US07972470B2
An asymmetrically grounded susceptor used in a plasma processing chamber for chemical vapor deposition onto large rectangular panels supported on and grounded by the susceptor. A plurality of grounding straps are connected between the periphery of the susceptor to the grounded vacuum chamber to shorten the grounding paths for RF electrons. Flexible straps allow the susceptor to vertically move. The straps provide a conductance to ground which is asymmetric around the periphery. The straps may be evenly spaced but have different thicknesses or different shapes or be removed from available grounding point and hence provide different RF conductances. The asymmetry is selected to improve the deposition uniformity and other qualities of the PECVD deposited film.
US07972454B2
A method of preparing a gassed water-in-oil emulsion explosives composition from a gasser solution of an inorganic nitrate, an ammonium species and an optional accelerator which is added to an emulsion explosive composition, reacts and forms gas bubbles is disclosed. The emulsion explosive composition is composed of a discontinuous aqueous phase, a continuous water immiscible organic phase, and an emulsifier. The reaction between the gasser solution and the emulsion explosive composition is such that the emulsifier does not undergo chemical attack.
US07972444B2
A workpiece support is disclosed defining a workpiece-receiving surface. The workpiece support includes a plurality of fluid zones. A fluid, such as a gas, is fed to the fluid zones for contact with a workpiece on the workpiece support. The fluid can have selected thermoconductivity characteristics for controlling the temperature of the workpiece at particular locations. In accordance with the present disclosure, at least certain of the fluid zones are at different azimuthal positions. In this manner, the temperature of the workpiece can be adjusted not only in a radial direction but also in an angular direction.
US07972441B2
A method and apparatus for oxidizing materials used in semiconductor integrated circuits, for example, for oxidizing silicon to form a dielectric gate. An ozonator is capable of producing a stream of least 70% ozone. The ozone passes into an RTP chamber through a water-cooled injector projecting into the chamber. Other gases such as hydrogen to increase oxidation rate, diluent gas such as nitrogen or O2, enter the chamber through another inlet. The chamber is maintained at a low pressure below 20 Torr and the substrate is advantageously maintained at a temperature less than 800° C. Alternatively, the oxidation may be performed in an LPCVD chamber including a pedestal heater and a showerhead gas injector in opposition to the pedestal.
US07972435B2
A strength improvement admixture composition is provided that increases the compressive strength of cementitious compositions without negatively increasing the setting time. The admixture comprises the components of a polycarboxylate dispersant and strength improvement additive.
US07972430B2
A composition is for use with fabricating a ceramic composite stiffening member that defines a T-section. The stiffening member includes a web portion, at least one flange portion, a radius region disposed between the web portion and the at least one flange portion, and a skin member that is secured to the at least one flange portion and the radius region. The composition is a pliable mixture of refractory particles, plasticizers, silica-yielding polymers, and solvents that is applied along the radius region.
US07972415B2
A breathing air purification device and method having a carbon-monoxide free sweep stream. Water vapor is removed from a compressed air stream using a membrane dryer, comprising, a membrane having a permeate portion and a non-permeate portion, a membrane housing which encases the membrane, a membrane feed inlet conduit connected to the membrane and a non-permeate gas outlet conduit fluidly connected to the non-permeate portion of the membrane. The sweep stream used to cleanse the outer permeate portion of the membrane dryer is taken from a catalyst filter. The catalyst filter includes a cartridge containing a bed of catalyst, two end pieces maintaining the cartridge within a catalyst bed housing and having outlet holes, a catalyst inlet conduit connected to the bed of catalyst and a product gas outlet conduit connected to the outlet holes. A sweep inlet tube provides a gas connection from the catalyst filter component to the permeate portion of the membrane.
US07972410B1
A method for controlling the size of chemically synthesized magnetic nanoparticles that employs magnetic interaction between particles to control particle size and does not rely on conventional kinetic control of the reaction to control particle size. The particles are caused to reversibly agglomerate and precipitate from solution; the size at which this occurs can be well controlled to provide a very narrow particle size distribution. The size of particles is controllable by the size of the surfactant employed in the process; controlling the size of the surfactant allows magnetic control of the agglomeration and precipitation processes. Agglomeration is used to effectively stop particle growth to provide a very narrow range of particle sizes.
US07972403B2
A filter apparatus includes a filter housing having at least one opening and a plurality of retention tabs positioned proximate to at least one of the openings and secured to the filter housing. Also included is a connection fitting having a tube segment sized and configured to be received into at least one opening of the filter housing, orientation tab or tabs secured to the connection fitting and positioned to be engageable between a portion of the plurality of retention tabs when in the installed position. A retention flange extends radially from the tube segment and is configured to retentively engage with the retention tabs to secure the connection fitting to the filter housing. The connection fitting is rotatable when the tube segment is received into the filter housing but is then rotationally locked relative to the filter housing when in the installed position.
US07972395B1
A method of processing a polycrystalline diamond material is disclosed. According to the method, a metal-solvent catalyst is leached from a polycrystalline diamond material by exposing at least a portion of the polycrystalline diamond material to a leaching solution. The leaching solution includes water, a complexing agent, and a mineral acid. The complexing agent is configured to inhibit tungsten in the polycrystalline diamond material from oxidizing.
US07972386B2
The present invention concerns bleaching of substrates with an aqueous solution of a water soluble salt of a preformed transition metal catalyst together with hydrogen peroxide.
US07972383B2
An orthopaedic implant includes a patella component having a posterior bearing surface configured to articulate with the femoral condyles of a femur, and an anterior surface having a number of pegs extending outwardly therefrom. The superior edge of the patella component is thickened relative to conventional dome-shaped patella components.
US07972380B2
An artificial joint associated with an implant including a pair of three dimensional and structurally extending bones, each defining a contoured and opposing end face, and which collectively defines a joint location. At least one plasticized layer is applied to one of, or both, the end faces in a coacting and substantially frictional reducing fashion. A lubricating plastic is defined upon an exposed face of the bladder. The plasticized layers may include a fluid receiving and inflatable bladder for filling a three dimensional area associated with the joint location. A curable/settable fluidic material can be injected into the bladder and which includes at least one of an epoxy, a urethane, a gelatin and a two-part hardener. The bones each further include an artificial implant constructed from at least one of a plasticized and a metallic material.
US07972377B2
A trileaflet biological prosthetic heart valve (11, 41) comprising a thin, rigid annular outer frame (25, 43) which supports three elastic, laminated spring inner frames (18, 57) which in turn provide consistent geometric form and structure for attachment of tissue leaflets (15, 71).
US07972375B2
An endoprosthesis that includes a composite having a metal matrix and a plurality of stiffening particles in the matrix. The metal of the metal matrix can include titanium, niobium, tantalum, or alloys thereof. The stiffening particles can include a metal core and a thin surface layer. The thin surface layer can include oxides, carbides, nitrides, or combinations thereof.
