sedimentation tank 41. The generated sludge obtained is supplied to the sludge treatment tank 51. The water to be treated which is bypassed via a bypass path 26 is introduced to a sludge treatment tank 51 as substrates to be assimilated by bacteria so that dispersed bacteria are made to grow in the sludge treatment tank 51 and the minute organisms are held stably in the sludge treatment tank 51 to promote the reduction of sludge.
US07879236B2
A lagoon of effluent is established, comprising a set of sub-portions at different levels in the lagoon associated with a corresponding set of concentrations of dissolved oxygen, each sub-portion of the lagoon having a different concentration of dissolved oxygen. An incubator comprising a set of sub-portions associated with said set of concentrations of dissolved oxygen is established, each sub-portion of the incubator having a different concentration of dissolved oxygen. A volume of effluent from each sub-portion of the lagoon is transmitted to a corresponding sub-portion of an incubator having a substantially similar concentration of dissolved oxygen as said sub-portion of the lagoon. A first remediated volume of effluent is generated in said corresponding sub-portion of the incubator responsive to proliferating a first microorganism which uses a first compound in said volume of effluent as substrate for growth, the first microorganism enabling a first chemical reaction which alters the first compound.
US07879233B2
A drain grate filter assembly having a filter sheet member, wedging anchors and mechanical fasteners, whereby the assembly is connected to a drain grate by inserting wedging anchors into the apertures of the grate, placing the filter sheet member atop the grate and inserting fasteners through the filter sheet member and into the wedging anchors.
US07879226B2
A flow indicator for showing blocking of filter cotton, being installed in a pipe line of a spraying head for the purpose of showing and controlling blocking of filter cotton in a filter in connecting with a submerged pump for the spraying head, it has a tri-branch tube to connect the pipe line, and to connect to a housing provided therein with an electric power source, an indicating device, an igniting switch and a triggering device, the tri-branch tube is provided therein with a pusher rod that can detect the pressure of water and can thus be moved. When the filter cotton is blocked to lower the water pressure, the pusher rod is moved and makes the triggering device to turn on the indicating lamp device, in order to warn a user to clean or change the filter cotton of the filter.
US07879218B1
The present invention provides improved methods and devices for electroplating copper on a wafer. Some implementations of the present invention involve the pre-treatment of the wafer with a solution containing accelerator molecules. Preferably, the bath into which the wafer is subsequently placed for electroplating has a reduced concentration of accelerator molecules. The pre-treatment causes a reduction in roughness of the electroplated copper surface, particularly during the initial phases of copper growth.
US07879215B2
An electrophoresis chip is provided with a channel that is filled with a solution in which a sample is dissolved, the electrophoresis chip being configured to carry out electrophoresis by applying voltage along the channel in a state in which the channel is hermetically sealed to separate the sample in the channel, and after this electrophoresis is performed, to carry out mass spectrometry by scanning a laser along the channel in a state in which the channel is open to an environment in which gas is present. A pattern is formed on the bottom surface of the channel to hold the solution as droplets. This pattern is made into a pattern in which hydrophilic areas are surrounded by hydrophobic areas and side-walls of the channel.
US07879214B2
A description is given of methods for collecting particles (1, 2) which are suspended in a liquid, including the following steps: providing the liquid containing the suspended particles (1, 2) in a compartment (10) having lateral surfaces (11), wherein at least one electrode (21) is arranged on at least one of the lateral surfaces (11), and generating high-frequency electric fields by means of the at least one electrode (21) so as to form at least one circulating flow (30), by means of which the particles (1, 2) are guided to at least one predetermined collecting area (40) in the compartment (10), wherein the flow (30) is formed in such a way that at least one branch of the flow runs along a longitudinal extent of the at least one electrode (21), and the flow (30) circulates about an axis (31) which is oriented perpendicular to the respectively adjacent lateral surface (11) with the electrode (21). Corresponding devices for collecting particles are also described.
US07879211B2
The present invention relates to an analyzing instrument (1A) which includes a capillary (31), a fluid feed port (20) for introducing a sample liquid to the capillary (31), and a fluid feed promoter (6) for promoting the introduction of the sample liquid into the feed port (20). The capillary (31) of the analyzer (1A) may be formed on a substrate (2) for example. The fluid feed promoter (6) may include at lease one of a water-absorbing layer having a higher water-absorbing capacity than the substrate (2) and an adhesive layer having a greater adhesion to the skin than the substrate (2).
US07879210B2
A magnetron scanning and support mechanism in which the magnetron is partially supported from an overhead scanning mechanism through multiple springs coupled to different horizontal locations on the magnetron and partially supported from below at multiple locations on the target, on which it slides or rolls. In one embodiment, the yoke plate is continuous and uniform. In another embodiment, the magnetron's magnetic yoke is divided into two flexible yokes, for example, of complementary serpentine shape and each supporting magnets of respective polarity. The yokes separated by a gap sufficiently small that the two yokes are magnetically coupled. Each yoke has its own set of spring supports from above and rolling/sliding supports from below to allow the magnetron shape to conform to that of the target. Alternatively, narrow slots are formed in a unitary yoke.
US07879208B2
A chlorine treatment apparatus includes a housing with a cavity containing a chlorine generator for chlorinating a liquid such as water and at least three openings to the cavity. The chlorine generator may be an electrolytic cell. Some embodiments may include one or more plugs for closing the openings. The plugs may be keyed to operate with only certain of the openings. Yet other embodiments may include sensors for monitoring various aspects of the liquid such as temperature, salinity, flow rate, and chlorine concentration.
US07879200B2
Devices and improved methods are provided for operation of ultrasonic transducers and horns.
US07879198B2
The present disclosure relates to processes and systems for purifying technical grade trichlorosilane and/or technical grade silicon tetrachloride into electronic grade trichlorosilane and/or electronic grade silicon tetrachloride.
US07879196B2
The present invention relates to a tank assembly for making fiber products from stock comprising a stock vat, a main tank (2, 103, 202), at least one inlet (20, 21, 111, 216) to said main tank from said stock vat, and an outlet (22, 113, 217) from said main tank. The tank assembly further comprises at least one mold tank (3, 102, 203, 204) having at least one inlet (37, 114, 218, 219) at its bottom connected to the inlet to said main tank and an outlet (4, 116, 221, 223) connected to said main tank so that stock from the mold tank is arranged to flow into said main tank and in that the horizontal cross-sectional area at the top of said mold tank is larger than the horizontal cross-sectional area at the bottom of said mold tank.
US07879167B2
A gas generating composition containing a tetrazole amide as a fuel, 5-formamido-1H-tetrazole for example, and an oxidizer is provided. The gas generant is contained within a gas generator. The gas generator may be contained within a gas generating system such as an airbag inflator or seat belt assembly, or more broadly within a vehicle occupant protection system.
US07879165B2
The present invention provides a method for producing a magnesium alloy sheet capable of producing a magnesium alloy sheet having excellent plastic workability such as press workability. The method of the present invention includes rolling a magnesium alloy blank with a reduction roll. The rolling includes controlled rolling performed under the following conditions (1) and (2) wherein M (% by mass) is the Al content in a magnesium alloy constituting the blank: (1) the surface temperature Tb (° C.) of the magnesium alloy blank immediately before insertion into the reduction roll satisfies the following expression: 8.33×M+135≦Tb≦8.33×M+165 wherein 1.0≦M≦10.0; and (2) the surface temperature Tr of the reduction roll is 150° C. to 180° C.
US07879161B2
A warm-rolled, annealed, polycrystalline, cube-textured, {100}<100>, FCC-based alloy substrate is characterized by a yield strength greater than 200 MPa and a biaxial texture characterized by a FWHM of less than 15° in all directions.
US07879158B2
The present invention relates to a passivating layer on a metal surface, obtainable by contacting the metal surface with a composition comprising a water-soluble nitrogenous polymer, to a surface composed of a metal surface and the passivating layer of the invention, to a process for forming a passivating layer on a metal surface, to the use of a composition comprising a water-soluble nitrogenous polymer to passivate a metal surface, and to a system on a metal surface that comprises a passivating layer of the invention and further coating films.
US07879157B2
Described here is a method for pretreating the surfaces of weld parts of aluminum or alloys thereof, and weld parts produced with said method. Prior to welding, the weld parts are subjected to a treatment (17) in an acidic, aqueous solution, wherein the acidic, aqueous solution contains ions of the elements boron and/or silicon and/or titanium and/or zirconium and/or hafnium. The invention consists in that a polishing step (9) is carried out prior to the treatment in the acidic, aqueous solution to make for better sliding in a feed apparatus during the welding process.
US07879145B2
The problems to be solved by the invention are to provide an inorganic composition for obtaining an inorganic product which is excellent in physical property such as installing property, and which is economical price, as well as a process for manufacturing the product.Namely, the present invention provides, as a means to solve the conventional problems, an inorganic composition comprising the following raw materials: a hydraulic inorganic material, a siliceous material and a woody reinforcement, wherein the hydraulic inorganic material is a cementitious material, the siliceous material is a mixture of a rough particle size of siliceous material and a finely particle size of siliceous material, and the woody reinforcement is a wood powder and a pulp.The effects of the present invention, it is possible to obtain an inorganic product which is excellent in physical property such as installing property, and which is economical price.
US07879140B2
Coating material is fed into a vacuum container inside which are apparatus for separating gas from the coating material. The degassing apparatus (10) has two separate compartments (11, 12) so that degassing is carried out in two different stages by using a single apparatus.
US07879138B2
Pressure swing adsorption process for the separation of a feed gas mixture comprising (a) providing a pressure swing adsorption system comprising one or more composite beds, each composite bed comprising adsorbent material disposed in two or more vessels in parallel flow configuration, each vessel having a feed end and a product end; (b) performing cyclic sequential steps comprising adsorption/make product, withdrawing gas at decreasing pressure from the composite bed, purging the composite bed, and introducing gas into the composite bed at increasing pressure; and (c) for any of the sequential steps, setting a flow rate or flow rates of one or more gases selected from the group consisting of gas introduced into or withdrawn from the feed end or ends of any of the two or more vessels and gas introduced into or withdrawn from the product end or ends of any of the two or more vessels.
US07879131B2
A process for encapsulating metal microparticles in a pH sensitive polymer matrix using a suspension containing the polymer. The process first disperses the metal particles in a polymeric solution consisting of a pH sensitive polymer. The particles are then encapsulated in the form of micro-spheres of about 5-10 microns in diameter comprising the pH sensitive polymer and the metal ions (Ni2+, Cu2+) to be coated. The encapsulated matrix includes first metal particles homogeneously dispersed in a pH sensitive matrix, comprising the second metal ions. A high shear homogenization process ensures homogenization of the aqueous mixture resulting in uniform particle encapsulation. The encapsulated powder may be formed using spray drying. The powder may be then coated in a controlled aqueous media using an electroless deposition process. The polymer is removed when the encapsulated micro-spheres encounter a pH change in the aqueous solution.
US07879127B2
A product for reinforcing the natural plant defense system a mixture of one or several silicon-rich substances (A), one or more activators of plant immune system (B) and substance (C) which supply to (A) and (B) activity. Activators are substances or physical effects and substances, which transport the information about stress and provide the synthesis of non specific and/or specific stress-proteins, stress ferments and other stress-protecting substances to the plant cells. Using various forms of Si-rich substances will help plants to synthesize non-specific, specific substances and ferments which protect plants against stress. The substance (C) could serve for optimization of plant growth or for reinforcing Si or the activator component and they can be added to the new product also. The application of all these ingredients can be conducted via soil application (both broadcasting and incorporation) together with the irrigation water, by foliar applications or as dust application. The application of all the ingredients can occur together or separately at intervals, which can't be longer then 6 months.
US07879122B2
An air filter and fan device for a vehicle ventilation system is disclosed that, in direction of air flow, includes an air filter, an impeller, and a flow-off channel. A casing is provided that accommodates the impeller and the flow-off channel in an enclosing manner such that the impeller is established with double-suction, receiving air from the air filter from both a first side and a second side or the impeller.
US07879111B2
Network registration for a device is achieved by providing the device with an RFID chip bearing a MAC address, cryptographic capabilities and keys, and then disposing the device near a registration server (such as a home network server/server TV) to cause the information on the RFID chip to be automatically transferred to the server and thus execute registration of the device on the network automatically, relieving a person from having to enter long strings of numbers.
US07879110B2
A simple, inexpensive prosthetic foot is provided incorporating a cushioned ankle including an ankle block formed of a resilient material or bladder having desired compliance and energy return characteristics. The ankle block is sandwiched between a foot element and an ankle element. One or more openings extends through the ankle block with a substantially transverse orientation relative to a forward walking motion. The size and shape of these openings, as well as the insertion of different types of stiffeners therein, provide desired performance characteristics to the ankle block. When the ankle block takes the form of one or more inflatable bladders, the pressure within these bladders is individually controlled by valves to provide desired performance characteristics to different portions of the prosthetic foot. A pump system can also be used to control and generate fluid pressure into these bladders. A preferred pump system generates fluid pressure based upon the movement of the amputee onto two telescoping pylons that are connected to the prosthetic foot.
US07879108B2
An implantable prosthesis is provided for repairing or augmenting anatomical weaknesses or defects, and is particularly suitable for the repair of soft tissue and muscle wall openings. The prosthesis may include a repair fabric that is constructed and arranged to allow tissue ingrowth and is susceptible to erosion into and the formation of adhesions with tissue and organs. One or more regions of the prosthesis may be configured to inhibit erosion into and/or the formation of adhesions with tissue and organs. The prosthesis may include an erosion resistant edge to buffer an edge of the fabric from the adjacent tissue or organs. The erosion resistant edge may be provided along an opening that is adapted to receive a tube-like structure, such as the esophagus.
US07879098B1
An expandable stabilizing cage includes a body having a fixed cage section, an expandable cage section, formed as a number of elongate blocks, and a relief between the fixed and expandable cage sections. An orifice, which through the expandable cage section decreases in diameter with increased distance along the central axis of the body away from the fixed cage section, is provided through the body. The expandable stabilizing cage also includes a wafer, which, when inserted into the orifice through the body, causes outward flaring of the elongate bars for fixing the expandable stabilizing cage securely in place in the intervertebral disc space between two adjacent vertebral bodies. Upper elongate blocks have substantially planar upper surfaces. Lower elongate blocks have substantially planar lower surfaces. The surfaces may be provided with surface irregularities for facilitating stable engagement with adjacent vertebral bodies, exemplary irregularities including denticles, dimples, scores, grooves or small protuberances.
US07879095B2
A rotating, locking, spring-loaded disk implant for stabilizing adjacent vertebrae. The implant is substantially rectangular in cross-sectional shape with minimal height and maximal width. The implant is inserted into the space between two adjacent vertebrae from which a portion of the intervertebral disk has been removed and, when positioned in the disk space, rotated to bring the sides of the rectangularly-shaped implant defining the width of the implant, with its larger dimension, into engagement with the bodies of the adjacent vertebrae. A portion of the implant is biased away from the implant and into contact with the adjacent vertebrae to provide a cushioning effect between the implant and the vertebra. A lock is then secured to the implant to resist further rotation of the implant in the disk space.
US07879088B2
A capsular bag for the artificial vitreous body is made up of a material selected from the group consisting of polysiloxane, polyurethane styrene triblock copolymer thermoplastic elastomers, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl alcohol, poly (lactide-co-glycolide, and hyaluronic acid ester. A method for manufacturing the capsular bag for the artificial vitreous body is performed by dip-molding, effectively improving the smoothness of the inner surface of the capsule. An eye die is dipped into a gel solution until the surface adsorbs the gel, and then lifted, repeating 3-6 times. The dipped eye is hardened into shape. A shaped spherical outer capsule is peeled out of the eye die. The capsular bag for the artificial vitreous body has high biocompatibility and excellent flexibility.
US07879087B2
A mitral annuloplasty ring with an inner core and an outer band located therearound is disclosed. The ring has an anterior region, a posterior region opposite the anterior region, and two side regions therebetween. A cross-sectional width dimension of the outer band is greater in the posterior region of the ring than in the anterior region. A cross-sectional width dimension of a semi-flexible core is thinner in the anterior and posterior regions than in the side regions so that the mitral ring is more rigid in the anterior-posterior direction. A tricuspid annuloplasty ring of the invention has an inner core and an outer band located therearound. The inner core has an anterior region separated across a gap from a septal region, and a posterior region. A cross-sectional width dimension of the outer band is greater in the septal region than either the anterior or posterior regions.
US07879085B2
The present invention provides an expanded tubular graft formed of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE). The graft has first and second open ends and a surface longitudinally extending between the ends. The graft also includes an inner and outer cylindrical walls, where the walls have crimps or corrugations located along the surface of the graft. Additionally, the graft is coated with biocompatible elastomer covering portions of the outer cylindrical walls of the PTFE graft. The resulting ePTFE crimped graft exhibits various enhanced properties, such as adjustable graft length, high kink resistance, improved suture retention and high crush resistance as compared to the same graft without the crimps.
US07879084B2
A stent has a plurality of wavy annular members arranged adjacently to each other in an axial direction of the stent with the adjacent wavy annular members connected with each other. Each of the wavy annular members has a plurality of one-end side bent portions each having an apex at one-end side of the stent in an axial direction thereof and a plurality of other-end side bent portions each having an apex at the other-end side of the stent in the axial direction thereof. An apex of each of the one-end side bent portions of each wavy annular member penetrates into a space formed between the adjacent other-end side bent portions of one of the adjacent wavy annular members. An apex of each of the other-end side bent portions of each wavy annular member penetrates into a space formed between the adjacent one-end side bent portions of the other of the adjacent wavy annular members. The apex of the one-end side bent portion of each wavy annular member and the apex of the other-end side bent portion of the adjacent wavy annular member curve in an approach direction, thus engaging each other.
US07879083B2
A stent for ostial lesions and vascular bifurcations has a tubular body comprised by a succession of sections of skeletal members. In one or both end rows of the tubular body, there are expansive bending devices comprising sectional weakenings and open extremities. In the case of the end row, by a proper expander balloon, expansive bending of longitudinal branches of the end row may be produced. Bending is produced due to sectional weakenings. Open extremities allow producing the expansion in a way such as the flourishing of a flower bloom. Under such conditions, bending of the end row makes possible the adequate coverage of the ostial or bifurcation lesion affecting wall of the application vascular conduit.
US07879079B2
Surgical methods and related medical devices for treating glaucoma are disclosed. The method comprises trabecular bypass surgery, which involves bypassing diseased trabecular meshwork with the use of a stent implant. The stent implant is inserted into an opening created in the trabecular meshwork by a piercing member that is slidably advanceable through the lumen of the stent implant for supporting the implant insertion. The stent implant is positioned through the trabecular meshwork so that an inlet end of the stent implant is exposed to the anterior chamber of the eye and an outlet end is positioned into fluid collection channels at about an exterior surface of the trabecular meshwork or up to the level of aqueous veins.
US07879075B2
An apparatus (10) includes a fastener (16) engageable with a bone portion to connect a longitudinal member (12) to the bone portion. A housing (40) has a first passage (42) configured to receive the longitudinal member (12) and a second passage (44) extending transverse to the first passage. The fastener (16) extends through an opening (50) in the housing (40) into the second passage (44). A longitudinal axis (18) of the fastener (16) is positionable in any one of a plurality of angular positions relative to a longitudinal axis (46) of the second passage (44). A spacer (60) received in the second passage (44) of the housing (40) is engageable with the fastener (16) and the longitudinal member (12). A member (70) applies a force to prevent relative movement between the fastener (16) and the housing (40) and permit manual movement of the fastener (16) relative to the housing (40) against the force when the longitudinal member (12) is disengaged from the spacer (60). A clamping mechanism (90) clamps the longitudinal member (12), the spacer (60), and the housing (40) to the fastener (16) to prevent movement of the fastener relative to the housing.
US07879074B2
Various methods and devices are provided for stabilizing adjacent vertebrae in a patient's spinal column. In one exemplary embodiment, a spinal stabilization device is provided having a first cross-connector that is adapted to mate to opposed lateral sides of a first vertebra, a second cross-connector that is adapted to mate to opposed lateral sides of a second vertebra, and a flexible member that is coupled to the first and second cross-connectors and that is adapted to allow movement between first and second adjacent vertebrae coupled to the first and second cross-connectors.
US07879071B2
A clip for engaging tissue includes a generally annular-shaped body defining a plane and disposed about a central axis extending normal to the plane. The body includes alternating inner and outer curved regions, defining a zigzag pattern about a periphery of the clip. The body is biased towards a planar configuration lying in the plane and deflectable towards a transverse configuration extending out of the plane. Tines extend from the inner curved regions, the tines being oriented towards the central axis in the planar configuration, and parallel to the central axis in the transverse configuration. The tines may include primary tines and secondary tines that are shorter than the primary tines. The primary tines may be disposed on opposing inner curved regions and oriented towards one another such that they overlap in the planar configuration.
US07879069B2
An anti-pooling vest to be worn by a patient undergoing a hemodialysis procedure is disclosed for inhibiting intradialytic hypotensive symptoms in the patient during the course of hemodialysis treatment. The anti-pooling vest includes an inflatable bladder for applying a compressive pressure on the internal organs within the abdomen of the patient during the hemodialysis procedure to reduce the pooling of blood within the patient's internal organs. A pump, such as, for example, a manually compressible bulb or an electrically powered pump, in fluid communication with the bladder is operable to inflate the bladder to a predetermined pressure and a pressure relief valve in fluid communication with the bladder is operable to decrease the pressure within the bladder to the predetermined pressure. The anti-pooling vest may also be utilized to increase venous return in hypotensive patients in critical care suffering from blood or fluid loss by applying compressive pressure to the internal organs within the abdomen of the patient to reduce the pooling of blood within the patient's internal organs.
US07879052B2
Medical device used to cause hemostasis of blood vessels using a clip arrangement delivered to a target region through an endoscope. Method for using the device to cause hemostasis of a blood vessel through an endoscope. Medical device including a reversibly closeable clip, a locking arrangement, a control wire, a sheath, and a handle with an actuating trigger. Through the endoscope, hemostatic clipping device that is fully reversible and lockable. Hemostatic clip that reversibly targets and clips bleeding ulcers.
US07879044B2
A disposable neonatal circumcision device that secures the foreskin of the penis in a precise location, applies radially circumferential clamping, and delivers a longitudinal circumferential cutting device along the path precisely controlled by the device itself, not the operator, ensuring the incision to the clamped foreskin is made in the precise location, independent of the operator.
US07879037B2
A surgical cutting instrument including an outer tube having a bearing sleeve disposed within a lumen thereof, along with an inner wire assembly extending through the outer tube and the bearing sleeve. A cutting tip is connected to the inner wire assembly distal the outer tube. Conversely, a coupling chuck is connected to a proximal section of the inner wire assembly, with a housing maintaining the outer tube and the coupling chuck. When mounted to a motor, the inner wire assembly is rotated to effectuate a surgical cutting procedure at the cutting tip, with the bearing sleeve supporting the inner wire assembly relative to the outer tube during rotation.
US07879036B2
A bone anchoring element is provided which has a shaft for anchoring in a bone. The shaft includes a tubular body having two open ends. At least one barb element is connected to the shaft. The barb element is cut into the tubular body. The barb element includes a free end and a base connecting the barb element to the shaft. The barb element has a first portion adjacent to the base and a second portion adjacent to the free end. The second portion is inclined relative to the first portion in a direction off said shaft.
US07879032B1
Incorporating into an electrosurgical handpiece a device configured to disable the handpiece when a built-in usage time period expires. Preferably, the device comprises a timer in the form of an activating battery with a known discharge rate such that the battery voltage gradually reduces in value with use. The battery in turn is coupled to a circuit which monitors the battery voltage and operates a switch which decouples the handpiece electrode from the electrosurgical current source when the battery voltage falls below a preset value. This effectively disables the handpiece preventing reuse.
US07879025B2
A fluid delivery system having a closed-loop control process for delivering a medical fluid to a patient. A fluid infusion system includes a pump for delivering a fluid to a patient via an administration tube. A flow sensor associated with the administration tube provides an indication of the actual flow rate of fluid in the administration tube. Such a flow sensor may comprise a positive displacement flow sensor constructed using micro-fabrication and/or micro-molding techniques. A reader reads the actual flow rate signal and provides an indication to a controller for controlling the pump. The flow rate information can also be used for providing status information, such as the existence of a blockage in the fluid delivery system.
US07879018B2
A fluid ducting assembly for enabling flow communication between a syringe and either one of a vessel and a dispenser for dispensing a fluid contained, a priori in the syringe or in the vessel. The fluid ducting assembly includes a base having a first member, a second member, and a third member for connection to and providing flow communication with the syringe, the vessel and the dispenser, respectively. The fluid ducting assembly further includes a flow controller within the base enabling any one of a flow path between the first member and the second member and a flow path between the first member and the third member. The flow controller has either a first operative position in which the flow path between the first member and the second member in enabled or a second operative position in which the flow path between the first member and the third member is enabled. The flow controller being readily switchable from its first operative position to its second operative position but not readily switchable form its second operative position to its first operative position.
US07879009B1
The disclosure is directed to a needle system configured to enlarge an access path in a patient without further cutting into the tissue of the patient so as to reduce recovery time and trauma to the patient. Also provided are methods of using the needle system provided.
US07879008B2
The control device is used to control delivery of fluid from a fluid delivery system during a medical injection procedure. The fluid delivery system includes an injector adapted to actuate a syringe used to deliver the injection fluid to a patient. The control device is operatively associated with the injector for controlling discrete flow rates of injection fluid delivered to the patient. The control device includes a housing and an actuator associated with the housing. An electronic substrate is disposed within the housing and comprises a conductive pattern. The actuator is adapted for operative association with the conductive pattern. The conductive pattern includes a plurality of predetermined digital values corresponding to discrete flow rates of injection fluid to be delivered by the injector, such that when the actuator is actuated the actuator operatively associates with the conductive pattern for transmitting the digital values to the injector.
US07879004B2
A distal end of a flexible catheter can be selectively deflected in a desired direction by actuating one or more actuators that extend outwardly of an exterior surface of the catheter. Each actuator can be a balloon disposed within a non-extendible balloon or sheath. Inflation of one (or both) of the balloon and the non-extendible balloon with a pressurized fluid can deflect the distal tip of the catheter. Another actuator embodiment comprises a strip of a bimorph material that bends outwardly when actuated, e.g., by heat, applying a force against adjacent tissue to deflect the distal tip. Yet another embodiment includes a strip of material that shortens when heated and can be coupled to a balloon that is inflated outwardly to increase a radial moment arm of the force applied thereby, relative to a neutral axis of the catheter, to more readily deflect the distal tip.
US07879002B2
Mixing devices used with a syringe or syringe system and related systems for mixing dissimilar components contained therein. The devices and systems include a hollow elongate handle having a proximal end, a distal delivery end, and a delivery passageway therethrough. A mixing member is disposed at or near the proximal end of the hollow elongate handle, which mixing member and a portion of the handle are axially slidable within a syringe barrel during use. The user may push and pull the distal end of the handle, causing corresponding axial movement of the mixing member within the syringe barrel. The devices and systems may be used to homogenously mix difficult to mix two part compositions, as well as single part compositions which include components that may tend to separate over time (e.g., a fluoride varnish composition).
US07878998B2
A wrist support includes a first section for receiving a forearm, a second section for receiving a hand, and a bridging section spanning a wrist and connecting the first and second sections together. The bridging section is integrally formed with some portion of the first section or second section. The disposition of the second section relative to the first section is variable, for example, according to the tension in a tensioning line, wherein the tension may be adjusted by a rotary device.
US07878993B2
An ankle-foot orthosis comprising a leg member 12; a foot member 14; a frame 16 connecting the leg member to the foot member, wherein the frame comprises a first revolute joint 18 that rotates about a first axis 20 and a second revolute joint 22 that rotates about a second axis 24, wherein the first and second axes are non-parallel. The frame can further comprise a foot member segment 30 secured to the foot member 14 and extending to the second revolute joint 22. The orthosis can comprise a first force-torque sensor 36 located on the leg member, a second force-torque sensor 38 located on the foot member, and an encoder positioned on one of the revolute joints. The invention includes a method of measuring ankle-foot-related forces comprising positioning a subject's leg and foot in an ankle-foot orthosis; collecting data from the first and second force-torque sensors; and analyzing the collected data to determine the motion of the subject's ankle.
US07878987B2
Methods and instruments for assessing bone, for example fracture risk, in a subject in which a test probe is inserted through the skin of the subject so that the test probe contacts the subject's bone and the resistance of the test bone to microscopic fracture by the test probe is determined. Macroscopic bone fracture risk is assessed by measuring the resistance of the bone to microscopic fractures caused by the test probe. The microscopic fractures are so small that they pose negligible health risks. The instrument may also be useful in characterizing other materials, especially if it is necessary to penetrate a layer to get to the material to be characterized.
US07878985B2
The invention is directed to a guidewire having a distal section with multiple distally tapered core segments with at least two contiguous distally tapering core segments in which the most distal tapered core segment preferably has a greater degree of taper than the proximally contiguous tapered core segment. The invention is also directed to an elongated intracorporeal device, preferably a guidewire or section thereof, that has a core member with a plurality of contiguous tapered segments having taper angles that are configured to produce a linear change in stiffness over a longitudinal section of the device. The device may also have a core section with a continuously changing taper angle to produce a curvilinear profile that preferably is configured to produce a linear change in stiffness of the core over a longitudinal section of the device.
US07878979B2
This invention provides methods and systems for non-invasively determining the presence (and amount) or absence of dynamic hyperinflation in a subject. The invention is based on a novel combination of respiratory parameters that can be measured in a way that is non-invasive and unobtrusive to the subject. Dynamic hyperinflation is often a significant factor in the quality of life of patients suffering from a variety of obstructive pulmonary diseases, and this invention permits simple, routine tracking and management of dynamic hyperinflation in affected patients.
US07878977B2
A transducer array includes two or more sub-arrays that move relative to each other. Position sensors on each of the sub-arrays provide spatial coordination for beamforming and/or image forming to yield extended field of view and high image resolution. The adaptable transducer array, such as mounted on a flexible transducer housing, allows the array to better conform to the patient during internal or external use.
