US07956721B2
An operator system and related methods for automatically controlling access barriers which include a base controller associated with at least one access barrier and at least one base receiver associated with the base controller. The system also includes a mobile transmitter configured to be carried by a carrying device, such as a vehicle. The mobile transmitter automatically and periodically generates a mobile signal received by the base receiver. The base controller selectively generates barrier movement commands upon receipt of the at least one mobile signal. Furthermore, the mobile transmitter includes an accelerometer to detect when the carrying device is moving so as to selectively turn the mobile transmitter on and off in order to conserver power.
US07956714B2
Primary (4, 8) and secondary (10) windings are subjected to a significant heat stress during operation of a high voltage transformer. The present invention describes a high voltage transformer which is believed to have good temperature properties. This transformer may have a planar primary winding and a Litz secondary winding. The planar primary winding may abut against a planar face of the core (2) therefore allowing for a good heat exchange between these two elements. The Litz secondary winding and the planar primary winding may be cooled by means of a cooling medium.
US07956705B2
The invention relates to a circuit operating with bulk acoustic waves with at least electroacoustic systems, each arranged in a branch (Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4), wherein each electroacoustic system comprises at least two series-connected resonators (R11, R12; R21, R22; R31, R32; R41, R42) in the respective branch, which are galvanically separated from one another and acoustically coupled to one another by means of a coupling system (K1, K2, K3, K4) arranged therebetween. The electroacoustic systems are acoustically coupled via their coupling system (K1, K2) and/or electrically coupled to one another.
US07956702B2
A balun having a first balanced terminal, a second balanced terminal and an unbalanced terminal, includes a filter unit and a first transmission line. The filter unit is connected to the first balanced terminal, the second balanced terminal and the unbalanced terminal, and includes a low-pass filter and a high-pass filter. The first transmission line is connected between the filter unit and the first balanced terminal.
US07956696B2
A circuit includes phase detection circuitry, a clock signal generation circuit, a first frequency divider, and a second frequency divider. The phase detection circuitry compares an input clock signal to a feedback signal to generate a control signal. The clock signal generation circuit generates a periodic output signal in response to the control signal. The first frequency divider divides a frequency of the periodic output signal by a first value to generate a first frequency divided signal. The second frequency divider divides the frequency of the periodic output signal by a second value to generate a second frequency divided signal. The first and the second frequency divided signals are routed to the phase detection circuitry as the feedback signal during different time intervals.
US07956690B2
An operational amplification circuit includes a differential amplification circuit portion that amplifies a differential input, and an output circuit portion that outputs the amplified output using a signal amplified in the differential amplification circuit portion. The differential amplification circuit portion is provided with a pair of first transistors to which signals are differentially input, and second and third transistors which are connected to current paths of the pair of first transistors and which constitute current mirror circuits with respect to each other. The output circuit portion is provided with a fourth transistor, a gate of which is connected to a drain of the second transistor, and an amplified output is output from a drain of the fourth transistor.
US07956689B2
A programmable gain amplifier (PGA) system comprises selectable parallel transconductors in a front end, independently selectable serial amplification circuits in a back end. The back end is configured to receive an output of the front end and may include a plurality of current or voltage mode amplifiers in series. The PGA system also includes control circuitry to select a gain configuration for the PGA by selecting selectable components in the front and back ends. The PGA system may additionally include control circuitry configured to change the transconductance of one or more of the front end transconductors such that the gain configurations of the PGA are independent of variations such as those due to temperature and fabrication. The PGA system may be used between a signal receiver and an analog to digital converter.
US07956680B2
A DC offset calibration circuit has a first resistor, a first switch, a second resistor, and a second switch. The first resistor is coupled to a first supply voltage. The first switch is coupled to the first resistor, to a first input of an amplifier, and to a first input resistor. A second end of the first input resistor is not coupled to the first supply voltage. The second resistor is coupled to a second supply voltage. The second switch is coupled to the second resistor, to a second input of the amplifier, and to a first end of a second input resistor. A second end of the second input resistor is not coupled to the second supply voltage.
US07956666B2
A mixer includes a transduction circuit, a first and a second switch circuit, and a first and a second load circuit. The transconductor circuit is for generating a differential current signal according to a differential voltage signal. The first switch circuit and the first load circuit are connected in series, and the first switch circuit is used to regulate the differential current signal in response to a first oscillator signal. The second switch circuit and a second load circuit are connected in series, and the second switch circuit is used to regulate the differential current signal in response to a second oscillator signal. The first load circuit and the second load circuit are connected at a common node to reduce harmonic interferences.
US07956663B2
Disclosed herein is a delay circuit for performing one of a charge and a discharge in two stages, and delaying a signal, the delay circuit including an output section configured to output a delayed signal; two power supplies; and a delay inverter; wherein the delay inverter has a first transistor and a second transistor of an identical channel type for one of a first charge and a first discharge, the first transistor and the second transistor being connected in series with each other between the output section and one power supply, and the delay inverter has a third transistor of a different channel type from the first transistor and the second transistor for one of a second charge and a second discharge, the third transistor being connected in parallel with one of the first transistor and the second transistor.
US07956655B1
A pad driving circuit includes an output control circuit, a voltage pump circuit, a first buffer series, and a second buffer series. The output control circuit controls whether a pad circuit can pass an input signal, in which the output control circuit enables the pad circuit to output the input signal when an enable signal is asserted. The voltage pump circuit generates a negative supply voltage having voltage less than a zero volt. The first buffer series, electrically connected between the output control circuit and the pad circuit, drives the pad circuit with a positive supply voltage and the negative supply voltage from the voltage pump circuit. The second buffer series drives the pad circuit with a ground voltage and the positive supply voltage.
US07956653B1
A complementary high voltage switched current source circuit has a complementary current source pair, wherein a first of the current source pair is coupled to a positive voltage rail and a second of the current source pair is coupled to a negative voltage rail. A digital logic-level control interface circuit is coupled to the complementary current source pair and to the positive voltage rail and the negative voltage rail. A pair of high voltage switches is coupled to the complementary current source pair and the digital logic-level control interface circuit and controlled by the digital control interface circuit.
US07956648B2
Techniques for controlling a driver to reduce data dependent noise, such as simultaneous switching effects and cross-talk effects. A plurality of drivers may each receive a data segment to transmit and a plurality of data segments that other drivers will transmit. A driver controller may adjust the time at which the data segment is transmitted in response to the plurality of data segments that the other drivers will transmit. The adjustment may compensate for simultaneous switching noise and cross-talk by, for example, delaying the transmission of a data segment or changing the slew rate of the signal carrying the data segment.
US07956641B1
An improved interface circuit is provided herein for translating a relatively high input voltage into a relatively low output voltage using only low voltage transistors and a single, low voltage power supply. According to one embodiment, the interface circuit includes a power supply, a pair of input transistors with source terminals coupled together for receiving a relatively low voltage from the power supply, and a current sense amplifier with a pair of input terminals, each coupled to a drain terminal of a different one of the pair of input transistors for receiving a pair of differential currents and for generating a pair of differential voltages therefrom.
US07956630B1
An error correction for effective-wavelength variations is implemented by adjusting the filter parameters of the quadrature demodulation algorithm of a high definition vertical scanning process using a phase step that accounts for phase-step changes associated with variations in the effective wavelength irradiating the sample when the surface is curved. The nominal phase step is replaced in the filter with an actual phase step size that includes a phase parameter generated for each pixel by calibration or modeling of a specific type of surface. This substitution eliminates all errors produced by surface-dependent variations in the effective wavelength of the irradiating light.
US07956627B2
A frame bonded and fixed to a back face of a probe sheet so as to surround a group of pyramid-shaped or truncated pyramid-shaped contact terminals collectively formed at a central region portion of the probe sheet on a probing side thereof is protruded from a multi-layered wiring board, and pressing force is imparted to the frame and a pressing piece at a central portion by a plurality of guide pins having spring property so as to tilt finely.
US07956625B1
A system and method for thermal management of a device under test (DUT). In particular, a system is described for performing optical microscopy. The system includes a heat spreader window that consists of substantially undoped silicon. The window is configured to be coupled to a back side of a substrate of a DUT such that thermal energy from the DUT is spread to the heat spreader window. A contact region is coupled to the heat spreader window. The contact region is configured for contact with a solid immersion lens (SIL) optical system for optical examination of the DUT. A heat exchanger is coupled to the heat spreader window for removing the thermal energy from the DUT during its operation, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to allow access to the heat spreader window.
US07956600B2
A probe with plural output channels for sensing the movement of a body of magnetic material. The probe includes a magnetically energizable pole piece and a plurality of electrically conductive circuits, coupled to the magnetic pole piece, such that a change in magnetic flux in the pole piece caused by movement of the body relative to the pole piece induces a voltage in each of the circuits. The electrically conductive circuits are wound around each other in a symmetrical fashion such that in the vicinity of the magnetic pole piece each circuit experiences substantially the same change in magnetic flux. A probe of this type provides a plurality of substantially identical output signals and is easy to manufacture and replicate.
US07956598B2
To provide a variable voltage dividing circuit capable of changing voltage values of a detection point and a release point along with a change in power supply voltage without changing a hysteresis width. The variable voltage dividing circuit according to the present invention includes: a voltage dividing unit which includes a resistor string formed of a plurality of resistors connected in series, and outputs divided voltages divided at connection points of the plurality of resistors, one end of the resistor string being applied with a first voltage, another end thereof being applied with a second voltage; a first constant current source connected to a first connection point of the resistor string; and a second constant current source connected to a second connection point located symmetrically to the first connection point with respect to a center of the resistor string in the resistor string, in which, in accordance with a voltage difference between the first voltage and the second voltage, any one of the first constant current source and the second constant current source subtracts a first adjustment current from a current flowing through the resistor string, and another thereof feeds a second adjustment current to the resistor string.
US07956590B2
A method is provided for controlling a converter of the multiphase interleaving type. According to the method, there is detected when a change of the load applied to an output terminal of the converter occurs. All the phases of the converter are simultaneously turned off, and a driving interleaving phase shift is recovered so as to restart a normal operation of the converter. A controller for carrying out such a method is also provided.
US07956585B2
A shutter circuit is provided for a multi-channel converter to blank the switching noise produced by the switching of the converter. The shutter circuit monitors the switching of the switches in the output stages of the converter, and when one channel performs switching, the shutter circuit will send a signal to other channels to block the current sensors thereof. The current sensors are so blocked for a period not to sense the switching noise. The mutual interference between the channels due to the switching noise of the converter is eliminated.
US07956581B2
A battery pack comprising a power cell for providing power to a load or for receiving a charge from a charger, a first protection circuit for protecting from overvoltage and/or overcurrent conditions, and a second protection circuit for protecting from overtemperature conditions. The protection circuits independently control one or more electronic switching devices, through which passes substantially all of the current supplied by the power cell. When overvoltage and/or overcurrent conditions exist, the first protection circuit causes at least one of the switching devices to move to a non-conducting condition. Similarly, when an overtemperature condition exists, the second protection circuit causes at least one of the switching devices to move to a non-conducting condition.
US07956576B2
In one embodiment, a rechargeable battery pack can be configured to power an electronic device having a first battery. The rechargeable battery pack can comprise a second battery supplemental to the first battery, an external power input configured to couple to an external power source, a power output for powering the electronic device. The rechargeable battery pack can also comprise a first circuit comprising a first power path between the external power input and the power output, a second power path between the second battery and the power output, and a power switch set. When the external power source is decoupled from the external power input, the first power path is disabled by the power switch set, and the second power path is enabled by the power switch set. When the external power source is coupled to the external power input, the first power path is enabled by the power switch set, and the second power path is disabled by the power switch set. Other examples and embodiments are described herein.
US07956573B1
The invention is a battery charging system with discharging means that includes a housing containing a plurality of charging units. The charging units come in a variety of sizes as well as in multiples of each size. The invention also includes a plurality of discharging units, which are capable of draining out any remaining charge left in the battery prior to the recharging process.
US07956572B2
Exemplary systems and methods are provided for collecting/harvesting direct current (DC) power received from a power source(s). The system comprises a controlled impedance power controller comprises a power converter configured to present a positive equivalent resistive load to the at least one power source over a range of input power levels. Exemplary systems and methods are provided for collecting radio frequency (RF) power. An exemplary system comprises at least two rectenna elements, a power controller, and a DC combining circuit. The DC combining circuit is associated with the at least two rectenna elements and the DC combining circuit is configured to dynamically combine the at least two rectenna elements in one of a plurality of series/parallel configurations. The power controller is configured to control the DC combining circuit to achieve a desired overall power output from the at least two rectenna elements.
US07956569B2
A double ended inverter system suitable for use with an AC electric traction motor of a vehicle is provided. The double ended inverter system cooperates with a first DC energy source and a second DC energy source, which may have different nominal voltages. The double ended inverter system includes an impedance source inverter subsystem configured to drive the AC electric traction motor using the first energy source, and an inverter subsystem configured to drive the AC electric traction motor using the second energy source. The double ended inverter system also utilizes a controller coupled to the impedance source inverter subsystem and to the inverter subsystem. The controller is configured to control the impedance source inverter subsystem and the inverter subsystem in accordance with a boost operating mode, a traditional inverter operating mode, and a recharge operating mode of the double ended inverter system.
US07956566B2
An automotive drive system for a high voltage electric motor comprises a microcontroller and ECU powered by a low voltage (12 volt) bus net which controls the drives of a high voltage inverter powered by a 100 volt or higher source, which, in turn, drives the motor. To provide good electrical insulation between the low voltage and high voltage systems, the low voltage control signals are produced by a low voltage signal transmitter chip which has a small integral antenna which wirelessly communicates with the antenna of a high voltage driver IC which drives the power devices of the high voltage inverter. The two IC chips are separated by a suitable isolation distance and may be bare chips, individually packaged chips or co-packed chips. Plural control IC chips and driver IC chips can communicate with one another for adverse control functions, including “smart” functions.
US07956562B2
Provided is a motor having a combination of a plurality of coil pairs and a permanent magnet, wherein these coil pairs are supplied with an excitation signal from a drive circuit so as to be excited at alternate opposite poles, and the permanent magnet is constituted such that the plurality of polar elements is disposed to become alternating opposite poles; the drive circuit is constituted to supply an excitation signal having a prescribed frequency to the coil pairs, and relatively move the coil pairs and permanent magnet with the magnetic attraction—repulsion between the coils and permanent magnet; and the drive circuit is constituted to supply to the coil pairs a waveform signal corresponding to the pattern of the back electromotive voltage to be generated in accordance with the relative movement between the coil pairs and permanent magnet.
US07956558B2
An automatic traction control system is provided for an electric or hybrid-electric vehicle. The automatic traction control system may be used with vehicles using two separately excited motors where the armatures of the motors are connected in series to provide differential control. The automatic traction control system monitors and compares the voltages across the armatures of the two motors. If the voltage differential exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that one of the wheels is spinning and current is diverted from the motor driving the spinning wheel to the motor driving the non-spinning wheel.
US07956557B1
A planar insertion device and supporting structure for a planar insertion device for treating a synchrotron radiation beam includes a primary frame on which at least two secondary C-frames are mounted. An upper and a lower girders are mounted on the secondary C-frames forming a gap between girders and arranged substantially horizontally and parallel to each other and to the synchrotron radiation beam. Magnetic arrays rigidly mounted on the girders are facing each other and facing the gap between girders, with the synchrotron radiation beam passing between the magnetic arrays through the gap. The planar insertion device supporting structure prevents detrimental deformation reactions to variations of magnetic loadings with changes in the gap and subsequent geometrical misalignments.
US07956552B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for identifying and differentiating among multiple groups of devices, comprising at least two LEDs, a controller, and a blending medium. The at least two LEDs emit a wavelength of light that is different from a wavelength of each other LED. The controller drives the at least two LEDs to each emit light at specified intensities in response to a color identifying value. The blending medium combines the light emitted by the at least two LEDs into an identifying color that identifies a group of devices.
US07956547B2
A dielectric barrier discharge lamp (14) has an inside electrode (142) in a tube axis direction within the airtight container (141), which has ultraviolet transmission properties and a long tube shape, and an outside electrode (143) having a semicircular shape arranged outside of the airtight container (141) in close contact with it. Besides, an excimer-forming gas is sealed in the airtight container (141). AC voltage supplied from the power source (11) is converted into DC voltage through a converter (12) and outputted. A high-frequency wave is generated by an inverter (13) based on the DC voltage supplied from the converter (12), and a dielectric barrier discharge is induced in the dielectric barrier discharge lamp (14) to irradiate ultraviolet rays. The converter (12) is configured by connecting in series the outputs of DC power sources (121), (122). Optimum luminous efficiency of a dielectric barrier discharge lamp having different specifications is also realized by adjusting the number of DC power sources.
US07956544B2
A light source module includes a driving substrate, a plurality of light source blocks and a currents control element. The light source blocks are disposed on the driving substrate, and each of the light source blocks includes at least one light source. The currents control element is disposed on the driving substrate, and has channel terminals for individually controlling driving currents passed through at least two light source blocks. The channel terminals are electrically connected to the at least two light source blocks, respectively. The currents control element is disposed on the driving substrate and individually controls the driving currents applied to the light source blocks, so that a number of wires of a connection cable connected to a light source driving connector is less than the number of light source drive currents being individually controlled.
US07956540B2
A PDP (101) with a reduced discharge inception voltage and discharge sustaining voltage for improving luminous efficiency has at least a pair of substrates (110 and 111) that are disposed in opposition to sandwich a discharge space therebetween. At least a portion of at least one of the substrates has two or more display electrode pairs (104) that include narrow bus electrodes (159 and 169), a dielectric layer (107) formed so as to cover the display electrode pairs (104), and a protective layer (108) formed so as to cover the dielectric layer (107). The dielectric layer (107) has a dense film structure with a dielectric breakdown voltage of 1.0×106 [V/cm] to 1.0×107 [V/cm].
US07956535B2
A light emitting device includes a substrate, a plurality of pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix on the substrate, and a counter electrode disposed opposite the plurality of pixel electrodes. Here, the plurality of pixel electrodes includes a first pixel electrode group including two or more of the plurality of pixel electrodes arranged continuously in a first direction and the first pixel electrode group includes a first pixel electrode and a second pixel electrode arranged to be adjacent to each other and a third pixel electrode and a fourth pixel electrode arranged to be adjacent to each other. A first division portion is disposed between the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode and a second division portion is disposed between the third pixel electrode and the fourth pixel electrode. At least one light-emitting function layer including a plurality of layers including a light-emitting layer is formed between two or more pixel electrodes located between the first division portion and the second division portion in the first pixel electrode group and the counter electrode to cover the two or more pixel electrodes located between the first division portion and the second division portion.
US07956522B2
An ignition anode for an ignition device of a reignitable rocket combustion chamber. The anode includes an ignition anode body having an ignition anode frontal area. The ignition anode frontal area has a plurality of edges.
US07956517B1
A MEMS structure having a temperature-compensated resonator member is described. The MEMS structure comprises an asymmetric stress inverter member coupled with a substrate. A resonator member is housed in the asymmetric stress inverter member and is suspended above the substrate. The asymmetric stress inverter member is used to alter the thermal coefficient of frequency of the resonator member by inducing a stress on the resonator member in response to a change in temperature.
US07956515B2
A driving method is for a driving apparatus including an electro-mechanical transducer having first and second end surfaces opposite to each other in an expansion/contraction direction, a vibration friction portion mounted to the second end surface of the electro-mechanical transducer, a moving member frictionally coupled to the vibration friction portion, and a vibration transfer member disposed between the second end surface of said electro-mechanical transducer and an end surface of said vibration friction portion, whereby moving the moving member in the expansion/contraction direction of the electro-mechanical transducer. The driving method includes subjecting the electro-mechanical transducer to reciprocating displacement in a sawtooth waveform and transferring the reciprocating displacement of the electro-mechanical transducer to the vibration friction portion through the vibration transfer member, thereby linearly driving the moving member in a predetermined direction.
US07956502B2
The present invention enables replacement work of a wiper motor to be carried out with a link plate being fixed to an output shaft, and achieves improvement of maintainability. A diameter dimension of a through-hole of a motor bracket is set to that of allowing a tip side of a link plate with a ball joint to pass through the through-hole in a state where the link plate is inclined with respect to the motor bracket. Thus, the replacement work of the wiper motor can be carried out with the link plate being fixed to the output shaft. Alignment work of the link plate with respect to the output shaft becomes unnecessary at a time of the replacement work of the wiper motor, and maintainability can be significantly improved without decreasing positional accuracy of wiper members with respect to a front glass.
US07956493B2
One or more embodiments of the invention relate to an integrated circuit including a first power supply domain and at least a second power supply domain. Furthermore, the integrated circuit includes a radio frequency element connected between the first power supply domain and the second power supply domain.
US07956488B2
A controlling apparatus for a motor vehicle has a high voltage direct current (dc) power supply, an inverter for converting dc power of the high voltage dc power supply into ac power, a smoothing capacitor provided between the inverter and the high voltage dc power supply, a main contactor provided between the high voltage dc power supply and the smoothing capacitor for connecting and disconnecting the high voltage dc power supply and the smoothing capacitor to and from each other, and a precharge circuit connected in parallel to the main contactor.
US07956483B2
The invention is directed at an air flow apparatus for use with an electric vehicle. The air flow apparatus operates as complementary energy sources for the production of electricity to maintain battery capacity for the propulsion of an electrically powered vehicle. This is preferably achieved by combining induced air flow and the burning of a fossil fuel, such as propane, to effect generator output. In another embodiment, the use of propane is reduced as the vehicle proceeds at specific speeds.
US07956482B2
The present patent application concerns wind turbine having a rotor with a first rotor blade and a pitch control system with a controller and a first drive system for adjusting a pitch angle of the first rotor blade, wherein the drive system is adapted to transform rotational energy of the rotor blade rotating about its longitudinal axis into another form of energy such that a counter torque against the rotating direction is induced. Further, it concerns a method for controlling a pitch velocity of a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the wind turbine comprising at least one drive system for adjusting a pitch angle of said rotor blade, the drive system being adapted to operate in a active mode, wherein the drive system rotates the rotor blade, and in a passive mode, wherein the drive system exerts a counter force against the rotating direction, when the rotor blade being rotated by another force than the force of the drive system, wherein the pitch velocity is controlled by operating the drive system in said passive mode when the pitch of the rotor blade is changed from a first position to a second position.
US07956481B2
A miniature hydro-power generation system includes an outer housing and an inner housing. The outer housing may receive a flow of liquid flowing in a first direction at a predetermined range of pressure. The flow of liquid may be decreased by a predetermined amount of pressure and increased by a predetermined amount of velocity and channeled to a hydro-generator included in the inner housing with an inlet nozzle. The flow of liquid may be channeled with the inlet nozzle to flow in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. Upon transfer of kinetic energy in the flow of liquid to the hydro-generator, the inner housing may rotate in the second direction. The flow of liquid may then be channeled back to the first direction and out of the housing with an outlet nozzle. The outlet nozzle configured to increase the pressure and decrease the velocity of the flow of liquid to minimized non-laminar flow characteristics.
US07956477B2
A starter control system is disclosed. In one example, the starter control system allows both automatic and manual control over an engine starting sequence. The starter control system can enhance starter control system flexibility.
US07956476B2
A system for harvesting footwear energy. The energy may be in a form of footwear movement which involves a compression and decompression of chambers situated in the footwear. There may be a back chamber in the heel area and a front chamber in the toe area of the footwear. The chambers may be filled with gas which moves in and out upon compression and decompression of the chambers at the heel and toe areas upon the ambulatory motion of a person wearing the footwear. The moving gas may go through a pneumatic rectifier that provides a unidirectional stream of gas to spin a micro-turbine which turns an electrical generator, or operate a pneumatic device.
US07956473B2
Method of manufacturing semiconductor device including forming inter-layer insulating film on semiconductor substrate. First metal film is formed on inter-layer insulating film. First resist is formed on first metal film and patterned. Anisotropic etching performed on first metal film using first resist as mask. First resist is removed and second metal film is formed on inter-layer insulating film to cover remaining first metal film. Second resist is formed on second metal film in area where first metal film exists on inter-layer insulating film and part of area where first metal film does not exist. Anisotropic etching is performed on second metal film using second resist as mask and bonding pad having first metal film and second metal film, and upper layer wiring having second metal film and not first metal film. Second resist is removed. Surface protection film covering bonding pad is formed. Pad opening is formed on bonding pad.
US07956471B2
A mold (10) including a first mold part (12) and a second mold part (14) define a mold cavity (16) therebetween. A gate (18) is formed in at least one of the first and second mold parts (12) and (14) such that the gate (18) communicates with the mold cavity (16). A vent (20) having a constricted portion (22) is arranged to communicate with the mold cavity (16). A substrate (28) including a base substrate (30) and an electrically conductive pattern (32) and (34) formed on the base substrate (30) may be received in the mold (10). A solder resist layer (36) is formed on the base substrate (30) and a portion of the electrically conductive pattern (32). A plurality of grooves (38) and (40) is formed in a staggered arrangement around a periphery of a molding area (42) on the substrate (28).
US07956461B2
In order to solve a problem of occurrence of delamination of interlayer film due to occurrence of a crack in an LSI wiring layer in a UBM lower layer immediately under a solder bump in an outer periphery of an LSI chip, a semiconductor apparatus of the present invention includes a stress boundary between compressive stress and tensile stress in an LSI wiring layer of a bump lower layer and in order to alleviate the stress present in the bump lower layer tensile stress material is arranged on a compressive stress side or compressive stress material is arranged on a tensile stress side with a stress boundary of the LSI wiring layer as a boundary.
US07956443B2
A through-wafer interconnect for imager, memory and other integrated circuit applications is disclosed, thereby eliminating the need for wire bonding, making devices incorporating such interconnects stackable and enabling wafer level packaging for imager devices. Further, a smaller and more reliable die package is achieved and circuit parasitics (e.g., L and R) are reduced due to the reduced signal path lengths.
US07956434B2
Embodiments relate to an image sensor and a method of manufacturing the same. According to embodiments, an image sensor may include a first substrate having circuitry formed thereon. It may further include a photodiode bonded to the first substrate and electrically connected to the circuitry, and a contact plug at a pixel border that may be electrically connected with the circuitry and the photodiode. According to embodiments, the photodiode may include a first conductive type ion implantation region selectively provided in a crystalline semiconductor layer, and a second conductive type ion implantation region in contact with one side surface of the first conductive type ion implantation region.
US07956433B2
The invention provides an image detector capable of improving the quality of detected images by reducing electronic noise, the image detector comprising, a plurality of scan lines disposed in parallel, a plurality of data lines provided so as to cross with the scan lines, thin film transistors connected with the scan and data lines and provided in matrix, sensor sections connected to the thin film transistor and provided in a matrix and a plurality of common lines disposed so as to apply bias voltage commonly to the sensor sections provided in matrix. Each of the scan lines, data lines and common lines are formed by metal layers different from each other and provided with insulating film(s) disposed therebetween.
US07956427B2
Electrical devices comprised of nanowires are described, along with methods of their manufacture and use. The nanowires can be nanotubes and nanowires. The surface of the nanowires may be selectively functionalized. Nanodetector devices are described.
US07956425B1
Thin film transistors (TFT) and methods for making same. The TFTs generally comprise: (a) a semiconductor layer comprising source and drain terminals and a channel region therebetween; (b) a gate electrode comprising a gate and a gate dielectric layer between the gate and the channel region; (c) a first dielectric layer adjacent to the gate electrode and in contact with the source and drain terminals, the first dielectric layer comprising a material which comprises a dopant therein; and (d) an electrically functional source/drain extensions in the channel region, adjacent to the source and drain terminals, comprising a material which comprises the same dopant as the first dielectric layer.
US07956422B2
A semiconductor device, a method for fabricating the same, and a transformer circuit using the same are disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a trench metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor for switching a load of current supplied from a power source, and a boost controller for controlling driving of the trench MOS transistor, the boost controller being formed with the trench MOS transistor on a single semiconductor device to form an integrated structure. In this structure, the physical space of the semiconductor device is reduced, thereby reducing the size of a DC-DC transformer circuit using the semiconductor device. It is possible to obtain finely-adjusted output values by controlling values of the ripple current and ripple voltage. A desired operational stability according to a variation in temperature can also be secured.
US07956419B2
A very low VCEON non punch through trench IGBT built-in non-epitaxial float zone silicon has a depletion stop layer structure added to its bottom surface.
US07956413B2
In a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having an N-channel field effect transistor, the N-channel field effect transistor is formed by a process including the steps of forming a high dielectric constant gate insulating film on a substrate, forming a gate electrode on the high dielectric constant gate insulating film, forming an extension region by introducing N-type impurities into the substrate by using at least the gate electrode as a mask, and forming a pocket region by introducing P-type impurities under the extension region in the substrate by using at least the gate electrode as a mask. An amount of arsenic (As) that is introduced as the N-type impurities is in a range that is equal to or lower than a prescribed value that is determined based on a thickness of the high dielectric constant gate insulating film.
US07956410B2
A trench DMOS transistor employing trench contacts has overvoltage protection for prevention of shortage between gate and source, comprising a plurality of first-type function trenched gates, at least one second-type function trenched gate and at least two third-type function trenched gates extending through body regions and into an epitaxial layer. The first-type function trenched gates are located in active area surrounded by a source region encompassed in the body region in the epitaxial layer for current conduction. The second-type function trenched gates are disposed underneath a gate metal with a gate trenched contacts filled with metal plug for gate metal connection. The third type function trenched gates are disposed directly and symmetrically underneath ESD trenched contact areas of anode and cathode in an ESD protection diode, serving as a buffer layer for prevention of gate-body shortage.
US07956403B2
A flash memory includes a substrate with a protrusion, a control gate, two floating gates, and a dielectric layer. The protrusion extends from a top face of the substrate. The control gate is formed on the protrusion of the substrate and extendedly covers opposite sidewalls of the protrusion. The floating gates are respectively formed on top of the protrusion and being on two opposite sides of the control gate. The dielectric layer is sandwiched the control gate and each of the two floating gates. Because of the arcuate control gate used in the flash memory, the controllability of the control gate is increased and the memory cell window is enhanced.
US07956393B2
A composition for a photoresist stripper and a method of fabricating a thin film transistor array substrate are provided according to one or more embodiments. In one or more embodiments, the composition includes about 5-30 weight % of a chain amine compound, about 0.5-10 weight % of a cyclic amine compound, about 10-80 weight % of a glycol ether compound, about 5-30 weight % of distilled water, and about 0.1-5 weight % of a corrosion inhibitor.
US07956379B2
Disclosed are a light emitting device, a method of manufacturing the same, a light emitting device package, and a lighting system. The light emitting device includes a conductive support member, a light emitting structure layer including a first conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conductive semiconductor layer on the conductive support member, and an electrode on the light emitting structure layer. The conductive support member has a curved lateral surface recessed inward.