US07972372B2
A stepped balloon catheter prosthesis deployment system is disclosed for placement of a prosthesis across an Os opening from a main body lumen to a branch body lumen. The prosthesis comprises a radially expansible support at one end, a circumferentially extending link at the other end and at least one frond extending axially therebetween. The prosthesis is configured to be deployed from a stepped diameter balloon with the support in the branch body lumen, with the circumferentially extending link in the main lumen and the frond extendable across the Os.
US07972367B2
The present invention provides a device of integrated neuronal cells interfaced with an electronic device and a method of producing the same.
US07972365B2
Instrumentation is disclosed for inserting an interbody spinal fusion implant for implantation at least in part within and across the generally restored height of a disc space between two adjacent vertebral bodies of a human spine. The implant has an external housing and a substantially hollow internal rotatable member having bone engaging projections that are deployable through the housing to penetrably engage the adjacent vertebral bodies.
US07972351B2
An expandable balloon for a medical device having a static state, at least one first expanded state, and at least one second expanded state, the expandable balloon having a substantially polygonal geometric shape in the static state.
US07972341B2
A device for a correctly targeted formation of a drill bore centrally in a femoral attachment site of a posterior cruciate ligament of a knee joint comprises a hollow shaft for guiding a drill wire therethrough and a sighting element arranged at a distal end of the hollow shaft. Said sighting element has an edge for placing said sighting element via said edge to an outer margin of a femoral attachment site of a posterior cruciate ligament.
US07972340B2
A cavity creation device is introduced into a cancellous bone volume of a vertebral body through a percutaneous access path. The cavity creating device is manipulated to form a cavity in the cancellous bone volume. A volume of filling material is placed in the cavity by introducing a tube through the percutaneous access path and by conveying the filling material through a side dispensing port of the tube.
US07972333B2
A high-frequency incision tool for endoscope comprises a sheath inserted through and extracted from a treatment tool guide lumen of an endoscope; an operation unit connected to the rear of the sheath; a pair of electrode blades disposed in parallel and oriented forward at the front position of the sheath, the pair of electrode blades opening forward and closing back through remote manipulation of the operation unit; and a planar portion provided at the tip of at least one of the electrode blades, the planar portion having a projected area, when viewed from the front, larger than the cross sectional areas of the electrode blades at a portion close to their front ends.
US07972330B2
Methods and apparatus for treatment of layered tissue defects such as a patent foramen ovale provide for applying energy to tissues adjacent to the PFO with a closure device that substantially closes the PFO. Apparatus generally includes an elongate flexible member having a proximal end and a distal end and an energy transmission member deployable from the elongate flexible member. The energy transmission member applies energy to the layered tissue defect at a first position and a second position adjacent to the first position so as to substantially close the layered tissue defect along at least a portion of the defect. Applied energy may be monopolar or bipolar radiofrequency energy or any other suitable energy, such as laser, microwave, ultrasound, resistive heating, direct heat energy, cryogenic or the like. PFO closure via energy-based approaches of the invention may help prevent stroke, treat migraine headache, and possibly treat or prevent other medical conditions.
US07972328B2
An electrosurgical system is disclosed. The electrosurgical system includes an electrosurgical generator adapted to supply electrosurgical energy to tissue. The electrosurgical generator includes impedance sensing circuitry which measures impedance of tissue, a microprocessor configured to determine whether a tissue reaction has occurred as a function of a minimum impedance value and a predetermined rise in impedance, wherein tissue reaction corresponds to a boiling point of tissue fluid, and an electrosurgical instrument including at least one active electrode adapted to apply electrosurgical energy to tissue.
US07972327B2
Low temperature lesion formation apparatus, systems and methods. The apparatus includes a base member and an inflatable element carried by the base member.
US07972321B2
In certain embodiments, a vial adaptor for removing liquid contents from a vial includes a piercing member and a bag. The bag can be contained within the piercing member such that the bag is introduced to the vial when the vial adaptor is coupled with the vial. In some embodiments, the bag expands within the vial as liquid is removed from the vial via the adaptor, thereby regulating pressure within the vial. In other embodiments, a vial includes a bag for regulating pressure within the vial as liquid is removed therefrom. In some embodiments, a vial adaptor is coupled with the vial in order to remove the liquid. In some embodiments, as the liquid is removed from the vial via the adaptor, the bag expands within the vial, and in other embodiments, the bag contracts within the vial.
US07972309B2
A blood collection set including a non-patient needle assembly interconnected with an intravenous needle assembly through tubing is provided. The non-patient needle assembly includes a hub assembly adapted for mounting with a blood collection set, and an internal blunting member including a blunted tip. The non-patient needle assembly further includes an external cannula concentric with the internal blunting member and including a non-patient puncture tip adjacent the blunted tip. The external cannula is axially displaceable with respect to the hub assembly between a first retracted position in which the non-patient puncture tip extends beyond the blunted tip and a second activated position in which blunted tip extends beyond the non-patient puncture tip.
US07972307B2
An introducer assembly includes a sheath having a sheath proximal end and distal end, and a passage therethrough. The introducer assembly further includes a valve assembly that is sealingly associated with the passage of the sheath. The valve assembly includes a valve having a first seal and a second seal, where the first and second seal optionally have different sealing properties. For example, the first seal and the second seal have different thicknesses, different sealing durometers, or otherwise different sealing features. In another option, the sheath is removable from the instrument disposed therethrough. In yet another option, the valve of the valve assembly further includes a chamber disposed between the first and second seals. The seals are spaced to accommodate devices with multiple flow holes therein.
US07972306B2
A syringe driver system comprises a rotatable threaded lead screw shaft and a plunger which directly engages the threaded shaft such that rotation of the shaft drives the plunger into the syringe body. The plunger is formed with a threaded shaft engaging portion in the form of a half nut to engage with and follow the threaded shaft. The syringe driver system further comprises a guide system to secure the plunger in direct engagement with the threaded shaft and to prevent rotation of the plunger. An arm of the plunger stem carries markers useful in determining the near end of infusion. The syringe body carries a marker or markers useful in determining a characteristic about the syringe, such as its volume.
US07972302B2
Syringe assemblies having a passive disabling system to prevent reuse are provided. According to one or more embodiments, the syringe assembly comprises a barrel, plunger rod and stopper wherein the plunger rod further comprises a locking protrusion that locks the plunger rod within the barrel. Certain embodiments further include a frangible portion on the plunger rod that breaks when reuse is attempted. One or more embodiments include a plunger rod and stopper attachment that prevents disassembly of the syringe assembly prior to use. Syringe assemblies of one or more embodiments also include visual indicators or markers indicating whether a syringe assembly is used or the plunger rod is locked within the barrel.