US07878975B2
An apparatus for indicating a health-related condition of a subject has an input interface for receiving a sequence of samples of a first biological quantity derived by a first measurement method, the first measurement method being an invasive measurement and having a first impact on the subject, and for receiving a sequence of samples of a second biological quantity derived by a second measurement method, the second measurement method being a non-invasive measurement and having a second impact on the subject, wherein the first biological quantity gives a more accurate indication of the health-related condition of the subject than the second biological quantity, wherein the first biological quantity and the second biological quantity have a correlation to the health-related condition of the subject, and wherein the second impact is smaller than the first impact; a predictor for providing, for a certain time, for which no sample for the first biological quantity exists, an estimated value of the first biological quantity using samples for the first biological quantity and, as far as available, samples for the second quantity; and an output interface for outputting the estimated value or data derived from the estimated value so that an indication for the health-related condition of the subject is obtained.
US07878968B2
A cap having ear pieces and an eyepiece. The ear pieces are preferably connected to an audio device that can play stored audio and/or rebroadcast ambient sounds at a reduced audio level. The ear pieces preferable provide sound attenuation of at least 20 dB. The stored audio may include sounds that simulate sounds heard by a fetus while in the womb. The eye piece is preferably removable.
US07878964B1
Echogenic strands and spacers are provided for use in brachytherapy. Methods of making the strands and spacers are also provided. An echogenic strand for use in brachytherapy and a method for making the strand includes an encapsulating material, a seed disposed within the encapsulating material, and a spacer disposed within the encapsulating material and arranged adjacent to the seed. The spacer has an axial length, an outer surface and an inner surface. A chamber is formed along the axial length, the chamber being defined by the inner surface. The chamber is adapted to improve ultrasound visibility relative to the spacer.
US07878946B1
An exercise bicycle includes a flywheel, a drive train coupled to the flywheel, and pedals coupled to the drive train. A user of the exercise bicycle expends power by exerting force on the pedals to spin the flywheel. The exercise bicycle further includes a power meter. The power meter includes a friction pad comprising a flywheel contact surface in contact with the flywheel and a temperature sensor located within the friction pad. The temperature sensor measures the temperature of the flywheel contact surface. The power meter further includes an output meter coupled to the temperature sensor, the output meter converting a temperature change of the flywheel contact surface as measured by the temperature sensor into a calculated power expended by the user.
US07878943B2
The invention is based on a drive train (10) of a motor vehicle in which a control device (16) limits an output torque of a drive machine (14) to a first maximum value or a second, higher maximum value. The object of the invention is to propose a drive train which permits low fuel consumption. According to the invention, the control device (16) has a signal transmitting connection to a roadway information device (camera 53) which supplies information relating to a profile of the roadway in front of the motor vehicle. The control device (16) can thus predictively change from the first maximum value to the second maximum value or carry out shifting back in the transmission (19).
US07878938B2
A power train of an automatic transmission realizes nine forward speeds and two reverse speeds. An output unit selectively receives reduced rotation speed from a speed reduction unit or selectively receives rotation speed of an input shaft and generates the nine forward speeds and two reverse speeds by operation of five clutches and three brakes.
US07878932B2
Monitoring operation of an electro-mechanical transmission having a hydraulic circuit with flow management valves and pressure control solenoids to actuate clutches and pressure monitoring devices to monitor the hydraulic circuit is provided. The transmission operates in fixed gear and continuously variable operating range states. The method comprises controlling position of one of the flow management valves to control operation in one of the operating range states. A fault is detected in the one of the flow management valves based upon outputs of the pressure monitoring devices during steady state operation in one of the continuously variable operating range states. A fault is detected in the one of the flow management valves based upon the output of one of the pressure monitoring devices during a transition in the flow management valve.
US07878923B2
The present invention provides a golf club head that can hit a ball with a sufficiently large amount of backspin. The golf club head according to the present invention is an iron type golf club head made of a metal and including a flat face. A plurality of traces are formed by milling on the face. The pitch of the traces is between 0.1 mm and 1 mm.
US07878917B2
A laser aligning device is mounted on the flat side of a putter grip or other cylindrically asymmetric surface of a club grip and emits a fan shaped light sheet. The light sheet is perpendicular to the flat side of the putter grip. The light sheet projects a visible laser line on a plane such as the ground when the head is on the same plane. The alignment of the grip relative to the putter head's face can be inspected by visually inspecting the orientation of the projected line on the plane relative to the head's face. The grip can be adjusted and fixed so that it is properly oriented to the face.
US07878913B2
A decoupler assembly for a motor vehicle driveline comprising a decoupler, an input driveably connected to a transmission output shaft and including a first connection that secures the input to the decoupler, and an output driveably connected to a final drive axle then to wheels of the vehicle, including a second connection that secures the output to the decoupler, and a support that provides bending continuity between the input and the output, the support permitting rotation of the input about an axis relative to the output, the decoupler, the first connection and the second connection providing resistance to such rotation.
US07878912B2
A universal joint comprises first and second joint yokes, each joint yoke having axially opposite yoke arms, and inner and outer sides with respect to an axis of symmetry of the joint; first and second connection elements, each having transverse arms for connecting the connection element to yoke arms of a respective joint yoke and a base web extending beyond the transverse arms in a direction away from the axis of symmetry of the joint; and an elastic coupling element guided around outer sides of the joint yokes and connected to the base web of each connection element at a location beyond the transverse arms in a direction away from the axis of symmetry of the joint.
US07878907B2
Program code enabling the streaming of HD content in real-time to a game console is stored on a storage medium remote from the game console. The game console executes software that facilitates transfer of the program code from the remote storage medium to the game console. The program code ensures that sufficient bandwidth exists on a network between the game console and a HD tuner, and enables the streaming of HD content in real-time to the game console.
US07878893B1
One or more gaming machines include an incentive supply storage, along with at least one play incentive dispenser to deliver play incentives to a player at a gaming machine. Play of each gaming machine includes definition of at least one incentive qualifying event, resulting in dispensing a play incentive to a player. Optionally, some of the play incentives have substantially nominal value and some of the play incentives have non-nominal value. Incentive qualifying events may be random or based on outcomes generated during play of a gaming machine. Optionally, a play incentive may be dispensed along with issuance of a prize awarded through a game of chance. A prize award may be indicated by or on the play incentive, which may be awarded along with the play incentive. Optionally, the play incentives may be concealed in a packaging.
US07878890B2
A first power property setting unit will set a first power property to a moving object. A power status display unit will display the power status of the moving object, which is defined based on the first power property, in an estimated passage position in an estimated passage display area. A rotational property setting unit will set a rotational property to the moving object which is dispatched from a character. A second power property setting unit will set a second power property to the moving object. A rotational status display unit will continuously display the rotational status of the moving object, which is defined based on the rotational property, in the estimated passage position.
US07878888B2
An enclosure is provided for housing electronic equipment that accommodates the different cooling and ventilating requirements of different types of equipment. The enclosure is constructed and arranged to support cooling airflow in a front-to-back configuration through the enclosure and in a side-to-side configuration from one side to an opposite side of the enclosure. The enclosure can thereby provide within a single enclosure means cooling air for components using front-to-back airflow for cooling, such as information technology (IT) equipment, and for components using side-to-side airflow, such as certain types of telecommunications equipment. The enclosure can thereby support a mix of IT and telecommunications equipment, providing flexibility and adaptability in network room and data center configuration. The enclosure is further configured to separate intake air used by equipment for cooling from exhaust air vented by equipment into its interior during operation. As a result, the enclosure promotes sufficient equipment cooling and prevents/minimizes equipment overheating.
US07878880B2
A nursing garment has an outer bodice adapted for pulling down to expose an inner bodice, wherein the inner bodice has respective breast-feeding openings. The outer bodice provides breast cups. The outer bodice provides a bra-like support. The inner bodice is stretchable to provide a bra-like support.
US07878871B2
A terminal and electrical contact for a pair of leads of an electrical component is provided, the terminal having a pair of terminals each comprising a planar member comprising a conductive material that surrounds an opening in the planar member; and wherein one of the pair of leads is welded to one of the pair of terminals such that the lead traverses the opening and is welded to the terminal at a portion of the terminal adjacent to the opening and the other one of the pair of leads is welded to the other one of the pair of terminals such that the lead traverses the opening and is welded to the terminal at a portion of the other one of the pair of terminals adjacent to the opening.
US07878867B2
An electrical contact (100) comprises an upper contact (1), a lower contact (3) and a spring (2) located between the upper contact (1) and the lower contact (3), the upper contact (1) comprises a base portion (11) and an additional portion (15) bending from the base portion (11) and overlapping each other, the base portion (11) has a first contact portion (111) at a top end thereof, the lower contact (3) comprises a body portion (32) and a pair of arms (33) extending from the body portion (32), the body portion (32) has a second contact portion (321) at a bottom end thereof, the arms (33) contact with the base portion (11) and the additional portion (15).
US07878859B2
An electrical connector assembly includes a first and a second connector (1, 2) each including an insulating housing and a plurality of terminals retained in the housing. The housing has a front mating portion, a rear face and a pair of first retaining portions at opposite ends of the rear face of the insulating housing. The terminals include leg portions extending out of the rear face of the housing. A receiving cavity (15) is defined between the pair of retaining portions of the first connector. A transition board (3) is vertically received in the receiving cavity of the first connector and the two pairs of retaining portions are engaged with each other to assembly the two connectors together.
US07878858B1
An N-in-1 card connector (100), used for receiving at least two cards (a MS card A and a SD card B), includes an insulative housing (10), a number of first terminals (40) retained in the insulative housing, an ejector comprising a slider (30) moveably attached to the insulative housing, a floating member (60) floatingly received in the insulative housing and a plurality of second terminals (50) having respective parts retained with the floating member. The floating member remains at a lower position to stay clear of a first, narrower card (A) and is moveable to an upper position by a second, wider card (B). The second terminals are moveable together with the floating member at the upper position for engaging the second card.
US07878855B2
A cable connector assembly includes an insulative housing (1) having a number of contacts (2) received therein, a shielding member (4) enclosing the insulative housing, a printed circuit board (3) connected with tail portions of the contacts, a cable (5) connected with the printed circuit board, a metallic shell (6) enclosing the printed circuit board and a front shell (7) located in front of the shielding member (4). The front shell is of metallic laminar configuration and comprises a frame-shaped opening (71) in center thereof for the shielding member to be inserted into.
US07878844B2
A panel connector assembly includes a panel, a panel connector and a mounting bracket. The panel has opposing front and rear sides and includes a connector opening and a securing hole extending through the panel. The panel connector is disposed proximate to the panel and has a mating face aligned with the connector opening in the panel. The panel connector is positioned to couple with a peripheral connector that mates with the mating face through the front side of the panel. The mounting bracket is disposed proximate to the rear side of the panel. The mounting bracket receives a securing feature of the peripheral connector that extends through the securing hole in the panel to the mounting bracket when the peripheral connector and panel connector mate with one another. The mounting bracket receives the securing feature to secure the peripheral connector to the front, side of the panel.
US07878843B2
Provided is a cable assembly comprises an insulative housing having a plurality of contact terminals disposed therein. A plurality of conductive wires each is terminated with the plurality of contact terminals. And a hold-down arrangement is securely attached to the housing, and includes a metallic base portion substantially covering interconnection between the contact terminals and the conductive wires. The arrangement includes a first anchors interlocked to the housing, and a second anchors extending beyond a mating interface of the housing.
US07878842B2
A busbar device includes a conductive body. The conductive body is provided with a number of mounting holes corresponding to the mounting holes of a mount device for mounting the busbar device. The conductive body is a flexible conductive body, and the distance between every two adjacent mounting holes in the conductive body is larger than or equal to the distance between two corresponding adjacent mounting holes in the mount device.
US07878838B1
A dual force single point actuation integrated load mechanism for securing a computer processor to a socket, the dual force single point actuation integrated load mechanism including a base mounted around the socket; and a load plate rotatably coupled to the base and secured to the base when an activate lever on a first side of the base and a hinge lever on a second side of the base are secured above the load plate; wherein the activate lever on the first side of the load plate is rotatably coupled with the base and is secured when the activate lever is fully rotated; wherein the hinge lever on the second side of the load plate is rotatably coupled with the base and connected to the activate lever such that rotating the activate lever rotates the hinge lever; and wherein the hinge lever is secured when the activate lever is secured.
US07878823B2
An electrical connector (100) is soldered to a circuit board (4) via a number of solder members (3) and includes an insulative housing defining a number of passageways (12), and a number of contact terminals (2) inserted in the passageways respectively. Each contact terminal has a body portion (21) secured in the passageway, and a tail portion (23) extending from the body portion and inserted through the solder member then into the circuit board. The tail portion of the contact terminal has an interfering portion (231) interlocked with the solder member and a blocking portion (232) extending from the interfering portion and restricting the solder member above the blocking portion.
US07878821B2
An IC socket for receiving an IC package comprises a socket body for carrying the IC package. A plurality of contacts are received in the socket body for electrical connection with the IC package. A driving member is mounted upon the socket body and able to operate between an upper position and a lower position. At least one latch device comprises an upper section, a lower section parallel to the upper section and a regulator. The regular links the upper section and the lower section and force the lower section to move relative to the upper section.
US07878818B2
An LGA socket used for connecting a chip module and a print circuit board includes an insulative housing and a number of terminals received in the housing. The housing has a top surface and a bottom surface opposite to each other. Each of the terminals includes an upper arm extending beyond the top surface of the housing and a lower arm extending beyond the bottom surface of the housing. The upper arms and the lower arms of the terminals extend from the base portion with different lengths so as to form different pitches at top and bottom surfaces of the housing.
US07878816B2
An electrical connector includes an insulating housing (1) includes a base (11) and a mating portion (13) extending forwards from the base and a set of terminals (4). Each terminal includes a retaining portion (43) retained in the base, a contacting portion (41) located on the mating portion and a connecting portion (44) extending from the retaining portion and behind a rear face of the base. The base defines a recessing portion around the retaining portions of the set of terminals at the rear face of the base to partially expose said retaining portions in an atmosphere.
US07878814B2
Electrically conductive bearing retainers create an electrical path between the static and dynamic sides of a rotating joint to block EMI radiation from entering or leaving a system. Concentric annular inner and outer bearing retainers with an array of conductive contact members therebetween are installed in contact with the inner and outer races of a dynamic bearing interface. Each contact member includes a base and tips. The outer bearing retainer ring has a recess for mounting a contact member and a notch for positioning the contact member tips to make contact with the inner bearing retainer ring. The inner bearing retainer ring includes a conductive contact surface. The contact member tips contact the conductive contact surface to create a dynamic shield between an inner bearing race and an outer bearing race.
US07878809B2
The training headwall is a self-contained unit that delivers air and vacuum to medical gas outlets. Each training headwall contains a minimum of two motors, one a compressor to provide simulated gas flow, and the other a vacuum pump to provide a vacuum run off of electricity supplied from a standard electrical outlet. Because the training headwalls are not used on actual patients there is no need to deliver actual medical gases. Instead, the compressor pumps air to medical gas outlets that are labeled as desired, and may be attached to the appropriate secondary medical equipment, while the vacuum delivers a vacuum to the appropriately labeled gas outlet. Students may use the training headwall to practice patient care procedures.
US07878800B2
A gas burner for cookers of the type fitted to a cooking hob includes a central body having a first flame distribution ring and at least one external body, fluidly separated from the central body and substantially concentric with it, having at least one second flame distribution ring. In addition, structure is provided for separately feeding the mixture of primary air and gas to the central body and to the external body. This structure includes at least one horizontal mixing chamber with a radial Venturi effect.
US07878799B2
What are described are a multiple burner arrangement and a method for operating such a multiple burner arrangement with a multiplicity of individual burners which are designed as premix burners and which serve for firing a combustion chamber of a thermal engine and each have a swirl space into which combustion supply air and fuel can be introduced so as to form a swirl flow, the swirl flow forming downstream of the premix burner, within the combustion chamber, a backflow zone in which a burner flame is formed.
US07878797B1
A burner assembly including a housing having an air inlet and a burner end, a motor, and an impeller mounted in the housing. The impeller is in fluid communication with the air inlet, in mechanical communication with the motor, and adapted to direct air from the air inlet towards the burner end of the housing. The burner assembly also includes at least one pre-mix gas injection nozzle mounted in the housing. Each of the at least one pre-mix gas injection nozzle has at least one orifice adapted to direct gaseous fuel into the housing. The burner assembly further includes a spin vane comprising at least one spin vane blade. The spin vane is mounted in the burner end of the housing and adapted to direct the flow of air in the burner end. The burner assembly still further includes a flattening screen located in the housing downstream from the impeller and an igniter mounted in the burner end of the housing. The igniter is adapted to ignite the air and fuel mixture in the burner end of the housing to produce a main flame.
US07878790B2
A low-cost crimping tool is provided for crimping non-metallic tubing such as PEX tubing connections. The tool includes two primary pieces which fit together forming an integral pivot without being pinned together about which the tool may be closed with pliers to form a secure tubing connection.
US07878783B2
A gear pump has two engaging gearwheels disposed between a suction chamber and a pressure chamber, with the gearwheels borne on bearing axles that are connected to the gearwheels. The gearwheels and the bearing axles are each manufactured of the same material as a homogenous workpiece. This provides for both simple construction of the gear pump and good pump operating properties. Preferably the gearwheels and bearing axles are made of a synthetic material.
US07878771B2
A plurality of vertically standing plates are assembled in a lattice form to a divided member 101 as a floating type wave-suppressing members. The divided member 101 is allowed to float in an interface 24 between working fluid and refrigeration oil of an oil reservoir 21. The interface 24 is prevented from rippling by turning flow, oil drops torn from the interface 24 by the turning flow is reduced, and oil drops of the refrigeration oil are prevented from being supplied from the interface 24 to the working fluid.
US07878766B2
A method and apparatus for a pump and a pump control system. The apparatus includes pistons integrally formed in a diaphragm and coupled to the diaphragm by convolutes. The convolutes have a bottom surface angled with respect to a top surface of the pistons. The apparatus also includes an outlet port positioned tangentially with respect to the perimeter of an outlet chamber. The apparatus further includes a non-mechanical pressure sensor and a temperature sensor coupled to a pump control system. For the method of the invention, the microcontroller provides a pulse-width modulation control signal to an output power stage in order to selectively control the power provided to the pump. The control signal is based on the pressure within the pump, the current being provided to the pump, the voltage level of the battery, and the temperature of the pump.
US07878761B1
A turbine rotor blade used in a gas turbine engine, the blade including a showerhead arrangement of film cooling holes on the leading edge to provide a uniform layer of film cooling air over the leading edge surface. The showerhead includes three rows of film holes with a middle row located along the stagnation line, and the other two rows located on the pressure side and the suction side from the stagnation row. The stagnation row of film holes has a cooling air ejection angle greater than the ejection angles of the other two rows. Also, the openings adjacent holes in the three rows have bottoms that are aligned with each other in the blade spanwise direction. The outlet opening of the stagnation holes have a longer length in the spanwise direction than do the opening holes of the pressure side and suction side film holes. Because of the different ejection angles and the alignment of the bottoms of the film holes on the leading edge surface, a more uniform layer of film cooling air is provided for over the leading edge surface of the blade.
US07878750B2
A material handling apparatus for mounting on a support structure. The material handling apparatus comprises a telescopic riser portion coupled to the support structure. A telescopic boom portion is coupled to the riser portion. A telescopic jib portion is coupled to the riser portion. A hook is coupled to the jib portion. A control apparatus is coupled to each of the riser, boom, and jib portions. Wherein, each of the telescopic portions can be independently, selectively moved in a push-pull mode to manipulate material.
US07878740B2
A drill guide jig for guiding a drill orthogonally to a curved surface of a workpiece is disclosed. The jig is provided with a guide member having a guide hole for passing a drill and a holding member for holding the guide member. The holding member has a contact part for making contact with a curved surface of the workpiece on the lower side. The contact part has two contact points for making contact with the curved surface. The two contact points are symmetrical in relation to a center axis orthogonal to a midpoint of a line segment that connects the contact points. The drill is perpendicular in relation to the curved surface of the workpiece because the guide hole is disposed along the center axis.
US07878739B2
A cubic boron nitride radius end mill includes a sintered cubic boron nitride compact bonded to an end of a main body, and a cutting edge provided on the sintered cubic boron nitride compact. The wedge angle θt of the cutting edge is constant over the entire region of the cutting edge. A negative rake face is disposed on a face so as to extend over the entire region of the cutting edge, and the rake angle θn of the negative rake face satisfies the relationship −30°≦θn≦−50°. A joint cutting edge is disposed between an end cutting edge and a radius cutting edge in the cutting edge, the joint cutting edge having a concave angle γ0 which is smaller than the concave angle γ1 of the end cutting edge and which satisfies the relationship 0.5°≦γ0≦2°.
US07878736B2
Method and apparatus are provided for transferring particles from an upper zone through an intermediate zone to a lower zone. The transfer of particles between the zones through valveless conduits is regulated by varying the pressure of the intermediate zone and the flow rate of gas passing through the valveless conduits. A container within the second zone is in particle communication with a valveless conduit and provides more consistent particle flows.
US07878732B2
Systems and methods for providing a docking device for watercrafts. An apparatus that is configured to receive a watercraft and includes a fold down anchor on one end of a frame for the purpose of anchoring the apparatus onto the shore, using the weight of the watercraft. Extendable arms on each side of the frame, opposite the anchor, fold out to stabilize the apparatus on the shore. The apparatus further includes a receiving system that includes one or more rollers. Where four rollers are used, a first set of two rollers sit above the anchor to guide the watercraft onto the apparatus while gliding onto the shore. A second set of two rollers are located on the top of the mounting device to hold the hull in place while docked.
US07878728B2
A viscous cosmetic product that realizes smooth application thereof to application target areas and that prevents liquid dripping thereof onto a surface of a viscous cosmetic substance container and is free from stickiness at use thereof, enabling clean use thereof. A viscous cosmetic substance containing 1.0 to 10.0 wt % of silicic anhydride is accommodated in a tubular accommodation part. A front edge wall of the accommodation part is furnished with one or more distribution ports for the viscous cosmetic substance, and an application face is provided outside the front edge wall. Furthermore, the accommodation part thereinside is fitted with an inner tray that enables pressing the viscous cosmetic substance accommodated in the accommodation part so as to enable the viscous cosmetic substance to be pushed outward through the distribution ports.
US07878727B2
A dispenser cap is threaded onto a container that may hold liquids of varying viscosity. The dispenser cap has a cover that can be flipped open and closed. Integral with this cover is a plurality of bristles that can be used to scrub various surfaces.
US07878721B2
A light amount adjuster for adjusting a size of a diaphragm aperture on an optical axis of an optical system, includes: a pair of straight moving diaphragm blades so provided at a portion to which the diaphragm aperture is opposed as to slide along a plane orthogonal to the optical axis in a direction of getting close to or separated from the optical axis; a pair of swing diaphragm blades so provided at a portion to which the diaphragm aperture is opposed as to swing about a center axis in parallel to the optical axis in a direction of getting close to or separated from the optical axis; and a drive mechanism for adjusting the size of the diaphragm aperture by sliding the pair of straight moving diaphragm blades and by allowing the pair of swing diaphragm blades to swing.
US07878718B2
An image photographing apparatus includes a main body, and a gripping unit rotatably disposed on the main body. The gripping unit includes a first member that protrudes from and is rotatably disposed on a side surface of the main body to adjust in a linear direction, and a second member fixed at approximate right angles to the first member. With this construction, a user can photograph while freely changing a position of her/his hand according a photographing angle that she/he wants to photograph at, in a position that a gripping state to the apparatus is held.
US07878690B2
A light diffusing plate integrally formed with an optical element array on the front and rear surfaces thereof, and a direct lighting device having this light diffusing plate installed on a light reflection plate having a box type shape and provided therein with a light source, whereby a light diffusing plate and a thin direct lighting device are provided which eliminate luminance non-uniformity among a number of light sources (inter-light-sources distance) at a practical level (making luminance uniform), and realize higher luminance (delivering luminance equal to that when conventional prism sheets are laminated).
US07878689B2
The present invention relates to a light source package structure, which comprises: an accommodating space for accommodating a light source, a first refraction surface, and at least a second refraction surface. The first refraction surface receives light discharging from the light source while refracting the same to form a first refracting light, the upper part of the first refraction surface further comprising a refracting structure for refracting the light emitted from the light source. The second refraction surface receives and refracts the first refracting light to form a discharging light being emitted out of the light source package structure. Wherein, an included angle is formed between the normal vector of a portion of the second refraction surface and the central axis of the light source package structure. It is noted that the aforesaid package structure can be used in various packaging for improving refraction. In a preferred embodiment, a light source of light emitting diode (LED) is packaged by the light source package structure of the invention for enabling the light emitted from the LED to be discharged out of the package structure by a large angle after being refracted multiple times, so that the LED package structure can be adopted as a flat light source for diverse purpose applied in industry.
US07878688B2
The invention relates to a lamp assembly (1) for illuminating a surface (S) comprising a chamber (3) accommodating a plurality of light-emitting diodes (11R, 11G, 11B) capable of emitting visible light. The lamp assembly comprises diffusing means (12) capable of diffusing said visible light of said light-emitting diodes to produce diffuse light (D), and said chamber further accommodates collimation means (5) arranged to collimate at least a portion of said diffused light for illuminating said surface. The lamp assembly is especially suitable for ambiance and atmosphere lighting applications.
US07878686B2
A light emitting device has a light source having a light emitting element; and a radiator having plural plate members formed of a thermally-conductive material. The plural plate members are stacked on each other while allowing formation of a space between each other at an end portion thereof. The light source is mounted on a side surface of the plural stacked plate members.
US07878681B2
Disclosed is an illumination device comprising a radiation-emitting front side and a multiplicity of light sources (R, G, B), wherein said multiplicity of light sources (R, G, B) is divided into light source groups (LG) and the light source groups (LG) are arranged on the grid points of a first regular grid.
US07878680B2
A light source module includes a light emitting diode and a wiring board. The light emitting diode (LED) chip group includes LED chips for red, green and blue colors. A plurality of the LED chip groups are mounted on the wiring board. A surface on one side of the wiring board is a device forming surface including the plurality of the LED chip groups, an external connecting terminal for leading out electrodes, and a wiring pattern for electrical connection between the LED chip groups and the external connecting terminal. A surface on the other side of the wiring board is a heat radiating surface which is thermally connected to the device forming surface and operative to radiate heat generated at the device forming surface to the exterior.
US07878665B2
A holding apparatus adapted to hold an optical element above a base includes at least two held members provided at different positions on an outer periphery of the optical element; and holding members provided above the base for respective held members, the holding members being supported above the base by flexure members. Each held member is held by the corresponding holding member in a kinematic coupling.
US07878656B2
A stereo projection optical system includes a first polarizing beam splitter, a transmission-type light modulator positioned to receive the first polarized light component from the first polarizing light splitter and an image assimilator positioned to receive an emergent light of the transmission-type light modulator. The image assimilator includes a second polarized light splitter and first, second reflective spatial light modulators. The stereo projection optical systems provide viewers three-dimensional images formed by two alternative polarization light beams whose polarizations are perpendicular to each other utilizing the transmission-type light modulators to form “3-D” images.
US07878648B2
A strap lengthening arrangement for eyewear incorporating an extendable and retractable retaining strap in a hollow temple to form a part of and be attached to eyewear such as eye sight correction glasses, sunglasses, safety and protection goggles, and the like. The temple has a longitudinal passageway extending the length of the temple and an eyewear retaining strap, a moveable or traveling strap retaining block, and a block retractor are disposed within and along the length of the temple. The strap is arranged to fold back on itself first about a pivot positioned proximate the end of the temple and then again about a second pivot attached to or made part of the block effectively tripling the length of the strap within the temple. An improved block retractor and lock and release mechanism for the block are also disclosed.
US07878644B2
This invention is an advance in coating chemistry, curing technology, related apparatus and the products made thereby. The invention encompasses a substrate bonded to a coating cured, at least in part, cationically by a light having a wavelength in a range of 100 nm to 1200 nm and an intensity in a range of 0.0003 W/cm2/nm to 0.05 W/cm2/nm. Methods and systems for coating substrates and curing the coated products are encompassed. The invention encompasses apparatus and ink jet printers utilizing this curing technology.
US07878641B2
An ink stick for use in an ink delivery system of a phase change ink imaging device comprises an ink stick body having first and second opposed end surfaces and first and second opposed lateral side surfaces. The ink stick body is rotationally symmetric about a vertical central axis of the ink stick body. The ink stick body includes an interlocking face on the first end surface and a complementarily shaped interlocking face on the second end surface. A key is on each of the first and second side surfaces. The keys of the first and second side surfaces are similarly shaped. The key on the first side surface and the key on the second side surface are rotationally symmetrically positioned with respect to each other about the vertical central axis.
US07878636B2
An ink stick for use in solid ink printers is provided. The ink stick is for use in a solid ink delivery system for delivering ink to a melting unit to melt the solid ink. The ink stick has opposed first and second stick external surfaces. At least one of the first and second stick external surfaces is arcuate.
US07878635B2
A method of priming a printhead whilst minimizing nozzle drooling, the method comprising the steps of: (i) providing a printhead comprising: an ink distribution manifold having an ink inlet and an ink outlet; and one or more printhead integrated circuits mounted on the manifold, each printhead integrated circuit comprising a plurality of nozzles; (ii) providing an ink chamber in fluid communication with the ink inlet; and (iii) applying a positive pressure at the ink inlet whilst simultaneously applying a negative pressure at the ink outlet so as to draw ink through the manifold and prime the printhead whilst minimizing nozzle drooling.
US07878632B2
The liquid ejection apparatus has: a head which ejects liquid; a carriage which conveys the head; a sub tank which is mounted on the carriage, accommodates the liquid to be supplied to the head, and has an elastic film deforming elastically in accordance with supply of the liquid to the head; a liquid flow channel opening and closing valve which opens and closes a first liquid flow channel between the head and the sub tank; a main tank which stores the liquid to be supplied to the sub tank; a liquid supply coupling section which couples a second liquid flow channel connected to the main tank, to the sub tank, in a state where the carriage is located in a predetermined home position; and an elastic film movement device which moves the elastic film in a direction which causes the elastic film to recover from elastic deformation to assist deformation recovery of the elastic film of the sub tank, in a state where the first liquid flow channel is closed by means of the liquid flow channel opening and closing valve and the second liquid flow channel is coupled to the sub tank by means of the liquid supply coupling section.