US07956369B2
A light emitting device comprising: a polar template; a p-type layer grown thereon; the p-type layer having a first polarization vector having a first projection relative to a growth direction; an n-type layer grown on the p-type layer; the n-type layer having a second polarization vector that is larger than the first polarization vector; the n-type layer and p-type layer forming an interface. Another preferred embodiment light emitting device comprises a polar template; an n-type layer grown on the template; the n-type layer having a first polarization vector having a first projection relative to a growth direction; a p-type layer grown on the n-type layer having a second polarization vector that is larger than the first polarization vector. In both embodiments, the first polarization vector in the p-layer and second polarization vector in the n-layer create discontinuity at the interface resulting in a negative charge appearing at the interface.
US07956367B2
A light-emitting device operating on a high drive voltage and a small drive current. LEDs (1) are two-dimensionally formed on an insulating substrate (10) of e.g., sapphire monolithically and connected in series to form an LED array. Two such LED arrays are connected to electrodes (32) in inverse parallel. Air-bridge wiring (28) is formed between the LEDs (1) and between the LEDs (1) and electrodes (32). The LED arrays are arranged zigzag to form a plurality of LEDs (1) to produce a high drive voltage and a small drive current. Two LED arrays are connected in inverse parallel, and therefore an AC power supply can be used as the power supply.
US07956358B2
A memory device includes two electrodes, vertically separated and having mutually opposed contact surfaces, between which lies a phase change cell. The phase change cell includes an upper phase change member, having a contact surface in electrical contact with the first electrode; a lower phase change member, having a contact surface in electrical contact with the second electrode; and a kernel member disposed between and in electrical contact with the upper and lower phase change members. The phase change cell is formed of material having at least two solid phases, and the lateral extent of the upper and lower phase change members is substantially greater than that of the kernel member. An intermediate insulating layer is disposed between the upper and lower phase change members adjacent to the kernel member.
US07956357B2
Timely testing of die on wafer reduces the cost to manufacture ICs. This disclosure describes a die test structure and process to reduce test time by adding test pads on the top surface of the die. The added test pads allow a tester to probe and test more circuits within the die simultaneously. Also, the added test pads contribute to a reduction in the amount of test wiring overhead traditionally required to access and test circuits within a die, thus reducing die size.
US07956355B2
An organic electroluminescent device, which, on a substrate, has a plurality of first electrodes, and a second electrode opposing the plurality of first electrodes. The organic electroluminescent device also including a light-emitting functional layer between the second electrode and one of the first electrodes and a buffering layer that covers the second electrode. The buffering layer having a side end portion with an angle equal to or less than 30°. The organic electroluminescent device further including a gas barrier layer that covers the buffering layer.
US07956335B2
A wafer holding assembly is provided that is capable of preventing the temperature difference generated between a wafer and a holding pin through beam irradiation.In one embodiment, the wafer holding assembly has a plurality of holding pins for holding a wafer in the ion implanting apparatus, the holding pin comprises a head contacting with an end face of the wafer to control motion of the wafer and a flange projecting from the head to place the wafer, and the head is provided with a canopy portion extending in a direction different from a side placing the wafer.
US07956329B2
A flame detector is provided which comprises a housing (1), a test source of electromagnetic radiation (4) and a sensor (7). The source of electromagnetic radiation (4) and the sensor (7) are mounted within the housing (1). The source of electromagnetic radiation (4) is arranged to direct its output onto the sensor (7). The source of electromagnetic radiation (4) is arranged to emit radiation which simulates a flame. In this way, a means is provided within the housing (1) of the flame detector to test the flame detector without the need for an external test source, such as a test fire or a bulky and expensive test torch.
US07956327B2
A method of determining degree of aging of an incompletely cured polymer resin material collecting IR spectra on a series of standards with carefully controlled aging time and data collected at appropriate time intervals with the standard LC method for determining cure condition of the material, using said spectra and LC data to make a multivariate calibration model and using said model to predict the cure condition of uncured samples of interest.
US07956326B1
A system for detection and control of deposition on pendant tubes in recovery and power boilers includes one or more deposit monitoring sensors operating in infrared regions of about 4 or 8.7 microns and directly producing images of the interior of the boiler, or producing feeding signals to a data processing system for information to enable a distributed control system by which the boilers are operated to operate said boilers more efficiently. The data processing system includes an image pre-processing circuit in which a 2-D image formed by the video data input is captured, and includes a low pass filter for performing noise filtering of said video input. It also includes an image compensation system for array compensation to correct for pixel variation and dead cells, etc., and for correcting geometric distortion. An image segmentation module receives a cleaned image from the image pre-processing circuit for separating the image of the recovery boiler interior into background, pendant tubes, and deposition. It also accomplishes thresholding/clustering on gray scale/texture and makes morphological transforms to smooth regions, and identifies regions by connected components. An image-understanding unit receives a segmented image sent from the image segmentation module and matches derived regions to a 3-D model of said boiler. It derives a 3-D structure the deposition on pendant tubes in the boiler and provides the information about deposits to the plant distributed control system for more efficient operation of the plant pendant tube cleaning and operating systems.
US07956312B2
An optical disc device comprising: first and second laser diodes to radiate first and second laser beams with different first and second wavelengths, respectively; a first objective lens to irradiate the first laser beam to reflection area to read out image recording control data for controlling record of image recorded in the reflection area on label side of optical disc; a second objective lens to irradiate the second laser beam to image recording area to record image in the image recording area on the label side after reading out the data; a lens holder that the lenses are fixed thereon to be arranged side by side in radial direction, to be displaced in direction toward signal side and the radial direction; and a control unit to obtain distance between the lenses in the radial direction to calibrate recording position of image signal recorded in the image recording area.
US07956310B2
A stage onto which is electrostatically attracted a substrate to be processed in a substrate processing apparatus, which enables the semiconductor device yield to be improved. A temperature measuring apparatus 200 measures a temperature of the substrate to be processed. A temperature control unit 400 carries out temperature adjustment on the substrate to be processed such as to become equal to a target temperature based on a preset parameter. A temperature control unit 400 controls the temperature of the substrate to be processed by controlling the temperature adjustment by the temperature control unit 400 based on a measured temperature measured by the temperature measuring apparatus 200.
US07956290B2
In high-frequency digital A/V cable having high-frequency signal line sets and low-frequency signal lines arranged in a parallel array, a metal shielding layer is set within an isolation layer inside the outer plastic sheath to surround the two high-frequency signal lines of each high-frequency signal line set for EMI protection, and a metal ground wire is arranged within the outer plastic sheath at one lateral side of the parallel array of the high-frequency signal line sets and low-frequency signal lines in a parallel manner.
US07956289B2
An outer casing of a control cable has a small stroke loss and a small variation of freeplay length, even when the degree of bending varies. An outer casing is formed so that an armor layer of two threads configuration is formed, in which a trapezoidal wire made of metal and a round wire 17 or an oval wire are respectively aligned and wound spirally, and on the surface of the armor layer, a coating made of synthetic resin is provided. A control cable is formed so that an inner cable is inserted into the outer casing. The ratio of width in the axis direction of the round wire 17 or the oval wire to the width of the bottom of the trapezoidal wire 16 is 0.3 to 2, the ratio of the thickness of the round wire 17 or the oval wire to the thickness of the trapezoidal wire is 0.5 to 1, the ratio of the winding pitch P of the spiral to the outer diameter D2 of the armor layer 13 is 0.25 to 0.8.
US07956280B2
To provide the solar cell module retaining structure, the frame for the solar cell module, and the holding member for the solar cell module, which reduces the number of members relating to the solar cell module retaining structure, standardizes the installation process thereof, and reduces the cost of manufacturing and installing. The solar cell module retaining structure is to fix the solar cell module which comprises the solar cell panel body with the modular glass (6) and the frame (1) to be fixed to the solar panel body to the supporting member (42) via the holding member (2), wherein the frame (1) and the holding member (2) are for the retaining structure of the solar cell module; the holding member (2) can slide relative to the frame (1); the holding member (2) can keep two adjacent frames of two adjacent solar cell modules contacted and restrict one solar cell module from moving in the right angle direction relative to the extending direction of the frame (1); and the holding member (2) is fixed to the supporting member (42) at the lower side of the other solar cell module.
US07956279B2
A reliable solar cell module is provided whereby the liquid is less likely to stay thereon, thus dirt is less likely to occur on the light receiving surface of the solar cell module even in a prolonged use. A solar cell module comprising a solar cell panel P configured by arranging a solar cell element between a light receiving surface side member and a rear surface side member, and a module frame W1 fixed to the solar cell panel P surrounds the solar cell panel P with its interior surface being abutted with an external peripheral part of the light receiving surface side member is provided. In this solar cell module, the module frame W1 has a notch 27 that extends from its inner part towards its external part in plan view from a side of the light receiving surface side member and is provided with an end portion 5 on an exterior side surface of the frame member, and this notch 27 has a draw part 4 with smallest width at an inner part rather than at the end portion 5.
US07956268B1
A foot pedal striking adjustment apparatus is installed on an axle of a foot pedal percussion instrument. The axle is hinged on an upper side of a pair of bracing posts. The bracing posts have a lower side fastened to a foot pedal holder. The foot pedal holder has a rear side hinged on a pedal. The foot pedal striking adjustment apparatus comprises a flywheel holder run through by the axle to turn synchronously, a flywheel having a lower side hinged on a clamping element to form a clamping space to clamp the flywheel holder. The flywheel and clamping element are movable forwards and rearwards to change pendent range of a drawing element suspended from the flywheel. Thereby the gradient of the pedal can be adjusted to alter the striking force on a drum.
US07956262B1
An apparatus for a guitar comprising a first compressible member, one or more spacers and a second compressible member. The second compressible member may be configured to receive the one or more spacers and engage the first compressible member when a force is applied to the first compressible member.
US07956258B2
A new and distinct Guzmania hybrid named ‘METEOR’ characterized by solid growth habit; funnel-form rosette plant, measuring about 42 cm to 48 cm in height (above the pot when flowering); numerous, green color foliage, measuring about 32 cm to 38 cm in length and about 3.4 cm to 4.6 cm in width; superior floral bract production; bracts have a unique, compound red inflorescence (closest to RHS 46A) which distinguishes this cultivar from typical Guzmania; compound inflorescence, measuring about 7 cm in height and about 15 cm in diameter; and long-lasting habit.
US07956254B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH651588. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH651588, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH651588 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH651588.
US07956252B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH482178. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH482178, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH482178 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH482178.
US07956236B2
An absorbent article including a backsheet, an absorbent core, a topsheet with apertures, and a sublayer that includes at least one acquisition layer. The sublayer includes a multitude of holes. At least some of the apertures overlap partially at least some of the holes to form combined apertures in an overlap area that has an open area of between 15% and 50%. The absorbent article may provide improved isolation of feces away from the skin of a wearer of the absorbent article and/or improved immobilization of feces received by the absorbent article.
US07956232B2
Compositions and methods for destroying biological agents such as toxins and bacteria are provided wherein the substance to be destroyed is contacted with finely divided metal oxide or hydroxide nanocrystals. In various embodiments, the metal oxide or metal hydroxide nanocrystals have reactive atoms stabilized on their surfaces, species adsorbed on their surfaces, or are coated with a second metal oxide. The desired metal oxide or metal hydroxide nanocrystals can be pressed into pellets for use when a powder is not feasible. Preferred metal oxides for the methods include MgO, SrO, BaO, CaO, TiO2, ZrO2, FeO, V2O3, V2O5, Mn2O3, Fe2O3, NiO, CuO, Al2O3, SiO2, ZnO, Ag2O, [Ce(NO3)3—Cu(NO3)2]TiO2, Mg(OH)2, Ca(OH)2, Al(OH)3, Sr(OH)2, Ba(OH)2, Fe(OH)3, Cu(OH)3, Ni(OH)2, Co(OH)2, Zn(OH)2, AgOH, and mixtures thereof.
US07956226B2
A traction drive fluid composition which comprises component (A) a base oil for traction drives bearing at least one selected from a quaternary carbon atom or an alicyclic structure in the molecule and component (B) at least one polymer having a weight average molecular weight in the range of 8,000 to 40,000 and which is selected from among (a) hydrocarbon polymers each containing as a constituent at least 10 mole % of a monomer bearing a cyclic structure, (b) hydrocarbon polymers each containing at least 25% of quaternary carbon atoms in the backbone chain, and (c) hydrogenated products from the polymers (a) and (b). The traction drive fluid composition is improved in viscosity index without lowering the traction coefficient to a level lower than that of the base oil and is excellent in shear stability.
US07956215B2
Disclosed is a process and apparatus for treating a purge stream in a carboxylic acid production process. The process employs a purge process that allows for the separation of oxidation byproducts into benzoic acid and non-benzoic acid oxidation byproducts, thus providing flexibility in the treatment and use of such oxidation byproducts.
US07956208B2
This invention relates a method for the preparation of platinum(II) oxalato complexes from their dihalogenoplatinum(II) precursors having either neutral monodentate or bidentate non-leaving co-ligands. Of particular interest is oxaliplatin. The method includes the step of reacting a halogenoplatinum(II) complex containing a neutral monodentate or bidentate ligand with an oxalate in a non-aqueous solvent or a mixed solvent system. The mixed solvent system is solvent mixture containing a non-aqueous solvent and water. According to the present invention, the non-aqueous solvent is an alcohol.
US07956204B2
A process for oxidation of hydrocarbon, comprising contacting said hydrocarbon with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of crystalline, titanosilicate zeolite TS-1 catalyst for a time and at a temperature effective to oxidize said hydrocarbon, wherein the catalyst is in the form of binderless, shaped particles comprising titanosilicate, TS-1 and titanosilicate TS-1 precursors and having a defined cross sectional diameter. Also, a process for epoxidation of olefins using crystalline, titanosilicate zeolite TS-1 catalyst. Also a process for oxidation of hydrocarbon using crystalline, titanosilicate TS-1 catalyst, wherein the catalyst is in the form of binderless, shaped particles having a crystallite size of less than 0.2 micron and a defined cross sectional diameter.
US07956196B2
Novel 1,3-dihydro-benzimidazol-2-ylidene amine derivatives of formula the addition salts and stereochemically isomeric forms wherein each Alk is C1-6alkanediyl; Q is hydrogen; C1-6alkyl substituted with one or two Ar2 radicals; C1-6alkyl substituted with quinolinyl, oxazolidinyl, thiazolidinyl, morpholinyl, thiomorpholinyl, or with pyrrolidinonyl; —CO—Ar2; or Q is a radical of formula wherein t is 1, 2 or 3; R4 is amino, mono-or di(C1-6alkyl)amino; R1 is Ar2, —CO—Ar2 or a monocyclic or bicyclic heterocycle which may optionally be substituted; R2 is as R1 and additionally can be hydrogen; where Q is other than hydrogen, R3 is hydrogen; and where Q is other than hydrogen, R3 is a radical: wherein R6 is hydrogen, C1-6alkyl, substituted C1-6alkyl; R7, R8, R9 are halo, cyano, C1-6alkyl, substituted C1-6alkyl, C2-6alkenyl, cyanoC2-6alkenyl, C2-6alkynyl, cyanoC2 6alkynyl, Ar1, R10a—0—, R10a—S—, —N(R5aR5b), R10a—O—C(═O)—, N(R5aR5b)—C(═O)—, R10a—C(═O)—NR5b—, R10b—C(═O)—O—; and R8 and/or R9 may also be hydrogen; which are RSV inhibitors. Compositions containing these compounds and processes for preparing these compounds and compositions.
US07956190B2
Objects of the present invention are the compounds of formula (I) their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, enantiomeric forms, diastereoisomers and racemates, the preparation of the above-mentioned compounds, medicaments containing them and their manufacture, as well as the use of the above-mentioned compounds in the control or prevention of illnesses such as cancer.
US07956188B2
Compounds of the general formula (I); wherein the substituents are as defined in claim 1, are useful as fungicides.
US07956185B2
Compounds of formula (I) where X1, C1, and D1 are defined herein, are inhibitors of polo-like kinases. The compounds of formula (I) are useful for treatment of diseases of cellular proliferation, such as, for example, cancer.
US07956183B2
A method for the synthesis of a diaminophenothiazinium compound of the following formula: comprising (a) purifying a corresponding reduced compound which is N-acylated at the heterocyclic nitrogen; (b) deacylating the purified compound to provide the corresponding reduced compound; and (c) oxidizing the reduced compound to provide the diaminophenothiazinium compound. Optional purification may performed, for example, after deacylating and after oxidizing. The method provides high purity diaminophenothiazinium compounds which are suitable for pharmaceutical and related therapeutic uses. Such uses include inactivating pathogens, the treatment of the infectious diseases, and for the treatment of diseases of protein aggregation, such as tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease.
US07956182B2
This invention relates to a process for producing optically active alcohols using asymmetric reduction of aromatic ketones. This process gives optically active alcohols in high enantioselectivity in a large scale production.
US07956179B2
Disclosed is a synthesis suitable for large scale manufacture of an A2A-adenosine receptor agonist, and also relates to polymorphs of that compound, and to methods of isolating a specific polymorph.
US07956171B2
The disclosure provides nucleotide analogs and methods of their use. Analogs of the invention comprise a reporter molecule (label) attached via the N4, N6, O4, or O6 position of the nitrogenous base portion of the analog. In a preferred embodiment, nucleotide analogs of the invention comprise a label attached to the nitrogenous base portion of the analog via a cleavable linker at the N4, O4, N6 or O6 position.
US07956166B2
Thus, a primary aspect of the present invention relates to a method for the fractionation of a protein-containing mixture wherein the protein-containing mixture is selected from the group consisting of milk, milk derived products, milk derived raw materials, vegetable derived products, vegetable derived extracts, fruit derived products, fruit derived extracts, fish derived products, and fish derived extracts, said method comprising the steps of: a) optionally adjusting the pH of the mixture; b) applying said mixture to an adsorption column comprising an adsorbent, said adsorbent comprises a particle with at least one high density non-porous core, surrounded by a porous material, the adsorbent having a particle density of at least 1.5 g/ml and a mean particle size of at most 150 μm; c) optionally washing the column; d) eluting at least one protein from the adsorbent.
US07956162B2
The present invention provides a novel cancer-associated antigen that can be used in the treatment and diagnosis of cancer. Further, the invention provides amino acid and nucleic acid sequence of the novel antigen, binding proteins, and immuno-conjugates. The invention also relates to diagnostic and therapeutic methods and kits.
US07956156B2
A process is described for removing isobutene oligomers from an isobutene polymer by stripping the isobutene polymer with vapors of a saturated hydrocarbon having at least 8 carbon atoms and at least partly driving out the isobutene oligomers. Troublesome isobutene oligomers are substantially removed without impairing the reactivity of the isobutene polymer (expressed as the content of the methylidene double bonds).
US07956155B2
The present invention relates to a process for preparing a new nanoporous crystalline form of syndiotactic polystyrene, to the thus obtained crystalline form, to molecular-complex crystalline phases obtained by exposition of such crystalline form to low-molecular-mass molecules, and to the related processes for their preparation.
US07956145B2
A polymer containing units represented by the defined formula (1); and a process for producing the polymer, which comprises the step of polymerizing a compound represented by the defined formula (3), the units represented by the formula (1) being polymerized units of the compound represented by the formula (3) such as 9,9-diallylfluorene.
US07956143B1
Compositions for bonding substrate surfaces, particularly steel, aluminum, and urethane-primed galvanized steel, are disclosed. Desirably, the compositions include a stable emulsion including: (a) at least one curable (meth)acrylate component; (b) at least three different elastomeric polymers that are soluble and/or partially soluble in the (meth)acrylate component; and (c) optionally at least one elastomeric polymer that is not soluble in the (meth)acrylate component. Methods for preparing and methods for using these compositions also are disclosed.
US07956137B2
A polymerisation reactor comprising one or more circulation loops with one or more inlets for raw material, one or more outlets, and a circulation pump for circulating a reactor charge within the circulation loop. A by-pass line for by-passing the circulation pump connects a point of the loop upstream of the pump with a point downstream of the pump, both points being provided with a three way valve.
US07956135B2
The invention relates to novel crosslinkable copolymers of formula wherein the variables are as defined in the claims. The copolymers of the invention are especially useful for the manufacture of biomedical moldings, for example ophthalmic moldings such as in particular contact lenses.
US07956127B2
Disclosed herein are a polycarbonate resin composition and a plastic article produced from the resin composition. The polycarbonate resin composition includes about 85 to about 99 parts by weight of a polycarbonate resin and about 1 to about 15 parts by weight of a core-shell graft copolymer, wherein the core-shell graft copolymer has a core-shell structure in which a vinyl monomer including methyl methacrylate and phenyl methacrylate is grafted onto a rubber.
US07956119B2
A coating composition for a soft feel coating on portable terminals and electronic instruments having excellent discoloration resistance, heat resistance, yellowing resistance and anti-fouling properties is disclosed. The coating composition includes an oligomer composition obtained by blending polybutadiene polyol and polyolefinic acid, and various additives added to the oligomer composition. The coating composition is coated onto surfaces of portable terminals and electronic instruments.
US07956115B2
The present invention is to provide a light-controlling film giving an excellent haze, and a compound and a composition which enable to produce the film. The invention provides phenyl acrylate represented by the formula (I); a composition comprising the phenyl acrylate and at least two kinds of compounds having a polymerizable carbon-carbon bond in a molecule; and a film obtained by photo-curing the above-mentioned composition. (wherein R represents a methyl group or a hydrogen atom.)
US07956114B2
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to modified rosin mildly activated (RMA) fluxes and methods of soldering components on printed circuit boards. The modified RMA flux includes a RMA flux material and a randomizing additive. The randomizing additive causes misalignment of the hydrogen bonds between terpine polymer chains created from the RMA flux material during soldering. The resulting modified RMA flux performs as well as, or better than traditional RMA fluxes, but the flux residue remaining after soldering can be removed with a highly polar solvent, such as soapy water.
US07956112B2
An aqueous fluoropolymer dispersion comprising an aqueous medium, fluoropolymer particles, and an amine oxide surfactant. Coagulated fluoropolymer resin is produced from the dispersion by adding an acidic reagent in sufficient amount to cause coagulation and separation of the coagulated fluoropolymer resin from the aqueous medium. Another particulate component such as particular polymer, filler, pigment, solid lubricant, etc., may be added to the dispersion and co-coagulated to form a mixture of coagulated fluoropolymer resin and particulate component.
US07956104B2
A pourable opaque centerport for solid propellant rocket motors and method for applying the same are disclosed. The pourable centerport inhibitor for solid propellant rocket motors has a curing system that includes a prepolymer and a curing agent. The prepolymer and the curing agent are combined to form a pourable polymeric binder that cures into an amorphous solid. The pourable centerport inhibitor also includes an opaque agent. The pourable centerport inhibitor may also include a plasticizer. The plasticizer, the prepolymer, and the curing agent are preferably the same type that is in the solid propellant with which it will be used in conjunction.
US07956102B2
The invention provides an ink which comprises: a metal oxide precursor, a stress reliever, and a solvent.
US07956095B2
The invention relates to a process for the extrusion of thermoplastic polymers having acid ionic groups.The process consists in preparing a mixture composed of a thermoplastic polymer having acid ionic groups and a plasticizer, in extruding the mixture obtained to form a film, then in washing the film obtained in aqueous medium to remove said plasticizer(s). The plasticizer is chosen from non-volatile compounds which are stable with respect to the ionic groups of the polymer, which are soluble in water or in solvents that are miscible with water, said plasticizers being chosen from the compounds that react with the ionic group of the polymer via formation of a weak bond of the hydrogen bond-type, and the compounds that react with the ionic group of the polymer via formation of a strong bond, of the ionic bond-type.
US07956084B2
The invention relates to thiophene carboxamides of formula (I), wherein A, R1, R2, R3, n and X are as defined in the specification, processes and intermediates used in their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and their use in therapy.
US07956083B2
The present invention relates to novel indole derivatives having pharmacological activity, processes for their preparation, compositions containing them and the use of these compounds in the treatment of estrogen receptor beta mediated diseases.
US07956081B2
A low salt protein solution not capable of forming a gel is obtained from animal muscle tissue by forming an aqueous acidic protein solution which is filtered to remove salt and acid. The low salt protein solution can be formed into a gel by adding a physiologically acceptable salt to the low salt protein solution and heating the resultant protein solution with added salt.
US07956077B2
The present invention comprises compounds and compositions for the treatment of metabolic disorders and more particularly, those insulin-related metabolic disorders of the blood such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes, insulin-resistence and the like comprising acetic acid derivatives with cyclohexylmethoxy substituents and their salts. Known as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) agonists/antagonists, the invention relates to compounds of formula I wherein the various substituent R-groups are more specifically defined herein.
US07956071B2
Imidazole compounds, compositions, and methods of using them in leukocyte recruitment inhibition, in modulating H4 receptor expression, and in treating conditions such as inflammation, H4 receptor-mediated conditions, and related conditions.
US07956060B2
The present invention provides an antitumor agent and the like, which comprises as an active ingredient, a pyrimidine derivative represented by Formula (I): [wherein —X—Y—Z— represents —O—CR3═N— (wherein R3 represents a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic heterocyclic group and the like) and the like, R1 represents —NR10R11 (wherein R10 and R11 may be the same or different, and each represents a hydrogen atom, substituted or unsubstituted lower alkyl and the like) and the like, R2 represents —NR13R14 (wherein R13 and R14 may be the same or different, and each represents a hydrogen atom, substituted or unsubstituted lower alkyl and the like)] or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
US07956048B2
New polymorphs of Eltrombopag and Eltrombopag ethanolamine salt have been obtained and characterized. These polymorphs and pharmaceutical compositions comprising them are useful, for example, in treating conditions leading to thrombocytopenia.
US07956040B2
The invention relates to a composition for pharmaceutical or dietary use that possesses antioxidant activity and characterized in that it contains as active principle a combination of catechin quercetin, which exert a synergistic action when combined in mutual molar ratios selected within a critical range, from 6:1 to 3:1 mol of catechin:quercetin.
US07956038B2
The present invention relates to the use of a protein, GASP1, comprising at least one follistatin domain to modulate the level or activity of growth and differentiation factor-8 (GDF-8). More particularly, the invention relates to the use of GASP1 for treating disorders that are related to modulation of the level or activity of GDF-8. The invention is useful for treating muscular diseases and disorders, particularly those in which an increase in muscle tissue would be therapeutically beneficial. The invention is also useful for treating diseases and disorders related to metabolism, adipose tissue, and bone degeneration.
US07956036B2
A marker for neovascularization, vascular disease, inflammatory disease, entoptic neovascular disease, reproductive system disease, central nervous system disease and cancer, the method of detection of the marker and a diagnosis kit of the diseases are provided. Additionally, therapeutic agents of the diseases are provided.The expression of KIAA1036 is enhanced in ovarian cancer and large bowel cancer and KIAA1036 expresses in umbilical vein endothelial cell and inhibits DNA synthesis in the cells, cell migrating and lumen formation. Therefore KIAA1036 is useful as a marker for neovascularization, vascular disease, inflammatory disease, entoptic neovascular disease, reproductive system disease, central nervous system disease or cancer. Additionally, KIAA1036 is useful for screening of agonists, antagonists, DNA synthesis inhibitors, cell migrating inhibitors and neovascular inhibitors. The substances obtained by the screening, KIAA1036 and the antibodies are useful as therapeutic agents the above disease.
US07956035B2
A method for the treatment of endothelial dysfunction in a diabetic patient, including both diabetes induced macrovascular disorders and diabetes induced microvascular disorders, comprises administration, preferably parenteral administration, to the patient of an effective amount of high density lipoprotein (HDL).
US07956031B2
Formulations are provided for the trigger and release of bioenergy. The formulations generally include a trigger complex, an elemental complex and a coenzyme-vitamin B complex. The trigger complex is high in fiber and includes at least one metal-binding protein in an alkaline buffer system. The elemental complex includes one or more trace element as a suitable salt. The coenzyme-vitamin B complex includes one or more coenzyme, coenzyme precursor and/or B-vitamin. The compositions can be administered orally in a variety of forms.
US07956025B2
Fibers and fabrics having microcapsules containing active components adhered to the fibers and textiles by a binder material are provided. The fibers and textiles are produced by applying to the fiber and textiles a dispersion containing the microcapsules and the binder.
US07956023B2
Provided is a lubricant solution for a magnetic recording media, wherein the lubricant solution includes a lubricant that is excellent in chemical stability and capable of imparting excellent lubricity to the lubricant solution, and a solvent having a suitable dissolving power for the lubricant, being excellent in drying properties and not influential over the ozone layer. Also provided is a lubricant solution including a lubricant and a fluorinated alkyl ether. Further provided is a lubricant solution including a compound of the formula (HO—CH2—CF2(OCF2CF2)dO—)3Y, wherein Y is a trivalent perfluorohydrocarbon group, as the lubricant and 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl ether as the fluorinated alkyl ether.
US07956022B2
A process for preparing alkylhydroxybenzoate detergent-dispersant additives having low sulfur content and high TBN is described. The alkali metal alkylhydroxylbenzoate, alkaline earth metal alkylhydroxybenzoate and overbased alkaline earth metal alkylhydroxybenzoate reaction products described have a sulfur content in the range of from about 0.1 to 1.2 wt % are effective anti-corrosive detergent-dispersant additives in lubricating oil compositions.
US07956017B2
A method for treating solid materials is disclosed, where the treating compositions coats surfaces or portions of surfaces of the solid materials changing an aggregation or agglomeration propensity of the materials. Treated solid materials are also disclosed. The methods and treated materials are ideally suited for oil field applications.
US07956014B2
The present invention relates to a liquid, self-breakable, temporary viscosifier agent (yield point enhancer) for oil based drilling muds, obtained by reacting one or more dicarboxylic fatty acids with a secondary dialkanolamine and thereafter with a tertiary tialkanolamine, and to oil based drilling muds containing it.
US07956013B2
Compositions having pH-dependent viscosity, thickener systems containing the same, and uses therefor
Compositions comprising: (A) at least one surfactant of the general formula (I) (R1—[(O—(CH2)2)x1(O—CH(CH3)CH2)x2]O)kP(═O)(OH)3-k (I) wherein the sequence of the alkyleneoxy units is arbitrary, each R1 independently represents a moiety selected from the group consisting of linear and branched C12-C22-alkyl, C12-C22-alkenyl, C12-C22-alkynyl, (C11-C21-alkyl)carbonyl, (C11-C21-alkenyl)carbonyl and (C11-C21-alkynyl)carbonyl, k represents 1 or 2 and x1 and x2 each independently represent an integer of 0 to 20, the sum of x1 and x2 being a number of 1 to 20; and (B) at least one thickener comprising at least two hydrophobic groups R2 which are linked to one another via a bridging hydrophilic group (α), wherein each R2, independently represents a moiety selected from the group consisting of C8-C32-alkyl, C8-C32-alkenyl, C8-C32-alkynyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, and aryl-C1-C32-alkyl, which in each case may have up to 3 hydroxyl substituents; wherein the composition has a pH which is viscosity-dependent.
