US07898791B2
In an ionizer, in which an electrode cartridge having a pair of electrodes is mounted in an electrode-attaching opening of a housing so as to be freely attached and detached by means of rotating the same around a center axial line, a drop-off prevention cover is attached to the housing. In the drop-off prevention cover, a fitting hole, to which the electrode cartridge is fitted, is formed, and by means of limiting a rotation of the electrode cartridge by the fitting hole, the electrode cartridge is prevented from dropping off.
US07898783B2
Methods and apparatus to reduce substrate voltage bounces and spike voltages in switching amplifiers
Methods and apparatus to reduce voltage bounces and spike voltages in switching amplifiers are disclosed. An example method of removing a substrate current from a substrate disclosed herein comprises injecting the substrate current via turning on an active device, forming a low impedance path to ground via a substrate clamp based on the substrate current, and removing the substrate current from the substrate via the substrate clamp.
US07898778B2
A superconducting coil quench detection method and device capable of detecting a quench detection voltage even in a superconducting coil where a plurality of element coils are connected with a plurality of current sources and operated with repetitive pulses or AC and a voltage of several kV is applied continuously as an induction voltage. A super conducting power storage unit is also provided.
US07898762B1
A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, the disk including a plurality of servo sectors wherein each servo sector comprises at least one servo burst. A read signal emanating from the head is sampled while reading a servo burst in a servo sector to generate a plurality of sample values. A quality metric is generated in response to a plurality of sample values of a servo sub-burst representing part of the servo burst. When the quality metric does not exceed a threshold, the servo sub-burst sample values are excluded when generating a position error signal (PES) representing a position of the head over the disk. When the quality metric exceeds the threshold, the servo sub-burst sample values are included when generating the PES. The head is then positioned over the disk in response to the PES.
US07898758B2
A method for using magnetic tape having damaged areas is disclosed. The method may include writing data to streaming magnetic tape, determining if the data write was successful, and responding to an unsuccessful data write by interrupting the data writing and advancing the magnetic tape forward a predetermined distance. Additionally, the method may include attempting to write data at the next location on the magnetic tape and determining if the data write was successful. The method may further include repeating the steps of advancing the tape, attempting to write, and determining whether the data write was successful following any determination that an attempted data write was not successful. The method may include further include resuming writing data to streaming magnetic tape at a location where a data write is determined to be successful.
US07898753B2
An apparatus for driving a lens by electromagnetic driving force includes a frame, a barrel, a lens holder, a lens, a kicker, electromagnets and a resilient element. The barrel rotably mounted in the frame includes a first linkage structure. The lens holder includes a second linkage structure and is mounted on the barrel through the first and second linkage structures. The lens is coupled into the lens holder, and the kicker is mounted on an external wall of the barrel, and the electromagnets are mounted at the frame and the kicker respectively. The resilient element is connected to the barrel and the frame. The barrel can be pushed by a repulsion or attraction of a magnetic field produced by electrically conducting the electromagnets, and the first and second linking structures drive the lens holder to move from a first position to a second position.
US07898751B2
A projection lens unit includes a magnifying optical system is provided. A second magnifying lens barrel has a shape of double circular cylinders, and a first magnifying lens barrel is fitted to an outer circular cylinder. Further, a second magnifying lens is in contact with and fixed to a step portion of inner circular cylinder. In a manufacturing step thereof, the second magnifying lens is inserted into the inner circular cylinder of the second magnifying lens barrel to be into contact with the step portion. A front end portion of the inner circular cylinder is plastically deformed by being heated and pressed to fix the second magnifying lens. An outer peripheral edge of the front end portion has a curved surface. The curved surface of the front end portion is made to be smaller in radius of curvature than the second magnifying lens.
US07898747B2
An optical lens system for taking image comprises three lens elements with refractive power, from the object side to the image side: a first lens element with positive refractive power, a second lens element with negative refractive power having at least one aspheric surface, a third lens element with negative refractive power having at least one aspheric surface, and an aperture stop located between the first lens element and the second lens element. By such arrangements, it can effectively reduce the volume and the sensitivity of the lens system.
US07898742B2
A microlens chip comprises a variable focus fluidic microlens and actuator. The actuator varies the pressure in a fluidic channel in the microlens chip which is coupled to an aperture opening containing the microlens. Applying an electric field to the actuator creates changes in fluid pressure in the fluidic channel, which in turn changes the radius of curvature (i.e., focal length) of the fluidic microlens.
US07898736B2
Disclosed is a method of fabricating a molded structure including both micro lenses and metallic pins. The method comprises the steps of providing a mold apparatus having a set of first cavities and a set of second cavities, depositing a first material in the first cavities to form a set of metallic pins, and depositing a second material in the second cavities to form a set of micro lenses. The formed molded structure comprises a substrate, a set of molded microlenses on said substrate, and a set of molded metallic pins on that same substrate. The metallic pins may be formed as alignment pins or as electrical connectors. The invention enables the micro lenses and metallic pins to be manufactured by way of molding on a common substrate for the first time.
US07898734B2
Polarization preserving front projection screens and diffusers provide optimum polarization preservation for stereoscopic 3D viewing, as well as improved light control for enhanced brightness, uniformity, and contrast for both 2D and 3D systems. Generally, the disclosed screens direct light from a projector toward viewers within a diffusion locus, while maintaining optimum gain characteristics. More specifically, light incident on a region of the front projection screen from a predetermined projection direction is reflected by an engineered surface to a predetermined diffusion locus after undergoing substantially single reflections. The engineered surface, comprised of generating kernels, is used to optimally diffuse illumination light into a range of viewing angles, within the diffusion locus, with suitable gain profile, while optimally preserving polarization for 3D applications. Such a screen, when combined with matched polarization analyzing eyewear, provides extremely low cross-talk from any observation point.
US07898731B2
The present invention provides methods, systems, and apparatus of improved fiber-based optical parametric oscillators (FOPOs). These oscillators can be used in the creation of short pulsed laser radiation, which are useful in numerous applications, such as characterization of materials and molecules. A relationship between fiber length and performance is realized, where shorter lengths counterintuitively provide greater power and width of output bands. This relationship is used to develop improved FOPOs. For example, fibers of 10 cm or less may be used to obtain superior performance in terms of wavelength tunability (e.g. bandwidth of 200 nm and greater) and output power (e.g. pulse power of 1 nJ). Other realized relationships between length and wavelength position of output bands are also used to select the wavelength range output from the FOPO. The diameter of the fiber may be selected to provide positioning (e.g. a centering) of the range of attainable output wavelengths.
US07898717B2
An electro-optic display comprises a backplane; a layer of electro-optic material disposed adjacent the backplane; a protective layer; and a sealing layer of a metal or a ceramic extending between the backplane and the protective layer, and thus sealing the layer of electro-optic material from the outside environment.
US07898711B2
A scanning optical apparatus includes a light source, a deflecting element for deflecting a beam of light emitted from the light source, an optical device for causing the beam of light emitted from the light source to be imaged into a linear shape long in the main scanning direction on the deflecting surface of the deflecting element. The optical device is comprised of a first optical element and a second optical element, and a third optical element for causing the beam of light deflected by the deflecting element to be imaged into a spot-like shape on a surface to be scanned. The third optical element includes a single lens, the opposite lens surfaces of which both include a toric surface of an aspherical surface shape in the main scanning plane, the curvatures of the opposite lens surfaces in the sub scanning plane being continuously varied from the on-axis toward the off-axis in the effective portion of the lens.
US07898709B2
In the optical deflector, the mean width of profile elements of a cross section of the deflection surface in the sub scan direction is set to be less than the spacing between spots of the light beams formed in the sub scan direction of the deflection surface. This makes it possible to prevent a variation in the size and shape of the spots of the light beams deflected by the deflection surface due to the undulation (unevenness) of the deflection surface. As a result, it is able to suppress a decrease of the granularity of images and form images with high quality.
US07898701B2
An image reading apparatus has a light source and an image capturing device disposed to face each other with a document table interposed therebetween. The image reading apparatus includes: an image capturing device moving mechanism, operable to perform a moving operation for moving the image capturing device in a scanning direction; and a light source moving mechanism, operable to move the light source in the first direction with the movement operation performed by the image capturing device moving mechanism.
US07898699B2
An electronic endoscope apparatus includes a scope unit in which a color filter is provided. The scope unit further includes a filter information storage means for storing filter information showing the kind of the color filter provided in the scope unit. Further, a plurality of kinds of scope units, each of which has filter information showing a different kind of color filter from each other, can be selectively connected. The filter information stored in the filter storage means of the connected scope unit is obtained. Then, color space correction processing is performed, based on the filter information, on color image signals output from the plurality of kinds of scope units so that each of signals for display, produced from the color image signals, represents the same point in color space.
US07898679B2
A method for scheduling jobs in a computer system includes storing a plurality of job queue files in a random access memory, accessing at least one of the job queue files stored in random access memory, and scheduling, based in part on the at least one job queue file, execution of a job associated with the at least one job queue file. In a more particular embodiment, a method for scheduling jobs in a computer system include storing a plurality of job queue files in a random access memory. The plurality of job queue files include information associated with at least one job. The method also includes storing the information external to the random access memory and accessing at least one of the job queue files stored in the random access memory. The method also includes scheduling, based at least in part on the at least one job queue file, execution of a job associated with at least one job queue file. In response to the scheduling, the method includes updating the information stored in the job queue file and random access memory and the information stored external to the random access memory.
US07898675B1
A method and apparatus for transmitting class 1, 2, or 3 fax image data streams over Internet Global Area Networks is shown. A first device converts local fax image data streams into electronic data streams, transmits the data stream over the network, to a second device at the remote fax machine which reconverts the electronic data to fax image data and prints it out on said remote fax machine.
US07898668B2
A terahertz spectrometer includes: a terahertz-wave generating element; an elliptical mirror; an optical lens configured to apply a terahertz wave generated by the terahertz-wave generating element, obliquely to a focusing plane of a first focus of the elliptical mirror; and a terahertz-wave detecting element arranged at a second focus of the elliptical mirror.
US07898649B2
A measurement method of measuring a spectroscopic characteristic inside of a scattering medium includesa first step of measuring the spectroscopic characteristic of the scattering medium by using diffuse optical tomography by irradiating light into the scattering medium, a second step of measuring the spectroscopic characteristic of the scattering medium by using acousto-optical tomography or photo acoustic tomography by irradiating light into the scattering medium, and a third step of making an assumption of a distribution of the spectroscopic characteristic inside of the scattering medium and of changing the assumption such that a difference between a predicted value of the spectroscopic characteristic derived from the assumption and a measured value obtained in the first step can fall upon a permissible range. The third step uses data obtained in the second step for at least one of the parameter: an initial value, a constraint condition, or a boundary condition.
US07898647B2
A distance measuring apparatus, which can achieve reduction in cost and size and perform measurement ranging from short-distance to long-distance accurately, includes an unit outputting first pulsed light L1 to a measurement object, an unit detecting first pulsed light L2 reflected by the measurement object to output a signal responsive to an intensity variation thereof, a measuring unit measuring a time difference between output and detection of the first pulsed light during a period when an intensity of the signal is larger than a predetermined value, a measuring unit measuring the time difference at a time when an intensity of the signal varies from less than a predetermined value to the predetermined value or more, and an unit calculating a distance to the measurement object using a time difference measured by at least one of the two measuring units.
US07898646B2
A system and method provides high speed variable attenuators. The attenuators can be used within a lithographic apparatus to control intensity of radiation in one or more correction pulses used to correct a dose of the radiation following an initial pulse of radiation.
US07898644B2
By proper selection of illumination configuration, mask transmission, and mask bias, complex patterns of contact holes may be imaged with sufficient latitude for manufacturing at minimum half-pitches of k1=0.40 or below. In an embodiment, a method of transferring an image of a mask pattern onto a substrate with a lithographic apparatus is presented. The method includes illuminating a mask pattern of an attenuated phase shift mask with an illumination configuration including on-axis and off-axis components, the off-axis component of the illumination being an annular illumination extending near a pupil edge, and projecting an image of the illuminated mask pattern onto the substrate.
US07898642B2
A substrate table of an immersion lithographic apparatus is disclosed which comprises a barrier configured to collect liquid. The barrier surrounds the substrate and is spaced apart from the substrate. In this way any liquid which is spilt from the liquid supply system can be collected to reduce the risk of contamination of delicate components of the lithographic projection apparatus.
US07898620B2
The present invention provides a transmissive liquid crystal display device which is less in variation in displaying characteristics, bright in displaying image, high in contrast and less in viewing angle dependency. The liquid crystal display comprises at least a specific first optically anisotropic layer with a fixed nematic hybrid orientation structure and a specific second optically anisotropic layer.
US07898606B2
A thin film transistor substrate and a liquid crystal display capable of eliminating residual images and enhancing clarity are presented. The thin film transistor substrate includes a charge-up capacitor for increasing electric charge in a first pixel electrode of a first pixel capacitor and a charge-down capacitor decreasing electric charge in a second pixel electrode of a second pixel capacitor. An extension electrode portion of the charge-up capacitor is formed in the shape of a frame to reduce any variation in the overlapping area between the first pixel electrode and the extension electrode portion caused by an alignment error generated during the manufacturing process.
US07898601B1
A system and apparatus are provided for selectively terminating an analog video signal depending on whether or not a terminating device is present. A conditional terminator receives an analog video signal from a video input and terminates the video signal in the absence of a terminating device and does not terminate the video signal when a terminating device is connected to the analog video signal. A conditional terminator may comprise a resistor and transistor connecting the video signal to ground when a ground signal from a terminating device is not present and disconnecting the signal from ground as a result of the presence of a ground signal from a connected terminating device. The conditional termination may occur in a video input device or alternatively in a video cable connector.
US07898597B2
A video processing apparatus uses information related to an image quality of an inputted video signal which is to be displayed on a display apparatus and a determination table in which video display sizes previously set in accordance with video resolution or bit rate are held to determine an optimal size for displaying the inputted video signal.
US07898596B2
A method and device of automatic detection and modification of subtitle position comprises the steps of comparing an active display area parameter of a displaying device to an original subtitle control signal to generate a comparison result, and outputting a targeted subtitle control signal to modify the position of the subtitle depends on the comparison result so that the subtitle is guaranteed to display in the active display area. Accordingly, the subtitle position detection and modification method and device may not only as a solution of improper subtitle display position arrangement, but also excite the viewer's joy of the sight and eliminate the inconvenience of the complicated adjusting operations.
US07898587B2
An imaging device outputs brightness information according to an amount of incident light and includes: an imaging unit that includes a plurality of unit cells arranged one dimensionally or two-dimensionally, each unit cell including a photoelectric conversion part that generates a first output voltage in a reset state and a second output voltage according to an amount of incident light, and each unit cell generating a reset voltage that corresponds to the first output voltage and a read voltage that corresponds to the second output voltage; and an output unit operable to output, in relation to each unit cell, brightness information indicating a difference between the reset voltage and the read voltage when normal light is incident to the imaging device and the read voltage is in a predetermined range, and brightness information indicating high brightness when strong light is incident to the imaging device and the read voltage is not in the predetermined range.
US07898579B2
A method of appending a position stamp to an image file of a photo or video clip taken with a digital camera having a GPS antenna and a GPS RF front-end including an analogue to digital converter for receiving GPS signals and outputting GPS signal samples together with a digital camera and computer for the same.
US07898574B2
An image processor and an operating method thereof are provided. The image processor includes: an audio data processing unit having a timer for providing audio data and information about time increment thereof; an image capturing unit for generating a number of video frames through photographing; a video data processing unit for generating each of video data and information about time increment thereof using the number of video frames, and providing the video data and the information about the time increments thereof; and a memory for storing the audio data and the information about the audio time increment, the video data and the information about the video time increment.
US07898573B1
A method for processing a source frame is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating an intermediate frame by digitally processing the source frame, wherein the intermediate frame has an intermediate resolution and has an intermediate color space, (B) generating a video frame by down-sampling the intermediate frame, wherein the video frame has a video resolution lower than the intermediate resolution and has a video color space different than the intermediate color space, (C) generating a video stream by compressing the video frame with a video encoding technique and (D) generating a still picture by formatting the intermediate frame with a picture formatting technique, wherein (i) the still picture has the intermediate resolution and (ii) generating the still picture occurs substantially simultaneously with generating the video stream.
US07898572B2
In one embodiment, the methods and apparatuses identifying opportunities to capture content sense a user profile; determine a geographic location of a device; and transmit at least one suggestion to the device based on the geographic location of the device and the user profile wherein the suggestion indicates a photo opportunity.
US07898560B2
A printer capable of reducing a time for increasing the temperature of a heating element to a proper level for starting printing beforehand and suppressing density reduction in an initial stage of printing is obtained. This printer comprises a print head having a heating element for printing an image on a paper, a platen roller against which the print head is pressed through an ink sheet and the paper and print head control means applying a prescribed voltage to the heating element of the print head while carrying the paper after pressing the print head against the platen roller and before starting printing.
US07898557B2
A system provides an image displaying technique that provides stable high contrast even in an area having high brightness. Based on information about an average brightness level of a digital luminance signal, black-correction processing which decreases a brightness level by offsetting the brightness level to the minus side, and increase processing which increases a contrast gain within a dynamic range, are performed for an analog luminance signal or a digital luminance signal, enabling improvement in contrast even where brightness is intense.
US07898550B2
Various embodiments for reducing external bandwidth requirements for transferring graphics data are included. One embodiment includes a system for reducing the external bandwidth requirements for transferring graphics data comprising a prediction error calculator configured to generate a prediction error matrix for a pixel tile of z-coordinate data, a bit length calculator configured to calculate the number of bits needed to store the prediction error matrix, a data encoder configured to encode the prediction error matrix into a compressed block and a packer configured to shift the compressed block in a single operation to an external memory location.
US07898536B2
A display apparatus and a method of driving the same in which a selector outputs one of two high gamma values and one of two low gamma values in one frame unit in response to a selection signal. A gamma reference voltage generator outputs a high gamma reference voltage corresponding to the selected high gamma value and a low gamma reference voltage corresponding to the selected low gamma value. A data driving circuit outputs a first data voltage based on the high gamma reference voltage during a first active period and outputs a second data voltage based on the low gamma reference voltage during a second active period. Thus, a display panel may display an image using data voltages corresponding to different gamma curves in one frame unit, thereby improving visibility of the display apparatus.
US07898510B2
A functional sheet is brought into intimate contact with a front surface of a plasma display panel, and the functional sheet has a structure in which heat diffusion is superior to heat insulation between the plasma display panel and outside air. In addition, a display device includes a controller for controlling a drive voltage pulse train so that power consumption in a unit area in a light emission region within the screen is limited under a set value when one image is displayed.
US07898498B2
An apparatus includes an antenna having multiple conductive portions. The apparatus also includes a transducer electrically coupling the conductive portions of the antenna. The transducer includes a first conductive path electrically coupled to one of the conductive portions and a second conductive path electrically coupled to the first conductive path and to another of the conductive portions. The first and second conductive paths at least partially overlap along at least a substantial portion of their lengths, where the overlap occurs in a direction perpendicular to a plane of the antenna portions.
US07898496B2
An apparatus for holding an antenna on a mounting surface by use of suction cups or suction devices such that the antenna may be temporarily removed from the surface and subsequently restored or relocated to another mounting surface. The suction cups or suction devices are mechanically connected to an support arm capable of adjustment for permitting either vertical or horizontal modification of the holding arm thereby maintaining a constant mounting angle of the holding arm for surfaces having various mounting directions or planes. By maintaining a fixed vertical of the holding arm from various mounting points, the directional alignment of the antenna, such as for a dish-type antenna, can remain relatively consistent from one installation to the next.
US07898490B2
A primary radiator includes two horns each having an opening on a larger-diameter side and an opening on a tapered smaller-diameter side opposite to the larger-diameter side, and two corrugated portions provided around the opening on the larger-diameter side of the horn. The outermost corrugated portion is formed to surround all of the horns, and the outermost corrugated portion is formed of one sheet metal member. With this structure, sheet-metal processing can be used to form horns of adaptable shapes and a plurality of horns can be formed at a time.
US07898489B2
The present invention relates to a device for adjusting the beam direction of a beam radiated from a stationary array of antenna elements. Antenna element feed points are coupled to a common source via a feed line structure having a source connection and feed connection terminals to be connected to the antenna element feed points, the feed line structure being at a distance from and in parallel to a fixed ground plane. A movable element is located adjacent to the feed line structure to change the signal phase of signal components being transferred between the source connection and the respective feed connection terminals. The movable element is movable for effecting a phase shift of the signal components to adjust the beam direction. The device is provided with a detection arrangement for detecting the absolute position of the movable element.
US07898487B2
The invention relates to an aircraft undercarriage including at least one axle having at least one wheel mounted to rotate thereon, the undercarriage including a communication device for connecting a sensor mounted on a rim of the wheel to stationary processor means mounted on the aircraft. According to the invention, the communication device comprises firstly an antenna secured to the sensor and thus rotating together with the wheel, and secondly a stationary antenna extending at the end of the axle and connected to the processor means, the two antennas being in radio communication through a cover of non-conductive material secured to the wheel and covering the end of the axle.
US07898482B2
The present disclosure includes a system and method for conducting radio frequency signals using multiple layers. In some implementations, a signal transfer element configured to passively transfer RF signals between a first region and a second region includes a first conductor layer having a first continuous conductor configured as a first portion of a first antenna, a transmission line, and a first portion of a second antenna. The first antenna and the second antenna are configured to wirelessly receive and transmit Radio Frequency (RF) signals. The signal transfer element also includes a second conductor layer having a second continuous conductor configured as a second portion of the first antenna, a ground plane, and a second portion of the second antenna. The first conductor layer and the second conductor layer are spatially proximate such that the transmission line and the ground plane are configured to passively transfer RF signals between the first antenna and the second antenna independent of an electrical connection between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer.
US07898470B2
In a system for determining the positions of multiple towed vehicles that are towed by a towing vehicle, a satellite antenna is provided on each towed vehicle and a high accuracy satellite receiver is placed on the towing vehicle, the positions of the towed vehicle of interest being determined by switching its antennae signal through to the satellite receiver.
US07898461B2
Systems and methods of error handling in interferometric signal processing for a ground based slope monitoring system are described. Uncorrected movement data is extracted from interferometric radar measurements of a relatively stable reference. The movement data is corrected for changes in atmospheric conditions as a function of changes in a refractive index of the air and an offset induced at zero range.
US07898457B2
A method of processing a temporal sequence of base images from a synthetic aperture system such as a synthetic aperture radar is provided that simplifies the task of identifying moving objects. The method comprises the steps of firstly temporally filtering a plurality of the base images to form a reference image, and secondly normalising the reference image with a base image to form a change detection image. The change detection image has the property that all moving objects are emphasised. Further processing can optionally be performed on the change detection image to remove false targets based on characteristics of the highlighted areas or on a temporal track taken over a plurality of change detection images. The invention allows detection of moving objects without requiring a Doppler return from a target. The invention extends to a system adapted to implement the method, and a computer program.
US07898454B1
A method of jamming radar apparatus carried by interceptor aircraft comprising producing a narrow radio beam of a frequency corresponding to the frequency of the radar apparatus carried by an attacking aircraft and directing the beam towards the earth to produce scattered radiation from the surface thereof which the radar of the interceptor will home on causing the interceptor to divert its course towards the scattering source.
US07898452B2
This method increases accuracy of a pipelined analog-to-digital converter comprising a plurality of stages, each stage comprising an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The method includes calibrating each the ADC starting from a least significant stage until all ADCs have been calibrated using a reference digital-to-analog converter, the reference digital-to-analog converter selectively outputting values at desired trip points for each the ADC; measuring an output of each the DAC using downstream stages of the pipelined analog-to-digital converter to produce output measurements; and using the output measurements to calculate an error-corrected output of the pipelined analog-to-digital converter. The trip points are adjusted by modifying a reference current input to a comparator of each the ADC.
US07898449B2
A telescopic differential operational amplifier circuit for use in a pipelined A/D converter is provided with two auxiliary differential amplifiers connected to two cascode circuits, each including cascode-connected first to fourth transistors. During the sampling phase, first and second switches are turned on to apply a predetermined bias voltage to the gates of first and fourth transistors, and the input terminal of the differential operational amplifier circuit is set to a common mode voltage. During the hold phase, the first and second switches are turned off so that a voltage of each of the gates of the first and fourth transistors change to follow an input signal inputted via the input terminal with coupling capacitors operating as a level shifter of the input signal. Then the differential operational amplifier circuit performs push-pull operation operative only in a transconductance drive region, and is prevented from operating in a slewing region.
US07898439B2
A bicycle rental system and automated station that may be integrated with an automobile parking payment and management system. Users may pay for parking and/or rent and pickup bicycles at the station. The station has a meter, bicycle docks, and power plant. Transaction formalities for parking payment and rental may be handled at the meter. The bicycle docks each are adapted to secure a bicycle. The power plant uses a solar panel to collect power and stores it in energy storage device. Low-power operation may be achieved by placing some electronics in a low-power mode. Each bicycle dock may have a trigger mechanism that when activated powers on associated electronics. The bicycle docks may be divided among a number of bicycle modules. The bicycle modules provide flexibility and modularity so that the number of bicycle docks at a station may be changed.
US07898434B2
A display system and a program for displaying a portion of a range that is obstructed due to the body of a vehicle when viewed from a driver seat is provided. The portion of the range is seamlessly linked to a scene viewed through a windshield. The display system includes an imaging means acquiring an image of an outside of a vehicle including the obstructed portion of the range, a first display means disposed on an instrument panel of the vehicle, and a control means that processes an image acquired by the imaging means. The image displayed on the first display means is seamlessly linked to a scene viewed through the windshield and the processed image is displayed on the first display means.
US07898433B2
A system and method for moving vehicular traffic in a single lane through a control zone requires creation of a control protocol. The protocol establishes a spacing distance “s” and a speed “v” for each vehicle in the control zone. A computer then controls movement of a visible signal through the control zone in accordance with the established protocol. Electronic regulators monitor the distance “s” between the signal and the vehicle, and the system alarms when “s” becomes greater than a predetermined distance “d”.
US07898432B2
A method and system for determining right of way for a plurality of mobile units at an intersection. The method and system include collecting position and movement information about the plurality of mobile units approaching the intersection; storing a plurality of rules about right of way at the intersection; accessing information about geometry of the intersection; calculating which one or more of the plurality of the mobile units have right of way to enter the intersection, responsive to the position and movement information, the stored rules and the information about geometry of the intersection; and wirelessly transmitting right of way indication signals to one or more of the plurality of the mobile units.
US07898427B1
A smoke/heat detector and alarm system for shutting off power to a heat generating appliance (gas or electric powered) when smoke/heat is detected. The system includes a smoke/heat detector that responds according to a selected one of four selectable modes. The system also includes a library of telephone numbers with corresponding emergency telephone numbers that are automatically dialed in response to reception of a Smoke alarm signal. The system is designed to avoid confusion that might otherwise be encountered when a plurality of such systems are operating in close proximity to one another.
US07898422B2
The present invention generally relates to a tamper-resistant microchip assembly which may be used to, for example, confirm the authenticity of the source of a product. The tamper-resistant microchip assembly may further contain information related to the origin of the product, vintage, bottle size, geographic origin, age and/or other characteristics of the product. The tamper-resistant microchip assembly is particularly suitable for use with, for example, the production and distribution of wine.
US07898409B2
A circuit for exclusion zone compliance is recited. In one embodiment, the circuit comprises a satellite navigation signal reception component configured for receiving at least one signal from at least one Global Navigation Satellite System satellite and a navigation data deriving component configured for deriving position data and a clock time from the at least one signal. The circuit further comprises a non-volatile memory component configured for storing an encrypted data set describing the boundaries of an exclusion zone and a data blocking component configured for controlling the accessing of the encrypted data set. The circuit further comprises a data control component configured for blocking the output of a signal from the circuit in response an indication selected from the group consisting of: an indication that the circuit is located within an exclusion zone and an indication that output of said signal is not permitted based upon said clock time.
US07898402B2
A vehicle occupant detection apparatus includes an image pickup device for imaging an area including a position of a vehicle occupant within a vehicle compartment, a light emitting element for emitting auxiliary light into the compartment that includes the imaging area of the pickup device, and a storage section for storing imaging information provided by the pickup device. The vehicle occupant detection apparatus further including a comparison section for comparing imaging information provided through further imaging by the pickup device and the imaging information stored in the storage section, to provide a difference between the imaging information provided through the further imaging and the stored imaging information, and an abnormality determination section for determining abnormality of the imaging information on the basis of the image information difference.
US07898401B2
Aspects of the present invention are directed at allowing a vehicle to idle for a predetermined amount of time before shutdown. In accordance with one embodiment, a method is provided that accepts input from the vehicle operator to initiate a countdown to vehicle shutdown. When the input is received, a countdown is initiated that is regularly updated to reflect the passage of time. During the countdown, a vehicle ignition bus is maintained in an active state and a countdown value that reflects the time remaining before shutdown is presented on a graphical display. Then, in response to expiration of the countdown, the method allows the vehicle ignition bus to transition into an inactive state.
US07898398B2
An interior mirror system includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having an imaging sensor and a reconfigurable display. Information displayed by the reconfigurable display, when the reconfigurable display is backlit by a plurality of white light light emitting diodes, is viewable through the reflective element by a driver of the vehicle. The mirror assembly includes at least one photo sensor and a control responsive to the photo sensor and operable to distinguish between daytime and nighttime lighting conditions. The control is operable to vary the intensity of information displayed by the display as viewed through the reflective element by the driver of the vehicle. When the reconfigurable display is backlit by the plurality of light emitting diodes during daytime lighting conditions, the control is operable to adjust the intensity of displayed information to at least about 1000 cd/m2 as viewed through the reflective element by the driver of the vehicle.
US07898391B2
A method of operating a plurality of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) readers includes operating the readers according to a spatial-division and time-division synchronization schedule. Each reader may be associated with a reader group, and the schedule may specify a duration of time that all of the readers in a group may be active. Readers in different reader groups may be scheduled independent of readers in other reader groups.
US07898390B2
An interrogator provides a phase shifter including a first power divider configured to receive a signal and provide plural quadrature components of the signal; plural mixers coupled with the first power divider and configured to scale the quadrature components using a phase shift angle; and a second power divider coupled with the mixers and configured to combine the scaled quadrature components to shift the phase angle of the input signal by the phase shift angle.
US07898388B2
A system and method for gathering information from an operator of an asset is provided. The system interfaces with a management computer to provide a list of questions for response by the operator. A wireless infrastructure operates to distribute the list of questions from the management computer to the operator. The wireless infrastructure includes an asset communicator having a wireless communication device for communicating the questions, a processing unit, a storage unit for storing the questions and responses thereto, a display unit for displaying the questions, and input unit for the operator to input such responses. The processing unit is operable to prompt the operator with a first question, receive a response from the operator to the first question, select another question based on the response, and prompt the operator with yet another question.
US07898384B2
The system includes an intercepting booth (1) and at least two detecting units (2) and (3), of which the first one analyzes the variation over time of the weight of people or things penetrated into the booth, the second one analyzes the variation over time of the capacity of the electrical capacitor consisting of two metal armors (4) and (5) between which the controlled passage into the booth (1) is comprised. It further includes an electronic programmed processing unit (8) the inputs (9) of which are connected to at least the two detecting units (2) and (3) and the outputs (10) of which are connected to at least one alarm unit (11) and the elements for locking at least the door (13), of the booth (1) that separates the controlled passage (6) from the protected area (14).