US07878622B2
An ink jet recording apparatus incorporating a plurality of ink tanks that is independently exchangeable. An amount of ink suction for a suction recovery operation is changed and controlled based on the ink tank being exchanged. In this way, a small-sized apparatus operating at a low running cost is possible by saving and decreasing the ink amount discharged by controlling the ink discharge more than necessary during the suction recovery process after exchanging the ink tank.
US07878621B2
An ink-jet printer including a carriage carrying recording heads, air collecting chambers, and discharging passages communicating with the respective air collecting chambers; opening and closing valves provided in the respective discharging passages; opening and closing bars which open and close the respective valves; an air discharge cap which has a bottom wall, a side wall, and a suction hole, wherein an upper end surface of the side wall is closely contactable with a lower surface of the carriage to cover respective openings of the discharging passages; a suction device which sucks air through the suction hole; and an air-flow generating device which causes an air flow inlet to open at a position distant from the suction hole, so that when air is sucked through the suction hole, the air flows from the air flow inlet toward the suction hole. An ink sucking method is also provided.
US07878618B2
A protector for a printhead capper is provided. The capper has a capping member configured to cap a printhead, a carrier carrying the capping member, and an actuator for moving the carrier back and forth between a first position at which the capping member is spaced from the printhead and a second position at which the capping member caps the printhead. The protector has a cover member arranged to be engaged by the capping member when the capping member is in the first position.
US07878609B2
The mounting structure for mounting the piezo-electric device (106) used to detect the consumption condition of the liquid in the liquid container (1) to the liquid container (1), having the receiving portion (363) to which the piezo-electric device (106) is to be mounted and the mount portion (363) to be mounted to the liquid container (1). The mounting structure can appropriately mount a piezo-electric device (106) for detecting the consumption condition of a liquid in a liquid container (1) to the liquid container (1).
US07878608B2
A liquid discharge apparatus includes a discharge head which discharges a liquid from a discharge port onto a recording medium to form an image, a sub tank which is movable together with the discharge head and which stores the liquid to be supplied to the discharge head, a liquid supplement section which supplements the sub tank with the liquid, a purge section which performs a purge operation in which the liquid in the sub tank is pressurized to be fed to the discharge head, and the liquid in the discharge head is forcibly discharged from the discharge ports, a judging mechanism which judges whether or not an amount of the liquid in the sub tank is not more than a predetermined amount V1, and a controller which controls the liquid supplement section and the purge section.
US07878607B2
A ball bearing slide assembly includes a first slide, a second slide, a slide-aiding member, and a positioning member. The first slide is slidably received in the second slide. The slide-aiding member is slidably received between the first and second slides, and comprises a plurality of ball bearings slidably sandwiched between the first and second slides. The slide-aiding member defines a locking hole. The positioning member is mounted to the second slide and forms a resilient cantilever. A positioning block is formed on the resilient cantilever and engages in the locking hole of the slide-aiding member for temporarily locking the slide-aiding member to the second slide, such that the first slide is slidable inward without pushing the slide-aiding member inward. The first slide deforms the cantilever to disengage the positioning block from the locking hole, such that the slide-aiding member is slidable relative to the first and second slides.
US07878601B2
A tire wheel set comprising a front wheel to be attached to a front axle of a vehicle, and a rear wheel to be attached to a rear axle thereof. The front wheel is greater in rigidity than the rear wheel.
US07878591B2
A chair for providing sacral support including a seat, a backrest, a flexible support member and a sacral support member. The backrest has a frame with a generally central opening. The membrane is formed from an elastic material connected to the frame and extends across the central opening. A sacral support member is positioned proximate the central opening and is configured to apply support to the sacrum of a user sitting on the seat. The sacral support member incorporates a load distribution system and method in order to properly support and fit the anatomical contours of the sacrum and pelvis of a user while seated in the chair.
US07878587B1
A washable seat liner for use in high chairs and grocery carts. The liner comprises a bottom panel, a back panel, left and right side panels, and a front panel. A wide body belt is attached to the inside of the back panel that encircles the child's torso like a cummerbund helping to keep the child upright and centered. The body belt includes two overlapping straps with hook-and-loop fasteners. A secondary, child-resistant connector overlies the body belt and prevents the child from releasing the body belt. A crotch connecter on the front of the liner attaches to the crotch bar on the chair or cart. This prevents the bottom of the liner from being pulled up inadvertently when the child is lifted out of the seat. A back flap wraps around the back of the seat. Side flaps have convenient pockets, and a front flap doubles as a crumb catcher.
US07878580B2
The roof assembly includes guide rails extending parallel and at a distance from each other. The guide rails each include a guide groove being defined between an upper and lower flange of the guide rails. The guide grooves open in a direction towards each other, and further comprise at least one closure panel, in particular a sunshade panel, having two opposite sides substantially parallel to the guide rails and each including at least two laterally projecting tabs for engagement into the respective guide groove. At least one of said lower and upper flanges of each guide rail has at least one cut-out for allowing the tabs of the closure panel to enter the guide groove.
US07878579B2
A front end assembly of a vehicle can include a frame member, a headlight assembly, a fender panel, and a stay. The fender panel includes a nose extending along and above the headlight assembly. The stay is secured to the frame member and includes an abutment surface spaced from an inner surface of the fender nose by a gap. The stay transfers an external force applied to the fender nose to the frame member when the nose is deflected into contact with the stay to limit deflection of the fender nose.
US07878575B1
A livestock trailer with sliding safety door having a trailer with a two section sliding door mounted at the rear and hung from a slidable rail assembly at the top and retained by a guide at the bottom wherein the guides are steel reinforced. The sliding safety door, being secured at top and bottom, facilitates the loading and unloading of livestock by minimizing injuries sustained from kicking the door and eliminating injuries sustained when utilizing prior art swinging door type livestock trailers. The sliding door mechanism further eliminates the need to reposition the trailer while docking to a loading ramp so as to provide clearance to operate the door.
US07878569B2
In an automobile having a seat cushion 13 and a seat back 12 to be stored in an upper part of a vehicle interior, the seat cushion 13 and the seat back 12 can be lifted easily to the upper part position of the vehicle interior. The seat cushion 13 is rotatably coupled to the seat back 12 so that the seat cushion 13 can be superposed on the seat back 12, the seat back 12 is supported on a vehicle body 1 so that the superposed seat cushion 13 and seat back 12 can be rotated to the upper part of the vehicle interior, and a rear surface 12B of the seat back 12 is provided with a handle arm 16 that is grabbed by an operator to lift up the seat back 12 and the seat cushion 13 to the upper part of the vehicle interior.
US07878561B2
A seal device (20) with a seal body (21) and an attachment device (22) for the captive attachment of the seal body to an object to be sealed, wherein one end of the attachment device is connected in a single piece with the seal body while its other end comprises a joining device (26) for non-positive joining to a connection device (27) that is provided on the seal body, wherein the seal body comprises a data carrier that comprises a data transmission device (32), which data carrier is designed as a switching circuit (23), wherein the switching circuit comprises an external circuit bridge (25) which for the purpose of connecting two connection points (29) of the switching circuit leads through the attachment device.
US07878557B2
A knotter had a twine holder, a bill hook, an arm carrying a crotch and a cutter and a twine finger operated by a drive mechanism to form two knots consecutively, the first to tie together two runs of twine passed around a completed bale and the second to tie together two runs of twine drawn from respective supply rolls for the commencement of the next bale. The twine holder serves to grip the two runs of twine drawn from the supply rolls throughout the formation of the two knots. The bill hook serves to knot the runs of twine gripped by the holder. The cutter serves to sever the runs of twine between the holder and the bill hook. The crotch pushes the twine runs off the bill hook during the completion of each knot. The twine finger is pivotably mounted on the opposite side of the bill hook from the twine holder to bring the sections of the runs of twine to be knotted within the reach of the bill hook. In the invention, an edge of the twine finger contacting the runs of twine as the knots are pushed off the bill hook by the crotch comprises an obstruction to resist movement of the runs of twine in a direction transverse to their length.
US07878546B2
A belt guide anchor is provided to improve handling operability of a seat belt even when a belt opening angle between a portion of the seat belt adjacent to a retractor and that adjacent to an occupant is increased. A belt guide anchor has a belt insertion hole into which a seat belt is fitted so as to be slidable and expanded portions formed on surfaces of the belt guide anchor facing the interior and exterior, respectively, of the vehicle adjacent to the belt insertion hole. In one form, a thin portion is formed in the expanded portion on the surface facing the interior of the vehicle at a position adjoining a part of the belt insertion hole facing the front side of the vehicle, and a thin part is formed in the expanded portion on the surface facing the exterior of the vehicle at a position adjoining a part of the belt insertion hole facing the rear side of the vehicle. With this, even when a belt opening angle θ is large, the seat belt comes into light contact with the thin portions in the expanded portions. Thus, the friction during drawing of the seat belt is small, and the seat belt can be smoothly drawn out.
US07878540B2
In a knee protecting airbag device (M1), an airbag (26) folded and housed below a steering column (3) is expanded and inflated while rising from the lower side of the steering column (3) along a column cover lower surface (9a) during an inflation process. The shape of the airbag having completed the inflation is in a generally plate shape capable of covering at least the lower surface of the column cover. Even if the knee of the driver comes close to the column cover when the driver depressing a brake pedal, therefore, the airbag being expanded and inflated goes smoothly into the clearance between the knee of the driver and the column cover lower surface. The airbag having completed the expansion and inflation protects the knee of the driver properly so that the knee may not interfere with the column cover.
US07878527B2
The invention relates to a collapsible frame (1;31;51) for a pushchair, comprising a chassis (4; 34; 54) with several wheels (2, 3; 32, 33; 52, 53, 53′), a frame (5; 35; 55), supporting the body (6), in particular a seat, shell, pouch or similar for a child, and a folding mechanism (7; 37; 57), arranged between the same, to change the separation of the support frame (5; 35; 55) of the body (6) from the chassis 4; 34; 54), whereby the folding mechanism (7; 37; 57) comprises at least two parallel arms (18, 19; 40, 41; 66, 67), connected in the style of a parallelogram link to the chassis (4; 34; 54) at one side and the to the support frame (5; 35; 55) on the other side. According to the invention, the connecting line between the joints points (39: 65) of both arms (18, 19; 40, 41; 66, 67) of a pair on the chassis (4; 34; 54) include a greater angle with the horizontal contact plane of the wheels (2, 3; 32, 33; 52, 53, 53′) than with the verticals running perpendicular to that plane.
US07878526B1
A trailer hitch pin of the present disclosure has a magnet disposed on an end of a shaft for coupling the shaft to an opening in a trailer hitch, the shaft for insertion into the opening to retain the trailer hitch in a receptacle coupled to a vehicle. In addition, the trailer hitch pin has a lever pivotally attached to the shaft for disengaging the magnet and decoupling the shaft from the opening to remove the trailer hitch from the receptacle.
US07878524B1
A gooseneck trailer hitch assembly convertible to a lifting boom is disclosed. The gooseneck assembly is convertible between a tow configuration and a boom configuration. The gooseneck trailer hitch assembly comprises a base mount configured to mount on a trailer, a stanchion structure extending upwardly from the base mount, and a boom structure mounted on the stanchion structure above the base mount. The boom structure is movable between a tow configuration in which the boom structure functions as a gooseneck for a hitch and a boom configuration in which the boom structure functions as a lifting boom. A trailer system includes a trailer and a gooseneck trailer hitch assembly convertible between a tow configuration and a boom configuration mounted on the trailer.
US07878511B2
A wheel suspension for a motor vehicle is described, in which at least a first and at least a second control arm (1, 2) are coupled in an articulated manner to a wheel carrier (4) carrying a vehicle wheel (3). The wheel suspension has a compensating device (5, 6) for correcting wheel positions, and each control arm (1, 2) has a portion of the compensating device (5, 6) or is connected to a portion of the compensating device (5, 6). The compensating device portions (5, 6) of one wheel are connected to one another by at least one coupling member (7, 8).
US07878500B2
A sheet storing device includes a container including a first holding surface configured to hold a first sheet thereon, and a tray positioned at an upper side of the container. The tray includes a second holding surface configured to hold a second sheet thereon. The tray is configured to selectively move between a first position and a second position downstream from the first position in a first direction. The sheet storing device further includes a positioning unit configured to selectively position the tray in one of the first position and the second position, and a linking unit configured to link the tray to the container and to pivot about a particular pivot axis which extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to the first holding surface of the container. The linking unit pivots to selectively move the tray between the first position and the second position.
US07878494B1
A method of making magazine formats in the form of signatures that include a flat 3-D piece that is die-cut from a web on a web press, which produces a plurality of such identical signatures as part of a high speed operation. The flat 3-D piece is located at the upper edge of one sheet and is freed from the remainder of the page on which it is die-cut when the lateral edges of the folded signature are trimmed.
US07878487B2
A chain link fence slat system comprising a plurality of slats and a channel. Each slat is elongated and has a longitudinal dimension with a first and a second end, a width dimension and a thickness dimension less than the width dimension. Each slat further has at least a first and a second notch formed near the first end of the slat, each of the notches being formed on opposite sides of the width dimension and extending across the width dimension and partly through the thickness dimension. The first notch is positioned at a first vertical height and the second notch is positioned at a second vertical height with the second vertical height being greater than the first vertical height. The channel receives one end of each slat. The channel has inner surfaces including a base portion, a first opposing wall and a second opposing wall. The first opposing wall has a first inwardly projecting barb for receiving the first notch of a slat and the second opposing wall has a second inwardly projecting barb for receiving the second notch of a slat. The spacing between the first and second opposing walls being equal to or greater than the thickness dimension of the slat.
US07878485B2
A roadway guardrail system including a rail, a plurality of support posts, and a plurality of fasteners assembly to redirect an impacting vehicle and dissipate a portion of the impacting vehicle's energy. Block-outs may be positioned in between the rail and support posts. A plurality of support posts each includes a slot extending along its length aligning with apertures in the rail and engaging with the rail through the apertures with fasteners including reinforcing members slidable along the slots in the posts. Alternatively, the rail has a plurality of laterally extending slots aligning with apertures in support posts and engaging with the support posts through the apertures with fasteners including reinforcing members slidable along the slots.
US07878484B2
Embodiments include an apparatus comprising a first part to be removably secured to a receiver hitch of a vehicle. The first part is removably integrated with a boom receiver. The boom receiver can be removably connected to a boom extending upward at an angle from the first part. An electric powered winch can be attached to the boom receiver. The winch includes a cable to hang down from the boom. Coupled to the cable is a device to connect an object to be moved by the apparatus.
US07878483B2
Ship's winch including a frame which can be attached to a vessel and on which the cable drum and the motor driving the cable drum are provided. Adjacent to the cable drum, a slipping clutch is provided and between slipping clutch and the motor, a freewheel mechanism is provided which works towards the frame. The slipping clutch is embodied not to transmit further load to the freewheel mechanism or motor, respectively, in case of a certain overload caused by tension in the towing cable. In addition, by positioning the freewheel mechanism/clutch in this manner, the motor output for pulling in a certain load under greatly varying stresses can be reduced.
US07878482B2
A jacking system is disclosed in which a hydraulic jack, having a raisable piston, is used, in combination with a jack stand having a raisable support column, to raise a load. In a preferred embodiment, the support column has two components that may telescope into each other and that may be held in fixed position by two ratchet mechanisms. The jack stand is configured so that, when the hydraulic jack is positioned alongside the jack stand, the piston of the hydraulic jack is able to interact with and raise the support column along with the load.
US07878478B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a base assembly for supporting a free standing structure such as a tent. The base assembly is configurable such that a base can be positioned in a generally horizontal orientation to support and stabilize a stationary structure. In some cases the base can be positioned in a generally vertical orientation to allow the base assembly to roll along a support surface, thus providing a ready and easily configurable manner of transporting the base assembly and any structure attached thereto.
US07878474B1
A stand for propping up an instrument is provided, the stand having an open and a close position. The stand includes a body having a support end for resting on a surface and a coupling end for attaching to the instrument casing. The stand further includes at least one coupling arm at the coupling end, the coupling arm having contours about multiple axis. The contours undergo elastic deformation when the stand is coupled with the instrument casing, such that the elastic deformation causes the stand to match contours of the instrument casing when the stand is in the close position with respect to the instrument casing. The elastic deformation further supplies a force that assists the stand in movement of the stand between the open position and the close position. The contours also allow the stand to non-destructibly detach from the instrument casing during a hyper-extended open stand operation.
US07878462B1
A cable constraining device features a flexible cable contact sheet that is inward attached to a cable constraining contour of a holding structure. The holding structure is configured for substantially encompassing a cable circumference while in constraining configuration. A cavity between the holding structure and the cable contact sheet is filled with a gel that provides a vibration dampening soft contact of the cable contact sheet with the cable insulation. The cushioning gel absorbs micro movement of the cable transferred onto the cable contact sheet such that wearing effects due to frictional sliding and vibration of the cable at its constraining location is substantially reduced. The holding structure may be of rubber like material that is formed on its outside like a well known grommet. An outer rigid clamping structure may be additionally employed in case of a circumferentially tight able configuration.
US07878458B2
Lift produced by an airfoil of an aircraft is increased by suppressing fluid detachment from the surface of the airfoil. An engine cowling extends outwardly from the surface of the airfoil that has an exit plane configured for directing exhaust gases toward a rear of the aircraft. Fences extending outwardly from the surface and proximate to the exit plane of the engine cowling are configured to guide the exhaust gases along at least a portion of the airfoil surface, thereby restricting spanwise movement of the gases and increasing the Coanda Effect exhibited by the gases, thereby increasing the amount of lift produced along the surface of the airfoil. Such techniques may be used in short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft.
US07878456B2
A protective shield assembly capable of being deployed from a launch vehicle is provided, and methods for assembling and deploying the protective shield assembly are also provided. The protective shield assembly includes a shroud, and a flexible sheet of material within the shroud. The flexible sheet of material is capable of substantially conforming to a contour of at least a portion of the launch vehicle to provide a protective barrier.
US07878454B2
The invention relates to a guard for the upper part of a door (2) of an aircraft, consisting of: a composite comprising a composite and/or stainless steel strip (14) which forms the core of the guard (1) and which renders same flexible and resistant, a silicon which is optionally reinforced with fibres and a polyester.
US07878453B2
A power-generating laminate for an airship comprises a base fabric layer, a barrier layer disposed upon the fabric layer, an inner metal film layer disposed upon the barrier layer, a piezoelectric/pyroelectric layer disposed upon the inner metal layer, an outer metal layer disposed upon the piezoelectric/pyroelectric layer, and a cover layer disposed upon the outer metal layer. The power-generating laminate forms a gas-impervious envelope to maintain lifting gas and air therein, and is configured such that when the envelope is subjected to structural strain or experiences changes in temperature, power is generated, which is used to supply power to the various electrical systems aboard the airship.
US07878449B2
Mass transfer system for stabilizing an airship and other vehicles subject to pitch and roll moments
The invention relates to a mechanism to control the pitch and/or roll and/or center of gravity of a vehicle. The first embodiment is a track-based mass transfer system in which pathways are positioned along or radially terminate at a central horizontal plane of the vehicle to move one or more mass transfer devices to a desired location to control the pitch and/or roll and/or center of gravity of the vehicle. A second embodiment is a fluid mass distribution system in which one or more conduits selectively distribute a fluid to one or more tanks positioned near a central horizontal plane of the vehicle to control the pitch and/or roll and/or center of gravity of the vehicle.
US07878445B2
A dispensing device for dispensing wiping material includes a feeding mechanism for controlling the dispensing of the web. The feeding mechanism comprises a rotatable drum with a web guide arranged spaced from and surrounding the drum around a major part of its periphery. The web is fed from a first roll, over at least part of an outer surface of the web guide and into the feeding mechanism. An actuator is at least partially supported in a first position by the web, such that, if the first roll is depleted, the actuator is arranged to be displaced into a second position, and to actuate a loader for a second roll.
US07878443B2
A yarn-changing method in a warping machine having yarn-changing units is disclosed. The yarn-changing method includes steps of (a) stopping a rotary creel having a plurality of working yarn packages and preparing one of the yarn packages for color changing; (b) sucking a yarn of the original yarn package; (c) clipping the yarn of the original yarn package and delivering it to a connecting unit; (d) taking a new color-changing yarn package from a storing creel by a swing arm for changing and then delivering a yarn of the new yarn package to the connecting unit; (e) connecting the yarns of step (c) and step (d); and (f) starting the rotary creel for wrapping, thereby changing one of working yarn packages with one of new color-changing yarn packages efficiently.
US07878442B2
This invention relates to a method for the production of a coreless roll (110′) including a sheet (110) of flexible, not moist, material such as a fibrous absorbent material, produced by winding of the sheet in one direction and rolling this sheet about a winding axis perpendicular to such direction, and including a central dispensing leader forming a projection along such axis relative to at least one part of the plane of one of the sides of the roll. The method is characterized in that the leader is produced by displacing a portion of the end of the sheet (110) before winding so that one of the longitudinal edges of the sheet forms an angle (α) other than zero relative to such direction of winding, after which winding of the sheet about the axis is initiated. By preference several sheets are produced by longitudinal cutting of a wide sheet. The solution may be applied for production in particular of general wipe rolls, hand towel rolls, or toilet paper rolls.
US07878438B1
The spool sound producing mechanism includes a collar member, an operation member, a convexo-concave member, a sound producing member and urging members. The collar member has first and second overlapping apertures. The operation member has a shaft portion that is movably attached and positioned in either the aperture. The convexo-concave member is configured to rotate with a spool. The sound producing member is attached to the shaft portion and allows a tip of the sound producing member to be disposed between or separated from convexes of the convexo-concave member. The urging members are configured to urge the sound producing member to direct the tip of the sound producing member towards the plurality of convexes of the convexo-concave member.
US07878436B2
The present invention relates generally to the support system and waste receptacles for shredders. By removing certain supports in a shredder, the waste receptacle can be enlarged. In addition, openings in the shredder support walls allow the size of the waste receptacle to be increased, as well as facilitate disposal of other waste through the opening.
US07878434B2
A wood chipper includes a housing having an inlet opening and a discharge outlet with a chipper disk rotatably mounted in the housing and having a chipper knife mounted on a front face thereof adjacent a chipper slot extending through the disk. A plurality of fins are mounted on the back face of the chipper disk. An inlet hopper is connected to the inlet opening and a blow back shield is mounted in the upper end portion of the hopper with the shield including an outer layer of clear synthetic material extending across the hopper and an inner layer of synthetic material extending part way underneath the length of the layer of clear synthetic material. The inner layer may be provided with a safety warning thereon which is visible through the outer layer of clear synthetic material. A discharge chute is connected to the discharge outlet which has inwardly angled plates around part thereof. Vent holes are provided in a wall of the housing which add air flow to the wood chipper when it is being operated.
US07878427B2
An injector having an injector body to which a fuel line is connected for delivering fuel at high pressure. A filter bore is formed in the body and a fuel filter is disposed, through which filter the delivered fuel flows. A sealing seat is formed in the filter bore against which seat the end of the fuel line is pressed upon fastening of the fuel line to the injector body. The filter bore discharges at the outside of the injector body. The sealing seat is disposed with its longitudinal axis inclined to the longitudinal axis of the filter bore, and in the injector body, a bore extending at least approximately coaxially to the sealing seat is provided, into which the end region of the fuel line plunges. By the end region, plunging into the bore, of the fuel line, an outer end region of the filter bore, discharging at the outside of the injector body, is separated from an inner end region, subjected to high pressure, of the filter bore, and the fuel filter is disposed in the inner end region of the filter bore.
US07878423B2
A fluid spraying nozzle may include a flexible spray tube, and a guide which is disposed so as to surround the outside of said spray tube in the diametral direction. The ring-shaped tube side magnet may be provided on the spray tube. A ring-shaped guide side magnet may be provided on the guide. A polarity of an outer peripheral side of the tube side magnet and a polarity of an inner peripheral side of the guide side magnet may have the same polarity.
US07878420B2
Purge arrangement for powder coating system includes a gun manifold (40) that is selectively assembled for fluid communication with either a purge manifold (36) or a hopper manifold (34). This allows purging of multiple hoses and guns at the same time and simplified color change operations.
US07878410B2
In one aspect, a label (1) preferably intended for packages for goods, is provided which has, on one hand, a coloring substance of capacity of producing a print by effect of heat, the color of which print contrasts with the base color of the label, and on the other hand, an agent having the purpose of, at least partially, destroying the contrast between the colors, if the label is exposed to a temperature above a predetermined maximum value, the label having a surface field for a print in the form of a bar-code (3). The label is manufactured from a porous, capillary-suctioning material, in addition to which the agent is included in a loading of a substance (7) that is solid at temperatures up to the maximum value, but becomes liquid above the maximum value, the substance loading being located beside the surface field of the bar-code (3). A package for goods provided with a label, as well as a method and equipment for the application of labels to packages for goods, are also provided.
US07878408B2
A reading device for reading an interface surface provided on a product item, the interface surface having disposed thereon coded data. The reading device includes: a harness which is configured to tight fittingly receive at least a portion of a user's hand; a housing coupled to the harness, the housing including a void configured to tight fittingly receive therewithin a finger tip portion of a finger of the user's hand received within the harness, the housing including an aperture in a wall of the housing which is located, in use, adjacent the underside of the finger tip portion of the finger; a sensor provided in the housing for sensing at least some of the coded data through the aperture; and a processor for decoding at least some of the sensed coded data.
US07878393B2
A method of performing money transfer send transactions begins with receiving registration information from a customer, including customer identification and qualification information and payment source identification and performing verification of at least a portion of the identification and qualification information and the payment source identification and upon sufficient verification building a distribution profile. The method proceeds by receiving from the customer and storing in the distribution profile send transaction specifications for staging each of one or more proposed send transactions, and receiving a send initiation instruction with associated customer authentication data and responsive thereto identifying a distribution profile and at least one send transaction specification to be executed. Responsive to the send initiation instruction, the method verifies the authentication data and the current status of the payment source identified in the distribution profile and upon sufficient verification, initiates a send transaction according to the at least one send transaction specification.
US07878392B2
A method of performing debris clean-up following a disaster event can include creating an electronic load ticket for a pre-registered debris transporter to transport a load of debris from a site of debris origin to a site where the load of debris is to be emptied from the transporter; following transport of the load of debris to the second site, reading, from the electronic information storage device and to a portable computing device, the information uniquely identifying the debris transporter and the electronic load ticket; and upon verification that no alteration has been made to the transporter, receiving at the portable computing device information describing the load of debris that has been transported. In some implementations, the electronic load ticket includes information identifying the geographic location of debris origin, and is electronically stored on a portable electronic information storage device that contains information uniquely identifying the debris transporter.
US07878391B2
A device and related method for counting objects, such as eggs or the like includes a plurality of first detectors, each of which has a locally delimited detection area, which can detect electromagnetic radiation, in particular light in the visible or infrared range, from the detection area, and which are arranged next to one another in a first line. An evaluation unit is coupled to the first detectors and is designed or configured to process the signals of the detectors and on the basis of the signals, to establish the presence of an object in the detection area.
US07878387B2
In one exemplary embodiment, a high melting temperature fastening material may be prepared containing magnetic particles that is used to fasten two or more parts substrates together to form an integrated part.
US07878384B2
An ultrasound welding device for welding metallic conductors for producing a junction point includes two welding surfaces, which are located on opposite sides, and two lateral delimiting surfaces, which extend transverse to the working surfaces and which, together, define a compression space. In order to eliminate longitudinal movement of the conductors during welding, at least one of the lateral delimitation surfaces is additionally structured next to the structured welding surfaces.
US07878383B2
A tool for driving a floor staple including an outer tubular body and a rod insertable into the tubular body. The tubular body has an end tip having angled surfaces and an inner bore. The rod is biased with the inner bore. The inner bore has a staple slot allowing an exposed end a staple to fit within the outer tubular body. The rod has a hammering head, which when struck, drives staple into a flooring plank.
US07878380B2
The invention relates to a portable carrying device, arrangement, and method for carrying at least one object such as a bag. The device 100 includes a housing 101 having a channel 105 defined therethrough. The channel 105 is further defined by a first and a second frusto-shaped internal cavity 107, 109, each having linearly tapered sides 110. An elongated flexible strap 103 defining a continuous loop 103 is threaded through the channel 105. Portions of the elongated flexible strap 103 defining the continuous loop extend from first and second end openings 117, 115 of the channel 105 to define first and a second loop portions 119, 121. When the continuous loop is pulled taut through the housing 101, the first loop portion 119 is configured for receiving and grasping a handle portion 201 of the one or more bags 203. The second loop portion 121 can be extended over and around a user's shoulder for carrying the device 100 and the one or more bags 203.
US07878374B2
A fluid dispenser comprising: a fluid reservoir (10) serving to contain fluid; and a dispenser head (2) mounted on the reservoir (10) to take fluid from the reservoir, said head (2) defining a dispensing chamber (26) communicating with the reservoir via an inlet valve (25, 215) and communicating with the outside at a dispensing orifice via an outlet valve (237, 222); said dispenser being characterized in that the chamber (26) comprises at least one elastically deformable actuating wall (231) that is depressed in order to generate a pressure inside the chamber that is high enough to close the inlet valve and to open the outlet valve.
US07878372B1
An automatic water cooler replenishing system for a free standing water cooler, having an internal reservoir. The system includes a pump having an inlet port and an outlet port configured for collecting water from a supply bottle and dispensing water into the reservoir. The pump is selectively powered and automatically controlled. A relay is provided for automatically controlling the operation of the pump. The relay is configured to receive an electric signal and control the pump. A fill control assembly and a low water shut-off assembly are electrically connected to the relay. The fill control assembly is configured to detect at least one water level, in the reservoir and signal the relay to energize or de-energize the pump. The low water shut-off assembly is configured to detect a low water condition in the supply bottle and signal the relay to de-energize the pump.