US07956008B2
The present invention provides a donor substrate used in forming a light emitting layer by forming a transfer layer containing light emission material, irradiating a radiation ray to the transfer layer while the transfer layer and a substrate to be transferred face each other, and sublimating or vaporizing the transfer layer so that the transfer layer is transferred to the substrate to be transferred. The donor substrate includes: a base; a photothermal conversion layer arranged on the base; and a heat interfering layer arranged between the base and the photothermal conversion layer, and including two or more layers with refraction index different from each other.
US07955996B2
A flame or heat flux protective coating composition, which includes a dispersion of fiberglass, hollow glass spheres, or a combination of both in silicone. A flame or heat flux protective sheet, which includes hollow glass spheres dispersed in silicone in a sheet form or fiberglass and silicone in a sheet form, wherein the fiberglass is dispersed in the silicone or the fiberglass is a woven cloth coated with the silicone is also presented. Articles incorporating the flame or heat flux protective coating or sheet form and methods for coating an article with the flame or heat flux protective coating composition are also presented.
US07955995B2
An object is to provide a technique to manufacture an insulating film having excellent film characteristics. In particular, an object is to provide a technique to manufacture a dense insulating film with a high withstand voltage. Moreover, an object is to provide a technique to manufacture an insulating film with few electron traps. An insulating film including oxygen is subjected to plasma treatment using a high frequency under the conditions where the electron density is 1×1011 cm−3 or more and the electron temperature is 1.5 eV or less in an atmosphere including oxygen.
US07955992B2
A method of forming a passivation layer comprises contacting at least one surface of a wide band-gap semiconductor material with a passivating agent comprising an alkali hypochloride to form the passivation layer on said at least one surface. The passivation layer may be encapsulated with a layer of encapsulation material.
US07955976B2
The present invention relates to methods of forming semiconductor structures. The methods may include disposing electrically conductive material within an opening in a first dielectric material, passivating an upper surface of the electrically conductive material and introducing materials to form an interlayer dielectric upon the passivated upper surface. The present invention also includes methods of passivating surfaces of a semiconductor structure with a nitrogen-containing species.
US07955966B2
Methods for making solder balls, which can be used to bump semiconductor wafers are disclosed. Methods for bumping semiconductor wafers with the solder balls are also disclosed. The solder balls can be made using an injection molded soldering (IMS) process.
US07955964B2
A method of forming an integrated circuit structure includes providing a semiconductor substrate; forming patterned features over the semiconductor substrate, wherein gaps are formed between the patterned features; filling the gaps with a first filling material, wherein the first filling material has a first top surface higher than top surfaces of the patterned features; and performing a first planarization to lower the top surface of the first filling material, until the top surfaces of the patterned features are exposed. The method further includes depositing a second filling material, wherein the second filling material has a second top surface higher than the top surfaces of the patterned features; and performing a second planarization to lower the top surface of the second filling material, until the top surfaces of the patterned features are exposed.
US07955956B2
The invention provides a method for recycling/reclaiming a monitor or test wafer and a method for testing an integrated circuit manufacturing process. After a monitor wafer has been used for testing one or more semiconductor wafer processing steps to determine adequacy for use with production wafers, deposited materials and other residues from the tested processing steps are removed, and the stripped wafer is subjected to a thermal anneal to repair defects in its surface and return it to a reusable condition.
US07955954B2
A semiconductor device and method. One embodiment provides an integral array of first carriers and an integral array of second carries connected to the integral array of first carriers. First semiconductor chips are arranged on the integral array of first carriers. The integral array of second carriers is arranged over the first semiconductor chips.
US07955953B2
A method of packaging semiconductor integrated circuits, including the steps of providing a transfer film and forming a patterned, conductive layer on a surface of the transfer film. A first semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) then is attached to the transfer film, where an active side of the first IC is attached to the transfer film. A second semiconductor IC then is attached to the first IC, where a bottom side of the second IC is attached to a bottom side of the first IC. Die pads on an active surface of the second IC are electrically connected to the conductive layer with wires and then a resin material is provided on one side of the transfer film to encapsulate the first and second ICs, the wires and a portion of the conductive layer. Next the transfer film is removed, which exposes the active side of the first IC and the conductive layer. An electrical distribution layer is formed over the active side of the first IC and the conductive layer and conductive balls are attached to the electrical distribution layer. The conductive balls allow electrical interconnection to the first and second integrated circuits.
US07955950B2
A diffusion barrier layer is incorporated between a top semiconductor layer and buried oxide layer. The diffusion barrier layer blocks diffusion of dopants into or out of buried oxide layer. The diffusion barrier layer may comprise a dielectric material such as silicon oxynitride or a high-k gate dielectric material. Alternately, the diffusion barrier layer may comprise a semiconductor material such as SiC. Such materials provide less charge trapping than a silicon nitride layer, which causes a high level of interface trap density and charge in the buried oxide layer. Thus, diffusion of dopants from and into semiconductor devices through the buried oxide layer is suppressed by the diffusion barrier layer without inducing a high interface trap density or charge in the buried oxide layer.
US07955943B2
In one embodiment, a high voltage element is formed overlying a doped semiconductor region that can be depleted during the operation of the high voltage element includes a conductor overlying a space in a resistor.
US07955936B2
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming an SiGe region. The SiGe region can be an embedded source and drain region, or a compressive SiGe channel layer, or other SiGe regions within a semiconductor device. The SiGe region is exposed to an SC1 solution and excess surface portions of the SiGe region are selectively removed. The SC1 etching process can be part of a rework method in which overgrowth regions of SiGe are selectively removed by exposing the SiGe to and SC1 solution maintained at an elevated temperature. The etching process is carried out for a period of time sufficient to remove excess surface portions of SiGe. The SC1 etching process can be carried out at elevated temperatures ranging from about 25° C. to about 65° C.
US07955933B2
A method of manufacturing a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes the steps of preparing a wafer having multiple memory cells, each memory cell having a gate electrode formed on a semiconductor substrate, charge storage units formed on both sides of the gate electrode, lightly doped regions formed beneath the charge storage units, respectively, in the upper part of the semiconductor substrate, and highly doped regions formed in a pair of regions sandwiching a region underneath the gate electrode and the lightly doped regions in between; erasing data stored in the charge storage units electrically; and treating the wafer at a high temperature for a predetermined period of time.
US07955932B2
A single electron transistor includes source/drain layers disposed apart on a substrate, at least one nanowire channel connecting the source/drain layers, a plurality of oxide channel areas in the nanowire channel, the oxide channel areas insulating at least one portion of the nanowire channel, a quantum dot in the portion of the nanowire channel insulated by the plurality of oxide channel areas, and a gate electrode surrounding the quantum dot.
US07955931B2
A method of fabricating a nanotube field-effect transistor having unipolar characteristics and a small inverse sub-threshold slope includes forming a local gate electrode beneath the nanotube between drain and source electrodes of the transistor and doping portions of the nanotube. In a further embodiment, the method includes forming at least one trench in the gate dielectric (e.g., a back gate dielectric) and back gate adjacent to the local gate electrode. Another aspect of the invention is a nanotube field-effect transistor fabricated using such a method.
US07955922B2
A method for manufacturing a fin-type field effect transistor simply and securely by using a SOI (Silicon On Insulator) wafer, capable of suppressing an undercut formation, is disclosed. The method includes forming a fin-shaped protrusion by selectively dry-etching a single crystalline silicon layer until an underlying buried oxide layer is exposed; forming a sacrificial oxide film by oxidizing a surface of the protrusion including a damage inflicted thereon; and forming a fin having a clean surface by removing the sacrificial oxide film by etching, wherein an etching rate r1 of the sacrificial oxide film is higher than an etching rate r2 of the buried oxide layer during the etching.
US07955915B2
The present invention discloses an organic field effect transistor and a manufacturing method thereof. The organic field effect transistor comprises a top-contact type or a bottom-contact type, and the manufacturing method thereof comprises the following steps: a substrate is provided, a metal gate is formed on the substrate, an inorganic insulating layer is formed on the substrate and the metal gate, a surface of the insulating layer is polished, an organic filler is filled in pores on the insulating layer as an insulating treatment, a modified layer is formed on the inorganic insulating layer, and finally an organic semiconductor layer, a source and a drain are formed. By combining the advantages of simply liquefied process of the organic material and the high stability of inorganic material, and operation conditions of control process, the present invention can achieve effectively that the device is high carrier mobility and high on/off ratio.
US07955911B2
A thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) pixel unit and a method for manufacturing the same. The pixel unit comprises a gate line and a gate electrode formed on a substrate and a first gate insulating layer, an active layer, and a doped layer that are sequentially formed on the gate line and the gate electrode. An intercepting trench is formed on the gate line to cut off the doped layer and the active layer on the gate line. A second insulating layer covers the intercepting trench and the substrate where the gate line and the gate electrode are not formed. A pixel electrode is formed on the second insulating layer and a part of the pixel electrode overlaps one of a source and drain electrodes.
US07955900B2
Some embodiments of the invention include a coated thermal interface to bond a die with a heat spreader. The coated thermal interface may be used to bond the die with the heat spreader without flux. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07955897B2
A chip structure according to the present invention is provided. A plurality of pedestals extends from the back surface of the chip structure. Each of the pedestals is located at a position away from the edge of the back surface for a non-zero distance so that the pedestals of an upper chip structure will not damage the bonding pads positioned on the edge of the active surface of a lower chip structure when the upper chip structure is stacked on the active surface of the lower chip structure with the pedestals.
US07955893B2
Power wafer level chip scale package (CSP) and process of manufacture are enclosed. The power wafer level chip scale package includes all source, gate and drain electrodes located on one side of the device, which is convenient for mounting to a printed circuit board (PCB) with solder paste.
US07955892B2
Various sockets for multiple sizes of chip package substrates are disclosed. In one aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes a socket that has a peripheral wall defining an interior space adapted to receive either of a first semiconductor chip package substrate and a second semiconductor chip package substrate. The first semiconductor chip package substrate has a first size and a first plurality of structural features and the second semiconductor chip package substrate has a second size different than the first size and a second plurality of structural features. The socket has a third plurality of structural features operable to engage the structural features of either of semiconductor chip package substrates to selectively enable the first semiconductor chip package substrate to be located at a first preselected position in the interior space and the second semiconductor chip package substrate to be located at a second preselected position in the interior space.
US07955891B2
The thermal management and method for large scale processing of CIS and/or CIGS based thin film overlaying glass substrates. According to an embodiment, the present invention provides a method for fabricating a copper indium diselenide semiconductor film. The method includes providing a plurality of substrates, each of the substrates having a copper and indium composite structure. The method also includes transferring the plurality of substrates into a furnace, each of the plurality of substrates provided in a vertical orientation with respect to a direction of gravity, the plurality of substrates being defined by a number N, where N is greater than 5. The method further includes introducing a gaseous species including a selenide species and a carrier gas into the furnace and transferring thermal energy into the furnace to increase a temperature from a first temperature to a second temperature, the second temperature ranging from about 350° C. to about 450° C. to at least initiate formation of a copper indium diselenide film from the copper and indium composite structure on each of the substrates.
US07955886B2
A method and apparatus is provided for use in an integrated circuit or printed circuit board for reducing or minimizing interference. An inductance is formed using two or more inductors coupled together and configured such that current flows through the inductors in different directions, thus at least partially canceling magnetic fields. When designing a circuit, the configuration of the inductors, as well as the relative positions of portions of the circuit, can be tweaked to provide optimal interference or noise control.
US07955885B1
Methods of forming packaged micro-electromechanical devices include forming a first substrate having a micro-electromechanical device therein, which extends adjacent a first surface of the first substrate. A first surface of a second substrate is then bonded to the first surface of the first substrate, to thereby encapsulate the micro-electromechanical device within a space provided between the first and second substrates. Subsequent to bonding, a second surface of the second substrate is selectively etched to define at least one through-substrate opening therein, which exposes an electrode of the micro-electromechanical device. Thereafter, the through-substrate opening is filled with an electrically conductive through-substrate via.
US07955882B2
A method of managing radiation having a frequency in the terahertz and/or microwave regions. The method comprises providing a semiconducting device having a two-dimensional carrier gas. Plasma waves are generated in the carrier gas using a laser pulse. The frequency of the plasma waves, and as a result, the generated radiation are adjusted using a voltage applied to the semiconducting device.
US07955881B2
In the method of fabricating a quantum well structure which includes a well layer and a barrier layer, the well layer is grown at a first temperature on a sapphire substrate. The well layer comprises a group III nitride semiconductor which contains indium as a constituent. An intermediate layer is grown on the InGaN well layer while monotonically increasing the sapphire substrate temperature from the first temperature. The group III nitride semiconductor of the intermediate layer has a band gap energy larger than the band gap energy of the InGaN well layer, and a thickness of the intermediate layer is greater than 1 nm and less than 3 nm in thickness. The barrier layer is grown on the intermediate layer at a second temperature higher than the first temperature. The barrier layer comprising a group III nitride semiconductor and the group III nitride semiconductor of the barrier layer has a band gap energy larger than the band gap energy of the well layer.
US07955880B2
A method of producing a semiconductor optical device includes a first step of growing a stacked semiconductor layer including a first III-V group compound semiconductor layer for an active layer on a substrate; a second step of forming a silicon oxide film on the stacked semiconductor layer, the silicon oxide film having a predetermined film stress and a predetermined thickness; a third step of forming a strip-shaped groove in the silicon oxide film by etching the silicon oxide film, using a resist pattern formed on the silicon oxide film, until a surface of the stacked semiconductor layer is exposed; and a fourth step of growing a second III-V group compound semiconductor layer in the groove using the silicon oxide film as a selective mask.
US07955876B2
A deposition film shape simulation method for calculating a thickness of a thin-film formed by supplying deposition species on a substrate surface, includes: changing a parameter to be used in the calculation depending on the thickness of the deposited thin-film.
US07955873B2
A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes providing at least one semiconductor chip including an electrically conductive layer. A voltage is applied to an electrode. The electrode is moved over the electrically conductive layer for growing a metal layer onto the electrically conductive layer.
US07955868B2
A method of forming a micromagnetic device on a substrate including forming a first insulating layer above the substrate, a first seed layer above the first insulating layer, a first conductive winding layer above the first seed layer, and a second insulating layer above the first conductive winding layer. The method also includes forming a first magnetic core layer above the second insulating layer, a third insulating layer above the first magnetic core layer, and a second magnetic core layer above the third insulating layer. The method still further includes forming a fourth insulating layer above the second magnetic core layer, a second seed layer above the fourth insulating layer, and a second conductive winding layer above the second seed layer and in vias to the first conductive winding layer. The first and second conductive winding layers form a winding for the micromagnetic device.
US07955867B2
In the present invention cells are placed in a multiwell plate and grown. When the assay is to be performed, one uses gravity to wash away any unbound ligands rather than vacuum or centrifugation. The cells are then examined to detect the bound ligand. To perform the washing step(s) the plate is placed into a carrier plate having open wells in register with the wells of the filter plate or one may use a wicking device or an underdrain attached to the bottom of the filter plate. Sufficient wash liquid is added to allow for filtration by the effect of gravity to occur. Cells are retained within the wells at a rate of 4 times that of other rapid methods.
US07955865B2
Apparatus for dispensing droplets of reagent onto samples includes a probe tip to which droplets of reagent can adhere. The apparatus advances the probe tip toward a sample until a droplet of reagent touches the sample and is pulled off from the probe tip. A sensor detects that the droplet has been pulled off from the probe tip and halts the advance of the probe tip before the probe tip touches the sample. Such apparatus may be used to automatically dispense small volumes of reagent onto fragile samples.
US07955849B2
The present invention provides cell populations that are enriched for mesendoderm and mesoderm, and cell populations that are enriched for endoderm. The cell populations of the invention are useful for generating cells for cell replacement therapy.
US07955822B2
The invention generally relates to methods for detecting a target nucleic acid and a target protein in a single assay.
US07955817B2
The present invention relates to the field of Serum Bactericidal Activity (SBA) assays for Gram negative bacteria, in particular N. meningitidis. The SBA assay is the most important method for measuring functional activity of serum antibodies against meningococcus. In order to determine whether a subject or a population is seropositive against invasive meningococcus the SBA test should ideally be both sensitive and specific. The inventors have found the standard N. meningitidis serotype A and W SBAs can be significantly improved in this regard.
US07955807B2
To provide a method of determining vasculopathy, which is a risk factor of myocardial infarction, angiopathic dementia, etc., at an early stage thereof (i.e., mild vasculopathy). The present invention provides a method of determining the severity of mild vasculopathy, including determining PTX3 level in an assay sample by use of an anti-PTX3 monoclonal antibody.
US07955806B2
The present invention relates to the field of therapeutic antibodies. It especially relates to the study of therapeutic antibodies in an experimental animal. The present invention discloses a method of detecting a therapeutic antibody in a sample obtained from an experimental animal comprising the steps of a) providing the sample to be analyzed, b) incubating said sample with an antibody binding to a therapeutic antibody and not binding to the immunoglobulin of said experimental animal, c) optionally incubating said sample with a reagent appropriate for the selective detection of total, active or antigen-bound therapeutic antibody, and d) correlating the complex formed in (b) or (c) to the concentration of said therapeutic antibody. A monoclonal antibody directed to a certain epitope that is present on all classes of human immunoglobulin of class G, but not on the immunoglobulin of any experimental animal except on the IgG of chimpanzees was used (MAB-M-R10Z8E9).
US07955798B2
The invention relates to a method for producing biopolymer arrays comprising a porous membrane and bound biopolymers. In particular, said production of biopolymer arrays comprises electrochemical production cycles.
US07955785B2
A method for forming fine concavo-convex patterns by using a relief formation material 3 having a relief formation layer 2 composed of a resin having thermoplasticity and a relief pattern sheet 6 having on a surface thereof fine concavo-convex patterns 5, wherein a photothermal conversion layer 7 is formed in the relief formation material 3 or the relief pattern sheet 6; the photothermal conversion layer 7 is irradiated with light 8 to make the photothermal conversion layer 7 generate heat in the state that the relief formation layer 2 is brought into contact with the fine concavo-convex patterns 5; and the fine concavo-convex patterns 5 are formed on the relief formation layer 2.
US07955779B2
A radiation-sensitive composition can be used to prepare positive-working imageable elements having improved solvent resistance and is useful for making lithographic printing plates. The composition includes an alkaline soluble polymeric binder that is a specific poly(vinyl acetal) that exhibits improved resistance to press chemicals, and a radiation absorbing compound.
US07955775B2
An image-forming method: by superposing a heat-sensitive transfer sheet on a heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet so that a receptor layer can be contacted with a thermal transfer layer; and providing thermal energy in accordance with image signals; in which the heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet comprises the receptor layer containing one of polyester and/or polycarbonate polymers, vinyl chloride polymers and/or a polymer latex; and in which the heat-sensitive transfer sheet comprises the thermal transfer layer containing a dye represented by formula (1) or (2): wherein, X141 represents an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, or NR146; X142 represents a hydroxyl group, a mercapto group, or NHR147; R141 to R154 each represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent; A151 represents a group of atoms necessary to form a hetero ring together with the two carbon atoms; and n153 represents an integer of 0 to 4.
US07955773B2
A toner for developing an electrostatic image includes a toner particle to which particles of an external additive A having a number average particle diameter of from 7 nm to 200 nm and particles of an external additive B having a number average particle diameter of from 30 nm to 4000 nm have been externally added. The ratio of the number average particle diameter of the particles of the external additive B to the number average particle diameter of the particles of the external additive A is in a range of from 2 to 20. The particles of one of the external additive A or the external additive B are particles having a core material covered with an organic material containing hydrogen and nitrogen. The particles of the other one of the external additive A or the external additive B are SiO2 particles.
US07955772B2
The invention relates to a dry toner, containing a platelet-type metal effect pigment or a plurality of platelet-type metal effect pigments and at least one resinous constituent, wherein the metal effect pigment or the metal effect pigments is/are additionally provided with a coating preferably suitable for improving the mechanical stability, and that this coating is additionally modified with at least one organic layer, which organic layer is selected from the group consisting of organofunctional silanes, organofunctional titanates, organofunctional zirconates, phosphonic acids, and phosphonates. The invention further relates to processes for the production of the dry toner and to the use thereof. Furthermore, the invention relates to a toner cartridge and to printed products.
US07955765B2
An adjustment method for adjusting an illumination condition in illuminating an original plate using an illumination optical system and projecting an image of a pattern formed on the original plate onto a substrate through a projection optical system includes measuring a polarization state of light that has passed through the illumination optical system, the original plate, and the projection optical system in a state where the original plate is located on an object plane of the projection optical system, and adjusting the polarization state based on the measured polarization state.
US07955764B2
Methods of forming color filters having a light blocking material therebetween. A color filter is formed such that a trench is defined between a color filter and an adjacent color filter. The trench may be formed by exposing the color filter to polymerizing conditions such as, for example, ultraviolet radiation and heat. The trench may also be formed by etching between adjacent color filters. A material is formed within the trench.
US07955759B2
A method for the deposition of metals in bacterial cellulose and for the employment of the metallized bacterial cellulose in the construction of fuel cells and other electronic devices is disclosed. The method for impregnating bacterial cellulose with a metal comprises placing a bacterial cellulose matrix in a solution of a metal salt such that the metal salt is reduced to metallic form and the metal precipitates in or on the matrix. The method for the construction of a fuel cell comprises placing a hydrated bacterial cellulose support structure in a solution of a metal salt such that the metal precipitates in or on the support structure, inserting contact wires into two pieces of the metal impregnated support structure, placing the two pieces of metal impregnated support structure on opposite sides of a layer of hydrated bacterial cellulose, and dehydrating the three layer structure to create a fuel cell.
US07955754B2
An enhanced stability and inexpensive bipolar plate for a fuel cell is disclosed. The enhanced stability bipolar plate includes a bipolar plate substrate and a corrosion-resistant coating provided on the bipolar plate substrate. A method for enhancing corrosion resistance of a bipolar plate is also disclosed.
US07955749B2
A fuel cell in which carbon and water react to form hydrogen or water. The cells utilize electrolyte materials that hold or coordinate water to allow the useful reaction of carbon and water at moderate temperatures without the use of expensive pressure reactors. Activated carbon or carbon recovered from organic waste is used to fuel these cells to produce hydrogen gas or carbon dioxide and power at moderate temperatures and at very low cost.
US07955747B2
Described is an electronic device and an electronic device control method. If voltage generated by the fuel cell, acquired from the voltage detection part, is greater than a specified voltage reference value (VRV), a display part displays the fuel cell as normal. However, if the generated voltage is smaller than the VRV, the residual fuel amount (RFA) detection part detects the RFA. If the RFA is smaller than a specified fuel reference value (FRV), the display part displays that the fuel is insufficient. However, if the RFA is greater than the FRV, the oxidizing agent concentration (OAC) detection part detects the OAC of the fuel cell. If the OAC is smaller than a specified OAC reference value, the display part displays that the oxidizing agent is insufficient. However, if the OAC is greater than the OAC reference value, the display part displays that the fuel cell is abnormal.
US07955745B2
A cell unit voltage is controlled such that a hydrogen production reaction is caused to occur in an oxidizer electrode, thereby allowing a current corresponding to a moving amount of protons, which is larger than a diffusion limiting current, to pass through a fuel cell. As a result, regardless of a supply amount of an oxidizer, a current larger than a limiting current of a fuel cell reaction is allowed to flow.
US07955744B2
A fuel cell system is provided having a fuel cell stack including a plurality of fuel cells. The fuel cell system includes an anode supply manifold in fluid communication with the plurality of fuel cells, the anode supply manifold adapted to deliver a anode supply stream to the plurality of fuel cells; an anode exhaust manifold in fluid communication with the anodes of the plurality of fuel cells, the anode exhaust manifold adapted to receive an anode exhaust stream from the plurality of fuel cells; a first valve in fluid communication with the anode supply manifold; and a second valve in fluid communication with the anode exhaust manifold. A method of starting the fuel cell system is also provided. The fuel cell system and method militates against a non-uniform distribution of the anode supply stream to the anodes of the plurality of fuel cells.
US07955735B2
A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery that has a high electrical capacity and exhibits excellent cycle characteristics even when the battery is rapidly charged and discharged at a large current includes: a positive electrode capable of reversibly absorbing and desorbing Li; a negative electrode; and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The negative electrode includes an alloying material that is capable of electrochemically absorbing and desorbing Li, and includes an A phase composed mainly of Si and a B phase including an intermetallic compound of at least one transition metal element and Si. The transition metal element is selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Ni, Cu, and Fe. The A phase and/or the B phase includes a microcrystalline or amorphous region. The weight percent of the A phase relative to the total weight of the A phase and the B phase is greater than 40% and not greater than 95%.
US07955732B2
A secondary battery includes an electrode group with both positive and negative electrodes and a separator interposed therebetween and a case wherein the electrode group is located. A cap assembly is combined with the case, seals it, and is electrically connected to the electrode group. Collecting plates are electrically connected to the uncoated region of the positive and negative electrodes. The respective collecting plates have a plurality of holes thereon, and may be located at both the top and the bottom of the case so that electrolyte infusion can be rapidly and easily performed.
US07955730B2
Disclosed is a cylindrical lithium secondary battery capable of improving the stability thereof against the external pressure, The cylindrical lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly and a core. The electrode assembly includes a first electrode sheet, a second electrode sheet and a separator interposed between the first and second electrode sheets, which are rolled together about an axis. The electrode assembly defines a space. The core has a tubular shape provided with a gap. The core includes at least one reinforcing structure extending in a direction extending along the axis. The core is inserted into the space of the electrode assembly. A housing receives the electrode assembly and core.
US07955725B2
Provided is a package for sodium-sulfur batteries in which the inner temperature can be suitably controlled even when it is installed in the place where temperatures and direction of wind change violently. Specifically, there is provided a package 101 for sodium-sulfur batteries in which air guiding plates 106a, 106b are provided being inclined obliquely and downwardly toward wall faces 109a, 109b between bottom surfaces of module batteries 4a, 4b and wall faces 109a, 109b, and in addition, flow rectifying plates 107a, 107b are provided being inclined obliquely and upwardly toward space 8 from the upper surface of module batteries 4a, 4b.
US07955715B2
In a known method for coating a crucible for use at a high working temperature in a crucible drawing method for quartz glass, a base body wall of tungsten has applied thereto a protective layer containing a coating metal consisting of the group selected from iridium, rhenium, osmium and ruthenium. Starting therefrom, to provide a method for producing such a component exhibiting high corrosion resistance to the quartz glass melt at low material costs, it is suggested according to the invention that the protective layer should be produced from a layer material which contains tungsten and the coating metal, and in which the amount of the coating metal should be dimensioned such that it exceeds the limit amount of a coating metal-rich phase boundary of a solid mixture phase of tungsten and the coating metal, with the solid mixture phase being thermodynamically stable at the working temperature, by not more than 25 at. % (based on the total amount of tungsten and the coating metal in the layer material).
US07955709B2
An organic light emitting display device and a method of fabricating the same, in which a resonance effect is suppressed and transmittance is substantially the same in a wavelength band of visible light. The organic light emitting display device includes: a substrate; a first electrode disposed on the substrate and including a reflection layer; an organic layer disposed on the first electrode and including a white emission layer; a second electrode disposed on the organic layer; a transmittance controlled layer disposed on the second electrode; and a metal layer disposed on the transmittance controlled layer.
US07955705B2
An electronic device substrate includes a substrate having at least one of a metal and a metal oxide on a surface thereof and an underlying layer having a compound expressed by a following general formula (1): wherein X presents one of a hydrogen atom and a protecting group; Y1 represents one of an oxygen atom, an alkylene group and —N(R1)—, in which R1 represents an alkyl group; Z1 represents a polymerization initiating group; n1 represents an integer from 1 to 4; and m1 represents an integer from 1 to 15.
US07955700B2
A method for producing a gas-barrier laminate film comprising at least one inorganic layer and at least one organic layer on a substrate film, which comprises forming the organic layer by polymerizing a monomer composition comprising an acrylate monomer having a phosphate ester group, a monomer having a phosphate ester group or their mixture. The produced gas-barrier laminate film maintains its excellent gas-barrier property even when folded.
US07955695B2
The invention relates to a coating on a surface, including a carrier and a plurality of flakes dispersed therein. The flakes are oriented quasi-normally to the surface and have grooves extending quasi-parallel to the surface, wherein the plurality of flakes forms at least 50% of all grated flakes in the coating. The invention also relates to a method of aligning the flakes using external fields of different orientations.
US07955693B2
The invention is directed toward a chemical mechanical polishing/planarizing (CMP) brush with an embedded mandrel. PVA foam injected into the substantially hollow mandrel expands through apertures in the mandrel to fill a mold in the desired shape of the brush with the foam in the mandrel being integral with the outer foam covering the brush.
US07955684B2
The present invention relates to a multilayer protective enclosure for protecting humans, animals or perishables from hazardous agents in the environment. The enclosure contains a porous adaptive membrane structure that has movable membranes with insertable protrusions. The structure can be made to change its gas, liquid or particulate permeability in response to surrounding environmental conditions. Hence, the enclosure is highly breathable in a non-hazardous environment but impermeable or only semipermeable in a hazardous environment.
US07955681B2
An optical article configured to transform from a pre-activated state of functionality to an activated state of functionality is provided. The optical article includes an optical data layer for storing data, wherein the data is read from the optical data layer in an activated state of functionality, and a material capable of undergoing a morphological transformation being disposed on the optical data layer and adapted to irreversibly alter from a first morphology to a second morphology upon interaction with the external stimulus to alter the state of functionality of the optical article from a pre-activated state to the activated state.
US07955669B2
An ink jet recording medium comprising a substrate and an ink receiving layer which is provided on at least one surface of the substrate and contains inorganic fine particles having an average secondary particle size of 1-4 μm as measured by a Coulter counter method in an amount of 0.2-2.0 g/m2 in terms of solid content mass. The ink receiving layer satisfies the following conditions with respect to a pore distribution curve as determined by a nitrogen adsorption method: (1) total pore volume in a pore size range of 10-30 nm is 0.25 ml/g or more, (2) total pore volume in a pore size range of 30-70 nm is 0.1 ml/g or more, and (3) volume ratio of the total pore volume in the pore size range of 10-30 nm to the total pore volume in the pore size range of 30-70 nm is from 1:0.4 to 1:1.
US07955656B2
A process for producing a hydrophilic member, includes: coating a surface of a base material with a hydrophilic composition containing at least (a) a catalyst, (b) a hydrophilic polymer and (c) a metal alkoxide; and drying the composition, wherein a temperature for the drying is from 10° C. to 60° C.
US07955653B2
An inkjet-recording medium comprising a support and an ink-receiving layer formed thereon containing inorganic fine particles, a water-soluble aluminum compound, a zirconium compound, a cationic modified self-emulsifying polymer, a polyvinyl alcohol having a saponification value of 92 to 98 mol %, and a crosslinking agent, and a method of producing the same.