US07898381B2
The body pressure distribution sensor sheet includes a first sheet, a second sheet, and a plurality of pressure-sensitive regions interposing between the first sheet and the second sheet. The pressure-sensitive regions are arranged in two directions, i.e., a lengthwise direction and a transverse direction to form a matrix. A first opening, a second opening, and a cut line are formed in an area between a pair of pressure-sensitive regions and adjacent to each other in a first oblique direction. The shape of the first opening is defined by a plurality of borders including a border and a border. The border extends from one end of the cut line in the transverse direction, and the border extends from the one end of the cut line in the lengthwise direction. The shape of the second opening is defined by a plurality of borders including a border and a border. The border extends from the other end of the cut line in the transverse direction, and the border extends from the other end of the cut line in the lengthwise direction.
US07898380B2
A fuse holder (20) is provided that can be installed in the place of a dropout fuse element in an electrical insulating unit (1). The fuse holder has an elongate electrically insulating body providing at least one electrically insulated elongate fuse housing in the form of a passage (21) associated with the body and adapted to receive a fuse wire (22) held under tension therein. The body can be installed in such insulating unit as a replacement to an existing dropout fuse element (5) and itself provides contacts enabling such a conventional dropout fuse element to be installed in the fuse holder body from which it can drop out when the fuse is blown. A switch arrangement is provided for maintaining a fuse in the passage in an inoperative condition whilst a dropout fuse element is functional and for automatically closing an electrical circuit through a fuse installed in said passage when the dropout fuse becomes blown and drops out of the fuse holder.
US07898369B2
A temperature compensation apparatus for a cavity filter including a plunger barrel, a compensation barrel having a first coefficient of thermal expansion, wherein the compensation barrel is housed with the plunger barrel, a tuning rod housed primarily within the compensation barrel, the tuning rod having a second coefficient of thermal expansion, and wherein the compensation barrel is physically in contact with the plunger barrel and the tuning rod for allowing a direct transfer of heat between the compensation barrel, the tuning rod, and the plunger barrel.
US07898365B2
An integrated SAW device features an electronic assembly, a SAW device mounted to the electronic assembly, and a heater element on the SAW device to minimize thermal resistance between the SAW device and the heater element.
US07898364B2
A method and apparatus for recovering at least one signal of interest are provided. The method includes receiving an overall signal, the overall signal including the at least one signal of interest and a plurality of other signals, identifying at least one of the strongest components of the plurality of other signals, attenuating, using at least one MEMS resonator, any of the components identified by the identifying, wherein the overall signal will be modified to include the at least one signal of interest, attenuated versions of the components identified by the identifying, and the remaining portions of the plurality of other signals that were not subject to the attenuating, and recovering, after the attenuating, the at least one signal of interest.
US07898351B2
There is provided a modulation circuit including a sampling unit that over-samples an input digital signal based on a multiplying clock signal, and outputs a first over-sampling signal, a first frequency conversion unit that outputs a first high-frequency signal based on the first over-sampling signal and a reference signal, a first filter unit that outputs a second high-frequency signal based on a second over-sampling signal obtained by delaying the first over-sampling signal by one clock and the reference signal, a second filter unit that outputs a third high-frequency signal based on a third over-sampling signal obtained by delaying the second over-sampling signal by one clock and the reference signal, and an adder unit that adds the first high-frequency signal, the second high-frequency signal, and the third high-frequency signal, and outputs an output signal.
US07898345B2
A digital frequency synthesizer can be implemented with single source design, a multiplexer design, a fractional divider design, or a frequency multiplier and frequency divider design. Implementations can utilize a controller dithering circuit or a delta-sigma modulator. The frequency synthesizer can be implemented in a CMOS structure and can utilize a clean up phase locked loop (PLL).
US07898344B2
In a multi-radar system, configured comprising a plurality of radar units which generate and output signals the frequency of which increases and decreases periodically, each radar unit generates and outputs signals synchronized with a prescribed sync signal, such that the upper limit and lower limit of the periodically increasing and decreasing frequency is different for the signals of each radar unit, and moreover the timing of the upper limit and lower limit of the signals substantially coincide. By this means, the frequency intervals between signals can be reduced, and more channels can be set, without causing radio wave interference.
US07898338B2
An integrated HF-amplifier has an input bond pad, cells displaced in a first direction, and an output bond pad. Each has a amplifier with input pad, active area, and output pad. The active area is arranged in-between the input and output pads, and the input pad, active area, and output pad are respectively displaced in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. A first network interconnects input pads of adjacent cells, and extends in the first direction. A second network interconnects output pads of adjacent cells, and extends in the first direction. The first and second networks obtain an output signal at the output bond pad having for all interconnected cells an equal phase shift and amplitude for a same input signal at the input bond pad. At particular bias and phase shift conditions this provides a Doherty amplifier with improved efficiency at power back off.
US07898332B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes: an amplifier circuit which respectively has one or more input terminals and one or more output terminals; a replica circuit which has the same DC characteristics as those of the amplifier circuit; a reference voltage generation circuit which is connected to a bias terminal of the replica circuit, and which generates a predetermined reference voltage at the bias terminal; and a feedback circuit which takes a difference between the reference voltage generated at the bias terminal of the replica circuit and the voltage generated at a bias terminal of the amplifier circuit, and which performs feedback control by providing negative feedback of the difference to the bias terminal of the amplifier circuit so that the voltage generated at the bias terminal of the amplifier circuit is made equal to the reference voltage generated at the bias terminal of the replica circuit.
US07898331B2
Increasing the input common-mode range of a circuit which accepts differential signals as inputs. Such an increase may be attained by correcting an input signal at continuous levels or at 2 or more discrete levels) without changing the strength represented by the input signal. In an embodiment, the common-mode component of an input signal is measured, and a correction voltage proportional to the difference between the measured common-mode component and a reference voltage, is generated. The correction voltage is coupled to the input terminals of the differential circuit to correct for any deviations from a desired level of common-mode voltage at the input terminals of the differential circuit. The approaches are applied to a switched-capacitor differential amplifier used in a sample-and-hold portion of an ADC.
US07898330B2
The present invention comprises class AB amplifier systems exhibiting low quiescent power, low-voltage operation, high gain, high bandwidth, low noise and low offset, and requiring a small die area. The amplifier systems use a differential first stage and a second stage of two pair of nested current mirrors interconnected in a particular way. Using a low quiescent current, the present invention reduces power consumption almost to a theoretical minimum. Also the circuit will operate at an input of only 1.8V with a threshold voltage of 1V. Various embodiments are disclosed.
US07898323B2
An amplifying circuit has an offset calibration mode and a normal mode. The amplifying circuit includes an amplifier having a non-inverting input and an inverting input for receiving, during the normal mode, a first input signal and a second input signal and an output for providing a high speed output signal, wherein the first input signal is a reference voltage or a high speed signal and the second input signal is a high speed signal. The amplifying circuit further includes a first transmission gate and a second transmission gate coupled in series between the non-inverting input and an inverting input that are enabled during the offset calibration mode. A benefit of this approach is that capacitance between the inverting and non-inverting inputs is reduced by the first and second transmission gates being in series. There is further benefit in reducing this capacitance by having each transmission gate receive an enable signal from a different source.
US07898311B2
A waveform generating circuit includes a constant current circuit that supplies a constant current through a power source; a current mirror circuit that flows an output current that is n times an input current; and a switching circuit that switches a flowing direction of the current in the constant current circuit between the current mirror circuit and the output terminal according to the logical level of the rectangle input signal. The waveform generating circuit generates a triangle wave having a falling slope waveform that is n times the rising slope. On the other hand, the waveform generating circuit that receives an inverted signal of the signal generates a triangle wave and its voltage is compared with another in the comparator to generate an output signal.
US07898298B2
An inverter driver integrated circuit (IC) includes a control signal generator generating a first control signal and a second control signal by use of a pulse width modulation oscillator signal, a comparator comparing a half-wave rectified signal of a lamp feedback signal fed back from a lamp with a preset reference signal to output a lamp state signal, a first sensor receiving the lamp state signal and the second control signal to output a first sensing signal, and a second sensor receiving the first sensing signal and the first control signal to output a second sensing signal.
US07898292B2
A level converter comprising an input circuit, coupled to a low power source and a first high power source, which generates a complementary first signal and second signal; and a shift circuit that outputs an output signal generated by shifting a voltage level of the input signal, the shift circuit including: a latch circuit having: a first inverter circuit provided in a first path between a second high power source and the low power source; and a second inverter circuit provided in a second path between the second high power source and the low power source, wherein the latch circuit is formed by coupling an input terminal and an output terminal of the first inverter circuit and the second inverter circuit; a first transistor coupled to the first path; and a second transistor coupled to the second path.
US07898291B2
Some embodiments provide a reconfigurable integrated circuit (“IC”). This IC has several reconfigurable circuits, each having several configurations for several configuration cycles. The reconfigurable circuits include several time-extending reconfigurable circuits. During the operation of the IC, each particular time-extending reconfigurable circuit maintains at least one of its configurations over at least two contiguous cycles, in order to allow a signal to propagate through a signal path, which contains the particular time-extending circuit, within a desired amount of time. Some embodiments provide a method of designing a reconfigurable IC that has several reconfigurable circuits, each having several configurations and operating in several reconfiguration cycles. The method identifies a signal path through the IC that does not meet a timing constraint. The signal path includes several circuits, one of which is a particular reconfigurable circuit. The method then maintains a configuration of the particular reconfigurable circuit constant over at least two contiguous reconfiguration cycles in order to reduce signal delay through the signal path and thereby satisfy the timing constraint.
US07898287B2
An input buffer includes a delay compensation unit for combining (a) a first signal obtained by buffering an input signal using another signal, which is out of phase with the input signal, with (b) a second signal obtained by buffering the input signal using a reference voltage signal, to output a third signal.
US07898284B2
Asynchronous nanoelectronic circuits that operate according to principles of quasi-delay insensitive design are described. Circuit or logic elements comprising n-type devices are fabricated in a first n-plane, p-type devices are fabricated in a p-plane, and connections are formed in a routing plane of a compute tile. A state-holding element comprising a selected one of a C-element, a precharge function-block, and a read-write register is described. The state-holding element can hold a value of an output of a logic element during a time when the output is disconnected from a reference voltage. Isochronic forks having an adversary path designed to make state transitions safe are explained.
US07898282B2
A system for communicably coupling between two superconducting qubits may include an rf-SQUID coupler having a loop of superconducting material interrupted by a compound Josephson junction and a first magnetic flux inductor configured to controllably couple to the compound Josephson junction. The loop of superconducting material may be positioned with respect to a first qubit and a second qubit to provide respective mutual inductance coupling therebetween. The coupling system may be configured to provide ferromagnetic coupling, anti-ferromagnetic coupling, and/or zero coupling between the first and second qubits. The rf-SQUID coupler may be configured such that there is about zero persistent current circulating in the loop of superconducting material during operation.
US07898280B2
A system and method for characterizing electronic properties of a semiconductor sample includes illuminating the surface of the semiconductor sample with a pulse of light, measuring a photoconductance decay in the semiconductor sample after the cessation of the first pulse of light, and analyzing the photoconductance decay. The electronic properties include properties associated with at least one of the bulk of the semiconductor sample and the surface of the semiconductor sample. The pulse of light has a predetermined duration and photon energy higher than energy gap of the semiconductor. The analyzing step determines a first component of the photoconductance decay substantially associated with point imperfections in the semiconductor sample and at least one second component of the photoconductance decay substantially associated with extended imperfections in the semiconductor sample.
US07898274B2
A split-type probe is used to contact with an object under test to detect an electrical characteristic thereof. The probe provided by the present invention has a contact head used to contact with the object under test, and a first needle body and a second needle body. The first needle body is connected to the contact head to transmit a testing signal to the object under test for performing detection. In addition, the second needle body is also connected to the contact head to transmit a response signal generated by the object under test due to the testing signal to obtain the electrical characteristic of the object under test.
US07898273B2
A probe measurement system for measuring the electrical characteristics of integrated circuits or other microelectronic devices at high frequencies.
US07898269B2
A semiconductor device and a method for measuring an analog channel resistance thereof are provided. The semiconductor device includes a substrate, a gate insulating layer and a gate formed on the substrate, a source and a drain formed in the substrate and at both sides of the gate, a source sense connected to the source, and a drain sense connected to the drain.
US07898264B2
Disclosed is an insulation deterioration detection device that can accurately detect insulation deterioration in multiple motors by a simple circuit configuration. When detecting insulation deterioration, one end A of a smoothing capacitor is connected via a first switch to ground, and the other end B is connected via a second switch to motor windings; in this condition, link voltage is measured by a voltage measuring circuit provided in a converter unit, and the measured link voltage value is transmitted to a microcomputer in each inverter unit via serial communication. Current flowing via motor insulation resistance Z1, Z2 is measured by a current measuring circuit provided in each inverter unit, and the microcomputer calculates the value of the insulation resistance Z1, Z2 from the link voltage value and the current value.
US07898258B2
A superconducting magnet configuration (4; 14) for generating a homogeneous magnetic field B0 in an examination volume (4b), has an interior radial superconducting main field coil (1) which is disposed rotationally symmetrically about an axis (z-axis) and an oppositely driven coaxial radially exterior superconducting shielding coil (2) is characterized in that the magnet configuration (4; 14) consists of the main field coil (1), the shielding coil (2), and a ferromagnetic field formation device (3; 18), wherein the ferromagnetic field formation device (3; 18) is located at the radially inside of the main field coil (1), the main field coil (1) consisting of an unstructured solenoid coil or of several radially nested unstructured solenoid coils (15, 16) which are driven in the same direction, the axial extent Labs of the shielding coil (2) being smaller than the axial extent Lhaupt of the main field coil (1), wherein the axial magnetic field profile (5) generated by the main field coil (1) and the shielding coil (2) during operation has a minimum of the field strength along the axis (z-axis) in the center (4a) and a maximum of the field strength on each side of the center (4a), and wherein the axial magnetic field profile (6) generated by the ferromagnetic field formation device (3; 18) during operation has a maximum of the field strength along the axis (z-axis) in the center (4a) and a minimum of the field strength on each side of the center (4a). The magnet configuration in accordance with the invention has a very simple structure.
US07898243B2
A device and a method for determining the magnetic field strength of an electromagnet is illustrated and described. The object to provide a device and a method for determining the strength of the field of an electromagnet, which allows even minor changes in the magnetic field to be determined quickly is achieved in terms of an apparatus by a device having a measurement device for determining the magnetic field of the electromagnet, a low-pass filter element which is connected to the first supply line and to the second supply line and is adapted to emit a signal at the output of the low-pass filter element from the voltage between the first supply line and the second supply line, which signal approximates to the time profile of the magnetic field strength in the electromagnet, having a low-pass filter downstream from the measurement device, having a high-pass filter connected in series with the low-pass filter element, and having a signal output, wherein the output of the measurement device and the output of the low-pass filter element are connected to the signal output.
US07898230B2
An integrated circuit assembly includes a voltage level generator, a level shifter, a bandgap reference generator and a voltage regulator. The voltage level generator generates output voltage level signals in response to a supply voltage. The level shifter receives the output voltage level signals from the voltage level generator and generates first and second sets of control signals. The bandgap reference generator receives a reference voltage input and generates a bandgap reference signal. The voltage regulator receives a supply voltage, the bandgap reference signal the first and second sets of control signals from the level shifter and generates a constant output voltage under varying circuit conditions.
US07898228B1
A synchronous switch uses body-control switches to control the polarity of the parasitic device, which can be used to reduce power consumption by the parasitic device in accordance with various operating conditions. A charge-supplying device (such as a capacitor) is coupled in series between the bulk node (of the synchronous switch) and a power node (such as Vout or ground). The charge-supplying device provides power to the bulk node of the switch during reverse recovery of the parasitic device to minimize recombination time. Minimizing recombination time allows the polarity of the parasitic device to be switched more quickly (especially under low operating voltage and/or heavy load conditions), which converses more power.
US07898224B2
A power control method using AC power, the method being capable of performing: low power control that passes only two portions of positive direction waves of each one-cycle sine wave of the AC power and only two portions of negative direction waves of each one-cycle sine wave of the AC power, which have voltage levels lower than a set reference voltage level, through a system; and high power control that does not pass only two portions of positive direction waves of each one-cycle sine wave of the AC power and only two portions of negative direction waves of each one-cycle sine wave of the AC power, which have voltage levels lower than a set reference voltage level, through the system.
US07898219B2
An on-board battery supervisor that monitors the state-of-charge (SOC) of a lead-acid vehicle battery and automatically disconnects loads from the battery to prevent over-discharging of the battery, is disclosed. As the battery is being discharged, the on-board battery supervisor disconnects loads at an SOC level that leaves enough energy in the battery to reliably start the vehicle engine, while providing as much energy as possible to accessory loads. The loads are automatically reconnected as the battery is charged. Some preferred embodiments of the invention are designed specifically for use in watercraft and a dual output version of the invention simplifies the electrical system. All embodiments have circuit breaker outputs, high peak current capability, a low quiescent current drain and a dual timer that allows accurate determination of the SOC of the battery.
US07898214B2
One embodiment of the present invention discloses a circuitry and an element which can be activated, charged, or interacted using any useful source of EM-radiation which is able to emit a suitable EM-field, which circuitry or element can be produced in a cost-effective manner, as well as a method for charging the same. The circuitry or element includes an antenna for receiving and converting EM-radiation into electric energy; a rectifier for converting the energy to a rectified current, and a dechargeable energy cell. The energy cell includes, in at least one embodiment, a first and a second electrochemically active element, which are electronically separated from each other, and an electrolyte which is arranged in ionic contact with at least a portion of both the first and second electrochemically active element, wherein the energy cell is arranged to receive rectified current from the rectifier, and to convert the rectified current into stored energy by altering its electrochemical state in response to the rectified current.
US07898208B2
A boost converter boosts a DC voltage of a DC power supply. An inverter converts the output voltage of the boost converter into an AC voltage. A control device that controls the boost converter reduces an output voltage instruction value of the boost converter when the rotation speed of the AC motor decreases and an absolute value of a variation rate of the rotation speed is not less than a predetermined value. The inverter is controlled in the control mode selected from a plurality of control modes including three modes of a sine wave PWM control mode, an overmodulation PWM control mode and a rectangular wave control mode. The control device of the boost converter reduces the output voltage instruction value of the boost converter only when the control mode of the inverter is the rectangular wave control mode or the overmodulation control mode.
US07898207B2
A method of controlling a motor to cause it to execute a move toward a target position including calculating a deceleration position, wherein when the deceleration position is reached, the motor will be caused to execute a deceleration in a manner that will result in the motor stopping short of the target position, and determining whether the requested move is a first move type after the motor has reached the deceleration position and the deceleration is complete. If the requested move is a first move type, the method includes causing the motor to move toward the target position at a first velocity, and if the requested move is a second move type, the method includes causing the DC motor to move toward the requested target position at a second velocity, wherein the second velocity is greater than the first velocity. Settling time is also varied depending on move type.
US07898206B2
A stepping motor drive is provided, by which a recoil movement of a driven member upon an initialization action can be reduced. The stepping motor drive includes: a drive signal supply means which supplies a plurality of periodic drive signals having different phases from each other to generate a rotation torque in a stepping motor, one electric cycle being constructed by a plurality of excitation steps; a control means which makes the drive signal supply means supply the drive signal upon a initialization action in which a driven member connected with rotation of the stepping motor is made abut against a stopper; and a first storing means which stores a torque control parameter according to an inversion phase characteristic intrinsic to the stepping motor.
US07898198B2
The torque of a motor operated by an inverter circuit is controlled to allow maximum torque in the motor when the motor is stalled or at low rotation speeds. Control is accomplished by providing a switching frequency to the motor at a first switching frequency, detecting a rotation speed of the motor, and switching the current to the motor to a second switching frequency when the rotation speed of the motor drops to a predetermined slow rotation speed. The second switching frequency is less than the first switching frequency.
US07898195B2
The present invention presents a motor drive device capable of detecting jamming accurately without falsely detecting jamming when a movable part contacts with other members. Jamming by a backrest is detected by judging whether the value of a period of one pulse P1 and a period of the next pulse P2 (P2/P1) integrated for 150 times (integrated value: 150) exceeds a specified threshold (160) or not. Accordingly, if the backrest rubs against a backrest of an adjacent seat, and the motor speed suddenly drops for a short period, such “warp” is not falsely detected as jamming, and only actual jamming can be detected securely.
US07898191B2
In order to suppress cost of an initial investment by a user and running cost to the user to a low extent while substantially constantly maintaining an apparent illuminance, and further, to realize resource saving, in a case of using a fluorescent lamp FHF 32 as a discharge lamp La, a lamp supply power is started to be supplied from a value lower than 45 W as rated electric power at an initial period of an operation of the discharge lamp, a light adjustment signal is changed in response to an accumulated lighting time so that the lamp supply power can be a value higher than 45 W as the rated electric power on and after a rated lifetime of the discharge lamp La, whereby the lamp supply power (output of an inverter circuit 2) is adjusted. In the fluorescent lamp FHF 32, a light/electric power ratio becomes substantially constant when the lamp supply power is 41 W to 55 W, and accordingly, a light quantity is increased without impairing light emission efficiency of the discharge lamp La, and as a result, the apparent illuminance can be maintained substantially constantly.
US07898183B2
A strongly-ionized plasma generator includes a chamber for confining a feed gas. An anode is positioned inside the chamber. A cathode assembly is positioned adjacent to the anode inside the chamber. An output of a pulsed power supply is electrically connected between the anode and the cathode assembly. The pulsed power supply comprising solid state switches that are controlled by micropulses generated by drivers. At least one of a pulse width and a duty cycle of the micropulses is varied so that the power supply generates a multi-step voltage waveform at the output having a low-power stage including a peak voltage and a rise time that is sufficient to generate a plasma from the feed gas and a transient stage including a peak voltage and a rise time that is sufficient to generate a more strongly-ionized plasma.
US07898179B2
A lamp (100) comprises an outer envelope (120) having first and second electrical lead-ins (140, 160) sealed into a base (180) of the envelope (120). A ceramic arc tube (200) is operatively mounted within the envelope (120), the arc tube (200) having at least one electrode (220) therein. A tubular, niobium feed-through (240) is connected to the at least one electrode (220) and sealed to the ceramic body (120) at a joint (260) that can comprise a glass frit (260a). A stainless steel rod (280) is electrically connected between the electrical lead-in (140) and the tubular niobium feed-through (240), the stainless steel rod (280) being the only electrical connection between the lead-in (140) and the niobium feed-through (240).
US07898173B2
A pattern formed object for an electroluminescent element includes a substrate; partition walls provided on the substrate; and a coating stacked on the substrate in its part between the partition walls. The partition walls have a sloped liquid-nonrepellent surface and have such a sectional form that, at least in the lower part of the partition wall, as the distance from the substrate increases, the size of the partition wall in a direction parallel to the substrate decreases, and, in the coating, the ratio of the maximum thickness (Tmax) to the minimum thickness (Tmin), Tmax/Tmin, is not more than 130% as measured in the coating in its part between the lower ends of the partition walls adjacent to each other.
US07898168B2
A light-emitting element is disclosed with a light-emitting layer containing a host material added with a small amount of guest material, wherein color purity can be improved as well as reduced a driving voltage. Color purity can be improved as well as reduced a driving voltage especially in a light-emitting element added with a red light-emitting material as a guest material. A light-emitting layer is disclosed that includes a first host material, which is an organic compound having a hole transporting property; a second host material, which is an organic compound having a larger dipole moment than that of the first host material; and a guest material having an electron-withdrawing group.
US07898167B2
An electroluminescence (EL) display device with improved external light coupling efficiency and brightness that may be easily manufactured. The EL display device includes: a substrate; a first electrode arranged above the substrate; a second electrode arranged above and substantially parallel to the first electrode; an intermediate layer arranged between the first and second electrodes, and including an emissive layer; a color converting layer arranged between the substrate and the first electrode or above the second electrode; and a light resonance controlling layer arranged between the emissive layer and the color converting layer.
US07898156B2
In a method of generating electricity, a plurality of living cells are grown on an array of piezoelectric nanowires so that the cells engage the piezoelectric nanowires. Induced static potentials are extracted from at least one of the piezoelectric nanowires when at least one of the cells deforms the at least one of the piezoelectric nanowires. A cell-driven electrical generator that includes a substrate and a plurality of spaced-apart piezoelectric nanowires disposed on the substrate. A plurality of spaced-apart conductive electrodes interact with the plurality of piezoelectric nanowires. A biological buffer layer that is configured to promote growth of cells is disposed on the substrate so that cells placed on the substrate will grow and engage the piezoelectric nanowires.
US07898150B2
An angular velocity detection apparatus is disclosed. The angular velocity detection apparatus includes: a SAW angular velocity sensor; a synchronous detection unit configured to synchronously detect an output signal from the SAW angular velocity sensor by using a reference signal; and a switching signal generation unit. The switching signal generation unit cyclically switches on and off an input of a driving signal to the SAW angular velocity sensor, and switches on an input of the output signal to the synchronous detection unit when an unwanted wave is un-inputted to a sensing electrode of the SAW angular velocity sensor.
US07898147B2
An actuator includes a mechanical transducer component capable of applying a mechanical force to an external object in response to electronic signals. The actuator includes a communications interface capable of wirelessly receiving configuration data related to operation of the actuator. A settings module is coupled to the communications interface and capable of storing the configuration data. A controller unit is coupled to the mechanical transducer and the settings module. The controller unit is capable of determining the configuration data via the settings module and controlling the mechanical transducer in conformance with the configuration settings.
US07898145B2
A boundary acoustic wave device includes a piezoelectric substance made of LiNbO3 having a surface obtained by rotating a Y axis by about 15°±10° as a primary surface, a dielectric substance which is made of a silicon oxide and which is laminated to the piezoelectric substance, and an electrode structure disposed at a boundary between the piezoelectric substance and the dielectric substance and which includes an IDT arranged to utilize a boundary acoustic wave propagating along the boundary. When the density of the IDT, the thickness thereof, the wavelength deter-mined by the period of electrode fingers of the IDT, and the duty ratio thereof are represented by ρ (kg/m3), H (μm), λ (μm), and x, respectively, x and the product of H/λ and ρ are set in a range that satisfies the following formula (1): (H/λ)×ρ>70.7924(x+0.055)(−2.884)+797.09 Formula (1).
US07898121B2
A linear actuator includes permanent magnet annuli arranged about an armature core for axial movement in a tubular stator upon energization of coils arranged in concentric association with the armature. The stator has portions extending radially inwards of the coils and towards one another beneath each coil, which define a spacing between the coil and the armature. The annuli have a substantially radially magnetized structure and the coils are configured for single phase power input. In one embodiment (FIG. 6), two pairs of spaced annuli are arranged on the core, wherein the axial length of the outermost annuli is half the axial length of the inner annuli.
US07898119B2
A planar motor includes a movable body and a stator configured to drive the movable body in a plane. The stator includes a first stator unit and a second stator unit. The movable body is moved in a first direction by a force acting between the movable body and the first stator unit, and is moved in a second direction by a force acting between the movable body and the second stator unit. The first stator unit and the second stator unit are arranged to face each other in such a manner that the movable body is provided therebetween.
US07898111B1
The invention provides, in some aspects, a power supply that includes a first rectifier circuit configured to receive a first AC input and to generate a first DC output, a second rectifier circuit configured to receive a second AC input and to generate a second DC output, and a storage unit (e.g., a capacitor) configured to store charge from both the first DC and the second DC outputs. The storage unit can itself be configured to supply that stored charge as DC power, e.g., to a computer or other coupled device.
US07898099B2
A wind energy installation and a method of controlling the output power from a wind energy installation to an electrical grid with a specified nominal grid frequency are provided, in which the output power is controlled as a function of the time derivative of the grid frequency.
US07898097B1
Activation of a propellant in a constant volume container causes a phase change material to rapidly expand so that the pressure in the container increases. Programmability and sequential actuation are enabled by patterning the phase change material into the integrated device. The pressure generated may be used to activate an energy transducer such as a high pressure turbine, a piezoelectric material, and an elastic strain material. This provides a hybrid actuation system of electrical energy, pneumatic and hydraulic power. The pressure change in a constant volume container is also harnessed to provide a microbattery.
US07898095B2
A method for stacking integrated circuit substrates and the substrates used therein are disclosed. In the method, an integrated circuit substrate having top and bottom surfaces is provided. The substrate is divided vertically into a plurality of layers including an integrated circuit layer having integrated circuit elements constructed therein and a buffer layer adjacent to the bottom surface. An alignment fiducial mark extending from the top surface of the wafer into the substrate to a depth below that of the circuit layer is constructed. The vias are arranged in a pattern that provides a fiducial mark when viewed from the bottom surface of the substrate. The pattern can be chosen such that it is recognized by a commercial stepper/scanner/contact mask aligner when viewed from said backside of said wafer. After the substrate is thinned, the alignment fiducial mark is then used to position a mask used in subsequent processing.
US07898089B2
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for use in processing semiconductor workpieces. The new apparatus and method allows for the production of thinner workpieces that at the same time remain strong. Particularly, a chuck is provided that includes a body, a retainer removeably attached to the body and a seal forming member. When a workpiece is placed on the chuck body and the retainer is engaged to the body, a peripheral portion of the back side of the workpiece is covered by the retainer while an interior region of the back side of the workpiece is exposed. The exposed back side of the workpiece is then subjected to a wet chemical etching process to thin the workpiece and form a relatively thick rim comprised of semiconductor material at the periphery of the workpiece. The thick rim or hoop imparts strength to the otherwise fragile, thinned semiconductor workpiece. Semiconductor workpieces made according to the present invention offer an improved structure for handling thinned wafers in conventional automated equipment. This results in improved yields and improved process efficiency.
US07898085B2
A solid-state imaging device comprises a solid-state imaging element including a photo-reception portion and electrode pads, and optical glass bonded onto the solid-state imaging element through a bonding layer, wherein penetrating electrodes which reach the rear face of the solid-state imaging element are formed below the electrode pads of the solid-state imaging element.
US07898083B2
A device including a first body (101) with terminals (102) on a surface (101a), each terminal having a metallic connector (110), which is shaped as a column substantially perpendicular to the surface. Preferably, the connectors have an aspect ratio of height to diameter of 2 to 1 or greater, and a fine pitch center-to-center. The connector end (110a) remote from the terminal is covered by a film (130) of a sintered paste including a metallic matrix embedded in a first polymeric compound. Further a second body (103) having metallic pads (140) facing the respective terminals (102). Each connector film (130) is in contact with the respective pad (140), whereby the first body (101) is spaced from the second body (103) with the connector columns (110) as standoff. A second polymeric compound (150) is filling the space of the standoff.
US07898079B2
A heat-conducting medium for placement between a heat source and heat sink to facilitate transfer of heat from the source to the sink is provided. The heat-conducting medium can include a flexible member made from an array of interweaving carbon nanotubes. The heat-conducting medium may also include an upper surface against which a heat source may be placed, an opposing lower surface and edges about the member designed for coupling to a heat sink toward which heat from the heat source can be directed. The heat-conducting medium may also include a pad placed on the upper surface to provide structural support to the member. A method for manufacturing the heat-conducting medium is also provided.