US07878369B2
A medicine feeding apparatus in which a usability is improved by automatically executing a fine adjustment of a horizontal position and a vertical position of a door panel in correspondence to an operation of taking a drawer in and out without the necessity of executing a troublesome mount fine adjusting work of a door panel. In a medicine feeding apparatus provided with a main body, drawers are attached to the main body so as to be freely drawn, a plurality of tablet cases are detachably attached to the drawers and receiving medicines, and a door panel of the drawer is rotatably held and is finely adjusted to a proper position in correspondence to an operation of taking the drawer in and out.
US07878361B2
In a locking device for the fixation of a lid (1) on an opening (8) of a pressure container with at least two locking segments (5) displaceable at right angles to the axis of the opening 98), which segments (5) bear protrusions (6) and groove-like recesses along their circumference, which in the locked position cooperate with recesses (7) and protrusions along the brim of the opening (8), the displacement actuator (4) of the segments (5) is linked to the segments (5) and to at least one point of application that is on the lid (1) or on a member (3) connected to the lid (1). The segments (5) are arranged in the direction of the circumference of the lid (1) and are pivotably supported on the lid (1) by a swivel arm (16), separate from the displacement actuator (4), being interposed.
US07878360B2
A container for storing and injecting a liquid sealant for sealing and closing a puncture hole of a pneumatic tire includes a container body for storing the sealant. An outlet for injecting the sealant to outside opens in a lid securing portion of the container body, and an outer lid member having a sealant path therethrough is connected to the lid securing portion and communicates the sealant path with an interior space of the container body through the outlet. An inner lid member is press-fitted into the outlet and maintained in a closure position for tightly closing the outlet. The inner lid member can be forced from the closure position into inside of the sealant path, by the pressure of the sealant in the container body and/or by the pressure of gas above the sealant. A connector member connects the inner lid member to the lid securing portion or the outer lid member so as to be movable from the closure position to the interior of the sealant path. The connector member limits the movement of the inner lid member toward downstream side, after it has been forced from the closure position.
US07878357B2
A case is formed with a box main body and a cover. This box includes a locking member for keeping the box main body and the cover attached to each other, and a pair of temporarily locking members for absorbing a rattle generated between the box main body and the cover. The locking member is mounted on the center of a sidewall of the case. The temporarily locking members are mounted on both ends of the sidewall between which the locking member is interposed. The temporarily locking members are temporarily locked together simultaneously with an engagement of the locking member, and unlocked by bending the sidewall when the locking member is disengaged.
US07878356B2
Foldable container including a base having a first base portion and an opposing second base portion. The base has a base surface free of hinge lines between the first base portion and the second base portion. A sidewall surrounds at least a portion of the base and extends generally upward from the base with a non-uniform height to define a compartment. A rim having a first rim portion and an opposing second rim portion is disposed proximate the top edge of the sidewall. At least one transition region is formed in the sidewall to allow the first base portion to pivot between an open position and a closed position. When in the open position, the container defines a plate. When in the closed position, the first base portion defines at least a portion of a cover relative to the second base portion. A packaged product is also provided, including a foldable container and a cover member removably attached to the rim of the foldable container in the open position to contain a product therein.
US07878355B2
Foldable container including a base having a first base portion and an opposing second base portion. The base has a base surface free of hinge lines between the first base portion and the second base portion. A sidewall surrounds the base and extends generally upward from the base to define a compartment. A rim having a first rim portion and an opposing second rim portion is disposed proximate the top edge of the sidewall. At least one transition region is formed in the sidewall to allow the first base portion to pivot between an open position and a closed position, When in the open position, the container defines a plate. When in the closed position, the first base portion defines at least a portion of a cover relative to the second base portion. A packaged product is also provided, including a foldable container and a cover member removably attached to the rim of the foldable container in the open position to contain a product therein.
US07878354B2
A one touch-type stopper operable with one hand is provided. The one touch-type container stopper comprises a hermetically sealing part which has, at a lower end thereof, first supporting protrusions formed to protrude inwardly such that they are elastically supported along an outer peripheral surface of a mouth of the container and is fitted around the mouth to seal the container: and a cover part which has a hinge part formed integrally with and extending from the first supporting protrusions and then bent, and second supporting protrusions at a lower end thereof to protrude inwardly therefrom and is positioned outside of the sealing part. The second supporting protrusions are connected to one another through a band member.
US07878348B2
A payload lifter/manipulator module includes a rotatable joint supporting spreader arms angularly spaced with respect to one another. A rigid arm is fixedly coupled to the joint and extends out therefrom to a tip. A tension arm has a first end and a second end with the first end being fixedly coupled to the tip of the rigid arm. The tension arm incorporates pivots along the length thereof. Each pivot can be engaged by or disengaged from the outboard end of a spreader arm based on a position of the spreader arm. A hoist, positioned remotely with respect to the module and coupled to the second end of the tension arm, controls the position of the spreader arms to thereby control the position of the rigid arm's tip. Payload lifter/manipulator assemblies can be constructed with one or more of the modules.
US07878338B2
An OSHA compliant container for scaffold frames and cross braces includes a floor bordered by recessed channels into which legs of scaffold frames may be placed. A central upright frame includes rest surfaces against which the upper ends of the first scaffold frame placed into the container may rest. A stop element in each channel prevents the lower ends of the scaffold legs from being placed against the upright frame. Upright posts at the corners of the base of the container support side rails which provide fall protection for a worker inside the container. Lanyard rings attached to the upright posts provide connection points for safety harness and for a gate to provide additional fall protection for a worker within the container. Underlying fork tubes extending longitudinally as well as transversely allow the container to be lifted by a fork lift from either end and either side.
US07878337B2
A rotatable two tier multi-chamber container includes a support member and an octagonal shaped base rotatably mounted on the support member. The base member includes an outer wall, an inner wall and a plurality of radially extending divider walls extending between the inner and outer walls to form a plurality of trapezoidal shaped adjacent lower chambers surrounding an inner chamber. The container also includes a plurality of trapezoidal shaped upper chambers opening outwardly away from the inner chamber and a plurality of trapezoidal shaped covers for covering the upper and lower chambers.
US07878316B2
A high torque capacity one-way clutch includes a first, inner annulus nested within a second, outer annulus. The inner annulus includes a plurality of transverse grooves on its outer surface as well as a centrally disposed circumferential groove. A like plurality of moveable struts having a central opening are received within respective grooves in the inner annulus and are retained there by a circumferential band passing through the openings in the struts and received in the circumferential groove. The outer annulus includes a plurality of transverse grooves on its inner surface and receives the inner annulus, struts and circumferential band. Upon relative rotation of the annuli in one direction, the struts engage the grooves and inhibit rotation between the annuli, thereby transmitting torque. Upon relative rotation in the opposite direction, the struts slide along the inner surface of the outer annulus without engaging and thus do not transmit torque.
US07878315B2
A spring clutch is provided for which durability is improved by preventing a clutch spring from breaking due to fatigue. A cylindrical clutch spring made from a wire having a square section is mounted between a pulley and a pulley hub mounted in the pulley. An end of the clutch spring is coupled to the pulley hub. A clutch surface is formed on the inner periphery of the pulley and is formed with a large-diameter recess at a position opposite to the end portion of the clutch spring including the torque transmission end. When the pulley rotates in one direction, the clutch spring expands. At this time, the end portion of the clutch spring including the torque transmission end expands in the large-diameter recess, thus relaxing sharp torque produced in the clutch. This prevents local stress concentration on the clutch spring and breakage of the clutch spring and improves the durability of the clutch.
US07878313B2
A torque converter having a transverse axis of rotation, a cover having an inner diameter and an inner annular surface, an impeller shell having an inner diameter and an inner annular surface, and an annular backing plate having an outer diameter and an outer annular surface, wherein the cover, impeller shell, and backing plate are operatively arranged to rotate about the axis of rotation, wherein the backing plate is substantially orthogonal with respect to the axis of rotation, wherein the inner diameter of the cover is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the impeller shell, and wherein the inner annular surface of the cover and the inner annular surface of the impeller shell are fixedly attached to the outer annular surface of the backing plate.
US07878305B2
An oil-bearing shaft (1) through which the lubrication for components of a transmission is provided, comprising at least one longitudinal bore hole (2) and at least one oil supply bore hole (2) with one longitudinal bore hole (2), each fluid-mechanically connected, whereby the oil supply bore hole (2) is oriented with a setting angle β is proposed.
US07878295B2
A vehicle steering apparatus 1 includes an EPS actuator 17 and an EPS ECU 18 that controls the EPS actuator 17. The EPS actuator 17 applies an assist force that assists a steering operation. A microcomputer 43 of the EPS ECU 18 determines whether the currently executed oversteer control (OS control) is being intensified or converged. In the OS control intensification state, in which the vehicle stability is low, the microcomputer 43 reduces a damper compensation current command Idp* (Idp**), which is a damper compensation component for attenuating a steering wheel turning speed ωs.
US07878288B2
An operator control assembly includes an operator manipulable control, and a first armrest movably coupling the operator manipulable control to a frame of a construction vehicle. The first armrest is movable from a first vertical orientation to a second vertical orientation and from a first horizontal orientation to a second horizontal orientation, such that when the armrest is in the second horizontal orientation, the armrest is positioned with in a footprint of the vehicle.
US07878280B2
A hydrogen fueled vehicle includes a vehicle body, a hydrocarbon fuel tank, and a low pressure hydrogen gas storage vessel.
US07878276B2
An ambulatory vehicle having legs and configured for transporting a load is disclosed. The ambulatory vehicle includes a load that is able to shift the center of gravity of the ambulatory vehicle along a transverse axis and a longitudinal axis of a beam assembly. Additionally, leg assemblies of the ambulatory vehicle are configured to exchange places along the length of the beam assembly. Further, the vehicle is able to perform a number of gaits including a slow stable gait and faster dynamic gaits comprising striding, trotting, and bounding. The ambulatory vehicle is able to navigate rough terrain and steep slopes and navigate submerged.
US07878265B2
It is an object of the invention to provide a technique for a reduction of an impact force cased by rebound of a tool bit after its striking movement in an impact power tool. The representative impact power tool includes a tool body, a hammer actuating member, a striker, a weight and an elastic element. A reaction force is transmitted from the hammer actuating member to the weight and the elastic element is elastically deformed when the weight moves ward by the reaction to absorb the reaction force. The invention is characterized in that the mass of the weight is set to about 40% or more of the mass of the striker.
US07878263B2
A pressure-fluid-operated percussion device includes a frame allowing a tool to be arranged movably in its longitudinal direction. Pressure liquid is fed to the percussion device and returned to a pressure liquid tank. A stress pulse is produced in the tool utilizing pressure of the pressure liquid. A pressure liquid source maintains pressure in the working pressure chamber. Pressure liquid is intermittently fed to the percussion device such that the pressure liquid pushes a transmission piston into a predetermined backward position. Pressure liquid is alternately discharged rapidly from the percussion device so that the pressure of the pressure liquid in the working pressure chamber and the pressure liquid flowing from the pressure liquid source pushes the transmission piston towards the tool, generating a stress pulse in the tool.
US07878255B2
The downhole tool assembly has a sleeve with a continuous j-slot, a lug rotator ring configured to move axially relative to the sleeve and having a lug configured to move within the continuous j-slot, and a rupture disk configured to prevent the lug from moving within the continuous j-slot during run-in. The method includes lowering the downhole tool assembly into a well bore on a tool string, rupturing the rupture disk, allowing the lug to move within the continuous j-slot, and setting the downhole tool assembly by lifting upward and pushing downward on the tool string.
US07878252B2
A control system for a surface controlled sub-surface safety valve has first and second control lines. The first control line communicates control fluid to the sub-surface safety valve and preferably has a sump and in-line filters. Hydraulic pressure applied to the safety valve with this first control line can open the safety valve. The second control line also communicates control fluid to the sub-surface safety valve and preferably has a sump. A connecting valve is connected between the first and second control lines. The connecting valve allows control fluid to communicate from the first control line to the safety valve but prevents fluid communication from the second control line to the first control line. To open the valve, the second control line is exhausted to a reservoir. The dual control lines provide redundant control of the safety valve and can also be cycled to remove debris from the system.
US07878241B2
A close-tolerance expandable bow spring centralizer 8 having a first expandable collar 10A coupled to and spaced apart from a second expandable collar 10B through a plurality of bow springs 30 wherein expandable collars 10A, 10B comprise a plurality of slidably coupled links 16 that separate to expand the diameter of the collars 10A, 10B, e.g., upon expansion of an expandable pipe string 80 on which the centralizer 8 is received. Expandable bow spring centralizer 8 may grip the expandable pipe string 80 when in the collapsed configuration to eliminate the need for a stop collar. Additionally or alternatively, a fin 32 may be connected to each bow spring 30, and then connected to one or more adjacent fins 32 upon collapse of the bow springs 30 to form a restraining band 39 that may be ruptured, e.g., upon expansion of the expandable pipe string 80.
US07878239B2
A fluid collecting apparatus inserted in a borehole for collecting fluid in the borehole. The fluid collecting apparatus may include a first packer and a second packer which are selectively adhered to an inside of the borehole, a first supply pipe and a second supply pipe which supply expansion fluid to each of the first packer and the second packer, and a guide tube which guides fluid in a collecting space between the first packer and the second packer to an outside of the borehole. Also, the second supply pipe moves with the second packer in a longitudinal direction of the borehole, and a passage which does not communicate with the first supply pipe is formed. Accordingly, the fluid collecting apparatus may independently control the first and second packers, and thus fluid in a desired depth and region within the borehole may be easily collected.
US07878237B2
An actuation system for a tubular handling mechanism of a tubular handling assembly has a mud flow path passing through rotating parts and non-rotating parts of the tubular handling assembly. A ball drop assembly has an opening to the mud flow path through which a ball is released. The ball drop assembly opening is positioned in a non-rotating part. A lateral passage joins the mud flow path downstream of where the ball is released. A valve is positioned in the mud flow path at the lateral passage for selectively directing a purge fluid from the mud flow path out the lateral passage.
US07878230B2
A door hoist includes a bracket, drive sprocket, ring gear, hub assembly, set of planetary gears, and governor shaft. The drive sprocket has a drive sprocket axis. The ring gear is fastened to the drive sprocket. The ring gear has a ring gear axis that is in alignment with the drive sprocket axis. The hub assembly includes a connector to receive a door drive shaft and secure the door drive shaft in a fixed rotational alignment with the hub assembly. The set of planetary gears is rotationally mounted to the hub assembly. The set of planetary gears is configured to mate with the ring gear. The governor shaft includes a sun gear, brake assembly, and link. The sun gear is configured to mate with the set of planetary gears. The brake assembly has an engaged position and a disengaged position. The sun gear is rotationally fixed relative to the bracket in response to the brake assembly being in the engaged position. In response to the brake assembly being in the disengaged position, rotation of the sun gear is unfixed relative to the bracket. The link secures the brake assembly in the engaged position. The link is configured to melt in response to an ambient temperature exceeding a predetermined temperature.
US07878222B2
A hose used for extracting milk has an outer wall; an inner wall; at least two ribs formed on the outer wall; and at least one recess formed between said at least two ribs. A milk extraction system has a hose having an outer wall; an inner wall; a plurality of ribs formed on said outer wall, and the ribs extend beyond an outer perimeter of the outer wall.
US07878219B2
A fluid system component is provided that includes first and second elements configured to be removably engaged with each other and defining a fluid passageway when engaged. The first element defines at least one groove. Correspondingly, the second element includes at least one engagement member configured and arranged to be received in, and travel along, a corresponding groove. The presence of a predetermined line pressure in the fluid passageway forces each engagement member into the terminal portion of the corresponding groove, so as to substantially foreclose disengagement of the first and second elements until the fluid pressure in the fluid passageway has reached a predetermined magnitude. The fluid system component includes means for selectively securing the second element, such as a collar, in relation to the first element, such as a sleeve, when the first element is received within the second element.
US07878218B2
An apparatus for transferring a viscous fluid including waxy solids includes a mobile platform, a support member having a first end coupled to the platform and a second end, a pump unit coupled to the second end of the support member, wherein the pump unit can be raised and lowered with respect to the second end, wherein the pump unit includes a recirculation system selectively operable to break down waxy solids prior to transfer of the fluid, and an outlet in fluid communication with a collection tank.
US07878208B2
Methods and systems are provided for determining a characteristic of an in vivo sensor. A transmit field, operative to induce a response signal in an associated in vivo sensor, is generated at a transmitting component having an associated orientation. The response signal is received at a receiving component, having an associated orientation. The coupling between the transmitting component and the receiving component is measured. The associated orientation of at least one of the transmitting component and the receiving component is rotated as to reduce the measured coupling.
US07878206B2
System and methods for minimally invasive treatment of snoring are described. According to one system and method, laser energy is applied to tissue of a soft palate and/or uvula to create a pattern of multiple treatment spots in the tissue. According to another system and method, electromagnetic energy from a filament light source is impinged of soft palate and/or uvula tissue to achieve volumetric heating of the tissue. The systems and methods increase rigidity and/or reduce laxity of the tissue, and/or volumetrically reduce the tissue, thereby diminishing snoring.
US07878203B2
A method of making shape-adaptable and spectral-selective distributed optical radiation sources, in the wavelength range between UV and mid-infrared, for therapeutic treatment using passive host medium containing nanocrystals is disclosed. The spectral output of the distributed optical radiation source is controlled by the nanocrystal size distribution that determines the spectral output of fluorescence radiation originating from these nanocrystals from within the said host medium, which contains the said nanocrystals, under excitation by an external source. The size of nanocrystals, or the size distribution of nanocrystals, incorporated in the host medium is selected based on the radiation spectral output required for therapeutic requirements. The passive host medium, incorporating the said nanocrystals, is made of adaptable, geometrically configurable, material that conforms to any desired shape.
US07878199B2
A mask system includes a frame, cushion, cushion clip, swivel elbow, headgear and/or headgear clips that are configured for use in a clinical or hospital environment. One or more components of the mask system are configured to promote single patient use, e.g., by providing an age indicator and/or preventing disassembly and/or cleaning, etc.
US07878196B2
A fluid dispenser device including at least one individual reservoir (21) containing a single dose of fluid, such as powder, opening means (40) being provided for opening an individual reservoir (21) each time the device is actuated, the device including a dispenser chamber (70) for receiving the dose of fluid contained in a reservoir (21) after said reservoir has been opened, an inhalation endpiece (15), and an inhalation trigger system that comprises a deformable air-chamber (61) that co-operates with said dispenser chamber (70), said dispenser chamber being displaceable between a rest position and an inhalation position, such that during inhalation through said inhalation endpiece (15), said air chamber (61) is deformed, thereby displacing said dispenser chamber from said rest position to said inhalation position.
US07878195B2
A heat management system for industrial safety equipment is described, including an industrial safety article (e.g., a full face respirator), a power source and a fan unit, wherein the fan unit is mounted on the industrial safety article such that the fan directs air within a confined or other interior space of the industrial safety article, and wherein the fan unit is powered by the power source.
US07878192B2
A solar collector has operably connected reflective panels that can be positioned to substantially form a parabolic trough that concentrates solar radiation onto a tube running along the focal line of the trough. A folding mechanism can be manually or automatically operated to selectively fold and unfold the panels into open and closed positions and into any number of intermediate positions, including the position characterized by formation of a parabolic trough. A rotating mechanism can be manually or automatically operated to selectively rotate the solar collector about an axis parallel to the focus line of the parabolic trough.
US07878191B2
A solar collector system including solar elements connected to form an array for intercepting the sun's radiation, a compression element that is positioned substantially perpendicular to the array, and pairs of cables that run from opposite sides of the array to the compression element to mutually stabilize each portion of the array to which the pair of cables connects. A support structure is provided for securing the array to a fixed structure. A tracking system further provides the system with two degrees of freedom for tracking the array with the sun's movement.
US07878189B2
A combustion fan installation structure of a gas radiation oven range is disclosed in which a combustion fan (200) is coupled at a space outside a space where a radiant burner (40) is positioned. Since the temperature of the sucked air for combustion is constantly maintained, an air with a sufficient air density can be supplied. Thus, it can have a stable combustion performance. In addition, an influence of the temperature change generated when the oven or the grill is operated can be excluded. Accordingly, a reliability of a combustion performance of the gas radiation oven range to be mainly used in kitchens or in hotels can be improved.
US07878181B2
A pressure responsive regulator valve particularly suitable for a vehicle fuel system includes a substantially monolithic T-shaped body having a first bore defining a substantially unrestricted fluid flow path therethrough and a second bore in fluid flow communication with the first bore. A pressure responsive valve is provided in the second bore to open and close a fluid flow path through the second bore.
US07878179B2
The present invention includes a fuel supply apparatus having a pressure regulator for regulating a pressure of fuel supplied from a fuel pump to a target, such as an internal combustion engine of an automobile. The pressure regulator includes a first pressure chamber, a second pressure chamber and a third pressure chamber each configured to be able to receive a supply of the fuel from the fuel pump. A first diaphragm separates the first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber from each other. A second diaphragm separates the second pressure chamber and the third pressure chamber from each other. The first pressure chamber has a discharge port that can discharge the fuel supplied into the first pressure chamber. A valve assembly is coupled to the first and second diaphragms, so that the valve assembly can open and close the discharge port of the first pressure chamber in response to the balance of forces applied to the first and second diaphragms by pressures of the fuel within the first, second and third pressure chambers. A controller can control the pressure of the fuel within each of the second and third pressure chambers.
US07878172B2
Various embodiments of the invention relate to an intake channel of an internal combustion engine in which an adjustable position guide vane is configured to modify the velocity distribution inside the intake channel in order to vary the mean swirl number generated by the channel. The intake channel may comprise a combination of two or more ports, which can be helical or tangential, depending on their shape. By varying the velocity distribution inside the intake channel it is possible to vary the mean swirl number in an internal combustion engine. Contrary to existing systems to vary the swirl in internal combustion engines, the invention proposed does not require the separation of both ports inside the intake channel by a wall in order to achieve a variation in the swirl.
US07878168B2
A high performance overhead valvetrain assembly includes a hydraulic lash adjuster which is received within and supports a trunnion. The trunnion, in turn, is received within a cylindrical passageway in one end of a rocker arm. The opposite end of the rocker arm engages a valve stem. Between the trunnion and the valve stem is a roller adapted the engage a cam of a camshaft. The trunnion stabilized rocker arm permits significantly increased valve lift and improved engine performance.
US07878166B2
A device for retaining a valve bridge is disclosed. The valve bridge is engaged with a plurality of valves. The device has a first base member. The first base member is configured to engage at least one of the plurality of valves. The device also has a first latching member. The first latching member extends from the first base member. The first latching member is configured to engage and retain the valve bridge in engagement with the plurality of valves.
US07878160B2
In a specific embodiment of this invention, deposits and soot formation in a direct injection engine are reduced by passivating the injectors to within 0.1 mm of the injector nozzle. The fuel used with the inventive injectors comprises fuel-soluble additives.
US07878159B2
In a steam generator, a flow resistance adjusting unit for a primary cooling water is provided in an inlet nozzle provided at an incoming water chamber or an outlet nozzle provided at an outgoing water chamber.
US07878152B2
A phone for pets and pet owners is taught which allows the owner to call the house and “talk” to the pet. The owner can then see a video image of the pet in front of the pet phone to verify presence and happiness. The device can also present the owner's scent to the pet and deliver treats on remote command. In some embodiments, the pet can initiate the phone call.
US07878138B2
An appliance for lowering and tracking an underwater vessel includes a carrier arranged on an end of a holding cable; a holding device on the carrier used to receive/release the underwater vessel with a controllable holding element; and a tracking device arranged on the carrier and used for acoustically determining the position of the underwater vessel lowered into the water. As a result, a light, compact lowering appliance is provided that is suitable for handling vessels on small platforms and ensures acoustically undisturbed operation of the tracking device, which is arranged on one end of the carrier, the carrier being mounted such that it can be pivoted on the holding cable in an articulated manner in a central longitudinal region thereof. Following release of the underwater vessel from the holding element, a pivoting device pivots the carrier including the tracking device out of a lowering position, into a tracking position.
US07878134B2
A method for controlling the deformation of a surface of a sail of a sailing boat during a direction change maneuver, includes arranging at least one inflatable batten into a respective seat formed on a side surface of the sail, the at least one batten being inflated at a predetermined working pressure as to impart to said at least one inflatable batten a bending stiffness having, with no bending load, a predetermined value, carrying out a maneuver for changing the direction of the sailing boat, wherein in a first part of maneuver, the at least one batten is subjected to the action of an increasing bending load, and in a second part of the maneuver, the bending load ends its action on the at least one batten, during the maneuver the mechanical properties of the at least one batten being changed so that as the bending load increases in the first part of the maneuver, the value of the bending stiffness of the at least one batten decreases considerably, and as the action of the bending load ends in the second part of the maneuver, the bending stiffness of the at least one batten returns to the predetermined value.
US07878133B2
A sewing machine includes a needle bar, a needle bar up-and-down movement mechanism that raises and lowers the needle bar, a needle bar up-and-down movement mechanism that raises and lowers the needle bar and a sewing machine motor for driving the needle bar up-and-down mechanism. The sewing machine further includes an operation device that is provided separately from a body of the sewing machine including at least one operation member to be operated by a user that outputs an output signal corresponding to an operation state of the operation member. The sewing machine also includes a command determination device that determines a command that corresponds to the output signal output by the operation device as a determined command and a drive control device that controls a predetermined operation of the sewing machine in accordance with the determined command.
US07878126B2
A pallet sheet has a substantially planar, centrally located base region, and a pair of upwardly angled edge portions. The upper surface portion of the pallet sheet is provided with a plurality of upwardly oriented collapsible cleats for enhancing cushioning and frictional characteristics, and in addition, upwardly and downwardly oriented cleats are also disposed upon the upper and lower surface portions of the upwardly angled edge portions so as to provide enhanced gripping characteristics for the pallet sheet by a gripper bar mechanism of a motorized transport vehicle. Still further, a support system is provided for supporting a plurality of pallet sheets thereon wherein the oppositely disposed edge portions of the pallet sheets can be maintained at their desired predetermined angle.
US07878124B2
A cover for open top railcars may be alternatively locked into place over the railcar top opening, or rotated on hinges to either side of the railcar to provide access to the entire top of the railcar. The cover may be compressed against either side of the railcar to allow the car to move between structural or other elements of loading or unloading facilities.
US07878118B2
A registration system for a rotary press including circumferential and sidelay registers designed to interface to the press unit using more direct motion translation. In particular, to go from rotational motion of a motor to linear motion of the adjustment with fewer transitions. Also discussed are measurement systems which measure the adjustments made to the plate cylinder more directly by measuring the linear movement of components acting on the cylinder as opposed to the movement of the motor or power source of the registration system. These systems can provide for more accurate movement to the various elements.
US07878113B2
A juice extractor may include a drive housing and a drive shaft extending outwardly therefrom to a juice extraction area. The juice extractor may further include a shaft seal that, in turn, includes a seal housing and at least one positioning ring contained within the seal housing and surrounding a corresponding drive shaft. The seal may also include at least one sealing ring contained within the seal housing adjacent the at least one positioning ring and surrounding the corresponding drive shaft. The at least one positioning ring may be radially spaced from the corresponding drive shaft when the corresponding drive shaft is aligned along the seal axis, and the at least one sealing ring may sealingly engage the corresponding drive shaft and be radially spaced from adjacent portions of the seal housing when the corresponding drive shaft is aligned along the seal axis.
US07878110B1
An apparatus which serves as a single utensil allowing to gradually adjust vapor escape, liquid drainage speed, and particle drainage and filtering. A few of the apparatus applications are cooking utensils, pitchers, drinking cups, gardening watering and fertilizing cans, etc. The apparatus comprises a vessel having pouring regions and a lid having draining and solid regions. In use, the solid regions of the lid must be aligned with the vessel pouring regions, which is the non-straining or opened position with no vapor release. If the lid is rotated in either direction, it slides into a locking engagement with the vessel until the desired draining regions of the lid are aligned with the vessel pouring regions. This is the straining or locked position where a desirable degree of steam or liquid and particles can be released.
US07878106B2
A firing control mechanism for an air-soft toy gun is disclosed for enabling a user to rotate a switch in selecting a single shot, 3-shot continuous firing, multi-shot continuous firing or safety lock mode, having a ratchet wheel pivotally mounted on an axle of the hammer thereof, which ratchet having two shadow teeth and one deep tooth arranged in a series around the periphery at one side and sloping teeth arranged around the periphery at an opposite side. The hammer has a stop rod meshed with one sloping tooth of the ratchet wheel. During a continuous 3-shot firing action, the ratchet wheel is rotated following down stroke of the hammer, and a pawl is meshed with one shadow tooth or the deep tooth, and the stop rod of the hammer is shifted into mesh with a next sloping tooth of the ratchet wheel to prohibit reverse rotation of the ratchet wheel when the hammer is returned after a firing action.
US07878099B2
A rotary cutting unit for trimming sheet material has a support plate for receiving the sheet material. The rotary cutting device having a guide bar with a displaceably guided knife carriage. A rotary knife is rotatably mounted on the knife carriage. The guide bar is guided between an initial raised position and a lowered clamping position. The guide bar includes a clamping surface for contact against sheet material. The guide bar has a force impinged upon it by a spring device, in the direction toward the initial position. An actuation device moves the guide bar out of the initial position into the clamping position. The guide bar is clamped in vertically movable fashion between the spring device and a further spring device. The second spring device has a spring action directed oppositely to the first.
US07878089B2
A trigger shifter for operating a bicycle gear change device that includes a housing mountable to handlebar, a cable spool for pulling and releasing a control cable connected to the gear change device, a pull lever mechanism and a release lever mechanism. The pull lever mechanism includes a pull lever rotatable about a first axis defining a first plane of motion perpendicular to the first axis. The release lever mechanism includes a release lever rotatable about a second axis defining a second plane of motion perpendicular to the second axis. The first and second planes of motion form an angle therebetween in the range of 20 to 70 degrees.