US07972298B2
A robotic catheter system includes a controller with a master input device. An instrument driver is in communication with the controller and has a guide instrument interface including a plurality of guide instrument drive elements responsive to control signals generated, at least in part, by the master input device. An elongate guide instrument has a base, distal end, and a working lumen, wherein the guide instrument base is operatively coupled to the guide instrument interface. The guide instrument includes a plurality of guide instrument control elements operatively coupled to respective guide drive elements and secured to the distal end of the guide instrument. The guide instrument control elements are axially moveable relative to the guide instrument such that movement of the guide instrument distal end may be controlled by the master input device.
US07972295B2
Apparatus and method utilizing fluid to deliver a bolus of therapeutic material through a lumen to a delivery or discharge control portion of the apparatus, where the bolus may be discharged or delivered to a desired location.
US07972294B2
An intra-luminal device for the extraction of occlusive or partially occlusive material is disclosed. The device includes a novel catheter extension which minimizes cavitation of extracted fluids and also allows the better navigation of tortuous lumens or vasculature.
US07972283B2
The invention is directed to a guidewire having a distal section with multiple distally tapered core segments with at least two contiguous distally tapering core segments in which the most distal tapered core segment preferably has a greater degree of taper than the proximally contiguous tapered core segment. The invention is also directed to an elongated intracorporeal device, preferably a guidewire or section thereof, that has a core member or the like with a plurality of contiguous tapered segments having taper angles that are configured to produce a linear change in stiffness over a longitudinal section of the device. The device may also have a core section with a continuously changing taper angle to produce a curvilinear profile that preferably is configured to produce a linear change in stiffness of the core over a longitudinal section of the device.
US07972281B2
A method of obtaining a test sample from a specimen using a lancet system includes engaging a lancet driver against a drive wing of a lancet system, the lancet system having a major portion of a lancet member slidably engaged within a lancet carrier and a sensor strip with a sample chamber attached to the lancet carrier, the lancet system having a lance connected to a first end of a lancet body of the lancet member wherein the lance is movable from a retracted position within the lancet carrier to an extended position outside the lancet carrier, the drive wing extending outwardly and transversely from the lancet body, the major portion of the lancet member having a sinuous portion with a distal end restricted from movement by the lancet carrier, the sinuous portion being non-compressible when initially disposed within the lancet carrier wherein the drive wing prevents the sinuous portion from being compressed, moving the drive wing with the lancet driver a predetermined distance causing the lancet tip to move from the retracted position to the extended position, and disengaging the lancet driver from the drive wing, the lance being automatically moved from the extended position to the retracted position.
US07972279B2
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for managing patient data. In one aspect, the invention relates to a system for managing patient data having many instruments. The instruments have a sampling member for sampling a body fluid from a patient and are in direct communication with at least one other instrument.
US07972270B2
An ultrasound imaging apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe configured to transmit an ultrasonic beam to an object and receive a reflective ultrasonic signal, a controller configured to control the ultrasonic probe such that the ultrasonic beam is focused on focus positions in at least two directions, each of which is substantially perpendicular to a transmission and reception direction, an image generation unit configured to generate an ultrasonic image based on the reflective ultrasonic signal and a display unit configured to display the at least two focus positions or the focus position in the direction which is substantially perpendicular to the ultrasonic image with the ultrasonic image.
US07972267B2
A method of diabetes management, comprising (a) providing a glucose meter in communication with a portable microprocessor-based unit; (b) transmitting blood glucose level data into the hand-held microprocessor-based unit from the blood glucose meter; (c) running a program of instructions on the portable microprocessor-based unit or the glucose meter or both; (d) inputting data based upon the blood glucose level data as input data for the program of instructions; and (e) providing a signal to inject insulin when the blood glucose level data indicates.
US07972257B2
A device for processing sheets, rolls or the like, preferably sheets or rolls of corrugated paper, into useful articles. More specifically, the invention relates to a paper wrapping device that can convert a sheet or strip of paper into a useful article comprising a plurality of wrapped paper layers, suitable for use as a support member or a pallet stringer. Also the invention provides a device that contains a conveying unit which transfers a material, such as paper, to a forming unit which produces a core layer and further wraps additional layers in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction around said core in one or more layers to form a support member having a solid wrap of continuous layers.
US07972251B2
There is an exercising device, and a method of use, configured to perform upper body and abdominal type exercise. The exercise device includes a pad member configured to support a forearm of a user. The exercise device also includes a handle extending from a top surface of the pad member about a front end of the pad member and configured to provide a grip for a hand. In addition, the exercise device includes a selectably coupleable attachment member coupled to a bottom surface of the pad member and configured to alter a movement characteristic of the device when in operation. The selectably coupleable attachment member includes a plurality of wheels. The exercise device further includes a tongue and groove attachment member configured to selectably couple the attachment member to the pad member.
US07972249B1
A gym apparatus combining a plurality of cardiovascular exercise machines such as a bike system with weight training machines allowing a user to have many different types of exercise equipment and maintain it in a small space. The apparatus features a housing, an extendable Pilates seat component, a foldable wrist exercise, a bike system, a retractable chin up bar; power barbells in the inner cavity of the housing; and a foldable power barbell bar operatively connected to the power barbells via a pulley system.
US07972246B2
A sensor unit installed in a premises for detecting a user's walking behavior. Connected to the server through a communication network are a server, an information reporting unit, and an exercise machine. The server includes a diagnosis section for analyzing time series data of walking signal from the sensor unit to determine walking ability and generate walking ability data indicative thereof, and an information providing section which provides the walking ability date to the information reporting unit and the exercise machine. The information reporting unit includes reporting means for reporting the determined walking ability to the user. The exercise machine includes a control section which gives an exercise to the user depending upon the walking ability.
US07972245B2
A system and method for providing information during an activity is described. In some examples, the system includes a capture device that captures information during a first activity and a presentation device that presents the information during a second activity. In some examples, system employs and is implemented on one or more mobile devices that transfer, process, and generate information based on performance of activities.
US07972244B2
Described is a method for controlling a transmission for motor vehicles, especially an automatic transmission or an automatic gearbox, where a gear ratio (“1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, “5”, “6”) is adjusted according to operating conditions by means of pre-determined shifting programs (“0”, “Eco”, “Normal”, “Sport”, “Mountain II”, “Warm-up”, “Tip”) and corresponding specific shifting values (HS45, RS43) and where in relation to a vehicle's actual operating condition at least one special function (“Curve Recognition KE”, “Rapid Drive Pedal Release FO”, “Spontaneous Delay Vehicle SVF”, “Drive Speed Control FGR”, “Drive Dynamic control ESP”) is activated, which prevents the change from an actual gear ratio to a target gear ratio requested by a shifting program within a pre-determined operating range of a vehicle. In a first version of the method, the operating range, wherein a gear ratio change of the transmission is prevented, is changed in relation to applied specific values that depend on the operating condition. In a second version of the method it is planned that the shifting characteristics are changed in relation to applied specific values that depend on the operating condition in such a manner that the operating points of the vehicle that are defined on the side of the shift characteristics, for which gear ratio changes must be performed, are adjusted to the actual operating condition of the vehicle.