US07898078B1
Two sets of conductor fins are formed on a topmost surface of stacked semiconductor chips. The two sets of conductor fins are electrically isolated from each other, and function as radiators that dissipate heat from the stacked semiconductor chips. Conductive wiring structures are formed on each set of conductor fins to supply electrical power and electrical grounding to the stacked semiconductor chips. The bottommost surface of the stacked semiconductor chips may be bonded to a packaging substrate. Since the semiconductor fins above provide electrical power supply and electrical grounding, a higher fraction of electrical connections between the bottommost surface of the stacked semiconductor chips and the packaging substrate may be employed for input and output signal transmission without adverse impact on heat dissipation of the stacked semiconductor chips. The conductive fins function as power connectors. Decoupling capacitors including the conductive fins and dielectric portions therebetween may be formed.
US07898077B2
Adjustable threaded cores for LED thermal management. The cores provide a direct thermal path between a LED and a heat sink while minimizing gaps and stresses between materials. The system includes a heat generating object, a first substrate housing containing a threaded hole beginning adjacent to the heat generating object, a second substrate having compatible threading with the threaded hole, and a third substrate including a heat sink. The second substrate has a higher thermal conductivity in comparison to the first substrate. The threaded hole and threaded core may terminate adjactent to the heat sink or may extent into the heat sink.
US07898075B2
In one embodiment, a semiconductor package disclosed herein can be generally characterized as including a resin substrate having a first recess, a first interconnection disposed on a surface of the first recess, a first semiconductor chip disposed in the first recess, and an underfill resin layer substantially filling the first recess and covering a side surface of the first semiconductor chip. The first semiconductor chip is electrically connected to the first interconnection.
US07898073B2
A semiconductor device is provided with a silicon substrate and a structure filled in a through hole that has a rectangular cross section and extends through the silicon substrate. The structure comprises a pipe-shaped through electrode, stripe-shaped through electrodes, silicons, a first insulating film, a second insulating film and a third insulating film. The pipe-shaped through electrode is utilized as a pipe-shaped electric conductor that extends through the silicon substrate. In addition, the stripe-shaped through electrodes are provided in the interior of the pipe-shaped through electrode so that the stripe-shaped through electrodes extend through the silicon substrate and is spaced away from the pipe-shaped through electrode. A plurality of through electrodes are provided in substantially parallel within the inner region of the pipe-shaped through electrode.
US07898070B2
The invention provides an image sensor package and method for fabricating the same. The image sensor package comprises a first substrate comprising a sensor device thereon and a hole therein. A bonding pad comprising a first opening is formed on an upper surface of the first substrate. A second substrate comprising a spacer element with a second opening therein is disposed on the first substrate. A conductive plug is formed in the hole and passes through the first and second openings to the second substrate to electrically contact with the bonding pad. A conductive layer is formed on a lower surface of the first substrate and electrically connects to the conductive plug. A solder ball is formed on the conductive layer and electrically connects to the bonding pad by the conductive plug. The image sensor package further comprises a second substrate bonding to the first substrate. The image sensor package is relatively less thick, thus, the dimensions thereof are relatively reduced.
US07898066B1
A semiconductor device has a substrate having a plurality of metal layers. A die is coupled to the substrate. A plurality of metal wires is provided. At least one end of each of the metal wires is electrically coupled to at least one metal layer. A mold compound is used to encapsulate the die, a first surface of the substrate, and the plurality of metal wires. A portion of at least one metal wire remains exposed. A conductive coating is applied to the mold compound and to the portion of the at least one metal wire exposed.
US07898064B2
The present invention relates to methods for forming through-wafer interconnects in semiconductor substrates and the resulting structures. In one embodiment, a method for forming a through-wafer interconnect includes providing a substrate having a pad on a surface thereof, depositing a passivation layer over the pad and the surface of the substrate, and forming an aperture through the passivation layer and the pad using a substantially continuous process. An insulative layer is deposited in the aperture followed by a conductive layer and a conductive fill. In another embodiment of the invention, a semiconductor device is formed including a first interconnect structure that extends through a conductive pad and is electrically coupled with the conductive pad while a second interconnect structure is formed through another conductive pad while being electrically isolated therefrom. Semiconductor devices and assemblies produced with the methods are also disclosed.
US07898062B2
A method for epitaxially forming a first semiconductor structure attached to a second semiconductor structure is provided. Devices and methods described include advantages such as reduced lattice mismatch at an epitaxial interface between two different semiconductor materials. One advantageous application of such an interface includes an electrical-optical communication structure. Methods such as deposition of layers at an elevated temperature provide easy formation of semiconductor structures with a modified lattice constant that permits an improved epitaxial interface.
US07898061B2
A method of forming a semiconductor device having two different strains therein is provided. The method includes forming a strain in a first region with a first straining film, and forming a second strain in a second region with a second straining film. Either of the first or second strains may be either tensile or compressive. Additionally the strains may be formed at right angles to one another and may be additionally formed in the same region. In particular a vertical tensile strain may be formed in a base and collector region of an NPN bipolar transistor and a horizontal compressive strain may be formed in the extrinsic base region of the NPN bipolar transistor. A PNP bipolar transistor may be formed with a compression strain in the base and collector region in the vertical direction and a tensile strain in the extrinsic base region in the horizontal direction.
US07898058B2
An integrated chip package structure and method of manufacturing the same is by adhering dies on an organic substrate and forming a thin-film circuit layer on top of the dies and the organic substrate. Wherein the thin-film circuit layer has an external circuitry, which is electrically connected to the metal pads of the dies, that extends to a region outside the active surface of the dies for fanning out the metal pads of the dies. Furthermore, a plurality of active devices and an internal circuitry is located on the active surface of the dies. Signal for the active devices are transmitted through the internal circuitry to the external circuitry and from the external circuitry through the internal circuitry back to other active devices. Moreover, the chip package structure allows multiple dies with different functions to be packaged into an integrated package and electrically connecting the dies by the external circuitry.
US07898056B1
Disclosed is a seal-ring architecture that can minimize noise injection from noisy digital circuits to sensitive analog and/or radio frequency (RF) circuits in system-on-a-chip (SoC) applications. In order to improve the isolation, the seal-ring structure contains cuts and ground connections to the segment which is close to the analog circuits. The cuts are such that the architecture is fully compatible with standard design rules and that the mechanical strength of the seal rings is not significantly sacrificed. Some embodiments also include a grounded p-tap ring between the analog circuits and the inner seal ring in order to improve isolation. Some embodiments also include a guard strip between the analog circuits and the digital circuits to minimize the noise injection through the substrate.
US07898054B2
This invention comprises manufacture of photovoltaic cells by deposition of thin film photovoltaic junctions on metal foil substrates. The photovoltaic junctions may be heat treated if appropriate following deposition in a continuous fashion without deterioration of the metal support structure. In a separate operation, an interconnection substrate structure is provided, optionally in a continuous fashion. Multiple photovoltaic cells are then laminated to the interconnection substrate structure and conductive joining methods are employed to complete the array. In this way the interconnection substrate structure can be uniquely formulated from polymer-based materials employing optimal processing unique to polymeric materials. Furthermore, the photovoltaic junction and its metal foil support can be produced in bulk without the need to use the expensive and intricate material removal operations currently taught in the art to achieve series interconnections.
US07898051B2
An imaging device is provided and includes: a photoelectric conversion layer that has a silicon crystal structure and generates signal charges upon incidence of light; a multiplication and accumulation layer that multiplies the signal charges by a phenomenon of avalanche electron multiplication; and a wiring substrate that reads the signal charges from the multiplication and accumulation layer and transmits the read signal charges. The photoelectric conversion layer includes: a first conductive impurity layer containing first impurities in an impurity concentration; an electron acceleration layer containing the first impurities in a lower impurity concentration than the first conductive impurity layer; and a second conductive impurity layer to which a voltage is applied, the second conductive impurity layer containing second impurities and disposed on a side opposite a light incidence side of the electron acceleration layer, and an insulating layer is disposed between the electron acceleration layer and the multiplication and accumulation layer.
US07898050B2
An image sensor and a method for manufacturing the sensor are provided for reducing loss of light reflected from photodiodes, and thus, improving light efficiency. The method of manufacturing an image sensor can include providing a semiconductor substrate having a photodiode; and then forming a reflective film frame on the photodiode, the reflective film frame having sidewalls that are inclined with respect to the uppermost surface of the photodiode; and then forming an opening over the surface of the reflective film frame and corresponding to the photodiode by forming a reflective film on the sidewalls of the reflective film frame.
US07898049B2
A structure and method for increasing the sensitivity of pixel sensors by eliminating a gap space formed between adjacent microlens structures in a pixel sensor array. Advantageously, exposure and flowing conditions are such that adjacent microlens structures touch (are webbed) at a horizontal cross-section, yet have a round lens shape in all directions. Particularly, exposure and flowing conditions are such that each touching microlens structure is formed to have a matched uniform radius of curvature at a horizontal cross-section and at a 45 degree cross-sections. To improve quality of mircrolens structure uniformity exhibited at all pixel locations including those near a pixel array edge or corner, a top anti-reflective coating layer is applied on top of a photoresist layer prior to the exposure and flowing steps.
US07898048B2
An MEMS sensor is described. The MEMS sensor may include a substrate, a lower thin film provided in contact with a surface of the substrate, and an upper thin film opposed to the lower thin film at an interval on the side opposite to the substrate.
US07898045B2
Acceleration and voltage measurement devices and methods of fabricating acceleration and voltage measurement devices. The acceleration and voltage measurement devices including an electrically conductive plate on a top surface of a first insulating layer; a second insulating layer on a top surface of the conductive plate, the top surface of the plate exposed in an opening in the second insulating layer; conductive nanotubes suspended across the opening, and electrically conductive contacts to the nanotubes.
US07898044B2
An MEMS sensor of the present invention includes a substrate, a lower thin film provided on a surface of the substrate, an upper thin film opposed to the lower thin film at an interval on the side opposite to the substrate, and a wall portion surrounding the lower thin film and the upper thin film and protruding on the side opposite to the lower thin film with respect to the upper thin film.
US07898041B2
A contact architecture for nanoscale channel devices having contact structures coupling to and extending between source or drain regions of a device having a plurality of parallel semiconductor bodies. The contact structures being able to contact parallel semiconductor bodies having sub-lithographic pitch.
US07898036B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate; a gate electrode formed on the semiconductor substrate; source and drain extension regions formed in the semiconductor substrate on a first and a second side corresponding to a first sidewall surface and a second sidewall surface, respectively, of the gate electrode; a first piezoelectric material pattern formed on the semiconductor substrate continuously covering the first sidewall surface of the gate electrode from the first side of the gate electrode; a second piezoelectric material pattern formed on the semiconductor substrate continuously covering the second sidewall surface of the gate electrode from the second side of the gate electrode; and source and drain regions formed in the semiconductor substrate outside the source extension region and the drain extension, respectively.
US07898034B2
A semiconductor chip may include a plurality of pads arranged in at least a first and a second row, and a plurality of protection circuits connected to the plurality of pads. The plurality of protection circuits may include at least one diode. A first protection circuit may be connected to a first pad in the first row of pads, and a second protection circuit may be connected to a second pad in the second row of pads. The first and second protection circuits may be arranged under the first row of pads.
US07898032B2
The present invention realizes the miniaturization of a semiconductor device. On a first insulation film, an island-like semiconductor layer and a second insulation film which surrounds the semiconductor layer are formed, and resistance elements (for example, poly-silicon resistance elements) which are formed of a conductive film are arranged to be overlapped to an upper surface of the semiconductor layer in plane.
US07898028B2
A process for fabricating a MOSFET device featuring a channel region comprised with a silicon-germanium component is provided. The process features employ an angled ion implantation procedure to place germanium ions in a region of a semiconductor substrate underlying a conductive gate structure. The presence of raised silicon shapes used as a diffusion source for a subsequent heavily-doped source/drain region, the presence of a conductive gate structure, and the removal of dummy insulator previously located on the conductive gate structure allow the angled implantation procedure to place germanium ions in a portion of the semiconductor substrate to be used for the MOSFET channel region. An anneal procedure results in the formation of the desired silicon-germanium component in the portion of semiconductor substrate to be used for the MOSFET channel region.
US07898027B2
A MOS device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first conductive type, a source region, a gate structure, and a drain region having a second conductive type. The gate structure is formed on the semiconductor substrate and substantially parallel to a first direction. The source region and the drain region are both disposed in the semiconductor substrate, and on two opposite sides of the gate structure. The source region includes at least a source doped region having the second conductive type, and at least a source contact region having the first conductive type, and the source doped region and the source contact region are alternately arranged along the first direction.
US07898023B2
Recessed channel array transistor (RCAT) structures and method of formation are generally described. In one example, an electronic device includes a semiconductor substrate, a first fin coupled with the semiconductor substrate, the first fin comprising a first source region and a first drain region, and a first gate structure of a recessed channel array transistor (RCAT) formed in a first gate region disposed between the first source region and the first drain region, wherein the first gate structure is formed by removing a sacrificial gate structure to expose the first fin in the first gate region, recessing a channel structure into the first fin, and forming the first gate structure on the recessed channel structure.
US07898021B2
A semiconductor structure and a method for fabricating the semiconductor structure include a semiconductor fin having a first side and a second side opposite the first side. A first gate dielectric and a charge storage layer are successively layered upon the first side of the semiconductor fin. A second gate dielectric and a gate electrode are layered upon the second side and the charge storage layer. The semiconductor structure comprises a nonvolatile semiconductor device.
US07898018B2
A two-transistor non-volatile memory cell is formed in a semiconductor body. A memory-transistor well is disposed within the semiconductor body. A switch-transistor well is disposed within the semiconductor body and is electrically isolated from the memory transistor well. A memory transistor including spaced-apart source and drain regions is formed within the memory-transistor well. A switch transistor including spaced-apart source and drain regions is formed within the switch-transistor well region. A floating gate is insulated from and self aligned with the source and drain regions of the memory transistor and switch transistor. A control gate is disposed above and aligned to the floating gate and with the source and drain regions of the memory transistor and the switch transistor.
US07898015B2
An insulating film includes a first metal, oxygen, fluorine and one of a second metal or nitrogen, and satisfies {k×[X]−[F]}/2≦8.4 atomic %, wherein the fluorine amount [F], the one element amount [X], and a valence number difference k between the first and second metals or between oxygen and nitrogen.
US07898010B2
A pinned photodiode with improved short wavelength light response. In exemplary embodiments of the invention, a gate oxide is formed over a doped, buried region in a semiconductor substrate. A conductor is formed on top of the gate oxide. The gate conductor is transparent, and in one embodiment is a layer of indium-tin oxide. The transparent conductor can be biased to reduce the need for a surface dopant in creating a pinned photodiode region. The biasing of the transparent conductor produces a hole-rich accumulation region near the surface of the substrate. The gate conductor material permits a greater amount of charges from short wavelength light to be captured in the photo-sensing region in the substrate, and thereby increases the quantum efficiency of the photosensor.
US07898008B2
A bipolar device is integrated in an active layer, wherein delimitation trenches surround respective active areas housing bipolar transistors of complementary types. Each active area accommodates a buried layer; a well region extending on top of the buried layer; a top sinker region extending between the surface of the device and the well region; a buried collector region extending on top of the well region and laterally with respect to the top sinker region; a base region, extending on top of the buried collector region laterally with respect to the top sinker region; and an emitter region extending inside the base region. The homologous regions of the complementary transistors have a similar doping level, being obtained by ion-implantation of epitaxial layers wherein the concentration of dopant added during the growth is very low, possibly zero.
US07898007B2
Semiconductor devices are provided. A semiconductor device can include a substrate and a plurality of dummy line patterns on the substrate that extend in a first direction parallel with one another. Each of the dummy line patterns can include a plurality of sub-line patterns aligned along the first direction and which are separated from each other by at least one cutting region therebetween. The dummy line patterns can include first and second dummy line patterns which are adjacent to each other in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction. At least one of the cutting regions between a pair of sub-line patterns of the first dummy line pattern is aligned with and bounded by one of the sub-line patterns of the second dummy line pattern in the second direction.
US07898005B2
Nanofluidic devices incorporating inorganic nanotubes fluidly coupled to channels or nanopores for supplying a fluid containing chemical or bio-chemical species are described. In one aspect, two channels are fluidly interconnected with a nanotube. Electrodes on opposing sides of the nanotube establish electrical contact with the fluid therein. A bias current is passed between the electrodes through the fluid, and current changes are detected to ascertain the passage of select molecules, such as DNA, through the nanotube. In another aspect, a gate electrode is located proximal the nanotube between the two electrodes thus forming a nanofluidic transistor. The voltage applied to the gate controls the passage of ionic species through the nanotube selected as either or both ionic polarities. In either of these aspects the nanotube can be modified, or functionalized, to control the selectivity of detection or passage.
US07898002B2
A nitride semiconductor device includes: a substrate; a first nitride semiconductor layer formed over the substrate; a second nitride semiconductor layer formed on the first nitride semiconductor layer and having a larger band gap energy than the first nitride semiconductor layer; a third nitride semiconductor layer formed on the second nitride semiconductor layer and including a p-type nitride semiconductor with at least a single-layer structure; a gate electrode formed on the third nitride semiconductor layer; and a source electrode and a drain electrode formed in regions located on both sides of the gate electrode, respectively. The third nitride semiconductor layer has a thickness greater in a portion below the gate electrode than in a portion below the side of the gate electrode.
US07898001B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a photon avalanche detector in the semiconductor substrate. The photon avalanche detector includes an anode of a first conductivity type and a cathode of a second conductivity type. A guard ring is in the semiconductor substrate and at least partially surrounds the photon avalanche detector. A passivation layer of the first conductivity type is in contact with the guard ring to reduce an electric field at an edge of the photon avalanche detector.
US07897998B2
A power semiconductor device that includes common conduction regions, charge compensation regions, each adjacent a respective common conduction region, and a stand off region over the common conduction regions and charge compensation regions.
US07897994B2
A method of forming an integrated circuit device that includes a plurality of MuGFETs is disclosed. A PMOS fin of a MuGFET is formed on a substrate. The PMOS fin includes a channel of a first surface of a first crystal orientation. A NMOS fin of another MuGFET is formed on the substrate. The NMOS fin includes a channel on the substrate at one of 0° and 90° to the PMOS fin and includes a second surface of a second crystal orientation.
US07897988B2
An electroluminescent device includes a conduction substrate, a reflection layer, a patterned transparent conduction layer, at least one light emitting diode (LED) element, a first contact electrode and a second contact electrode. The reflection layer is disposed on the conduction substrate, and the patterned transparent conduction layer is formed on the reflection layer. The LED element is formed on the patterned transparent conduction layer, and the LED element includes a first semiconductor layer, a light emitting layer and a second semiconductor layer in sequence. The second semiconductor layer is disposed on the patterned transparent conduction layer and the reflection layer. The first contact electrode is disposed at one side of the first semiconductor layer, and the second contact electrode is disposed at one side of the conduction substrate.
US07897985B2
A light engine kernel for a light emitting diode (LED) includes a solid body of transparent material having an index of refraction of at least 1.5. The body has a domed, light-emitting top that is an inverted parabola of revolution, a reflective sidewall that is a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC), and a cavity at a focus of the CPC that is adapted to receive an LED. The domed top may include a phosphor coating of a yellow-emitting phosphor. The cavity may be adapted to receive only a single LED or plural LEDs of the same or different colors on a board. The kernel and LED are not integrally formed, reducing thermal degradation of the phosphor coating and improving application flexibility.
US07897983B2
An exemplary light emitting diode (LED) assembly includes a cover, a substrate, a LED unit, a first electrode terminal, and a second electrode terminal. The substrate includes a first surface and a second surface on an opposite side of the substrate thereto. The substrate and the cover cooperatively define a cavity. The LED unit is received in the cavity. The first and the second electrode terminals extend from the second surface. The first electrode terminal is electrically connected to one of a positive lead and a negative lead of the LED unit and the second electrode terminal is electrically connected to the other. The second electrode terminal includes a first electrode portion and a second electrode portion symmetrically arranged at opposite sides of the first electrode terminal. The first and the second electrode portions are at least partially symmetrical with respect to the first electrode terminal.
US07897970B2
In a lower substrate, a display apparatus having the lower substrate and a method of manufacturing the lower substrate, the lower substrate includes a pixel area and a circuit area. An image is displayed in the pixel area. A first signal electrode is disposed in a circuit area. A first insulating layer includes an opening, through which the first signal electrode is exposed. A second signal electrode is disposed on the first insulating layer in the circuit area, and spaced apart from the first signal electrode. A second insulating layer is disposed on the first insulating layer, and includes a contact hole, through which the first and second signal electrodes are exposed. A conductive layer electrically connects the first signal electrode to the second signal electrode. Therefore, a manufacturing process is simplified so that a yield of the lower substrate is increased.
US07897967B2
An anti-fuse device includes a substrate and laterally spaced source and drain regions formed in the substrate. A channel is formed between the source and drain regions. A gate and gate oxide are formed on the channel and lightly doped source and drain extension regions are formed in the channel. The lightly doped source and drain regions extend across the channel from the source and the drain regions, respectively, occupying a substantial portion of the channel. Programming of the anti-fuse is performed by application of power to the gate and at least one of the source region and the drain region to break-down the gate oxide, which minimizes resistance between the gate and the channel.
US07897964B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide a material having a high Tg and a wide energy gap. The present invention provides a spirofluorene derivative represented by General Formula 1. (In the formula, R1 is any one of hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a group represented by General Formula 2. Each of R2 and R3 is either hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms and may be identical or different. R4 is an aryl group having 6 to 15 carbon atoms. Each of R5 and R6 is any one of hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 15 carbon atoms and may be identical or different.)
US07897963B2
Provided are an organic semiconductor compound using thiazole, and an organic thin film transistor having an organic semiconductor layer formed of the organic semiconductor compound using thiazole. The novel organic semiconductor compound including thiazole has liquid crystallinity and excellent thermal stability, and thus is provided to form an organic semiconductor layer in the organic thin film transistor. To this end, a silicon oxide layer is formed on a silicon substrate, and an organic semiconductor layer including thiazole is formed on the silicon oxide layer. In addition, source and drain electrodes are formed on both edge portions of the organic semiconductor layer. The organic thin film transistor using the organic semiconductor layer has an improved on/off ratio and excellent thermal stability. Also, a solution process can be applied in its manufacture.
US07897960B2
A self-aligned carbon-nanotube field effect transistor semiconductor device comprises a carbon-nanotube deposited on a substrate, a source and a drain formed at a first end and a second end of the carbon-nanotube, respectively, and a gate formed substantially over a portion of the carbon-nanotube, separated from the carbon-nanotube by a dielectric film.
US07897956B2
The present disclosure relates to constructing and operating a transistor or other active device with significantly reduced flicker noise.
US07897940B2
An apparatus. The apparatus including: a chamber having an interior surface; a pump port for evacuating the chamber; a substrate holder within the chamber; a charged particle beam within the chamber, the charged beam generated by a source and the charged particle beam striking the substrate; and one or more liners in contact with one or more different regions of the interior surface of the chamber, the liners preventing material generated by interaction of the charged beam and the substrate from coating the one or more different regions of the interior surface of the chamber.
US07897932B2
A radiation detection, localization, and identification system uses a searching algorithm to identify geometric correlation of hypothetical solutions to Compton Imaging. Geometric correlation of correct associations of gamma ray energies with each detected event yields the identity and location of radiation sources. The system's detector is an array of radiation detectors networked to act as a single detection system. This network has wide area of view and high sensitivity to radiation sources since no collimation is required.
US07897931B2
The invention concerns an x-ray imaging sensor and an x-ray imaging method in which, in a scintillator element (11, 21) or in an element having a corresponding functionality, x-ray quanta are converted into photons having a wavelength substantially greater than the wavelength range of the x-ray quanta. The information detected in the scintillator element (11, 12) is converted to pixel-specific electric signals in a semiconductor element (13, 23), which includes photodiodes (15, 25, 35) or corresponding means that are arranged to divide at least part of the area of the sensor to pixels (14, 24, 34). Arranged in functional connection with the pixel-specific photodiodes (25, 35) or corresponding means, there has been arranged means comprising an I/F (current to frequency) converter (26, 36) or a corresponding component for quantizing the electric signals by converting them to pixel-specific frequencies, i.e. pulse trains.
US07897919B2
The present invention is a method for operating a thermal imaging camera for selective temperature imaging, and a thermal imaging system having a selective temperature imaging mode. When first entering the selective temperature imaging mode of operation, the system and method automatically determine the hottest area in a scene and display it in a predetermined hue. The remainder of the scene is displayed in grayscale. The method and system allow further adjustment of the set point of the selective temperature imaging mode, and display portions of the scene as hot as or hotter than the set point value in gradient shades of the predetermined hue.
US07897918B2
A system and method for improving FIB milling endpointing operations. The methods involve generating real-time images of the area being milled and real-time graphical plots of pixel intensities with an increased sensitivity over native FIB system generated images and plots. The images and plots are generated with raw signal data obtained from the native FIB system. More specifically, the raw signal data is processed according to specific algorithms for generating images and corresponding intensity graphs which can be reliably used for accurate endpointing. In particular, the displayed images will display more visual information regarding changes in milled material, while the intensity graphs will plot aggregate pixel intensity data on a dynamically adjusting scale to dramatically highlight relative changes in milled material.
US07897911B2
An optoelectronic sensor arrangement (1), with a plurality of optical transmitters (21, 22) positioned side by side in an optical transmitter strip (12), such that each optical transmitter (21, 22) transmits the light of a transmitted cone (α1, α2) into a surveillance area (50), and with a plurality of optical receivers (31, 32) positioned side by side in an optical receiver strip (14), which optical receivers (31, 32) receive the light of a received cone (β1, β2) from the surveillance area (50), where each receiver (31, 32)comprises a spatially-resolving element (41, 42), such that each optical transmitter (21, 22) and optical receiver (31, 32) form an optical receiver/transmitter pair, and a control unit contains means for determining the optical incident point (L1, L1′, L2, L3) on one of the optical receivers (31, 32) of the transmitted cone (α1, α2) of each optical transmitter (21, 22) and/or of a foreign light source (G1).
US07897910B2
A method and system for establishing extended optical traps for commercial use. The method and system employs a diffractive optical element (DOE) to process a light beam wherein the DOE includes phase information and amplitude information to create the extended optical trap. Such extended traps can be line traps and can be further expanded to two and three dimensional configurations.
US07897909B2
A solid-state image pickup device including: a pixel array portion; a dummy pixel; a differential circuit; a reset voltage supplying section; and a common phase feedback circuit.
US07897901B2
A pixel element for an image sensor comprising, a photodiode and a reset transistor coupled to an input node, wherein said reset transistor is a PMOSFET coupled between said input node and the supply voltage, and wherein said pixel further comprises parallel complementary signal paths.
US07897886B1
A manually operated transfer-type switch has an electrically interlocked isolating plug and plugboard arrangement to isolate two power supplies, e.g., utility and electric generator, from one another. The switch functions to connect electrical loads with either the utility or generator power supply without performing making and breaking of current. The plug is engaged with the plugboard in a first position for supplying utility power and in a second position for providing generator power. A locking arrangement prevents the disengagement of the plug from the plugboard when power is supplied from either the utility or from the generator.
US07897879B2
Signal line conductors passing through vertical vias in an insulative substrate for supporting and interconnecting integrated circuit chips are provided with shielding conductors in adjacent vias that link respective power and ground planes. The shielding conductors' presence in positions around a signal via is made possible through the employment of power plane and ground plane conductive grids that are laid out in rhomboid patterns. The power plane and ground plane grids possess a left-right mirror relation to one another and are displaced to place the rhomboid's corners to avoid overlapping any of the grid lines.
US07897878B2
A circuit package is provided. The circuit package includes a plurality of electrically conductive pads located on a bottom surface of the circuit package, wherein at least one pad of the plurality of bottom surface pads has a recession for receiving an electrically conductive protrusion located on a substrate to which the circuit package is to be mounted.
US07897874B2
A foam coaxial cable includes a central conductor; an inner skin layer surrounding the central conductor coaxially; an insulation layer surrounding the inner skin layer coaxially and made of polyethylene resin containing a plurality of foam cells uniformly formed therein; wherein the inner skin layer is made of polyolefin resin having excellent compatibility with the polyethylene resin to increase an interfacial adhesive force with the insulation layer, an outer skin layer surrounding the insulation layer coaxially to prevent overfoaming of the insulation layer and allow uniform creation of foam cells; a shield surrounding the outer skin layer coaxially; and a jacket surrounding the shield. This cable improves an interfacial adhesive force between the central conductor and the insulation layer and also improves the degree of foam of the foam cells, thereby capable of propagating ultra high frequency of GHz level without signal interference.
US07897868B2
A stacked photovoltaic element comprising a plurality of unit photovoltaic elements each composed of a pn- or pin-junction, connected to each other in series, wherein a zinc oxide layer is provided at least one position between the unit photovoltaic elements, and the zinc oxide layer has resitivity varying in the thickness direction.
US07897867B1
A solar cell that is readily manufactured using processing techniques which are less expensive than microelectronic circuit processing. In preferred embodiments, printing techniques are utilized in selectively forming masks for use in etching of silicon oxide and diffusing dopants and in forming metal contacts to diffused regions. In a preferred embodiment, p-doped regions and n-doped regions are alternately formed in a surface of the wafer through use of masking and etching techniques. Metal contacts are made to the p-regions and n-regions by first forming a seed layer stack that comprises a first layer such as aluminum that contacts silicon and functions as an infrared reflector, second layer such titanium tungsten that acts as diffusion barrier, and a third layer functions as a plating base. A thick conductive layer such as copper is then plated over the seed layer, and the seed layer between plated lines is removed. A front surface of the wafer is preferably textured by etching or mechanical abrasion with an IR reflection layer provided over the textured surface. A field layer can be provided in the textured surface with the combined effect being a very low surface recombination velocity.
US07897862B2
A simplified playing method and music notation system for the learning and teaching of playing the guitar, banjo, ukulele, or similar stringed instrument, primarily for use as accompaniment to singing. One embodiment of the method is comprised of 2 parts: 1. A notation system which specifies non-standard tuning information (24), specifies movable chord fingering information[(40), (42)], and uses numbers (20), letters, colors (64), or symbols to specify the fret space locations to implement the movable chord fingering, and 2. A modification to the instrument, adding a corresponding (numbered, colored, etc.) fret designation visual aid [(34), (68) to indicate where to place the movable chord fingering on the neck of the instrument. Since most chord changes are made simply by moving one simple chord shape up and down the fretboard, and the notation system is very easy to read, learning to play the instrument becomes significantly faster and easier.
US07897840B2
The present invention provides transgenic plants transformed with exogenous nucleic acid encoding a Dunaliella salt-inducible or salt-responsive protein selected from the group consisting of eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3) subunit, NADPH dependent quinone reductase (QOR), aldo-keto reductase (AKR), bifunctional aspartate kinase-homoserine reductase (AK-HSD) and mitochondrial import membrane translocase subunit (TIM9), or a fragment, homolog or variant thereof. The transgenic plants have increased tolerance to salt as compared to corresponding non-transgenic plants. The present invention further provides nucleic acids, constructs and vectors encoding the Dunaliella salt-inducible or otherwise salt-responsive proteins, and to a method of producing transgenic plants having an increased tolerance to salt, a method of modifying plant capacity to survive salt shock, and a method of modifying plant recovery after exposure to salt stress, by introducing the nucleic acids, constructs and/or vectors into one or more cells of the plant.