US07878088B2
A sealing device provided to a joint section of a robot. The sealing device includes overlapped seal portions having a multi-stage configuration, provided for a driving mechanism incorporated into the joint section. The overlapped seal portions include a first seal portion including a first contact seal element sealing a first inter-member gap defined adjacent to a lubricant retaining section provided in the driving mechanism; and a second seal portion arranged outside the first seal portion and including a second contact seal element sealing a second inter-member gap defined in a circumferential wall of the joint section, the circumferential wall defining an accommodation space for accommodating the driving mechanism.
US07878086B2
A drive mechanism for a lock comprises a linear-moving sleeve (1), a conversion spring (2) and a rotating transmission component (3). The rotating component (3) is inserted into the linear-moving sleeve (1) that moves along the rotating component (3) in an axial direction. The conversion spring (2) is fitted onto the rotating component (3). The linear-moving sleeve (1) has symmetric protrusions (11). The rotating component (3) comprises an end (4) and a rotating bolt (5). The rotating bolt (5) is plugged into the clipping end (4). The conversion spring (2) has two curved ends (21) which are inserted into the groove (51) of the rotating bolt (5). The conversion spring (2) rotates in conjunction with the rotating of the rotating bolt (5) and the rotation movement is converted to linear movement along the rotating bolt (5).
US07878080B2
An apparatus for adjusting a position of the vertebral column of a dummy model for estimating the feeling of sitting in a seat almost exactly mimics the characteristics of the vertebral joints of a human being. The apparatus comprises a pelvic plate; a plurality of lumbar joints, stacked on the pelvic plate so as to be spaced apart from each other, and having joint springs installed in front and rear portions thereof centered around a rotation center interconnecting two adjacent ones thereof; femur joints rotatably installed below the pelvic plate, and connected with one end of each femur bar; and pelvic pivoting members transmitting rotating force of the femur joints, which is caused by vertical pivoting of the femur bars, to the pelvic plate, and changing a vertical angle of the pelvic plate.
US07878075B2
Disclosed is a robust tactile sensor array that mimics the human fingertip and its touch receptors. The mechanical components are similar to a fingertip, with a rigid core surrounded by a weakly conductive fluid contained within an elastomeric skin. It uses the deformable properties of the finger pad as part of the transduction process. Multiple electrodes are mounted on the surface of the rigid core and connected to impedance measuring circuitry within the core. External forces deform the fluid path around the electrodes, resulting in a distributed pattern of impedance changes containing information about those forces and the objects that applied them. Strategies for extracting features related to the mechanical inputs and using this information for reflexive grip control.
US07878068B2
A digital pressure sensor, which is mounted on a pressure controller of a pneumatic tube system, includes a casing including a control circuit, which has a pressure sensing unit, therein, a display, which has a plurality of displaying units for showing numerals or icons, on a front side connected to said control circuit, and a connection tube on a bottom thereof for communication with a connection tube of the pneumatic tube system that said pressure sensing unit of said control circuit senses a pressure in the tube via said connection tube; and a battery set received in said casing and electrically connected to said control circuit.
US07878057B2
A diagnostic system and method includes a fuel level sensor that senses a fuel level in a fuel tank and a sensor diagnostic module that monitors a fuel transfer mechanism for a time period, that calculates a change in the fuel level, and that evaluates operation of the first fuel level sensor based on the change and the predetermined period.
US07878049B2
A method of indicating a fault associated with a non-combustion chamber of an engine includes monitoring a fluid intake pressure for the engine, monitoring a pressure for a non-combustion chamber of the engine, and indicating a fault associated with the non-combustion chamber based on a difference between a first non-combustion chamber pressure and a second non-combustion chamber pressure being below a chamber threshold value.
US07878048B2
A method for diagnosing combustion within an engine includes monitoring pressure cylinder pressure and generating a measured combustion phasing value for the cylinder at a predetermined metric selected to index the combustion cycle. The measured combustion phasing value is calculated through a Fast Fourier Transform and compared to an expected combustion phasing value.
US07878045B2
Device for determining the density of a plasma, with of a probe (1) which can be immersed into the plasma, with a probe head (2) in form of a three-axis ellipsoid, and a handle (3) connected to the probe head (2), wherein the probe head (2) has a sheath (4) and a probe core (5, 5a) surrounded by the sheath (4), wherein the surface (8) of the probe core (5, 5a) has electrode areas (9, 10) of opposite polarity which are insulated from each other. The probe core consists of electrodes (6, 7), to which a signal is applied. The absorption of that signal is measured and evaluated as a function of the frequency. Based on a multipole expansion, a mathematical model is constructed with which the absorption spectrum of the probe can be unambiguously evaluated. For a particular design of the probe, the response can be restricted to a single resonance, from which the electron density of the plasma (to be inferred from the resonance frequency) can be found by an unambiguous evaluation algorithm.
US07878024B2
An earring includes an earring body, a locking bar provided at one end of the earring body and formed with a locking groove, and a locker provided at the other end of the earring body to be selectively locked with the locking bar. The locker is formed with an insert groove, the insert groove is provided at an inside thereof with a locking protrusion, and a locking release button is positioned adjacent to the locking protrusion while protruding out of the locker. The spring includes a compression spring and the locking protrusion is adapted to lock with the locking groove of the locking bar while performing a straight movement in a state in which the locking protrusion is elastically supported to the spring. The locking/unlocking operations of the coupling parts are easily performed and an aesthetic appearance of the earring is improved.
US07878023B2
Refrigeration circuit (1, 1′) for circulating a refrigerant in a predetermined flow direction through at least one functionally disconnectable component, the refrigeration circuit having in flow direction an expansion device (b, b′, 26, 26′, 33), an evaporator, a compressor (2, 2′, 29, 36) and a heat-rejecting heat exchanger (6, 20), wherein an upstream-side shut-off valve is provided upstream of the component and a downstream-side shut-off valve is provided downstream of the component, wherein at least one of these shut-off valves is a non-return valve (a, c, 25, 27, 32, 34). Preferably, the component has in flow direction the expansion device (b, b′, 26, 26′, 33) and the evaporator (12, 12′, E1, E1′, E2) or the compressor (2, 2′). Preferably the non-return valve (a, c, 25, 27, 32, 34) is lockable in it's open position.
US07878018B2
A refrigerator and control method thereof are provided. The refrigerator emits light into a storage compartment formed therein to improve and preserve taste of food items stored therein. The refrigerator may include a light emitting unit to emit light into the storage compartment and onto the food items stored therein to improve and preserve taste of the food items.
US07878017B2
A wall-hung type indoor unit includes a casing having an air inlet for indoor air at a front side thereof, and a receiving element provided at a lower portion of the casing and configured to receive a signal transmitted from a remote controller. The casing having a first surface facing the receiving element. The first surface is inclined upward so as to form an angle α of 30 degrees or less with respect to a horizontal plane in a state in which the casing is attached to the wall. The receiving element is disposed such that a centerline of the receiving element is inclined with respect to an orthogonal plane perpendicular to the first casing surface. The centerline is directed diagonally downward.
US07878015B2
A radiating apparatus of a built-in refrigerator includes an airflow guide that separates a condenser from a blower fan in order to prevent a cool air and a hot air from mixing together, thereby increasing an efficiency of the built-in refrigerator.
US07878013B2
A trailer refrigeration system comprising: an electricity generator (22); an electricity-generator engine (21) for driving the electricity generator (22); a converter (23) for converting ac electric power generated by the electricity generator (22) into dc electric power; an inverter (24, 25, 26) including inverters (24), (25), (26) each for converting dc electric power from the converter (23) into ac electric power; a refrigerant circuit (30) having an electric compressor (31) and a fan (35, 36) including fans (35), (36), the electric compressor (31), the fan (35), and the fan (36) being driven respectively by ac electric power from inverters (24), (25), (26); and a control means (40) for individually controlling the speed of rotation of the electric compressor (31), the fan (35), and the fan (36).
US07878011B2
A method for determining the desired ventilation air temperature of an automatic heating and air-conditioning system of a vehicle having an opening top is described. The open or closed state of the top of the vehicle is detected, and the heating and air-conditioning system is controlled and/or regulated in a number of different ways as a function of the state of the top. In the open state of the top, the desired ventilation air temperature is determined as a function of the speed of the vehicle. Also, in the open state of the top the desired ventilation air temperature is determined in such a manner that the top-closed desired ventilation air temperature is increased by a speed-dependent offset value.
US07878006B2
A system and method includes a compressor operable in a refrigeration circuit and including a motor, a current sensor detecting current supplied to the motor, a discharge line temperature sensor detecting discharge line temperature of the compressor, and processing circuitry receiving current data from the current sensor and discharge line temperature data from the discharge line temperature sensor and processing the current data and the discharge line temperature data to determine a capacity of the refrigeration circuit.
US07878004B2
An aspect of the invention is directed towards a method and device for optimizing a light-up procedure of a gas turbine engine. An aspect of the method comprises repeating an engine start attempt with amended light-up parameter values or range of light-up parameter values, where the values are amended by a predefined scheme including recording the light-up parameter value or the range of light-up parameter values of each start attempt together with the light-up success rate achieved in the respective start attempts, and optimizing the light-up parameter value or range of parameter values by analyzing the recorded data after the start attempts have been finished. An aspect of the device is to provide a control unit that implements the inventive method.
US07877997B2
A hydraulically operated wastegate valve control system for a turbocharged internal combustion engine is disclosed. The control system includes a hydraulically operated wastegate valve configured to permit exhaust to bypass a turbine section. A first sensor is configured to sense an actuation of at least one of an intake valve and an exhaust valve by a variable valve actuation mechanism, and a second sensor is configured to detect a turbocharger speed. A controller is configured to deliver a control signal based on a predetermined relationship between the actuation of at least one of the intake and exhaust valves by the variable valve actuation mechanism and the turbocharger speed, and an operator is configured to receive the control signal and control actuation of the hydraulically operated wastegate valve based on the control signal.
US07877993B2
The purpose of the invention is to simplify the linkage mechanism of a shift operating device and to unitize the shift operating device so as to improve the reliability of assemble accuracy. A forward traveling pedal and a rearward traveling pedal are rotatably supported by a installation plate; the installation plate rotatably supports a shift operating rotary sleeve connected through one link to the basal end of the forward traveling pedal (a forward traveling pedal rotary sleeve) and connected through one link to the basal end of the rearward traveling pedal (a rearward traveling pedal rotary sleeve); the forward traveling pedal, the rearward traveling pedal, the shift operating rotary sleeve and the installation plate are constructed as an integral unit; and the shift operating rotary sleeve is rotated forward and rearward interlockingly with the operation of the forward traveling pedal and the rearward traveling pedal so as to slant swash plates of a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor of a HST.
US07877989B1
A vehicle exhaust system includes a catalytic converter connected to an exhaust pipe. An exhaust filter is connected to the exhaust pipe downstream from the catalytic converter. The exhaust filter is a charcoal filter that filters particulates from the air flow in the exhaust pipe. The exhaust filter is threadingly engaged with the exhaust pipe and is disposable.
US07877984B2
A method and an arrangement are provided for maintaining the oxidation of NO to NO2 in an oxidation catalytic converter arranged in a vehicle, the vehicle including an internal combustion engine which in operation emits exhaust gases to an exhaust gas after treatment system including the oxidation catalytic converter. A predetermined quantity of hydrocarbon is delivered to the exhaust gas aftertreatment system or the engine over at least one predetermined time interval for the purpose of maintaining the working temperature or regenerating an exhaust gas aftertreatment unit. The quantity of hydrocarbon is delivered to the exhaust gas aftertreatment system or to the engine through an injection with at least one predetermined fragmentation frequency and an injection period in order to maintain an NO2 production in the exhaust gas aftertreatment system that prevailed immediately prior to said time interval for the hydrocarbon injection.
US07877974B2
A floating swathgate for a cutting and conditioning header for a frame-supported tractor in which the angular attitude of the swathgate relative to an airborne stream of crop material being ejected from conditioner apparatus is varied as the header moves vertically with respect to the tractor to optimally direct the crop material toward a rearwardly disposed crop merger conveyor. As the header moves vertically, changes in the angular attitude of the swathgate direct the airborne crop material to generally the same location on the merger conveyor to minimize crop losses that typically occur with a fixed swathgate when the crop trajectory varies directly with the header vertical movement.
US07877973B2
A mid-mount riding rotary mower which has a two-piece frame. The frame includes a front section that is pivotally connected to a rear section. The mower deck is carried beneath the mower between the front and rear wheels and is attached to the front frame and follows the movement of the front wheels. The front frame includes swing arms that allow the front wheels to spread open and be clamped for different operating conditions. The mower deck can be removed from underneath the mower when the arms are fully spread.
US07877965B2
In order to package flat objects (1) with the aid of a quasi-endless packaging material web, the packaging material web is placed around a row (4) of the objects (1), in which these objects are conveyed one after the other and in an interspaced manner, whereupon longitudinal seams are made in the packaging material web and transversal seams are made between the objects (1) whereby separating the packaged objects from one another. In contrast to prior art packaging methods during which the row is formed before the packaging material web is fed thereto, the invention provides that the row is directly formed on the packaging material web (2) during which the objects are, by acceleration, separated out from a supply stream (3), in which they are fed while overlapping one another, and directly placed upon or pushed onto the packaging material web (2). Forming the row (4) directly on the packaging material web (2) eliminates additional conveying steps whereby shortening the entire required conveyor lines and rendering stabilizing means for stabilizing the objects (1) during conveyance unnecessary thus leading to very compact and simple packaging devices. The packaging method is particularly suited for packaging objects that consist of a number of stacked printed products or other flat articles.
US07877955B2
Disclosed is a fire retardant roof system with a roof deck, a sealant material applied to the roof deck to prevent fluid migration, a polystyrene insulation board upwardly adjacent the sealant material and a sealing material upwardly adjacent the polystyrene material.
US07877949B1
A laminated shingle simulates a slate roof when placed with other similar shingles on a roof deck. The laminated shingle includes an overlay member and an underlay member fixedly attached to each other such that the lower edges of the overlay and underlay members are generally co-linear with each other. The overlay member includes an upper or headlap portion and a lower or exposed butt portion with one or more generally rectangular-shaped tabs separated by relatively narrow cutouts. In one embodiment, the width of each tab is randomly selected. Preferably, the entire front surface of the underlay member is coated with a layer of relatively dark granules to enhance the slate simulating aspect of the shingle. In another embodiment, the overlay member also includes a layer of relatively dark granules randomly applied to the upper and lower edges of the tabs. In yet another embodiment, the cutouts of the overlay member and the lower edge of the underlay member includes notches to expose a portion of the underlying overlay member.
US07877947B2
A system for building using glass blocks is disclosed which employs spacing strips. The spacing strips comprising elongate, generally planar elements having a cross section generally corresponding in shape to the intended spacing between two adjacent blocks in the completed construction. The spacing strips are hollow and may be provided with interior supporting webs. The strips are provided with adhesive which may be included during manufacture.
US07877946B1
An improved weep vent for use in brick and masonry wall construction includes an adjustability feature that provides a superior vent. The vent includes an outer inverted U-shape casing having an inner smaller inverted U-shape member slidably retained in the casing, and an open mesh insert type plug that fits in front of the casing to keep out insects while allowing water to drain outwardly. During installation, the casing is positioned adjacent the side of bricks of the first course above a foundation or at other locations. The sliding member is extending out the back of the casing until it contacts the balloon frame or masonry, flashing or other obstructions. Then mortar is positioned over the vent. Excessive mortar does not clog the vent.
US07877940B2
An entryway for disposition in a door opening of a building includes a threshold and a corner sealing member mounted in the door opening between the building and the threshold. The threshold has a bottom facing downwardly and a back extending upwardly from the bottom. The corner sealing member has a middle portion disposed partially below the bottom of the threshold, a first vertical portion extending upwardly from the middle portion adjacent the threshold, and a second vertical portion extending upwardly from the middle portion transversely from the first vertical portion. The back of the threshold defines a recess and the second vertical portion of the corner sealing member is disposed in the recess to allow for adequate sealing between the threshold and the corner sealing member and to allow for proper placement of the threshold in the door opening without interference from the corner sealing member.
US07877927B2
A modular container for aeroponic and/or hydroponic cultivation of plants comprising vertical columns of cultivating compartments for cultivating plants A vertical nutrient conduit for delivers a nutrient solution to the cultivating compartments. A vertical water conduit is in communication with the cultivating compartment. Mounting elements provide for mounting the container on a vertical support. When at least two like containers are vertically mounted on a vertical support with one container adjacently above another the respective nutrient and water conduits of the like containers are in fluid communication.
US07877923B2
A fishing jig head to be molded with or inserted thereinto a hook thereby form a fishing jig, includes a body, a ring attached on the body, and plate(s) or prong(s) which is shaped and positioned to prevent the fishing jig from landing flat on a bottom of water after the fishing jig is cast into the water. A fishing jig includes the fishing jig head, a hook molded with or inserted into the jig head, and optionally at least one of a weed guard, a skirt, and a trailer.
US07877914B2
A display comprising a retractable banner stand assembly has a base with a pair of banners extendable therefrom, each banner having a forward surface and a rearward surface. When extended, the banners are arranged in a spaced back face to front face visually overlapping relationship with each banner having graphics on the forward sides of the banner. A forward banner having a different shape than a rearward banner whereby significant portions of the rearward banner may be viewed from directly in front of the banner stand assembly. The precise portion of the rearward banner viewable being dependent upon the viewing angle in front of the display. The base including a housing with each banner being retractable into said housing. In a preferred embodiment the graphics will be aesthetically complementary from the forward banner to the rearward banner; for example, a portion of the graphics on one banner may continue on another banner. An object partially portrayed on one screen can be continued on another screen as a different “depth” or distance from the viewer and may be a different color, shading, or size.
US07877897B2
A shoe having a toe region, a middle region, a heel region, and a multi-layer, multi-density midsole wherein an upper layer of the midsole has a bottom surface that has a longitudinal convexity and a longitudinal concavity, the longitudinal convexity typically occupying a substantial portion of the toe region or a substantial portion of the toe region and middle region, and the longitudinal concavity typically occupying a substantial portion of the heel region, the longitudinal convexity and the longitudinal concavity collectively contributing to simulating the effect, and imparting the fitness benefits, of walking on a sandy beach or on a giving or uneven surface regardless of the actual hardness of the surface.
US07877892B2
A circular saw alignment system and method, the system having a first longitudinal member securable to a saw arbor and a second member perpendicular to the first member. The first member having one or more locating devices. The locating devices can be bubble indicators or dial indicators located at the first or second end of the second member.
US07877890B2
The invention relates to a device for detecting spatial position, which can be attached via a mounting device to a surgical instrument, which has a longitudinal axis, wherein the mounting device has a through opening, which is penetrated by the instrument, wherein the mounting device is mounted so as to be rotatable around the longitudinal axis of the instrument, and wherein the mounting device can be immobilized in an axial and a radial direction via two angular ball bearings.
US07877889B2
An anchor bolt positioning system is provided. In one exemplary embodiment, an anchor bolt holder is present and is configured for holding an anchor bolt. The anchor bolt holder may be selectively positioned along a first rail and may be selectively positioned along a second rail.
US07877868B2
A circuit configuration member has a space capable of storing a resin in a liquid state is formed on the adhering face and on an inner side of the case main body. The adhering face of the heat radiating member and the circuit configuration member are adhered by an adhering member at inside of the space by integrally molding the case main body arranged to surround the circuit configuration member and the heat radiating member.
US07877860B2
A method of manufacturing a magnetic head includes the steps of forming an underlying layer, forming a pole layer including a track width defining portion at least by plating, using the underlying layer as an electrode, such that the track width defining portion is disposed on the underlying layer, and removing the underlying layer except a portion below the pole layer by ion beam etching. The underlying layer is made of a conductive material whose etching rate of ion beam etching is higher than that of the magnetic alloy used to make the pole layer.
US07877857B2
Coils are electrically connected to a commutator, which includes commutator segments that are arranged one after another in a circumferential direction of a dielectric body along an outer peripheral surface of the dielectric body. Each commutator segment includes a slidably contacting portion, a claw portion and a bending fulcrum portion. The slidably contacting portion is provided in one axial side of the commutator segment and is slidably contactable with each brush. The claw portion is provided in the other axial side of the commutator segment and is engageable with the corresponding coil. The bending fulcrum portion is formed on a claw portion side of the slidably contacting portion and is bent upon radially inwardly pressing the claw portion by a fusing electrode.
US07877856B2
An edge (29) for supporting a diaphragm assembly (100) with respect to a frame (26) is bonded to the frame (26) along the outer periphery thereof and joined to a diaphragm (27) in a position more peripherally inward than a voice coil (28) along the inner periphery thereof. The edge (29) partly overlaps diaphragm (27). This structure allows downsizing of the speaker, without reducing the sizes of a permanent magnet (21) and the edge (29).
US07877846B1
The ratchet buckle for tightening a strap under a ratchet action provides a retention arm that constrains folded excess strap to the buckle to prevent it from flapping free during transport of cargo that the strap secures. A guard is provided outside a crank arm that is rotatably journaled to a base by a spindle on its forward end. The crank arm is secured to the guard intermediate the length of the guard with the guard extending rearward of the crank arm. The guard thus covers a ratchet wheel and the crank arm and with the crank arm forms an effective double-layered crank arm. The retention arm is rotatable on a handle shaft mounted to the guard rearward end, biased down onto folded excess strap.
US07877834B2
The invention relates to an apparatus for the suspension of a work implement such as sweeping rollers and ploughs on a vehicle, the apparatus comprising a frame mounted at one end of the vehicle and a carrier (11) fixed to the frame and running essentially transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Adjacent to each of its outer ends the carrier can be provided with at least one link (14, 15) having a pivot axis (16, 17) parallel to the longitudinal axis of the carrier at a first end. The ends of the links remote from the carrier are fixedly supported at outer ends of the work implement, the links pivoting independently about each pivot axis (16, 17).
US07877833B2
An oral-care device with a power cleaning head configured to dispense an oral-care cleaning solution is disclosed. The power cleaning head comprises squeegees and bristles and one or more apertures for dispensing the oral-care solution. Preferably, the squeegee and bristle are configured to rotate, oscillate, vibrate or otherwise move while dispensing the oral-care solution through the one or more apertures.
US07877827B2
A climate controlled seat, bed or other assembly configured to receive a person includes a blower and two or more thermoelectric devices or other conditioning fluid modules. According to one embodiment of an operational scheme, a control system for the seat or bed is configured to continuously discharge air from the blower through the thermoelectric devices. In one arrangement, the thermoelectric devices are sequenced between an activated and a deactivated position. Consequently, the desired cooling and/or cooling effect can be maintained while reducing energy consumption of the climate control system.
US07877826B2
A plurality of nozzles are located on each side of a foot washing station on curved portions of spray members. At least some of the nozzles are located at a plurality of elevations and are downwardly directed to knock debris off the lower leg and foot of a user to thus wash the debris away. A foot platform supports the foot or feet of a user is preferably continuously sloped so that water does not accumulate at any portion of the foot platform. Additionally, an actuator is preferably actuated by the placement of the weight of the foot on the foot platform to begin the spraying of the foot or feet with water in a hands-free operation. Spray nozzle tips are screwed into orifices which then dispense water under pressure preferably in a spray pattern with highly atomized water pellets efficiently removing debris from the feet of a user.
US07877819B2
The invention relates to protective clothing with a protective function against chemical and/or biological contaminants, especially for civil or military purposes, such as NBC protective clothing, with the protective clothing having a multiple-layer construction or a multiple-ply textile construction with an outer material and an inner material equipped with a protective function against chemical and/or biological contaminants, with the protective clothing being provided with at least one ventilation opening that is closed with a gas-permeable, in particular, air-permeable protective filter material that sorbs chemical and/or biological contaminants. In this way, when the clothing is being worn, the air supply and the air exchange is increased in an efficient way and the removal of moisture, in particular, sweat, and also excess body heat, is improved and thus the overall comfort in wearing the clothing is increased, without negatively affecting the protective function of the clothing.
US07877818B2
An improved collar mechanism and method of use for the securing of reusable gowns typically used in health care settings around the neck of a user without the need to secure with ties, tabs, snaps or other securing devices. The collar mechanism is made of a stiff material that is pliable enough to move without fracture when force is applied but with a sufficient memory that allows the collar to return to its original position once the force is removed or when modeled as such.
US07882558B1
A system and method are provided to couple tunnel servers to tunnel clients executing host applications for use in a virtual private network (VPN) environment. A receiver receives requests from host applications executing on the tunnel clients. The requests are addressed to the tunnel coupling system to establish a VPN tunnel. A processor processes the requests and an indication of loads on the tunnel servers to establish the VPN tunnels by designating at least one of the tunnel servers to each requested tunnel. A tunnel traffic distributor distributes tunnel traffic to the tunnel servers based at least part on the designations. In additional aspects, an evaluation processor evaluates the tunnel traffic before the tunnel traffic distributor distributes the tunnel traffic to the tunnel servers. For example, the evaluation performed by the evaluation processor includes at least performing security functions on the tunnel traffic. In yet another aspect, the request processor establishes the VPN tunnel by, in part, associating each VPN tunnel with characteristics of tunnel traffic for that VPN tunnel, and the tunnel traffic distributor operates in part based on the associations, without involvement of the host applications.
US07882557B2
A system and method for facilitating the establishment of a virtual private network between a network and a remote computer, the system having: a mobile device connectable to the remote computer and storing a user profile, virtual private network information, and password information; virtual private network software being located on one of the mobile device and the remote computer; an access point communicating with the network; and communication means for communications between the access point and one of the mobile device and the remote computer, wherein the user profile, virtual private network information, and password information is passed to the virtual private network software upon connection of the mobile device to the remote computer, the virtual private network software using the user profile, virtual private network information, and password information to establish a virtual private network through the communications means and the access point to the network.
US07882553B2
An apparatus for generating intermediate cryptogram data corresponding to a dynamic password for a first cryptographic scheme, the intermediate cryptogram data being suitable for display using a device designed for a second, different cryptographic scheme, the apparatus including: a communications interface for communicating with a said device; and a processor coupled to a memory, the memory storing processor control code to control the processor, when running, to: generate a dynamic password according to the first cryptographic scheme; and generate intermediate cryptogram data corresponding to said dynamic password, the intermediate cryptogram data being suitable for outputting to the said device so that, when the said device processes said intermediate cryptogram data according to the second cryptographic scheme, the said device generates data suitable for displaying said dynamic password.
US07882541B2
A mobile information processing device (200) obtains specific information of a user in response to an operation by the user, authenticates the user based on the specific information, establishes the first wireless communication mode, and then transmits authentication information to an information processing terminal. The information processing terminal (100) receives the authentication information from the mobile information processing device in the first wireless communication mode (A), verifies the received authentication information, generates an identification based on the resultant verification, transmits, in the first wireless communication mode, the identification to the mobile information processing device, then changes from the first wireless communication mode into the second wireless communication mode (B), and iteratively performs polling of the mobile information processing device. The mobile information processing device receives the identification from the information processing terminal in the first wireless communication mode, then changes from the first wireless communication mode to the second wireless communication mode, and transmits, in response to the polling from the information processing terminal, a reply containing the identification back to the information processing terminal in the second wireless communication mode. Thus the presence of the mobile information processing device is managed.
US07882540B2
A system and method for an end user to change the operation of a data flow filter mechanism, such as a firewall, that operates to control data flows between a plurality of protected computing devices and one or more non-protected computing devices. With the system and method, an administrator of a sub-network of computing devices may set a client computing device's scope of rules/policies that may be changed by a user of the client computing device, with regard to a data flow filter mechanism. The user of the client computing device, or the client computing device itself, may then log onto the data flow filter mechanism and modify the operation of the data flow filter mechanism within the limits established by the administrator.
US07882539B2
Abstracting access control policy from access check mechanisms allows for richer expression of policy, using a declarative model with semantics, than what is permitted by the access check mechanisms. Further, abstracting access control policy allows for uniform expression of policy across multiple access check mechanisms. Proof-like reasons for any access query are provided, such as who has access to what resource, built from the policy statements themselves, independent of the access check mechanism that provide access. Access is audited and policy-based reasons for access are provided based on the access control policy.
US07882531B2
A multicasting system includes a delivery server for multicasting a content via at least one upper router and a plurality of lower routers, a plurality of client devices for playing the content multicast by the delivery server, an upper router controller for controlling the upper router and a lower router controller for controlling the plurality of lower routers. The client device includes a play history storage unit, an individual storage unit, a content retrieving unit, and a content playing unit. The delivery server includes a master storage unit, an optimizer optimizing the identifier and the session information of the content stored on the individual storage unit, and a content delivery unit. The upper router controller includes a session information retrieving unit, a book scheduling unit, and a schedule information notifier.
US07882525B2
Data collection for a comprehensive program guide is described. In embodiment(s), a content distributor communicates media content to client devices via an IP-based network. The client devices also receive off-air media content along with off-air program guide data that corresponds to the off-air media content. The content distributor can then receive the off-air program guide data from any one or more of the client devices to update a comprehensive program guide at the content distributor.
US07882519B2
This invention discloses a method for displaying advertisements transmitted to a user unit, the method includes receiving, at the user unit, at least one advertisement tagged with a delay tag indicating whether display of the at least one advertisement can be delayed and only if the delay tag allows delaying display of the at least one advertisement, storing the at least one advertisement at the user unit, retrieving the at least one advertisement and displaying the at least one advertisement. A billing system for reporting a commercial broadcast to a multiplicity of users is also disclosed.
US07882518B2
An apparatus for the intelligent display of advertisements to a television services user includes a transmitter, a receiver and a display on which an electronic television program guide, television programs, and advertisements are displayed. Advertising and electronic program guide data are transmitted to a receiver used by one or more television service users. The electronic program guide data includes information characterizing television programs listed in an electronic program guide. Similarly, the advertising data includes advertisements and information characterizing the transmitted advertisements. A selection history contains information characterizing those programs selected by a user for viewing. Received advertisements are displayed to the user based upon a comparison between the information characterizing each of the plurality of advertisements and the information in the selection history.