US07972243B2
A control device for propulsion units is adapted to synchronize the engine rotational speeds of a plurality of propulsion units arranged in a row on a vessel and operatively and electrically connected to two control levers that are positioned adjacent to each other. The control device synchronizes the engine rotational speeds by correcting the throttle opening of a target propulsion unit or units based on a deviation between the engine rotational speed of a reference propulsion unit and the engine rotational speed of the target propulsion unit. Upon cancellation of synchronization, the throttle opening correction is reduced stepwise from its corrected throttle opening to its natural throttle opening based on the position of the corresponding control lever. As such, large fluctuations in engine speeds are avoided upon cancellation of synchronization.
US07972240B2
A work machine includes an internal combustion (IC) engine, and an infinitely variable transmission (IVT) coupled with the IC engine. The IVT includes an adjustable module and a mechanical module, with an adjustable input/output (I/O) ratio. A clutch is coupled with the mechanical module and has an output. An adjustable operator input device provides an output signal representing a power limit control. At least one electrical processing circuit is coupled with the operator input device and configured for controlling a selected combination of the I/O ratio and the clutch output, dependent upon the output signal from the operator input device.
US07972237B2
A gear train unit with a motor-generator having a first planetary gear mechanism, a second planetary gear mechanism, an input shaft, an output shaft, a first clutch, and a second clutch is disclosed. The first planetary gear mechanism includes a first sun gear, a first ring gear, and a first carrier. The second planetary gear mechanism has a second sun gear, a second ring gear, and a second carrier. The second sun gear is connected to the first sun gear. The input shaft is connected to the second ring gear. The output shaft is connected to both the first ring gear and the second carrier. The first clutch selectively connects and disconnects the first carrier to and from the motor-generator. The second clutch selectively connects and disconnects the first sun gear and the second sun gear to and from the motor-generator.
US07972236B2
A sun gear of a first planetary gear train is connected to an input shaft. A carrier 9 of the first planetary gear train is connected to a sun gear of a second planetary gear train and to a first pump/motor. A ring gear of the first planetary gear train is connected to a second pump/motor, and a ring gear of the second planetary gear train is connected to an output shaft. A first clutch is provided for engaging and disengaging a carrier of the second planetary gear train and the ring gear of the first planetary gear train with and from each other, and a second clutch is provided for engaging and disengaging the carrier of the second planetary gear train and a fixed end with and from each other.
US07972235B2
A hybrid powertrain having an engine, multi-speed transmission connected to a final drive and not continuously connected to the engine, a single motor/generator connected to an energy storage device and a controller and not continuously connected to the engine or transmission, and three clutches. The first clutch is connected to the engine, the second clutch is connected to the transmission and first clutch, and the third clutch is connected to the motor/generator and first and second clutches. The first and second clutches are operable for selectively interconnecting the engine and transmission; the first and third clutches are operable for selectively interconnecting the engine and motor/generator; the second and third clutches are operable for selectively interconnecting the transmission and motor/generator; and the three clutches are operable for selectively interconnecting the engine, transmission and motor/generator to transmit power therebetween. An engine starter system may be connected to the engine to transmit power to and receive power from the engine.
US07972230B2
An apparatus is configured for inclusion in an arrow. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a sensor configured to provide data concerning one or more flight characteristics of the arrow in flight and a communication link coupled to the sensor, the communication link configured to communicate the data to a device external to the arrow.
US07972226B2
A composite locking upright having low weight and great rigidity for installation into a playing surface with built-in sleeves. The composite locking upright supports and secures a net at a playing height for athletic sports such as, volleyball, tennis, and badminton. The composite locking upright may have a composite tube, a multi-material tube, an upper and a lower protective collar, and a locking tool. The composite tube may be made of a light-weight, fiber-reinforced composite. The multi-material tube may be made at least in part of the same material and may incorporate at least one abrasion resistant area, which may be a partial or full thickness insert and may be, but is not necessarily, formed of a metal. The multi-material tube is extendable and retractable from the composite. The locking tool locks the multi-material tube with respect to the composite tube and thereby fixes a net at a playing height.
US07972225B2
Blow molded plastic structures are provided for use in various structures such as, but not limited to, tables, chairs, walls, backboards, storage bins, sports equipment and the like. The blow molded plastic structure has a first surface and a second surface extending between a first end and a second end and forming a chamber there between. A plurality of depressions is formed on the second surface and extends into the chamber. The depressions are usually unitary structures formed by a depression wall. Generally, the steeper the depression wall, the more strength is provided to the structure. In addition, where the plurality of depressions has a low profile and a greater density, increased strength is provided to the structure. The depressions may or may not be joined to the first surface.
US07972221B2
A method of orienting a spherical object comprising the steps of acquiring an image of a spherical object at an imaging station; analyzing the image with a first computer to determine an analysis; transferring the object from the imaging station to orienting stations using a transfer mechanism; and orienting the object to a predetermined orientation according to the analysis; wherein the orienting stations comprise first, second, and third stations each rotating the object about a single axis; the first, second, and third stations collectively orienting the object by rotation about alternately perpendicular axes. In one embodiment, at least one of the orienting stations is at least partially mounted onto the transfer mechanism. In another embodiment, the transfer mechanism is a compliant object carrier that is movable translationally and substantially immovable rotationally. In an alternate embodiment, the ball is orientated with a gimbaled mechanism. An object orienter is also disclosed.
US07972220B2
A rotary game table includes a combination game table, two side support members, and at least one cross member. The combination game table includes a pool table surface formed on one side and an air powered hockey table surface formed on the opposite side. The at least one cross member is terminated on each end by a single side support member. The combination game table is pivotally retained by a side support member on each end thereof. To pivotally constrain the combination game table, at least one locking pin device is used; in a second embodiment at least two pivotal support arms; and in a fourth embodiment a pair of support latches. A third embodiment includes at least one side support member configured to retain a plurality of game accessories. A gaming table may be substituted for the air hockey table.