US07897821B2
A compound is shown by the following formula (5) in which at least one of Rf groups represents a fluorine atom or a linear or branched perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, A′ represents a substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched alkylene group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, an alkylene group having at least one hetero atom, or a single bond, G represents a divalent organic group having a fluorine atom or a single bond, Mm+ represents an onium cation, m represents a natural number of 1 to 3, and p represents a natural number of 1 to 8.
US07897816B2
The present invention provides a tetramine compound represented by the following general formula (1): wherein R1, R2 and R3, which may be the same or different, each represents a hydrogen atom, a tertiary alkyl group having 4 to 8 carbon atoms, an unsubstituted aryl group or an aryl group substituted with a tertiary alkyl group having 4 to 8 carbon atoms, and n represents 3 or 4.
US07897807B2
A process for manufacture of hydrofluoroalkanesulfonic acid with at least one hydrogen bonded to the carbon atom adjacent to the carbon atom bonded to the sulfonic acid group comprising: contacting a fluoroolefin with sulfite in an aqueous solution adjusted to about pH 4 to pH 12; removing water from the solution to form a solid; directly treating the solid with oleum; and distilling the hydrofluoroalkanesulfonic acid therefrom. Also a process for manufacture of potassium hydrofluoroalkanesulfonate in high purity is described.
US07897803B2
The invention relates to a plurality of processes for the preparation of novel cis-alkoxy-substituted spirocyclic 1 H-pyrrolidine-2,4-dione derivatives of the formula (I) in which A, G, X and Y are as defined in the disclosure.
US07897802B2
A substituted cyclopentanone represented by the following formula (2): (wherein R3 and R4 represent a substituent having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, may be the same as R1 and R2, respectively, and may be the same as each other) can be produced by hydrogenating the double bond in a compound represented by the following formula (1): (wherein R1 and R2 represent a substituent having 1 to 8 carbon atoms) in the presence of a transition metal catalyst by using a carboxylic acid or a specific concentration of a carboxylic acid ester as a solvent. This process can produce a substituted cyclopentanone which is useful as a jasmine fragrance, an intermediate thereof or the like, in a simple and inexpensive manner at a high cis-isomer ratio.
US07897801B2
The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of dinitriles by hydrocyanation of unsaturated nitrile compounds in the presence of a catalyst based on a metal element in the zero oxidation state and on organophosphorus ligands;the invention relates more particularly to a process for the recovery from the hydrocyanation medium of a catalyst for the hydrocyanation of unsaturated nitrites to dinitriles. It consists in controlling the concentration of unsaturated nitrites in the reaction medium resulting from the hydrocyanation reaction in order to obtain a concentration by weight of unsaturated nitrites of less than 20% in the said medium, and in then feeding the said medium to a stage of settling into two upper and lower phases. The lower phase comprises most of the catalytic system, while the upper phase is composed essentially of the dinitriles.
US07897798B2
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for producing alkyl esters from lipid feed stocks, such as plant oils and/or animal fats, and systems including the same. In an embodiment, the invention includes a process for producing alkyl esters including mixing a lipid feed stock with an alcohol to form a reaction mixture; and contacting the reaction mixture with a catalyst under supercritical conditions for the alcohol, the catalyst comprising an unmodified metal oxide selected from the group consisting of alumina, titania, zirconia, and hafnia, and removing residual free fatty acids from the reaction mixture. Other embodiments are included herein.
US07897795B2
The present application provides intermediates for preparing prostaglandin analogues and processes for preparing prostaglandin analogues and intermediates thereof. The intermediates include: A compound of formula (6): R1 represents H, C1-C5-alkyl, or benzyl, in particular isopropyl.
US07897788B2
The invention relates to indol-1-yl-acetic acid derivatives and their use as active ingredients in the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions. The invention also concerns related aspects including processes for the preparation of the compounds, pharmaceutical compositions containing one or more of those compounds and methods of treatment comprising administration of said compounds.
US07897787B2
A compound represented by the following general formula (I): [wherein R1 and R2 independently represent hydrogen atom, or a group represented by the following formula (A): (wherein X1 and X2 represent hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, or a halogen atom), provided that R1 and R2 do not simultaneously represent hydrogen atom; R3 and R6 represent an alkyl group; R4 and R7 represent hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, carboxy group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, or sulfo group; and R5 and R8 represents an alkyl group, an aryl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, a vinyl group, a thienyl group, or a pyrrolyl group], or a salt thereof, which is usable for efficient screening for a chemical substance having applicability as a catalyst of the reaction of Michael addition.
US07897786B2
The invention relates to unsaturated dipyrromethene-boron borocarbons of formula (I) and the use thereof for fluorescence or electroluminescent analysis. The fluorescent properties are provided by the central ring of six atoms comprising the —N—B—N— sequence, R1 to R7 permitting the modification of the compound properties (fluorescence emission wavelength, quantitative fluorescent yield), at least one of the substituents S1 and S2 has a chromophore end group which permits an excitation of the molecule at wavelengths close to those of the substituent chromophore. A preferably selected from the chromophore substituents with a wavelength close to the ultraviolet which significantly increases the Stokes displacement.
US07897785B2
The present invention provides a means which can inhibit release of I2 in production or storage of 1,3-diiodohydantoin compound, and thereby solve decrease in purity of the compound and various problems caused by I2.The present invention provides a production method for 1,3-diiodohydantoin compound comprising a step to prepare a wet body containing a 1,3-diiodohydantoin compound, and (1) a step to dry the wet body by contacting the wet body with heated gas or (2) a step to lyophilize the wet body, a storage method for 1,3-diiodohydantoin compound comprising a step to store a 1,3-diiodohydantoin compound under a temperature condition of 15° C. or lower, and a 1,3-diiodohydantoin compound wherein content of released I2 is 1% by mass or less.
US07897781B2
The invention is directed to TRPM8 antagonists of Formula (I). More specifically, the present invention relates to certain novel compounds, methods for preparing compounds, compositions, intermediates and derivatives thereof and methods for treating TRPM8-mediated disorders. Pharmaceutical and veterinary compositions and methods of treating pain and various other disease states or conditions using compounds of the invention are also described.
US07897776B2
Provided are compounds, pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treatment or prophylaxis of an inflammatory condition, in particular asthma. The compounds are of the general Formula I, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, ester, prodrug or derivative thereof: wherein: X and Y are independently selected from —CH2— or —CH2—CH2—; Z is selected from S(O)m or Se(O)m and m is 0, 1 or 2; R1 is optionally substituted heteroaryl or heterocyclic; R2 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C1-C6 straight alkyl, and C1-C6 branched alkyl, wherein all may be optionally substituted; and R3 and R4 are alkyl.
US07897775B2
The invention provides crystalline forms of the novel benzimidazole-carboxamide 5-HT4 receptor agonist compound, 4-(4-{[(2-isopropyl-1H-benzoimidazole-4-carbonyl)amino]methyl}-piperidin-1-ylmethyl)piperidine-1-carboxylic acid methyl ester. The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising the crystalline compound, methods of using the compound to treat diseases associated with 5-HT4 receptor activity, and processes useful for preparing crystalline forms of the compound.
US07897768B2
A method of preparing a tetrabenazine compound (TBZ compound) having structure I comprising the steps of reacting a nucleophilic alkenyl species with aldehyde compound II and oxidizing the resultant allylic alcohol to provide enone III. The protecting group P1 on the tetrahydroisoquinoline nitrogen is removed and the resultant deprotected intermediate is induced to undergo an amino cyclization reaction to provide a product TBZ compound having structure I. The method may be used to prepare either enantiomeric form of tetrabenazine; (+)-tetrabenazine or (−)-tetrabenazine. Alternatively the method may be adapted to provide a mixture enriched in one tetrabenazine enantiomer, a racemic mixture, or a diastereomeric mixture of tetrabenazine compounds. In addition, the present invention provides novel synthetic intermediate compositions which may be used to prepare either or both enantiomers of tetrabenazine, derivatives of tetrabenazine, and analogs of tetrabenazine.
US07897759B2
Disclosed are structurally modified, metabolically stable nucleosides having antitumor activity wherein the formation of toxic metabolites is blocked and antimicrobial activity. The disclosure further relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising one or more disclosed modified nucleosides and to methods of use thereof.
US07897754B2
Efficient sequence specific gene silencing is possible through the use of siRNA technology. By selecting particular siRNAs by rational design, one can maximize the generation of an effective gene silencing reagent, as well as methods for silencing genes. Methods, compositions, and kits generated through rational design of siRNAs are disclosed.
US07897753B2
This invention relates to compounds, compositions, and methods useful for modulating XIAP gene expression using short interfering nucleic acid (siNA) molecules. This invention also relates to compounds, compositions, and methods useful for modulating the expression and activity of other genes involved in pathways of XIAP gene expression and/or activity by RNA interference (RNAi) using small nucleic acid molecules. In particular, the instant invention features small nucleic acid molecules, such as short interfering nucleic acid (siNA), short interfering RNA (siRNA), double stranded RNA (dsRNA), micro-RNA (miRNA), and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) molecules and methods used to modulate the expression of XIAP genes.
US07897752B2
This invention relates to compounds, compositions, and methods useful for modulating telomerase gene expression using short interfering nucleic acid (siNA) molecules. This invention also relates to compounds, compositions, and methods useful for modulating the expression and activity of other genes involved in pathways of telomerase gene expression and/or activity by RNA interference (RNAi) using small nucleic acid molecules. In particular, the instant invention features small nucleic acid molecules, such as short interfering nucleic acid (siNA), short interfering RNA (siRNA), double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), micro-RNA (miRNA), and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) molecules and methods used to modulate the expression of telomerase genes, such as telomerase template RNA (TERC/TR), or a telomerase protein (TERT).
US07897750B2
The invention provides methods for screening compound or chemical libraries by analyzing expressed RNA samples from biological samples treated with members of a compound library in a high throughput format.
US07897746B2
The present invention provides compositions and methods for regulating expression of heterologous nucleotide sequences in a plant. Compositions are novel nucleotide sequences for a pericarp-preferred promoter and terminator isolated from the maize lipid transfer protein 1 coding region. A method for expressing a heterologous nucleotide sequence in a plant using the regulatory sequences disclosed herein is provided. The method comprises transforming a plant cell to comprise a heterologous nucleotide sequence operably linked to one or more of the regulatory sequences of the present invention and regenerating a stably transformed plant from the transformed plant cell.
US07897742B2
Described herein are methods to enhance protein secretion in a host cell. In preferred embodiment, the host cell is a gram-positive microorganism such as a Bacillus. In another preferred embodiment, the host cell is a gram-negative microorganism. Preferably the gram-negative microorganism is an Escherichia coli or a member of the genus Pantoea. Protein secretion may be enhanced by the overexpression of protein components of the Tat pathway. Alternatively, secretion of foreign proteins can be selectively enhanced by forming a chimeric polypeptide comprising a tat signal sequence and the protein of interest. In a preferred embodiment, the tat signal sequence is selected from phoD or LipA.
US07897740B2
Described is a gene and its encoded secreted tumor antigen, termed 36P6D5, and to diagnostic and therapeutic methods and compositions useful in the management of various cancers which express 36P6D5, particularly including cancers of the bladder, kidney, prostate, breast, colon, ovary, and pancreas.
US07897729B2
The present invention concerns a family of nucleic acids, polypeptides and cloning vectors which direct expression of fusion proteins that can mimic aggregated IgG (AIG) and immune complex function with respect to their interactions with FcγR and which allow for the inclusion and targeting of a second protein domain to cells expressing FcγR. This was accomplished by expressing multiple linear copies of the hinge and CH2 domains (HCH2) of human IgG1 fused to the framework region of human IgG1. Convenient restriction sites allow for the facile introduction of additional amino-terminal domains. Methods for treating patients using fission proteins are also disclosed. The HCH2 polymers described here represent a new strategy in the design of recombinant proteins for the therapeutic targeting of FcγR in autoimmune disorders.
US07897726B2
The present invention provides nucleic acid compositions encoding a novel colorless GFP-like protein, acGFP, from Aequorea coerulscens and fluorescent and non-fluorescent mutants and derivatives thereof, as well as peptides and proteins encoded by these nucleic acid compositions. The subject protein and nucleic acid compositions of the present invention are colored and/or fluorescent and/or can be photoactivated, and can be used in a variety of different biological applications, particularly for labeling. Finally, kits for use in such biological applications are provided.
US07897724B2
The present invention relates to an improved process for the preparation of N6-(aminoiminomethyl)-N2-(3-mercapto-1-oxopropyl)-L-lysylglycyl-L-α-aspartyl-L-tryptophyl-L-prolyl-L-cysteinamide, cyclic(1→6)-disulfide of formula (1), which involves assembling a peptide chain comprising of six amino acids and a thioalkyl carboxylic acid in a required sequence on a solid support to obtain a peptide bound resin of formula (2), capping the free amino groups after each coupling, cleaving Dde group in the peptide of formula (2) from the solid support to obtain peptide-solid support of formula (3), guanylating the peptide of formula (3) at ε-lysine-NH2 in an organic solvent to obtain peptide-solid support of formula (4), cleaving and deprotecting all groups in the peptide of formula (4) from the solid support to obtain peptide-amide formula (5), oxidizing the SH-peptide of formula (5) with an appropriate oxidizing agent to obtain the crude peptide-amide of formula (1) and purifying the crude peptide-amide of formula (1) by chromatographic technique. The solid support is either resin or a cellulose support like cotton, gauze, fabric, paper and perloza beads. The described process is simple, easy, environment friendly, takes lesser time and more cost effective.
US07897720B2
Disclosed is a method for removing a metallic compound catalyst residue from a polymer solution which is prepared in the presence of a catalyst containing metal of Group 10 using a thiourea compound, a polymer from which the metallic compound catalyst residue is removed using the method, and a film produced using the method.
US07897719B2
The present invention provides a catalyst comprising a mixture of at least one acid-activated sheet silicate with a transition metal oxide of groups 8 and/or 9 of the Periodic Table of the Elements and also a process for preparing polytetrahydrofuran, polytetrahydrofuran copolymers, diesters or monoesters of these polymers, in which tetrahydrofuran is polymerized in the presence of at least one telogen and/or comonomer over such a catalyst.
US07897717B2
An insulating liquid die-bonding agent for bonding a semiconductor-chip-mounting member to an active surface of a semiconductor chip, said agent comprising: (A) a mixture of (a-1) an organopolysiloxane resin having alkenyl groups and (a-2) a linear-chain organopolysiloxane having in one molecule at least two alkenyl groups; (B) an organopolysiloxane having in one molecule at least two silicon-bonded hydrogen atoms; (C) an organic silicon compound having in one molecule at least one silicon-bonded alkoxy groups; (D) insulating spherical silicone rubber particles having an average diameter of 0.1 to 50 μm and having a type A durometer hardness according to JIS K 6253 equal to or below 80; and (E) a hydrosilylation-reaction catalyst, may not damage the active surface of the semiconductor chip, is well suited for screen printing, is resistant to the formation of voids on the interface between the semiconductor chip and the die-bonding agent, and does not lose its wire-bonding properties.
US07897710B2
Film formed from a polyethylene resin composition which obeys a dynamic rheological relationship at 190° C. between melt storage modulus G′, measured in Pa and at a dynamic frequency where the loss modulus G″=3000 Pa, and dynamic complex viscosity η*100, measured in Pa·s at 100 rad/s, such that (a) G′(G″=3000)>−0.86η*100+z where z=3800, and at the same time (b) G′(G″=3000)>0.875η*100−y where y=650, and having an impact strength (DDT) of at least 250 g, measured on 15 μm thick film (blown under conditions with BUR=5:1 and Neck Height=8×D) conditioned for 48 hours at 20°-25° C., according to ASTM D1709.
US07897706B2
The present invention relates to a supported, treated catalyst system and its use in a process for polymerizing olefin(s). More particularly, it provides a supported, treated catalyst system produced by a process comprising the steps of: (a) forming a supported bimetallic catalyst system comprising a first catalyst component and a metallocene catalyst compound; and (b) contacting the supported bimetallic catalyst system of (a) with at least one methylalumoxane-activatable compound.
US07897702B2
The invention discloses a novel cross-linked epoxy resin with flame-retardant properties and method for producing the same. The polymeric material of the invention includes an epoxy resin, a curing agent and a modification agent. Particularly, the modification agent is a derivative of 9,10-Dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene 10-Oxide (DOPO). Moreover, the curing agent is 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl methane (DDM), or tris(4-aminephenyl)amine (NNH).
US07897701B2
A mold release composition comprising at least one siloxane polymer having functional terminal groups; at least one siloxane polymer having at least one functional pendent group; and a crosslinking agent. The mold release agent is ready to mold composite parts in less than 30 minutes under room temperature curing conditions.
US07897697B2
A process for preparing derivatized poly(4-hydroxystryrene) having a novolak type structure which comprises the steps of (i) supplying a solution of methanol containing 4-hydroxyphenylmethylcarbinol, (ii) subjecting said solution to an acid catalyzed displacement reaction for a sufficient period of time and under suitable conditions of temperature and pressure to convert substantially all of said carbinol to 4-hydroxyphenylmethylcarbinol methyl ether in solution, (iii) polymerizing said ether containing solution in the presence of a suitable acid catalyst for a sufficient period of time and under suitable conditions of temperature and pressure to form a novolak type polymer. New compositions of matter which comprise the derivatized poly(4-hydroxystyrene) prepared in the above manner and which have application in the electronic chemicals market such as in a photoresist composition, and in other areas such as in varnishes, printing inks, epoxy resins, copying paper, tackifiers for rubber, crude oil separators, and the like.
US07897691B2
A proton conductive graft polymer comprises at least a structure unit of a sulfonated polymer side chain covalently attached to a hydrophobic perfluorocyclobutane polymer main chain. The sulfonated condensation polymer side chain has a high local ion exchange capacity while the main polymer chain is substantially free of sulfonic acid group. A membrane made from the graft polymer can provide good mechanical properties and high proton conductivity at wide range of humidity and temperatures.
US07897686B2
The present invention relates to a method for preparing a graft rubber latex having a low residual monomer content, and more precisely, a method for preparing a graft rubber latex having a high rubber content, which is characterized by graft-copolymerization of a mixture of a rubber latex having a gel content of at least 95% and an average particle diameter of 2,500˜5000 Å, a monomer mixture comprising one or more compounds selected from a group consisting of aromatic vinyl compound, vinyl cyan compound and acrylate compound, and small particle size latex produced by emulsion polymerization. The method of the present invention has the advantages of speedy processes with excellent latex stability and at the same time reducing residual monomer content in the latex upon completion of the polymerization, improving perceived quality of the product and increasing yield.
US07897681B2
Compositions including composites of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and nanoparticles are disclosed. A wood-polymer composite using the PVC-nanoparticle composite as a matrix also is disclosed. The nanoparticle filler is dispersed throughout the PVC matrix by blending the nanoparticles with a mixture of PVC particles that have been pre-heated to a temperature at or above a fusion point of the PVC, thereby fusing the PVC particles prior to the addition of the nanoparticles to the matrix. Also disclosed are methods of forming the composite compositions. The composite compositions can be used to replace wood boards.
US07897674B2
Polymer electrolyte for an electrochemical generator based on at least a four branched polymer, at least a poly(vinylyldienefluoride), a poly(vinyldiene fluoro-co-hexafluoropropene copolymer), a poly(tetrafluoroethylene), a poly(ethylene-co-propylene-co-5-methylene-2-norbornene) or an ethylene propylene-diene copolymer, a polyol, a poly(methylmethacrylate, a poly(acrylonitrile), SiO2Al2O3, or nano TiO2 non coated or coated with an organic material. This electrolyte allows to prepare electrolytic compositions that can be used in high performance electrochemical devices.
US07897657B2
Present invention relates to an inkjet ink used for a polyvinyl chloride resin sheet, wherein the inkjet ink comprises an organic solvent, a pigment and a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate resin, the organic solvent is a mixed solvent comprising at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by a formula (1) and compounds represented by a formula (2), together with a lactone compound, and the quantity of the lactone compound is within a range from 1 to 40% by weight relative to the total weight of the ink.[Formula 1] CH3CO(OR1)mOR2 (1) (wherein, R1 represents an ethylene group or propylene group, R2 represents an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and m represents an integer from 1 to 3) [Formula 2] CH3CH(OH)COOR3 (2) (wherein, R3 represents an alkyl group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms).
US07897648B2
This invention relates to silica aerogels and to a method for their preparation from rice husk. Rice husk is very rich in silica, and its ash can contain up to 92-97% of amorphous silica. The rice husk ash is prepared by burning the rice husk on a heating plate with excess air until the white ash is obtained. Silica from rice ash husk is in a very active form and has been found to be a very potential starting material for silica aerogels.
US07897640B2
Medicaments containing shikonin compounds and salts thereof including shikonin and alkannin are used for treatment of virus infections, mycoplasma infections and malignant tumor.
US07897632B2
The present invention provides a compound represented by the formula (I): or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof, wherein Ar1 represents an imidazolyl group that may be substituted with a C1-6 alkyl group, or the like, Ar2 represents a phenyl group that may be substituted with a C1-6 alkoxy group, or the like, X1 represents a double bond or the like, and Het represents an imidazolyl group that may be substituted with a C1-6 alkyl group, or the like, which is effective as a therapeutic or prophylactic agent for a disease caused by Aβ.
US07897628B2
This invention relates to aryl carbonyl derivatives which are activators of glucokinase which may be useful for the management, treatment, control, or adjunct treatment of diseases, where increasing glucokinase activity is beneficial.
US07897612B2
The invention described herein relates to certain bicyclic heteroaromatic N-substituted glycine derivatives of formula (I) which are antagonists of HIF prolyl hydroxylases and are useful for treating diseases benefiting from the inhibition of this enzyme, anemia being one example.
US07897609B2
Imidazonaphthyridine ring systems substituted with an aryl substituent, pharmaceutical compositions containing the compounds, and methods of use of these compounds as immunomodulators, for inducing cytokine biosynthesis in animals and in the treatment of diseases including viral and neoplastic diseases are disclosed.
US07897607B2
There is provided a CRF receptor antagonist comprising a compound of the formula (I): A-W—Ar (I) wherein, A is a group represented by the formula (A1) or (A2): (wherein, ring Aa is a 5- or 6-membered ring which may be further substituted; ring Ab is a 5- or 6-membered ring which may be further substituted; ring Ac is a 5- or 6-membered ring which may be substituted; R1 is optionally substituted alkyl, substituted amino, substituted hydroxy, etc.; X is carbonyl, —O—, —S—, etc.; Y1, Y2 and Q are independently optionally substituted carbon or nitrogen; is a single or double bond); W is a bond, optionally substituted methylene, optionally substituted imino, —O—, —S—, etc.; Ar is optionally substituted aryl or optionally substituted heteroaryl; or a salt thereof or a prodrug thereof.
US07897606B2
Disclosed are compounds of the formula and the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. The compounds are useful for the treatment of chemokine-mediated diseases such as COPD.
US07897603B2
Selected CGRP-antagonists, processes for preparing them and their use as pharmaceutical compositions
The present invention relates to the CGRP-antagonists of general formula I wherein R1, R2, R3 and R4 are defined as in claim 1, the tautomers, the isomers, the diastereomers, the enantiomers, the hydrates thereof, the mixtures thereof and the salts thereof and the hydrates of the salts thereof, particularly the physiologically acceptable salts thereof with inorganic or organic acids or bases, as well as those compounds of general formula I wherein one or more hydrogen atoms are replaced by deuterium, pharmaceutical compositions containing these compounds, their use and processes for preparing them.
US07897601B2
A compound having the general structure of Formula (I): or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, solvate, or ester thereof, is useful in treating diseases, disorders, or conditions such as obesity, metabolic disorders, addiction, diseases of the central nervous system, cardiovascular disorders, respiratory disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders.
US07897599B2
The present invention provides low molecular weight compounds useful as cytokine inhibitors, and compositions thereof. In particular, compounds of the invention are useful as anti-inflammatory agents. There are further provided methods for the preparation of such agents and their use in preventing or treating conditions mediated by cytokines such as arthritis.
US07897593B2
The invention encompasses series bicyclic pyrimidinone compounds of Formula I which inhibit HIV integrase and prevent viral integration into human DNA. This action makes the compounds useful for treating HIV infection and AIDS. The invention also encompasses pharmaceutical compositions and methods for treating those infected with HIV.
US07897591B2
The present invention relates to a method for treating a fatty liver disease or disorder in a patient in need thereof. The method comprises administering at least one matrix metalloproteinase (“MMP”) inhibitor to the patient. Fatty liver disease or disorders include, for example, NAFLD, NASH, ALD, fatty liver associated with chronic hepatitis infection, TPN, steroid treatment, tamoxifen treatment, gastrointestinal operations, diabetes and Reye's Syndrome. The method is particularly useful when the fatty liver disease is associated with TPN and the patient is an infant or when the patient is obese. MMP inhibitors useful in the present invention include, for example, Marimastat, tetracyclines, Prinomastat, Batimastat, BAY 12-9566, AG3340, BMS-275291, Neovastat, BB-3644, KB-R7785, TIMP1, TIMP2, doxycycline, minocycline, RS-130,830; CGS 27023A, Solimastat, Ro 32-3555, BMS-272591, and D2163. Marimastat is a preferred MMP inhibitor.
US07897589B2
The present invention relates to substituted pyrazoline compounds, methods for their preparation, medicaments comprising these compounds as well as their use for the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of humans and animals.
US07897582B2
Compositions and methods for the treatment of asthma with oligonucleotides which specifically hybridize with nucleic acids encoding B7 proteins.
US07897567B2
Damage to cells and/or a subject caused by radiation is treated or prevented by administration of an alpha thymosin peptide.
US07897566B2
Disclosed are peptide analogues of glucagon-like peptide-1, the pharmaceutically-acceptable salts thereof, methods of using such analogues to treat mammals and pharmaceutical compositions useful therefor comprising said analogues.
US07897555B2
Microcapsules for use in liquid detergents having a core and a polyelectrolyte complex shell in the form of a semipermeable membrane comprising a particulate permeability-regulator. The invention also relates to a process for making the microcapsules and liquid detergents comprising said microcapsules.
US07897550B2
Urea grease composition for constant velocity joints is provided containing base oil, one or more urea thickener compounds, (A) one or more molybdenum sulphurized dialkyldithiocarbamates represented by general formula (I) wherein R1 and R2 are independently chosen from alkyl groups of from 1 to 24 carbons, m+n=4, m is from 0 to 3 and n is from 4 to 1, (B) triphenylphosphorothionate represented by formula (II) and (C) one or more stearic acid metal salts.
US07897548B2
A lubricated surface, a method for reducing wear between moving parts, and lubricants, and lubricant additive concentrates containing a wear reducing agent. The lubricated surface contains a base oil of lubricating viscosity, a hydrocarbon soluble titanium compound, a metal-free friction modifier and an amount of at least one hydrocarbon soluble magnesium compound effective to provide a reduction in surface wear greater than a reduction surface wear for a lubricant composition devoid of the titanium compound, metal-free friction modifier, and magnesium compound. The lubricant composition contains no more than about 800 ppm phosphorus and is devoid of calcium detergents and organic molybdenum compound.
US07897546B2
This invention is directed to a composition comprising encapsulated expandable polymeric microparticles including expandable base microparticles encapsulated in a shell of at least one layer of a labile or degradable encapsulation material. The encapsulated microparticles have an unexpanded volume average particle size diameter of from about 0.05 to about 5,000 microns. The invention is further directed to the use of the composition for modifying the permeability of subterranean formations and increasing the mobilization and/or recovery rate of hydrocarbon fluids present in the formations.
US07897537B2
The present invention relates generally to ultradispersed catalyst compositions and methods for preparing such catalysts. In particular, the invention provides catalyst composition of the general formula: BxMyS[(1.1 to 4.6)y+(0.5 to 4)x] where B is a group VIIIB non-noble metal and M is a group VI B metal and 0.05≦y/x≦15.
US07897535B2
To provide a sputtering target for preparing a recordable optical recording medium characterized by comprising Bi and B and a manufacturing method thereof, a recordable high density optical recording medium using the sputtering target, and a sputtering target which is capable of improving a speed of the film formation for the improvement of productivity, which has a high intensity at the time of the film formation and which has a heightened packing density.
US07897528B2
Various embodiments of the present inventions encompass a variety of methods and devices for attaching labels, tags, or identification devices to hot metals.
US07897523B2
A substrate heating apparatus having a conductive heater which heats a substrate includes a filament arranged in the conductive heater and connected to a filament power supply to generate thermoelectrons, and an acceleration power supply which accelerates the thermoelectrons between the filament and conductive heater. The filament has inner peripheral portions formed at a predetermined interval along an inner circle concentric with the substrate, outer peripheral portions formed at a predetermined interval on an outer circle concentric with the inner circle and having a diameter larger than that of the inner circle, and a region formed by connecting the end point of each inner peripheral portions and the end point of a corresponding one of the outer peripheral portions.
US07897517B2
A method for depositing one or more materials on a substrate, such as for example, a semiconductor substrate that includes providing the substrate; applying a polymer film to at least a portion of a surface of the substrate; and exposing the semiconductor substrate to a supercritical fluid containing at least one reactant for a time sufficient for the supercritical fluid to swell the polymer and for the at least one reactant to penetrate the polymer film. The reactant is reacted to cause the deposition of the material on at least a portion of the substrate. The substrate is removed from the supercritical fluid, and the polymer film is removed. The process permits the precise deposition of materials without the need for removal of excess material using chemical, physical, or a combination of chemical and physical removal techniques.
US07897512B2
Integrated circuit devices have a first substrate layer and a first transistor on the first substrate layer. A first interlayer insulating film covers the first transistor. A second substrate layer is on the first interlayer insulating film and a second transistor is on the second substrate layer. A second interlayer insulating film covers the second transistor. A contact extends through the second interlayer insulating film, the second substrate layer and the first interlayer insulating film. The contact includes a lower contact and an upper contact that contacts an upper surface of the lower contact to define an interface therebetween. The interface is located at a height no greater than a height of a top surface of the second substrate and greater than a height of a bottom surface of the second substrate layer.
US07897508B2
Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide methods of forming a metal interconnect structure which avoid defects arising from copper migration. In accordance with particular embodiments, an electroplated copper feature is subjected to a brief thermal anneal prior to chemical mechanical polishing and subsequent formation of an overlying barrier layer. This thermal anneal intentionally provokes migration of the copper and resulting formation of hillocks or voids, which are then removed by a CMP step. The barrier layer may thus subsequently be formed over a defect-free surface, which has already experienced stress release along grain boundaries as a result of the thermal treatment.
US07897503B2
A device having the capability for electrical, thermal, optical, and fluidic interconnections to various layers. Through-substrate vias in the interconnect device are filled to enable electrical and thermal connection or optionally hermetically sealed relative to other surfaces to enable fluidic or optical connection. Optionally, optical components may be placed within the via region in order to manipulate optical signals. Redistribution of electrical interconnection is accomplished on both top and bottom surfaces of the substrate of the interconnect chip.
US07897502B2
A method of making a semiconductor device comprises forming a first conductive layer recessed below a surface of a substrate. The method further comprises forming a second conductive layer raised above the surface of the substrate to create a vertical offset between the first and second conductive layers. The method further comprises forming an interconnect structure on the first and second conductive layers.
US07897487B2
An object to be processed can be cut highly accurately along a line to cut.An object to be processed 1 is irradiated with laser light while locating a converging point within a silicon wafer 11, and the converging point is relatively moved along a line to cut 5, so as to form modified regions M1, M2 positioned within the object 1 along the line to cut 5, and then a modified region M3 positioned between the modified regions M1, M2 within the object 1.