US07882512B2
An automatic balancing apparatus is disclosed. The automatic balancing apparatus includes a housing, magnetic fluid, and a plurality of balancers. The housing is rotatable. The magnetic fluid is contained in the housing. Each of the plurality of balancers is movable in the housing and has a magnet and a yoke which is mounted thereto and which has a raised portion or a depressed portion formed on an inner circumferential side of a rotation of the housing.
US07882510B2
A set of interfaces and data structures (i.e., a demultiplexer API) represents a demultiplexer of multimedia data. The data structure utilizes a number of fields, each containing an element of a command. In one embodiment, at least seven commands are formed for proper operation of the demultiplexer, including Initialize, SetPresentationDescriptor, GetPresentationDescriptor, GetPendingPresentationDescriptor, ProcessInput, ProcessOutput, and Flush commands. The demultiplexer API allows the consumer to use muxed stream data such as DV in a uniform manner to generate elementary stream data such as audio and video (compressed or uncompressed) and allows demultiplexers to be used as an independent component.
US07882504B2
A wakeup mechanism for computing system is disclosed. A wakeup unit connected to a host interface is configured to detect a sequence of data values and to generate the activation signal if the detected sequence matches an expected sequence of data values. First, a read by the host processor at a particular address in memory is detected by the wakeup unit. Next, a sequence of data values is written to the address by the host processor and the wakeup unit compares the sequence to an expected sequence. If there is a match, the wakeup unit causes the multitasking controller to execute a test of the data in memory. If the test is positive, then an indicator is written to the address and when the host reads the indicator, the wakeup unit causes the multitask controller to become active.
US07882496B2
Metering execution of interpreted programs on a data processing system is accomplished. An interpreted program requests a service to an interpreter running the interpreted program. The interpreter invokes a native external function for implementing the service. The invocation of the external function is intercepted. The interpreted program identified according to the external function by accessing a catalogue which associates native functions with interpreted programs. A license management operation is performed according to the identified interpreted program.
US07882492B2
A method for displaying a user-defined artifact in a debugger view is provided. The user-defined artifact is defined in a software application that is developed by a computer software application developer. The software application is included in a packaged application that includes instructions, with each instruction being either a user-defined instruction or a non-user defined instruction. A breakpoint is defined at a desired instruction of the packaged application. The method includes initiating debugging of the packaged application and hitting the breakpoint defined at the desired instruction. Also included is identifying the user-defined artifact in the software application and obtaining data to populate the debugger view. Further included is filtering-in data associated with the user-defined artifact and displaying the debugger view showing the filtered-in data. The method also includes marking data not associated with the user-defined artifact and stepping through the user-defined instruction.
US07882487B2
The method in accordance with the invention is characterized in that a detailed implementation model is produced in the UML language, that the data of this model are structured to render them utilizable by the scripts generation tool “ModelInAction” (termed “MIA” and produced by the company Sodifrance), and that this tool is made to produce files in the C language, namely .C files, .H files, a generation report file, configuration management “batch” files and compilation project files.
US07882486B2
A prototyping tool is provided to an artistic team, which can use the tool to experiment with, demonstrate, and communicate aspects of the user interface interaction with various user interface elements. These user interface elements can be defined within a layered graphics representation of the user interface artwork, rather than individual flattened graphics files. By setting properties on individual user interface elements through the prototyping tool, the artistic team can review how the elements will appear and behave during typical interaction with a user. Furthermore, a description of the interaction properties and relationships of these user interface elements, as defined by the artistic team, is captured for communication to a programming team. The programming team can then load the layered graphical representation and the interaction description to implement the user interface interactivity developed and proposed by the artistic team.
US07882483B2
The equivalence of two or more constraint files of an integrated circuit (IC) design are checked. The comparison is performed between files at the same stage of design, files that correspond to different stages of the design flow, or between top-level and block-level constraint files.
US07882471B1
In one embodiment of the invention, a method of statically analyzing an integrated circuit with process and environment variations is provided. The method includes characterizing each circuit cell of a cell library for a sensitivity to process parameter variations within a predetermined range; creating a timing graph corresponding to a netlist representing an integrated circuit design; along nodes of the timing graph, computing delay values including sensitivities to process variations; for each selected output node of the netlist, propagating a full timing value function with the sensitivities to the selected output nodes; and generating a parameterized timing report including the sensitivities to the process variations.
US07882465B2
The present invention provides a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a system for debugging a Field Programmable Gate Array, a method for debugging a Field Programmable Gate Array, a FPGA configuration data product and a method and system for configuring a FPGA. According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) having a logic unit under test and comprising: a probe signal selecting unit configured to select at least one probe point from a plurality of probe points in said logic unit under test, and obtain a probe signal at said probe point; and a high speed serial transceiver configured to convert said probe signal into a high speed serial signal and transmit it to outside.
US07882464B1
Disclosed are systems and methods for electrical verification of integrated circuits. Methodologies are described for verification of the power and ground distribution systems (PDS) for system-on-a-chip (SoC) and the verification of the interaction of the PDS with the behavior of integrated circuits.
US07882459B2
A method, system and computer program product for reducing subexpressions in structural design representations containing AND and OR gates are disclosed. The method comprises receiving an initial design, in which the initial design represents an electronic circuit, containing an AND gate. A first simplification mode for the initial design from a set of applicable simplification modes is selected, wherein said simplification mode is an AND/OR simplification mode, and a simplification of the initial design according to the first simplification mode is performed to generate a reduced design. Whether a size of the reduced design is less than a size of the initial design is determined and, in response to determining that the size of the reduced design is less than the size of the initial design, the initial design is replaced with the reduced design.
US07882453B2
A pool of die designs includes die designs having metal programmable base layers. Die designs from the pool are selected for use in fabricating dies. Die designs are added to the pool by customization of die designs already in the pool or by preparing custom die designs that incorporate a metal programmable base layer. In some embodiments multi-tile dies are provided with I/O slots configurable for either inter tile communication or inter die communication.
US07882451B2
An improved handheld electronic device includes an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a processor apparatus. The input apparatus includes a multi-axis input device such as a rollerball, trackball, joystick or touchpad, allowing the focus of a user interface program to be moved about a display from one screen object presented on that display to another. Up to four screen objects are presented on the display, each of those screen objects being positioned towards a corner of the display to enable a user to blindly operate the multi-axis input device, making use of a capture effect in which the focus of a user interface program is resisted from moving beyond an edge of the display, to guide movement of the focus to a given one of the up to four screen objects.
US07882447B2
A method and system to determine the size of a first area on a user interface that is utilized to display data items. The system receives a request for a user interface that includes a first area and a second area that are complementary in size. The system utilizes the first area utilized to display data items and the second area to display other information. The system determines a size of the first area by computing a number of data items that are to be displayed in the first area and generates the user interface to include the first area in the second area, the first area being of the determined size.
US07882445B2
System and method for configuring wires in and/or debugging a statechart. The statechart may be created or displayed on a display and may include a plurality of state icons connected by wires. The state icons may represent states and the wires may represent transitions between the states. One or more of the wires may be configured, e.g., according to user input. A graphical program may be created which specifies a debugging operation for the statechart. The statechart may be executed and may provide data to the graphical program. The graphical program may receive first data produced by the statechart, e.g., during execution. The graphical program may perform the debugging operation based on the first data.
US07882444B2
In one embodiment, the invention allows an operator to identify a specific article of online-content to be reconstructed and displayed, and specify a duration of time to be used when graphically representing what areas of the visual stimuli were actually visible to the user. First, the operator selects an article of online-content based on its original network address, or from a substitute name from a database that contains a record of all online-content visited by the original user. Next, the operator enters a specific duration of time to reconstruct, preferably by using slider-bar, a timeline equal to duration, preferably the maximum duration, that the online content was visible to the original user. Next, the user selects from various compositions that can be used to represent the visual stimuli as it was originally displayed to the user. Finally, the original visual stimuli displayed to the user is recreated based on the article of online content and period of time specified, using the selected form of composition. In yet another embodiment, the invention is a method for retrieving multiple instances of an article of online content from a database of previously recorded content. In yet a further embodiment, the invention is a method for reconstructing visual stimuli as originally displayed to a user as one form of composition. Still another embodiment of the invention is a method for reconstructing a field of visual stimuli that could be observed by a user as one form of composition.
US07882442B2
Systems and methods are provided for presenting digital images using a plurality of digital media frames separated spatially along at least two axes. In one aspect the method comprises the steps of obtaining the digital images to be presented determining the multi-dimensional relationship between the digital media frames analyzing the digital images and any associated metadata to assign an image perspective determination to each of the digital images and determining an arrangement of the digital images for presentation on the plurality of the digital media frames according to the multi-dimensional relationship between the digital media frames and according to the determined image perspectives.
US07882441B2
A computer program for facilitating operation of a screen reader with legacy programs whose user interface definitions do not conform to the design guidelines expected by the screen reader program. A graphical user interface is analyzed to identify a logical sequence of user interface elements within the interface. The sequence of user interface elements within a definition of the user interface is compared with the identified logical sequence to identify any required reordering of the elements to conform to the identified logical sequence. One or more lists or tables are generated for each separable user interface component to (1) specify the required sequence for reordering incorrectly-sequenced user interface controls within the definition and to (2) identify a new static text control which is dynamically generated for use with an edit control which does not have a required static text control.
US07882436B2
A method of distributing video data comprising defining a plurality of programme elements, each programme element comprising a video clip taken from said video data. Each programme element is allocated to one of a predetermined plurality of classes, each class having an associated icon. Data representing a plurality of icons is transmitted to a receiver, each icon representing a class to which a respective one of said plurality of programme elements is allocated. User selection data indicative of a user selection of at least one icon is received, and data associated with the or each programme element associated with the user selection data is transmitted to the receiver. A method for generating video data, and a method for presenting video data are also disclosed.
US07882432B2
An information processing apparatus and method for embedding font information in an electronic document. The apparatus and method comprise generating an electronic document containing editing instructions, and based on the editing instructions, querying to determine whether font information is to be embedded in the electronic document.
US07882426B1
An improved electronic spreadsheet is provided for applications requiring conditional expression execution behavior. Each cell having an executable expression is cooperative with an implicit conditional execution wrapper. The execution of each cellular expression is implicitly conditioned on the state of an individually assigned logical switch expression. The improved electronic spreadsheet also includes a user interface by which a user can assign logical switch expressions to a cell, or to a range of cells. The improved electronic spreadsheet facilitates the use of spreadsheets for wider range of applications than was possible with conventional electronic spreadsheets.
US07882396B2
The inventive method for controlling a program execution integrity by verifying execution trace prints consists in updating the representative print of an execution path and/or data applied for a program execution, comparing the actual print value (dynamically calculated to an expected value (statistically fixed, equal to a value of the print if the program execution is not disturbed) at a determined program spots and in carrying out a particular processing by the program when the actual print differs from the expected value.
US07882388B2
Disclosed is a method, system, and computer readable medium for restoring a failed non-volatile memory (NVM) system in a wireless device having a primary NVM system and a secondary NVM system. The method does not require a reboot of the wireless device. A NVM manager application detects a failure in either of the NVM systems and determines which NVM system has failed. If the primary NVM system has failed then the NVM manger switches the wireless device to operate using the secondary NVM system, restores the primary NVM system using data from the secondary NVM system, then switches the wireless device back to the primary NVM system once it has been restored. If the secondary NVM system has failed then the NVM manager restores the secondary NVM system using data from the primary NVM system.
US07882382B2
Systems and methods for maintaining and servicing a data processing system or “computer system,” including rack enclosures housing multiple servers, desktop computers, and controllers for industrial automation. According to one aspect, touch-activated circuitry is configured with a computer system to control power and data flow to a component port and facilitate hot-swapping of components, such as PCI cards, fans, and hard drives. The component port, such as a PCI slot, electronically interfaces with a removable electronic component, such as a PCI card. A user activates the touch-activated circuitry by touching one or more contact points. Touching the contact points thereby initiate a shut-down sequence of a component driver or other software and then powers down the electronic port so that the electronic component may be safely removed.
US07882381B2
Methods of managing wasted active power of processors in computer systems and other electronic devices are disclosed. In one aspect, a method may include counting a number of times that a processor has performed an instruction loop. Then, a determination may be made whether the number of times that the processor has performed the loop is greater than one or more thresholds or other given values. Next, a limit may be imposed on the power of the processor if the number of times that the processor has performed the loop is greater than at least one of the thresholds or given values. Logic to perform such methods is also disclosed, as are systems suitable for incorporating such logic.
US07882377B2
An electronic device comprising a host module and a wireless module each comprising a processing unit, wherein the electronic device is configurable to be operated in a low processing mode by performing processing functions for the electronic device using the processing unit of the wireless module.
US07882371B2
A first power supply of a constant-voltage output supplies a power to a load by using an external power. A signal generating unit generates a control signal for compensating a shortfall of a load current when exceeding an upper limit of an output current of the first power supply. A second power supply of a constant-current output supplies a power to the load based on the control signal by using a power from a capacitor. An output voltage of the first power supply is controlled so that a voltage of a power supply line that is closer to the load than a current detection position of a converting unit that converts the load current into a current signal is made constant.
US07882370B2
A static pulse bus circuit and method having dynamic power supply rail selection reduces static and dynamic power consumption over that of static pulse bus designs with fixed power supply rail voltages. Every other (even) bus repeater is operated with a selectable power supply rail voltage that is selected in conformity with a state of the input signal of the bus repeater. The odd bus repeaters are operated from the lower of the selectable power supply voltages supplied to the even repeaters. The odd bus repeaters may also be operated from a selectable power supply rail voltage opposite the selectable-voltage power supply rail provided to the even bus repeaters, in which case the opposing rail of the even bus repeaters is set to the higher of the voltages selectable in the odd bus repeaters.
US07882368B2
In a method of publishing creative content to at least one local digital display device, a first unit of the creative content is stored on a first portable digital storage medium in an encrypted format. The digital replication is encrypted with a selected one of a plurality of private encryption keys. The first portable digital storage medium is transferred to the local digital display device. A preselected public key is entered into the local digital display device. The preselected public key corresponds to the selected one of the plurality of private encryption keys. At least a portion of the first unit of the creative content is decrypted by employing the public encryption key using a public key/private key decryption algorithm. The portion of the creative content is displayed on the local digital display device.
US07882364B2
A biological information acquisition unit of a biological information processing apparatus acquires biological information. A cue data acquisition unit requests and acquires cue data from the personal authentication apparatus. A personal data generating unit converts the biological information into personal data, or image data. The personal data generating unit further encrypts the personal data based on the cue data. A personal data output unit displays this encrypted personal data on-screen.
US07882361B2
A method and apparatus for accepting a pass code such as a personal identification number (PIN) are disclosed. The method involves providing a user with a challenge, typically on some form of shielded display to prevent third party viewing. The user now enters a response which transforms the challenge into the pass code allocated to the user. The response allows the user to be validated against a stored record of the pass code allocated to the user.
US07882360B2
A third-party can subscribe to one or more electronic message group lists without joining the group lists by creating a trust relationship between the subscriber and a group list member. In particular, the subscriber can send a trust indicator to the group member, who can then determine whether to accept the trust indicator for all or specific groups that are associated with the group member, as appropriate. In at least one embodiment, the group member can send a trust indicator acceptance message to the subscriber that identifies the group member, and any or all group lists associated with the group member. The subscriber can then receive messages directed to the trusted group member or group lists, and can send group messages to the group lists subject to a receive setting associated with the group lists or group members of the group lists.
US07882359B2
The present invention discloses a method for generating and verifying a user attestation-signature value (DAA′) and issuing an attestation value (cert) for the generation of the user attestation-signature value (DAA′). Further, the invention is related to a system for using a user attestation-signature value (DAA′) that corresponds to at least one attribute (A, B, C, D), each with an attribute value (w, x, y, z), none, one or more of the attribute values (x, y) remaining anonymous for transactions, the system comprising: a user device (20) having a security module (22) that provides a module public key (PKTPM) and a security module attestation value (DAA), the user device (20) providing a user public key (PKUC) that inherently comprises none, one, or more user determined attribute value (x, y) and a proof value demonstrating that the user public key (PKUC) is validly derived from the module public key (PKTPM) of the security module (22); an attester computer (30) that provides none, one, or more attester determined attribute value (w, z) and an attestation value (cert) that bases on an attester secret key (SKAC), the user public key (PKUC), and an anonymous attribute value (w, z); and a verification computer (40) for verifying whether or not (i) the user attestation-signature value (DAA′) was validly derived from the security module attestation value (DAA) provided by the security module (22) and the attestation value (cert), and (ii) the attestation value (cert) is associated with a subset (B, D) of at least one attribute, each attribute in the subset (B, D) having a revealed attribute value (x, z).
US07882352B2
A secure mobile wireless device in which executable code to be installed on the device is assigned a set of capabilities which define the protected resource(s) on the device which it can access. Hence, the present invention takes the idea of capabilities (known in the context of defining the capabilities or access privileges of different users in a multi-user system) and applies it to defining the capabilities or access privileges of different native executable code for secure, single-user mobile wireless devices.
US07882347B2
An image is split into a plurality of blocks, a feature quantity is extracted from each of the blocks, data is embedded into each of the blocks based on a difference between feature quantities of that block and at least one adjacent block, and data embedded blocks are printed.
US07882344B2
A multi-processor system includes a first processor, a second processor communicable with the first processor, a first non-volatile memory for storing first codes and second codes to respectively boot the first and second processors, the first memory communicable with the first processor, a second volatile memory designated for the first processor, a third volatile memory designated for the second processor, and a fourth volatile memory shared by the first and second processors.
US07882338B2
A method, system and computer program product for performing an implicit predicted return from a predicted subroutine are provided. The system includes a branch history table/branch target buffer (BHT/BTB) to hold branch information, including a target address of a predicted subroutine and a branch type. The system also includes instruction buffers, and instruction fetch controls to perform a method including fetching a branch instruction at a branch address and a return-point instruction. The method also includes receiving the target address and the branch type, and fetching a fixed number of instructions in response to the branch type. The method further includes referencing the return-point instruction within the instruction buffers such that the return-point instruction is available upon completing the fetching of the fixed number of instructions absent a re-fetch of the return-point instruction.
US07882332B1
A register system for a data processing system includes an address encoder that generates an encoded address based on a processor mode identifier and a register identifier and memory comprising 2T−1 unbanked registers. The encoded address identifies one of the 2T−1 unbanked registers associated with one of the P processor modes. The encoded address comprises T bits. The register identifier identifies one of 2T−1 unbanked registers. The processor mode identifier identifies P processor modes, where T and P are integers greater than two.
US07882331B2
A method and system where a hardware platform such as a disk drive is formatted to the largest block length it is desired to read from or write to. Using commands, data can be accessed from the drive in any block length that is equal to or less than the formatted block length.
US07882319B2
A method for memory management that includes receiving a request for memory space, identifying a first memory module from a plurality of memory modules based on a first memory power management policy, wherein the first memory power management policy specifies how to allocate memory space in the plurality of memory modules to satisfy a power consumption criteria, and allocating the memory space on the first memory module.
US07882318B2
Methods, apparatuses, articles, and systems for comparing a first security domain of a first memory page of a physical device to a second security domain of a second memory page of the physical device, the security domains being stored in one or more registers of a processor of the physical device, are described herein. Based on the comparison, the processor disallows an instruction from the first memory page to access the second memory page if the first security domain is different from the second security domain. Resultantly, software agents, in particular, critical software agents, may be protected in a virtual technology (VT) environment more efficiently and effectively.
US07882317B2
A first plurality of operating system processes is assigned to a first protection domain, and a second plurality of operating system processes is assigned to a second protection domain. One or more hardware protection mechanisms are used to prevent the first plurality of operating system processes from accessing the memory space of the second plurality of operating system processes, and also to prevent the second plurality of operating system processes from accessing the memory space of the first plurality of operating system processes.
US07882312B2
A state engine receives multiple requests from a parallel processor for a shared state. The state engine includes at least one state element and the at least one state element is adapted to operate, atomically, on the shared state in response to a request made by the parallel processor. The request includes at least a command directing the at least one state element on how to perform an operation on the shared state. The state engine also includes a memory connected to the at least one state element and configured to store the shared state.
US07882297B2
Serial bus hub with one or more low power devices. The serial bus hub may include at least one upstream port for coupling to a host system. The serial bus hub may include one or more downstream ports for coupling to peripheral devices. The serial bus hub may include the low power devices which may have no functionality external to the serial bus hub. The presence of the low power devices may allow the serial bus hub to draw additional power from the host system and a substantial portion of the additional power may be usable by other devices. The serial bus hub may be configured to allow the host system and one or more peripheral devices coupled to the one or more downstream ports to communicate.
US07882295B2
Disclosed are a method and apparatus of non-system bus width data transfer executable at a non-aligned system bus address. In one embodiment, a method of a controller is described. The method includes applying a FIFO buffer having a buffer width (e.g., determined using a transfer algorithm) that is wider than that of a system bus width. A system bus that permits transfer of data amounts which are non-integer multiples of a width of the system bus is used. The system bus is designed such that it supports any non-aligned system bus address. Data is transferred between devices coupled to the system bus.
US07882279B2
A bidirectional bus control circuit to which first and second direction signals instructing bus directions are input and which inputs and outputs a clock signal and data signal includes a first bidirectional buffer that switches an input or output direction of the clock signal in accordance with the second direction signal, a second bidirectional buffer that switches an input or output direction of the data signal in accordance with the second direction signal, and a data confirmation unit that confirms a data signal input to the second bidirectional buffer and invalidates the confirmation of the data signal in accordance with switching of the signal direction instructed by the first direction signal from the input direction to the output direction, the switching of the signal direction instructed by the first direction signal occurring before the switching of the signal direction instructed by the second direction.
US07882277B2
A processor includes a CPU capable of performing predetermined arithmetic processing, a memory accessible by the CPU, and a data transfer unit capable of controlling data transfer with the memory by substituting for the CPU. The data transfer unit is provided with a command chain unit for continuously performing data transfer by execution of a preset command chain, and a retry controller for executing a retry processing in case a transfer error occurs during data transfer by the command chain unit. Then, the data transfer unit reports a command relating to the transfer error to the CPU after completion of the execution of the command chain, thereby lessening the number of interruptions for error processing, and attaining enhancement in performance of a system.
US07882275B2
An arrangement for a system for controlling, monitoring, communication etc. comprises locally deployed module units which each perform one or more local function(s). The system also comprises one or more system-functioning-determining unit(s) at a higher level than said module units. Also included are one or more connection(s) connecting said units. Each module unit is connected to the connection concerned via a connection facility or connection point. The facility or point comprises one or more microprocessor(s) (microprocessor setup(s)) arranged with compatibility with signalling appearing on the connection according to the rules of systems engineering which apply, and with a higher-level function in relation to the module unit. The invention also relates to a method for said system and a contact arrangement for connection of a module unit to the connection. The invention makes possible outstanding separation of system functions and module unit functions, the result of which is that the various part functions can be produced individually with hardware and used by the system/module unit constructor.
US07882266B2
A method and system for negotiating interface data path establishment is provided in the invention, including: making a decision, by Target ASN-GW, on whether to establish an R4 data path or an redirect R3 data path, and sending a corresponding request to the Anchor ASN-GW according to the decision; and determining a negotiation result, by the Anchor ASN-GW, according to the corresponding request from the Target ASN-GW, or the corresponding request from the Target ASN-GW and a local decision, and returning a reply to the Target ASN-GW according to the negotiation result. In this way, the R3 data path is redirected if either the Target ASN-GW or the Anchor ASN-GW determines to redirect the R3 data path; and an R4 data path is established only if both the Target ASN-GW and the Anchor ASN-GW determine to establish the R4 data path.
US07882263B2
A method for compressing a signalling message in a communication system. The method comprising the steps of: receiving a part of the signalling message; detecting in a memory a copy of the part of the signalling message; comparing the length of the detected part against a stored length value; and dependent on the output of the comparison step performing a step of storing the detected part of the signalling message in the memory.
US07882252B2
A storage device has partitions that are separately addressed by distinct IP addresses. This allows direct access of the partitions, on a peer-to-peer basis, by any other device that can communicate using IP. Preferred storage devices support spanning between or among partitions of the same device, as well as between or among different storage devices. Both multicast and proxy spanning are contemplated. Combinations of the inventive storage devices with each other, and with prior art storage devices are contemplated, in all manner of mirroring and other arrangements. In still other aspects of the invention, a given storage device can include one or more types of media, including any combination of rotating and non-rotating media, magnetic and optical, and so forth.
US07882250B2
A device for provision of access to data in various data sources. In one embodiment the device permits a user uniform central access to all data sources and a uniform visualization of the data from the corresponding data sources. The various data sources are automation devices, ERP devices, MES devices and other production relevant data sources.
US07882249B2
Methods, and associated devices, media, and systems, for establishing a communication link between a host system and a storage device are provided. Such a method includes the steps of: providing a communication stack having only an application layer and a physical layer; and establishing a communication channel between a host system and the storage device using the communication stack. The step of establishing may be performed via a TCP/IP emulator in a host-system side and a storage-command interpreter in a storage-device side. The method may further include: establishing a communication channel between the host system and a device having a static-IP address; and establishing a communication channel between the host system and a device having a storage identifier that is embedded into one of command parameters sent by the application layer or the physical layer to the TCP/IP emulator.
US07882237B2
A method is described herein for transmitting data from a first point (203) to a second point (205) on a network (201) via a proxy server (207). In accordance with the method, a first data packet is received from the first point at the proxy server without sending an acknowledgement packet to the first point. The first data packet is forwarded from the proxy server to the second point, and a second data packet is received from the second point at the proxy server. The second data packet is then forwarded to the first point along with an acknowledgement packet for receipt of the first data packet from the first point at the proxy server.
US07882221B2
A system and method for providing attestation and/or integrity of a server execution environment are described. One or more parts of a server environment are selected for measurement. The one or more parts in a server execution environment are measured, and the measurements result in a unique fingerprint for each respective selected part. The unique fingerprints are aggregated by an aggregation function to create an aggregated value, which is determinative of running programs in the server environment. A measurement parameter may include the unique fingerprints, the aggregated value or a base system value and may be sent over a network interface to indicate the server environment status or state.
US07882207B1
A method of transmitting one or more data streams to a mobile terminal having multiple network connections, the method comprising: sending the one or more data streams from a correspondent host to a home agent located in the home network of the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal sending a request for the data stream to be transmitted by the correspondent host and the mobile terminal communicating with the home agent to transmit the network location of the mobile terminal to the home agent, and then forwarding the one or more data streams via the foreign agent to the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal communicates network connectivity data to the home agent and the forwarding of the one or more data streams is dependent upon the network connectivity data received by the home agent.
US07882203B2
A remote authoring service is described. Remote page authoring includes receiving a stream of data from a server that includes embedded control attribute data. The embedded control attribute data facilitates the generation of a proxy control and allows a web page designer to make modifications to dynamic elements of the webpage without requiring the executable code for the actual controls. The proxy control may provide preview data of the control to allow the client to perform authoring functions using the proxy control. Modifications made via the proxy control service may then be transmitted to the server where the controls are updated.
US07882198B2
Techniques are disclosed for sharing programmatic modules among isolated virtual machines. A master JVM process loads data from a programmatic module, storing certain elements of that data into its private memory region, and storing other elements of that data into a “read-only” area of a shareable memory region. The master JVM process copies loaded data from its private memory region into a “read/write” area of the shareable memory region. Instead of re-loading the data from the programmatic module, other JVM processes map to the read-only area and also copy the loaded data from the read/write area into their own private memory regions. The private memory areas of all of the JVM processes begin at the same virtual memory address, so references between read-only data and copied data are preserved correctly. As a result, multiple JVM processes start up faster, and memory is conserved by avoiding the redundant storage of shareable data.
US07882194B2
System, method and program product for managing a chat session. A server maintains an identity and list of member(s) of a group that can be added to a chat session, and a list of people authorized to request that the group of member(s) be added to the chat session. A person in a chat session at a workstation makes a request to add the group of member(s) to the chat session. In response, the workstation sends the request to the server. In response to the request, the server determines if the person is authorized to add the group to the chat session. If so, the server sends an invitation to the member(s) to join the chat session. If not, the server does not send an invitation to the member(s) to join the chat session. To make the request to add the group to the chat session, the person can enter in a chat session text field a character string that is a command to add the group to the chat session. A program at the workstation monitors the text field and determines that the character string is the command to add the group to the chat session.
US07882188B2
The present invention discloses a method of message transmission performed in a server; a method of message transmission performed in a client; a symbol-based method for transmitting a message between a server and at least one client as well as a server; a client and a symbol-based message transmission system, wherein the symbol-based method of message transmission has: at least one client requesting the server to perform message transmission; the server transmitting symbols of the client's message to the client; and presenting the received message symbols on the client. The symbol-based method of message transmission saves a great deal of bandwidth of the communication channel by having the server only transmit symbols that represent the message after receiving a message transmission request from the client. This is done in order to efficiently transmit a message with a large body and/or attachment(s), thereby avoiding the risk of blocking the communication channel.
US07882178B2
A method and system for using business rules to control invitations to participate in instant message (IM) collaborations. A primary invitee is invited to participate in an IM collaboration via a first IM. A business rule associated with the primary invitee is applied to determine that the primary invitee is unavailable to participate in the IM collaboration. A second IM is sent to automatically invite a backup invitee to participate in the IM collaboration. In another embodiment, a primary invitee with credentials specified by a business rule is to be invited to an IM collaboration at a specified time. An application of the business rule determines that the specified time is outside a valid invitation time period or the primary invitee's credentials are not included in a set of predefined credentials. Following the application of the business rule, a backup invitee is invited.
US07882175B1
A facility for selecting an advertising message to present to a user via a selected device in connection with a selected instance of electronic content presented via the device is described. For the selected instance of electronic content, as well as any other instances of electronic content that were previously presented via the selected device during an immediately preceding period of time of preselected length, the facility distinguishes any subjects identified as corresponding to the instance of electronic content. Among a number of advertising messages, the facility distinguishes advertising messages identified as corresponding to any of the distinguished subjects. The facility weights each of the distinguished advertising messages based upon its expected level of performance, and randomly selects one of the distinguished advertising messages in accordance with their weights for presentation in connection with the selected instance of electronic content via the selected device.