US07972218B2
A homokinetic joint includes an outer hub having outer running tracks, an inner hub having inner running tracks, balls which are guided in pairs consisting of an outer running track and an inner running track and a cage having cage windows, in which the balls are accommodated. The homokinetic joint further includes a sleeve that is firmly connected with the inner hub and disposed coaxial to it and sealing means having an accommodation part that is connected with the outer hub so as to rotate with it. The sealing means have a sealing membrane firmly connected with the outer hub by means of an outer collar, and connected with the sleeve by means of an inner collar, forming a seal, and having a securing ring for fixing the inner collar in place on the sleeve. The sleeve has a circumferential annular groove, into which the sealing membrane engages with an inner annular bead that is formed on.
US07972213B2
Systems and methods are provided for monitoring gaming activities of a player at a gaming device. It is determined, based on the gaming activities, whether to initiate communication between the player and an individual. Communication is enabled between the player and the individual.
US07972212B2
A method for dynamically changing the graphical content on mechanical slot machine reels is disclosed herein. The system includes mechanical slot reels, flexible display panels, and data transmission techniques which provide for dynamically updating or changing the graphics on the spinning mechanical reels in a slot machine. In one method for dynamically changing graphical reel content, new image content is placed on the reels at any time, even while the reels are spinning. The method may even be used to give the appearance of rotation to a stationary reel.
US07972205B2
A grid game, such as crossword, operable on a networked computer or internet enabled device, which employs pre-designed clues and searching and search engine retrieval functions to aid the user in ascertaining the answers. The results generated by the search engine are displayed in predetermined locations on the results page returned by the search engine.
US07972202B2
The invention relates to a device for dividing a continuous sausage into portions, in particular sausage links. The invention includes at least one pair of opposing clamps which can be moved towards one another by actuation means in order to crush the sausage. Each clamp includes at least a first plate (141, 151) and a second plate (142, 152), each of said plates having front clamping edges (141a, 151a; 142a, 152a) and being arranged such that the front edge of the first and second plates form respectively first (181) and second (182) variable-cross-section passages. The invention also includes at least one blade associated with the pair of clamps, which can be moved transversely to the plates between the first passage and the second passage in order to cut the sausage.
US07972199B2
A hand-held power tool includes a drive spindle (2) rotatable about a rotational axis (A) and provided at its free end with a clamping flange (3) and a locking thread (4) having at least one thread undercut (8), and a locking nut (7) tightenable on the locking thread (4) for securing a disc-shaped tool (5) between its clamping surface (6) and the clamping flange (3) of the drive spindle (2), with the thread undercut (8) having an axial length that corresponds to at least an axial length of an inner thread (9) of the locking nut (7).
US07972197B2
The invention relates to a grinding machine for grinding of a gear or of a gear-like workpiece, which has a grinding worm (1) with a tooth-shaped profile (2), which consists at least partly from a dressable abrasive material and which is arranged rotatably on a grinding spindle, so that it can rotate around an axis of rotation (C) during grinding and a dressing device (3), with which at least a part of the forming areas (4, 5) of the grinding worm (1) can be profiled, wherein the dressing device (3) has a dressing spindle (6), which bears a disk-shaped dressing tool (7), so that it can rotate around an axis of rotation (B). To allow a faster dressing of the grinding worm the invention is characterized in that the grinding machine further has a dressing bar (8) which has a dressing edge (9), wherein the form of the dressing edge (9) corresponds at least partly to the ideal envelope of the grinding worm (1).
US07972193B2
The present invention relates to articles and methods for producing non-latex balloons with low surface electrical conductivities and an extended product life. In a preferred embodiment, a multilayer composite film having an exposed metallized layer is coated with an elastomeric sealant layer that increases electrical resistivity of the balloon product to greater than 1.08 Ohms/sq. The invention relates to articles and methods for producing needed bonds and seal strength required to manufacture non latex balloons. The balloons of this invention have an extended product life because they are more resistant to common defects like pin holing and stress cracks than conventional balloon systems.
US07972191B2
A manufacturing method of an image display apparatus, having a vacuum container with getters therein, includes the steps of exhausting an inner gas through an exhaust hole provided in the vacuum container; and activating the getters during the exhausting. In the activating step, the getters are sequentially activated first from a getter positioned in an area having a larger exhaust conductance with respect to the exhaust hole.
US07972187B2
A method for controlling a marine vessel having a first steering nozzle, a reversing deflector and at least one of a bow thruster and a second steering nozzle is disclosed. The method comprises any of the acts of inducing a net transverse thrust to the marine vessel in response to a transverse thrust component signal, without substantially inducing any forward-reverse thrust or rotational thrust to the marine vessel, or inducing a net forward-reverse thrust to the marine vessel in response to a forward-reverse thrust component signal without substantially inducing any transverse thrust or rotational thrust to the marine vessel, or inducing a net rotational thrust to the marine vessel in response to the rotational thrust component signal without substantially inducing any forward-reverse thrust or transverse thrust to the marine vessel.
US07972184B2
A contact for a burn-in socket electrically connecting an IC package and a printed circuit board, comprises a first contact, a second contact and a spring disposed between the first contact and the second contact. The first contact and the second contacts have a same configuration, and each contact has a U-shaped actuating portion with two legs and a conductive portion extending from one of the legs. The first contact and the second contact are orthogonally assembled together, and the first actuating portion bestrides the second actuating portion to clasp with second actuating portion, so that the conductive portions have an offset therebetween.
US07972182B2
An electrical connector has a receiving space (10) and includes an insulative housing (1) and a set of contacts. The insulative housing includes a tongue portion (12) protruding into the receiving space. The tongue portion has a mating face (14), a set of depressions (141) formed in a front region of the mating face, and a set of passageways (142) defined in a rear region of the mating face and being spaced away from the depressions. The contacts are held in the tongue portion and include a set of first and second contacts (21,22). The first contacts have elastic first contact portions (15) being movably received in the passageways and protruding beyond the mating face and into the receiving space, and first tail portions (16) opposite to the first contact portions. The second contacts have stiff second contact portions (25) retained in the depressions and exposed to the receiving space, and second tail portions (28) opposite to the second contact portions. The first and the second tail portions are arranged in only a single row.
US07972177B2
These objects are attained by a box for connecting an output conductor of a solar panel with a feed cable and that has a flat base mountable on the solar panel and having a first opening for the feed cable and a second opening for the output conductor. A contact mounted on a conductor of the feed cable has a flat connection region extending parallel to the base. A contact clip secures the conductor to the connection region.
US07972175B2
A compression-type coaxial cable connector includes a post with at least one helical thread thereon. A typical coaxial cable includes a dielectric layer and a cable braid. The threaded post engages the coaxial cable between the cable braid and the dielectric layer, and can be installed by screwing the threaded post into the coaxial cable end.