US07955649B2
A method of forming a thin film of amphiphilic molecules on a substrate by using a resealable vial carrier is provided. The method includes placing the substrate in a vacuum chamber. A resealable cap member of the vial carrier is opened. The vial carrier may contain a liquid or solid amphiphilic material. The open vial carrier is placed within the chamber. The chamber is sealed and a pressure from about 2×10+2 to 5×10−6 torr is applied to the chamber. The vial carrier is heated to a temperature between 100-350° C. The amphiphilic material is vaporized in the chamber. A thin film of amphiphilic molecules is formed on the substrate. The chamber is opened and the substrate having the thin film of amphiphilic molecules thereon is removed. The resealable vial carrier includes a temperature resilient vial carrier and a resealable member selectively disposed about an opening of the vial carrier. The vial carrier contains a heat vaporizable amphiphilic material for direct use in forming a thin film coating on a substrate in a vacuum chamber.
US07955632B2
A palatable, edible soft chewable medication vehicle for delivery of a pharmaceutically acceptable active ingredient, such as a drug, to an animal or human subject. The edible soft chews contain only food grade or better inactive ingredients, and preferably do not contain ingredients of animal origin. Processes for manufacturing the edible soft chews do not require the use of heat or the addition of water during mixing of active and inactive ingredients, provide stable concentrations of the active ingredient, and produce chews of consistent weight and texture.
US07955629B2
A method of the present invention includes feeding a calf a milk replacer at an enhanced rate with L-carnitine. The method of the present invention enhances weight gain, starter intake and reduces weaning time.
US07955610B2
The present invention provides an antimicrobial composition for topical application, preferably for treating acne, and a method for using the composition. The composition comprises a photocatalyst mixture comprising a photocatalyst, such as titanium dioxide, and sodium perborate, magnesium silicate, and citric acid. The photocatalyst mixture is in an amount effective as an antimicrobial under visible light. The method comprises applying the composition to a target area of the skin and exposing the area to visible light.
US07955604B2
The invention provides proteins from group B streptococcus (Streptococcus agalactiae) and group A streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes), including amino acid sequences and the corresponding nucleotide sequences. Data are given to show that the proteins are useful antigens for vaccines, immunogenic compositions, and/or diagnostics. The proteins are also targets for antibiotics.
US07955603B2
The present invention relates to antigenic and vaccine compositions comprising Norovirus antigens and adjuvants, in particular, mixtures of monovalent VLPs and mixtures of multivalent VLPs, and to a process for the production of both monovalent and multivalent VLPs, the VLPs comprising capsid proteins from one or more Norovirus genogroups.
US07955585B2
Separation of carbon nanotubes or fullerenes according to diameter through non-covalent pi-pi interaction with molecular clips is provided. Molecular clips are prepared by Diels-Alder reaction of polyacenes with a variety of dienophiles. The pi-pi complexes of carbon nanotubes with molecular clips are also used for selective placement of carbon nanotubes and fullerenes on substrates.
US07955579B2
A boron suboxide composite material having improved fracture toughness consists of particulate or granular boron suboxide distributed in a binder phrase, such as AlxByOz, for example.
US07955571B2
The present invention discloses an intermittently opened cracking crude oil apparatus comprising a high pressure container (1), a support post (2) and a gold sleeve (3). A sealed reaction chamber of natural gas (4) is formed between an exterior surface of the support post and an interior surface of the gold sleeve, and a sealed high pressure chamber (5) is formed between an interior surface of the high pressure container and an exterior surface of the gold sleeve. A gas outlet is provided in the support post and communicates the reaction chamber of natural gas, the gas outlet communicating a gas conduit (7), the gas conduit being connected to a natural gas collector (8). A movable valve needle (9) is provided on the gas outlet to control open and close of the gas outlet. A liquid inlet (10) is provided on the high pressure container and communicates the high pressure chamber, the liquid inlet communicating a liquid conduit (11) which communicates a high pressure liquid supply. A heater (12) and a nozzle of liquid nitrogen (13) are provided outside the high pressure container. A thermocouple (14) is provided on the high pressure container, the thermocouple being connected to a temperature control (15) which can control operating conditions of the heater and the nozzle of liquid nitrogen.
US07955570B2
Highly active, low pressure drop catalyst systems. Catalytically active material is provided on at least a portion of the channel sidewalls of a body comprising one or more flow-through channels. The channel sidewalls preferably bear a charge, e.g., an electrostatic or electret charge, to help adhere the catalytically active material to the sidewall. The catalytically active material preferably includes gold provided on a particulate support, and PVD techniques are used to deposit catalytically active gold onto the support. Optionally, the gold-bearing particulates may be charged as well in a manner to facilitate attraction between the particulates and the sidewalls.
US07955560B2
The present invention provides a sensor system for determining a concentration of a chemical component in a fluid having a first sensor that senses a first physico-chemical property of the chemical component and, a second sensor that senses a second, different physico-chemical property of the chemical component and a processing system.
US07955535B2
A technique is provided for the fabrication of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) and carbon nanofiber (CNF) film materials. The method includes mixing a relatively small amount of single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) with larger amounts of MWNTs and CNFs, which enables one to produce highly flexible SWNT materials—advantageously without the need for bonding agents and at significantly lower costs compared to flexible SWNT materials. The method exploits SWNTs tendency to entangle together to form flexible films, using a small amount of SWNTs to wrap around and entangle the larger diameter MWNTs and CNFs together to form flexible films with highly beneficial mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties at a fraction of the cost of SWNT materials.
US07955516B2
Methods for etching a metal layer using an imprinted resist material are provided. In one embodiment, a method for processing a photolithographic reticle includes providing a reticle having a metal photomask layer formed on an optically transparent substrate and an imprinted resist material deposited on the metal photomask layer, etching recessed regions of the imprinted resist material to expose portions of the metal photomask layer in a first etching step, and etching the exposed portions of the metal photomask layer through the imprinted resist material in a second etching step, wherein at least one of the first or second etching steps utilizes a plasma formed from a processing gas comprising oxygen, halogen and chlorine containing gases. In one embodiment, the process gas is utilized in both the first and second etching steps. In another embodiment, the first and second etching steps are performed in the same processing chamber.
US07955515B2
A method of plasma etching transition metal oxide thin films using carbon monoxide as the primary source gas. This permits carbonyl chemistries to be used at ambient temperature, without heating.
US07955506B2
An energy-efficient process for dewatering an aqueous organic solution includes using freely available solar energy to concentrate a draw solution within a reservoir. The draw solution is used in conjunction with a membrane to remove water from the organic solution in a forward osmosis process. The draw solution is diluted by the osmosis process, and returned to the reservoir to be re-concentrated and reused in the osmosis process.
US07955502B2
A liquid filter arrangement is provided, as well as methods of assembly and use. The liquid filter arrangement includes an anti-drain back valve assembly therein. Advantageous features, relating to a preferred filter cartridge and preferred anti-drain back valve arrangement, are provided.
US07955498B2
A method for reducing halide concentration in a hydrocarbon product having an organic halide content which is made by a hydrocarbon conversion process using a halogen-containing acidic ionic liquid catalyst comprising contacting at least a portion of the hydrocarbon product with an aqueous caustic solution under conditions to reduce the halide concentration in the hydrocarbon product is disclosed.
US07955496B2
Systems and methods for upgrading hydrocarbons are provided. A portion of a hydrocarbon can be vaporized in the presence of gasified hydrocarbons, combustion gas, and solids to provide a vaporized gas. A portion of the hydrocarbon can be cracked in the presence of the gasified hydrocarbons, the combustion gas, and the solids to provide a cracked gas. A portion of the hydrocarbon can be deposited onto the solids to provide hydrocarbon containing solids. At least a portion of the hydrocarbon containing solids can be selectively separated to provide separated hydrocarbon containing solids and a hot gas product. The hot gas product can be at a temperature of from about 400° C. to about 1,650° C. A portion of the hydrocarbon containing solids can be combusted in the presence of an oxidant to provide the combustion gas. A portion of the hydrocarbon containing solids can be gasified to provide the gasified hydrocarbon.
US07955493B2
A method of measuring the number of bacteria according to the present invention includes step (a) through step (d). First, in step (a), a to-be-measured sample (specimen) including a predetermined bacterial strain (such as Escherichia coli or coliform bacteria) is added to a predetermined medium (such as a medium used for a specific enzyme substrate culture medium method). In step (b), a current value flowing through the medium added with the sample is measured with an oxygen electrode at a predetermined temperature and at a predetermined constant voltage. In step (c), time required is measured for the current value that has decreased temporarily after starting the measurement of step (b) to increase thereafter to exceed a predetermined threshold value. In step (d), the initial number of bacteria of the bacterial strain included in the sample is calculated based on the time required.
US07955489B2
Methods for the production of erythrose and/or erythritol are provided herein. Preferably, the methods include the step of electrolytic decarboxylation of a ribonic acid or arabinonic acid reactant to produce erythrose. Optionally, the reactant can be obtained from a suitable hexose sugar, such as allose, altrose, glucose, fructose or mannose. The erythrose product can be hydrogenated to produce erythritol.
US07955479B2
A method of accelerating the hydrogenation of organic compounds is provided. The method includes positioning an microwave transparent reaction vessel containing at least one reactant suitable for hydrogenation in a microwave cavity, purging the reaction vessel, charging the reaction vessel with hydrogen gas, and applying a continuous single mode of microwave radiation within the cavity and to the vessel and its contents for a time sufficient to effect a chemical change in the reactants.
US07955477B2
The present invention is directed to distillation systems and methods. The still may have an impermeable nonporous membrane that may be extruded, molded, vacuum formed or sprayed-on. The membrane may be installed in a lightweight basin as a liner. The distillation system may also include a unique sealing system that may include a gasket with a cross-section shaped like the lowercase letter “e” and may include a trim piece that hold a basin casing and casing cover together. The distillation system may be designed in such a manner so as to make shipping and assembly easy and cost effective. For example, the distillation system may be constructed as a kit that all needed components and all the components are placed inside of a standard dimension box for shipping. In various embodiments, the distillation system may be a solar distillation system.
US07955475B2
A papermaking shoe press belt is formed of a reinforcing fiber base material and a polyurethane layer integrated with each other. The reinforcing fiber base material is embedded in the polyurethane layer. The papermaking shoe press belt includes, as the polyurethane layer, a polyurethane layer obtainable by curing a composition composed in combination of a urethane prepolymer and one or more curing agent. The urethane prepolymer is obtainable by reacting a p-phenylene diisocyanate compound with a long-chain polyol. The at least one curing agent is selected from 4,4′-methylene bis(2,6-diethyl-3-chloroaniline), 4,4′-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline), methylene bis(2-ethyl-6-methylaniline), 4,4′-methylene bis(2-ethylbenzeneamine), methylene bis(2,3-dichloroaniline), 4,4′-methylenedianiline, 3,5-dimethylthiotoluene-2,4-diamine, 3,5-dimethylthiotoluene-2,6-diamine, 3,5-diethyltoluene-2, 4-diamine, 3,5-diethyltoluene-2,6-diamine, polytetramethylene oxide di-p-aminobenzoate, poly(tetramethylene/3-methyl tetramethylene ether)glycol bis(4-aminobenzoate) , trimethylene bis(4-aminobenzoate) and isobutyl 4-chloro-3,5-diaminobenzoate.
US07955472B2
High odor eliminating property is provided to a building material for interiors by compounding a hydrazide compound. Additionally, the odor eliminating property of the building material for interiors is improved and hygroscopicity and size stability at the time of use are provided by adding and compounding an organic carbide, an inorganic hygroscopic material, and a water repellent. Also, an interior structure in which these building materials for interiors are employed is provided.
US07955465B2
A display element includes a light emitting unit that supplies light; and an angle converting unit including a reflection surface, an output surface, and a flat surface. The angle converting unit converts an angle of the light by reflecting the light toward the output surface. The light emitting unit is arranged in a matrix in two directions substantially perpendicular each other on a standard plane. An inequality 0≦t
US07955458B2
A system that delivers window or door components to an assembly station where multiple components are assembled to form a multi-sided window or door frame or sash. A preparation station in proximity to the assembly station includes an alignment fixture for bringing multiple frame or sash components into alignment while a preceding frame or sash is being assembled at the assembly station. A conveyor moves aligned components of a next subsequent frame or sash to the assembly station while maintaining the alignment of said window components for clamping at the assembly station prior to assembly. One system is used to assemble vinyl door or window components by welding them together.
US07955452B1
A process for manufacture of explosive formulations containing a halogenated wax binder, involving dilution of the halogenated wax in a non-aqueous lacquer, slurring the explosive in an aqueous solution and applying heat and vacuum to yield a granular explosive which provides complete coating to avoid hot spots and is quickly pressable at lower temperature and pressure.
US07955448B2
It is an object to provide an inexpensive alloy for heat dissipation having a small thermal expansion coefficient as known composite materials, a large thermal conductivity as pure copper, and excellent machinability and a method for manufacturing the alloy. In particular, since various shapes are required of the alloy for heat dissipation, a manufacturing method by using a powder metallurgy method capable of supplying alloys for heat dissipation, the manufacturing costs of which are low and which take on various shapes, is provided besides the known melting method. The alloy according to the present invention is a Cu—Cr alloy, which is composed of 0.3 percent by mass or more, and 80 percent by mass or less of Cr and the remainder of Cu and incidental impurities and which has a structure in which particulate Cr phases having a major axis of 100 nm or less and an aspect ratio of less than 10 are precipitated at a density of 20 particles/μm2 in a Cu matrix except Cr phases of more than 100 nm.
US07955445B2
An internal high hardness type pearlitic rail that has a composition containing 0.73% to 0.85% by mass C, 0.5% to 0.75% by mass Si, 0.3% to 1.0% by mass Mn, 0.035% by mass or less P, 0.0005% to 0.012% by mass S, 0.2% to 1.3% by mass Cr, and the balance being Fe and incidental impurities, in which the value of [% Mn]/[% Cr] is greater than or equal to 0.3 and less than 1.0, where [% Mn] represents the Mn content, and [% Cr] represents the Cr content, and in which the internal hardness of a rail head that is defined by the Vickers hardness of a portion located from a surface layer of the rail head to a depth of at least 25 mm is greater than or equal to 380 Hv and less than 480 Hv.
US07955440B2
After a water film is formed on a wafer front surface in a chamber, the water film is supplied sequentially with an oxidizing component of an oxidation gas, an organic acid component of an organic acid mist, an HF component of an HF gas, the organic acid mist, and the oxidizing component of the oxidation gas. As a result, the HF component and the organic acid component provide cleaning effect on the wafer surface, and a concentration of the cleaning components in the water film within a wafer surface can be even.
US07955437B2
An apparatus for fabricating a III-V nitride film by a MOCVD method, including a reactor prepared horizontally, a susceptor to hold a substrate thereon installed in the reactor, a heater to heat the substrate to a predetermined temperature via the susceptor, and a cooling mechanism to directly cool down at least the portion of the inner wall of the reactor opposite to the substrate.
US07955436B2
Substrate processing systems and methods are described for site-isolated processing of substrates. The processing systems include numerous site-isolated reactors (SIRs). The processing systems include a reactor block having a cell array that includes numerous SIRs. A sleeve is coupled to an interior of each of the SIRs. The sleeve includes a compliance device configured to dynamically control a vertical position of the sleeve in the SIR. A sealing system is configured to provide a seal between a region of a substrate and the interior of each of the SIRs. The processing system can include numerous modules that comprise one or more site-isolated reactors (SIRs) configured for one or more of molecular self-assembly and combinatorial processing of substrates.
US07955428B2
The present invention provides a processed biodegradable article having excellent water resistance and rigidity, which can be used as a food container, and a biodegradable composition required to produce the processed biodegradable article comprising 15-75% by mass starch, 5-50% by mass protein, 3-50% by mass cellulose fiber, 0.5-20% by mass polyphenols such as pyrogallol and gallic acid, and 0-5% by mass sodium chloride.
US07955425B2
An ink composition that can form high-quality images free of white streaks and harshness on actual printing paper, such as art paper, even at low resolution and that can reduce the occurrence of curling even with thin actual printing paper having a low grammage is provided.An ink jet printing ink composition includes at least a colorant, water, an alcohol solvent, and a surfactant, wherein the alcohol solvent contains a poorly water-soluble alkane diol, a water-soluble 1,2-alkane diol, and a water-soluble symmetrical alkane diol having a hydroxy group at both ends.
US07955422B2
A separator for separating particulates from a gas stream including: a housing including a first cylindrical chamber defining a curved flow path for the gas stream passing through the separator and a second cylindrical chamber, wherein the first cylindrical chamber is adjacent the second cylindrical chamber and the chambers are separated by a dividing wall; a rotor assembly in the first cylindrical chamber; the first cylindrical chamber having an outer radial zone extending radially between the rotor assembly and the first cylindrical chamber; a flow inlet port to the first cylindrical chamber and a fiber outlet port to the first cylindrical chamber, wherein the inlet port and outlet port are each arranged aligned with the outer radial zone of the first chamber, and wherein the second cylindrical chamber is at a lower pressure such that gas from the gas stream is drawn through the gas passage.
US07955419B2
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and methods for treating landfill gas using landfill leachate. In one embodiment of the present invention, a method includes receiving landfill leachate from at least one of a plurality of sources, and pretreating the landfill leachate to adjust at least one chemical property of at least one component of the landfill leachate. The leachate contacts landfill gas, so that at least one component of the landfill gas chemically reacts with at least one component of the landfill leachate to form a spent landfill leachate and a treated landfill gas. The method also includes recycling a first portion of the spent landfill leachate, recirculating a second portion of the spent landfill leachate to at least one of the plurality of sources, and subjecting the treated landfill gas to flare.
US07955418B2
Preferred embodiments of the invention relate to systems for removing dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or related compounds, or odors associated with same. The systems include adsorbents, odor adsorbing fabrics, masks, clean air members and clean air supply assemblies.
US07955413B2
A method for producing Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) steels comprises adding a degassing step to remove hydrogen and nitrogen prior to casting, resulting in a more fluid steel that exhibits improved castability.
US07955406B2
A cyclonic separation apparatus comprising at least two series connected separation stages and a receptacle for collecting material separated by the separation stages is described. The first stage comprises a first cyclone separator, and the second stage comprises a plurality of parallel connected second cyclone separators. The first and second separation stages are connected by at least one transfer duct which extends through the receptacle and transfers fluid that has been partly cleaned by the first separation stage to the second separation stage.
US07955403B2
Systems and methods for producing synthetic natural gas are provided. The method can include gasifying a carbonaceous feedstock within a gasifier to provide a raw syngas. The raw syngas can be cooled to provide a cooled raw syngas. The cooled raw syngas can be processed in a purification system to provide treated syngas. The purification system can include a flash gas separator in fluid communication with the gasifier and a saturator. The treated syngas can be converted to synthetic natural gas to provide steam, a methanation condensate, and a synthetic natural gas. The methanation condensate can be introduced to the flash gas separator.
US07955401B2
Methods for producing C10-C30 hydrocarbons from fatty materials, such as triglyceride compounds, are provided. Hydrocarbon compounds, particularly those boiling in the temperature range of between about 80° F. to about 1000° F., are produced by contacting a fatty material with at least one catalyst comprising cobalt and molybdenum on a zeolite support under hydrotreating conditions. Additional hydrotreating catalysts may also be used to further improve the properties of the hydrocarbon product.
US07955391B2
Methods for limiting the movement of flowable material introduced into or between tissue layers of the human spine. The method can include inserting a member between tissue layers of the human spine. The member has a first configuration for insertion of the elongated member between tissue layers. The shape of the member is changed into a second configuration that defines a barrier that limits or directs the movement of flowable material. Flowable material is introduced to a selected location between the tissue layers and the barrier acts to limit or direct the movement of the flowable material.
US07955390B2
A prosthesis for the replacement of the cartilaginous structures of a spine motion segment is described. The prosthesis comprises an intervertebral disc prosthesis in combination with a facet joint prosthesis.
US07955383B2
A laminated stent encapsulated with a metal coating is provided. The metal coating may be a very thin metal coating. Portions of the metal coating may be removed such that the metal coating covers voids in the laminate, particularly in the area where the different layers of the laminated stent come together. The metal coating for the laminated stent may be provided by sputtering, such as vacuum deposition or ion beam sputtering, spraying, dipping, or other known methods.
US07955375B2
Prosthetic valves, methods of making medical devices, and methods of treatment are provided. The prosthetic valves of the invention have a valve portion moveable between first and second positions, and a spacing member that has a thickness and protects a portion of the valve portion from contact with a wall of a vessel in which the prosthetic valve is implanted, and/or another structural component of the prosthetic valve, such as a support frame.
US07955373B2
A stent-graft is provided for defining a prosthetic fluid passage within a body lumen. The stent-graft includes a graft having a forward section, and a pilot stent located within the forward section of the graft. The pilot stent has an expanded diameter less than that of a lumen in which it is to be deployed to permit fluid flow within the lumen during deployment of the stent-graft. Means are provided for subsequently expanding the pilot stent and the graft to the full diameter of the lumen.
US07955368B2
This invention provides an elongate microwave radiator for insertion into a living body to treat tissue at a predetermined operating frequency. The radiator defines a monopole antenna at its tip. The monopole antenna includes a dielectric material surrounding the monopole. The dielectric material is configured to act as a resonator at the predetermined operating frequency, and encompasses generally the whole of a near-field radiation emitted by the monopole. In an illustrative embodiment, the dielectric material extends from the antenna a distance determined in accordance with the wavelength of the radiation in the dielectric.
US07955365B2
A photopolymerization system includes a catheter having a proximal inflatable member, a distal inflatable member, a fluid delivery lumen, and a fluid drainage lumen. The fluid delivery lumen includes at least one delivery port and the fluid drainage lumen at least one drainage port. The ports are positioned between the proximal inflatable member and the distal inflatable member. A light emission member is positioned adjacent the catheter. In a method of treating a vascular condition, the catheter is delivered to a treatment site within a vessel. The first and second inflatable members are expanded to form an enclosed treatment space within the vessel. Fluid is delivered to the treatment space through fluid delivery lumen. Excess fluid is removed from the treatment space through the fluid drainage lumen. The treatment space is exposed to light. A portion of the fluid is polymerized within the treatment space upon exposure to the light.
US07955358B2
A bone screw apparatus, system, and method for assisting in the placement and alignment of a bone screw and for aligning bone are described. The present invention allows a surgeon to position a bone screw in a desired position and adjust a coupling element in a variety of positions and angles with respect to the bone screw.
US07955350B2
An angioplasty catheter comprises a catheter body having a balloon or other radially expansible shell at its distal end. A non-axial external structure is carried over the shell and scores a stenosed region in a blood vessel when the balloon is inflated therein. The catheter has an attachment structure disposed between the catheter body and the balloon to accommodate foreshortening and rotation of the external structure as the balloon is expanded. The external structure may be part of a helical cage structure which floats over the balloon.
US07955347B2
A lancing device has a housing, an activation/retraction control assembly, and a lancet. The control assembly and the housing have cooperating engagement structures such as detents that disengage after a predetermined launch force is applied to the control assembly. In this way, the lancet is driven to its puncturing position without the use of a drive spring. In addition, the control assembly and the lancet have cooperating releasable engagement structures such as notched sections and tamped protrusions that disengage when the lancet reaches its puncturing position, thereby freeing the lancet from the control assembly. And the control assembly has angled retraction structures that engage the freed lancet to bias it back safely into the housing.
US07955337B2
Disclosed is a facial bone contouring device for use in facial bone contouring surgery and bone tumor and/or osteophyte removal. The facial bone contouring device comprises: a rasp (10), having a double tube structure, including a rod (11), and a cutter (13) provided with plural grooves (13c) for exhausting cut bone fragments, a saline solution feeding passage (15) and a bone fragment exhausting passage (14); a powered surgical handpiece (40) connected to the rasp (10) for providing linear reciprocating motion to the rasp (10); a saline solution feeding unit (30) for feeding saline solution to the saline solution feeding passage; and a suction unit (20) for sucking and exhausting the cut bone fragments, wherein bone cutting is performed under the condition that the saline solution is fed into the rasp, and the cut bone fragments are exhausted together with the saline solution so that the bone cutting is continuously performed.
US07955336B2
A cutting instrument and method of use for preparing an osteochondral plug for implantation into a bone defect site. The instrument includes a dual function cutting block, a base holder, a rod mechanism and a trimming mechanism. The cutting block has a bore sized to receive the plug, at least one trimming channel and a transverse paring slot. The cutting block functions to hold the plug within the bore to allow for length and cross-sectional sizing. The base holder is constructed to fix the cutting block in a first orientation that allows the rod mechanism to position the plug within the cutting block for accurate length sizing. The base holder is also constructed to fix the cutting block in a second orientation which aligns the cutting block with the trimming mechanism so that an angled blade may engage the trimming channel and cut at least two sides of the plug.
US07955333B2
A method of preparing a patient's one leg, that is in need of treatment, for ambulation. The method includes the steps of: applying an external fixation assembly, having at least one external frame component, by pinning the at least one external frame component to at least one of the patient's bones in the patient's one leg so as to prepare the patient's one leg for healing; providing a foot assembly with a sole assembly defining a bearing surface and a connecting assembly; and operatively joining the foot assembly to the patient's one leg, whereby the patient can walk in a manner whereupon weight of the patient's body is applied by a patient's one foot, that is part of the user's one leg, to the sole assembly and therethrough to and against an underlying surface during ambulation.
US07955327B2
An electrosurgical instrument having a movement sensing device for controlling the electrosurgical output thereof, is disclosed. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the electrosurgical instrument includes an elongated housing, an electrically conductive element supported within the housing and extending distally from the housing, the electrically conductive element connectable to a source of electrosurgical energy, and a sensor disposed within the housing and in electrical connection with the electrosurgical generator. The sensor detects movement of the electrically conductive element and communicates a signal to the electrosurgical generator relating to the movement of the electrically conductive element. The source of electrosurgical energy supplies electrosurgical energy in response to the signal from the sensor.
US07955313B2
Composite catheter braids can be formed from a plurality of filaments, some of which can include significant amounts of molybdenum. Filaments including stainless steel and other materials can be used in combination with filaments including molybdenum. Individual filaments can be composed of single metals, or can represent alloys. Composite catheter braids can be employed in intravascular catheters.
US07955312B2
Methods, devices and systems facilitate diagnosis, and in some cases treatment, of back pain originating in intervertebral discs. Methods generally involve introducing one or more substances into one or more discs using a catheter device. In one embodiment, a patient assumes a position that causes back pain, and a substance such as an anesthetic or analgesic is introduced into the disc to determine whether the substance relieves the pain. Injections into multiple discs may optionally be performed, to help pinpoint a disc as a source of the patient's pain. In some embodiments, the catheter device is left in place, and possibly coupled with another implantable device, to provide treatment of one or more discs. A catheter device includes at least one anchoring member for maintaining a distal portion of the catheter within a disc.
US07955311B2
A disposable diaper includes a pants member and a body fluid absorbent pad lying inside the pants member. The pad is connected to elastic first and second suspender members extending in a circumferential direction of the diaper and joined under extension in the circumferential direction of the diaper to the pants member. Front and rear ends of the pad are joined to the suspender members in middle zones of these suspender members of which transversely opposite side edges are joined to transversely opposite side edges of front and rear waist regions. Inner and outer ends of the suspender members are joined to the front and rear waist regions in a joining zones arranged intermittently in the circumferential direction of the diaper.
US07955301B1
Injection shut off valve devices and methods are provided for limiting flow and pressure from a pharmaceutical composition on injection. In some embodiments, the injection shut off valve is coupled to a syringe and can be used to monitor and avoid maximum pressures that can cause damage on injection.
US07955299B2
An exemplary basket catheter includes an outer tubing housing an inner fluid delivery tubing having at least one fluid delivery port. A plurality of splines are each connected at a proximal end of the splines to the outer tubing and at a distal end of the splines to the inner fluid delivery tubing. The inner fluid delivery tubing is operable to be moved in a first direction to expand the splines; and in a second direction to collapse the splines. A porous membrane is provided over at least a portion of the inner fluid delivery tubing. A seal is provided at a proximal end of the porous membrane between the porous membrane and the outer tubing and between the porous membrane and the inner fluid delivery tubing, the seal configured for irrigating between the plurality of splines of the basket catheter while preventing fluid ingress into the outer tubing.
US07955297B2
The invention provides a transcutaneous medical device (502, 250, 150, 600) comprising a lower surface adapted for application towards the skin of a subject, attaching means (571, 272, 161) for securing the lower surface relative to the skin, and a transcutaneous device (530, 182, 213, 651) adapted to penetrate the skin of the subject. The transcutaneous device is mounted for movement between an extended position in which the transcutaneous device projects relative to the lower surface and a retracted position in which the transcutaneous device is retracted relative to the lower surface. The medical device further comprises release means (550, 275, 162) which can be operated from a first state through an intermediate state to a second state, whereby operation of the release means from the first to the intermediate state causes the transcutaneous device to be moved from the extended position to the retracted position, and operation of the release means from the intermediate to the second state causes release of the attaching means.
US07955295B2
A fluid dispensing machine, such as a peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis machine, includes a dispenser or cassette that pumps a medical fluid for dialysis or other treatments for patients. The machine includes and uses an autoconnect device for connecting containers of liquid, such as bags of dialysis fluid or medication fluids, to the machine, while maintaining the sterility of the connection. The autoconnect device removes the cap from the fluid bag and pierces the scaling membrane on tubing from the bag. This makes it easier for patients to receive treatment, especially home treatment. Other embodiments are useful for dispensing other liquids from other types of dispensing or pumping machines.
US07955294B2
A method and corresponding device are described for combating microbes and infections by delivering intermittent high doses of nitric oxide to a mammal for a period of time and which cycles between high and low concentration of nitric oxide gas. The high concentration of nitric oxide is preferably delivered intermittently for brief periods of time that are interspersed with periods of time with either no nitric oxide delivery or lower concentrations of nitric oxide. The method is advantageous because at higher concentration, nitric oxide gas overwhelms the defense mechanism of pathogens that use the mammalian body to replenish their thiol defense system. A lower dose or concentration of nitric oxide gas delivered in between the bursts of high concentration nitric oxide maintains nitrosative stress pressure on the pathogens and also reduces the risk of toxicity of nitric oxide gas.
US07955293B2
Ultrasound catheter devices and methods provide enhanced disruption of blood vessel obstructions. Generally, an ultrasound catheter includes an elongate flexible catheter body with one or more lumens. An ultrasound transmission member or wire extends longitudinally through the catheter body lumen and, in many embodiments, a guide wire tube also extends through the same lumen. A distal head is fixed to or otherwise mechanically coupled with the distal end of the ultrasound transmission member or wire and is positioned adjacent the distal end of the catheter body. Although the distal end of the catheter body overlaps the distal head, the distal head is not directly affixed to the distal end of the catheter body. Thus, the distal tip may move freely, relative to the distal end of the catheter body when ultrasonic energy is applied through the ultrasound transmission member. Such a freely floating distal head enhances the efficiency of an ultrasound catheter, enabling the catheter to ablate calcific occlusions and increasing the useful life of the ultrasound transmission member and catheter.