US07882172B2
In a thin client system which provides a high-quality picture reproduction method and which makes it possible to use a thin client terminal as a TeleVision (TV) phone terminal and a TV conference terminal, a video reproducing module is disposed in a thin client server device and a graphics module is disposed in a thin client terminal. The thin client server device sets a transmission color to a video display area of screen data and sends the screen data via a remote control communication path and simultaneously sends video data via a second route. The thin client terminal receives the screen data and the video data and displays the screen and video data as an overlay image in one same screen using the screen overlay scheme.
US07882171B1
An automatic download provisioning system and method that includes appending an Installer into a Loader, gathering UserInfo, injecting the UserInfo into the Loader, and using the Loader to write the UserInfo into a Registry of a user computer. One preferred embodiment includes the steps of appending an Installer to a Loader having a Static Buffer, posting the Loader on the Web Server, gathering UserInfo, injecting the UserInfo into the Static Buffer, and transmitting the Loader to the user computer. Another preferred embodiment includes means for receiving a Loader having a Static Buffer and an appended Installer, means for gathering UserInfo, means for injecting the UserInfo into the Static Buffer, and means for transmitting the Loader to the user computer.
US07882160B2
A solution for handling objects in a nursery heap that includes a garbage collector monitoring engine, a size adjustor program, and/or a promotion program. The garbage collector monitoring engine can monitor occurrences of global garbage collection events performed by a global garbage collector program as well as occurrences of nursery garbage collection events performed by a nursery garbage collector. The size adjustor program can dynamically adjust a size of a nursery heap based upon programmatically deterministic events detected by the garbage collector monitoring engine. The promotion program can dynamically adjust conditions of promotion for nursery objects, wherein when additional space is needed in the nursery heap to reduce nursery garbage collection induced latency, the promotion program changes promotion criteria to ensure objects are promoted more frequently from the nursery heap.
US07882156B2
An electronic catalog is provided that stores items and attributes associated with the items. One or more of the attributes may have more than one value. Items are stored in an item table with different attributes for items stored in different rows in an attribute table. Additional items may be added to a catalog by adding additional rows to the item table, with attributes related to the additional items added as rows into the attribute table. Particular attributes may have multiple values, and attributes with multiple values are associated with sub-items that correspond to different attribute trees or attribute sets associated with the item. Searching can be performed for attribute values and search results returned indicating all items and sub-items that satisfy the search criteria.
US07882153B1
A method for electronic messaging of trade data involves receiving trade data having an unknown format in an electronic message, where trade data includes individual trade data elements, processing the electronic message to resolve the unknown format into a known format, parsing trade data using the known format to obtain individual trade data elements, and storing individual trade data elements in a trade data repository.
US07882151B2
A method and system for processing a schema mapping M from a source schema S to a target schema T by executing program code on a processor of a computer system. A schema mapping M′ from T to S is determined via processing the schema mapping M. The schema mapping M includes at least one constraint σ. Each constraint σ consists of a source-to-target tuple-generating dependencies (s-t tgd). The schema mapping M′ includes at least one constraint σ′. Each constraint σ′ consists of a disjunctive tgd with constants and inequalities among the constants. The schema mapping M′ is stored in at least one computer usable storage device of the computer system and/or is outputted in at least one output device of the computer system.
US07882147B2
Embodiments of methods, apparatuses, devices and/or systems for a file location naming hierarchy are disclosed.
US07882144B1
In response to a user request, a computer generates a graphical user interface on a computer display. A schema information region of the graphical user interface includes multiple operand names, each operand name associated with one or more fields of a multi-dimensional database. A data visualization region of the graphical user interface includes multiple shelves. Upon detecting a user selection of the operand names and a user request to associate each user-selected operand name with a respective shelf in the data visualization region, the computer generates a visual table in the data visualization region in accordance with the associations between the operand names and the corresponding shelves. The visual table includes a plurality of panes, each pane having at least one axis defined based on data for the fields associated with a respective operand name.
US07882142B2
A method for generating and modifying a datastore may include identifying all processes associated with an observation model and identifying any metrics associated with each process to be recorded. The method may also include automatically constructing a database schema to store the metric data and provide appropriate interrelations between the processes.
US07882133B2
An apparatus for processing an integrated query from various sensor networks and a method thereof are provided. The apparatus includes an integrated query parser for parsing an integrated query and analyzing a syntax of the parsed integrated query; an integrated query execution plan generator for analyzing meaning of the parsed integrated query and generating an integrated query execution query for processing an integrated query; an integrated query optimizer for optimizing a process time for the generated execution plan based on query information stored in the query information storage and sensor network information stored in the sensor network information storage; and an integrated query executer for detailing the integrated query execution plan by controlling an execution order according to the optimized integrated query and transferring the detailed integrated query execution plan to an event data process executer, a temporal data process executer, and a continuous data process executer.
US07882130B2
A directory server system that includes a data repository storing a plurality of entries, wherein the plurality of entries comprises a plurality of user entries and a plurality of role entries, wherein each of the plurality of role entries define a role and comprises an InterestedApplication attribute, a directory server executing a first operation to obtain initial results and execute a second operation to obtain final results, wherein the second operation uses the initial results and the InterestedApplication attribute to obtain the final results, and an application requesting the directory server to execute the first operation and the second operation.
US07882128B2
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for pattern detection in input data containing several transactions, each transaction having at least one item. Filter conditions for interesting patterns are received, and a first set of filter conditions applicable in connection with generation of candidate patterns is determined. An evaluated candidate pattern is selected as a parent candidate pattern, and evaluation information about the parent candidate pattern is maintained. Child candidate patterns are generated by extending the parent candidate pattern and taking into account the first set of filter conditions. The child candidate patterns are evaluated with respect to the input data together in sets of similar candidate patterns and based on the evaluation information about the parent candidate pattern. At least one child candidate pattern successfully passing the evaluation step is recursively used as a parent candidate pattern.
US07882110B2
A method for exporting native source documents (NSDs) from a document repository. The method includes identifying a first NSD to export, where the first NSD includes a first version of content and first metadata, and identifying a second NSD to export, where the second NSD comprises a second version of the content and second metadata. The method further includes generating a source content definition file (CDF) document that includes a global property, a first version-specific property for the first version of the content, a reference to the first version of the content, a second version specific-property for the second version of the content, and a reference to the second version of the content. The method further includes storing the source CDF document in a persistent storage device.
US07882105B2
A method which makes it possible to select a predefined maximum number N of documents from a set of electronic documents. A graph G is constructed on the basis of the set of electronic documents, each vertex of the graph G corresponding to one of the documents of said set and each edge between two vertices of the graph indicating the presence of at least one hypertext link between the two documents, corresponding to the two vertices considered. The method uses the topological properties of this graph to select a subset of N documents. A minor MG of the graph G is generated comprising a predefined maximum number N of vertices by deletion of at least one vertex of the graph G, this deletion being aimed at minimizing for the predefined number N of vertices a predefined distance between the graph G and the minor MG, this distance measuring the perturbation of the neighborhood of the vertices of the graph G that is engendered by the generation of the minor MG.
US07882100B2
A database system with methodology for generating bushy nested loop join trees is described. In one embodiment, for example, an improved method is described for optimization of a query requesting data from a database, the method comprises steps of: generating a left deep operator tree for returning data requested by the query based on traversing a left deep operator tree search space; transforming the left deep operator tree into a semantically correct structure for returning data requested by the query; and building a query execution plan for returning data requested by the query based on the semantically correct structure.
US07882080B2
There is described a method for operating an automation system, in which automation-specific data is filed in a database, an access to the data taking place using a database interface, all access to the data taking place via one and the same database interface and when an access to the database takes place, a datum to which the access relates is identified by a unique reference, in which on the datum identified via the reference a buffer is formed or used and a status of the datum is backed up in the buffer.
US07882076B2
An arrangement for performing at least one of collecting and analyzing data from a tool cluster configured to process a set of substrates is provided. The arrangement includes a plurality of tools from which at least one tool of the plurality of tools has a chamber for processing at least one of the set of substrates. The arrangement also includes a plurality of secondary servers configured to collect sensor data from the plurality of tools. The arrangement further includes a primary server communicably coupled with the plurality of secondary servers and configured to execute a database management system. The sensor data is indexed using a plurality of indexing applications on the plurality of secondary servers prior to being forwarded to the primary server for use by the database management system. Indexing includes associating a sensor data item with an identity of a server where the sensor data item is stored.
US07882074B2
A video contents recording apparatus and a method of managing a data storage medium include: a data storage medium in which a plurality of contents are recorded; and a controller displaying a list of contents to be deleted generated from the contents recorded in the data storage medium to a user via a display unit according to a predetermined delete priority and deleting contents selected by the user from the data storage medium with reference to the list. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a recording space of a data storage medium having limited data storage capacity may be efficiently managed by automatically deleting contents stored in the data storage medium according to a predetermined priority selected by a user or by providing a delete list for referring to when the user determines contents to be deleted.
US07882071B2
In one embodiment, a user or client device is connected to a distributed file system comprised of one or more physical nodes. The data on each of the physical nodes store metadata about files and directories within the file system. Some of the embodiments permit a user to take a snapshot of data stored on the file system. The snapshot may include a single file, a single directory, a plurality of files within a directory, a plurality of directories, a path on the file system that includes nested files and subdirectories, or more than one path on the file system that each includes nested files and directories. In one embodiment, previous versions of a file or directory are stored only in response to a request to modify the file or directory. The system creates and updates a snapshot tracking data structure which provides information regarding each file or directory governed by the snapshot that was modified or deleted after the snapshot was taken. The snapshot tracking data structure may be used by the system to perform functions related to the snapshot, including deleting the snapshot.
US07882065B2
Provided are a method, system, and program for processing a request to update a file in a file system with update data. The update request to a target file that is directed to the file system is processed, wherein the target file is in a mirror copy relationship with a mirror file. A determination is made as to whether a copy operation from the target file to the mirror file is in progress and whether bytes to update in the target file have been copied to the mirror file in response to determining that the copy operation is in progress. The update data is copied to the bytes to update in the target file in response to determining that the bytes to update have not been copied to the mirror file, wherein the update data is subsequently copied to the mirror file during subsequent progress of the copy operation.
US07882060B2
A method for storing data includes establishing a space efficient storage system including a virtual repository, a staging repository and a remote repository. The virtual repository includes a first pointer to the staging repository, and the staging repository includes a second pointer to the remote repository. The method further includes receiving data at the virtual repository, storing the received data in the staging repository based on the first pointer, and transferring the stored data to the remote repository based on the second pointer.
US07882058B1
A method and system of computer-assisted business resource automation that is applicable to a variety of business enterprise requirements including, but not limited to customer relationship management and sales force automation. The system provides improved an apparatus and method for automating the production of business resources such as documents and presentations. The system further provides an apparatus and method for analyzing the associated processes of the enterprise and providing business intelligence such as sales analytics. In particular, aspects of the invention include, but are not limited to: a hierarchical architecture that simplifies customization and maintenance of enterprise software, the encapsulation of data within reusable intelligent advisor objects, and the flexible integration of a variety of expert systems functionality and other apparatus and means of artificial intelligence therein.
US07882057B1
A configuration model dividing and configuration sub-model inference processing system and procedure addresses the issue of configuration model and query complexity by breaking a configuration problem down into a set of smaller problems, solving them individually and recombining the results into a single result that is equivalent to a conventional inference procedure. In one embodiment, a configuration model is divided into configuration sub-models that can respectively be processed using existing data processing resources. A sub-model inference procedure provides a way to scale queries to larger and more complicated configuration models. Thus, the configuration model dividing and configuration sub-model processing system and inference procedure allows processing by a data processing system of configuration models and queries whose collective complexity exceeds the complexity of otherwise unprocessable conventional, consolidated configuration models and queries.
US07882056B2
One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for recommending activities to a user. During operation, the system determines an activity-type distribution based on the user's personal profile and/or population prior information, thereby facilitating prediction of future activities for the user. The system further searches for and receives one or more activities based on the activity-type distribution. The system then scores each received activity and recommends a number of activities to be performed by the user in the future and a number of corresponding venues, based on the activity-type distribution and the weight distribution.
US07882053B2
Computer-implemented methods, systems and apparatus, including computer program apparatus, provide techniques for designing a set of experiments to be performed with a set of resources. A plurality of experimental configurations are generated based on a set of parameters describing factors to be varied in the experiments and a set of constraints representing limitations on operations that can be performed with the set of resources. A set of experiments is defined based on a selected configuration. The constraints can be represented as patterns defining an application of a parameter to a set of one or more points of an experimental lattice.
US07882045B1
An ad system is described for providing ad selections in response to an ad presentation opportunity. The ad system can use multiple content providers to generate multiple sets of ad candidates. The content providers can apply different ad selection paradigms in generating their sets of ad candidates. The paradigms may act on different aspects of a context pertaining to the ad presentation opportunity. A chooser module and filtering module can cull the set of ad selections from among the plural sets of ad candidates. At least one content provider uses machine learning functionality in generating ad candidates, such as a Naïve Bayesian approach, an affiliate similarity approach, etc. Various content providers also find application in a stand-alone mode.
US07882044B2
A method of manufacturing an information handling system having at least one hardware component, e.g. motherboard, bearing a unique identifier (component ID) in software-readable form. The method includes generating a digital identifier (system trackcode) which defines the hardware and software configuration of the item and storing the system trackcode in association with the component ID in a manufacturing database such that the component ID can be used as a key to retrieve the associated system trackcode. During manufacture the component ID is read from the motherboard and used to retrieve the associated system trackcode from the database.
US07882029B2
Disclosed is an electronic transaction recording system for accumulating data from printer devices comprising a mobile access unit containing content which is to be printed, a printer device which receives the content from the mobile access unit and prints the content in response to a authorization process, a billing manager coupled to the printer device and the mobile access unit for determining the amount of printer usage and associating a predetermined amount of token values with the costs of printing and generates an accounting of usage based on a predetermined measure of usage and a billing system for maintaining accounting records of user and associating user account information with the predetermined measure of usage and stores account information in an account records database.
US07882027B2
The present invention generally relates to financial data processing, and in particular it relates to lender credit scoring, lender profiling, lender behavior analysis and modeling. More specifically, it relates to rating lenders based on data derived from their respective consumers. Also, the present invention relates to rating consumer lenders based on the predicted spend capacity of their consumers.
US07882020B1
A system and method is provided for the gathering of and manipulation of shareholder data, including information on individual shareholders and related custodians of shares, and comparing the shareholder/custodian data to a set of rules and/or a set of marketing analysis data to identify securities compliance issues and/or evaluate a securities marketing plan.
US07882015B2
In a trading system for trading securities or the like, Contra Targeting is performed by enabling users to expose the liquidity within their order management system without divulging order management system information to a central trading server. Also, virtual orders can be placed and executed which give users price-time priority on an order without reserving the shares until the moment of execution.
US07882008B2
Apparatus, methods and articles of manufacture for computerized transaction execution and processing
Apparatus, methods and articles of manufacture for n-tier transaction execution and processing are shown. The first layer comprises a presentation layer in the form of a user interface for entering instrument orders, modifying orders, and monitoring orders, instruments and markets. The second layer comprises an intermediate component layer for information transfer, and the third layer comprises an information source layer for feeding information to and accepting information from the first two layers.
US07882007B2
A platform supports multiple processes, including market processes having respective market methodologies, trading processes having trading methodologies, platform processes providing services to the market processes and trading processes, and representation processes for coupling the market processes to external markets. The trading processes interact with each other and with external markets through the market processes.
US07881996B1
Efficiently screening ACH items and providing an indicator of the screening result. Electronic files, which can be in the NACHA file format, comprise ACH items. A gateway operator or an originating financial institution can screen each ACH item using a screening software module. For each ACH item, an indicator associated with the screening can be inserted into the ACH file before the ACH item is forwarded to a receiving financial institution. The indicator can identify whether the screening produced a match against an interdiction list and/or whether the screening produced a false positive. If the screening produced a match, processing of the ACH item can be suspended, and the ACH item can be returned to the originating financial institution. Notification of the match can be transmitted to the originating financial institution, the receiving financial institution, and/or law enforcement authorities.
US07881991B2
A method of presenting an image of a receipt to a consumer includes electronically capturing a receipt and storing the receipt at a host computer system. The method further includes receiving a request at the host computer system from a computer of the consumer to display the image of the receipt and transmitting an electronic file comprising the image of the receipt for display at the customer computer.
US07881989B2
An information model for a party and property records management system includes a legal party role object for maintaining relationships between objects, such as legal party objects and revenue-object objects, within the information model. A legal party object could have several associated objects, such as an identification number object or a legal party communication object.
US07881986B1
A method and system for event-driven inventory disposition are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a method may include detecting a disposition event associated with a given one of a number of inventory items. The method may further include evaluating each of a number of disposition channels with respect to the given item in response to detecting the disposition event, and dependent upon the evaluation, selecting a particular disposition channel through which to dispose of the given item. In one particular implementation of the method, detecting the disposition event may include detecting an indication that an expected profitability of the given item is less than a threshold value.
US07881978B2
Methods, computer executable program instructions, and systems including program instructions are provided for use with quotes. A method embodiment includes providing a website that receives a request for quotes (RFQ) from a buyer-business. The method also includes providing control to a seller-business via the website to authorize the buyer-business to receive quotes on behalf of the seller-business. The method further includes charging a fee to the seller-businesses for quotes delivered to the buyer-business on behalf of the seller-businesses.
US07881975B2
The embodiments of the present system include a review engine that is connected to support modules and databases that receive, store, and retrieve reviews, based upon the subject and the users' relationship to the authors of the reviews. The review engine comprises a social network engine, a rate and rank engine, a credentials engine and a privacy engine. These engines allow reviews to be sorted, filtered and ordered in terms of relevance when presented to the user. Numerous methods are also provided by the system that receive, store and retrieve reviews.
US07881969B2
A unique system and method that facilitates trust-based interaction within an online social marketplace is provided. The system and method involve allowing users of the marketplace to selectively interact with one another according to a trustworthiness factor. Users can be deemed trustworthy depending on which email groups they belong to with respect to one another. For example, sellers can limit who can view their listings and when based on trust levels associated with their social groups, communities, or networks. Notifications of new or modified listings can also be sent to potentially interested users based on the users' trust levels. A ratings system can be employed as well to facilitate boosting or diminishing a user's or group's trust level. The social marketplace can include such activities as a listing service to buy, sell, or give items to others, dating and other personal listings, and job searching.
US07881968B2
A method for distributing a digital image of a customer includes receiving a request from a customer for an image to be taken of the customer at a site. The request can be received, for example, via a remote signal from a customer's communication device. Payment data are obtained from the customer, and a location of the site is determined. The request is relayed to a remote imaging device that is positioned to image the customer at the site. An image is automatically captured of the customer at the site, and the image is relayed as a proof image to the customer's communication device. Finally, if the image is desired by the customer, an approval is received from the customer to purchase the image.
US07881962B2
An Early Payment Discount (EPD) mechanism that enables customers to automatically receive an early payment discount for paying their invoice electronically, e.g., via electronic funds transfer (EFT), through an e-Billing system within a designated number of days from on-line invoice post date.
US07881956B2
Determining a risk/reward model for a service provided by a service provider to a serviced entity where a value function for the service is dependent on at least one value parameter, and comprises provision of a serviced entity base case being characteristic for at least one serviced entity value parameter without provision of a service and provision of a set of projects and their interdependencies being eligible for providing the service, each project having and impact on a subset of one or both of the at least one serviced entity value parameter and at least one service provider value service. The risk/reward model is determined by way of performing a selection of the sets of projects resulting in a selection set, further the model provides a risk/reward line, the risk/reward line is characteristic for whether a reward or penalty is accredited to the service provider depending on achieved results.
US07881952B2
A competitive, availability prediction system for predicting relative, competitive availability of seating on an airline flight is described. The system includes an availability predictor that predicts seating availability on a competitive flight, an availability system that produces an actual availability response for a flight and decision logic that compares the predicted answer from the availability predictor and the potential answer from the availability system to establish a decision with respect to actual availability.
US07881950B2
A method for adjudicating and reimbursing a care provider for services provided for a clinical event is provided. The method includes the step of receiving a transaction having a number of clinical data elements. The method also includes the steps of accessing a data store including payer information and determining whether the transaction is eligible for reimbursement by at least one payer. The method also includes the steps of accessing a first knowledge base comprising evidence-based standards for providing medically appropriate care and selectively performing analysis of the clinical data elements of the transaction against at least one standard to determine if the care provided is medically appropriate. The method further includes the steps of accessing a second knowledge base containing at least one criterion for assessing quality of care and selectively performing analysis of the clinical data elements of the transaction against the at least one criterion to determine if the care provided is medically appropriate. Also, the method includes determining a level of reimbursement based on the medical appropriateness and quality of the care provided and authorizing reimbursement of the care provider from at least one payer.
US07881945B2
A method and system are disclosed that enable a seller of equipment to dispatch service personnel and parts to a remote location while taking into account geographic-specific conditions. The geographic-specific conditions can include, for example, inclement weather, planned activities and unplanned events that affect traffic to/from the remote location. The system includes, among other things, telecommunication facilities that link sellers, purchasers and third party service vendors. The system may also include data repository facilities to persist data that is received from external sources, generated from within, or sent outside the system. Persistent and/or transient data can be correlated with geographic-related externalities in order to modify the dispatch activities in order to meet ongoing commitments.
US07881943B2
The method adjusts the playback speed of an audio recording such that the pitch of the playback is substantially the same as the pitch at the time of the original recording. Assuming tuned instruments were used for the recording, the method alters the playback speed of the recording to bring the pitch back to the original. The method should produce accurate results when correcting speed changes that were causing pitch errors less than or more than a semitone. The method can be used to correct pitch even when the first machine used for the recording had an incorrect recording speed. This method can be used to correct the speed of a nonmusical recording by referencing known frequencies or frequencies in the recording.
US07881942B2
An input signal is quantized into a quantization-resultant signal. The quantization-resultant signal is compressed into a compression-resultant signal. The compression-resultant signal is formatted into a formatting-resultant signal corresponding to a predetermined format for a digital recording disc. The formatting-resultant signal includes segments corresponding to user data areas prescribed in the predetermined format. The compression-resultant signal is placed in the segments of the formatting-resultant signal. The formatting-resultant signal is encoded into an encoding-resultant signal of a CD format. The encoding-resultant signal is recorded on a recording medium.
US07881940B2
A system has a speech control interface operable to provide a speech sequence to which a user response is required before system functionality is operational. A user response can be provided via a spoken command. The system is operable, in response to interruption of the speech sequence to permit a non-verbal user response using an alternative interface.
US07881935B2
A speech recognition apparatus in which the accuracy in speech recognition is improved as the resource is prevented from increasing. Such a word which is probable as the result of the speech recognition is selected on the basis of an acoustic score and a linguistic score, while word selection is also performed on the basis of a measure different from the acoustic score, such as the number of phonemes being small, a part of speech being a pre-set one, inclusion in the past results of speech recognition or the linguistic score being not less than a pre-set value. The words so selected are subjected to matching processing.
US07881929B2
A method of ambient noise injection for use with speech recognition in a production vehicle. The method includes the steps of monitoring audio including user speech, receiving an utterance from the user speech, retrieving vehicle-specific ambient noise, and prepending the vehicle-specific ambient noise to the utterance before pre-processing and decoding the utterance.
US07881927B1
Systems and methods for adaptive sidetone and adaptive voice activity detect (VAD) threshold for speech processing are disclosed. The VAD system generally includes an adaptive VAD threshold generator configured to generate a VAD threshold based on an increase in voice level resulting from sidetone attenuation and a comparator for comparing received signals to the adaptive VAD threshold to determine the existence of voice activity. The sidetone attenuation is based on an average ambient noise energy level determined from a noise energy amplitude during periods of no voice activity and a comparator for comparing received signals to the adaptive VAD threshold to determine existence of voice activity.
US07881918B2
A profiler which spatially profiles a hydrophobicity distribution for the transmembrane protein based on a scaled hydrophobicity value, includes an identifier for identifying a residue external to a membrane and removing the residue to obtain a truncated structure comprising plural residue side-chains, and a calculator which calculates plural residue centroids for the plural residue side-chains, calculates a distribution of the plural residue centroids, and obtains a geometric center for the distribution.
US07881915B2
A system and method for collecting and modeling simulated movement data on a graphical display is provided. Simulated movement data from a simulation is accessed from a database. The simulated movement data comprises each location of a object on a graphical display for multiple points in time of the simulation. A three-dimensional representation is associated with the object and the three-dimensional representation is displayed at each location on the graphical display for each point in time of the simulation.
US07881912B2
A known analytical physical quantity of an analysis subject and an element level consistent mass matrix of each element are obtained by acquiring units. A bubble function is integrated for each element, and the element level diagonal mass matrix of each element is computed by substituting the value that is integrated for the element level consistent mass matrix of each element. The diagonal mass matrix for the entire analysis region is computed by the summation (superposition) of the element level diagonal mass matrices of each element and inverse matrix thereof is computed. A motion of the analysis subject is analyzed based on the known analytical physical quantity, the diagonal mass matrix for the entire analysis region, and the inverse matrix thereof.
US07881911B2
The method for 4-D inversion of geophysical data for calculating distribution of subsurface material properties from geophysical data includes (a) defining measured data into space-time coordinates, and defining a reference space-time model vector (U) composed of many reference space model vectors (U) for a plurality of pre-selected reference times to simulate a space-time model vector (P) that is a geologic structure continuously changing in time; (b) approximating a numerical modeling for a geologic structure space model at an arbitrary time using Taylor series of numerical modeling for the reference space models, defining an objective inversion function to constrain each inversion in space and time domains, and obtaining a reference space-time model vector (U) from the measured data defined in space-time coordinates using the objective inversion function; and (c) obtaining a space-time model vector (P) from the reference space-time model vector (U) to calculate distribution of subsurface material properties changing in time.
US07881910B2
Systems and methods are provided for determining data center cooling and power requirements and for monitoring performance of cooling and power systems in data centers. At least one aspect provides a system and method that enables a data center operator to determine available power and cooling at specific areas and enclosures in a data center to assist in locating new equipment in the data center.
US07881908B2
A method is disclosed for determining individual quantum absorption events in a radiation converter which counts quanta. In at least one embodiment of the method, temporally continuous analog-to-digital conversion of electrical signals generated by a quantum absorption event to a digital signal is carried out first of all by the radiation converter. The digital signal is then processed to determine the number of quanta of the underlying quantum absorption event absorbed in the radiation converter.
US07881900B2
A reference point defined on a two dimensional or three dimensional orthogonal coordinate space and scale reference of respective axes are estimated based on a distribution on the three dimensional orthogonal coordinate space at the time when respective axial components of an acceleration data group comprised of plural acceleration data including multi-axial components and a importance group pertaining to the acceleration data group, and the respective acceleration data are corrected based on the estimated reference point and scale reference of the respective axes.
US07881898B2
Systems and methods are provided for prioritizing the processing of standardized tests. One aspect of the present subject matter relates to a method for processing completed standardized tests. In one embodiment, test-processing priority information is received, and is associated with machine-readable identifiers for standardized tests. Completed standardized tests are received, and are identified by reading machine-readable identifiers. The identified standardized tests are processed according to the associated test-processing priority information such that higher priority tests are automatically processed before lower priority tests. Other aspects are provided herein.
US07881896B2
A portable coordinate measurement machine for measuring the position of an object in a selected volume comprises includes an a positionable articulated arm having a plurality of jointed arm segments. The arm includes a measurement probe having an integrated line laser scanner mounted thereon. The laser may be a fiber coupled laser. Wireless data transfer and communication capability for the CMM is also possible.
US07881895B2
A method of calibrating a first clock signal using a second clock signal and a plurality of calibration periods may include generating incremented counter values at a counter responsive to edges of the second clock signal. For at least two of the plurality of calibration periods, an initial incremented counter value from the counter may be stored in memory at an initial edge of the first clock signal for the respective calibration period, a final incremented counter value may be stored in memory at a final edge of the clock signal for the respective calibration period, and the at least two of the plurality of calibration periods may be overlapping with different initial and final edges of the first clock signal. For each of the plurality of calibration periods, a number of edges of the second clock signal occurring during the respective calibration period may be determined using the initial and final incremented counter values stored in memory. A relationship between the first and second clock signals may be determined using a sum of a number of edges of the second clock signal occurring during each of the plurality of calibration periods and using a sum of a number of first clock signal cycles occurring during each of the plurality of calibration periods.
US07881889B2
A computer-based system, computer-implemented method and computer program product facilitate determining energy cost savings in an energy-consuming facility, such as a commercial building, using an artificial intelligence model, for example a neural network model, that projects or estimates the amount of energy that would have been consumed by the facility but for the implementation of energy efficiency or conservation measures. Energy savings are represented by the difference between the estimate of energy that would have been consumed but for the measures and the actual amount of energy consumed by the facility under actual conditions during a time interval after the measures have been implemented.
US07881886B1
A method for determining an actual gas flow rate as gas flows through a gas flow delivery system is provided. The method includes sending the gas through the gas flow delivery system into a gas conduit, wherein a section of the gas conduit is widened to form an orifice. The method also includes pressurizing the gas to create a choked flow condition within the orifice of the gas conduit. The method further includes measuring upstream pressure of the gas via a set of pressure sensors. The method yet also includes calculating the actual flow rate based on the upstream pressure of the orifice of the gas conduit.
US07881884B2
Methods and apparatus enable sensing flow of a fluid inside a conduit with an array of pressure or strain sensors. Inputs for a curve fit routine include power correlation values at one of multiple trial velocities or speeds of sound and several steps on either side utilizing data obtained from the sensors. The velocity at which a curve fit routine returns a max curvature result corresponds to an estimate value that facilitates identification of a speed of sound in the fluid and/or a velocity of the flow. Furthermore, a directional quality compensation factor may apply to outputs from the curve fit routine to additionally aid in determining the velocity of the flow.