US07897482B2
A separation layer containing a halogen element is formed over a glass substrate by a plasma CVD method; a semiconductor element is formed over the separation layer; and separation is then performed inside the separation layer or at its interface, so that the large-area glass substrate and the semiconductor element are detached from each other. In order to perform detachment at the interface between the glass substrate and the separation layer, the separation layer may have concentration gradient of the halogen element, and the halogen element is contained more near the interface between the separation layer and the glass substrate than in the other areas.
US07897479B2
Roughly described, methods and systems for improving integrated circuit layouts and fabrication processes in order to better account for stress effects. Dummy features can be added to a layout either in order to improve uniformity, or to relax known undesirable stress, or to introduce known desirable stress. The dummy features can include dummy diffusion regions added to relax stress, and dummy trenches added either to relax or enhance stress. A trench can relax stress by filling it with a stress-neutral material or a tensile strained material. A trench can increase stress by filling it with a compressive strained material. Preferably dummy diffusion regions and stress relaxation trenches are disposed longitudinally to at least the channel regions of N-channel transistors, and transversely to at least the channel regions of both N-channel and P-channel transistors. Preferably stress enhancement trenches are disposed longitudinally to at least the channel regions of P-channel transistors.
US07897476B2
To provide an SOI substrate with an SOI layer that can be put into practical use, even when a substrate with a low allowable temperature limit such as a glass substrate is used, and to provide a semiconductor substrate formed using such an SOI substrate. In order to bond a single-crystalline semiconductor substrate to a base substrate such as a glass substrate, a silicon oxide film formed by CVD with organic silane as a source material is used as a bonding layer, for example. Accordingly, an SOI substrate with a strong bond portion can be formed even when a substrate with an allowable temperature limit of less than or equal to 700° C. such as a glass substrate is used. A semiconductor layer separated from the single-crystalline semiconductor substrate is irradiated with a laser beam so that the surface of the semiconductor layer is planarized and the crystallinity thereof is recovered.
US07897473B2
A method of manufacturing a dual contact trench capacitor is provided. The method includes forming a first plate provided within a trench and isolated from a wafer body by a first insulator layer formed in the trench. The method further includes forming a second plate provided within the trench and isolated from the wafer body and the first plate by a second insulator layer formed in the trench.
US07897470B2
A method of fabricating a memory cell including forming nanodots over a first dielectric layer and forming a second dielectric layer over the nanodots, where the second dielectric layer encases the nanodots. In addition, an intergate dielectric layer is formed over the second dielectric layer. To form sidewalls of the memory cell, a portion of the intergate dielectric layer and a portion of the second dielectric layer are removed with a dry etch, where the sidewalls include a location where a nanodot has been deposited. A spacing layer is formed over the sidewalls to cover the location where a nanodot has been deposited and the remaining portion of the second dielectric layer and the nanodots can be removed with an isotropic etch selective to the second dielectric layer.
US07897460B2
The invention includes methods of forming recessed access devices. A substrate is provided to have recessed access device trenches therein. A pair of the recessed access device trenches are adjacent one another. Electrically conductive material is formed within the recessed access device trenches, and source/drain regions are formed proximate the electrically conductive material. The electrically conductive material and source/drain regions together are incorporated into a pair of adjacent recessed access devices. After the recessed access device trenches are formed within the substrate, an isolation region trench is formed between the adjacent recessed access devices and filled with electrically insulative material to form a trenched isolation region.
US07897459B2
A through electrode is formed prior to fabricating a semiconductor device by using a standard manufacturing method. Aside face of the through electrode is insulated from a semiconductor substrate by an insulating film, while the top face thereof is covered with a protective insulating film. These insulating films covering the through electrode protect a conductor of the through electrode and prevent emission of a contaminant from the conductor. Standard manufacturing conditions can be applied without change.
US07897456B2
A non-volatile memory device includes a peripheral circuit region and a cell region. A method for fabricating the non-volatile memory device includes forming gate patterns over a substrate, the gate pattern including a tunnel insulation layer, a floating gate electrode, a charge blocking layer and a control gate electrode, and removing the control gate electrode and the charge blocking layer of the gate pattern formed in the peripheral circuit region.
US07897451B2
By selectively applying a stress memorization technique to N-channel transistors, a significant improvement of transistor performance may be achieved. High selectivity in applying the stress memorization approach may be accomplished by substantially maintaining the crystalline state of the P-channel transistors while annealing the N-channel transistors in the presence of an appropriate material layer which may not to be patterned prior to the anneal process, thereby avoiding additional lithography and masking steps.
US07897449B2
A method for manufacturing a pixel structure is provided. First, a first mask process is performed to form a patterned first metal layer on a substrate, wherein the patterned first metal layer includes a gate. Next, a second mask process is performed to form a patterned insulating layer and a patterned semiconductor layer over the gate, wherein the patterned insulating layer is disposed on the patterned first metal layer, and the patterned semiconductor layer is disposed on the patterned insulating layer. Then, a third mask process is performed to define a thin film transistor (TFT) and a pixel electrode connected thereto and to form a passivation layer to cover the TFT.
US07897445B2
A self-aligned LDD TFT and a fabrication method thereof. The method includes providing a semiconductor layer. A first masking layer is provided over a first region of the semiconductor layer, said first masking layer comprising a material that provide a permeable barrier to a dopant. The semiconductor layer is exposed, including the first region covered by the first masking layer, to the dopant, wherein the first region covered by the first masking layer is lightly doped with the dopant in comparison to a second region not covered by the first masking layer.
US07897443B2
The present invention provides a production method of a semiconductor device, which can improve characteristics of a semiconductor element including a single crystal semiconductor layer formed by transferring on an insulating substrate. The present invention is a production method of a semiconductor device comprising a single crystal semiconductor layer formed on an insulating substrate, the production method comprising the steps of: implanting a substance for separation into a single crystal semiconductor substrate, thereby forming a separation layer; transferring a part of the single crystal semiconductor substrate, separated at the separation layer, onto the insulating substrate, thereby forming the single crystal semiconductor layer; forming a hydrogen-containing layer on at least one side of the single crystal semiconductor layer; and diffusing hydrogen from the hydrogen-containing layer to the single crystal semiconductor layer.
US07897442B2
A method for fabricating a pixel structure is disclosed. A substrate is provided. A first conductive layer is formed on the substrate, and a first shadow mask exposing a portion of the first conductive layer is disposed over the first conductive layer. Laser is used to irradiate the first conductive layer for removing the part of the first conductive layer and forming a gate. A gate dielectric layer is formed on the substrate to cover the gate. A channel layer is formed on the gate dielectric layer over the gate. A source and a drain are formed on the channel layer and respectively above both sides of the gate. A patterned passivation layer is formed to cover the channel layer and expose the drain. An electrode material layer is formed to cover the patterned passivation layer and the exposed drain.
US07897441B2
A method of fabricating a CMOS image sensor comprising forming an epitaxial layer on a semiconductor substrate, the epitaxial layer comprising a pixel and logic area, forming an STI layer in the epitaxial layer, forming a plurality of wells and a gate pattern having a spacer on the epitaxial layer, forming a plurality of source and drain regions in the epitaxial layer using ion implantation, forming a salicide blocking layer on the epitaxial layer and gate pattern in the pixel area, forming a plurality of silicide layers in the logic area by performing a silicidation process, sequentially forming a PMD liner nitride layer and a PSG layer on the salicide blocking layer in the pixel area and the epitaxial layer and the gate pattern in the logic area, and forming a plurality of contacts connecting the PSG layer to the source and drain regions.
US07897440B1
A semiconductor device may comprise a plurality of memory cells. A memory cell may comprise a thyristor, at least a portion of which is formed in a pillar of semiconductor material. The pillar may comprise sidewalls defining a cylindrical circumference of a first diameter. In a particular embodiment, the pillars associated with the plurality of memory cells may define rows and columns of an array. In a further embodiment, a pillar may be spaced by a first distance of magnitude up to the first diameter relative to a neighboring pillar within its row. In an additional further embodiment, the pillar may be spaced by a second distance of a magnitude up to twice the first diameter, relative to a neighboring pillar within its column.
US07897439B2
An electronic device comprising a thin film transistor (TFT) array and manufacturing methods thereof according to various embodiments. Jet-printed material is deposited on selected partially formed transistors to form completed transistors. Thus, a selected number of the TFTs are connected into the circuit while the remainder of the TFTs are not connected. An electronic read-out of the array identifies the specific array by distinguishing the connected TFTs from the unconnected ones. For a TFT array with n elements there are 2n alternative configurations; therefore, a relatively small number of TFTs can uniquely identify a huge number of devices. Such uniquely encoded devices have applications for encryption, identification and personalization of electronic systems.
US07897433B2
Various semiconductor chip reinforcement structures and methods of making the same are disclosed. In one aspect, a method of manufacturing is provided that includes providing a semiconductor chip that has a side and forming a polymer layer on the side. The polymer layer has a central portion and a first frame portion spatially separated from the central portion to define a first channel. An underfill material may be provided to invade the channel and establish a mechanical joint between the polymer layer and the underfill material.
US07897425B2
A method for fabricating an image sensor. The method may include forming a gate, a photo diode, and a floating diffusion region on a pixel region of a semiconductor substrate; forming an oxide film on the pixel region and on an edge region of the semiconductor substrate; forming a sacrificial oxide layer by etching the oxide film using a first photoresist pattern as a mask; forming a metal layer on the first photoresist pattern, the gate, and the floating diffusion region; forming a salicide layer on the gate and the floating diffusion region; etching a remaining non-salicided portion of the metal layer, the first photoresist pattern, and the sacrificial oxide layer; forming an interlayer insulating film on the semiconductor substrate and planarizing the interlayer insulating film; and forming contact holes and forming an edge open part by etching the interlayer insulating film using a second photoresist pattern as a mask.
US07897422B2
A new structure of a semiconductor optical device and a method to produce the device are disclosed. One embodiment of the optical device of the invention provides a blocking region including, from the side close to the mesa, a p-type first layer and a p-type second layer. The first layer is co-doped with an n-type impurity and a p-type impurity. The doping concentration of the p-type impurity in the first layer is smaller than that in the second layer, so, the first layer performs a function of a buffer layer for the Zn diffusion from the second layer to the active layer in the mesa structure.
US07897421B2
A method of producing an organic electroluminescent element may include forming a transparent electrode as an anode on a transparent substrate; forming a light emission layer on the transparent substrate having thereon the anode; and forming a cathode on the substrate having thereon the anode and the light emission layer. The light emission layer may be formed by a method including arranging at least one vaporization crucible E evaporating a light emission dopant and at least one vaporization crucible I evaporating a host material and an intermediate layer forming material; and moving the substrate having thereon the anode over the vaporization crucibles E and I to form a light emission layer.
US07897415B2
Provided are a ferroelectric recording medium and a method of manufacturing the same. The ferroelectric recording medium includes a substrate, a plurality of supporting layers which are formed on the substrate, each of the supporting layers having at least two lateral surfaces; and data recording layers formed on the lateral surfaces of the supporting layers. First and second data recording layers may be respectively disposed on two facing lateral surfaces of each of the supporting layers. The supporting layers may be polygonal pillars having at least three lateral surfaces. A plurality of the supporting layers can be disposed at uniform intervals in a two-dimensional array.
US07897412B2
In a magnetic random access memory (MRAM) having a transistor and a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) layer in a unit cell, the MTJ layer includes a lower magnetic layer, an oxidation preventing layer, a tunneling oxide layer, and an upper magnetic layer, which are sequentially stacked. The tunneling oxide layer may be formed using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. At least the oxidation preventing layer may be formed using a method other than the ALD method.
US07897408B2
First, an ammonium acetate solution and an acetate solution of a metal such as Cd or Zn are mixed, so as to form an ammonium complex of the metal. Next, an apoferritin solution, listeria apoferritin (listeria Dps) or their recombinant and thioacetic acid are added to the thus obtained reaction solution, which is maintained at a pH of from 4.0 to 9.0. By allowing the reaction solution to stand for 12 hours or more, a complex of a nanoparticle including CdS or ZnS and apoferritin or listeria Dps is produced.
US07897405B2
A method for determining a time of elution of a peptide of interest from a liquid chromatography column includes a step of obtaining chromatographic data for each of a plurality of candidate fragment ions of the peptide of interest. A time along a common chromatographic time is scale determined corresponding to maximum overlay of the ion signals measured for each of the plurality of candidate fragment ions. Finally, the determined time is assigned as the time of elution of the peptide of interest from the liquid chromatography column. In particular, the chromatographic data is acquired during selective reaction monitoring of an eluate from the liquid chromatography column containing the peptide of interest. The chromatographic data includes ion signals measured along the common chromatographic time scale for each of the plurality of candidate fragment ions.
US07897404B2
The invention relates to a process for the production of a biomolecule-linker conjugate of uniform stochiometry. It especially relates to a conjugate consisting of a biomolecule of a molecular weight between 5 kD and 500 kD and a hydrophilic linker molecule said linker having a molecular weight between 1 and 15 kD and between 4 and 60 charged residues, characterized in that said conjugate comprises at least one biomolecule-linker product of uniform stoichiometry in a pre-selected amount.
US07897394B2
The invention relates to cellular localization signals. In particular, the invention relates to endoplasmic reticulum localization signals in monomeric or multimeric form. The localization signals are utilized as research tools or are linked to therapeutics. Disclosed are methods of making and using polypeptides and modified polypeptides as signals to localize therapeutics, experimental compounds, peptides, proteins and/or other macromolecules to the endoplasmic reticulum of eukaryotic cells. The polypeptides of the invention optionally include linkage to reporters, epitopes and/or other experimental or therapeutic molecules. The invention also encompasses polynucleotides encoding the localization signals and vectors comprising these polynucleotides.
US07897388B2
This invention is concerned with stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood serum and a method for growing human embryonic stem cells and adult cells comprising sera separated from clotted umbilical cord blood, including growing and differentiating cord blood stem cells into neural precursors, comprising transdifferentiating CD34+, CD45+ and CD133+ stem cells from mononuclear cells derived from umbilical cord blood to neural precursors. The stem cells obtained from the umbilical cord include pluripotent stem and progenitor cell population of mononuclear cells, and separating pluripotent stem and progenitor cell population of mononuclear cells obtained from the umbilical cord blood. A magnetic cell separator is used to separate out cells which contain a CD marker and then expanding the cells in a medium containing retinoic acid as a differentiating agent supplemented with one or more growth factors BDNF, GDNF, NGF and FGF in presence of cord blood serum. The invention is also concerned with the transplantation and repair of nerve damage, strokes, spinal injury, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, prepared with a media for culturing umbilical cord blood stem cells in umbilical cord serum.
US07897387B2
A reporter system reflecting the transport process that transports GPI-anchored proteins to the cell wall was constructed and compounds inhibiting this process were discovered. Further, genes conferring resistance to the above compounds were identified and methods of screening for compounds that inhibit the activity of the proteins encoded by these genes were developed. Therefore, through the novel compounds, the present invention showed that antifungal agents having a novel mechanism, i.e. inhibiting the process that transports GPI-anchored proteins to the cell wall, could be achieved.
US07897383B2
Recombinant constructs useful for reducing the expression of endogenous mRNA and any substantially similar endogenous mRNA are disclosed. In particular, a recombinant construct comprising, inter alia, a suitable nucleic acid sequence and its reverse complement can be used to alter the expression of any homologous, endogenous RNA (i.e., the target RNA) which is in proximity to this suitable nucleic acid sequence.
US07897378B2
The invention concerns a method for isolating and purifying nucleic acids from a sample and a device that is suitable therefore.
US07897367B2
Protease-like nucleic acid molecules and polypeptides and fragments and variants thereof are disclosed in the current invention. In addition, protease-like fusion proteins, antigenic peptides, and anti-protease-like antibodies are encompassed. The invention also provides vectors containing a nucleic acid molecule of the invention and cells into which the vectors have been introduced. Methods for producing the polypeptides and methods of use for the polypeptides of the invention are further disclosed.
US07897364B2
The invention relates to a method for determining whether a compound is a neurotrypsin inhibitor, characterized in that the compound is incubated together with neurotrypsin, a variant thereof or a fragment comprising the protease domain and with a protein or peptide comprising agrin, a variant thereof or a fragment comprising the α- or the β-cleavage site of agrin, in an aqueous buffer solution, and the amount of cleavage of agrin is measured. Additionally, the invention relates to inhibitors of neurotrypsin found by this method, in particular to compounds of formula wherein Hal1 and Hal2 are fluorine, chlorine or bromine, and the use of such inhibitors for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of diseases caused by deficiency of synapses, for example skeletal muscle atrophy, schizophrenia, and cognitive disturbance.
US07897359B2
The present invention provides compositions and methods for regulating neural cell proliferation or differentiation. The present invention also provides methods for selecting for bioactive agents effective in regulating proliferation or differentiation.
US07897352B2
The present invention is related to compositions useful for the measurement of free or unbound analyte concentrations in a fluid. The present invention includes the use of capture ligands and stabilizing agents to improve the accuracy of analyte concentration assays. Methods and tools for using the present invention are also disclosed.
US07897350B2
The present invention discloses compositions and methods to measure an amount of Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) in a sample, including a mammalian sample such as a primate, rodent, equine, or bovine sample. The compositions and methods herein also provide antibodies that bind to epitopes on AMH that are stable to proteolysis of AMH.
US07897344B2
Aspects described and claimed herein provide methods to insert multiple DNA adaptors into a population of circular target DNAs at defined positions and orientations with respect to one another. The resulting multi-adaptor constructs are then used in massively-parallel nucleic acid sequencing techniques.
US07897343B2
Composition of matter comprising the causative agent of Mystery Swine Disease, Lelystad Agent, in a live, attenuated, dead, or recombinant form, or a part or component of it. Vaccine compositions and diagnostic kits based thereon. Recombinant nucleic acid comprising a Lelystad Agent-specific nucleotide sequence. Peptides comprising a Lelystad Agent-specific amino acid sequence. Lelystad Agent-specific antibodies.
US07897339B2
The present invention provides for a method of drying and spreading chromosomes from various biological samples to yield optimal chromosomal spreading. The method requires preparing a biological sample for treatment, providing a cytogenetic chamber capable of setting predetermined conditions, pre-testing a portion of the biological sample in the cytogenetic chamber, and finally treating the remaining biological sample. The method is useful to yield metaphase chromosomes that are small and rounded, with very few overlapping or scattered chromosomes. Furthermore, the method is uses restricted ranges of temperature and relative humidity to achieve consistent chromosomal spreading. The morphologies of the chromosomes are preserved in order to execute banding techniques at 550 bands and chromosomal analysis on high-resolution chromosomes.
US07897338B2
The present invention relates generally to nucleobase polymer functionalizing reagents, to mobility-modified sequence-specific nucleobase polymers, to compositions comprising a plurality of mobility-modified sequence-specific nucleobase polymers, and to the use of such polymers and compositions in a variety of assays, such as, for example, for the detection of a plurality of selected nucleotide sequences within one or more target nucleic acids. The mobility-modifying polymers of the present invention include phosphoramidite reagents which can be joined to other mobility-modifying monomers and to sequence-specific oligonucleobase polymers via uncharged phosphate triester linkages. Addition of the mobility-modifying phosphoramidite reagents of the present invention to oligonucleobase polymers results in unexpectedly large effects the mobility of those modified oligonucleobase polymers, especially upon capillary electrophoresis in non-sieving media.
US07897323B2
A method of achieving frequency doubled lithographic patterning is described. An optical pattern (16) having a first period (p1) is used to expose conventional acid-catalysed photoresist (18) on substrate (20), leaving regions of high exposure (24), regions of low exposure (26) and intermediate regions (22). Processing proceeds leaving regions (24) which received high exposure very polar, i.e. hydrophilic, regions (26) of low exposure very apolar, i.e. hydrophobic, and the intermediate regions having intermediate polarity. A developer of intermediate polarity such as propylene glycol methyl ether acetate is then used to dissolve only the intermediate regions (22) leaving photoresist patterned to have a pitch (p2) half that of the optical period (p1). Alternatively, the photoresist is removed from the apolar and polar regions leaving only the intermediate regions (22) again with the same pitch (p2) half that of the optical period (p1).
US07897317B2
The present invention provides a method for producing a core material of an electrophotographic ferrite carrier, by charging a raw powder with an average particle size of 20 to 50 μm obtained by preparing raw materials for ferrite into a combustion flame along with a carrier gas for the raw powder, thermal-spraying the powder in atmospheric air to ferritize the powder, subsequently rapidly solidifying the thermal-sprayed particle, and sampling and collecting the particle, wherein the method satisfies the conditions comprising the following (1) to (3): (1) a mixture gas of propane and oxygen is used for the combustion flame for the thermal spraying, and a volumetric ratio of the propane to the oxygen is 1:3.5 to 6.0; (2) the carrier gas for the raw powder is air, nitrogen, oxygen or a mixture gas thereof, and the ratio (a/b) of a charged amount (a) of a raw powder (kg/hr) to a charged amount (b) of the carrier gas (kg/hr) for the raw powder is 4.8 or less; and (3) a flame flow velocity of the combustion flame is 65 to 125 m/sec.
US07897299B2
In an attenuated phase-shift mask (PSM) and a method of forming the same, a phase-shift layer and a light-shielding layer are sequentially stacked on a transparent substrate. The phase-shift layer and the light-shielding layer are sequentially removed from the substrate, to form a light-shielding pattern including a first opening and a phase-shift pattern including a second opening that is connected to the first opening and partially exposes the transparent substrate. Then, a transmitting portion is formed through the light-shielding pattern by partially removing the light-shielding pattern. The transmitting portion includes at least one portion of the phase-shift pattern on which a transmittance controller is formed. In one embodiment, the transmittance controller comprises a metal having a high absorption coefficient, and is formed through sputtering and diffusion processes. Accordingly, the intensity deviation between 0th and 1st order beams may be decreased, to thereby improve the processing margin of the exposure process.
US07897297B2
Disclosed is a method and a system for optimizing intra-field critical dimension of an integrated circuit. A first mask for an integrated circuit is provided comprising at least one device region. A second mask is provided by copying the first mask and a lithography operation is provided to the integrated circuit using the first and second masks, wherein the critical dimension of the integrated circuit is optimized using the second mask. The second mask comprises a plurality of sacrificial patterns, which may be a plurality of flat patterns or a plurality of grating patterns.
US07897294B2
A catalyst member can comprise nano-scale nickel particles. The catalyst member can be used for a plurality of different uses, for example, electrodes of a fuel cell or an electrolysis device. The nano-scale nickel particles can be sintered or combined in other manners to form the desired shape.
US07897287B2
A fuel cell vehicle includes: a fuel cell stack for generating electric power by receiving supply of a reaction gas; a humidifying device for delivering an oxidizing off-gas discharged from the fuel cell stack and an oxidizing gas with a water vapor permeable membrane interposed therebetween, and thereby carrying out a moisture exchange between the oxidizing off-gas and the oxidizing gas; and a discharge flow passage for discharging the oxidizing off-gas discharged from the humidifying device to an outside of the vehicle. An oxidizing off-gas outlet that opens toward a front side of the vehicle is formed in the humidifying device. The discharge flow passage is connected to the oxidizing off-gas outlet and is bent in an approximate U shape from a front side of the vehicle to a back side of the vehicle.
US07897285B2
A fuel cell system including a gas recycling and re-pressurizing assembly. In one embodiment, the fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, the stack having an oxygen outlet and an oxygen inlet. The fuel cell system additionally includes two gas/water separator tanks, each of the tanks containing a quantity of water and a quantity of oxygen gas. Both tanks are capable of being fluidly connected to either the oxygen inlet or the oxygen outlet of the fuel cell stack. In addition, the two tanks are connected to one another so that water may be transferred back and forth between the two tanks. The system also includes a pump for transferring water back and forth between the tanks.
US07897284B2
A lithium secondary battery is provided with a positive electrode, a negative electrode (1), a separator interposed between the positive and negative electrodes, and an electrode assembly having the negative electrode (1), the positive electrode, and the separator. The negative electrode (1) has a negative electrode current collector (11) and negative electrode active material layers (12), (13) formed on respective surfaces of the negative electrode current collector (11). The negative electrode active material layers are composed of an alloy containing silicon, which intercalates and deintercalates lithium, and iron, which does not intercalate or deintercalate lithium. At least a portion of the electrode assembly has a curved portion in which the negative electrode active material layer (13) disposed inward relative to the negative electrode current collector contains a higher concentration of the iron than the negative electrode active material layer (12) disposed outward relative to the negative electrode current collector.
US07897280B2
Disclosed herein is a sheet-shaped safety kit that is attached to opposite major surfaces of an electrode assembly for secondary batteries. The safety kit includes a group of metal sheets electrically connected to a cathode terminal of the electrode assembly, another group of metal sheets electrically connected to a cathode terminal of the electrode assembly, and an insulation sheet disposed between the two metal sheet groups. The metal sheets of one of the metal sheet groups are interconnected with each other at lower ends of the metal sheets, the lower-end interconnection part interconnecting the lower ends of the metal sheets has a width less than that of the metal sheets, and lower-end corners of the interconnected metal sheets are larger than lower-end corners of the metal sheets that are not interconnected with each other.
US07897276B2
A system comprising a first battery cavity and a second battery cavity adjacent to the first battery cavity. Both of the first and second battery cavities are oriented in a common direction. The system also comprises a third battery cavity which comprises at least part of the first battery cavity and at least part of the second battery cavity. The third battery cavity is oriented in a different direction than the common direction.
US07897274B2
A magnetoresistive device includes a magnetization pinned layer, a magnetization free layer, a nonmagnetic intermediate layer formed between the magnetization pinned layer and the magnetization free layer, and electrodes allowing a sense current to flow in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the stack including the magnetization pinned layer, the nonmagnetic intermediate layer and the magnetization free layer. At least one of the magnetization pinned layer and the magnetization free layer is substantially formed of a binary or ternary alloy represented by the formula FeaCobNic (where a+b+c=100 at %, and a≦75 at %, b≦75 at %, and c≦63 at %), or formed of an alloy having a body-centered cubic crystal structure.
US07897258B2
A composition useful as an impregnant for the making of laminates for printed wiring boards comprises a FR4 epoxy resin which is a bisphenol A epoxy resin advanced with tetrabromobisphenol A, a crosslinking agent of a strene-maleic anhydride copolymer and a co-crosslinking agent is an optionally brominated bisphenol A and/or an optionally brominated bisphenol A diglycidyl ether.
US07897252B1
Thermoplastic surface modification is achieved with photocatalysts, such as titanium dioxide, tungsten oxide and mixtures thereof. A uniform coating of a powdered photocatalyst is applied to a thermoplastic surface that is wetted with an organic solvent. The coating is in a range between approximately 1.5 mg/cm2 to approximately 2.5 mg/cm2. After the uniform coating of photocatalyst is dried, the thermoplastic surface is heated to a temperature above its softening temperature, usually in a range between approximately 80° C. to approximately 130° C.; then, a mild pressure is applied to imbed the photocatalyst into the surface of the thermoplastic sheet. The method of modification is inexpensive, long-lasting and non-detrimental to the thermoplastic surface. A surface is provided with improved aesthetic appearance, extended lifetime and sustained protection from undesirable growth of nuisance organisms, such as algae, fungus, bacteria, mold, mildew and the like.
US07897249B2
A composite material structure includes a first fiber layer, a second fiber layer, a resin layer between the first fiber layer and the second fiber layer and a plurality of chopped fibers provided in the resin layer.
US07897247B2
The present invention discloses coated cutting tool inserts particularly useful for turning of nodular cast iron preferably at high speeds, comprising a cemented carbide substrate comprising from about 5 to about 9 wt-% Co and from about 1 to about 5 wt % cubic carbides and balance WC of 86-94 wt-%, and a coating comprising a first layer of TiCxNyOz with equiaxed grains, a layer of TiCxNyOz with a thickness of less than about 10 to about 15 μm with columnar grains, a layer of TiCxNyOz with a thickness of from about 0.1 to about 2 μm and with equiaxed or plate-like grains, a layer of α-Al2O3 with thickness from about 3 to about 8 μm, an outer layer of a multilayered structure of TiN+TiC with TiC being the outermost layer and a total thickness of from about 0.5 to about 2 μm and wherein the outer coating layer has been removed in the edge line and on the rake face so that the α-Al2O3 layer is on top along the cutting edge line and on the rake face and the outer TiC layer is the top layer on the flank face.
US07897242B2
A plurality of undulations are continuously formed on a front surface and a back surface of at least a beam portion in an injection molded article, and warpage generated by molding is prevented. Injection molding of the present invention is effective for, for example, prevention of the warpage of a beam generated by influences of light intercepting ridges formed on an inner surface of a lens barrel or the like.
US07897240B2
A nonwoven fabric that is not easily damaged during use is provided. A fiber web supported by a predetermined supporting member from the lower face side is blown with fluid, mainly composed of gas, from the upper face side of the fiber web to move fibers that constitute the fiber web, thereby forming at least a plurality of open areas. The nonwoven fabric includes a plurality of open areas continuously formed along a predetermined direction with a predetermined interval and a plurality of joining portions, each of which are formed between the open areas adjacent to each other in a predetermined direction.
US07897237B2
A tubular honeycomb structure 1 comprising partition walls 2 which define and form a plurality of cells 3 each functioning as a fluid passage extending from one end face 4 of honeycomb structure to other end face 5, wherein the areas of the sections of the individual cells 3 (cell sections) normal to the flow direction A of fluid are so made as to be approximately equal to each other over a given range of the center of each cell and its vicinity in the fluid flow direction A and to gradually decrease or gradually increase at each cell end of at least one end face 4 of honeycomb structure in the fluid flow direction A. This honeycomb structure can reduce the incoming loss and outgoing loss of a fluid such as exhaust gas or the like and can show a lower pressure loss.
US07897236B2
The present invention is directed to an article having at least one surface coated with electrostatically flocked material. The flock material used is one or more fibers, preferably synthetic fibers. When electrostatically flocked onto the article surface, the flock material is oriented, thus providing a silky smooth feel to the surface. The articles may include, for example, elastic articles such as rubber gloves, elastic medical drapes or wraps, elastic orthopedic supports/braces and clothing. The present invention also provides a process and apparatus for electrostatically flocking material onto an article.
US07897234B2
A potting compound for electronic components comprises a first composition of asphalt and sand and a second composition that attenuates the forces normally applied by the first composition when it is used alone. The force attenuator preferably comprises solvent-refined heavy paraffinic petroleum oil from about 0.1 to 20 wt % of the compound.
US07897231B2
The present invention provides an information recording medium with high reliability and excellent repeated rewriting performance even when no interface layer is formed and a method for manufacturing the same. Accordingly, the information recording medium for carrying out recording and/or reproducing by light irradiation or electric energy application has a material layer containing at least one element selected from a group GM consisting of Sn and Ga, at least one element selected from a group GL consisting of Ta and Y, and oxygen.
US07897227B2
Articles for applying color on a surface comprise a sheet of dry color component and an adhesive on one surface of the sheet of dry color component. The article further includes a releasable liner, and the sheet of dry color component is arranged between the releasable liner and the adhesive. Methods for providing a substantially permanent color effect on an architectural surface comprise delivering such an article to the architectural surface.