US07955275B2
A laparoscopic instrument includes an elongated barrel portion which mountably extends between operable parts for engagement with internal structures and organs of a subject patient, which are disposed at a first end of the barrel portion, and an actuating mechanism disposed at a second end of the barrel portion which remains outside the patient and which allows actuation of the instrument by the surgeon, for example by hand manipulation. The operable parts include two jaw parts which collectively define a clamp in which an opening size between the two jaw parts is selectively alterable by operation of the actuating mechanism. The operable parts further include a distance displacement sensor to effect distance measurement when the body part of the patient is received between the jaw parts and the instrument moved there along.
US07955268B2
A method of measuring pressure within the human body including implanting a pressure sensing assembly having a flexible structure and first and second sensor elements having self-contained power supplies coupled to the flexible structure. Periodic data collection events are performed to collect data from the sensor elements. A data collection event includes a request for data from a remote communication device, a transfer of sensor data to the remote communication device and a processing of the sensor data. The invention also includes a sensor assembly for implantation into a human body. The sensor assembly includes a first sensor having a self-contained power supply, a sensing element and an integral communication device capable of communicating with a remote communication device. The sensor assembly also includes a second sensor and a flexible structure to which the first and second sensor are attached.
US07955257B2
The present invention provides a non-rigid retractor for providing access to a surgical site, such as a patient's spine, during a surgical process. When used in spinal surgery, the non-rigid retractor allows a surgeon to operate on one or more spinal levels. The non-rigid retractor includes at least one flexible strap anchored at a first end to the spine or other internal body part at the surgical site. The body of the at least one flexible strap extends from a skin incision and is anchored at a second location external to the body to retract skin and muscle from the surgical site, allowing adequate visualization of the surgical site and providing access for implants and surgical instruments to pass through the retractor and into the surgical site.
US07955253B2
The present invention provides methods and apparatus for pleating at least a portion of a patient's body lumen, such as the colon. Pleating is achieved via relative motion between an endoscope and a flexible conduit having an engagement element configured to reversibly engage the body lumen.
US07955252B2
This endoscopic treatment system is provided with an insertion-retraction and rotating device for a treatment tool, which performs an insertion-retraction operation along a direction of an axis of a treatment tool and a rotating operation around the axis, of the treatment tool inserted in a channel of an endoscope.
US07955247B2
Methods of and devices for restoring the normal geometry of a heart, including but not limited to the structures supporting the atrioventricular valves. The techniques and devices described herein operate on the principle of displacement, both active and passive, to reverse cardiac remodeling and limit ischemic atrioventricular valve regurgitation.
US07955243B2
A poster printing method divides a large format poster image into a plurality of image sections and prints them on individual sheets of paper, where some or all of the sheets are perforated sheets with perforation lines along the edges. Unavoidable white margins on the printed sheets can be removed by tearing off strips of the sheet along the perforation lines. The distance of the perforated lines from the edge is determined by a minimum white margin value and a maximum image shift error value for a typical small printer. In addition, the image sections are overprinted, i.e., the image printed on each individual sheet contains an overprinted area around the image section to ensure image overlap of neighboring sheets. The individual sheets are assembled into a poster by removing the perforated portions of some sheets and aligning images on neighboring sheets along the perforation lines.
US07955240B2
An exercise device including a frame including a base frame and first and second posts extending substantially orthogonally from substantially outer ends of the base frame, a first platform rotatably connected to the base frame and selectably lockable in at least one position. The first platform includes a curved track mounted on the first platform such that a lowest point of the curved track is substantially near a center of the first platform and a pair of high points are located substantially near opposite outer edges of the first platform. A rolling mechanism is configured to ride on the curved track. A second platform rotatably mounted to the rolling mechanism is selectably lockable in at least one position. Such an exercise device provides multiple ranges of motion designed to provide an abdominal exercise that targets various different abdominal muscle regions, and may also provide an aerobic and/or cardiac workout.
US07955235B2
An exercise apparatus includes a compact resistance unit that houses a pneumatic cylinder. The cylinder is connected to a pulley wheel that moves at least toward the cylinder. A main cable extends about a portion of the pulley wheel. One end of the main cable is fixed to the unit housing and the other end is attached to a pulley block of a block-and-tackle mechanism. A user cable extends through the block-and-tackle mechanism and is connected to a handle. The pneumatic cylinder resists movement of the handle away from the unit.
US07955232B1
A physical exercising machine includes a base and a carrier, a lever attached to the carrier and inclined relative to the carrier and the base, a pivotal coupling mechanism pivotally coupled between the base and the carrier for horizontally moving the carrier and the user up and down relative to the base, a follower slidably engaged with the base and the lever for moving the platform and the user up and down relative to the base when the follower is moved along the base and along the inclined lever, and a cable coupled to the follower and having two end portions for being pulled by the user and for moving the follower to engage with the lever and to move the platform and the user up and down relative to the base.
US07955230B1
A device for promoting proper walking-related muscle development is disclosed. In various embodiments, the device can be worn on the foot of a patient undergoing walking therapy. The device includes a toe section that can be secured to the foot, and provides a relatively slidable surface that allows relatively easy sliding of the toe section on the floor. Such a configuration facilitates easier execution of a step movement that promotes walking-related muscle development. The device can also include one or more attachments configured to allow a therapist to assist and/or guide the steps of the patient. In one embodiment, the attachment can be a loop attached to the toe section so that the therapist can insert his/her foot and guide/assist the patient's steps.
US07955223B1
A hip thrust sled may include a pair of spaced apart runners configured in generally parallel relation to each other. A first cross member extends between and is connected to the spaced apart runners proximate to a distal end of the hip thrust sled. A second cross member extends between and is connected to the spaced apart runners near a proximal end of the hip thrust sled to receive removable weights. A pendulum arm is rotatably attached at its distal end to the first cross member and is configured at a proximal end to move vertically relative to the spaced apart runners. The pendulum arm extends towards the proximal end of the hip thrust sled at an upward angle. An adjustable stop may limit the vertical movement of the pendulum arm. A handlebar may be attached to the proximal end of the pendulum arm.
US07955220B2
An abdominal exercise apparatus includes a device that instructs and encourages a user. The apparatus comprises a slide member positioned in a channel of a body. The slide member has a user engagement end extending from the channel for engaging a targeted muscle area of the user. A resilient member biases the body and slide in one direction. Handles are attached to the body at opposing locations, and extend away from the body. The instructional device instructs users how to perform multiple phase abdominal exercises and provides motivation. The instructional device comprises a microprocessor, a sound creating mechanism, a visual display, and a user interface. The sound creating mechanism produces prerecorded instructions or motivation. The visual display includes lights to visually instruct the user of the proper amount of time for each phase of an exercise. The user interface allows for a user to select various exercise routines and levels.
US07955209B2
A differential gear having first and second driven shafts connected with a drive cage via a planetary or differential gear and a stationary gear housing. An intermediate gear with a planetary unit is provided with the first driven shaft, wherein the planetary unit includes a planetary wheel support and a planetary wheel pair having a first planetary wheel and a second planetary wheel. The first and second planetary wheels having different effective diameters, wherein the planetary wheel pair is arranged on planetary wheel pair shafts. A first sun wheel engaged with the first planetary wheel and a second sun wheel arranged coaxially with the first sun wheel. A brake device including a braking force applicator and a braking torque that brakes the planetary unit with respect to the stationary gear housing, and wherein the planetary unit includes active surfaces for introducing the breaking torque into the planetary unit.
US07955198B1
Circonic Game, a simulated indoor or outdoor basketball game, is played on a circular court outlined by three concentric circles. The outer circle acts as the court boundary and is conjoined by four smaller circles placed tangentially in a location that conforms to the four cardinal points of the compass (i.e., north, south, west and east). Four similar smaller circles are placed in a location that also conforms to four cardinal points of the compass (i.e., north, south, west and east) inside the two inner concentric circles of different radii forming a cluster of rings. A center pole in an upright position is mounted at the center of the court. Towards the top of the center pole are two primary ring baskets circumscribed by a larger circumferential ring basket supported by a transverse bar attached or welded to the rebounding center post centered in between these two primary ring baskets.
US07955194B2
A golf mat includes artificial grass fibers attached to and extending upward from a backing material, which may be one or more layers. The artificial grass fibers include groups of at least two different kinds of fiber sewn through a common path in the backing material. One of the kinds of fibers in each group is shaped so as to appear like a blade of grass. The other kind of fiber in each group is pre-stressed/crimped so that the relaxed shape of the fiber is nonlinear, resembling a curlicued or articulated form having lateral excursions. The lateral excursions cause portions of one such pre-stressed fiber to overlap and interfere with another, forming a mesh. The height of the pre-stressed fibers in their relaxed state in the turf is less than the height of the relatively unstressed artificial grass fiber(s). The crimped fibers form a resilient mat with impact characteristics similar to natural turf.
US07955188B2
In one embodiment, a golf club head is presented having a sole with three recessed cavities for attachment to a hosel-bending tool. In another embodiment, a golf club head is presented having a sole that includes one predetermined contact area proximal to the toe edge of the sole. In another embodiment, a golf club head is presented having a sole in which pads of material are incorporated that may be milled to vary the relief of the sole and to modify mass characteristics of the club head. Yet another embodiment presents a golf club head having a body with a cavity to receive a cartridge that has a constant density and weight.
US07955169B2
A wagering method is provided that allows players to purchase a gaming session comprising a plurality of game outcomes at a flat rate price. The number of game outcomes available in the bulk purchase gaming session may be a function of time in lieu of a specified number of game outcomes. In order to increase the attractiveness of the bulk purchase of the gaming outcomes, bonus time is awarded to players for specified winning game outcomes occurring during the gaming session, allowing players to extend their gaming session. This alternative award system increases player interest by providing either monetary and time awards, or a combination of both for a winning game outcome. Bonus time can also be offered as part of the gaming establishment's player tracking program or any special promotional program.
US07955167B2
A modular, quick-install HVAC control head is provided. The control head includes a face plate and housing on which various HVAC controls may be mounted. The face plate and housing clip together to form the assembled control head. The assembled control head fits into an instrument panel opening having a standard size. Clips on the HVAC trap a part of the instrument panel between the clip and a flange on the face plate to secure the HVAC control head in the instrument panel.
US07955156B2
A children's toy is disclosed, including a block, a casing affixed to the block, and a magnet housed within the casing, the magnet freely moveable within the casing. The freely moveable magnet allows for universal magnetic connections to be made with other similar blocks, as well as other fixed or moveable magnetic elements. Also disclosed are a variety of connectors that connect to the blocks in several different manners.
US07955151B2
A method of repairing an organic light-emitting display capable of reducing an eliminated area of an electrode or the like, and preventing a decline in display quality is provided. The method of repairing an organic light-emitting display, the organic light-emitting display including an organic light-emitting device, the organic-emitting device including a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels including a first electrode, an organic layer including a light-emitting layer, and a second electrode on a substrate in order, each of the plurality of pixels emitting light from a light-emitting region where the first electrode and the second electrode overlap each other with the organic layer in between, the method includes a step of: applying a laser beam to the periphery of a light-emitting region of a pixel which is constantly a bright spot.
US07955150B2
A surf ski system to enable a user to surf waves. This system includes a pair of surf skis, each surf ski being in the form of a floatation device including a floating hull, fore and aft ends, longitudinal axis connecting the fore and aft ends and a transverse axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. A pair of flexible connecting straps are provided connecting the pair of surf skis, each surf ski having a foot well and toe straps for receiving and partially restraining the feet of a user. One of the flexible connecting straps is located fore of the foot wells and one of the flexible connecting straps being aft of the foot wells. Each of the floatation devices has an upper surface and a lower surface and side walls for facilitating a user's ability to plane on water and a skeg extending from each lower surface, the side walls and lower surface meeting at an edge forming a hard chine there between.
US07955141B2
The present invention provides an inverter connection terminal assembly for an electric compressor. The inverter connection terminal assembly includes a connection terminal, in which upper and lower terminal projections project from the upper and lower surfaces of a plate, respectively, an inverter connection cable connected to the upper terminal projection of the connection terminal, a motor connection cable connected to the lower terminal projection of the connection terminal, an upper connector for connecting the upper terminal projection and the inverter connection cable, and a lower connector for connecting the lower terminal projection and the motor connection cable, wherein the lower terminal projection of the connection terminal includes a thread formed on the surface thereof such that the motor connection cable is fixed to the lower terminal projection by fastening a nut while a washer and a ring connector are sequentially inserted into the lower terminal projection.
US07955133B2
A power distribution module for a vehicle includes an insulating housing including a component grid, the component grid defining a plurality of circuit protection footprints, the housing further including at least one connector mount or terminal mating location; a printed circuit board (“PCB”) located within the housing and beneath the component grid, the PCB holding a plurality of fuse mounting terminals and at least one connector mounting terminal, the PCB including a plurality of conducting traces connecting the fuse mounting terminals to the at least one connector mounting terminal; and a cover that threadingly engages the housing, the threading engagement leading to a locking of the cover to the housing that tends to prevent the cover from loosening from the housing when the vehicle is being driven, the locking of the cover able to be overcome by a person so that the cover can be unthreaded readily from the housing.
US07955131B2
The invention relates to an accessory intended to be assembled to a connector along an assembly axis, comprising: a main body (20), at least one deformable contact element (60) comprising a contact part (70) intended to exert, after assembling the accessory (10) to the connector (90), pressure on an electrically conducting surface of said connector and a part intended to be in contact, after assembling the accessory to said connector, with said main body, said contact element being able to ensure electrical connection between said parts, characterized in that it furthermore comprises pressure means able to push said contact part in such a way as to increase said pressure.
US07955121B2
An electrical connector assembly includes a housing, a cable and a cable retention element. The housing holds contacts that are configured to be electrically joined with a peripheral device. The housing includes a cable port that is disposed at an outer surface of the housing. The cable extends from the cable port of the housing along a cable axis. The cable is electrically coupled with the contacts in the housing. The cable retention element is attached to the cable and is at least partially disposed within the housing. The cable retention element includes a body that is joined with the cable and a wing protruding from the body in a direction oriented at an angle with respect to the cable axis. The wing engages the housing to prevent the cable from being removed from the housing.
US07955113B2
An electrical connector assembly, comprises a base (4) defining an upper surface and a lower surface, a central processing unit (CPU) (3) assembled upon the upper surface of the base, a printed circuit board (PCB) (5) arranged at the lower surface of the base. A retainer (1) comprises a top cover (11), a bottom cover (12) and a side wall (13) laterally connecting the top cover and the bottom cover, the top cover forms a pivoting structure (111) extending along a first direction at a free edge thereof. A pressing member (2) comprises a shaft (21) being pivotally mounted to the pivoting structure for the pressing plate (23) to press against an upper face of the CPU.
US07955102B2
Electrical circuit quick connection and disconnection system with automatic short circuit of current transformer secondaries and similar devices, consists of a multipole plug (6) and receptacle (11) system with automatic short-circuit capacity between the poles (7, 12) upon initiation of disconnection between the plug (6) and the receptacle (11), without incurring in the temporary opening of the circuit, for application in current transformer (3) secondary circuits (3B) and other applications requiring the same characteristics. The system is equipped with a number N of paired poles (7, 12), being that each pair of poles (7, 12) is connected to a CT (3) secondary (3B), therefore handling the connection of N CT (3) secondaries (3B). Each pair of poles (J, 12) is equipped with a system that, under normal conditions of use, that is, with the plug (6) and the receptacle (11) connected, allows the normal passage of current from the CT (3) secondary (3B) to the load (14) connected to the latter, without short-circuiting the CT (3) secondary (3B).
US07955100B2
An electronic device and a connector thereof are provided. The electronic device includes a circuit board and an electronic device and the connector disposed on the circuit board. The connector includes a slot and a cap. The slot is configured for a card module to be plugged in along a plugging direction. A first pillar portion and a second pillar portion are at two opposite sides of the slot. The cap is disposed on a top of the first pillar portion and has a first protruding portion. The first protruding portion protrudes out of a side of the first pillar portion away from the second pillar portion while observing along the plugging direction.
US07955098B1
A card edge connector (100) for mating with a memory card (900) includes an elongate insulative housing (1), and a number of contacts (2) retained in the insulative housing (3); the insulative housing (1) defines a pair of side walls (11), a central slot (12) between the side walls (11), and at least a tower portion (13) at one end thereof; an ejector (3) rotatably attached to the tower portion (13) and has a body portion (31), an operation portion (32) and a lock portion (33) extending from a top end of the body portion (31), and a rotation portion (34) at a lower end of the body portion (31); wherein the rotation portion (34) has at least two adjacent dentations (3411) extending inwardly from an inner side thereof to push the memory card (900) downwardly into the central slot (12).
US07955096B2
A wiring system includes a wiring module and a functional module. The wiring module in at least one embodiment includes elongated holes or openings which are configured to engage or lock with prongs on a functional module to create a lockable connection. The wiring module and the functional module form both a physical and an electrical connection. In another embodiment, the wiring module has at least three elongated openings or holes, and wherein one of the openings or holes is for receiving a ground prong, while the other openings or holes are for receiving prongs which conduct electricity or communicate information. In another embodiment there is a wiring module that has four elongated openings or holes with all four of these connections associated with the four elongated openings or holes configured to conduct electricity.
US07955094B2
The present invention is to provide a DVI connector, which includes a frame fixed to a circuit board, a connection head fixed on the frame and having a plurality of through holes, a plurality of first and second connection terminals passing through the corresponding through holes for transmitting high-frequency digital signals and low-frequency analog signals, respectively, and a protective element made of a material with a high dielectric constant, wherein the protective element is fixedly provided on the frame and formed with a plurality of terminal spaces, the terminal spaces are parallel to and spaced apart from one another for being passed through by the corresponding connection terminals. Since no two horizontally adjacent first connection terminals are passed through the same terminal space, it can effectively avoid the high-frequency signals transmitted by the first connection terminals from decaying or being interfered.
US07955092B2
A connection base assembly for an IC testing apparatus has a base, a top cap and a conductive assembly. The base has a bottom board and an outer frame provided with multiple grooves. The grooves are defined in the top of and extend to the bottom of the outer frame to form multiple through holes in the bottom of the outer frame. The conductive assembly is mounted between the base and the top cap and has multiple conductive elements, multiple top resilient elements and multiple bottom resilient elements. The conductive elements are mounted respectively in the grooves in the outer frame of the base, and each conductive element has a contacting segment and a connecting segment. The top resilient elements and the bottom resilient elements are respectively mounted on and abut with the tops and the bottoms of the conductive elements.
US07955091B2
An electrical connector for electrically coupling an electronic module and an electrical component. The connector includes a substrate that has first and second surfaces separated by a thickness. The substrate includes interconnects that extend through the substrate and are arranged in an array. The interconnects are configured to engage the module along the first surface and engage the electrical component along the second surface. The connector also includes alignment members that extend through openings in the substrate. The alignment members include heads that project beyond and away from the first surface. The heads are located about the substrate relative to each other to collectively form a module reception area therebetween to hold the module in a predetermined position and orientation with respect to the first surface and with respect to the interconnects.
US07955085B2
A mounting bracket for a trailer wiring connector is described. The mounting bracket may attach the electrical connector to a cross bar of a towing vehicle. The mounting bracket may include an upper housing and a lower housing. The upper housing may include a mounting aperture and a plurality of slots. The lower housing may include a threaded aperture and a plurality of tabs. The tabs may be capable of engagement with the slots to secure the upper housing to the lower housing. The lower housing may also include a clamping fastener, such as a set screw, that may be capable of engagement with a threaded aperture, wherein the set screw may be capable of clamping engagement with the electrical connector. The mounting bracket may also include a cover capable of engagement with the electrical connector.
US07955082B1
A portable basketball training device and method for creating visual distractions adjacent to an elevated transparent basketball backboard in the vicinity of the rim to facilitate increasing a player's concentration, focus, skill and accuracy in goal shooting. The device includes a housing mounted on the backboard that contains a motorized reciprocating member, and a plurality of movable vision distracters disposed on a back side of the backboard suspended from the reciprocating member having body portions extending downwardly from the housing in the vicinity of the rim which swing or bounce from side behind the backboard in the vicinity of the rim. This motion tends to distract the player's attention and cause them to lose their concentration on making the shot. However, over time, a player will learn to increase their concentration and focus to overcome this distraction, and thereby enhance their skill and accuracy in goal shooting.
US07955072B2
A combustion apparatus with an air supply chamber in a lower part partitioned by a partition plate from an arrangement section of a burner unit and a primary air chamber in a front part stands from a front end of the air supply chamber are provided in a combustion housing incorporating the burner unit. Air from a combustion fan connected to an air supply port of the air supply chamber flows to the primary air chamber through the air supply chamber. Primary air is supplied from the primary air chamber to burners of the burner unit. Projected rims extend from the periphery of a portion of the partition plate opposed to the air supply port to a front edge of the partition plate are provided on a lower surface of the partition plate. The height of a downward projection of the projected rims is reduced toward the air supply port.
US07955055B1
A securing system for a fan assembly. The securing system includes a first member which attaches to a motor mount and a second member which attaches to the hub of the fan assembly. The first member is interposed between the hub and the second member such that should the shaft of the motor break, the first and second members engage with one another and inhibit the fan assembly from falling away from the motor mount.
US07955042B2
A manipulator includes an end effector, a support member that supports the end effector, and a fixing member provided to the support member and made of a tube-shaped flexible film with a space therein. In the manipulator, a fluid is supplied to the space of the fixing member to inflate the fixing member so that a flexible cover for covering the end effector is fixed to the support member. Accordingly, cleanness of the end effector is restored.
US07955036B2
A washer (14) and a threaded assembly (22) between a screw (30) and a workpiece (42) are provided. The washer (14) is offset up to an angle (α) with respect to a flat initial state, such that the washer has an insert thickness (De) that is substantially greater than the initial thickness (Da) thereof. The washer (14) is made of a malleable material. The length (Lg) of an unthreaded shank section (40) of the screw (30) is smaller than the sum of the thickness (Dw) of the workpiece (42) and the insert thickness (De) of the washer (14), and essentially not smaller than the sum of the thickness (Dw) of the workpiece (14) and the insert thickness (Da) of the washer (14). When the last thread of the screw (30) leaves the workpiece (42) on being screwed in, the force previously exerted on the washer (14) by the feed of the screw is zero. The washer (14) has been plastically deformed thereby, such that the washer retains the flattened state thereof and bridges the space between the workpiece (42) and the screw head (34) free from play. The workpiece (42) and the washer (14) thereby remain firmly clamped between the head (34) and the thread (36) of the screw (30), and the prevention of inverse rotation is ensured.
US07955035B2
The invention relates to a rivet for connecting parts, in particular aircraft components, through which holes are formed, the rivet including a sleeve part, which has a rivet head with an axially extending cavity and an adjoining or is composed of such rivet head and a rivet mandrel having an essentially cylindrical base body and a widened rivet mandrel head in relation to the diameter thereof and which passes through the sleeve part and along the cavity with its base body. So that a cost-effective connection with improved loadability can be produced between workpieces, even when they have holes of different sizes for the rivet, the rivet mandrel according to the invention has ribs running axially on the cylindrical base body.
US07955033B2
An apparatus for drilling holes in a glass plate has a supporting member for sucking and supporting a glass plate which is used for an automobile window or the like, as described later, and the supporting member is comprised of a suction pad for sucking the glass plate and a pair of supports for supporting the glass plate on an outer side of the suction pad. The supports are detachably mounted on the outer side of the suction pad, and the supporting member is adapted to rotate about the suction pad in an R direction. The apparatus for drilling holes in a glass plate further includes a hole forming means for forming in the glass plate holes shown in FIG. 7; a supporting means having the supporting member and for supporting the glass plate in which the holes are to be formed by the hole forming means; and a transporting means for transporting onto the supporting means the glass plate in which the holes are to be formed.
US07955028B2
Marine pipelaying method and system for installing an offshore pipeline (1) that includes one or more accessories (10). The method includes the steps of providing a vessel (2), launching the pipeline (1) in a firing line from the vessel (2) in the direction of the seabed, engaging the pipeline (1) with a clamping device (5b) that is connected to the vessel (2) and adapted to support the weight of the previously launched pipeline (1), and moving the accessory (10) into the firing line to a position above the clamping device (5b). Then the accessory (10) is connected to the pipeline (1) above the clamping (5b) device while the pipeline (1) is held by the clamping device (5b) Follow that the accessory (10) and the launched pipeline (1) connected thereto and releasably secured to a controlled load hoisting device (5) and the weight of the accessory (10) and the launched pipeline (1) connected thereto are transferred from the clamping device (5b) to the controlled load hoisting device (5) while the accessory (10) and the launched pipeline (1) connected thereto remain in the firing line. Finally the clamping device (5b) is disengaged from the pipeline (1) and moved away from firing line. Then the accessory (10) and the launched pipeline (1) connected thereto are lowered along the firing line by the controlled load hoisting device (5).
US07955023B2
The present invention relates to a structure for supporting a road support including: a base plate fixedly disposed on ground in such a manner as to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance from the surface of ground; a slip plate slidably disposed on the top surface of the base plate; a coupling body protruded upwardly from the center portion of the top surface of the slip plate in such a manner as to be insertedly coupled to the inner lower end portion of a support body; and a plurality of clips each having an approximately ‘’ or ‘C’-like shape so as to receive the edges of the base plate and the slip plate thereinto, each of the plurality of clips having a fixing bolt fastened to a female screw passed through the top end portion thereof so as to compressedly support the top surface of the slip plate.
US07955022B2
An elongate sleeve retention device adapted to securely retain an elongate sleeve on a post-like structure about which it is disposed. In a preferred embodiment, the retention device of the present invention is configured to interface between a bollard and a bollard cover, and cause the bollard cover to resist inadvertent dissociation from the bollard.
US07955015B2
A device for applying a product may include a container configured to contain a product and a case with a compartment configured to receive the container. The case may define an opening and the container may be configured to be moved relative to the case between a first angular position in which product in the container is accessible via the opening, and a second angular position in which product in the container is inaccessible. The device may further include an applicator. In some examples, the applicator may include a first portion configured to contribute to restricting axial movement of the applicator with respect to the case, and a second portion distinct from the first portion, wherein the second portion may be configured to contribute to rotationally coupling the applicator to the container so that movement of the applicator causes movement of the container between the first and second angular positions.
US07955010B2
A camera apparatus and a camera system of the present invention are configured so that a lens unit is attachable/detachable. The lens unit contains at least a lens and an iris, and contains a memory storing setting information required for operating the lens and the iris. When a camera microcomputer checks detection information stored in a memory in a sub-microcomputer at a time of start-up of the camera apparatus, and first detection information is stored in the memory, the setting information is acquired from the lens unit. When second detection information is stored in the memory, the setting information is acquired from another memory in the camera apparatus. Due to this configuration, the time for shifting the switch-on to a photographable state is shortened, and the ease of convenience can be enhanced.
US07954999B2
The invention relates to an end profile on slide bearing complementary elements having a pin (22) and at least one bearing sleeve (24, 24′) for receiving the pin (22), said pin (22) absorbing an eccentric force (F) which acts perpendicularly with respect to the pin/bearing sleeve unit (20), and the at least one bearing sleeve (24, 24′) being of cylindrical configuration and the pin (22) being of tapering configuration in a manner which extends from predefined positions in each case toward the axial end. In addition, a geometrically opposed geometry of the pin and the bearing sleeve is claimed.
US07954997B2
A modified grid cabinet or “bucky” assembly intended for use with a digital imaging system and dimensioned and structured to retrofit a conventional film type x-ray device originally intended for use in combination with a conventional film bucky. The bucky assembly includes a frame having an at least partially hollow interior and a tray movably connected to the frame and slidably positionable between an outwardly extending open position and an inwardly disposed closed position. The tray is structured to support and position a digital sensor into an imaging position relative to the operative image capturing components of the digital imaging system. The tray includes a retaining assembly disposed and structured to removably retain the digital sensor in any a plurality of operative orientations including a portrait orientation and a landscape orientation.
US07954987B2
A vehicle lamp includes a convex lens and a light emitting device. Light directly reaching a rear surface of the convex lens from the light emitting device is deflected through the convex lens to form a light distribution pattern having a horizontal cutoff line and an oblique cutoff line. The light emitting device includes a light emitting chip having a rectangular light emitting surface oriented to face the rear surface of the convex lens, and a corner of the rectangular light emitting surface is disposed on a rear focal point of the convex lens. A front surface of the convex lens includes a horizontally diffusing region which diffuses a part of the light in the horizontal direction, and an obliquely diffusing region which diffuses another part of the light toward the self lane side in an oblique direction forming an upward angle with respect to the horizontal plane.
US07954979B2
A lighting assembly for illuminating a display case includes an LED that illuminates items placed in the display case. The lighting assembly can attach to a door, a door frame, or another structure of the display case.
US07954978B2
A pocket-sized flashlight may comprise a hollow cylindrical housing, a solid state light source at a forward end thereof and a switch at a rearward end thereof. The switch selectively connects the solid state light source and two or more batteries, preferably size AAAA batteries, in the housing in circuit for causing the solid state light source to produce light. The pocket-sized flashlight preferably is a relatively long and slim flashlight, wherein its length is between about 12.6 times and about 17.4 times its diameter.
US07954977B2
A LED lighting assembly comprising at least one LED; the at least one LED being mounted to a support; at least one solar element for creating electric power from solar power; at least one battery for storing electricity generated by the solar element; at least one wind vane operatively associated with the support; at least one motor/generator having a first mode for generating electric power from the wind turbine; and at least one shaft operatively connected to the at least one motor/generator and the support; the motor/generator having a second mode in which the motor/generator operates to rotate the support; the at least one motor/generator being operatively connected to the at least one battery for storing electric power therein.
US07954969B2
Light which tries to enter a diffuser plate 3 at an angle which exceeds an angle at which a percentage of reflected light increases rapidly (that is, the incidence angle θ=70 degrees) is all reflected by a reflecting surface 21 and then enters the diffuser plate 3. Therefore, a pseudo light source is formed by light which was collected near a connection point between adjacent reflecting surfaces 21 out of the emitted light of the discharge lamps 1. So, the brightness between the adjacent discharge lamps 1 is increased, and it is possible to reduce unevenness in brightness. Furthermore, since the discharge lamp 1 is housed inside the reflecting surface 21 whose cross-sectional shape is a parabola, it is possible to reduce the distance between a reflecting plate 2 and the diffuser plate 3, as compared with the prior art, and to reduce the thickness dimension in the anteroposterior direction.
US07954967B2
A stereoscopic display apparatus includes a liquid-crystal display device that has display pixels arranged in a matrix and displays an elemental image array formed from a plurality of field images on the display pixels to render stereoscopic display, a parallax creating unit provided on the front surface or the rear surface of the liquid-crystal display device, and a directional backlight that emits light through the liquid-crystal display device then through the parallax creating unit and switches directions of the thus-emitted light among a plurality of directions according to a display of the field image is disclosed.
US07954948B2
An optical tomographic imaging method is provided in which light from a light source is split into a measuring beam and a reference beam, the measuring beam being moved by a scanning optical system and guided to an object to be examined, the reference beam being guided to a reference mirror, and in which a tomogram of the object is generated from a return beam of the measuring beam reflected or scattered by the object and the reference beam reflected by the reference mirror. The method includes acquiring longitudinal sectional information on the object, calculating depth-position information on the object from the longitudinal sectional information, and acquiring a three-dimensional surface image of the object by controlling a reference-path length defined by the reference mirror and a scanning operation of the scanning optical system in accordance with the depth-position information on the object.