US07881883B2
A method for detecting occlusions including providing a signal that characterizes a conveying status of a fluid, and determining from a difference between two such signals whether an occlusion has occurred. The invention encompasses a device for detecting an occlusion including a sensor for sensing a fluid flow parameter and/or an operational parameter of the device and an evaluation unit for processing the output of the sensor.
US07881875B2
The invention relates to the selection of a collection of relevant single nucleotide polymorphisms across a genome to design a nucleic acid probe array. As such, the invention relates to diverse fields impacted by the nature of genetics, including biology, medicine, and medical diagnostics.
US07881868B2
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates warning of collision between a primary principal and one or more non-primary principals. The system includes a triggering mechanism and a preliminary assessment mechanism. During operation, the triggering mechanism determines whether a trigger condition is met based on the state of the primary principal. When the trigger condition is met, the preliminary assessment mechanism generates one or more collision scenarios associated with the trigger condition, assesses a preliminary probability of collision in a collision scenario, and, based on the preliminary probability of collision in the collision scenario, activates a specialized assessment mechanism to assess a refined probability of collision in the collision scenario.
US07881847B2
An EEPROM of an ECU (engine control unit) stores regulation maps corresponding to a plurality of running modes (e.g., normal mode, swift mode and gentle mode). The regulation maps regulate the relationship between the clutch rotational speed difference and the target clutch position. When any one of the running modes is selected according to user intentions, the target clutch position is uniformly changed according to the running mode.
US07881836B2
There is provided a tire state monitoring apparatus including transponders mounted on a plurality of tires possessed by a vehicle, and ECUs provided on a vehicle body repeatedly transmit address electric waves for acquiring data showing tire states to the transponders at fixed intervals. The ECUs transmit estimates of the transmission timing of the address electric waves at the predetermined transmission cycle so that the transponders can transmit the address electric waves within a communicable range, maintain the predetermined transmission cycle if the estimated transmission timing satisfies a predetermined condition, and adjust the predetermined transmission cycle if the transmission timing does not satisfy the predetermined condition.
US07881835B2
The invention concerns a method and a system for controlling start-up of a motor vehicle by dialogue of the engine controlling computer with the piloted mechanical gearbox, during a restart of the vehicle in stop and start mode. A “start-up authorization” is transmitted to the gearbox at a time t when the following three conditions are fulfilled: a) verifying the position of the accelerator pedal relative to a predetermined “threshold” position; b) the engine is in sequential injection phase; c) verifying a so-called “autonomous condition”, calculated on the basis of the engine speed and of an engine speed gradient compared to a predetermined threshold value. The invention is applicable to motor vehicles.
US07881832B2
A system and method which implement automatic speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS) programs to permit pilots, co-pilots, and other persons to more quickly and easily perform control and monitoring tasks on aircraft. The system may be used to automatically change the frequency of an aircraft radio when a pilot or co-pilot is instructed to do so by ATC.
US07881827B2
The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a method of operating the same. The air conditioner includes a human body detection unit configured to rotatably operate and to detect a person within an indoor area, a position determination unit configured to determine a position of the person using data detected by the human body detection unit and to set a reference area to which a current of air will be provided according to a frequency of detection on the person, and a control unit configured to control the human body detection unit so that the human body detection unit detects the person by a reference frequency or more and to control the current of air based on the determination results by the position determination unit so that the current of air is discharged toward the reference area.
US07881824B2
The lumbar part of a robot as a controlled-object point where the mass amount becomes maximum is set as the origin of a local coordinate, an acceleration sensor is disposed at the controlled-object point to directly measure the attitude and acceleration at that position to control the robot to take a stable posture on the basis of a ZMP. Further, at each foot which touches the walking surface, there are provided a floor reaction force sensor and acceleration sensor to directly measure a ZMP and force, and a ZMP equation is formulated directly at the foot nearest to a ZMP position. Thus there can be implemented a stricter and quick control of the robot for a stable posture.
US07881821B2
A media storage system includes a disc input element for receiving a media disc, a disc output element for ejecting a disc, and a media reader for reading information from a disc. If insufficient information is readable from a disc, it may be obtained through a computer network. The system includes a disc transporter for moving received discs to respective internal storage locations. The system includes a data input device for entering disc catalogue data and a data output device such as a display for displaying disc catalogue data. The data input and output devices may be input buttons and a display on a remote control. Each disc and related information is associated with an identifier such that access to disc data may be by restricted by user identifier or content ratings.
US07881818B2
A method to aid designing flexible packaging for wrapping around a solid object and finalizing the packaging. The method includes accepting a description of the surface of a sheet of packaging material after wrapping around the solid object and finalizing, using a mapping of points in the 2D plane of the sheet of the packaging material to the corresponding points in the 3D surface of the wrapped and finalized packaging. The method further includes displaying the surface of the wrapped and finalized packaging or displaying graphic elements on the surface of wrapped and finalized packaging. A version includes pre-distorting graphics to correct for any distortions to graphics that occur during the wrapping and finalizing process, and generating press-ready graphics from the pre-distorted graphics for printing onto the surface of the sheet of packaging material.
US07881807B2
The present invention relates to an anchor device comprising an elongated tubular body having an expandable member disposed on its distal end portion. The invention also relates to a system adapted to position and anchor the distal end of an ablation device at a location where a pulmonary vein extends from the atrium.
US07881805B2
A method for transitioning electrical energy in steps between electrodes implanted within a patient to stimulate tissue (e.g., spinal cord tissue) is provided. The method comprises determining a maximum comfortable step size, determining a minimum step size, selecting one or more step sizes between the maximum comfortable step size and the minimize step size, and transitioning the electrical energy between the electrodes using the selected one or more step sizes.
US07881792B1
Embodiments of the present invention relate to implantable systems, and method for use therein, that can detect T-wave alternans. In accordance with specific embodiments of the present invention, intrinsic premature contractions of the ventricles are detected, and at least one metric of T-waves is measured in a specified number of beats that follow each detected intrinsic premature contraction of the ventricles. A determination of whether T-wave alternans are present is made based on the measured T-wave metrics. In alternative embodiments, rather than waiting for intrinsic premature contractions of the ventricles, premature contractions of the ventricles are caused on demand by inducing premature atrial contractions. In still other embodiments, a patient's vagus nerve is stimulated to simulate premature contractions of the ventricles. This abstract is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention.
US07881787B1
An exemplary method includes implementing a cardiac pacing therapy capable of delivering bi-ventricular stimulation, deciding if the therapy calls for bi-ventricular stimulation and, if the therapy calls for bi-ventricular stimulation, comparing an interventricular conduction delay to a threshold and based on the comparing, deciding whether to enable a capture detection algorithm. Various other exemplary methods, devices, systems, etc. are also disclosed.
US07881777B2
Method for assessing the patency of a patient's blood vessel, advantageously during or after treatment of that vessel by an invasive procedure, comprising administering a fluorescent dye to the patient; obtaining at least one angiographic image of the vessel portion; and evaluating the at least one angiographic image to assess the patency of the vessel portion. Other related methods are contemplated, including methods for assessing perfusion in selected body tissue, methods for evaluating the potential of vessels for use in creation of AV fistulas, methods for determining the diameter of a vessel, and methods for locating a vessel located below the surface of a tissue.
US07881763B2
An implantable sensor for use in measuring a concentration of an analyte such as glucose in a bodily fluid, including a body with a sensing region adapted for transport of analytes between the sensor and the bodily fluid, wherein the sensing region is located on a curved portion of the body such that when a foreign body capsule forms around the sensor, a contractile force is exerted by the foreign body capsule toward the sensing region. The body is partially or entirely curved, partially or entirely covered with an anchoring material for supporting tissue ingrowth, and designed for subcutaneous tissue implantation. The geometric design, including curvature, shape, and other factors minimize chronic inflammatory response at the sensing region and contribute to improved performance of the sensor in vivo.
US07881752B1
A system and method for utilizing a multi link antenna array for wireless links in conjunction with fiber MAN's is disclosed. The fiber MAN's are coupled to one or more multi-link antenna arrays. Each multi-link antenna array forms a plurality of point-to-point wireless links.
US07881744B2
A media transfer and control system that includes a handheld device and an audio/visual system. The media transfer and control system provides for: (i) the transfer of media files between the handheld device and the audio/visual system, (ii) the transmission of control commands from the handheld device to the audio/visual system for controlling the function and operation of the audio/visual system through a user interface provided on the handheld device, and (iii) the unsolicited transfer of media descriptive data between the handheld device and the audio/visual system to create a synchronized global view on the handheld electronic device and/or the audio/visual system of all of the media content currently stored on and/or available through both the handheld device and the audio/visual system.
US07881741B2
A mobile station wherein the power consumption can be suppressed. In a frame 3, this mobile station (100) transmits, to both a base station (200) and a relay station (150), a multicarrier signal comprising a plurality of subcarriers that have been controlled in transmission power on the basis of reception quality information 1 (Processes (3) and (3)′: first transmission). In a frame 4, the mobile station (100) transmits, only to the base station (200), a multicarrier signal comprising a plurality of subcarriers that have been controlled in transmission power on the basis of reception quality information 2 (Process (5): second transmission). In this case, the mobile station (100) selects subcarriers in which reception qualities indicated by the reception quality information 2 are lower than a target quality, and the mobile station (100) then transmits, to the base station (200), a multicarrier signal comprising only those subcarriers in which the reception qualities are lower than the target quality.
US07881739B2
A method and apparatus for adaptively controlling the power level of transmissions from a remote station by determining the velocity of the remote station. A general classification of the velocity of the remote station can be used to selectively implement a closed loop power control scheme. Power level parameters are used to determine velocity. In accordance with a classification of stationary, low speed, or high speed, the closed loop power control is selectively operated. Velocity can be determined by either the base station or the remote station through various methods. One method is the use of power control bits and/or average power to determine level crossings and excursion times.
US07881732B2
A communication system for providing high-speed wireless access to mobile processing systems a stationary transceiver defining an information portal in its immediate vicinity. A local server in communication with this stationary transceiver is configured to respond to a mobile processing-system present within the information portal.
US07881726B2
Efficient frequency spectrum sharing between at least one incumbent communication system(s) (102, 152) and at least one cognitive radio (CR) system (105) is provided. The incumbent system's system parameters and CR system's operational requirements are copied to a mirrored database (106B). The mirrored database (106B) is controlled by a either a central authority (108) or a database manager having delegated authority (508). The mirrored database (106B) is accessed by the CR system (105). The mirrored database (106B) can be modified and updated by the central authority (108) or delegated database manager (508) to correct for interference detected in the incumbent system caused (152) by the cognitive radio system (105). The cognitive radio system (105) utilizes the updated mirrored database (106B) to avoid interfering with the incumbent system (102, 152) to determine CR system operating parameters thus enhancing the ability to share spectrum.
US07881722B2
Random access coverage is assured while at the same supporting high uplink data rates in a same service area served by a base station. The service area includes first and second co-sited cells. The first co-sited cell is associated with a first uplink frequency, and the second co-sited cell is associated with a second uplink frequency. The first cell allows a lower uplink load and provides a greater coverage than the second cell. The second cell allows a higher rise over thermal (RoT) value than the first cell. Random access channel requests are initially directed to the first cell using the first uplink frequency. One of the co-sited cells is selected for supporting the connection depending on one or more factors. Example factors include a priority associated with the mobile terminal, a capability associated with the mobile terminal, a load situation in the second cell, or radio channel conditions associated with the mobile radio terminal.
US07881716B2
When acquiring a PRL, a mobile phone judges whether the newly acquired PRL contains a base station satisfying a selection condition specifying (i) a communication mode, (ii) whether a base station available via a roaming service is selectable, and (iii) a data communication mode. On judging that such a base station is contained, the mobile phone retains the current selection condition. On judging, on the other hand, that such a base station is not contained, the mobile phone changes the selection conditions so that all the base stations contained in the PRL are made selectable for communication.
US07881714B2
Techniques for synchronization of stored service parameters are disclosed. In one aspect, a configuration identifier is transmitted from a mobile station to a base station, and compared with an identifier generated in the base station. If the identifiers match, the configuration is used for communication. In another aspect, the identifier is generated by selecting an identifier associated with a configuration from a configuration table. In yet another aspect, the identifier is generated by computing a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the configuration. Various other aspects are also presented. These aspects have the benefit of preventing attempted use of unsynchronized stored service parameters and associated call setup failures and subsequent renegotiation, with the net effect of reducing call setup time and more efficient use of system resources.
US07881713B2
The present invention provides for a system and method of wirelessly triggering portable devices to provide a user with audio and/or visual information related to a show or attraction, for example, or for the purposes of captioning, language translation, assistive listening, and descriptive audio. As a person moves about a venue, a portable device receives signals from transmitters at venue locations. Transmissions may be via infrared or radio signals. The receiving device decodes each signal as a venue location, event time, or device trigger. The receiving device processes the signal and its memory to start a presentation on the device. The portable device memory contains audio, text, graphics, and/or visual content; device playback may contain one or many of these stored contents. The stored content may be synchronized with the user's location, time of travel, time of day, time of a show, or an event in a show. Stored content may be in one or many languages. Presentation of stored content on the portable device may also be altered by user preference, stored logic constraints, automatic learning of user behavior, or user interaction with other devices.
US07881711B2
Methods and apparatus are presented for dynamically decoding acknowledgment signals. A source receives an acknowledgment signal and starts monitoring an energy value associated with the acknowledgment signal. If the energy value exceeds a predetermined threshold amount before the end of the acknowledgment signal, then the source is confident that the portion of the acknowledgment signal received up to that point could be decoded successfully. Hence, the source decodes that portion of the acknowledgment signal and disregards the remainder of the acknowledgment signal.
US07881706B2
The communications terminal comprises: a playback device which playbacks content; a reading device which reads in access information recorded on a prescribed recording medium, the access information being necessary for downloading the content which can be played back by the playback device, via a network; a communications device which downloads via communications the content corresponding to the access information according to the access information read in; a storage device which stores the downloaded content, the storage device storing details of the access information in association with the content, the details of the access information being used in downloading the content; a judging device which judges whether or not the content corresponding to the read access information is present in the storage device, according to information which is stored in the storage device, when the access information is read in by the reading device; and a control device which controls the playback device, the reading device, the communications device, the storage device, and the judging device, wherein: if the judging device judges that the content is present in the storage device, the control device controls for acquiring the content corresponding to the access information read in from the storage device, and for playing back the content; and if the judging device judges that the content is not present in the storage device, the control device controls for downloading the content corresponding to the access information read in, and for playing back the content.
US07881697B2
A system and method for the real-time management of a device, and more particularly to the allocation of electronic wallets that are associated with one or more devices and various controls that enable at least two entities to manage how the device is utilized for various activities and to pay for goods and services. Each device is associated with at least two electronic wallets, a user wallet and an administrator wallet. The administrator can establish rules that designate how and when the device can be used and which wallet will be used to pay for goods and services desired by the user, but in the event the user wallet is depleted or low on funds, the administrator wallet can serve as a backup funding source for specified types of goods and/or services. Additional wallets can also be associated with the device to authorize and pay for goods and services, under the control of the administrator wallet, such as a promotional wallet that could be designated for use with the device before a primary or administrative wallet was used, or a dynamic wallet that could be associated for use with multiple different devices as well as other wallets, but acts in conjunction with the user and administrator wallets. Additional rules can be established to perform many other functions, such as manage the movement of value between wallets and from other sources to the wallets.
US07881696B2
A method for managing a point-to-point call initiated (702) between a wireless mobile station (114, 400) and a remote party while the mobile is receiving broadcast content via one or more multi-user forward-link broadcast channels (508). The mobile station notifies (704) the network (110) of preferences as to prescribed categories of operating conditions, such as whether to continue receiving the broadcast content, and election between the point-to-point call and the broadcast content should network resources be unable to conduct the point-to-point call and broadcast content concurrently. In accordance with the preferences, communications are conducted (706) in one of the following operating modes: (1) conducting the point-to-point call and discontinuing reception of the broadcast, (2) conducting the point-to-point call and continuing reception of the broadcast, (3) aborting completion of the point-to-point call and continuing reception of the broadcast.
US07881685B2
The present invention discloses an automatic gain controller with an amplifier (10) having an amplifier output connected to a mixer (20) and a receiver signal strength indicator (100) connected to the amplifier output and to a first counter (60). The first counter (60) is adapted to produce a signal to control gain of the amplifier (10) and receives its input from the receiver signal strength indicator (100) which causes the first counter (60) to count up or down depending on the strength of the signal output from the amplifier (10). The automatic gain controller also includes a second counter (70) which is connected to an applications circuit and is adapted to produce a signal to control gain of the mixer (20). The second counter (70) receives its input from a gain control signal from the applications circuit (50) and also from the first counter (60).
US07881683B2
RF signal generators (1) are disclosed, having an amplitude-modulated amplifier (80) whose supply voltage (70) is a signal non-linearly filtered (33) dependent on a signal (30) being representative to an envelope signal of a desired output RF signal (81). The non-linear filtering (33) is performed preferably using an envelope-dependent boundary. An input RF signal (65) to the amplifier (80) is amplified using the supply voltage (70) to produce the desired output RF signal (81). The present invention also presents methods for driving such generators (1).
US07881677B2
A chip comprises and operational section and an input/output section. The operational section includes a controller. The input/output (I/O) section is coupled to the operational section. The I/O section comprises a transformer and a switching device. The transformer includes a primary side connected to first and second I/O ports and a secondary side connected to the operational section. The switching device is coupled to the controller and between the first and second I/O ports and a bias port, such that, under control of the controller, the switching device connects one of the first and second I/O ports to the bias port.
US07881672B2
A digital demodulating apparatus comprises a tuner constituted by circuit elements to perform channel select processing to a signal; a demodulator that performs demodulation processing to a signal output from the tuner; a power supply unit that supplies a normal power to each circuit element, and supplies to the circuit element a test power different from the normal power, over a first time period in place of the normal power; a test noise measuring unit that measures the intensity of test noise contained in a signal to be output from the tuner, when the power supply unit supplies the test power over the first time period; a comparing unit that compares the intensity of the test noise measured by the test noise measuring unit with a noise reference value as a reference for updating of the normal power; and a power updating unit that updates the intensity of the normal power on the basis of a result of the comparison by the comparing unit.
US07881659B2
A radio frequency repeater equipment in a radio communication system is disclosed. An indoor space exists under a radio base station of the radio communication system, and a mobile terminal in the indoor space performs radio communications with the radio base station via the radio frequency repeater equipment, the radio frequency repeater equipment includes: a first antenna for receiving a DOWN LINK signal from the radio base station; a first attenuator for attenuating an output of the first antenna; a second antenna for outputting an output of the first attenuator, and for receiving a signal from the mobile terminal; and a second attenuator for attenuating an output of the second antenna.
US07881654B2
A document is made which consists of a large number of recording sheets whose originality can be certified with reliability. Different specific images are respectively formed on a plurality of recording sheets of recording sheets outputted in constant order. Confirmation holes are formed on recording sheets at higher levels than the recording sheets with the specific images formed thereon, in positions in conformity with the positions of the specific images. When a document made by stacking those recording sheets is seen from the top, and the specific images are visible through the confirmation holes, the originality of the document can be certified. When the specific image is invisible through the confirmation hole, it is found that the document has been changed due to missing of part of the recording sheets, a change in order of the recording sheets, or the like, and hence the originality of the document cannot be certified.
US07881652B2
A modular duplexing housing for an all-in-one device which may be added at a final stage of assembly in order to convert a simplex printing unit into a duplex printing and duplex ADF scanning unit. The modular duplexing unit includes a duplexing feedpath which may be positioned for feeding communication with a simplex printing feedpath in the all-in-one device. The modular duplexing unit may also comprise a secondary input tray in feeding communication with the simplex printing unit and duplexing ADF scanning unit.
US07881645B2
A toner container detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus, includes a container body for containing toner; and a sealing member. The sealing member includes a sealing portion and a coupling portion. The coupling portion includes a supporting portion provided on the sealing portion and an engaging portion provided at a free end of the supporting portion. The engaging portion includes a rotational force receiving portion and a locking portion. The rotational force receiving portion is capable of being abutted in a circumferential direction of a hollow cylindrical driving member of the image forming apparatus. The locking portion is capable of being abutted in an axial direction of the hollow cylindrical driving member to prevent the sealing member from moving in the axial direction of the container body when the container body moves away from the hollow cylindrical driving member.
US07881636B2
A plurality of supporting rollers over which the endless belt member is supported includes at least a driving roller that drives the endless belt member and a driven roller that is driven by a rotation of the endless belt member. A detecting unit detects a plurality of marks provided on the driven roller at a predetermined position. A control unit controls a speed at which a driving unit drives the endless belt member based on a result of detecting the marks. The driven roller functions as a tension roller that applies a tension to the endless belt member. The detecting unit is held by the tension roller.
US07881626B2
An image formation apparatus has a waste toner accommodation unit including a toner transporting rotation member covered with a fixed pipe. As the member rotates, waste toner in the pipe is transported downstream A fin involved in detecting an amount of toner moves upward and downward with a predetermined amplitude as the member rotates. The pipe has a projection secured by an elastic member to a bottom of the waste toner accommodation unit, and when waste toner reaches the level of the pipe, the waste toner is compressed in the pipe downstream and thus increases in density, and together with the waste toner the pipe starts to rotate. As a result, the projection rotates to a position allowing it to interfere with the fin, and the fin decreases in amplitude. Such variation in amplitude is detected by a sensor and a state full of toner is thus detected.
US07881617B2
An optical packet processor includes one or more optical packet inputs that receive asynchronous optical packets. An optical packet interconnect directs the optical packets from the different optical packet inputs to different optical packet outputs. The optical packets are buffered either before or after being directed from the inputs to the different outputs. Problems associated with optical buffering are overcome by synchronizing the asynchronous optical packets with the optical packet buffers. The novel optical buffer architectures described also reduce or eliminate the use of certain high cost optical components.
US07881616B2
An operational optical transceiver configured to initiate operation in loop back mode. The optical transceiver includes transmit and receive signal paths, a memory capable of having microcode written to it, and a configurable switch array that is used to connect and disconnect the two signal paths as appropriate for a desired loop back mode. The microcode is structured to cause the optical transceiver to control the configurable switch array. This allows for analysis and diagnostics of the signal data.
US07881614B2
A central component of a processor based system, the central component including a processor and an optical interface to transmit data encoded as an optical signal to an optical interface of an external component of the processor based system, and to receive data encoded as an optical signal from the optical interface of the external component, the external component being one or more of an external peripheral device, a docking station, and a port replicator.
US07881608B2
Methods and apparatuses are provided for performing jitter measurements in a transceiver module. Accordingly, there is no need to use expensive test equipment that must be inserted into and removed from the network in order to obtain these measurements. In addition, because the measurements can be obtained at any time without any interruption in communications over the network, jitter performance can be monitored more closely and more frequently to facilitate better and earlier diagnosis of problems that can lead to failures in the network.
US07881592B2
A digital audio/video playback system capable of controlling audio and video playback speed for decoding a digital audio/video signal and then outputting such signal. The system includes: a loader configured to receive the digital audio/video signals, a parser configured to resolve the digital audio/video signals into a video bitstream and an audio bitstream, a video decoder and an audio decoder respectively configured to receive and decode the video bitstream and the audio bitstream, and a playback speed controller configured to adjust the sound frequency of the decoded audio based on a set playback speed and output the decoded video/audio at the set playback speed.
US07881590B2
Disclosed herein are a method for reproducing contents information in an interactive optical disc device and a method for providing contents information in a contents provider server. The interactive optical disc device is connected with the contents provider server via the Internet to receive a variety of contents information provided from the contents provider server. When the sending of the contents information from the contents provider server to the interactive optical disc device is suspended or delayed due to a network connection loss on the Internet or an insufficient storage capacity of a buffer memory in the interactive optical disc device, contents information re-sent from the contents provider server and a data stream read from an interactive DVD are re-synchronized and reproduced. Therefore, a user of the interactive optical disc device can normally watch more various contents information.
US07881588B2
A reproducing apparatus includes: a reproducing unit for reproducing, from a recording medium on which main image for normal reproduction data and specific reproduction image data made up of a plurality of blocks each including first data and second data are recorded, the main image data and the specific reproduction image data; a detecting unit for detecting an error in the first data and an error in the second data in the respective blocks of the specific reproduction image data that is reproduced by the reproducing unit, independently; and an interpolation processing unit for interpolating independently the first data and the second data in which the error is detected by the detecting unit, by selectively using a plurality of interpolating methods.
US07881584B2
A reproducing apparatus and method includes a reproducing unit to reproduce mainstream data and sub audio data separately added in the mainstream data, wherein the reproducing unit comprises a counter used in reproducing the sub audio data. Accordingly, it is possible to more naturally reproduce still image data, such as a browsable slide show, to which sub audio data is additionally included, thus preventing an interruption in reproduction of the sub audio data even during a forward or reverse play.
US07881583B2
A playback apparatus is capable of playing back video data at a variable speed ranging from a forward normal speed to a reverse normal speed, the video data having been encoded for compression through inter-frame compression based on predictive coding and recorded on a recording medium that allows random access. The playback apparatus includes a frame buffer configured to temporarily store video data of a plurality of frames; a target-pattern generator configured to generate a target pattern of the frame buffer for a target playback frame to be played back next; a comparator configured to compare a current state of the frame buffer with the target pattern; and a frame-buffer controller configured to extract a frame to be newly decoded and a frame no longer used in the current state of the frame buffer, on the basis of a result of the comparison by the comparator.
US07881581B2
An optical termination unit is provided for allowing an optical cable to be easily projected straight in any of five directions, including upward, downward, rightward, leftward, and rearward directions, thereby enhancing the efficiency of cable laying or the like. An end securing box 150 of the optical termination unit 100 includes a two-stage multi-tiered box structure separable to two bodies, the first stage including a clamp tray 120 and the second stage including a fusion tray 130 which is provided with a lid (lid 140) thereupon. An inlet Im (m=1, 2, 3, 4, 5) for introducing the end of a second optical cable to be embedded in a wall or a pillar is provided at each face of the enclosure. Holes H1 and H2 formed on the rear face 115 are provided for securing the end securing box 150 with a nylatch n. The end securing box 150 having a rectangular solid shape has multiple holes formed therein. This allows the end securing box 150 to be secured to a rear face 115 so as to be arbitrarily oriented on a right angle basis.
US07881576B2
A preconnectorized outdoor cable streamlines the deployment of optical waveguides into the last mile of an optical network. The preconnectorized outdoor cable includes a cable and at least one plug connector. The plug connector is attached to a first end of the cable, thereby connectorizing at least one optical waveguide. The cable has at least one optical waveguide, at least one tensile element, and a cable jacket. Various cable designs such as figure-eight or flat cables may be used with the plug connector. In preferred embodiments, the plug connector includes a crimp assembly having a crimp housing and a crimp band. The crimp housing has two half-shells being held together by the crimp band for securing the at least one tensile element. When fully assembled, the crimp housing fits into a shroud of the preconnectorized cable. The shroud aids in mating the preconnectorized cable with a complimentary receptacle.
US07881573B2
This document discusses, among other things, a connector for an optical imaging probe that includes one or more optical fibers communicating light along the catheter. The device may use multiple sections for simpler manufacturing and ease of assembly during a medical procedure. Light energy to and from a distal minimally-invasive portion of the probe is coupled by the connector to external diagnostic or analytical instrumentation through an external instrumentation lead. Certain examples provide a self-aligning two-section optical catheter with beveled ends, which is formed by separating an optical cable assembly. Techniques for improving light coupling include using a lens between instrumentation lead and probe portions. Techniques for improving the mechanical alignment of a multi-optical fiber catheter include using a stop or a guide.
US07881571B2
The invention relates to a coupling device comprising a support substrate; a first layer arranged on the support substrate and comprising first patterns produced within the thickness of said first layer, said first patterns being arranged in parallel and periodic rows; a second layer arranged on the first layer and comprising second patterns passing through the thickness of said second layer, said second patterns being arranged in parallel and periodic rows. The direction of periodicity of the rows of the first patterns is perpendicular to the direction of periodicity of the rows of the second patterns. The rows of the first patterns extend over a distance greater than or equal to the wavelength in the void of the optical wave intended to be coupled. The first patterns have a width less than or equal to a tenth of the wavelength of the optical wave intended to be coupled, and the period of these patterns is between 50 nm and 1 μm. The second patterns are arranged so as to form a periodic diffraction grating.
US07881569B2
The present invention connects two independent plastic optical fiber channels simultaneously, in which optic signals can be transmitted along two optic passes through a single mechanical rotational interface. The first channel of light path consists of a pair of plastic optic fibers with larger-core, co-axially fixed in 2 holders respectively. The light signal from one of the fiber can be directly coupled into another fiber. A number of smaller-core plastic optic fibers for second channel of light path are circumferentially arranged in the peripheral space of the first channel fibers. They are blind-spot free during rotation and are ideal for machine control applications such as SERCOS Interfaces. The rugged design permits underwater usage. Damaged fibers can be easily replaced without costly repairs of the device itself.
US07881568B2
An interconnect element incorporates a plurality of smaller, substantially identical, interconnect modules. Multiple identical elements can in turn be combined to form larger interconnect networks. Signal paths in the elements can be implemented with optical fibers or electrical conductors.
US07881567B2
An optical device for monitoring a rotatable shaft is disclosed. The optical device has an optical waveguide arranged on the rotatable shaft and an optical sensor. The optical device further has a transmitting unit transmit the light signal, a transfer device to transmit the light signal between the transmitting unit and the optical waveguide and an evaluation unit for determining a physical variable from a light signal coming from the optical sensor and transferred by the transfer device, the evaluation unit being associated with the transmitting unit. The transfer device has an optical ‘multimode’ waveguide associated with a coupling device, the waveguide being associated with the transmitting unit and a further optical ‘multimode’ waveguide, with an associated coupling device associated with the optical waveguide and arranged on the rotatable shaft eccentrically to its axis.
US07881564B2
Methods and system for transferring images between devices are disclosed. For example, differently scaled images by a host device may automatically and/or selectively be transferred to a media player for display. In turn, appropriately scaled images may be transferred automatically and/or selectively to another display device for example a TV, camera or printer. The selectivity may occur either at the host level or at the player level.