US07972174B2
A housing includes a cylinder portion, a back portion, crimping portions, and supporting portions. The cylinder portion has a first opening, a second opening, and a cut and can be in contact with an external conductor of a receptacle inserted from the first opening. The back unit covers the second opening. Each of the supporting portions is disposed on the cylinder portion. Each of the crimping portions extends from the back portion and is bent so as to face the back portion such that the supporting portion is disposed between the crimping portion and the back portion. An elastic portion is disposed between the crimping portion and the supporting portion.
US07972159B2
An electrical connector (100) for electrically connecting a Central Processing Unit (CPU) with a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), includes a base (2), a plurality of insulative layers (34), a plurality of contacts (4) and a plurality of cams (33). The base defines a cavity (21) and the insulative layers are stacked and received in the cavity. The insulative layers define a plurality of passageways therein. The contacts are received in the passageways of the insulative layers. The cams are rotatable around to push different insulative layers to have different degrees of movement in a predetermined direction.
US07972155B1
A hotstick operable electrical connector for use in a power distribution system that includes a housing, a well and first and second frustoconical members extending from a surface of the housing. Each frustoconical member has a distal end and an axial bore that extends from the distal end into the housing. The well includes a wall, a base with an aperture and a tapered cavity that extends into the housing from the surface opposite the frustoconical members. The well is adapted to receive a male end of an insert device, such as a feed-thru insert or bushing insert. The aperture provides communication between the cavity and the axial bore of one of the frustoconical members. An electrical contact assembly extends through the aperture between the cavity and the axial bore. The integrally formed well provides a means for direct connection with an insert device without the use of an adapter.
US07972143B2
A printed circuit assembly includes a base printed circuit having a printed circuit receiving area and a plurality of electrical contacts provided on the printed circuit receiving area. The printed circuit assembly also includes a secondary printed circuit having a secondary substrate including a mating edge and a plurality of secondary contacts provided along the mating edge. The secondary printed circuit is mounted on the base printed circuit such that the mating edge of the secondary printed circuit is directly engaged with the base printed circuit at the printed circuit receiving area. Each of the secondary contacts is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the electrical contacts of the base printed circuit.
US07972135B2
A dental handpiece for root canal treatment comprises an outer sleeve, a connecting device for connecting the handpiece to a control and analyzing unit, a measurement circuit having a power source and to a drive unit, an electrically conducting tool receptacle and an electrically conducting driving device, wherein the tool receptacle and the driving device are mechanically and electrically connected together so that a driving motion generated by the drive unit can be transmitted via the driving device to the tool receptacle and electrical measurement signals can be transmitted between the driving device and the tool receptacle. A first connection is provided for transmitting the driving motion. A second electrically conducting connection, which may comprise sliding contacts, is provided for transmitting the electrical measurement signals. With separate connections, an improved signal transmission and in particular a low loss of measurement signals of the root canal length measurement during the signal transmission are achieved.
US07972134B2
Methods and apparatus for orthodontic treatment planning that involve determining an initial position of an orthodontic structure, determining an altered position, and generating response surface data using a mathematical relationship between the positions. The mathematical relationship may be defined by a number of parameters useful for determining one or more of the stress, strain, force, and moment associated with movement of the orthodontic structure. The mathematical relationship between the initial position and the altered position may be defined using a finite element analysis, empirically determined, or using other computational methodologies such as a finite difference methodology. The mathematical relationship may also be defined using an analytical methodology, such as elasticity and/or plasticity methodologies. Response surface data may be generated as a teaching aid, treatment planning aid, table, or other useful form, which may be useful, for example, for designing an orthodontic appliance, verifying an orthodontic prescription, and/or planning the prescription.
US07972104B2
A lower buffer 6 is placed under a traveling rail for an overhead traveling vehicle 16, and a side buffer 8 is provided on a side of the traveling rail. The overhead traveling vehicle 16 has a hoisting frame 30, and a lateral feeding unit 24 for laterally feeding the hoisting frame 30.
US07972098B2
A liner for a transverse trough of a coil-transport railway car for cushioning a coil and for preventing lateral creep of the load during transport. Each sloping wall of a transverse trough is lined with at least one liner to prevent lateral creep in both transverse directions. Each liner is comprised of a horizontal bottom base or support layer, from which upwardly project a plurality of spaced-apart, flexible fingers or ribs. The fingers or ribs of the liner of the invention may be oriented leftward or rightward in direction of cant, and oriented such as to face or incline toward the centerline of the transport vehicle, and behave or act as leaf springs. When the load of coil is placed onto the liner of the present invention, the fingers thereof serve as the load-bearing surface, and bend or deflect in accordance with the weight of the load, to thereby support the load of coil. In addition, those remaining fingers or ribs not deflected by the load and immediately adjacent to the coil at either end, act as leaf springs to resist any side-to-side, lateral movement of the roll or coil, as would otherwise occur due to vibration and shock imparted during transport.
US07972096B2
The present invention provides a cartridge-type spindle device having an easily separable structure despite the fact that it comprises a rotary joint for a through spindle coolant device. In the cartridge replacement type spindle device (11), front bearings of the spindle are built in a front housing (23) and rear bearings of the spindle (15) are supported on a rear housing (25) so that, when the front housing (23) is separated from the rear housing (25), the front bearings (17a, 17b), the spindle (15), and the rear bearings (19a, 19b) can be separated from the rear housing (25) integrally with the front housing (23). The rotary joint is disposed in a piston (63) of an unclamp means for unclamping a tool (21, T) mounted to the forward end of the spindle (15), so that a draw bar (51) accompanied by a seal ring can be separated from the rear housing (25) and the rotary joint together with the spindle (15) and the front housing (23).
US07972095B2
A temporary securing device for plate-like work pieces includes a split body and an anchor segment, the split body has a resiliently compressible biasing member to allow an outer diameter of the split body to contract allowing passage within a plurality of openings in the work pieces, the split body has an engagement portion near a first end, the engagement portion has an operative surface to engage an outer surface on a first outer work piece, the split body has a second end and a threaded inner support near the second end, the anchor segment is operable to engage an outer surface on a second outer work piece, the anchor segment includes a threaded member to engage the threaded inner support, the threaded member be rotationally operational to draw the split body toward the anchor segment.
US07972090B2
An indexable turning insert includes two opposing larges sides formed by a support center part and a plurality of cutting parts projecting outwardly therefrom, each having a cutting edge extending between the sides and being spaced apart around the outer perimeter of the center part for indexing, has four the cutting parts. Each cutting part has a clearance side extending on one of the sides of the insert from the cutting edge of the cutting part towards the center part while making clearance angles in two dimensions with respect to the cutting edge, and the cutting edge of each cutting part makes an angle being below 90° by less than the clearance angles with the other of the sides of the insert.