US07954943B2
An eyeglasses holder for holding eyeglasses proximal a wearer's cap is provided. The holder includes a longitudinally extending first retaining member and a longitudinally extending second retaining member spaced-apart from the first member and being interconnected on respective first ends thereof by a laterally extending base member. A longitudinally extending intermediate retaining member is positioned between the first and second members and defines a cap engaging void between the first member and an eyeglasses engaging void between the second member.
US07954935B2
A liquid container includes a container body formed with a liquid supply port, and a container-side fixing structure which releasably regulates movement of the liquid container in an outward pulling direction in cooperation with apparatus-side fixing structure provided for the container mounting part in a state where the liquid container is mounted onto the container mounting part. The container-side fixing structure has a guide groove into which a fixing pin of the apparatus-side fixing structure can be inserted, and which guides the fixing pin in mounting and removal operations of the liquid container to and from the container mounting part. The guide groove includes a fixing part which engages the fixing pin to regulate the movement of the liquid container in the pulling direction in the state where the liquid container is mounted to the container mounting part. A slanted entrance surface is located at an entrance part of the guide groove, which slanted entrance surface slants so that a groove depth decreases in the movement direction of the fixing pin that relatively moves in association with an inserting operation of the liquid container into the container mounting part.
US07954932B2
There is disclosed a movement apparatus including a movable body, a flexible long member, a support member, and a tubular member. The movable body reciprocates along a straight line. The long member has having two opposite ends a first one of which is fixed to the movable body and a second one of which is fixed to a stationary member. The form of the long member changes in accordance with a reciprocating movement of the movable body along the straight line and relative to the stationary member. The support member has a linear material portion at which the support member supports the long member. The tubular member is fitted on the linear material portion.
US07954920B2
An inkjet printer assembly includes a cartridge having an integrated pagewidth printhead integrated circuit (IC); a cradle for receiving the cartridge; an air compressor for providing compressed air to the cartridge, the air compressor including a fan housing, an air filter, and an impeller, the fan housing having an air outlet adapted to mate with an air inlet port of the cartridge; a motor having a transmission assembly provided with a direct drive coupling from a spindle of the motor to the impeller of the air compressor; and a controller for determining a performance characteristic of the cartridge and to control an operation the printhead IC in response to the determined performance characteristic of the cartridge.
US07954910B2
The method for reducing aircraft carbon brake wear involves monitoring the commanded initiation of braking, and setting a residual brake clamping force to a predetermined minimum residual brake clamping force, which is maintained following the commanded initiation of braking to prevent release of braking during taxiing of the aircraft. The minimum residual brake clamping force is applied despite a commanded release of braking until at least one predetermined control logic condition occurs.
US07954908B2
The invention relates to a pedal simulation device for simulating the reaction behavior of a pedal, in particular of a brake pedal of a vehicle brake system, comprising a cylinder, a piston disposed displaceably inside the cylinder and coupled to the pedal and delimiting a working chamber inside the cylinder, a resetting element which, upon an actuation of the pedal, exerts a resetting force on the pedal, and a modelling device, which is fluidically connected to the working chamber, for influencing the reaction behavior of the pedal. In the invention, for achieving the reaction behavior it is provided that, upon an actuation of the pedal, by means of the modelling device a vacuum, which is arising or has arisen in the working chamber, is built up.
US07954905B2
In an embodiment, a modular motorcycle hub system includes a central hub body with a first and second extension member coupling end; a brake extension member with a first hub body coupling end operable to couple with the central hub body via at least one of the first and second extension member coupling; and a pulley extension member having a second hub body coupling end operable to couple with the central hub body via at least one of the first and second extension member coupling ends.
US07954898B2
A latch mechanism may include a housing, a claw rotatably supported within the housing between a latched position and an unlatched position, a first cam rotatably supported within the housing and operable to lock the claw in the latched position, and a second cam supported within the housing and slidably coupled to the first cam to selectively translate and rotate the first cam relative to the claw.
US07954889B2
A sub-frame system is provided for integrating at least two different roof modules in a motor vehicle body. The sub-frame system includes, but is not limited to a common sub-frame base sub-frame component for roof modules, preferably all the roof modules, mountable on the car body, as well as several different supplementary sub-frame components, each of which is suited for a different roof module, and detachably connected to the base sub-frame component, and appropriately replaced for the purpose of creating a sub-frame suitable for a specific roof module.
US07954883B2
An energy-absorbing deformation element is provided for a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, wherein the deformation element in the mounted state is arranged in a collision region between a covering part and a vehicle body, and more particularly, between a headliner and a vehicle roof. The deformation element has an essentially U-shaped profile, on free end regions of which is disposed a flange at least in certain regions. A plurality of cutouts or recesses are provided in the flanges on each free end region.
US07954882B2
A trailer for use with a mobile medical diagnostic imaging system includes a first shell having an exterior skin and at least one thermal insulation layer, a second shell within the first shell, the second shell having a first shielding layer, and an air gap between at least a portion of the first shell and the second shell to effectively isolate the first shell from the second shell.
US07954881B2
An apparatus for a pickup truck box cover includes a frame having a generally flat rectangular shape and configured to reside in a plane generally perpendicular to a bed of the pickup truck and proximate a back of a cab of the pickup truck. A means joins the frame to a frame of the pickup truck. A means joins the frame to the pickup truck box. A top surface is removably joined to the frame and configured to extend back from a top portion of the cab of the pickup truck along a sloping plane intersecting a plane containing the bed of the pickup truck. Side panels are removably joined to the frame and configured to extend from the top surface to the bed of the pickup truck where, in conjunction with the pickup truck, a shape resembling generally flat bottom airfoil is formed.
US07954876B2
A protective cover assembly for covering a space. The assembly includes a frame having rails. A material is disposed over the frame for covering the space. A plurality of fastening devices are disposed through to the material for securing the material to each of the rails. An anchor is secured to the second rail. A plunger extends from either the anchor or the first rail and defines an operational axis. The plunger slidably engages the other of either the first rail or the anchor for guiding the first rail between a first position relaxing the material and a second position tightening the material. The fastening device includes a cap, fingers and a retaining member engaging the fingers for capturing the material between the cap and the retaining member.
US07954872B2
A seating arrangement for a motor vehicle can include first row seats including a driver's seat and a passenger's seat, and second row seats disposed behind the first row seats with respect to a forward direction of travel for the motor vehicle. The second row seats can be slidable in longitudinal direction between a forward position and a rearward position. Respective rear surfaces of the first row seats can define a rear curved surface between an outboard lateral edge of the passenger seat and an outboard lateral edge of the driver's seat. Respective forward surfaces of the second row seats can define a front curved surface between respective outboard lateral edges of the second row seats. The front curved surface can correspond in shape and dimensions with the rear curved surface, such that the second row seats nest with the first row seats, when the second row seats are moved toward the forward position.
US07954871B2
A trim component for a vehicle includes a flexible component, and at least a portion of the flexible component is translucent or transparent, allowing light to pass therethrough. The flexible component could also include an opaque portion. The trim component may be a tambour door of a center console or other storage area, a gear shift closeout, or a steering column closeout. The flexible component includes a plurality of slats and a substrate coupling the slats. The center console includes a light source directing light through the translucent portion of the tambour door. The slats are formed from polypropylene or polycarbonate acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and the substrate is formed from thermoplastic polyurethane or a thermoplastic elastomer.
US07954869B2
A pick and place apparatus includes a 1st to an nth device holding element arranged in a lengthwise direction, every one of the 1st to the nth device holding element being connected to its neighboring one(s) of the 1st to the nth device holding element by means of at least one pitch setting ring; a belt having a first coupling part at an upper part thereof for being coupled to the 1st device holding element and a second coupling part at a lower part thereof for being coupled to the nth device holding element; and a driven pulley and a differential pulley. The driven and the differential pulley are rotated by being engaged with the belt to move the 1st and the nth device holding element such that the 1st device holding element moves in a direction opposite to the nth device holding element.
US07954865B2
An impact limiting system of a vehicle is provided with a cladding element and bumper substructure. The bumper substructure is spaced apart from the cladding element, and is covered by the cladding element. The bumper substructure is arranged on the vehicle body, and exhibits impact energy absorbing elements. The impact limiting system exhibits an impact force conveying element between the cladding element and bumper substructure.
US07954850B2
An apparatus (10) includes an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (14) that includes a first panel (160) with at least one first vent opening (142). A second panel (144) secured to the first panel (160) includes a base portion (150) and a door portion (156). The base portion (150) includes at least one second vent opening (200) and is folded to position the door portion (156) between the first panel (160) and the base portion (150). The door portion (156) has an open condition positioned away from the vent openings (142, 200) permitting inflation fluid to vent through the vent openings. The door portion (156) has a closed condition positioned between the first and second vent openings (142, 200) blocking inflation fluid from venting through the first and second vent openings. The door portion (156) is movable to the closed condition when the protection device (14) deploys. The door portion (156) has a generally triangular configuration with a base merging with the base portion (150) of the door panel (144) and first and second edge portions (264) that extend away from the base and converge at a terminal end (224) of the door portion.
US07954847B2
A technology for a stretchable webbing is provided including a long inflatable belt for restraining a vehicle occupant, which is effective in preventing slippage between yarns and fray while ensuring webbing rigidity. One embodiment includes a stretchable webbing having a long inflatable belt for restraining a vehicle occupant and an inserting yarn of the stretchable webbing having a first filament element and a second filament element which extend adjacent to and parallel with each other, where the second filament element is composed of a low-fusing point fiber having a fusing point lower than that of the first filament element.
US07954843B2
An automotive PSIR hidden chute assembly contained behind an automotive instrument panel. The PSIR may include chute forward and rearward doors, first and second chute flanges, and an instrument panel, each constructed of a first hard material, and first and second chute hinges, first and second chute sidewalls and a chute end wall, each constructed of a second tough ductile material, such that the first material and the second material have different thermal expansion properties and different elastic modulus properties.
US07954837B2
A bicycle frame can have a main frame, a sub-frame and a shock. The sub-frame can move in relation to the main frame and the shock can be used to regulate that relationship. The mainframe can comprise a series of tubes including a head tube, a top tube, a bottom tube and a seat tube. The shock can connect to the main frame at a gusset connected to the top tube and the bottom tube.
US07954834B2
A linkage for connecting a frame of a vehicle to an unsprung mass component of the vehicle, includes: a first portion connectable to the frame, and includes a first toothed surface; a second portion connectable to an unsprung mass component, and includes a second toothed surface, where the first portion is rotatably connected to the second portion and configured to be rotatable between the first toothed surface and the second toothed surface, and where the first toothed surface and the second toothed surface are configured to mesh with each other and maintain engagement.
US07954816B2
The invention relates to an apparatus for stacking vouchers that has at least one circumferential stacking belt (82). The stacking belt (82) has a circumferential belt body and at least one tongue pair (86a to 86c) provided outwardly on the belt body. The tongue pair (86a to 86c) has a transport tongue (90a to 90c) and a pressure tongue (88a to 88c). The pressure tongue (88a to 88c) and the transport tongue (90a to 90c) are configured and disposed such that the pressure tongue (88a to 88c) applies contact pressure to the transport tongue (90a to 90c) in the direction of the belt body at least in a circumferential area of the stacking belt (82).
US07954812B2
An image processing apparatus stops the transport of a sheet when an access cover is opened to prevent the damage of the sheet, without additionally providing a sensor and has a transport member for transporting a sheet through an image processing unit; a driving mechanism for transmitting a driving force to the transport member; an access cover for opening a portion of a sheet transport path; and a driving switching unit for transmitting the driving force of the driving mechanism or cuts off the transmission of the driving force in operative association with the opening or closing of the access cover. The driving switching unit cuts off the transmission of the driving force to the transport member when the access cover is opened.
US07954811B2
A sheet processing apparatus which is cable of moving a sheet without applying extra load to the movement of the sheet in the case of laterally moving the sheet for sorting after completion of punching of holes in the sheet. A sheet is conveyed toward an abutment member. The sheet comes into abutment with the abutment member, whereby skew of the sheet is corrected. A punching unit punches holes in the sheet in abutment with the abutment member. A shift unit shifts the punched sheet that has been punched by the puncher in a direction intersecting with a conveying direction of the conveying unit. A controller causes the shift unit to start shifting the sheet in response to separate between the punched sheet and the abutment member.
US07954808B2
A shifting unit shifts a plurality of sheets discharged on a tray to a different position in a sheet width direction that is perpendicular to a sheet discharging direction in a set of sheets. A first width-direction aligning unit and a second width-direction aligning unit align both sides of the sheets in the sheet width direction. A leading-edge aligning unit aligns leading edges of the sheets in the sheet discharging direction.
US07954796B2
A sheet processing apparatus of the invention includes a folding mechanism that includes paired folding rollers, presses a sheet to a nip portion of the paired folding rollers from a direction orthogonal to a transport direction, and folds the sheet by rotating the paired folding rollers. Further, there are provided a drive motor capable of making positive rotation and reverse rotation, a variable speed mechanism to convert a rotation force of the drive motor into a rotation output in a single direction and with a low speed or a high speed by changing a rotation direction of the drive motor, a transmission mechanism to transmit the rotation output in the single direction to the paired folding rollers, and a control unit to control the rotation direction of the drive motor and to change the rotation speed of the paired folding rollers.
US07954795B2
A post-processing unit of an image forming apparatus includes a vertical conveying path and a horizontal conveying path. A stapling mechanism and a folding mechanism are arranged in the horizontal conveying path. When saddle processing is carried out, paper sheets sent into the horizontal conveying path are struck against a trailing end stopper and, after the number of sheets to be bound is accumulated, the center of the paper sheets is stapled and folded double. A movable tray projected to the outside of a housing is provided at a terminal end of the horizontal conveying path. The movable tray functions as a tray for discharging paper sheets that pass through a saddle stitcher and also functions as a supporting member that supports a leading end side of the paper sheets at the time of the saddle processing.
US07954794B2
The assembly method of the invention uses a cartridge that is separate from the housing of the device being manufactured. The cartridge is configured such that the location of the various components is defined and the components are easily accessed. The cartridge and its components may be assembled off of the main assembly line. Once the cartridge is assembled, the cartridge and assembled components can be placed in the housing. The assembly of the device can then be completed.
US07954785B2
The invention relates to a hydraulic slide valve for controlling flow-rate or pressure comprising at least one movable valve moving from a closed position by contacting a seat and an open position remote therefrom, the displacement of said valve being controlled by a piezoelectric washer.
US07954782B2
Picture Hanging Position Finder And Wall Marking Device has an elongated adjustable vertical support with a hanger at the top to accept and hold a wire or bracket for a framed picture or other hanging object, wherein the device may lean against a wall with the back of the vertical support held flush against the wall, and with the bottom of the vertical support elevated above any wall baseboard, and held in place by forward and laterally extending legs which reach down to a horizontal floor. As such, a picture can be suspended from the vertical support, and the device can be moved to any location against a wall, and the height can adjusted and locked in place, so that a user may view the picture from a distance as if it were hung on the wall in order to choose a desirable location for the picture. The device then has a means for marking the wall for the installation of a permanent hanger at the precise location from where the picture had been temporarily suspended.
US07954781B2
A flat panel display (FPD) support with a hinge assembly has a base, a stand and a hinge assembly. The stand has a base bracket being securely mounted on the base, an arm protruding from a front edge of the base bracket and a panel bracket protruding from an upper edge of the arm. The hinge assembly is mounted on the panel bracket and is attached to a FPD. Therefore, the base can customized to allow the FPD and the stand to stably stand on the base. Moreover, the stand and the base may be disassembled and folded conveniently.
US07954779B2
The torque, due to the weight of the arm, is balanced according to the angular position of the arm by a contrast spring acting perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the arm. The spring is controlled by a cam integral with the arm, is housed in a container closed by a wall acted on by the profile of the cam, and rests on a guide disk whose position relative to the container is adjusted by means of an adjusting screw to calibrate the precompression of the spring according to the minimum torque due to the weight of the arm. In another embodiment, at least one contrast spring acts parallel to the axis of rotation of the arm, and is controlled by a cam edge of a cylinder for axially moving a corresponding sleeve housing the spring.
US07954774B2
A step is cut into a stationary or movable flange in a two-flange engagement. As the two flanges are brought closer to one another by tightening a nut or knob attached to a central shaft, contact is established along the edge of the step. Contact along this line does not create a point contact about which the flanges will pivot. Therefore, consistent friction is obtained when tension is applied by tightening the nut and the flanges are brought into contact.
US07954768B1
A method of controlling an aircraft, missile, munition or ground vehicle with plasma actuators, and more particularly of controlling fluid flow across their surfaces or other surfaces which would benefit from such a method, includes the design of an aerodynamic plasma actuator for the purpose of controlling airflow separation over a control surface of a aircraft, missile, or a ground vehicle, and a method of determining a modulation frequency for the plasma actuator for the purpose of fluid flow control over these vehicles. Various embodiments provide steps to increase the efficiency of aircraft, missiles, munitions and ground vehicles. The method of flow control reduces the power requirements of the aircraft, missile, munition or ground vehicle. These methods also provide alternative aerodynamic control using low-power hingeless plasma actuator devices.
US07954766B2
An interactive aircraft load management system automates calculation and provides simulation capability to changes in an aircraft C.G. limit for display on a three-dimensional aircraft symbology. The aircraft load management system also communicates with a fly by wire (FBW) flight control system wherein the aircraft's control system is programmed to automatically compensate for C.G. excursions and to alter control laws. The aircraft load management system also selectively reels-in and reels out sling lines as the aircraft pitches and rolls to maintain a load vector from a slung load along the aircraft centerline. Load vector travel is accomplished by coupling a winch control system into the flight control system.
US07954763B2
Methods and structures for a composite truss structure are provided. The structure includes an upper chord member, a lower chord member, and a plurality of web members extending therebetween. Each of the upper chord member, the lower chord member, and the plurality of web members are formed of a continuous composite fiber positioned in each of the upper chord member, the lower chord member, and each of the plurality of web members wherein each of the upper chord member, the lower chord member, and the plurality of web members includes a predetermined number of passes of the continuous composite fiber corresponding to a predetermined load. The composite truss structure also includes at least a first gusseting plate coupled to the upper chord member, the lower chord member, and the plurality of web members.
US07954761B2
A modular integrated galley used for food preparation and storage in a passenger vehicle includes a mounting rack defining a plurality of openings or spaces and having a plurality of structural mounting points disposed within the spaces for receiving a plurality of individual galley modules. Each of the galley modules including a generally box-like outer shell having top, bottom, front, rear, and side walls. At least two of the galley modules having a different functional component contained within the outer shell that is selected from the group consisting of a beverage maker, a water dispensing unit, an oven, a refrigerator and a storage compartment. The modular integrated galley further including means for interconnecting adjacent galley modules including an elongate connecting rail defining an outer perimeter having at least two slots formed along the outer perimeter for receiving complimentary ribs on adjacent galley modules.
US07954756B2
A flap actuator is provided for controlling movement of a flap on a wing of an aircraft. The flap actuator includes a housing having a leading end and a trailing end. A ball nut is rotatably supported in the housing. A motor has a rotatable drive shaft that is rotatable in first and second opposite directions. A gear assembly translates rotation of the drive shaft to the ball nut. A ball screw extends along a longitudinal axis and has a terminal end operatively connectable to the flap. The ball screw is movable between a first retracted in response to rotation of the ball nut in a first direction and a second extended position in response to rotation of the ball nut in a second direction. A one-way roller clutch is operatively connectable to the ball nut. The roller clutch engages the housing and prevents rotation of the ball nut in a first direction in response to a compressive force on the ball screw by the flap. First and second concentric gimbals are positioned about the longitudinal axis adjacent the housing. The gimbals interconnect the housing to the wing.
US07954751B2
A roller mounted onto a fabric winding machine to roll up fabric aims to solve the shortcomings of the conventional rollers that tend to cause fabric skewing during fabric rolling and are difficult to remove due to a lengthy structure. The roller of the invention has an outer diameter gradually enlarged towards two ends, and includes a first half roller and a second half roller that have respectively a first positioning portion and a second positioning portion at one end corresponding and fastenable to each other. The greater diameters at two ends allow the fabric to be rolled up on the roller without skewing. The two pieces design of the roller makes each piece shorter and removing from a bundle of rolled up fabric easier. The roller thus formed can facilitate fabric rolling and removal thereof.
US07954748B2
A spool or reel for retaining continuously wound material may include a central barrel and spaced apart flange members extending from the central barrel. The flange members may incorporate a retaining member comprising the curved channel terminating at the first and second holes fashioned in an inner face of the flange members. The flange members may also incorporate one or more holes or apertures for use with associated sensors where the holes or apertures include a rim to circumference for easy detection by the associated sensors. The flange members may further comprise label platforms that securely receive labels that are to be affixed to the spool or reel.
US07954745B2
A refiner plate for refining lignocellulosic materials has an injector inlet having a substantially triangular protrusion. The substantially triangular protrusion may feed the incoming lignocellulosic material into the refining zone and may distribute the material around the refining zone.
US07954740B2
A nano grinding and dispersing assembly has a raw material feeder, a liquid supply unit connecting to the delivering pipe of the raw material feeder, a gas supply unit connecting to the delivering pipe of the raw material feeder, a pressure equalized assembly and a subsequent treatment plant. The raw material feeder has a feeding pipe connecting to the raw material feeder and a delivering pipe connecting to the raw material feeder. The pressure equalized assembly has a pressure equalizer, a pressurized feeding pipe, a gas-liquid separator, a pressure gage and a first grinding device. The first grinding device connects and communicates with the pressure equalizer and has at least one ground fluid outlet. The subsequent treatment plant connects the ground fluid outlet of the first grinding device. Therefore, the present invention completely mixes, grinds and disperses fluid to make the fluid homogeneous.
US07954730B2
Piezo aerosol and ultrasonic atomizer apparatuses are disclosed. In some embodiments, a piezo aerosol apparatus may comprise a piezo component defining an opening bonded to a metal plate defining a mist reservoir. The mist reservoir may define a plurality of apertures (or holes) orientated substantially perpendicular, and the opening of the piezo component may be located above the mist reservoir. The piezo aerosol apparatus generally defines a non-symmetric compound, while the ultrasonic atomizer comprises a piezo component and metal plate of substantially the same diameter in length. Other embodiments are also claimed and disclosed.
US07954728B2
A method for adjusting an operation frequency and checking an operating state of the ultrasonic nebulizer is related in the present invention. By detecting the current to determine a resonance frequency and whether deviated from a predetermined normal range, the nebulizer can check the operating state and operate at the resonance frequency for increasing efficiency and saving power.
US07954726B2
The present disclosure pertains generally to thermostats that are adapted to assist utilities in communicating with its customers. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a thermostat having a display, a controller and a receiver that is coupled to the controller. The receiver is adapted to receive messages from a utility, and the controller is adapted to display one or more related display messages on the display.
US07954718B2
A method of integrating barcode information and EDID firstly inputs barcode information and temporarily stores the information in a first storage device; reads a pre-stored barcode rule and a pre-stored check code from a second storage device, wherein the barcode rule is defined with relevant data of plural codes included in the barcode information; then, respectively stores the plural codes included in the barcode information into corresponding storage spaces of the first storage device according to the barcode rule; next, determines whether a specific code of the barcode information matches with the check code; if the specific code of the barcode information matches with the check code, reads a pre-stored EDID from an EDID burning device, and integrates the EDID with the plural codes of the barcode information so as to generate a new EDID; finally, performs a burning operation to a display device based on the new EDID.
US07954716B2
An electronic transaction card communicates with an add-on slot of an intelligent electronic device. The add-on slot may be a memory card slot. The intelligent electronic device may be a mobile phone or other device with or without network connectivity. The electronic transaction card may have magnetic field producing circuitry compatible with magnetic card readers, smartcard circuitry, other point-of-sale interfaces, or any combination thereof.
US07954713B2
The tag-label producing device includes: a cartridge holder for selectively installing a first roll and a first roll; a tape feed roller, a ribbon take-up roller, and a switching mechanism that impart a drive force in the tape length direction to this tape; an antenna for performing transmission/reception of information through wireless communication to/from an IC circuit part of an RFID circuit element, upon the installation of the first roll; a cartridge sensor for detecting which one of the first rolls has been installed; and a control circuit including a tag tape mode and an ordinary-tape mode, for controlling a drive unit by switching between the modes.
US07954710B1
The present invention allows a user to place an order on an internal computer system or through a web site automatically by scanning UPC/EAN or product ID barcodes, without the need to modify supplier or other party websites. As such, a compact optical code reader with associated software is disclosed having multiple functions and is capable of performing various data processing functions involving scanned data. The system includes user and supplier identifiers which are employed to facilitate sales transactions.
US07954706B2
An added level of security is provided for charge card transactions. Upon presenting a charge card number for a purchase, for example, the cardholder receives a message on his cell phone or PDA that a charge authorization request has been received. The cardholder may also be prompted to reply with a password or a PIN, so as to add a second security authorization.
US07954705B2
A dynamic credit card is provided in which a secure credit card number (e.g., a secret/hidden credit card number) is encoded based on a timing signal (e.g., an internal counter) to provide a dynamic credit card number. This dynamic number may be displayed to a user via a display (e.g., so that online purchases can be made) or written onto a magnetic stripe such that the number may be processed by traditional credit card merchants (e.g., swiped). At a remote facility, the dynamic number may be decoded based on time (and/or a counter/key number/equation). Thus, a dynamic credit card number may change continually or periodically (e.g., every sixty seconds) such that credit card numbers may not be copied by thieves and used at later times. A dynamic verification code may also be utilized in addition to, or in lieu of, a dynamic credit card number.
US07954704B1
Implementations of the present invention provide systems, methods, and apparatus for stopping unauthorized transactions before they are processed, as well as for creating and using one or more sub-accounts. For example, a debit or credit account can be activated or deactivated at will through various spend control mechanisms, which can be limited by specified time periods, numbers of transactions, and/or monetary amounts. Further implementations also relate to using a unique 6-digit identification number (or biometric information) that is known only to the account granting institution and the primary account owner for the various types of activation/deactivation.
US07954702B2
A universal financial card is provided having a first memory location, which is configured to store a plurality of financial institution identifiers. The universal financial card further includes a second memory location, which is configured to store a plurality of account identifiers which are configured to represent a plurality of accounts at the plurality of financial institutions. The universal financial card next includes a third memory location, which is configured to store identification information associated with the plurality of accounts. The identification information includes at least authorized user information. A read device is included with the universal financial card and is configured to be read by a card reader and enable a financial transaction to be executed on one of the plurality of accounts identified by one of the plurality of account identifiers.
US07954693B2
A method of treating a via connected with a substrate and a method of probing the via are disclosed. A pattern of a lead-free solder paste is applied around a hole of the via without completely covering a pad of the via. The paste is reflowed to form a pattern of a lead-free solder on a pad that covers only a portion of a surface area of the pad and is positioned around the hole. The solder may be substantially symmetrically positioned around the hole. A flux generated during reflow is insufficient to plug the hole. The lead-free solder can be probed by a blade probe including collinear first and second edges and having a preferred orientation relative to the pattern of the lead-free solder.
US07954684B2
A surgical instrument including a firing drive configured to selectively advance a firing member and/or cutting member relative to an end effector and, in addition, a reversing drive configured to selectively retract the firing member and/or cutting member relative to the end effector. In various embodiments, the surgical instrument can further include a switch including relatively movable first and second portions, wherein the first portion can be configured to operably disengage the firing drive from the firing member and, in addition, operably engage the reversing drive with the firing member. In at least one embodiment, the second portion can include a handle extending therefrom which can be motivated by the surgeon in order to engage the second portion with the first portion and move the first portion into position.
US07954682B2
A surgical instrument, such as an endoscopic or laparoscopic instrument, includes a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end. The shaft includes a first sensor element. An end effector is coupled to the distal end of the shaft. The end effector includes a second sensor element. A handle is connected to the proximate end of the shaft. The handle includes a control unit. The control unit is in communication with the first sensor element and the first sensor element is in wireless communication with the second sensor element.
US07954681B2
A new and improved nailing bridge system which comprises a single nailing gun which is mounted for movement along a stud frame locus or a seam locus, defined by means of abutting sheets of wall sheathing, covering, paneling, or the like, wherein the single nailing gun can be moved to any one of effectively an infinite number of positions so as to permit nails to be driven into the covering, sheathing, paneling, or the like, in order to fixedly secure the sheathing, covering, paneling, or the like, to underlying stud frame members of a wall structure or wall panel member. Stitcher guns are also mounted upon a separate support beam so as to fixedly secure the sheathing, covering, paneling, or the like, to the upper and lower plate, header, or footer members of the wall structure or wall panel member.
US07954678B2
A novel pressure control device is provided comprising a first cylinder (3) at a predetermined excess pressure, a piston (4) with a sealing ring (5) being movable within said first cylinder, and a second cylinder (7). The first cylinder (3) is encompassed by the second cylinder (7) as to form a ring-shaped passage which is leading to the outside. A valve in said passageway is released and closed by a stem (14) of the piston (4). The open end of the first cylinder (3) is provided with at least one axially directed incision (37), such that the piston (4) with the sealing ring (5) introduced in the first cylinder (3) and covering the end of the incision (37) is in a non-pressurized position. The stem (14) has a stop element (15) which closes the valve in the upper position of the piston, wherein the piston stroke essentially defines the excess pressure.
US07954675B2
A bottle made of a plastic material, including a body surmounted by a neck including a dispensing opening. The neck and the body are made in two separate parts which are assembled together in order to connect the interior of the body to the dispensing opening, the neck includes an axial sealing skirt which is mounted on an axial bearing surface formed on the upper portion of the body. The bottle further includes a shrunk-on collar, the lower portion of which is arranged to axially cover at least the connection area between the neck and the body. The connection of the neck to the body is produced by combining a tight fitting of the exterior surface of the sealing skirt over the interior surface of the bearing surface, and radial clamping of the lower portion of the shrunk-on ring onto the exterior surface of the bearing surface.
US07954669B2
This invention is directed to a decorated dispensing container. The container is substantially transparent and has a decoration on the front and/or rear surface. The dispensing unit comprises a pump mechanism with a dip tube at one end and a dispensing channel at the other end. The dip tube has an identifiable shape formed in the dip tube. This identifiable shape can be a land, sea or air animal, or an inanimate object. Colors are applied to the identifiable shape by hand painting or the use of a shrink label or an in mold label. By the use of a decorated identifiable shape and a coordinating label on the front and/or rear surface of the container a 3-D effect is imparted to the container and product.