US07897226B2
The present invention provides an adhesive sheet comprising a resin film and an adhesive layer adhering to one side of said resin film, wherein the adhesive sheet does not cause significant shrinkage when it is stored together with a release liner thereon for a prolonged time. The adhesive sheet of the present invention is an adhesive sheet comprising a resin film and an adhesive layer adhering to one side of said resin film, characterized in that said adhesive layer has one or more grooves on a side opposite to a side on which said adhesive layer adheres to said resin film, and said groove or grooves exist only in an inner area of said opposite side of said adhesive layer and are not open at side surfaces of said adhesive layer. The present invention also provides a release liner for an adhesive sheet having embosses on its surface and being good in smoothness.
US07897223B2
A pallet container includes a bottom pallet, a lattice frame, and a multilayer inner container made of thermoplastic material by a blow-molding technique and received in the lattice frame, for storing and transporting liquid fill material. The inner container has an exterior layer which is configured to be incapable of permanently retaining an electrostatic charge by allowing electric charges to be drained. The exterior layer contains an antistatic compound and has a layer thickness which does not or only insubstantially change a transparency or translucency of the exterior layer, allowing easy optical detection of a fill level of the liquid fill material in the container. The exterior layer includes a fusible, easily stretchable thermoplastic material (polymer). At least one of a center layer and an interior layer of the multilayer container includes a cold-impact-resistant HDPE material (High Density Polyethylene) with a high molecular weight.
US07897220B2
A preformed web and a method of producing dunnage units from the preformed web. The web is an elongate flattened thermoplastic tube having an inflation edge and an opposite edge. The tube includes spaced transverse seals that define sides of pouches. In one embodiment, the web is configured such that a gap forms between each pair of adjacent pouches when the pouches are inflated. In one embodiment, an inflation edge of the web comprises a frangible connection that allows the inflation edge to be broken by an unsharpened object.
US07897219B2
A preformed web and a method of producing dunnage units from the preformed web. The web is an elongate flattened thermoplastic tube having an inflation edge and an opposite edge. The tube includes spaced transverse seals that define sides of pouches. The tube includes lines of perforations that allow adjacent dunnage units to be separated. A starting point of the lines of perforations is spaced apart from the inflation edge.
US07897218B2
The present invention is directed to an image-recording medium comprising a paper support and, coated on one side of the support, in order: a lower ink-receiving layer, an upper gloss layer and, coated on the opposite side of the support, an inner layer comprising at least 75% by weight of fine inorganic particles and a binder, and an outer layer substantially consisting of a polymeric material. Another aspect of the present invention relates to an inkjet printing process.
US07897214B2
A method of producing a functional layer on a substrate, such as metal would include the steps of applying an electrostatic powder as a primer coat to the substrate, after which the primer is cured by a laser. A conductive layer is then applied and cured to form a functional layer, such as conductive tracings over all or a portion of the substrate.
US07897211B2
A method for forming a film pattern made of a high-performance material by arranging a functional fluid on a base substrate and drying the functional fluid, the functional fluid being the high-performance material dissolved or dispersed in a solvent is provided. The method includes: forming liquid reception portions in an effective area and a non-effective area of the base substrate on which the film pattern is to be formed, the non-effective area surrounding the effective area; arranging the functional fluid in the liquid reception portions formed in the effective area; and arranging the functional fluid or the solvent in the liquid reception portions formed in the non-effective area, wherein, in the non-effective area, larger amounts of the solvent are arranged in the liquid reception portions in areas that are more distant from a center of the effective area.
US07897209B2
An apparatus of the present invention for producing an aligned carbon-nanotube aggregate is an apparatus for producing an aligned carbon-nanotube aggregate by synthesizing the aligned carbon-nanotube aggregate on a base material having a catalyst on a surface thereof, the apparatus including: a formation unit that processes a formation step of causing an environment surrounding the catalyst to be an environment of a reducing gas and heating at least either the catalyst or the reducing gas; a growth unit that processes a growth step of synthesizing the aligned carbon-nanotube aggregate by causing the environment surrounding the catalyst to be an environment of a raw material gas and by heating at least either the catalyst or the raw material gas; and a transfer unit that transfers the base material at least from the formation unit to the growth unit. Thus provided is a production apparatus and a production method that are capable of improving efficiency in the production of aligned CNT aggregates by preventing a decrease in production volume and deterioration in quality of aligned CNT aggregates in serial production and by making it easy to increase the size of the apparatus.
US07897201B2
A method is for manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element having a magnetization fixed layer, a non-magnetic intermediate layer, and a magnetization free layer being sequentially stacked. The method includes: forming at least a part of a magnetic layer that is to become either one of the magnetization fixed layer and the magnetization free layer; forming a function layer including at least one of an oxide, a nitride, and a fluoride on the part of the magnetic layer; and removing a part of the function layer by exposing the function layer to either one of an ion beam and plasma irradiation.
US07897197B2
Disclosed are sintered bodies that include: (a) 30 to 100 mol % of NbOx, wherein 0.5
US07897195B2
Various embodiments of methods and devices for coating stents are described herein.
US07897181B2
The present invention relates to an agent for photodynamic therapy (PDT) containing porous silicon (PSi) and a method of quantitative measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced therefrom. Particularly, it is expected that the present invention will contribute to the development of cancer treatment without side effects by suggesting PSi, a safe and reliable new cancer drug that can destroy cancer cells through generating sufficient heat with little ROS produced if the PSi is used as nanobomb for a new PDT that kills cancer cells with heat or explosion. In addition, it is expected that the present invention will provide a reliable and reproducible method for quantitative measurement of a very small amount of ROS produced therefrom through an XRD analysis.
US07897180B2
The present invention relates to the use of a preparation of an active enamel matrix substance, such as an amelogenin, for the manufacture of a pharmaceutical composition for modulating an immune response. The composition can be used in preventing and/or treating a condition or disease in a mammal that is characterised by said mammal presenting an imbalance in its native immune response to an internal and/or external stimuli, i.e. wherein at least a part of said mammal's immune system is stimulated non-discriminatingly, reacts hypersensitively to said immunogen, or fails to react to said stimuli. Said condition can typically either be systemic or local, such as a systemic and/or post-traumatic whole-body inflammation or an autoimmune disease.
US07897179B2
The present invention is directed to a process of preparing beads coated with a water soluble drug for incorporation into a pharmaceutical composition comprising: (a) preparing a supersaturated drug solution containing a desired amount of drug, which is completely saturated at a first temperature but which is supersaturated at a second temperature which is below the first temperature; and (b) coating inert beads with the drug solution, said drug solution being maintained at or below the first temperature but above the second temperature, and said beads maintained at a second temperature, wherein the second temperature is less than the first temperature and wherein the solution containing the drug is supersaturated at the second temperature, as well as to the pharmaceutical compositions containing same.
US07897178B2
The water-swellable clay mineral laminated powder of the present invention is characterized in that a layer of ionic molecule having two or more ionic functional group is laminated on the surface of a base powder particle, and a layer of water-swellable clay mineral is laminated thereon, and the layers are sequentially laminated so that the surface charge or the ionic charge of each layer is alternately positive and negative. The water-swellable clay mineral laminated powder of the present invention can impart new functionalities to the base powder easily, as a result of that the water-swellable clay mineral is stably laminated on the surface of the base powder.And the dye/water-swellable clay mineral complex of the present invention is characterized in that polybase and/or nonionic hydrophilic polymer and dye are complexed to water-swellable clay mineral. The dye/water-swellable clay mineral complex of the present invention is excellent for various resistance characteristics of the dye such as dissolution resistance, lightfastness, and chlorine resistance. In addition, the dye/water-swellable clay mineral complex is very useful as a water-type coloring agent since it has excellent coloring abilities, clearness, and dye fastness in water.
US07897174B2
Disclosed are methods of making BMP-2 microparticles and methods of using the microparticles. These microparticles are prepared, for example, by mixing a solution containing BMP-2 with a second solution whose ionic concentration and pH results in the precipitation of the BMP-2.
US07897171B2
According to an aspect of the present invention, implantable or insertable medical devices are provided that contain at least one covalently crosslinked polymeric region, which contains at least one block copolymer comprising at least one low Tg block and at least one high Tg block.
US07897168B2
Disclosed herein are implantable medical devices having controlled release biodegradable polymer coatings thereon wherein the polymer is formed from ring opening of γ-butyrolactone and at least one additional monomer selected from the group consisting of trimethylene carbonate, lactide, polyethylene glycol, glycolide, the monomers formed from ring opening of ε-caprolactone, 4-tert-butyl caprolactone, and N-acetyl caprolactone, and combinations thereof, and at least one drug releasable from the biodegradable polymer. Also disclosed are implantable medical devices form of the biodegradable polymers and processes for forming the polymers.
US07897163B2
Bone graft and scaffolding materials immobilized with osteogenesis enhancing peptides on the surface
The present invention relates to a bone graft material and a scaffold for tissue engineering applications, which have an osteogenesis-promoting peptide immobilized on the surface. More particularly, the invention relates to a bone graft material and a scaffold for tissue engineering applications, which have a cell adhesion-inducing peptide and/or tissue growth factor-derived peptide immobilized on the surface. By the osteogenesis-promoting peptide immobilized on the surface, the inventive bone graft material and scaffold for tissue engineering applications can promote the transition, proliferation and differentiation of cells associated with regeneration, and eventually maximize the regeneration of tissue. Moreover, the peptide immobilized on the surface has low molecular weight, indicating a reduced risk of immune responses upon its application in the body, and can be present in a stable form within the body, thus showing lasting effects. Accordingly, the peptide makes it expedient to perform surgical operations for the regeneration of periodontal tissue, alveolar bone and other bone tissues, and will show high therapeutic effect.
US07897153B1
The instant application inter alia relates to chimeric fusion constructs comprising the extracellular portion of human FcεRIα and at least one avian constant immunoglobulin domain and the use thereof for in vitro diagnostic purposes.
US07897150B1
An isolated canine peripheral T-cell lymphoma cell line, where the cell line is a canine-lymphoma cell line and uses thereof are disclosed. An isolated canine peripheral T-cell lymphoma cell line where the cell line is the canine-lymphoma cell line designated OSW (ATCC No. PTA-9116) is also disclosed.
US07897127B2
A method of collecting particles from a gas-particle stream having a first temperature and a plurality of particles, the method comprising: cooling an interior surface of a collection chamber to a second temperature less than the first temperature of the gas-particle stream; flowing the gas-particle stream through the chamber, wherein the gas-particle stream is directed along the cooled interior surface of the collection chamber, and a temperature gradient between the gas-particle stream and the cooled interior surface creates a thermophoretic force; and the thermophoretic force attracting the particles from the gas-particle stream to the interior surface of the collection chamber, wherein the particles are deposited onto the interior surface of the collection chamber.
US07897118B2
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method and apparatus for moving air using an air-conditioning system therein, whereby the air-conditioning system preferably includes at least one emitter electrode, at least one collector electrode, at least one driver electrode disposed adjacent to the collector electrode, and/or at least one trailing electrode positioned downstream of the collector electrode. The collector electrode and the driver electrode are removable from the device. In one embodiment, the driver electrodes are removable from the device and/or the collector electrode. The ability of remove the collector electrode as well as driver electrode allow for easy cleaning of the electrodes. In one embodiment, the present device includes a removable exhaust grill upon which the driver electrode and/or the trailing electrode are coupled to. The removable grill allows the user to easily clean the driver electrode without having to remove the collector electrode.
US07897117B2
A catalytic converter having a housing holding upstream and downstream catalytic material carrying substrates or bricks includes a ring located between the substrates, the ring having a gap therein for receipt of a mid-bed oxygen sensor. The ring traps a layer of insulating material between the ring and the converter housing or shell surface surrounding the inter-substrate gap. The ring is coupled to the housing at a plurality of embossments either by welding or mechanical couplings.
US07897112B2
A multi-chamber chemical delivery container for storing dry chemicals that are used to produce a liquid microbial deactivation fluid. The container includes two housing sections and a dividing wall that is located between the two housing sections. The dividing wall separates the container into two compartments. Openings formed in each of the two housing sections are dimensioned to respectively receive an inlet fitting and an outlet fitting. The inlet and outlet fittings are dimensioned to respectively engage with inlet and outlet connectors that are fluidly connected with a fluid circulation system of a microbial deactivation system.
US07897099B2
There is provided a honeycomb structure and a method for producing the honeycomb structure, capable of reducing variance in pore diameter depending on part and capable of increasing the mean pore diameter as a whole. There is provided a method for producing a cordierite honeycomb structure 1 including the step of firing a honeycomb formed body. In the firing step, a temperature rise rate from 1200° C. to 1250° C. is controlled to 40° C./hr or more, a temperature rise rate from 1250° C. to 1300° C. is controlled to 2 to 40° C./hr, and a temperature rise rate from 1300° C. to 1400° C. is controlled to 40° C./hr or more. There is further provided a honeycomb structure having a porosity of 50 to 70%, a mean pore diameter of 15 to 30 μm, a difference in a mean pore diameter of 5 μm or less between in the central portion and in the outer peripheral portion, a thermal expansion coefficient of 1.0×10−6/° C. or less in each of the central portion and the outer peripheral portion, and an A-axis compression strength of 1.5 MPa or more in each of the central portion and the outer peripheral portion.
US07897093B2
The present invention is directed to improved processes for making plastic articles, and articles made therefrom. In a broad aspect, the invention is directed to improved processes and articles made therefrom, that include the steps of providing as separate materials a first material that includes a thermoplastic polyolefin, a second material including an admixture of a particulated filler and a second thermoplastic polyolefin, and a third material that includes an elastomer; applying a shear force to the first, second and third materials, while the materials are at an elevated temperature for blending the materials to form a molten blend; shaping the molten blend and solidifying the molten blend.
US07897080B2
The invention relates to the film products and methods of their preparation that demonstrate a non-self-aggregating uniform heterogeneity. Desirably, the films disintegrate in water and may be formed by a controlled drying process, or other process that maintains the required uniformity of the film. The films contain a polymer component, which includes polyethylene oxide optionally blended with hydrophilic cellulosic polymers. Desirably, the films also contain a pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic active agent with no more than a 10% variance of the active agent pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic active agent per unit area of the film.
US07897079B2
A method of producing a paperless gypsum/fiber board from a mixture including reinforcing material particles, calcined gypsum and water. A headbox feeds the mixture into a panel forming area (forming pond) over the upper surface of a continuous forming fabric to form a panel mat. Also, a reinforcing mesh is fed over a transverse member, located over a portion of the forming fabric, and into the forming pond to embed the mesh in the mixture. At least a portion of a downstream end of the transverse member is under a downstream portion of the headbox or downstream of the headbox. Then the panel mat is pressed, the calcined gypsum of the pressed panel mat is rehydrated, and the resulting board is dried.
US07897077B2
The invention relates to a process for pelletizing polymer melts, at above ambient pressure, in a pelletizing chamber into which a cutting apparatus has been inserted. In a first step, the pelletizing chamber is flooded with a gas which is inert toward the polymer melt and whose pressure is that at which the pelletizing process is carried out. The polymer melt is then injected into the pelletizing chamber. Finally, the gas is displaced from the pelletizing chamber via a liquid as soon as the polymer melt begins to flow through the cutting apparatus, this melt being cut into pellets.
US07897070B2
A composition for improving the heat reflectivity and the heat resistance of a metal substrate. The coating composition comprises a latex resin including acrylic polymers; silica; and a fire retardant including at least one of a phosphated pentaerythritol ammonium salt, an organo-polyphosphate ammonium salt, an ammonium salt, and a Magnesium salt. The silica reflects and resists heat. Additionally, the silica raises the decomposition temperature of the resin by insulating the resin from heat and reflecting heat away from the resin. This, in turn, increases the ability of the composition to maintain its bond to the substrate at high temperatures. As such, the coating remains on the substrate where it reflects and resists heat, i.e., it does not easily brush or rub off after several hours of exposure to high heat. The silica can be rice hull silica.
US07897060B2
The invention relates to magnetorheological materials comprising at least one non-magnetisable carrier medium and magnetisable particles contained therein, at least two magnetisable particles fractions being contained as particles and these being formed from non-spherical particles and from spherical particles.
US07897056B2
Disclosed are an apparatus for etching or stripping a substrate of a liquid crystal display device and a method thereof. The present invention includes carrying out an etching or stripping process on substrates using an etchant in a first etchant tank, counting a number of the substrates etched or stripped using the etchant in the first etchant tank, checking readiness of a second etchant tank at a predetermined point in time before the counted number reaches a maximum substrate number set up previously for the etchant tanks, and carrying out the etching or stripping process on the substrates using an etchant in the second etchant tank when the second etchant tank is in readiness for use and the counted number reaches the maximum substrate number.
US07897050B2
The present invention provides methods and systems for the extraction of solutes from solid matter using dense gases in a mechanical auger separation system.
US07897042B2
Entrapping immobilization pellets for purifying breeding water in an aquarium to breed aquatic animals, wherein the entrapping immobilization pellets have a phosphorus content of 0.05 mass % or less.
US07897032B2
A sampling system for measuring the presence and concentration of inorganic ion species, including, metals, metalloids and non-metals, in a liquid solution including a first sampling unit. The first sampling unit includes a potentiometric subsystem configured to gather environmental metrics of the liquid sample, a preparation subsystem, coupled to the potentiometric module, the preparation subsystem being configured to prepare and isolate contaminants of concern in a flow of a liquid sample into metal, metalloid, or non-metal ionic forms; and a voltammetric subsystem selectively coupled to the preparation subsystem, potentiometric subsystem and a sample source, the voltammetric subsystem being configured to identify and determine a concentration of metal, metalloid, or non-metal ionic species through stripping voltammetry. The system is configured to compare a value of a stripping signal of the sample with a predetermined value to determine if dilution of the sample is required.
US07897031B2
An apparatus, system, method and computer program product directed to controlling corrosion, particularly space weather induced corrosion, of a conductive structure in contact with a corrosive environment and coated with a semiconductive coating, where the corrosion is controlled by a controllable filter and a corresponding electronic control unit configured to process and adjust the controllable filter in response to at least one measured parameter associated with space weather effects on the conductive structure.
US07897030B2
In some embodiments, the present invention is directed to processes for the combination of injecting charge in a material electrochemically via non-faradaic (double-layer) charging, and retaining this charge and associated desirable properties changes when the electrolyte is removed. The present invention is also directed to compositions and applications using material property changes that are induced electrochemically by double-layer charging and retained during subsequent electrolyte removal. In some embodiments, the present invention provides reversible processes for electrochemically injecting charge into material that is not in direct contact with an electrolyte. Additionally, in some embodiments, the present invention is directed to devices and other material applications that use properties changes resulting from reversible electrochemical charge injection in the absence of an electrolyte.
US07897028B2
Disclosed herein is an improved method for regenerating materials from a desulfurization/demetallation reaction. The desulfurization/demetallation reaction preferably has products including one or more of an alkali sulfide, polysulfide or hydrosulfide, or alkali earth sulfide, polysulfide, or hydrosulfide. The method includes the steps of reacting the desulfurization/demetallation products with a halogen, liberating and removing sulfur from the product, and then electrolyzing the halogenated products to separate the halogen from the alkali metal or alkali earth metal.
US07897024B2
A conducting belt is used with an anode holder for supplying an electric current to an anode for plating a surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. The anode and the substrate are vertically disposed so as to face each other in a plating tank of a plating apparatus. The conducting belt includes a belt capable of contacting an outer circumferential edge of the anode and holding the anode.
US07897019B2
Systems and methods for desalting seawater by distillation are disclosed. Warm air is fed into the bottom of a natural draft tower. The warm air passes through seawater in an exchange means to increase the water content of the air. The moisture-laden air then rises and is drawn through a condensing means. The condensing means is cooled by cold water drawn from deep ocean depths. Desalted seawater is collected from the condensing means.
US07897018B2
The invention discloses herein the use of short wavelength infrared energy to selectively control the locations where thermal fusing or bonding takes place or does not take place in an industrial fabric. Also, the method involves forming a mushroom cap on the tail of a fiber/yarn or monofilament and also creating a surface pattern formation.
US07897015B2
Tissue products are described that have been topically treated with a chemical additive, such as a softener. The softener may be, for instance, a polysiloxane. The polysiloxane is topically applied to a tissue sheet, such as a single ply sheet, so as to form a Z-directional gradient in the sheet. Particular, most of the polysiloxane remains on the surface of the tissue product as opposed to migrating to the center of the sheet. In this manner, tissue sheets are formed with improved softness at lower levels of polysiloxane and without the need for applying any surfactants to the sheet. A system for applying chemical additives to tissue sheets is also described. The system includes a chemical additive applicator, such as a meltblown die that emits the chemical additive through a plurality of orifices. In one embodiment, the system includes a device for periodically cleaning the orifices during application of the chemical additive. The cleaning device may be, for instance, a brush that traverses across the die head when desired.
US07897014B2
A washer for washing and dewatering cellulosic pulp is disclosed, comprising a rotary drum with a plurality of external compartments defined by axial compartment walls distributed along the drum's circumference, a stationary cylindrical casing enclosing the drum, whereby a ring-shaped space is defined between the casing and the drum and where longitudinal seals divide the ring-shaped space into a forming zone for forming the pulp, at least one washing zone for washing the pulp at overpressure, and a discharge zone for feeding out the washed pulp, and the filtrates from different washing stages are collected in a peripheral valve located at the drum's end wall, the filtrate stages are separated by seals in the valve, and at least some of the valve seals are displaced in relation to the corresponding longitudinal seal, as seen in the direction of rotation of the drum.
US07897012B2
This invention is to provide a sheet product that is excellent in moisture absorption amount, moisture absorption speed and moisture release speed and is capable of keeping a powder from falling off and that can have a large content of a moisture adsorbent, and the sheet product of this invention contains (a) a moisture adsorbent formed of a tubular or fibrous metal oxide, (b) a cellulosic fibrillated fiber, and (c) an organic fiber having a fineness of 0.01 dtex to 0.45 dtex and is characteristically produced by a paper-making method.
US07897009B2
A plasma processing apparatus (100) includes a plasma generation mechanism; a process container defining a process chamber configured to perform a plasma process on a target substrate; a substrate worktable configured to place the target substrate thereon inside the process container; and an exhaust mechanism configured to decrease pressure inside the process container. A wall (27a) of a support portion (27) for supporting a microwave transmission plate (28) is present in an area having an electron temperature of 1.5 eV or more during plasma generation. A covering portion (60) made of a heat resistant insulator, such as quartz, is disposed to cover the wall (27a).
US07897008B2
An apparatus for controlling a plasma etching process includes plasma control structure that can vary a size of a plasma flow passage, vary a speed of plasma flowing through the plasma flow passage, vary plasma concentration flowing through the plasma flow passage, or a combination thereof.
US07897007B2
A substrate holding apparatus has a substrate holder body with a substrate holding side facing a polishing surface and holding a substrate on the substrate holding side and a retainer ring fixedly secured to the substrate holder body. The retainer ring is arranged to surround an outer periphery of the substrate held by the substrate holder body so that the retainer ring engages with the polishing surface radially outside the substrate as the polishing of the substrate is effected. The substrate holder body is provided with a membrane having inside and outside surfaces. The inside surface cooperates with a surface of the substrate holder body to define a fluid pressure chamber to which a fluid pressure is applied. The outer surface engages with the substrate held by the substrate holder body.
US07897002B2
This invention provides a method for modifying the appearance of a surface using a thin laminate. The laminate includes an indicia containing layer disposed against the lower surface of a carrier film. The laminate may optionally include a bonding coat or layer for attaching the laminate to a surface, at least one removable protective layer, and a release coating for facilitating the transfer of the laminate on a surface. The method includes applying the floor modifying laminate to at least part of a floor being modified, and can also include applying a curable composition over the laminate and curing the composition.
US07897000B2
A method of bonding an adhesive film for die bonding to the rear surface of a wafer having a plurality of devices on the front surface, comprising the steps of holding the front surface side of the wafer on the holding surface of a chuck table for holding the wafer; supplying the adhesive film onto the rear surface of the wafer held on the chuck table; and rolling a pressing-roller while pressing it against the adhesive film supplied onto the rear surface of the wafer to bond the adhesive film to the rear surface of the wafer, wherein the step of rolling the pressing-roller is carried out in such a positional relation that a straight line connecting the center of the wafer and a notch becomes parallel to the axis of the pressing-roller.
US07896989B1
Methods of making cross sectional, functionally-graded munitions propellants exhibiting various distributions of particle concentrations and burn rate, including having a fast burning core and slower burning outer layer(s). Unlike prior art methods of preparing such munitions, propellants prepared according to our inventive method(s) may be performed substantially as a single extrusion step or as a few processing steps, without requiring the time, expense and/or difficulties that characterized familiar, laminating methods and methods which use multiple extruders. Our inventive method advantageously employs a demixing phenomenon that, prior to our inventive application and teaching, has been considered quite undesirable in the preparation of propellants where uniformity and well-mixedness have been propellant attributes widely sought after.
US07896988B2
A charge system for destroying chips on a circuit board is provided. The charge system has a first substrate having a number of recesses formed therein with each of the recesses having a housing disposed therein. A high density charge is disposed within the housing. A number of recesses are formed within the high density charge. A number of low density charges are disposed within each of the recesses formed within the high density charge. A second substrate is located proximate to the first substrate. The low density charge and the high density charge are structured to destroy the second substrate after ignition. A method of destroying chips is also provided.
US07896979B2
An activating flux for welding stainless steel includes: from 25 to 40 weight percent of titanium dioxide (TiO2); from 25 to 30 weight percent of chromium oxide (Cr2O3); from 10 to 30 weight percent of silicon dioxide (SiO2); from 10 to 15 weight percent of molybdenum disulphide (MoS2); and from 5 to 15 weight percent of molybdenum trioxide (MoO3), which are active additive materials. A welding rod or wire includes a welding material and an activating flux. The activating flux layer is provided on or in the welding rod or wire and is formed as an outer layer or a core portion of the welding rod or wire.
US07896977B2
An automatic dishwasher having multiple spray nozzles located in the corner of a utensil rack in which case the wash liquid is sequentially sprayed from the corner spray nozzles.
US07896976B2
A ventilation device for the discharge pipe for removing a flow medium pumped to a household appliance. A pipe ventilation valve is connected to the discharge pipe by a channel and comprises a valve body disposed in a float chamber filled with a working medium which is separated from the flow medium and actuates the valve body. The valve body is actuated by transmitting a pneumatic force between the flowing medium and the working medium of the float chamber or between the flowing medium and a sealing surface adjacent to the valve body by means of a pressure medium which is separated from the flowing medium and is enclosed in the channel. The inventive pipe ventilation device makes it possible to avoid a direct contact between the valve body of the pipe ventilation valve and the flowing medium, thereby preventing the valve body from being soiled.
US07896971B2
Methods for removing accretions of cured concrete from within a mixing drum are herein disclosed. One method includes an inserting impact tool mounted upon a boom into the interior of the mixing drum, addressing a bit of the impact tool to an accretion adhered to the inner surface of the mixing drum, and actuating the impact tool to apply a force to the accretions through the bit so as to remove the accretion from the interior surface of the mixing drum.
US07896967B2
A gas supply system for supplying a gas into a processing chamber for processing a substrate to be processed includes: a processing gas supply unit; a processing gas supply line; a first and a second branch line; a branch flow control unit; an additional gas supply unit; an additional gas supply line; and a control unit. The control unit performs, before processing the substrate to be processed, a processing gas supply control and an additional gas supply control by using the processing gas supply unit and the additional gas supply unit, respectively, wherein the additional gas supply control includes a control that supplies the additional gas at an initial flow rate greater than a set flow rate and then at the set flow rate after a lapse of a period of time.
US07896965B2
A method for the production of a plurality of optoelectronic semiconductor chips each having a plurality of structural elements with respectively at least one semiconductor layer. The method involves providing a chip composite base having a substrate and a growth surface. A non-closed mask material layer is grown onto the growth surface in such a way that the mask material layer has a plurality of statistically distributed windows having varying forms and/or opening areas, a mask material being chosen in such a way that a semiconductor material of the semiconductor layer that is to be grown in a later method step essentially cannot grow on said mask material or can grow in a substantially worse manner in comparison with the growth surface. Subsequently, semiconductor layers are deposited essentially simultaneously onto regions of the growth surface that lie within the windows. A further method step is singulation of the chip composite base with applied material to form semiconductor chips. An optoelectronic semiconductor component is produced according to the method.
US07896959B1
A filtration apparatus for use in a system containing a gas or liquid to be decontaminated. The apparatus has at least one housing for a filter that removes contaminants from a gas or liquid which include biologics and chemicals. The housing contains an inlet portion and an outlet portion in association with valves for closing or regulating the flow of gas or liquid to be decontaminated by the filter. A differential pressure gauge is optionally provided to monitor the pressure in the housing and to indicate when the filter should be replaced. One or more housings can be used for the apparatus. The apparatus is useful for securing water systems, gas delivery systems, and vacuum systems.
US07896957B2
An air purifier includes a shell with an air inlet and an air outlet. An electric field filter, an air passage and a blower are disposed inside the shell. The electric field filter includes a filter frame disposed at the air outlet and a grid base disposed under the filter frame. A filter is provided inside the filter frame. One end of the air passage connects with the grid base and the other end connects with the blower. The blower is disposed at the air inlet. The filter frame and the grid base are integrated as a hermetic whole. Due to the integrated configuration of the filter frame and the grid base, when removing out the electric field filter, the power is cut automatically. This effectively prevents an occurrence of the electroshock, and improves safety performance of the purifier. Furthermore, air leakage can be greatly reduced, for there is no gap between the filter frame and the grid base.
US07896954B2
A method of storing and dispensing a fluid includes providing a vessel configured for selective dispensing of the fluid therefrom. A solvent mixture comprising an ionic liquid and a cosolvent is provided within the vessel. The fluid is contacted with the solvent mixture for take-up of the fluid by the solvent mixture. The fluid is released from the ionic liquid and dispensed from the vessel.
US07896950B2
Provided are plasma-aided gas storage methods and apparatus. In one embodiment, a porous powder bed assembly equipped with corona discharge electrodes is used to generate a non-equilibrium plasma of negatively ionized gas molecules which absorb onto porous particles, e.g., activated charcoal, to form a gas storage entity. Gas adsorbed onto the particles is desorbed at moderate temperatures by aid of ultraviolet light illumination.
US07896949B2
Methods for separating carbon dioxide from a fluid stream at a temperature higher than about 200° C. with selectivity higher than Knudsen diffusion selectivity include contacting a porous membrane with the fluid stream to preferentially transport carbon dioxide. The porous membrane includes a porous support and a continuous porous separation layer disposed on a surface of the porous support and extending between the fluid stream and the porous support layer. The porous support comprises alumina, silica, zirconia, stabilized zirconia, stainless steel, titanium, nickel-based alloys, aluminum-based alloys, zirconium-based alloys or a combination thereof. Median pore size of the porous separation layer is less than about 10 nm, and the porous separation layer comprises titania, MgO, CaO, SrO, BaO, La2O3, CeO2, HfO2, Y2O3, VOz, NbOz, TaOz, ATiO3, AZrO3, AAl2O4, A1FeO3, A1MnO3, A1CoO3, A1NiO3, A2HfO3, A3 CeO3, Li2ZrO3, Li2SiO3, Li2TiO3, Li2HfO3, A4N1yOz, YxN1yOz, LaxN1yOz, HfN2yOz, or a combination thereof; wherein A is La, Mg, Ca, Sr or Ba; A1 is La, Ca, Sr or Ba; A2 is Ca, Sr or Ba; A3 is Sr or Ba; A4 is Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ti or Zr; N1 is V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Si or Ge; N2 is V, Mo, W or Si; x is 1 or 2; y ranges from 1 to 3; and z ranges from 2 to 7.