US07972085B2
A method and device for shoring trenches includes insertion of a first couple of lining plates into a ditch. A stiff bracing frame may be guided within a first couple of linear guides between the two lining plates, one linear guide being connected to one lining plate. A second couple of lining plates may be guided between the first lining plates and inserted into the ditch. A second couple of linear guides may be inserted between the first linear guides, one of the second linear guides being connected to one of the second lining plates, and the second linear guides being kept at a distance using a brace. The bracing frame between the first linear guides may be removed, and the second lining plates and the second linear guides may be lowered while the stiff bracing frame is inserted between the first linear guides when the ditch is dug deeper.
US07972081B2
A sea wall system incorporated into a continuous and foundation supported structure, including a plurality of panels which are displaced in either of vertical or horizontal fashion from interior locations associated with the foundation structure. The panels are each constructed of a lightweight and fluid resistant material and are each displaceable from a first retracted position to an extended position, whereby the components collectively establish a heightened water barrier. A fluid communicating opening is defined in the foundation support and, in response to a rising water level, vertically displaces the panels.
US07972080B2
Natural soils and underlying bedrock typical of channel banks near a river and floodplain system are utilized to improve the economics and efficiency of constructing an underground porosity storage reservoir. A man-made barrier, typically a slurry wall, is keyed into these banks and forms a first portion of a closed boundary for the reservoir. The channel banks between the two ends of the slurry wall form a substantially impermeable natural barrier defining a second portion of the closed boundary for the reservoir, thereby reducing the construction costs on sites appropriate for such a design. Locating the bank-sided porosity storage reservoir over naturally occurring scour regions in the bedrock can greatly increase the storage capacity. By building an embankment and extending the slurry walls higher, an open water storage area can be created on top of the reservoir that is bounded by the elevated slurry wall and the channel bank.
US07972079B2
A method is provided for maintaining the structured stability and configuration of golf course sand bunker borders which method comprises excavating the soil area adjacent the bunker edge, rigidly positioning adjacent open-top, uniquely designed compartments in the excavated area along the edge of the bunker, filling the compartment with soil to the top of each compartment and leveling the soil on top of the compartments. Each compartment comprises side panels, front and back panels and a bottom closure panel. The compartment is rigidly positioned by means of spikes driven through the back and front panel into the soil at the edge of the bunker and a spike through the bottom closure into the soil beneath the sand in the bunker.
US07972072B2
To prevent faint writing or writing failure from occurring during a writing operation due to back shock and to reduce shock sound by using a simple structure, a pressure contact member protrudes from one surface or both surfaces on the side of a shaft tube and a knock body so as to come into sliding contact with each other, parts on the side of the shaft tube and the knock body being opposed to each other in a radial direction. Accordingly, even when the part on the side of the knock body retreats with respect to the part on the side of the shaft tube in terms of a releasing operation, a retreat speed of an ink tank becomes slow due to a friction resistance of the pressure contact member, and thus back shock remarkably reduces. As a result, ink does not flow to the ink tank in a reverse direction due to air introduced from a writing tip portion, and shock sound generated when the retreating ink tank returns to a normal position reduces.
US07972070B1
An impulse actuated device for, e.g., an optical element of a digital camera, includes an elongated flexure having a first end upon which the optical element is disposed, and an opposite second end fixed so as to constrain the element to move along an arcuate, relatively long first trajectory between opposite initial and final positions, and a short-throw, high force element actuator that includes a stator and a stage supported for movement relative to the stator and along a second trajectory intersecting the first trajectory at the initial position of the element, and an apparatus for accelerating the stage along the second trajectory and against the element such that at least some of the momentum of the stage is imparted to the element and causes the element to move along the first trajectory and from the initial position to the final position.
US07972063B1
A beverage insulator as described herein may comprise a generally hollow body having an interior space, wherein the interior space is adaptable to receive at least a portion of a beverage container, and a compartment disposed exteriorly of and in fluid communication with the interior space. The interior space and the compartment may be in fluid communication with each other via a valve or other suitable conduit. The interior space may be sized and shaped complementary to a beverage container such that when the beverage container is inserted into the interior space, the compartment is inflated with air or other fluid. Alternatively, a valve may be configured to receive a tube through which a user may blow air or other fluid in order to inflate the compartment. The inflated compartment insulates the beverage container and its contents.
US07972059B2
An X-ray cover for enveloping an X-ray cassette. The cover comprises a first sheet of non-plastic material and a second sheet of non-plastic material. The cover further comprises a cushion element integrally distributed throughout the first sheet and the second sheet wherein the first sheet and second sheet are sized and shaped to accept the X-ray cassette and wherein the cushion element is sized and shaped to cushion the patient's body part during an X-ray procedure.
US07972057B2
A device for producing a multi-component compound, in particular for dental purposes, by mixing its components after they have been pressed out of cartridges which open into a dynamic mixer and are arranged exchangeably in the device, with a first motor for advancing all of the pistons assigned to the cartridges, and with a second motor for rotary driving of mixing elements in the mixer via a shaft, which is held in engagement with the mixer by spring pretensioning and can be pulled back from the mixer counter to the spring pretensioning, is characterized in that the shaft is provided with a radially extending projection which, by the spring pretensioning, is pressed onto a ramp-like upwardly sloping cam surface, which is provided on its foot with an abutment surface, of a toothed wheel, which is provided with saw-like teeth and is coaxial to the shaft, which toothed wheel, in a first angle direction in which the cam surface slopes upwards, is prevented from rotating by a catch and, in the second angle position opposite thereto, is rotatable, the mixer drive shaft being pulled back during rotation in the first direction of rotation.
US07972055B2
A method and system are provided for administering micro-ingredient feed additives wherein controlled access is provided to the bins or containers that store the micro-ingredients prior to delivery thereby preventing inadvertent errors in adding incorrect micro-ingredients to a feed ration as well as to provide a measure of security to prevent tampering with the micro-ingredients in the bins. A micro-ingredient delivery system typically includes a plurality of bins that store designated micro-ingredients therein. Each bin may have a locking device thereby restricting access to the bin, along with a switch indicating whether the bin access cover is open or closed. A master controller of the delivery system provides signals to lock or unlock the locking devices based upon authorizations provided to access the bins in accordance with the particular operating parameters and requirements of the delivery system.
US07972053B2
A lighting apparatus provided in the form of a bulb for use in a solar lantern or other electrical device. The lighting apparatus includes a hollow light guide with a light reflective layer on the inside. A first and second light source such as an array of LEDs, LECs, etc. is positioned at opposite ends of the hollow light guide such the light emitted by the light sources is directed through the light guide between the inner and outer sidewalls thereof. The first and second light source are connected to a power source such as a battery.