US07954668B2
A system and method detect when a product container from which a product is dispensed is empty or nearly empty, and provides a notification of the product status. The system includes a load cell that deflects at a first rate of distance per unit load when a load less than a critical load is positioned to be weighed by the load cell, and a load cell bracket positioned such that the free end of the load cell contacts the load cell bracket when a load substantially equal to or greater than the critical load is positioned to be weighed by the load cell. The load cell bracket may prevent the load cell from further deflection, or it may permit deflection of the load cell at a second rate of distance per unit load when the load cell is in contact with the load cell bracket. The system may generate an out-of-product notification when the amount of product dispensed is substantially equal to zero, a low product notification when the amount of the product remaining is less than a threshold weight or a proof-of-delivery notification.
US07954666B2
An airpot or dispenser liquid level float, provided for vertically shifting upon the air tubes of an airpot or other dispenser, the float incorporate a pivotally mounted indicator, for viewing through a view window of the dispenser, for furnishing and indication as to the level and amount of liquid remaining within the dispenser, during its usage and application.
US07954661B2
A transport container comprising a spherical container 1 and a heat accumulating material 2a, 2b disposed inside of the spherical container 1, wherein; the heat accumulating material 2a, 2b is provided with a space for holding a transported object therein, and the space is formed at the central part of the inside of the spherical container 1.
US07954637B2
A 4G fiberboard box certified for shipping hazardous materials in accordance with United Nations regulations. In some embodiments, the 4G fiberboard box includes an outer shell, a three-piece partition assembly, a top insert and a bottom insert. The outer shell has a width and a length, each no greater than ⅓ of 46 inches. Thus, the 4G fiberboard box is shippable in a 3×3 configuration on a standard 46″×46″ pallet. The three-piece partition assembly is disposed within the shell and has four compartments, each compartment configured to receive a container storing hazardous material. The top insert and bottom insert are also disposed with the shell, with the partition assembly positioned therebetween.
US07954633B2
Disclosed is a large round bale wrapped with a protective covering for permitting it to be stored outside. The covering is constructed of one or more layers of semi-permeable material. It is possible for an additional layer to be added to a region of the baler to be placed on the ground during storage, this additional layer resulting in the covering becoming essentially non-permeable in the region of the additional layer. A baler for applying the covering to a bale is disclosed together with a device for placing a visual marker on the bale so as to aid a person handling a discharged bale in knowing where the region covered with the additional layer of material is located so that this region may be manipulated into ground contact for storage.
US07954631B1
A chain link conveyor for use in material handling equipment such as a feed cart. The chain link conveyor comprises a series of sprockets and a pair of spaced apart chains trained around the sprockets. Each chain includes a series of interconnected links. Each link comprises a pair of sidebars and an interconnecting cross bar along with a pair of hooks that function to connect consecutive links and also function to form a sprocket centering gap that receives and guides respective sprockets through the link as the links moves over the sprockets. Various implementations of the chain link conveyor can be made. In one implementation the chain link conveyor is disposed in a feed cart.
US07954630B2
A method of attaching a pawl to a region of a surface of a conveyor belt comprising pre-stressing the surface region and fixing the pawl to the surface region while it is in the pre-stressed state.
US07954620B2
A passenger conveyor assembly (20) includes a moveable stepping surface (22). A first drive (50) is operative to move the stepping surface (22). A handrail (30) and a second drive (40) is provided as part of the passenger conveyor assembly (20). A controller (70) controls the second drive (40) independent of the first drive (50) to allow for movement of the stepping surface (22) or the handrail (30) when the other of the handrail (30) or the stepping surface (22) is stationary.
US07954618B2
A starting clutch, particularly for racing and sports vehicles, has clutch plates, of which at least one is non-rotatably coupled with a clutch cage of the starting clutch and at least one is non-rotatably coupled with a clutch hub of the starting clutch. A set of springs composed of at least two diaphragm-spring-type spring elements presses the clutch plates together when the starting clutch is closed and permits a torque transfer from the clutch cage to the clutch hub and vice-versa. Viewed from the clutch plates, the first or second spring element has at least a first elevation on its side facing the respective second or first spring element, which elevation presses against the respective second or first spring element when the starting clutch is closed.
US07954612B2
An apparatus includes an input-side rotating member 2 driven by an engine (driving source) 90, an output-side rotating member 3 for driving an input member, such as a gear part 25 of a rear differential (driving-force distributing mechanism) 97 between wheels, a friction clutch 4 arranged between the input-side rotating member 2 and the output-side rotating member 3, a carrier housing (stationary member) 5 capable of accommodating the rear differential 97 and the friction clutch 4, an oil accommodating space (lubricant accommodating space) S formed in the stationary member 5 and an oil pump 6 driven by the output-side rotating member 3 to supply the friction clutch 4 with oil 600.
US07954596B2
The invention relates to a multilayered acoustically and thermally effective insulation having a defined layer structure, especially for internal combustion engines of motor vehicles.
US07954589B2
A safety pedal system for an automotive vehicle is provided that includes, but is not limited to a pedal mounted in a pedal mounting arrangement arrangeable to at least partly release the pedal from the pedal mounting arrangement in event of a collision. The safety pedal system further includes, but is not limited to a triggering device arranged to receive a collision event signal and in response thereto trigger release of the pedal from the pedal mounting arrangement. The triggering device may also include, but is not necessarily limited to a pyrotechnical device arranged to exert a force on the pedal mounting arrangement thereby triggering release of the pedal from the pedal mounting arrangement.
US07954588B2
A hood pop-up system for a vehicle that pops up a hood of the vehicle when a collision of the vehicle takes place, which includes: a hood pop-up unit which pops up the hood positioned at a closed position and supports the popped-up hood at a hood support position that is higher than the closed position; and a hood pop-up restricting unit which restricts upward movement of the popped-up hood at an uppermost pop-up position that is higher than the hood support position.
US07954585B2
A swing-arm-type suspension device for a vehicle transmit rolling from a vehicle body frame side to a rear wheel side quickly. In a swing-arm-type suspension device for a motorcycle, a swing arm is mounted swingably on a pivot shaft provided on a vehicle body frame side, to be more specific, a power unit. One end of a cushion unit is mounted on the swing arm. Another end of the cushion unit is mounted on the swing arm and the power unit by way of a cushion support link mechanism. A rear wheel is supported on an end portion of the swing arm, between a cross pipe that extends between left and right seat rails and the swing arm. A rolling support link mechanism transmits rolling of a vehicle body in the lateral direction to the swing arm from the seat rails on the vehicle-body-frame side.
US07954581B2
A drive state shift control apparatus and method switches a hybrid drive (HEV) mode to an electric drive (EV) mode without engine stoppage shock or eliminates gearshifting shock in an electric vehicle. In response to a decrease in accelerator opening APO, a request for fourth-to-fifth upshift is issued, then request for HEV-to-EV mode shift is issued. At the time of the upshift, a direct clutch D/C is disengaged. At a first time interval after the mode shift is issued, a first clutch is disengaged. At a second time interval after the mode shift is issued, the engine begins to stop and the rotational speed of the motor-generator is controlled so that the speed falls to a predetermined rotational speed close to an after-gearshift rotational speed within a target shifting time interval. When the rotational speed reaches the predetermined rotational speed, a front brake Fr/B is engaged to perform a fourth-to-fifth upshift, and the torque of the motor is controlled so as to engage the one-way clutch smoothly.
US07954565B2
The invention relates to an earth boring device including a housing which has at least one portion with an inner thread, and a threaded element which has a corresponding outer thread, wherein the threaded element is slotted and has a receptacle for a securing element which increases the outer diameter of the threaded element and the contact pressure of the threaded connection between threaded element and housing, when inserted in the receptacle.
US07954564B2
A secondary cutting structure for sure in a drilling assembly, the secondary cutting structure including a tubular body and a block, extendable from the tubular body, the block including a first arrangement of cutting elements disposed on a first blade and a second arrangement of cutting elements disposed on a second blade, wherein the second arrangement is a modified redundant arrangement. Also, a secondary cutting structure for use in a drilling assembly, the secondary cutting structure including a leading blade disposed on a first block and a trailing blade disposed on the first block adjacent the leading blade. Additionally, the secondary cutting structure includes a unique blade disposed on a second block, wherein a gage portion of at least one of the blades has a length between 30% and 45% of a total blade length.
US07954560B2
A wellbore drilling system utilizes optical fibers to measure parameters of interest and to communicate data. One or more electrical conductors are used to provide power to the components of the drilling system. The acquisition electronics for operating fiber optic sensors can be positioned at the surface and/or in the wellbore. In some embodiments, one optical fiber includes a plurality of sensors, each of which can measure the same or different parameters. A multiplexer multiplexes optical signals to operate such sensor configurations. Optical fiber sensors for acoustic measurements can include a cylindrical member wrapped by one or more optical fibers. The sensors can be configured as needed to provide a 3D representation of the pressure measurements.
US07954550B2
A system isolates a control system for a downhole tool from the internal pressures in the tubing in which the tool is mounted. Opposed seals are used on a moving component in the tool so as to offset pressure induced forces regardless of the internal operating pressure of the tool. In a particular application to a subsurface safety valve the control system can be isolated from tubing pressure by offset seals between the passage and the flow tube or around exposed portions of the operating piston for the flow tube.
US07954549B2
Methods of controlling flow through a subterranean formation may include providing a cement slurry, a colloidal silica, and an activator. The methods may include introducing the cement slurry, the colloidal silica, and the activator into a portion of a well bore that penetrates a subterranean formation The methods may include allowing the cement slurry, colloidal silica, and activator to remain static.
US07954547B2
A gas flow system for removing a liquid from a well bore and allowing for gas production is provided. The gas flow system comprises a casing in the well bore for allowing flow of the liquid and gas; a tubing string in the casing for allowing flow of the liquid and gas; pressure measurement devices for use in determining a rate of liquid influx into the well bore; a casing control valve moveable between various positions ranging from fully open to fully closed for controlling flow through the casing; a tubing control valve moveable between various positions ranging from fully open to fully closed for controlling flow through the tubing; and flow measurement devices for determining the rate of flow through the tubing and the total rate of flow. The system is switchable between a current production phase and an alternate production phase based on the determined rate of liquid influx, a tubing critical velocity and a gas flow rate through the tubing, wherein switching from a current production phase to an alternate production phase results in the either or both of a decrease in liquid build-up in the well bore and an increase in gas production rate and wherein the current production phase differs from the alternate production phase.
US07954538B1
A coring system for producing a flash-free one-piece die-cast body for an electrical connector. The electrical connector of produced by the coring system of the present invention may be used for securing two electrical cables to an electrical panel or electrical box through a single knockout hole. The coring system includes a first core, a second core, and a connecting arrangement for connecting the first and second cores in such a manner that there are no gaps between the joined portions of the two cores. When the cores of the coring system are joined together by the connecting arrangement and placed in a mold, molten metal may be introduced to the mold at the joined area of the two core pieces to form a one-piece flash-free connector body according to the present invention.
US07954535B2
A dispenser for dispensing a viscous substance and tape. The dispenser has a housing with an interior. An intake channel, main conduit, and tape channel are located within the interior. The intake channel receives the viscous substance and is in fluid communication with the main conduit. A first outlet is coupled with the main conduit for dispensing the viscous substance. The tape channel has an elongate slot adjacent the first outlet for dispensing the tape. A piston is slidable within the main conduit between a closed position blocking the flow of substance from the intake channel into the main conduit and an open position allowing substance to flow from the intake channel into the main conduit. The piston is pre-tensioned biasing the piston to the closed position.
US07954531B2
A labeling apparatus of the present invention is constituted by: at least three support rollers which come into contact with the outer surface of the vial to rotate; an arm for rotatably supporting the support rollers; a rotation unit (rotation rollers) for rotating the vial held by the support rollers; a label supply unit for supplying labels to be attached on the outer surface of the vial; and an endless member which rotates according to the rotation of the vial between a first support roller with which the label fed from the label supply unit comes into contact first and a second support roller with which the label comes into contact second.
US07954528B2
A thermoplastic elastomer composition having excellent durability and flexibility while possessing superior air impermeability. In particular, a process for producing a thermoplastic elastomer composition having high rubber content by multistage addition of at least one vulcanizable rubber component, in which the time required to substantially cure the at least one rubber component preferably is less the mixer residence time. Such compositions are particularly useful in applications such as tire innerliners and barrier films or layers.
US07954526B2
Embodiments of golf club head covers are described herein. Other embodiments and related examples comprising magnetic elements are also described herein.
US07954512B2
Assembly for loading and unloading products, comprising a balanced loading and unloading arm installed at a first location and having a compass-style duct system mounted by one of its ends on a base and provided at the other of its ends with a connection system suitable for connecting the compass-style duct system to a coupling means installed at the second location, this assembly comprising, in addition, a cable joined on the one hand to means integral with the base and suitable for subjecting this cable to a constant tension and suitable for being joined, on the other hand, to the second location, the assembly also comprising guiding means capable of co-operating with the cable so as to guide the connection system along a trajectory materialized by the said cable until the connection system is brought into a position of connection to the coupling means.
US07954511B2
The present invention relates to a two-stage valve for controlling fluids, in particular a hydraulic fluid. The valve includes an actuating element, a pilot stage having a first valve seat and a first closing body, which is connected to the actuating element, and a main stage having a second valve seat and a second closing body. The second closing body is provided with a fastening region and a main region having a passage opening. The first valve seat is arranged at the passage opening. The second closing body is connected to the actuating element via the fastening region. The fastening region is designed elastically in such a way as to open the pilot stage by elastically deforming during actuation of the actuating element.
US07954510B2
A retainer for movably securing a valve member within a fluid bore of a pump comprises a retainer head which includes at least one peripheral groove and a retainer hub which is connected to or formed integrally with the retainer head. The valve member is movably coupled to the retainer hub, and the retainer head is movable to position the groove over a radial protrusion in the fluid bore. In this position, the retainer is secured to the pump and the valve member is accordingly movably secured within the fluid bore.
US07954509B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for retaining a hinge shaft of a check valve with a bushing. The check valve includes a valve body defining a flow passage therethrough; a hinge shaft; a bushing coupled to the valve body and welded to the hinge shaft; and a closure element pivotally mounted on the hinge shaft for opening and closing the flow passage.
US07954497B2
An arm restraint for restricting movement of a person's arm during sleep. The arm restraint includes a lower strap, an extension part coupled to the lower strap at one end of the extension part, the extension part including an adjusting unit for adjusting a length of the extension part, and an upper strap coupled to the extension part at another end of the extension part. The lower strap is wrapped around a lower part of a person's body. The upper strap is wrapped around an arm of the person's body. The extension part is sized by way of the adjusting unit such that the arm cannot abduct above a shoulder level of the person.
US07954494B1
This invention is a device with actively-moving members external to the tongue that hold or move the tongue forward (using friction, compression, tension, pushing, pulling, adhesion, peristaltic motion, or a combination thereof) in order to reduce obstructive sleep apnea, snoring, or both. This device has advantages over Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), surgical procedures, tubes or stents, jaw-positioning appliances, devices that use suction, piercing the tongue, and devices using friction with static or passively-moving members. With actively-moving members, the places of pressure on the tongue can be moved throughout the night to avoid tissue injury. Also, the device can actively re-engage tongue when it slips out. A dynamic sleep apnea device with actively-moving members creates new treatment options for the millions of people suffering from sleep apnea.
US07954489B2
A waterproof structure of a respiratory tube is provided. The waterproof structure comprises a hollow body and a lid. The hollow body has a first opening end and a second opening end opposing to the first opening end. The lid pivots onto the hollow body at the first opening end. Before the lid is immersed into liquid, the gravity of the lid can keep the lid at a certain position so that the respiratory tube is well-ventilated. After a part of the lid is immersed into the liquid, the buoyancy provided by the liquid forces the closing surface thereof to substantially seal the first opening end and prevent liquid from going into the tube.
US07954483B2
The invention provides a cutting segment for a cutting tool for cutting or drilling a brittle work piece such as stone, bricks, concrete and asphalt, and a cutting tool having the cutting segment. The cutting segment includes a cutting surface for cutting a work piece and a plurality of abrasive particle layers. The abrasive particle layers are disposed perpendicular to a cutting direction. Each of the abrasive layers has a plurality of abrasive particle rows in a width direction of the cutting segment. Each of the abrasive rows has a plurality of abrasive particles arranged in a line. Further, the abrasive layers have a plurality of blank sections therebetween. In the blanks sections, abrasive particles are absent or have a concentration of 70% or less with respect to those in the abrasive rows. In addition, the blank sections include relatively thick blank sections and relatively thin blank sections.
US07954478B1
An internal-combustion engine receives no air from outside atmosphere. Instead, combustion gas expelled from the engine is cooled and recycled back into the engine. That gas contains no nitrogen and consists mostly of carbon dioxide and water vapor. Oxygen and fuel are added to the recycled gas, and the resulting mixture is used to perform an internal-combustion cycle. A small amount of the expelled combustion gas is discharged into outside environment, and the rest is recycled. Since no nitrogen is present, no nitrogen oxides are produced. The amount of other harmful exhaust emissions, including particulate matter, is greatly reduced too, since most of them are recycled back into the engine. The engine is inherently supercharged with combustion-gas pressure and, since the combustion gas is heavier than air, the engine can be substantially smaller than a conventional engine of equal power. Direct injection of oxygen leads to further reduction in engine size. A smaller engine has much better fuel economy. Complete elimination of nitrogen oxide emissions and a significant reduction in particulate matter can substantially increase appeal of diesel engines based on the above concept.
US07954474B2
A variety of methods and arrangements for improving the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines are described. Generally, an engine is controlled to operate in a skip fire variable displacement mode. Feedback control is used to dynamically determine the working cycles to be skipped to provide a desired engine output. In some embodiments a substantially optimized amount of air and fuel is delivered to the working chambers during active working cycles so that the fired working chambers can operate at efficiencies close to their optimal efficiency. In some embodiments, the appropriate firing pattern is determined at least in part using predictive adaptive control. By way of example, sigma delta controllers work well for this purpose. In some implementations, the feedback includes feedback indicative of at least one of actual and requested working cycle firings. In some embodiments, the appropriate firings are determined on a firing opportunity by firing opportunity basis. Additionally, in some embodiments, an indicia of the current rotational speed of the engine is used as a clock input for a controller used to selectively cause the skipped working cycles to be skipped.
US07954467B2
In a camshaft adjuster control valve arrangement including a valve housing in the form of a central screw, the valve housing has a central passage of essentially constant diameter extending fully through the central screw.
US07954465B2
An internal combustion engine that includes both a variable valve actuation system and an exhaust restriction system to provide engine braking are disclosed. Variable valve actuation and exhaust gas restriction are carried out in response to one or more engine parameters such as engine speed, engine load, vehicle speed, and/or manifold temperature and pressure. Variable valve actuation and exhaust gas restriction may be controlled to provide selective engine performance during positive power operation and/or during engine braking operation.
US07954464B2
A cylinder head of an internal combustion engine having an electrohydraulic valve controller which includes a master unit (12), a slave unit (24), a hydraulic valve (4), a pressure relief space (18) and a pressure space (17) which is arranged in the direction of transmission between the master unit (12) and the slave unit (24) and can be connected to the associated pressure relief space (18) via the hydraulic valve (4). The master unit (12), the slave unit (24), the pressure space (17), the hydraulic valve (4), the pressure relief space (18) and a non-return valve (31) are preassembled in a common hydraulic housing (8), to form a pre-assembled hydraulic unit (3) which is fastened to the cylinder head (1) and which is connected to the hydraulic medium supply of the internal combustion engine via the non-return valve (31). Here, for the initial filling of the pressure relief space (18) and/or of the pressure space (17) with hydraulic medium, at least one filling device (6) is provided which is independent of the hydraulic medium supply, and is formed on the hydraulic housing (8) and has a closure (35).
US07954455B2
Provided are animal containment systems and components, including single-use animal containment cages and modular rack units. Also provided are methods for assembling and using components of the animal containment systems.
US07954445B2
A pressure state indicator indicates whether or not positive pressure fluid or negative pressure fluid is supplied to a fluid path. A fluid guide member 17 is constituted of a joint main body 11 in which a fluid path 12 is formed and a partition member 16 provided outside the joint main body 11, and an accommodation space 19 is formed by the partition member 16 and the joint main body 11. A pressure chamber 22a communicating with the fluid path 12 through a communicating hole 23 is formed in the accommodation space 19 by a sliding sealing member 21 provided in the accommodation space 19. The sliding sleeve 24 is located at a non-supply position by a spring member 25 when no pressure is supplied to the fluid path 12, and the sliding sleeve 24 is moved to a supply position when pressure is supplied thereto. A pressure state in the fluid path 12 is externally confirmed by observing positions of the sliding sealing member 21 and the sliding sleeve 24 from outside.
US07954426B2
A compactor system for compressing a mass including liquid and solids includes: a pressure vessel defining a pressure chamber to hold the mass; a compaction mechanism to compress the mass in the pressure chamber to remove the liquid from the solids; a drain port communicating with the pressure chamber and through which the removed liquid drains out of the pressure chamber; drain piping fluidly connected to the drain port to direct the removed liquid to a collection site; and an influent system configured to inject an influent fluid into the pressure chamber through the drain port.
US07954419B2
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a reinforced cabin for a vehicle adapted to protect the interior of the cabin against a threat of a certain maximal force. The vehicle cabin is defined by at least a vehicle belly and side walls extending upwardly therefrom. The cabin comprises a vehicle floor extending between the side walls and spaced a distance L1 from the vehicle belly; at least one passenger seat comprising a seat portion parallel to the floor, and positioned such that there extends a space of a distance L2 between the seat portion and the vehicle floor; and at least one resistance member having a proximal end fixedly attached to the belly and a distal end adjacent the vehicle floor, and located at least partially underneath the seat portion. The belly is adapted to undergo upward deformation under the certain maximal force towards the floor of a distance L3. The vehicle floor is formed with at least one opening adapted to slidingly receive therethrough the resistance member in order to allow the distal end thereof to assume a position elevated a distance equal to the distance L3 above the vehicle floor. The arrangement is such that L2≧L3, L1≧L3 and L3
US07954413B2
An improved two-stage light gas gun for launching projectiles at high speeds. The gun consists of three tubes: the expansion, pump, and launch tubes. The expansion tube contains a close-fitting expansion piston that is propelled by an explosive charge. The expansion piston in turn drives the pump piston housed within the pump tube by means of a rod connecting the two pistons. The action of the pump piston adiabatically compresses and heats a light gas of hydrogen or helium, bursting a diaphragm at a predetermined pressure and expelling the projectile from the launch tube at a very high speed.
US07954400B2
A cage pedal has a platform, a linking bar, a resilient device and a holding shaft. The linking bar is perpendicularly mounted on the platform and has a rotating shaft and a connecting seat protruding from the rotating shaft. The resilient device is set between the platform and the linking bar and has a first panel, a first spring, a second panel and a second spring. The first panel has a connecting end pivotally mounted on the connecting seat. The first spring has two abutting ends respectively abutting the first panel and the connecting seat. The second panel has a clamping end pivotally mounted on the platform. The second spring having two abutting ends respectively abutting the second panel and the platform. The holding shaft is mounted on the connecting end of the first panel corresponding to the platform.
US07954397B2
A surgical slave robot is disclosed. The surgical slave robot, for performing a surgical operation with a surgical instrument installed on an end portion of a robot arm, can include: a main body; a major support arm that is coupled to the main body such that the major support arm is movable along one direction; a minor support arm rotatably coupled to the major support arm; and a plurality of the robot arms rotatably coupled to the minor support arm. By coupling a twofold support arm of a major and minor support arm to a tower-shaped main body and coupling multiple robot arms to the support arms, the surgical slave robot may be constructed with a compact and slim size that occupies a small amount of space, making it possible to position the surgical robot close to the patient while providing space for the surgeon to access the patient.
US07954390B1
A collection apparatus is provided for receiving a portion of a medium that flows around the apparatus and directing the portion into a collector. The apparatus includes an axisymmetric streamline receiver and a support member. The streamline receiver includes a chamber as well as at least one opening into the chamber that receives the portion. The support member includes an axisymmetric conduit for directing the portion from the chamber towards the collector. An alternate apparatus includes a streamline receiver, a support member and a tail stabilizer. The receiver includes upper and lower members that form leading and trailing edges to define a chord. Along an exterior surface, one or both of the members provide at least one opening that receives the portion. The support member has a conduit that directs the portion from the opening towards the collector. The tail stabilizer is secured to the streamline receiver to orient the leading edge into the medium.
US07954374B2
An assembly for estimating consumption of a fluid includes a coupling device enabling fluid flow, a carrier assembly slidingly coupled to the coupling device, a biasing mechanism positioned between the coupling device and the carrier assembly, and a displacement sensing mechanism including a sensor coupled to one of the coupling device and the carrier assembly, and a magnet coupled to the other of the coupling device and the carrier assembly. The displacement sensing mechanism is configured to sense a displacement of the magnet relative to the sensor due to coupling of a fluid source to the coupling device.
US07954373B2
There is provided a thermal type flow meter capable of accurately detecting a flow rate even when a fluid temperature varies rapidly or when the fluid temperature is high. A probe includes: a first main heating resistor; a second main heating resistor set at a temperature different from that of the first main heating resistor; and a sub-heating resistor for heating lead wires of the two main heating resistors. A CPU of a sensor control circuit finds a fluid temperature by using the two main heating resistors, and finds a fluid flow rate by using at least one of the two main heating resistors.
US07954369B2
A tire pressure measurement system (TPMS) includes a capacitor and an integrated circuit configured to receive a supply voltage. The integrated circuit includes a voltage regulator and a measurement unit. The voltage regulator is configured to be turned on and off for predetermined periods of time such that the capacitor is charged and discharged, respectively. The voltage regulator and the capacitor are connected to the measurement unit in order to selectively provide electric charge at a voltage between predetermined upper and lower limits.
US07954360B2
The present invention is directed to a field-mounted analyzer having a graphical user interface (GUI). The analyzer has a display screen visible from the exterior of the housing. A plurality of magnetically-actuatable switches are mounted behind the display screen. The GUI has a plurality of windows that may be displayed on the display screen. Navigation through the windows is accomplished by activating switches aligned with graphical navigation icons in the windows.
US07954357B2
A multi-layer driver plate is disclosed for use in electromagnetic sheet metal forming operations. In one embodiment, the driver plate comprises a first layer characterized by low electrical resistivity and thickness for inducement and application of a suitable electromagnetic forming force, a second layer comprising an elastomeric material for compressing a sheet metal workpiece against a die surface and then regaining its original pre-forming structure, and a third layer interposed between the first layer and the second layer to protect the EMF force providing layer and to provide overall strength and durability to the EMF driver plate.
US07954350B2
The present invention provides a method of supplying lubrication oil in cold rolling for stable rolling without heat scratches or slip and achieving high productivity and improvement of the unit consumption of lubrication oil, that is, a method of supplying lubrication oil in cold rolling by supplying a predetermined kind of emulsion lubrication oil comprised of a mixture of rolling oil and water at the rolling stand inlet from nozzles, the method characterized by measuring or estimating the pressure in the lubrication nozzle pipe (lubrication nozzle pressure), controlling the lubrication nozzle pressure of the rolling stand where lubrication is susceptible to become excessive with the predetermined emulsion lubrication oil to 0.5 MPa or more, and, while doing so, supplying the lubrication oil to the roll bite inlet of the stand by direct injection.
US07954344B2
A steam generator includes a water chamber for holding water, the water chamber having a heater mounted thereto for heating the water, a steam chamber for holding steam generated as the water is heated, a water supply line for supplying the water to the water chamber, and a steam discharge line for discharging steam from the steam chamber, wherein the water chamber has a vertical direction length relatively greater than a horizontal direction length and the steam chamber has a horizontal direction length relatively greater than the horizontal length of the water chamber. A dryer or washing machine may include the steam generator described herein.
US07954343B2
A method and an apparatus for closing a tubular knitted article at one of its axial ends, at the end of its production cycle on a circular knitting machine for hosiery or the like. The method consists in ending the production of an article at one of its axial ends. The article is then picked up from the machine and transferred to a handling device located in a sewing or looping station. The pick-up is performed by transferring individually the loops of the last row of knitting from the needles of the machine to spikes of the handling device, which has an annular body composed of two semiannular elements. The article is then turned, and one of the two semiannular elements is turned over with respect to the other one, so that the spikes of one semiannular element face, and are aligned with, the spikes of the other semiannular element. The loops of knitting arranged on the spikes of one semiannular element are transferred to the spikes of the other semiannular element so that each spike of the latter semiannular element supports a pair of loops of knitting.
US07954341B2
The invention is concerned with a material which shows low absorption for UV radiation having a wavelength below 250 nm, low birefringence, high chemical resistance and high radiation resistance and which is therefore particularly usable for making optical components for microlithography. According to the invention the material consists of synthetically produced quartz crystallites which form a polycrystalline structure and have a mean grain size in the range between 500 nm and 30 μm. The method according to the invention for making a blank from the material comprises providing granules consisting of synthetically produced quartz crystals having a mean grain size in the range between 500 nm and 30 μm, and sintering the granules to obtain a blank of polycrystalline quartz.
US07954339B2
An apparatus for the cryogenic distillation of air includes an assembled unit that has a first distillation column module within which is provided a cryogenic distillation column; a heat exchange module within which is provided heat exchange means for cooling column feed air to a cryogenic distillation temperature; and at least one further processing unit. The or each distillation column, the heat exchange means, and the or each further processing unit are operationally interconnected, and the assembled unit is suitable for transportation to and erection at the site for a cryogenic air separation plant. Construction of a cryogenic air distillation plant is simplified resulting in a reduction in construction cost and time of construction. In addition, as components of the apparatus are self-contained within modules, the risk of contamination of the internal components is reduced, thus improving control of the quality of the construction.
US07954334B2
An inverter system having a semiconductor device, and a railway vehicle using this inverter, provide a more accurate determination of whether an abnormal heat generation from the inverter is associated with an error of the inverter system or is due to other causes, by use of a plurality of temperature detecting elements at a plurality of sites associated with the semiconductor device. An error detection section applies inputs from the temperature detecting elements, captures a trend of the differential value based on the plurality of temperature inputs using period sampling wherein an error associated with the semiconductor device, and not from some other condition such as outside environment temperature, is determined based on differences from, or a change in, the initial trend.
US07954333B2
A refrigerant circuit and an operation control means are provided. A refrigerant circuit is configured by the interconnection of a heat source unit, a plurality of utilization units, and expansion mechanisms. The heat source unit has a compressor and a heat source side heat exchanger. The utilization units have utilization side heat exchangers. The operation control means is capable of performing a refrigerant quantity judging operation to control constituent equipment such that a first state value becomes a first target control value. In addition, during the refrigerant quantity judging operation, the operation control means maintains a cooling capacity of a first utilization unit among the plurality of utilization units, which air conditions a predetermined space.
US07954330B2
A method for operating a power plant is disclosed. The power plant comprises a power machine and a flue gas flow path following downstream of the power machine. A flue gas flow path is scavenged with fresh air before the flue gas flow path is acted upon with flue gas. To carry out the scavenging operation, air is extracted from a pressure accumulator and the air is introduced into the flue gas flow path downstream of the power machine. The power machine can be an exhaust gas heat exchanger.