US07896945B2
A mass of solid aluminium carbide containing product is produced by injecting particulate alumina into a bath (30) of molten aluminium metal; and injecting carbonaceous material, consisting of, containing or yielding carbon, into the bath (30). The bath (30) of molten aluminium metal is maintained at a superheated temperature to heat and react carbon with molten aluminium to produce solid aluminium carbide which mixes with alumina to form a mass (36) containing entrapped gas and entrapped molten aluminium metal and having a bulk or apparent density less than aluminium. The mass is allowed to accumulate as a mass of solid aluminium carbide containing product on the upper surface of the bath. The carbonaceous material is a hydrocarbon material or is produced by pyrolysis, decomposition or cracking of a hydrocarbon material.
US07896932B2
A non-oxidative hair dye composition containing the components (a) and (b): (a) one or two or more kinds of a glycylglycine derivative represented by the following formula (1) and having two or three amino acid residues or salts thereof, and wherein Y represents an amino acid residue or a bivalent group represented by the formula (2); and (b) a direct dye; Wherein symbol * and R, X, n and m are defined in the claims and in the disclosure.
US07896929B2
A method of treating textiles with a silicone block copolymer containing polyether-amide units is disclosed. Textiles treated with the silicone block copolymer have a feel or hand comparable to conventional hydrophobic silicones, but do not negatively impact the hydrophilicity of the textile.
US07896928B2
A composition for treating fabric includes about 0.1 to about 10.0% cross linking agent, about 0.1 to about 5.0% polyolefin, about 0.1 to about 0.5% wetting agent, about 0.0 to about 8.0% aminofunctional silicone, about 0.0 to about 6.0% ionizing agent, about 0.0 to about 2.0% catalyst and any remainder as a carrier. The composition has a pH of between about 2.0 to about 4.0 and at least some aminofunctional silicone and/or ionizing agent is provided.
US07896926B2
A coating of blue-black or black oxidized zirconium of uniform and controlled thickness on a zirconium or zirconium alloy material is accomplished through the oxidative treatment of an amorphous zirconium or zirconium alloy substrate having an altered surface roughness. An oxidized zirconium coating of uniform and controlled thickness is especially useful on orthopedic implants of zirconium or zirconium-based alloys to provide low friction, highly wear resistant surfaces on artificial joints, such as, but not limited to, hip joints, knee joints, shoulders, elbows, and spinal implants. The uniformly thick oxidized zirconium surface of controlled depth on prostheses provide a barrier against implant corrosion caused by ionization of the metal prostheses. The invention is also useful in non-articulating implant devices such as bone plates, bone screws, etc.
US07896912B2
An expandable medical device includes a plurality of cylindrical tubes each formed of a plurality of adjacent struts interconnected at alternating ends. The plurality of cylindrical tubes are expandable from a first diameter to a second diameter at which the adjacent struts form substantially V-shapes. The plurality of cylindrical tubes are arranged with the interconnected ends of the struts aligned facing each other in adjacent cylindrical tubes and a plurality of S-shaped bridging elements connected between the interconnected ends of the struts in adjacent cylindrical tubes. The bridging elements are connected entirely above a midline of the V-shapes on one cylindrical tube and entirely below the midline of the V-shapes on an adjacent cylindrical tube.
US07896910B2
Modular therapy apparatus for treatment of at least a portion of an animate body comprises a first modular member and a second modular member. The first modular member comprises a heat transfer device adapted to transfer heat between the device and the at least a portion of an animate body. The second modular member forms a pouch having a perimeter and is adapted to receive the first modular member. The second modular member comprises a front side and a back side. The front side has a hook portion, which forms the hook portion of a hook and loop fastener. The back side has a loop portion, which forms the loop portion of the hook and loop fastener. The second modular member can be wrapped around the at least a portion of an animate body and the hook and loop portions fastened to one another to secure the second modular member with the first modular member positioned therein to the at least a portion of the animate body.
US07896907B2
A system and method for attaching soft tissue to bone is provided. In general, the apparatus includes an expandable body that is configured to expand into bone, and an expander pin that is adapted to be driven into the expandable body. The device can also include a tissue attachment apparatus that can be used to secure tissue to the device, thereby providing a method for attaching tissue to bone.
US07896906B2
Various methods and devices for replacing damaged, injured, diseased, or otherwise unhealthy posterior elements, such as the facet joints, the lamina, the posterior ligaments, and/or other features of a patient's spinal column, are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, the methods and devices are effective to mimic the natural function of the spine by allowing flexion, extension, and lateral bending of the spine, while substantially restricting posterior-anterior shear and rotation of the spine.
US07896905B2
What is provided is a fixation system that offers a strong and stable construct for maximum fusion augmentation and yet is versatile enough for any patient and is easy to use. Disclosed is a connection assembly for connecting a spinal implant, the assembly comprising: a body, the body including a body opening for receiving at least a portion of a first connector; a swivel having first and second ends and being operatively connected to the body, the first end including a swivel opening for receiving at least a portion of a second connector; a locking plate having an arm at least partially extending into the body opening; a locking unit operatively connected to the body and contacting the second end of the swivel; and whereby activation of the locking unit causes the arm to engage the first connector and swivel opening to engage the second connector thereby preventing relative rotation between the first and second connectors.
US07896902B2
A top-loading multi-axial, double locking bone anchor assembly. A receiver member receives an internal saddle member, a bi-polar member, and a bone anchor through an open bottom, which are retained by an internal threaded ring member threaded onto the receiver member. A double-locking compression retaining member includes an external nut-like fastener and an internal setscrew-like fastener. The nut-like fastener attaches to an upper portion of the receiver member and interfaces with the internal saddle member to retain a desired angular position on the bone anchor and the setscrew-like fastener interfaces with an elongated member placed in a channel of the receiver member to retain it to the assembly. The bone anchor is capable of multi-axial as well as multi-polar positioning with respect to the receiver member.
US07896901B2
A tissue fixation device is provided that is preferably used to secure a ligament or graft within a prepared bone tunnel, for example in ACL replacement. The tissue fixation device generally includes an elongate member having a shaft portion that is adapted to be at least partially disposed within a bone tunnel, and a guide member that forms a portion of the proximal end of the elongate member. The guide member has a graft-seating surface that is effective to seat a graft and to position the graft toward one side of a bone tunnel when the device is disposed within the bone tunnel. The device also includes a graft-retaining member formed on at least a portion of the graft-seating surface.
US07896900B2
A medical instrument for grasping an object, in particular a surgical needle holder, including an elongated shaft, two jaw parts arranged at a distal end of the shaft, at least one of the jaw parts being pivotable with respect to the other of the jaw parts between a grasp state for grasping the object between the jaw parts and a release state for releasing the object. A handle is arranged at a proximal end of the shaft and has at least one operating element for moving the at least one pivotable jaw part between the grasp state and the release state via an axially movable force transmission element operatively connected with the at least one operating element and with the at least one pivotable jaw part via an articulated joint. The instrument further includes a latching mechanism for immobilizing the at least one pivotable jaw part in the grasp state.
US07896899B2
The invention provides for vaso-occlusive coils comprising fibers.
US07896891B2
Intergrated systems and associated method for manipulating tissues and anatomical or other structures in medical applications for the purpose of treating diseases or disorders or other purposes. In one aspect, the system includes a delivery device configured to deploy and implant anchoring devices for such purposes.
US07896890B2
An endoscopic gastric reduction apparatus adapted for applying a series of pledgets to anterior and posterior gastric walls for the creation of a mattress stitch suture within the stomach includes an applier having a distal end and a proximal end. The applier is secured at a distal end of a support shaft shaped and dimensioned for passage down the esophagus and into the stomach. The applier includes an applier body having a suction slot shaped and dimensioned for receiving tissue therein for the application of at least one pledget housed within the suction slot for selective coupling with tissue suctioned within the suction slot.
US07896883B2
The present disclosure relates to bone resurfacing. One embodiment includes a method for preparing an implant site in bone, comprising establishing a first working axis extending from said bone; establishing a second working axis extending from said bone, the second working axis is displaced from the first working axis; creating a first socket in the bone by reaming about the first working axis; and creating a second socket in the bone, adjacent the first socket, by reaming about the second working axis.
US07896882B2
A positioning block (10) for use in total knee replacement surgery, permitting five degrees-of-freedom movement relative to a bone element (39) to which it is fixed. The positioning block (10) comprises a rotational mounting element (14) that is removably engaged to the bone element such that the mounting element (14) is selectively rotatable relative to the bone element, about three substantially perpendicular axes of rotation. A guide body portion (12) is engaged with the mounting element (14) such that it is translatable relative thereto along a proximal-distal axis (43) and an anterior-posterior axis (47), while being rotationally fixed relative to the mounting element (14) such that the guide body portion (12) and the mounting element (14) rotate together relative to the bone element (39).
US07896879B2
A method for treating stenosis in a spine comprises percutaneously accessing the epidural space in a stenotic region of interest, compressing the thecal sac in the region of interest to form a safety zone, inserting a tissue removal tool into tissue in the working zone, using the tool to percutaneously reduce the stenosis; and utilizing imaging to visualize the position of the tool during at least a part of the reduction step. A tissue excision system for performing percutaneous surgery, comprises a cannula comprising a tissue-penetrating member having a distal end defining an aperture on one side thereof, an occluding member slidably received on or in the cannula and closing the aperture when the occluding member is adjacent the cannula distal end, means for engaging adjacent tissue via the aperture, and cutting means for resecting a section of the engaged tissue.
US07896875B2
An battery-powered electrosurgical instrument includes a blade having a conductor edge portion and insulation layer with geometric shapes and composition that concentrate electrosurgical energy and reduce or eliminate the production of smoke and eschar and reduce tissue damage, thereby providing more efficient application of electrosurgical energy. The more efficient use of electrosurgical energy permits configuring the system to be battery-powered. The system may be portable or configured as a battery-backup powered system.
US07896874B2
A tissue ablation probe is provided. The tissue ablation probe comprises an elongated shaft, at least one electrode tine carried by the elongated shaft, at least one tine exit from which the electrode tine(s) can be deployed from the elongated shaft and retracted within the elongated shaft, and a sheath covering the electrode tine exit(s). The sheath may, e.g., line an exterior surface of the elongated shaft or an interior surface of the elongated shaft. The sheath has at least one tine valve (e.g., a slit) positioned over the electrode tine exit(s) and configured to open when the electrode tine is deployed and to close when the electrode tine(s) is retracted. In one embodiment, the tine valve(s) is configured to open in response to pressure exerted during deployment of the electrode tine(s). In another embodiment, the tine valve(s) is configured to hinder the entry of biological material within the elongated shaft. In one embodiment, the sheath is pliable, such that the tine valve(s) can more easily hinder the entry of the biological material.
US07896865B2
An implantable infusion apparatus has a medication reservoir for storing a medication and a carrier reservoir for storing a carrier. The entire apparatus, including both reservoirs, is typically located in a housing made of stainless steel, titanium, or any other strong corrosion resistant biocompatible material. The medication and carrier reservoirs are accessed through a medication access port and a carrier access port, respectively. The access ports are covered with a medication compound septum and a carrier compound septum, respectively. The carrier reservoir is larger, and thus holds a larger volume, than the medication reservoir. To reduce the size of the implantable infusion apparatus, the medication is highly concentrated to many times the dosage required. The concentrated medication is then diluted with the carrier, to the proper dose, before it is discharged to the patient.
US07896855B2
A method of treating infected wounds utilizing ultrasonic vibrations to mix different materials together as to create a therapeutic combination is disclosed. The materials are mixed by passing them through an ultrasound horn vibrating in resonance, having an internal chamber. As the materials pass through the internal chamber, ultrasonic vibrations emanating from and/or echoing off the various walls of the chamber mix the materials into a potentially therapeutic combination. Ultrasonic vibrations emanating from the radiation surface of the horn may be used to spray the created therapeutic combination onto the area of the body to be treated.
US07896844B2
An insertion head for medical or pharmaceutical applications includes a base having a lower side which can be positioned on organic tissue; an insertion means movably mounted by the base and insertable into the tissue; where the insertion means is movable relative to the base from a protective position in which a free end of the insertion means is short of the lower side of the base, into an insertion position in which the free end protrudes beyond the lower side; a handle which projects from the base and includes a first handle component and a second handle component movable relative to the base and the first handle component; and a coupling that transmits a movement of the second handle component into a movement of the insertion means.
US07896837B2
A device for delivering a substance into the skin of a patient includes a body and a skin penetrating device having at least one skin penetrating member, such as a microneedle. The body includes an internal cavity and a device for indicating the delivery of a sufficient amount of the substance to the patient and for producing a dispensing pressure to dispense and deliver the substance from the cavity. The indicating device is visible from the exterior of the delivery device. In some embodiments, the indicating device is an elastic expandable diaphragm which, when the cavity is filled with a substance, creates the dispensing pressure.
US07896821B1
A method and device selectively and reversibly disrupts the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in a selected volume of the brain without the need for exogenous agents. The method and device employ low intensity directed ultrasound (LODUS) that is safe, reduces the danger of cavitation and thermal tissue damage, and is able to expose small or large regions of the brain to achieve a desired therapeutic or prophylactic effect.
US07896820B2
A guide wire includes a first wire disposed on the distal side and composed of a first material, and a second wire disposed on the proximal side of the first wire and composed of a second material. The first and second wires are connected to each other through an intermediate member which includes a core portion and an outer layer covering the outer periphery of the core portion. The core portion is wholly or partly composed of a material different from the material of the outer layer, and at least one of the core portion and the outer layer is composed of the first material or the second material. The proximal portion of the first wire and the distal portion of the intermediate member are joined to each other, and the distal portion of the second wire and the proximal portion of the intermediate member are joined to each other.
US07896819B2
A method of obtaining a body fluid sample for determining the concentration of an analyte in the body fluid sample comprises applying pressure to the skin of the user. The skin is stretched so as to create a tear in the skin such that the applied pressure causes the body fluid to flow from the tear. The body fluid flowing from the tear is collected. Disclosed is also a pressure member for applying pressure to and stretching skin in preparation for forming a tear in the skin.
US07896815B2
Improved assemblies, systems, and methods provide safeguarding against nerve injury during surgical procedures and/or identify nerve damage occurring prior to surgery and/or verify range of motion or attributes of muscle contraction during reconstructive surgery. A stimulation control device may incorporate a range of low and high intensity stimulation to provide a stimulation and evaluation of both nerves and muscles. A stimulation control device is removably coupled to a surgical device or is imbedded within the medical device to provide a stimulation and treatment medical device.
US07896813B2
A system and method for monitoring in a patient includes producing sensor signals representative of a physiologic parameter associated with respiration. A periodic breathing cycle is detected based on the sensor signals. An output is produced as a function of the cycle length.
US07896810B2
A system and method for monitoring blood pressure of a wearer has an inflatable arm cuff that is selectably inflatable to differing air pressures that incorporates a fabric having both a light transmission property and a light reflection property when the fabric is illuminated with light having wavelength(s) in the range from about 400 to about 2200 nanometers. A radiation source and a detector are attached to the fabric in relative positions such that the reception of incident radiation by the detector is directly affected by a change in the amount of light transmitted through the fabric relative to the amount of light reflected by the fabric as the fabric stretches in response to motion in the body of a wearer due to changes in the flow of blood through an artery disposed beneath the fabric occurring in consonance with variations in the air pressure within the inflatable cuff.
US07896801B2
An endoscope is provided wherein a variable rigidity portion is not restricted by a physical mechanism, and which allows a surgeon, in performing a rigidity varying operation, to operate the rigidity varying operation along with other operations without releasing inputting sections. The endoscope of the invention includes an inserting section and an operating section. The inserting section has variable-rigidity actuators. The operating section has a rigidity-variation controlling section, a trackball, and scope switches.
US07896785B1
A pump assembly includes a cylinder, a piston, a rod, upper and lower end caps, all sharing a common central axis. The cylinder has internal and external surfaces. The piston has a cylindrical exterior surface with an annular groove. An O-ring within the groove is in sliding contact with the internal surface of the cylinder. The rod has a lower end coupled to the piston and an upper end above the cylinder. The lower end cap is over the bottom of the cylinder and the upper end cap is over the top of the cylinder. An aperture in one of the end caps allows air to escape as the piston moves. A handle has a cross piece with a central section attached to the rod. The handle has grips slidably received over end sections. A rigid base has an upper face having a central section. A pivot pin joins the base to the lower end cap for allowing the cylinder to oscillate during use of the system.
US07896784B2
A unique apparatus designed to facilitate various types of stretches and exercise routines found in yoga, Pilates, fitness, and rehabilitation. The stride and leg stretching system has a one-size-fits-most design, allowing comfort in operation. The stride and leg stretching system is designed to increase range of motion of the ankle joint in all three clinical planes of motion, while affecting the muscular walking system of the hips, legs, and lower back. The design allows for adjustment based on the preference of the user via a hook and loop fastener strap. The unit has a firm, non-flexible base that prevents the foot from bending, while allowing complete freedom for the ankle joint. The top portion of the foot casing is a soft, flexible material that can accommodate varying foot size comfortably. The pivoting handles allow for a comfortable grip, keeping the muscles relaxed in the upper body, and prevent unwanted torsional forces in the wrist.
US07896780B2
A stepper includes a base, two axles, two pedal units and a coordinating unit. The axles are provided on the base so that they point downwards as they extend away from each other. Two pedal units each pivotally connected to a related one of the axles. The coordinating unit includes a lever and two connectors. The lever is pivotally connected to the base. Each of the connectors is used to connect the lever to a related one of the pedal units.
US07896777B2
A multi-dimensional training device for training arm and wrist and capable of changing weight includes a connection member, a first turning member connected to the connection member, a first handle pivoted on the first turning member, a second turning member pivoted on the connection member, and a second handle pivoted on the second turning member. The second turning member may be disassembled to mount weight member on the connection member or take the weight member off from the connection member. User may hold the first and second handles to turn or move the training device of the present invention for training more muscles and joints.
US07896768B2
A drive assembly for an operating unit (9) of an agricultural implement or an agricultural machine has a clutch (4) with an input (34). The input (34) is mechanically and drivingly connected to a drive engine (1). A summarizing gear unit (8) has a first input (20), a second input (24) and an output (26). The first input (20) is mechanically and drivingly connected to an output (35) of the clutch (4). The output (26) acts to drive the operating unit (9). A hydraulic pump (10) is mechanically and drivingly connected to the output (35) of the clutch (4). A hydraulic motor (11) is hydraulically connected to the hydraulic pump (10). The motor (11) is mechanically and drivingly connected to the second input (24) of the summarizing gear unit (8).
US07896763B2
A ball bat exhibits improved barrel performance in regions located away from the “sweet spot” of the bat barrel, as a result of strategic placement of interface shear control zones (“ISCZs”) in the barrel. The ball bat includes a barrel having a first region adjacent to the tapered section of the ball bat, a second region adjacent to the free end of the barrel, and a third region located between the first and second regions, that includes the sweet spot of the barrel. The first and second regions each include at least one interface shear control zone. The third region includes at least one fewer interface shear control zone than at least one of the first and second regions. ISCZs may also be strategically placed in the bat handle and/or the tapered section of the ball bat to improve the compliance and overall performance of the ball bat.
US07896762B2
A grip trainer for positioning a user's hand on a sports racquet includes a base configured to be removably attached to the sports racquet handle in a plurality of different positions that correspond to different grips related to the sport for which the racquet is designed for use, a finger positioning device that includes a generally cylindrical projection extending upwardly from the base and configured to position the user's hand on the racquet handle in one of the plurality of positions. A method of positioning a user's hand in any of the forehand, backhand, and service position on a tennis racquet also is disclosed.
US07896757B2
A football center training aid comprises a box-like training device in the form of a framework, covered on its top and sides with open-mesh netting, which provides a guide to encourage accurate passing of a football by a center to a place-kick holder or quarterback, and which allows observation by a coach or trainer of the passing action of the center. The device encourages the preferred distance and alignment of the center in relation to the place-kick holder or quarterback. The device is readily portable, and may optionally be adjustable in both height and length to adapt the dimensions to players of differing ages, sizes, and to differing training objectives. The device allows the complete actions of passing the football by a center and catching by a place-kick holder or quarterback, and complete observation of the action, so that a complete and realistic assessment of the effectiveness of the passing action may be made by the coach or trainer, and corrective actions immediately taken and assessed.
US07896755B2
Herein is described a swing training device comprising two handles, each handle with a threaded post, a male manufactured head with a male locking device and a threaded receptacle for the threaded post and a female manufactured head with a female locking device and a threaded receptacle for the threaded post, wherein one handle is connected to each manufactured head by screwing the threaded post into the threaded receptacle, and wherein the male locking device is releasably connected to the female locking device thereby forming the swing training device. The device can be used for general fitness training or to improve a user's golf skills while at the same time exercising, gaining strength and flexibility.
US07896754B1
A training aid is described for facilitating a user swinging a golf club having a golf club head over a ground surface. The training aid includes a resilient spacer having an upper side, a lower side, and at least one peripheral edge connecting the upper side to the lower side, and an attachment means fixed to the spacer and adapted to selectively hold the spacer to the golf club head. With the training aid mounted to a lower side of the golf club head with the attachment means, the user may swing the golf club over the ground surface, the spacer preventing the golf club head from contacting the surface. In some embodiments, a cushioning means may be fixed to the lower side of the spacer.
US07896748B2
A single piece unitary metal coupling includes a first end, a second end, and a convolution between the first and second ends. The convolution includes at least one cylindrically-shaped tip end.
US07896743B2
A method, system and program product for monitoring an online card game, such as poker. A table view is displayed at a client that summarizes recently played hands, raises, and table conditions, and also includes scaled player classifications (tight or loose; passive or aggressive), counts of notifications of plays of interest, win/loss history, and links to player statistics and player performance graphs. Scaled player classifications are automatically configured. Notification details are displayed via links on the table view. Summaries of known hands based on predefined conditions are displayed. Summary displays of pre-flop hands and hands on flop, turn or river are also provided.
US07896742B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a unique interactive game that includes multiple dynamic layers in which a participant may complete a variety of challenges and/or tasks. For example, the participant may obtain a toy “wand” from a retail phase that is usable in an interactive entertainment phase. The interactive entertainment phase may include multiple interrelated layers such that progress in one or more layers may affect the participant's experience in one or more other layers. The participant may also receive training on how to use the wand and/or complete one or more special effects, adventures and/or quests. During or following the interactive entertainment phase, the participant may use accumulated points and/or powers to redeem prizes and/or compete against other participants, such as in a duel.
US07896735B2
Games, networked gaming systems, gaming machines and methods are disclosed that provide various player-centric games and rewards to the casino patrons.
US07896734B2
A gaming device system in which a plurality of gaming devices are linked by a common bonus event is provided. In one embodiment, the linked gaming device system includes a shared symbol generation display that is positioned adjacent to each of a plurality of associated gaming devices and has a plurality of sections and values displayed at each section. Upon a triggering of the bonus event, any player eligible to participate in the bonus may achieve an outcome generated from the bonus event including the shared display. When the shared display is activated, it simultaneously generates a separate or individual outcome associated with each of the gaming devices. The outcomes are spatially related to one another so that a random generation of an outcome associated with one gaming device automatically generates random outcomes associated with each gaming device. Each gaming device receives the outcome only if it has participated in the random generation.
US07896722B2
A partitioning wall is formed on one surface of a substrate. The partitioning wall has a lattice-like shape and defines a plurality of surrounded-regions. Each of the surrounded-regions is surrounded by the partitioning wall and includes a plurality of pixel-regions on which pixels are to be formed. A first predetermined region of the substrate adjacent to a part of the partitioning wall is maintained at a higher temperature, and a second predetermined region other than the first predetermined region is maintained at a lower temperature. Liquid which contains a carrier transporting material is coated on the pixel-regions in the surrounded-regions while maintaining the temperatures of the substrate.
US07896720B2
A method of producing a spark plug includes reducing the diameter of a center electrode while maintaining the heat dissipation property of the center electrode. A columnar member in which an outer skin member and a core member having a high thermal conductivity are clad, and which is columnarly extended, are configured by extrusion molding into a state where the thickness of the outer skin member is substantially uniform. A flange portion and a tip end portion are formed in the columnar member to obtain an electrode intermediate member. In a middle trunk portion of the electrode intermediate member, the thickness of the outer skin member is maintained. Then, the surface of the middle trunk portion is cut or polished to reduce the thickness, whereby the diameter of a center electrode is reduced while maintaining the outer diameter of the core member.
US07896718B2
Keel or fin (1) for a watercraft such as a surfboard is conventional in shape but comprises major portion (2) fixed to the board by peg (10) and minor, flexible, trailing portion (3) fixed to major portion (2). Minor portion (3) has a more rigid leading edge (16) which slides dovetail fashion onto trailing edge (8, 9) of major portion (2) and is locked in place by grub screw (7). Minor portion (3) has core (11) of rubber allowing it to flex sideways under water pressure. Excessive movement of trailing edge (12) of minor portion (3) is prevented when edge (12) contacts stops (4) positioned on either side on the board. Minor portion (3) may be completely surrounded in an aperture in major portion (2) or may have apertures to which air is fed via ducting.
US07896711B2
A modular electrical bus system for a valve manifold has a main communication module with a plurality of modular I/O units each having a plurality of I/O fittings being both electrically and mechanically connectable together via a bridge member connecting adjacent units and the main communication module. At least one of the modular I/O units is also mechanically separable from and maintains communication connection to the main communication module. One or both of the modular IO units and main communication module may have an alpha-numeric display.
US07896707B2
An audio signal switcher includes a jack switcher and a plug switcher. The jack switcher includes an audio jack and a first USB port. The audio jack includes a left track segment and a right track segment which are coupled to a first data pin and a second data pin of the first USB port, respectively. The jack also includes a ground segment divided into a left ground ring and a right ground ring which are connected together to couple to a ground pin of the USB port. The plug switcher includes an audio plug and a second USB port. The audio plug is coupled to the second USB port according to a connection between the audio jack and the first USB port.
US07896703B2
Devices including strip connectors in measurement devices are provided. Also provided are systems, kits and methods.
US07896698B2
A connector assembly includes a housing and substantially identical contacts. The housing is configured to mate with a mating connector. The contacts are arranged in a plurality of sets in the housing. The contacts are configured to electrically couple with the mating connector. Each set of contacts is arranged to communicate a different type of data signal with the mating connector. Optionally the contacts are formed as substantially identical pins. The different sets of contacts may concurrently communicate the different types of data signals.
US07896686B2
An electric connection clamp or terminal clamp for connecting a terminal conductor has a clamp spring and a metal part. The clamp spring has a clamp limb and a contact limb, a recess for introducing the electric conductor being formed in said contact limb. The clamp limb and the contact limb are curved in such a manner that the end of the clamp limb penetrates through the recess. The end of the clamp limb and the contact limb form a spring force clamping connection for the conductor that is to be connected. The ends of the limbs each have a securing section and the securing section of the contact limb extends counter to the direction of introduction of the conductor through the recess.
US07896684B2
The invention proposes a connecting assembly including a frame, a contact receptacle (hereafter ‘receptacle’) of an electrical connector and a contact header (hereafter ‘header’) of a counterpart electrical connector to be plugged into the electrical connector according to a plugging direction, wherein it is arranged such that the header and the receptacle can be both independently pushed into the plugging direction with respect to the frame, and wherein it further includes: first stopping means arranged for stopping the header on the receptacle if the header is pushed according to the plugging direction with a force that is lower than to a first force limit F2, and for being gone beyond if said force is greater than F2 such that the header and the receptacle are then connected together; second stopping means arranged for stopping the receptacle on the frame if the receptacle is pushed according to the plugging direction with a force that is lower than a second force limit F3, and for being gone beyond if said second force is greater than F3 such that the receptacle is then mounted to the frame; wherein F3 is greater than F2.
US07896681B2
An RJ modular connector is provided that has wire channels that slope downward and end at openings in the bottom of the connector through which the stripped wires extend. In use, the outer jacket insulation is removed from an end portion of the cable, leaving lengths of exposed wires. The length of the exposed wire is unimportant. The wires are arranged in an essentially flat configuration and inserted longitudinally into the connector and then directed downward by the downward slope of the channels, so that the distal ends of the respective wires extend through the bottom of the connector. The protruding wire ends are then compared with a standard to confirm the correct color identification pattern for them and corresponding wire position. After the comparison is made, the protruding wire ends are crimped/secured and sheared off. Conductive contact blades are inserted, and pierce the wires.
US07896675B2
A connector connection terminal has a fixed piece to be inserted to a base of a connector, a coupling portion extending from the fixed piece, and a movable piece extending in parallel to the fixed piece to both sides from a free end of the coupling portion and being operated by an operation lever rotatably assembled to the base. At least one of the fixed piece and the movable piece includes at least one pointed portion. The connector connection terminal is formed through electroforming.
US07896674B2
A load control device has a modular assembly to allow for easy adjustment of the aesthetic and the color of the load control device after installation. The load control device comprises a user interface module and a base module. The user interface module includes an actuation member for receiving a user input and a visual display for providing feedback to the user. A connector of the base module is adapted to be coupled to a connector of the user interface module, such that the base module and the user interface module are electrically connected. The connector of the base module is adapted to move along a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis of the dimmer, such that the actuation member is easily aligned within an opening of a faceplate.
US07896669B2
An electrical card connector (100) includes an insulating housing (2), a metal shield (1) covering the insulating housing for defining a card receiving space therebetween, a printed circuit board (PCB) (5), an insulator (3) assembled on the PCB and a plurality of terminals (4) received in the insulator. The insulating housing defines a cutout (210) at a rear part thereof and the cutout communicates with the card receiving space. The PCB has a smaller size than the insulating housing and is received in the cutout. The PCB is fused with the insulating housing.
US07896667B2
A latching element includes a main section having a first end and a second end opposite thereto, a connecting portion formed on the edge of the first end, a locking portion formed on the second end; and a shaft spaced from the main section. The present disclosure also discloses a method of manufacturing the latching element and a portable electronic device having the latching element.
US07896663B2
A conversion plug has a pair of guide projections that hold therebetween a pair of blades in a stand state at the time of attachment of the conversion plug to an attachment plug, and guide the pair of blades into a pair of recesses. A plug main body has, at positions respectively adjacent to the pair of blades in the stand state, a pair of storage recesses for housing the pair of guide projections. During assembly, the pair of blades are naturally guided to the pair of recesses by the guide projections without an operator's specific care. After the assembly, the pair of blades are engaged in the pair of recesses and the guide projections are engaged in the storage recesses so that the guide projections cover the pair of blades thereby preventing the pair of blades from being deformed.
US07896661B2
A card edge connector includes an elongated insulative housing, a plurality of first terminals, a plurality of second terminals retained in the insulative housing. The insulative housing defining a central slot, a first side wall, and a second side wall opposite to the first side wall. The first terminals each defines a first level soldering portion extend out of the first side wall in a width direction of the insulative housing. The second terminals each defines a second level soldering portion merely under the insulative housing to closer to the first soldering portions for occupying less area of a mother board.
US07896659B1
A connector assembly includes a subsidiary circuit board, connectors, and an interposer assembly. The subsidiary circuit board includes opposite sides. The connectors are mounted to the opposite sides of the subsidiary circuit board and are electrically coupled with the subsidiary circuit board. The connectors are configured to mate with mating connectors. The interposer assembly is joined with the subsidiary circuit board. The interposer assembly includes a dielectric housing and elongated contacts that extend between opposite outer ends along a vertical axis and are held by the housing. The interposer assembly mates with the subsidiary circuit board and is configured to mate with a main circuit board such that the outer ends of the contacts electrically couple the connectors mounted to the subsidiary circuit board with the main circuit board.
US07896657B2
A circuit device which can form terminal portions at narrow pitches a manufacturing method of the circuit device, and a connecting member are provided. A circuit device 10 includes: a first printed circuit board 11 and a second printed circuit board 15 which are arranged along the thickness direction of substrates 12, 16; and a connecting member 20 which is interposed between the first printed circuit board 11 and the second printed circuit board 15. The first printed circuit board 11 and the second printed circuit board 15 are electrically connected with each other by terminal portions 21 formed on the connecting member 20. The circuit device 10 integrally forms the terminal portions 21 on a frame body 25 by plating.
US07896639B2
Apparatus for producing an object by sequentially forming thin layers of a construction material one on top of the other responsive to data defining the object, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of printing heads each having a surface formed with a plurality of output orifices and controllable to dispense the construction material through each orifice independently of the other orifices; a shuttle to which the printing heads are mounted; a support surface; and a controller adapted to control the shuttle to move back and forth over the support surface and as the shuttle moves to control the printing heads to dispense the construction material through each of their respective orifices responsive to the data to form a first layer on the support surface and thereafter, sequentially the other layers; wherein each printing head is dismountable from the shuttle and replaceable independently of the other printing heads.
US07896633B2
This invention relates to an expandable curing bladder for use in curing rubber products; the bladder comprising an inner layer and an outer layer bonded to the first layer; the inner layer comprising a rubber composition comprised of, based on parts weight per 100 parts by weight rubber (phr): an isobutylene copolymer rubber selected from butyl rubber and/or halobutyl rubber, wherein said butyl rubber comprises a copolymer of isobutylene and isoprene which contains from about 0.5 to about 5 weight percent units derived from isoprene; wherein said halobutyl rubber is a halogenated butyl rubber comprises a chlorinated or brominated copolymer of isobutylene and isoprene which contains from about 0.5 to about 5 weight percent units derived from isoprene; and the outer layer comprising a rubber composition comprising a silicon rubber.
US07896627B2
A rotary type expander is provided with two rotary mechanism parts which differ from each other in displacement volume. The outflow side of the first rotary mechanism part of small displacement volume is fluidly connected to the inflow side of the second rotary mechanism part of large displacement volume. The processes by which the volume of a first low-pressure chamber in the first rotary mechanism part decreases and the volume of a second high-pressure chamber in the second rotary mechanism part increases are respectively in sync. Refrigerant at high pressure is first introduced into a first high-pressure chamber of the first rotary mechanism part. Thereafter, this high-pressure refrigerant passes through a communicating passage and then flows by way of the first low-pressure chamber into the second high-pressure chamber while expanding. The after-expansion refrigerant flows out to an outflow port from a second low-pressure chamber of the second rotary mechanism part.
US07896623B2
A linear compressor with a pumping chamber, in which a piston moves back and forth, and a frame, fixed to the pumping chamber, on which an oscillating body, connected to the piston, is fixed by at least one spring such as to move back and forth and provided with at least one electromagnet, for driving the back and forth movement of the oscillating body. A one-piece spring connects the oscillating body to the frame and the frame to a fixing body, for fixing the linear compressor to a support.
US07896622B2
A rotary shaft is rotatable relative to a motor rotor. A first end face of the motor rotor is exposed to the outside of a stator. A hammer portion is provided at the first end face. The hammer portion is configured to be movable as the motor rotor rotates. A collision portion rotating integrally with the rotary shaft is configured to collide with the hammer portion. The allowance space between the collision portion and the hammer portion allows the hammer portion to be move relative to the collision portion. Therefore, the electric pump is capable of detaching a rotor from a pump chamber without increasing the size of the pump.
US07896606B2
A crane mounting system to be used for mounting a crane onto a truck frame utilizes at least two shear plates with an L-shape profile. One part of each shear plate is interposed between a respective frame rail of the truck chassis and a respective end of a transverse mounting bar, while the orthogonal part of each shear plate is welded, at least partially, to the outer side of the respective frame rail. Interior holes on the transverse bars are threaded to accept inner tie down bolts while outer holes are drilled through to accept tie down studs. The shear plate acts as a wear plate/surface as the crane base sits on the transverse bars that in turn nests on the bent plate rather than directly on the chassis frame rail.
US07896596B2
The invention relates to a U-shaped clamping piece for attachment to a panel provided with an opening, having two flat legs, connected by a yoke, with a nut part axially movably disposed between the two legs for receiving a bolt, said bolt penetrating the opening and one leg, wherein said nut part is non-rotatably held on the clamping piece by a lateral arm. The nut part is secured by its end in axially resilient manner to the leg facing away from the panel by means of a plurality of straps extending from the end of the nut part to the leg.
US07896572B2
A first portable medical device is adapted for use in an interlocking system for interlocking the first medical device to a second medical device. The first device includes a housing having opposite sides, a selective element, a blocking element, and a clamp mechanism. At least one of the opposite sides includes a matable element to detachably attach a second medical device. The selective element restricts the attachment of the second device to only one side of the first device. The blocking element prevents a third medical device from attaching to the first and second devices once the first and second devices are attached. The clamp restricts the attachment of the second device to only one side of the first device when the clamp is attached to a support member. The clamp permits slide-ratcheting axial movement of a clamp shaft.
US07896566B2
A printing apparatus and method are capable of printing an image in a rear end area of a print medium. A sheet is transported by a transport roller and pinch rollers situated upstream of a print head with respect to the transport direction, and by a discharge roller and spurs situated downstream of the print head. After the sheet has left the transport roller and the pinch rollers, it is transported by the discharge roller and spurs. The sheet is printed with a test pattern for detecting a difference between a transport amount appearing before the sheet leaves the transport roller and pinch rollers and a transport amount appearing when the sheet leaves them. Based on a correction value set according to a printed result of the test pattern, the transport amount used when the sheet leaves the transport roller and pinch rollers is corrected.
US07896564B2
A portable printer includes a housing having a cavity defined therein which supports a stock material for printing indicia thereon. The housing includes a power terminal which connects to a drive motor assembly configured to move the stock material through a paper path defined in the housing. A battery is loadable within the cavity and is movable from a first position spaced from the terminal to a second position in positive engagement with the terminal. A cover assembly is included which is pivotably supported on the housing and which is moveable from an open configuration for loading the stock material to a closed configuration to enable printing. The cover assembly includes a flexible print head mounted therein and a battery compartment having a ledge configured to operably engage the battery when the cover assembly is moved to the closed configuration to force the battery to the second position in positive engagement with the terminal.
US07896563B2
A photo spinner apparatus, including a spin coater for coating a plurality of wafers with photoresist, a bake device for hardening the photoresist coated by the spin coater, a developer for developing the photoresist hardened in the bake device, a transfer unit for transferring the plurality of wafers between the developer, the bake device, and the spin coater, and an indexer including a wafer carrier loader to vertically stack a plurality of wafer carriers into which the plurality of wafers transferred by the transfer unit are loaded.
US07896561B2
A focal plane shutter includes: a shutter substrate having an opening; a blade for opening and closing the opening; a drive member swingably supported for driving the blade; a drive spring for driving the drive member; and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting an urging force of the drive spring. One end of the drive spring is engaged with the drive member. The adjustment mechanism includes: an adjustment member engaging the other end of the drive spring and rotatably supported to adjust the urging force of the drive spring; and an engagement member abutting the adjustment member to stop rotation of the adjustment member. The adjustment member has a clearance portion for avoiding abutment against the engagement member at a given rotational position.
US07896555B2
A wheel bearing unit which has at least one outer part, at least one inner part and at least two rows of rolling bodies between the outer part and the inner part. One inner raceway is formed on the outer part and one outer raceway is formed on the inner part for the rolling bodies of each row. The wheel hub has internal toothing, which projects radially inwards in the direction of the rotational axis, for engaging external toothing on a drive pin. The internal toothing of the hub is rotationally fixedly coupled to the outer raceway. The ratio of the diameter dz of a tip circle of the internal toothing to the bearing width bL of the outer part is greater than 0.9.
US07896543B2
A battery condition detection apparatus is composed of a semiconductor element, and a lead frame and mold resin. The semiconductor element is composed of plural diodes connected in series as a temperature sensitive element for detecting a temperature of a battery and a communication circuit for outputting a temperature detection result to an outside device such as ECU mounted on a vehicle. The semiconductor element is mounted on the lead frame having high heat conductivity rather than that of the mold resin. The semiconductor element and the lead frame are completely sealed with the mold resin. The battery condition detection apparatus is mounted on a battery case which accommodates the battery of a vehicle so that the lead frame of high heat conductivity is directly contacted to the battery case. The heat conductivity of the lead frame is more than 100 times of that of the mold resin.
US07896537B2
The invention provides an apparatus for engaging and disengaging a track lighting assembly with respect to a track in a track lighting system. The apparatus includes a track engaging apparatus that includes a housing. The housing includes a rotation inhibitor that has a protruding end that protrudes from the housing for engaging with the track and preventing the track engaging apparatus from rotating with respect to the track. The rotation inhibitor further includes a receiving member for translating a force in a first direction into motion of the rotation inhibitor in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction. The apparatus further includes an actuator for applying the force in the first direction to the receiving member.
US07896524B2
The invention provides a light irradiation apparatus that can adjust widening/narrowing of a light irradiation area and can guide almost whole of light emitted from an LED to the light irradiation area.The apparatus has an LED 11 and an optical unit 2 for making light for the LED 11 pass through itself and emit from its apical surface 21, and is equipped further with a supporting body 1A for holding the LED on the apical surface and a position adjustment mechanism for adjusting a relative position of the optical unit 2 to the LED 11 along an optical axis C direction. The apparatus is configured so that the potion adjustment mechanism make the optical unit 2 move relative to the LED 11 between a proximity position P1 at which a part or the whole of the supporting body 1A is housed in a base end recess 25 and a clearance position P2 at which substantially whole of the supporting body 1A comes out of the base end recess 25 so that the apical surface of the supporting body 1A and a base end face 22 of the optical unit 2 become substantially the same height.
US07896514B2
A light emitting device is provided with an LED substrate (mounting substrate) (12); a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) (21) mounted on the LED substrate (12); and a reflector (50), which is mounted on the LED substrate (12), has a first surface (52a), and a second surface (52b) having a front-rear relationship with the first surface (52a), reflects light emitted from one light-emitting diode (LED) (21) of the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) (21) by the first surface (52a), and reflects light from the light-emitting diode (LED) (21) adjacent to the one light-emitting diode (LED) (21) by the second surface (52b). Thus, in a backlight device using a solid-state light emitting element, such as a LED, luminance is made uniform by reducing luminance nonuniformity.
US07896511B2
An input device and a mobile terminal including the same is provided. The input device includes a housing formed of a non-conductive material and having at least one transmissive region, a touch board spaced from the housing, a displaceable conductive member located between the housing and the touch board, and a plurality of light emitting units, each light emitting unit being located on the touch board.
US07896508B2
A mirror attached to a weapon such as a rifle, pistol or shotgun. The gun mirror is a slightly convex mirror seated in a flexible seat which is anchored to a weapon by flexible legs which may be magnetic or have a threaded fastener or have hook/loop fasteners.
US07896507B2
In a projection type display apparatus for enabling to display an image, by projecting an image on an image display element(s), enlargedly, upon a nearly horizontal surface, such as, a table, a reflection mirror for reflecting a light from a light source is so disposed that an optical axis of the light source is nearly perpendicular to an optical axis of a lens group having a plural number of lens elements, which are disposed symmetric with respect to the optical axis.
US07896506B2
An image processing apparatus includes a first image pick-up unit, a projecting unit that projects imaging light, an optical unit that transmits part of light entering from a first image pick-up direction and guides the part of the light to the first image pick-up unit while reflecting part of the imaging light projected from the projecting unit and outputting the reflected light in the first image pick-up direction, and reflects part of light entering from a second image pick-up direction and guides the part of the light to the first image pick-up unit while transmitting part of the imaging light projected from the projecting unit and outputting the part of the imaging light in the second image pick-up direction, and an attenuating unit that is movably placed between two positions.
US07896505B2
Disclosed herein is a projector that can be loaded with lamps of a plurality of kinds, each of a plurality of the lamps loadable into the projector being given a lamp serial code formed by arranging lamp information including at least a minimum wattage and a maximum wattage of the lamp and a check sum in predetermined order, the projector including: a lamp power supply for driving the lamp loaded in the projector, the lamp power supply being provided in advance with a plurality of mode ranges each as a range from a minimum wattage to a maximum wattage of output of the lamp power supply, and one predetermined mode range of the plurality of mode ranges being freely set in the lamp power supply; and a control circuit for controlling the lamp power supply.
US07896493B2
The invention relates to a method comprising the following steps:—a bridge width (b), a glass length (I), and a frame glass angle (fF) are predefined as eyeglass frame data;—a base curve (BK) as well as a nasal and a temporal facet position (aFn, aFt) are predefined as eyeglass lens data;—a user's pupil distance (pL, pR) is predefined as user data;—a horizontal angle of tilt (fG) of the eyeglass lens (12) is determined at a reference point in the used position, the reference point being the point of intersection between the horizontal main beam facing the eye in the neutral viewing direction (NBR) of the user and the area (14) of the eyeglass lens which faces the object, and the horizontal angle of tilt (fG) being the angle enclosed by a horizontal tangent (26) of the area (14) of the eyeglass lens (12) which faces the object at the reference point (B) and a straight horizontal reference line (HR) located on a plane that extends perpendicular to the horizontal main beam in the neutral viewing direction (NBR) of the user. Also disclosed are a device and a computer program product.
US07896486B2
A printing apparatus includes an ink-jet head which has a nozzle surface opened with a plurality of nozzle holes for discharging the UV-curable ink curable by ultraviolet light, toward a recording medium; a UV light source unit which is provided integrally with the ink-jet head and which irradiates the ultraviolet light toward the recording medium; a wiper which wipes the nozzle surface of the ink-jet head; and an ink-absorbing member provided between the ink-jet head and the UV light source unit. Since the UV-curable ink, which is wiped by the wiper, is absorbed by the ink-absorbing member, it is possible to prevent the light-outgoing surface of the UV light source unit from any adhesion of the UV-curable ink. Accordingly, the ultraviolet light can be uniformly irradiated from the UV light source unit, and it is possible to improve the printing quality with the UV-curable ink.
US07896484B2
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a color ink container having a capacity V1 accommodating therein a solvent polymerizable in the presence of an acid and a colorant, a reaction liquid container having a capacity V2 (V2
US07896476B2
An inkjet printhead board and inkjet printhead is provided having a reliable storage element which allows for print without causing damages to an interlayer insulation film and protection film upon printing data unique to the printhead and is free from the restriction in arrangement position. For this purpose, a printing device board uses therein an information storage element formed common in material and process to electro-thermal converter element, the resistance value of which is changed to enable information storage so that information can be read out of the information storage element.
US07896475B2
A small-size element substrate with high electrical efficiency can be achieved when a plurality of printing element arrays having the same discharge amount exist on a single element substrate, and transistors which form driver arrays corresponding to the respective printing element arrays are formed at different array densities including transistors which form a driver array corresponding to a printing element array having a different discharge amount. The area of each transistor of the first driver array corresponding to the first printing element array is set larger than that of each transistor of the second driver array corresponding to the second printing element array. The wiring width of the first power supply wiring pattern corresponding to the first printing element array in a direction perpendicular to the printing element array is set smaller than that of the second power supply wiring pattern corresponding to the second printing element array.
US07896472B2
A recording-head driving device for driving a recording head including a plurality of actuator sections each provided for recording on a recording medium, the recording-head driving device including: a wiring board elongated in a longitudinal direction to be connected, at a connected portion near to one of longitudinally opposite ends thereof, to the plurality of actuator sections of the recording head; two drive-circuit units mounted on respective portions of the wiring board such that the connected portion of the wiring board is interposed between the mount portions, in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the wiring board includes: (a) a plurality of wires a part of which connects one of the two drive-circuit units and a part of the plurality of actuator sections, and the rest of which connects the other of the two drive-circuit units and the rest of the plurality of actuator sections; and (b) a plurality of input terminals electrically connected to the two drive-circuit units and provided on the other of the longitudinally opposite ends of the wiring board.
US07896468B2
A printhead is provided for an inkjet printer. The printhead includes a wafer assembly defining a plurality of spaced apart groups of ink supply channels and a plurality of groups of ink ejection nozzle arrangements in fluid communication with respective ink supply channel groups. Each ink ejection nozzle arrangement includes a nozzle chamber structure mounted to the wafer assembly. Each ink ejection nozzle arrangement also defines a nozzle chamber for receiving ink from an ink supply channel and a nozzle rim through which ink in the nozzle chamber can be ejected. An anchor extends from the wafer assembly in a location external to the nozzle chamber. An elongate thermal actuator mechanism extends from the anchor and into the nozzle chamber.
US07896465B2
An inkjet printhead includes a number of printhead modules arranged end-to-end to span a width of a page, the printhead modules defining color channels also to span the width of the page. A plurality of inkjet nozzles is arranged on the modules such that rows of the nozzles span the width of the page, with at least one row of nozzles in fluid communication with respective channels, the nozzles capable of being fired to eject ink from their associated channels, the nozzles of each row on an associated module defining a segment of nozzles. A printer controller controls a firing sequence of the nozzles and is configured so that nozzles from segments associated with different color channels are fired sequentially during a predetermined time allocated for firing a line of nozzles.
US07896447B2
The present invention provides a non leak check valve typed traction control valve. A low pressure check valve 8, which is provided in a pressure rise channel independent of a main oil passage of a TCV (Traction Control Valve), is opened during the normal braking when a driver operates a brake. Accordingly, oil pressure corresponding to the degree of braking is quickly provided. Further, when the TCS (ESP) is operated on the basis of signals from various sensors for the purpose of stably driving a vehicle even though the brake is not operated, the low pressure check valve provides an excellent airtight seal against the pressure rise channel. Therefore, pressure capable of controlling a wheel cylinder is sufficiently maintained at low pressure (10 bar or less).
US07896445B2
An apparatus for the milling and/or drilling cutting of materials, in particular for the removal of rock, minerals or coal, with a tool drum which is mounted on a drum carrier rotatably about a drum axis, in which a plurality of tool shafts, which carry cutting tools at their ends projecting from the tool drum, are rotatable drivable mounted, at least two of the tool shafts being drivable by a common gear drive which has power take-off gearwheels arranged fixedly in terms of rotation on the tool shafts, and a common drive element which cooperates with the power take-off gearwheels. The drive element and the tool drum being rotatable in relation to one another and the shaft axes of the tool shafts standing transversely to the drum axis.
US07896441B2
A vehicle seat having a seat frame that in its rear region is adapted to be releasably arrested on structural elements by a left arresting device and a right arresting device, which are releasable separately relative to one another, preferably via different displacement processes. A back rest frame is preferably releasably arrested on the seat frame via a freely pivotable device, such as an arresting control. An actuating device, especially an actuating handle, that is activatable by the user is preferably provided for releasing the freely pivotable device. A first one of the arresting devices can be releasable by the actuating device, whereby different displacement paths can be provided for the release of the freely pivotable device and of the first arresting device. One or more driver systems can be provided for forming idle paths or free play.
US07896435B2
A seat assembly is provided that can be sat upon by an occupant that detects the weight of the occupant. The seat assembly includes a seat cushion, a rotary sensor, and a linkage having a tip. The seat cushion deforms in response to the weight. The rotary sensor has a shaft that rotates about an axis and has an electrical output that is proportional to the angle of rotation of the shaft. The linkage underlies the seat surface and connects the seat surface to the shaft of the rotary sensor. As weight is placed on the seat the seat cushion deforms in response to the weight moving the tip and the linkage. The movement of the linkage rotates the shaft, which in turn, provides an electrical output that is proportional to the weight.
US07896434B2
A seat assembly for a vehicle includes a seat bottom and a seatback. The seatback includes a seatback frame and is selectively rotatable relative to the seat bottom from an upright position to a forward position. A seatbelt assembly includes a retractor coupled to the seatback frame and a belt selectively extendable from and retractable to the retractor. A first end of the belt is disposed in the retractor. A guide is coupled to the seatback frame and defines an orifice with the belt slideably extending through the orifice. The retractor and the guide are fixed relative to the seatback frame and the second end of the belt is fixed to the seatback frame. The retractor, the guide, and both ends of the belt rotate from the upright position to the forward position in response to a force exerted on the seatback frame during rapid deceleration of the seat assembly.
US07896431B2
A foldable frame comprises a front leg frame and a rear leg frame, each having one or more leg units foldable or detachable with one another. The front leg frame and the rear leg frame are rotatable with each other such that the foldable frame can be folded to a small size. The foldable frame also utilizes a receiving frame pivotally or steadily configured on the frame body for receiving the detachable infant carrier. A recliner apparatus is further configured between the receiving frame and the frame body for adjusting the receiving frame together with the infant carrier to different reclining angle for convenient use.
US07896427B2
An improved side rail structure is used to form a portion of a flat bed trailer. The side rail structure is integrally formed as one piece. The side rail structure includes an outer side rail wall which is integrally formed as one piece with a rub rail. A flooring section may also be formed as one piece with the outer side rail wall. The one piece side rail structure may be formed of extruded metal.
US07896422B2
A convertible top for a vehicle that is provided with a dynamic roll bar or dynamic occupant head protection system. The convertible top has a skylight that is retained in a skylight opening formed in the flexible cover of the convertible top. The skylight may be supported on one of the bows of the convertible top or may be supported on a skylight linkage that cooperates with the top stack linkage. In the event that a need for the roll bar is sensed by the vehicle resulting in the actuation of the roll bar assembly, the roll bar assembly may break the skylight in the course of deployment to assure fully deployment of the roll bar assembly.
US07896415B2
An easy package lifting tool designed to allow a user to manually lift a package with one hand directly over the package's center of gravity that uses the weight of the package to exert inward directed forces by two gripping jaws on opposing sides of the package. The tool includes two pads pivotally attached to the distal ends of two main arms. The two main arms cross and are pivotally attached together vertically above the center axis of a line that extends between the two pads. Attached to the proximal end of the first main arm is a secondary arm. Pivotally attached to the proximal end of the second main arm is a lift arm. The distal end of the lift arm is pivotally attached to the secondary arm. Formed on the proximal end of the lift arm is a curved handle section. The location of the second pivot point between the secondary arm and the lift arm is offset from the first pivot point and the center axis of the two grippingpads. By aligning the curved handle section directly over the center axis and by using the weight of the package to generate the force needed to grasp the package, large packages are easy to lift without injury.
US07896409B2
Vehicle fascia assembly includes a plastic fascia panel and a grille frame. The fascia panel has a grille opening defined by a flange extending rearward from the show surface toward the back side of the fascia panel. The flange has a plurality of flexure fingers at spaced intervals along the flange. The grille frame has a forward facing show surface and has a C-shaped channel molded around the outer edge of the show surface. Upon the assembly of the grille frame onto the backside of the fascia panel, the spaced apart channel legs fit onto the flange and the flexure fingers are biased and then engage with an abutment face on the grille frame, thereby attaching the grille frame onto the back side of the fascia panel without exposing the show surface of the fascia panel to injury by the grille frame during the assembly operation.
US07896408B2
The bumper stay includes a cylindrical shaft member fit in to a hole of a bumper reinforce, a cylindrical reinforcing member fit in to the outer periphery of the shaft member in the rear side of the bumper reinforce, and a mounting flange member fit in to the outer periphery of the shaft member in its rear end. The shaft member is enlarged by electromagnetic forming and is tightly adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the hole formed in the bumper reinforce, the inner peripheral surface of the reinforcing member, and the inner peripheral surface of the hole flange formed in the mounting flange member, thereby these are joined with each other. Thin aluminum alloy extruded material can be used for the shaft member. With such configuration, when a bumper stay is fit in to the holes formed in the front and rear walls of the bumper reinforce and the bumper stay is enlarged by electromagnetic forming to join with the bumper reinforce, joining of the both can be firmly performed and sufficient strength and energy absorption quantity can be secured.
US07896406B2
A hose connector includes a cylindrical elongated member having a first and second end, a first and second inner sleeve rotatably mounted on the cylindrical member, and a first and second outer sleeve capable of connecting to the respective first and second inner sleeves.
US07896398B2
Disclosed is a pipe handle including first and second pipes which are engaged together with a male coupling of the second pipe fitted into a female coupling of the first pipe. The first pipe has a larger inside diameter in the female coupling than in a main body adjacent to the female coupling. The second pipe has a continuous outer surface without any step between the male coupling and a main body adjacent to the male coupling. The main body of the first pipe and the main body of the second pipe has an equal or almost equal outside diameter.
US07896397B2
A one-piece-construction vehicle part may include both a mudguard portion and a side-sill-garnish portion.
US07896392B2
An airbag deployment controller and a passenger protection device including the same are provided to prevent erroneous (false) operation of an airbag due to noises and quickly deploy the airbag. The passenger protection device determines whether or not to drive an airbag unit, upon determining a detected value of a front acceleration sensor as being over a first collision threshold. Then, when determining to drive the airbag unit, the passenger protection device determines whether or not a detected value of a central acceleration sensor exceeds a second collision threshold. With the detected value being over the second threshold, it generates a driving signal and outputs it to the airbag unit in a final deployment control process. Thereby, the airbag unit operates an inflator to drive an airbag.
US07896386B2
In a knee airbag attached to a steering column, the knee airbag is inflated and deployed quickly to a small space between an instrument panel and the knees of a vehicle occupant in a collision.A knee airbag 36 of a knee airbag device 10 is formed of a first inflation portion 38 which extends in a vehicle lateral direction along an instrument panel 12 side, and a second inflation portion 46, which is deployed to a vehicle occupant knee side. A gas supply opening 42, to which gas ejected from an inflator 22 is supplied, is disposed at a first inflation portion 38 side. The gas supply opening 42, and the pair of protection portions 46 provided at left and right end portions of knee airbag 36, are provided on substantially the same line in a vehicle lateral direction, and the first inflation portion 36 communicates the two as a gas flow path. Therefore, in a frontal collision, even if a space 48 between the instrument panel 12 and the knees of the vehicle occupant is small, the pair of protection portions 46 can be quickly inflated and deployed to the small space 48.
US07896383B2
A fifth wheel hitch assembly is provided for use with a kingpin, the hitch assembly including a hitch frame including a throat for receiving the kingpin therein, a jaw member pivotally coupled to the hitch frame and moveable between an open orientation and a closed orientation, and a locking arm having a cooperative relationship with the jaw member. One of the jaw member and locking arm defines a guide surface and another of the jaw member and locking arm includes a follower configured to traverse the guide surface, traverse of the follower along a guide segment of the guide surface directing rotation of the jaw member between the open orientation and the closed orientation, and traverse of the follower along a lock segment directing releasable locking of the jaw member in the closed orientation.
US07896381B2
A wheel assembly, which is particularly applicable to bicycles, includes a hub, a pair of laterally spaced bearings, and is constructed to cooperate with a frame of a bicycle. The bearings include an outer race that is directly engaged with the hub. An inner race of each bearing is constructed to directly receive a portion of the bicycle frame such that the wheel is supported by direct interaction of the bicycle frame and the bearing members. Optionally, a hollow axle may extend between adjacent bearings to further enhance the lateral stiffness of the wheel assembly.
US07896375B2
The present invention relates to an arm and leg powered bicycle, comprising handle levers, a front wheel, a rear wheel, a handle shaft, supporting frames, pedals, a pedal shaft, front and rear sprockets and a chain belt, wherein the bicycle further includes an operating means for vertically rotating the handle levers, said member consisting of a handle rotation shaft, an operating rod or rods and a handle rotation shaft support, and a means for transferring the rotating force of the handle levers to a pedal shaft, said means consisting of a crank shaft, a rotating shaft, a flexible joint, a driving gear and a driven gear mounted on a pedal shaft. In the inventive arm and leg powered bicycle with such a construction, the mutual movement of both the handle levers and the pedals causes the vertical rotation of the handle levers by the work of the arms to cooperate synchronously with the movement of the pedals by the work of the legs, whereby the running speed of the bicycle can be doubled and the arm exercise can be conducted simultaneously.
US07896363B2
The present disclosure is directed to an ice skate including a boot, a separately formed casing, a blade, and a fastener. The boot includes a boot chamber for receiving a skater's foot. The casing includes an upper portion, a sole plate, and a blade holder. The upper portion defines a casing chamber for receiving the boot. In one example, the casing is plastic. The sole plate includes abutting toe, arch and heel areas and has a cantilevered connection to the blade holder. In this cantilevered connection, the toe and arch areas of the sole plate are supported by the blade holder and the heel area is unsupported by the blade holder. The blade holder defines a slot for selectively receiving the blade. The fastener removably secures the blade to the blade holder. In one example, the blade further includes a toe pick for use in figure skating.
US07896354B2
A composite sealing material to be installed in a sealing groove includes a first sealing member that is located on the outer peripheral side of the sealing groove and that is made of an elastic member; and a second sealing member that is located on the inner peripheral side of the sealing groove and that is made of a material harder than the first sealing member, wherein the first sealing member is provided with a crosswise protrusion formed projecting in a radial inner direction from a radial inner side of the almost central section of the thickness direction; the second sealing member is formed in an almost cross sectional C shape by flange portions and formed at the both ends and an inner wall portion in an almost linear shape for connecting the flange portions; and a space is ensured between the crosswise protrusion and the inner wall portion in an almost linear shape of the second sealing member in a state that the first sealing member and the second sealing member are assembled in an integrated manner.
US07896352B2
A hybrid seal for sealing the circumferential gap between a first machine component and a second machine component comprises at least one shoe extending along one of the machine components in a position to create a non-contact seal, at least one spring element connected between one of the machine components and the shoe(s) and a stack of sealing elements located within a slot formed in the shoe(s), wherein a primary seal and secondary seal of the circumferential gap is created by the shoe(s) in cooperation with the spring element(s) and sealing elements, respectively.
US07896350B2
A collapsible ball game basket comprising an entrance hoop and three or more legs, a device for holding the legs together at a predetermined position on each leg, a device for detachably connecting the upper end of each leg to said hoop and a device for locating the lower end of each leg on a ground sheet.
US07896344B2
This is a system that enables a marking system to automatically clear itself of paper jams even when the marking system is unattended. The paper transport is enabled to move forward and backward, and when a jam occurs it will automatically move backward or in reverse direction until the jam is cleared. Sensors indicate where the jam is and when it is cleared.
US07896342B2
A sheet supply apparatus has a sheet storing part that stores sheets, a sheet transport part that feeds the sheets from the sheet storing part and transports the sheets, a sheet separating part that separates the sheets fed from the sheet storing part, a sheet thickness measuring part that measures a thickness of the sheets separated by the sheet separating part, a sheet separating strength varying part that causes the sheet separating part to apply one or more of a plurality of sheet separating strengths to separate the sheets, and a control part that controls the sheet separating strength varying part to cause the sheet separating part to apply, from among the plurality of sheet separating strengths, one or more sheet separating strengths, other than a weakest sheet separating strength, during a time period which begins upon a start of feed of the sheets.