US07954328B2
A flame holder for an augmentor includes geometry to produce large radial variations in heat release to prevent coupling with modes within the exhaust duct that produce combustor screech. A surface of the flame holder varies axially in a radial direction to produce a radial phase variation in heat released from the flame holder. The radially changing surface produces radially non-uniform and unsteady heat release that does not couple with acoustic modes within the exhaust duct.
US07954323B2
A method of increasing service interval periods in a steam turbine by neutralizing sodium hydroxide in contaminated steam in a high temperature and a high pressure portion of a steam turbine by placing a protective covering over at least a portion of each of the bolts of a nozzle block assembly. The protective covering neutralizes contaminants in contaminated steam to reduce stress cracking of the bolts during steam turbine operation, and thus extend the useful life of the bolts and reduce the need for service work to repair or replace damaged bolts.
US07954311B2
A method is described for managing vapors generated from an ammonia-containing reductant delivery system. The method may include generating ammonia vapors in a first storage device and storing said generated ammonia vapors in a second storage device. Further, the method may include purging the stored vapors from the second storage device to upstream of a combustion chamber of the engine during a first condition and downstream of the combustion chamber during a second condition.
US07954310B2
A fuel purge system for a combustion turbine engine fuel supply system (32) to remove fuel from the fuel system (32). The system (32) includes a fuel supply line (40, 42, 44) for supplying fuel from a fuel source (38) to a plurality of burner nozzles (41, 43, 45) of the engine (34). A bi-directional flow divider (52a, 52b, 52c) is located in the fuel supply line (40, 42, 44) for receiving fuel from the fuel source (38) on an inlet side of the flow divider (52a, 52b, 52c) and for dividing the fuel to a plurality of fuel output lines (60, 62, 64) connected to the plurality of burner nozzles (41, 43, 45). A purging fluid line (88, 92, 96) is connected to each fuel output line (60, 62, 64) for supplying purging fluid to the fuel supply line (40, 42, 44), and a diverter valve (100, 102, 104) and drain line (106, 108, 110) are connected to the fuel supply line (40, 42, 44) on said inlet side of the flow divider (52a, 52b, 52c) for draining the purging fluid and fuel to a drain system (112).
US07954307B2
An adjustable pouch machine comprises a vertical sealer module forms transverse seals between two plies of a pouch web to partially define a plurality of pouches. Rollers selectively tension and relax the web on the vertically oriented wheel, allowing them to drop away from heated lands on emergency and cycle stops. A filler wheel has a plurality of adjustable gripper units mounted directly thereon for transporting independent separate pouches cut from the pouch web. An adjustable knife is selectively provided with changeable knife hub sets to handle a variety of pouch sizes where a filler wheel alternately first fills and seals pouches in a train. Gear linkage accommodates variation in distance between hubs of different sets. Various embodiments, apparatus and methods are described.
US07954302B2
An apparatus for sealing a cover film to a blister film having blisters holding respective small objects has a feed roll rotatable about an axis and formed with an array of radially outwardly open recesses arrayed like the blisters of the blister film. The blister film passes over the feed roll with the blisters in the recesses. A sealing roll is rotatable about an axis generally parallel to the feed-roll axis and presses the cover foil down against the blister foil on the feed roll. The feed roll is rotated to pull the films in a travel direction between the rolls so that the cover film is sealed to the blister film between the blisters thereof. A sensor detects movement of the sealing roll transversely of the feed-roll axis. A controller generates an output when the detected movement exceeds a threshold.
US07954294B2
A building panel (1) has a major plane and is configured to interengage with at least one other adjacent like panel. The panel (1) has two major side surfaces (16) which are parallel to the major plane, and four major edge surfaces (2, 3) forming a perimeter (4) of the panel (1). An over-center camlock mechanism (7) is retractably extendable from each major edge surface (2, 3). Each major edge surface (2, 3) has a recess with an associated recess (17) at each major side surface (16), so that each recess is adjacent to at least one other recess. There is a pin in each recess and any over-center camlock mechanism (7) is latchingly engageable with the pin in any one of the recesses of the adjacent like panel so that the major planes of the two panels, when interengaged, are selectively parallel and coincident or perpendicular.
US07954292B2
An insulated siding panel comprises a foam insulation layer, an attachment member, and optionally a veneer layer. The foam insulation layer comprises a front face, a rear face, a tongue along a first end edge, a groove along a second end edge, and a slot defined in the rear face. The attachment member comprises an attachment rail and a member extending transversely from the attachment rail. The member of the attachment member is inserted into the slot of the foam insulation layer. When present, the veneer layer is attached to the front face of the foam insulation layer. When joined with other insulated siding panels, the interlocking occurs along the foam insulation layers to form an unbroken layer of insulation.
US07954289B2
An anchoring system to lock posts into housings mounted in the ground, or to lock pipes into housings within holes through walls or foundations uses plastic collets to match post outer profiles to inner housing profiles. The collets have two gently tapered circumferential areas which lock into corresponding tapered areas in the housing. Keys help to lock the post into the collet and in turn into the housing. Customized collets match incompatible posts and housings. The anchored post may be released for re-use, with a security release system that requires the use of special tools.
US07954285B2
A glazing system for use with a barrier that has a panel with an opening is disclosed. An impact glazing, which covers the opening, includes an inner surface and an outer surface and a plurality of apertures around its periphery. A fastener having a fastener head passes through each corresponding aperture and into the panel. The glazing system also includes an elastically deformable washer positioned between each fastener head and the impact glazing. The glazing system may also include an inner bezel covering the periphery of the glazing on the inner surface and an outer bezel covering the periphery of the glazing on the outer surface, wherein the bezels are secured to the barrier and the glazing by a corresponding piece of adhesive tape.
US07954281B2
A skylight shaft substrate has a film or coating on its inside surface that reflects visible light while transmitting IR to the tube substrate, which can have a satin black and/or other IR absorbing interior and anodized or other high emissivity exterior to convey heat across the tube so that light is transmitted down the tube but heat transmission is directed through the tube to minimize heating the illuminated space. Or, heat may propagate up through the tube and exit through a clear plastic dome covering the tube.
US07954279B2
An improved roofing method and assembly having a fascia cap designed to prevent water from moving through capillary action back towards the roof. The assembly has an a elongated drip edge running back the bottom edge of the fascia cap that displaces water away from the roof, preserving the integrity of the roof and building walls below. A blocking strip attaches the fascia cap to the roof, maintaining the assembly and helping the flow of water away from the roof.
US07954274B2
A resilient fishing lure, which simulates the movement of live bait when a fisherman tugs on the fishing line, includes a molded, resilient worm/amphibian larvae-like body. The body is unitary, having a head equipped with a longitudinal aperture, an attached tail equipped with at least two apertures, and at least one hook secured to the body. A fishing line is routed, first through the longitudinal aperture in the head, then in an “S” pattern through the remaining apertures, and secured to the body through the aperture farthest from the head. Resiliently-hinged jaw flaps on an anterior portion of the head open to positions of maximum hydrodynamic drag when the lure is pulled forward through the water, thereby transferring a portion of the pulling force to the tail so that is transformed from an elongate configuration to a serpentine configuration.
US07954270B2
A mounting rail for a firearm is disclosed. The mounting rail may be a picatinny rail, a weaver rail, or the like, which allows tools such as lights or lasers to be attached to a firearm. The mounting rail is reversible and may be mounted within a portion of the firearm, such as the forend. The other side of the rail may match the finish and texture of the firearm so that the mounting rail is hidden from view when reversed.
US07954265B2
The present invention relates to an advertising display, which is used in displaying advertising posters in an illuminated manner, said advertising display comprising a protecting body profile (1), a covering profile (2), a white background material (4) where such poster is attached, and a transparent protector (5) positioned on said poster; and furthermore, at least one a hinge profile that retains the transparent protector (5) in order to easily attach/replace such poster, and to prevent said transparent protector (5) from becoming damaged; at least one magnetic profile and at least one magnetic tape that fasten the moving edge of the transparent protector (5) to the body profile (1) after a poster is attached; and a multitude number of clips retaining the poster between the background (4) and transparent protector (5).
US07954257B2
A footwear construction including a sole component and shock pods that absorb impact forces caused by activity. The sole component can be a midsole defining at least one shock pod hole that reduces in dimension from a midsole lower surface toward a midsole upper surface. A shock pod can be joined with the midsole, and extend from the lower surface toward the upper surface. The midsole can be constructed from a harder material than the material from which the shock pod is constructed. A outsole can be joined with the midsole so that a lower portion of the shock pod, for example a traction lug, extends through the outsole to form a ground contacting surface. The shock pod and the shock pod hole can be of corresponding frustoconical shapes. A method is provided including joining a shock pod with a midsole, and joining an outsole with the midsole.
US07954255B2
A drying apparatus with a vaporized-solvent-recovery function including: a concentration-at-the-end-of-drying data memorizing device to memorize a concentration of a vaporized solvent at the end of a drying operation of an object to be dried in a processing path; a vaporized solvent; an end-of-drying judging device to judge an end of drying of the object by comparing the concentration measured by the vaporized-solvent-concentration measuring device with the concentration memorized by the concentration-at-the-end-of-drying data memorizing device; and a drying-operation controlling device to control the drying operation of the object in a processing bath and to end the drying operation in response to a judgement by the end-of-drying judging device that the concentration measured by the vaporized-solvent-concentration measuring device is equal to the concentration memorized in then concentration-at-the-end-of-drying data memorizing device.
US07954252B2
Example methods and apparatus to determine and use wellbore diameters are disclosed. A disclosed example method comprises positioning a downhole tool in a wellbore, counting a number of rotations of a motor used to cause the downhole tool to contact a surface of the wellbore, and determining a diameter of the wellbore based on the number of rotations of the motor.
US07954244B2
A multi-function razor cartridge that can be used for hair trimming and normal shaving has a housing including a retractable guard and at least one razor blade having a cutting edge. The razor cartridge also has a comb mounted to the housing that is movable by a user between a non-operable position and an operable position. When the comb is in the non-operable position the razor cartridge can be used for a normal shaving operation. As the comb is moved to the operable position for hair trimming, the guard is retracted so that it will not interfere with the passage of longer hairs between the teeth of the comb.
US07954241B2
The present invention discloses a self-lubricating bearing, which is a hollow cylindrical body with an axial hole in its center, exhibiting a structure formed by sintering a multiple of spherical alloys particles under microscopy. The self-lubricating bearing has a multiple of pores to receive lubricating oil. Further, the present invention provides a manufacturing process for making self-lubricating bearings.
US07954239B2
A manufacturing method that can stabilize an operation torque of a torque limiter device in a manufacturing stage is provided. The method of manufacturing the torque limiter device 1 includes an assembling step S1 of attaching a clutch disk 13 and a damper mechanism 16 to a spline hub 15, and attaching a friction facing 21 to the clutch disk 13; an assembling step S2 of attaching a transmission torque limiting portion 6 to the friction facing 21; and a grinding step S4 of supplying a torque to at least one of the transmission torque limiting portion 6 and the spline hub 15 to rotate them relatively to each other.
US07954233B2
A method for component mounting which reduces the length of time that a component mounter called alternate mounting component mounter takes for mounting components is a method for component mounting used for a component mounter including plural mounting heads which alternately mount components onto a board. The method includes specifying, as a first mounting head, one of the plural mounting heads which moves a shortest distance to the board (S2), and mounting the components onto the board which is brought into the component mounter, the mounting starting from the first mounting head (S14).
US07954232B2
A crimping tool with detachable cable connector tester includes a crimper body for crimping a signal connector to a cable, two pressing handles, and at least one cable connector tester. Therein, the two pressing handles are movably connected with the crimper body and have at least one fastening groove, the cable connector tester is detachably set in the fastening groove, and thereby construction workers can use the crimping tool to crimp the signal connector with the cable. After crimping, the signal connector can be inserted into the cable connector tester that is selectively attached with the crimping tool, so as to test the conduction between the signal connector and the cable.
US07954225B2
First and second components can be releasably coupled together with a locking pin having a sacrificial o-ring. The first and second components have respective first and second openings that are aligned with each other and receive the locking pin. The second opening has a square edge located adjacent to a recess in the first opening. The o-ring has an outside diameter greater than the diameter of the square edge and an inside diameter less than the diameter of the square edge when assembled. The locking pin is inside of the first and second openings, with the o-ring inside of the recess. To release the components, the locking pin is moved out of the first opening to shear the o-ring against the square edge.
US07954223B2
A method for producing a sealing arrangement between an opening of the support, bore and a screw which comprises a head connected to a body and is provided with a threaded section for interacting with the hole of a part to be assembled with a support whose mechanical strength is lower than that of the screw. The invention is characterized in that, starting from an enlarged opening, the inventive method consists in engaging the screw into the bore in such a way that the head thereof is brought into contact with the opening, in screwing the screw into the hole of the part to be assembled in such a way that a pressure applied by the head sealingly presses the opening against the part of the under-head surface of the screw by removing a part of material of the support.
US07954221B2
An electromagnetically formed fluid circuit joint (150) includes a tubular conduit (58) that has an outer surface (154) with a groove (72). A hollow fitting (56) is mechanically separate from and received over the tubular conduit (58). The hollow fitting (56) includes an electromagnetic field formed wall deformation (165) that extends into the groove (72).
US07954216B2
The invention relates to a multifunctional unit for machining workpieces preferably consisting at least partially of wood, wood materials, plastics or the like, with a plurality of vertical drill spindles, a plurality of horizontal drill spindles, and at least one fixed saw comprising at least one saw blade with a horizontal axis of rotation. The multifunctional unit according to the invention is characterised in that it is mounted and driven by a mounting means in such a way that it may be rotated about at least one vertical axis of rotation.
US07954212B2
The sheet attaching instrument includes an instrument body 12 and a fixing member 14 fixing the instrument body 12 to a sheet 1. The instrument body 12 has a first projection 20 and a second projection 30. The first projection 20 has a first shaft 21 and a first holding flange 22 extending from a tip end of the first shaft 21, while the second projection 30 has a second shaft 31 and a second holding flange 32 provided on a tip end of the second shaft 31. The fixing member 14 includes a first engaging portion 40 adapted to be engaged with the first projection 20 and a second engaging portion 50 adapted to be engaged with the second projection 30. After the first engaging portion 40 is slid relative to the first projection 20 for the engagement, the fixing member 14 is rotated with the first projection 20 as support point in a direction of approaching the instrument body 12. Then the second engaging portion 50 is engaged with the second projection 30.
US07954210B2
A hose clamp, preferably for the closing of catheter extensions, has an integral plastic body extending in an elongate manner with two arms which are resiliently connected to one another at the ends and which each form a projection such that they are disposed opposite one another in the closed state of the hose clamp. The arms can be hooked with one another in the closed state with openings being provided at the front and rear ends thereof for the reception of a hose. The hose clamp generally has the shape of a cylinder with cut-off sides which taper conically at both sides toward the ends of the clamp, with the ends being adapted to the circular shape of a hose is received therein.
US07954209B2
A waterproof structure for zippers includes a waterproof layer formed on one side surface of two tapes of a half-finished zipper. The waterproof layer is formed by coating a layer of bonding glue on the one side surface of the two tapes and then the bonding glue has its upper layer stuck with an electroplating membrane. By so designing, external water can be prevented from seeping in the two tapes of the zipper, thus elevating waterproof effect of a zipper.
US07954203B2
A hinge is mounted between a cover and a base of an electronic device. A lid covers the hinge and is attached securely to the base. The hinge has a cam wing, a sleeve, a rotating shaft and a pin. The rotating shaft is mounted slidably in the sleeve. The pin is mounted slidably and transversely through the sleeve, is attached securely to the rotating shaft and slides along the outer edge of the cam wing. When the cover is pivoted to a certain angle, the pin slide at part of the cam wing having larger diameter to gradually lift up the cover so the cover is selectively distant away from the lid. Therefore, the shape of the electronic device does not need to be disfigured and the cover still does not bump against the lid.
US07954192B2
The head of a toothbrush includes a first tuft block having bristles and a second tuft block having bristles. The first and second tuft blocks are mounted for counter-rotational or counter-rotational oscillating movement in a direction parallel to the outer surface of the head. The toothbrush head also includes a third section having bristles extending outwardly from the head to provide an extended field of bristles to support an elongated ribbon of toothpaste and for enhanced cleaning.
US07954181B2
Disclosed herein is a multi-functional bidet having an extra function such as an enema function for a constipated person, in addition to its normal function of cleansing pubic area and anal region. Specifically, the bidet of the invention is constructed such in a manner that an anus-cleansing function, a bidet cleansing function, and an enema function are embodied in a single nozzle; or any one function is constituted on a spray tip projected from the separate spray nozzle body; or one or two functions among the anus-cleansing function, the bidet cleansing function and the enema function are embodied in two or three spray nozzles, which are projectably inserted in the lower central portion of the bidet body so as to be arranged horizontally adjacent to one anther; or one or two functions among the anus-cleansing function, the bidet cleansing function and the enema function are embodied in two or three spray nozzles, which are projectably inserted in the lower central portion of the bidet body so as to be arranged vertically adjacent to one anther.
US07954178B2
A hockey helmet having an occipital adjustment mechanism for improving fit of the helmet on the head of the wearer.
US07954175B2
An archer's hand support structure apparatus and method of use is disclosed to help stabilize an archer's hand during string draw and string release of an archer's bow. The archer's hand support structure apparatus includes a band of flexible material adapted to encase the archer's hand, the band having a first edge portion extending adjacent to an archer's distal hand portion and a second edge portion extending adjacent to an archer's proximal hand portion. The band also includes an aperture therethrough disposed substantially adjacent to the first edge portion for receiving a thumb of the archer's hand. Further included is a stiffener positioned adjacent to the band, the stiffener also extending lengthwise substantially from the band first edge portion to the band second edge portion and the band also includes structure for removably engaging the band from the archer's bow.
US07954171B2
The proposed invention is a method of cooling the human body using compressed air in the manner described by U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,707 without the necessity of directing the nozzles of the air jets directly at the body. The proposed invention directs the air jets in a parallel manner to the surface of the body thus cooling by both the expansion of the gas and evaporative cooling enhanced by larger contact with said surface of the body. Said air jets also cool by a coanda effect that entraps large amounts of air and pulls it along the surface of the body thus increasing evaporation. The present invention also entraps the cold air within a wind resistant cover replacing the mesh outer cover design.
US07954169B2
An athletic glove having an enhanced flexibility features for assisting in the opening and closing of the glove. A glove can include a front ply forming a palm and front portion and a back ply forming a back portion. The peripheries of the front and back plies attached together to form the glove. The glove includes a thumb stall, at least on finger stall, a hand receiving opening, a heel portion of the front ply, and a web portion positioned between the thumb stall and the finger stall. The glove further includes at least one predefined fold in the palm, such that the fold increases the flexibility of the glove and thereby facilitates the opening and closing of the glove. The glove can also comprise a notch formed in the back ply between the finger stall and the hand receiving opening to further increase the flexibility of the glove. Other embodiments are also claimed and described.
US07958560B1
A security analyzer is capable of generating attacks to test the security of a device under analysis. The security analyzer further has the capability to generate a portable, executable program to generate specified attacks. In this way, others can recreate the attacks without requiring access to the security analyzer.
US07958558B1
Mechanisms have been developed for securing computational systems against certain forms of attack. In particular, it has been discovered that, by maintaining and selectively propagating taint status for storage locations in correspondence with information flows of instructions executed by a computing system, it is possible to provide a security (or other appropriate) response if and when a control transfer (or other restricted use) is attempted based on tainted data. By employing aging in decisions to propagate, it is possible limit overheads associated with such tracking. In some embodiments, a decay oriented metric is applied and further propagation of taints is interrupted once aging reaches a predetermined decay threshold. In some embodiments, more generalized labels may be maintained and selectively propagated based on an aging metric. For example, in some embodiments, labels may be employed to code source designation or classification, aging, popularity/frequency of access or taint.
US07958546B2
Disclosed are a method and system for managing access to and verifying personal identity. A person is provided with a private key that uniquely identifies that person, and that person uses the private key to access an identity manager. The person then uses the identity manager to specify a desire to establish a business relationship with a business entity. The user can then contact that business entity. The business entity is provided with a private key that uniquely identifies the business entity. That business entity then receives a request to conduct business with the entity from a person alleging to have the personal identity. The business entity then accesses the identity manager using the private key, and that entity then determines if a person having the personal identity has used the identity manager to specify a desire to conduct business with the business entity.
US07958540B2
The present invention provides a method, system and computer program product for registering and authenticating a user using a processor card with the server. The method enables the user to create his login details. Further, the method enables the authentication of the user over a public network. The method also enables the user to change the login details without accessing the server.
US07958532B2
Video-coded information is transmitted over a network at a priority level that is determined based on feedback from the network. In an embodiment, the feedback comprises a response to a request for information on whether the network currently has the available capacity to transmit additional high priority traffic. In an embodiment, a candidate base layer frame is transmitted over the network as a base layer frame if permission to send high priority data was granted and is transmitted over the network as an enhancement layer frame if permission to send high priority data was denied. In a further embodiment, the candidate base layer frame is deleted if permission to send high priority data was denied.
US07958530B2
In a system for viewing accumulated contents by using a cellular phone, if an error prevents the content to be viewed, a simple operation is performed to view the rest at home. In accordance with a viewing request from a cellular phone, a television receiver, while sequentially receiving data from D-VHS, converts the data into a format suitable for reception and play in a cellular phone by using an encoder. After this format conversion, the television receiver stores in a play position memory a time stamp indicating a position information of a content and a sequence number used for transmission in TCP/IP. The cellular phone notifies the television receiver of a decode error of a reception data. When receiving a confirmation response of a normal play from the cellular phone, the television receiver clears the data of the play position memory, and otherwise holds the data of the play position memory.
US07958525B2
A system and method for scheduling media for consumption via a demand broadcast channel based upon notifications received during user consumption of media. An embodiment of the present invention may employ notifications generated when users select media for consumption, to calculate one or more statistics. The statistics may be calculated and used by a media provider to schedule media into a demand broadcast channel in which the frequency of repetition or time of availability of the media is set according to a ranking of the relative frequency of requests for the media. The statistics may also be shared with a third party, to enable a third party media provider to arrange the scheduling of media availability according to the relative frequency of requests for the media.
US07958511B1
A mechanism is provided for estimating the computing resources needed to execute a job. The mechanism receives a request to execute a new job. The mechanism processes the request to determine a set of job characteristics for the new job, and accesses a database containing execution information for a plurality of previously executed jobs. The mechanism obtains from the database a set of execution information associated with a particular previously executed job having similar or identical job characteristics as the new job. From this execution information, the mechanism determines what computing resources were actually used to execute the particular previously executed job. Then, based upon this information, the mechanism derives an estimate of the computing resources needed to execute the new job. By estimating the needed resources in this manner, the mechanism relieves the user of having to guess at what resources will be needed to execute a job.
US07958510B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a resource management mechanism to monitor the availability of resources, detect the cause of a rejection, distinguish between different types of rejections, and manage the different types accordingly. For example, a queue manager in accordance with embodiments of the invention may be able to classify rejected requests, for example, as either a “long reject” or a “short reject” based on the cause of the rejection and the amount of time the rejection conditions are expected to remain valid. A short reject request may be rescheduled in an appropriate service queue, while a long reject request may be suspended in a reject queue. Other features are described and claimed.
US07958500B2
A method of determining ranges for algorithmic variables for a processor that uses fixed point arithmetic is provided. The method comprises expressing overflow requirements of processor instructions as inequalities. The method also expresses precision requirements and expressiveness requirements as inequalities and merit functions. A global constraint and optimizer tool is used to find ranges for algorithmic variables based on the inequalities and the merit functions. The use of constraint equation solving and optimization finds optimal algorithmic ranges that provide overflow-free arithmetic as well as optimal expressiveness and precision.
US07958497B1
Recording and replaying computer programs includes state synchronization and thread management techniques that facilitate accurately replaying the recorded execution of a multithreaded application program. State synchronization comprises, during execution of an application program in a computer system, detecting an operation of the application program to write a memory; preventing the operation to write the memory; storing a representation of the memory; permitting the operation to write the memory, resulting in written memory; comparing the written memory to the stored representation; and in response to determining that the written memory is different than the stored representation, generating a notification that a memory state synchronization exception occurred.
US07958494B2
A method, system, and computer-readable medium for rapid on-boarding of a software factory are presented. In a preferred embodiment, the computer-implemented method comprises the steps of: identifying choke-points in a first software project; creating a checklist of identifying factors that caused the choke-points that were identified in the first software project; receiving a new software project at a software factory, wherein the new software project is in a same software category as the first software project; presenting the checklist for the first software project; receiving new answers to the checklist; determining if the software factory is ready to handle the new software project based on the new answers to the checklist; and in response to determining that the software factory is ready to handle the new software project, configuring the software factory in a same configuration as that previously used by the first software project.
US07958493B2
Systems and methods of representing and extracting type information from typeless and dynamically-typed programming languages are provided. These systems and methods can be immune to source file edits and the order in which those edits are executed. Deriving type information from these languages allows tools to perform operations, for example, refactoring, intellisense, recognition of semantic errors, etc. These systems and methods can be implemented using processes that, implicitly or explicitly, gather type information for the program, and can also accept user input as well.
US07958479B2
The present invention provides a new hardware description language for chip-level JTAG testing. This new hardware description language, referred to as New BSDL (NSDL), enables testing resources of a system-on-chip to be described, thereby enabling the system-on-chip to be described in a manner that facilitates testing of the system-on-chip. The present invention provides a bottom-up approach to describing a system-on-chip. The present invention supports algorithmic descriptions of each of the components of the system-on-chip, and supports an algorithmic description of interconnections between the components of the system-on-chip, thereby enabling generation of an algorithmic description of the entire system-on-chip or portions of the system-on-chip.
US07958475B2
A low power integrated circuit design verification method and tool for automatically synthesizing a set of low power assertions from statements of low power intent. The low power intent statements provide low power constraint information for an integrated circuit design. The low power assertions are automatically synthesized from the low power intent statements and may be used to monitor, check and verify power controller signals. The low power assertions may also be used to collect low power functional coverage data.
US07958474B2
Various methods and apparatus for executing a multithreaded algorithm that performs a static timing analysis of an integrated circuit chip (chip) include logic for traversing the chip to identify a plurality of components (cells or nodes) within a chip circuit of the chip. A waveform graph is defined for the identified nodes. One or more virtual graphs are generated from the waveform graph. The plurality of nodes in the one or more virtual graphs are processed using multiple threads to obtain quadruplet of time domain dataset values representing the different modes of propagation for each node. A timing check is performed at an end node of the virtual graphs using the quadruplet of time domain dataset values to determine any timing violation within the chip design.
US07958470B1
Disclosed are methods and systems for performing false path analysis. In one approach, the methods and systems identify a set of zero or more false paths based upon both implementation-specific design data and non-implementation-specific design data. In some approaches, disclosed are methods and systems for performing automated gate-level static timing false path analysis, identification, constraint generation, and/or verification using architectural information. Static timing paths at the gate-level can be linked to the architectural information via mapping techniques found in equivalence checking (EC). The gate level static timing paths can be analyzed in the context of the architectural information to identify false paths.
US07958461B2
Provided is a method in a wireless mobile terminal for inputting characters. The method includes computing a probability value for each character which may be entered after a user inputs a particular character from among characters assigned to each button on a key input section by pressing a button and, storing the probability value in a memory of the mobile terminal, the probability value being based on a detection frequency of each character to be detected after a particular character in preset words. A character, as a first input character, having been inputted by the user according to the number of times a first button has been pressed in character input mode, based on a first character arrangement preset on the first button, is displayed on a display section. The probability value for each character which is probable to be entered after the first input character, among characters assigned to all buttons of the key input section is read from the database, and a second character arrangement in the order of probability values for the characters assigned to each button is then determined. A character inputted by the user according to the pressing number of a second button, based on a second character arrangement preset on the second button is displayed as a second input character.
US07958450B1
A matching graphical user interface (GUI) for a storage area network (SAN) management tool is disclosed. The matching GUI allows a user to match a managed object that corresponds to a unit of a SAN with a component of the SAN management tool, so the SAN management tool may validate the configuration of the SAN. The GUI receives information describing a managed object and displays the information and a result of an attempted match of the information with a component. A result indicates a current status of the attempted match. The GUI provides a user-selectable listing of components for the displayed result. The selection of a component from the user-selectable listing of components by a user creates a match between the received information for the unit and the selected component.
US07958448B2
Systems and methods for activating and/or managing fonts allow users to selectively activate individual fonts from inside a multi-font suitcase by separating the individual fonts from a multi-font suitcase file. The separated font may then be saved in a font management “vault” or file that activates only the fonts desired and selected by the user. In this manner, individual fonts can be activated from a font suitcase file without requiring that the entire suitcase's set of fonts be activated and/or added to the font management vault. Users may designate and select different fonts, including different fonts from different foundries (and included in different multi-font suitcases) for a single electronic document (e.g., different fonts for different typeface types, etc.) or use in an application program. These features provide repeatability and predictability in electronic document rendering processes.
US07958445B1
A system and method stores keys and values defined for a file as XML tags and values in a separate shadow file, allowing the keys and values to remain separate from the file, while being associated with the file so that the shadow file can be viewed, moved, stored or retrieved in tandem with the file.
US07958444B2
In a document annotator (8), a document converter (12) is configured to convert a source document (10) with a layout to a deterministic format (14, 64) including content and layout metadata. At least one annotation pipeline (20, 22) is configured to generate document annotations respective to received content. A merger (36, 46) is configured to associate the generated document annotations with positional tags based on the layout metadata, which locate the document annotations in the layout. A document visualizer (58) is configured to render at least some content of the deterministic format and one or more selected annotations (60) in substantial conformance with the layout based on the layout metadata and the positional tags associated with the selected one or more annotations (60).
US07958442B2
The disclosed system and method provides a user interface in which language-related content is decoupled from a document structure or content to permit the document to accept variable language text. The language-related content is stored separately from the document structure and content. The document without the language-related content acts like a template that can be populated with any type of language-related content. The language-related content can be provided in a separate file together with associated identifiers, and can be loaded into a cache or document object model (DOM) for processing. An XML file may be used for the language file, and the document may be constructed using HTML code. Document components can be assigned event handlers that cause pop-up boxes to be loaded and displayed with language-related content upon an event trigger.
US07958441B2
Improved techniques to utilize and manage a group of media items (or media assets) on a computing device are disclosed. The group of media items can be utilized and managed at a host computer for the host computer as well as a media device (e.g., media player) that can couple to the host computer. One popular example of a group of media items is know as a playlist, which can pertain to a group of audio tracks. One aspect pertains to a graphical user interface that enables a user to trade-off storage capacity of a media device between media asset storage and data storage. Another aspect pertains to a graphical user interface that assists a user with selecting media items to fill a group of media items. Still another aspect pertains to providing a persistent media device playlist at a host computer. Yet still another aspect pertains to imposing capacity limits to a playlist, such as a media device playlist.
US07958438B2
Provided is a CAN system that can generate an error signal without requiring hardware for generating an error signal to be connected to a bus. A protocol processing part within a CAN controller incorporates error data into receive data or send data, based on error data information stored in a register.