US07972049B2
A vehicle lighting device is provided, and includes a mount member, a semiconductor-type light source, a reflector, and screws. Mounting boss portions in which the screws are to be threaded are provided at the mount member. At the reflector, through holes into which the screws are to be inserted are provided for the mounting boss portions. A hollow axle portion, which rotatably engages with one of the mounting boss portions from the outside, is provided at an edge of one of the through holes of the reflector. As a result, this vehicle lighting device allows the reflector to be mounted on the mount member having the semiconductor-type light source mounted thereon, without the semiconductor-type light source and the reflector interfering with each other.
US07972029B2
A surface mount LED lamp includes a central first section having a flat circular window that provides a direct view window to the source energy and having an angle equal to the total intended output viewing angle of the LED lamp thereby providing a smooth and relatively undistorted output intensity distribution. The window allows the energy from the wide angle LED source to exit the lamp with minimal distortion, creating a smooth generally cosine shaped light distribution through the intended viewing angle of the device. A second outer section has both refractive and internally reflective surfaces for the purpose of collecting the wider output angle light from the LED source thereby adding to the intensity at the outer edges of the distribution.
US07972026B2
Housings are described that include snap fittings or connections that can be placed on portions of the housing to allow assembly of the housing in the field, without the need for assembly tools or welding. Reduced assembly time and cost, as well as the reduction/elimination of tooling costs for assembly tools and/or associated hardware can therefore be realized. Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can include a snap fitting with first and second portions, e.g., male and female portions, including a portion having a tab or clip punched out of a sheet and including a holding protrusion or portion, and another portion having an aperture or depression configured and arranged to receive and be held by the holding portion. Preferred embodiments can be utilized as light pole base covers.
US07972024B2
Disclosed is an illuminating device that includes a light source and a mouthpiece. The mouthpiece is configured to adapt the light source thereon and is capable of being accommodated within a user's mouth. The mouthpiece includes a switch and a power source. The switch is electrically connected to the light source. The power source is electrically connected to the switch and the light source and is capable of providing electrical power to the light source for illumination. Upon receipt of the mouthpiece within the user's mouth and application of pressure on the switch by the user's teeth, the light source is illuminated.
US07972023B2
An LED lamp cover structure containing luminescent material and its fabrication methods are described. The LED lamp cover is comprised of a first lens cap providing the outer surface of the lamp cover, a second lens cap providing the inner surface of the lamp cover, and an encapsulating layer sandwiched between the lens cap providing the outer surface of the lamp cover and the lens cap providing the inner surface of the lamp cover, which is mixed with luminescent material for wavelength conversion.
US07972020B2
An apparatus and method of reducing speckle in projection of images is provided that includes the elements or features of producing a first image and displacing the first image to produce a second image that will reduce speckle relating to the first image when the first image and the second image are displayed on a display medium.
US07972019B2
An optical device includes a plurality of light modulating devices for forming optical images and a color combining optical device. The optical device includes a first fixed member and a second fixed member for mounting the light modulating devices so as to face light flux incoming end surfaces of the color combining optical device. The first fixed member includes a plate-shaped first base portion mounted to oppose the light flux incoming end surface and having an opening for transmitting the light flux. The second fixed member includes a plate-shaped second base portion having an opening for transmitting the light flux. The first fixed member and the second fixed member are assembled in such a manner that the first base portion and the second base portion are opposed to each other.
US07972018B2
Focus adjustment for a projector which includes a projection lens having an adjustable focus position. An asymmetrically focused pattern is projected through the projection lens onto a projection screen, wherein the asymmetrically focused pattern is imaged by the projection lens onto the projection screen with a focus at one portion on the screen that differs with focus at another portion thereof. An image of the asymmetrically focused pattern is captured from the projection screen. A focus adjustment direction is calculated by using asymmetrical aspects of the captured image of the asymmetrically focused pattern. The focus position of the projection lens is driven in the calculated focus adjustment direction so as to move from an out-of-focus state of the projection lens toward an in-focus state.
US07972009B2
A projector includes: a light source which emits light; an image forming unit which forms an image having desired size by using light emitted from the light source; and a projection unit which projects the image formed by the image forming unit on a light receiving surface. The projection unit has a light diffusing member disposed at a position where an intermediate image corresponding to light released from the image forming unit is formed to diffuse the light, and a projection system which projects the light diffused by the light diffusing member on the light receiving surface. Diffusion intensity distribution of light released from a predetermined position of the light diffusing member contains at least two prominences with the center axis of the light interposed between the prominences.
US07971999B2
The invention relates to a method and an appliance for examination of the retina, with two-dimensional images of the retina being produced. The invention is based on the object of designing the method and the apparatus so as to allow comprehensive examination and diagnosis of the eye retina in a simple manner. The invention proposes that second data items and two-dimensional depth slice images be produced from the retina, and that the position of these second data items be known in the recorded two-dimensional image of the retina, and/or be predetermined on the basis of the two-dimensional image.
US07971998B2
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for measuring a displacement in vivo in situ of an eye, along with a method of assessing of an eye condition. More particularly, the apparatus and method of the present invention permits measurements of a displacement of at least two points in proximity of an optic disc, in the eye of a patient. For doing so, the apparatus uses a probing unit, an analog/digital converter and an analyzer. The displacement measured may include a pulsatile displacement of the lamina cribrosa, so as to perform early assessment of an eye condition.
US07971994B2
An adapter for a spectacle frame is disclosed which is configured for enabling the spectacle frame to operate and control electro-active lenses housed therein. In particular, the spectacle frame may allow electro-active lenses housed therein to focus and be controlled both automatically and manually with heretofore unrealized results.
US07971986B2
An inkjet ink comprising an IR-absorbing dye of formula (A): wherein M is selected from the group consisting of: Si(A1)(A2), Ge(A1)(A2), Ga(A1), Mg, Al(A1), TiO, Ti(A1)(A2), ZrO, Zr(A1)(A2), VO, V(A1)(A2), Mn, Mn(A1), Fe, Fe(A1), Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sn, Sn(A1)(A2), Pb, Pb(A1)(A2), Pd and Pt; A1 and A2 are axial ligands, which may be the same or different, and are selected from the group consisting of: —OH, halogen and —OR3; R1 and R2 may be the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of: hydrogen, hydroxyl, C1-12 alkyl, C1-12 alkoxy, amino, C1-12 alkylamino, di(C1-12 alkyl)amino, halogen, cyano, thiol, C1-12 alkylthio, nitro, carboxy, C1-12 alkylcarbonyl, C1-12 alkoxycarbonyl, C1-12 alkylcarbonyloxy and C1-12 alkylcarbonylamino; R3 is a selected from the group consisting of: C1-12 alkyl, C5-12 aryl, C5-12 arylalkyl and Si(Rx)(Ry)(Rz); Rx, Ry and Rz may be the same or different and are selected from C1-12 alkyl, C5-12 aryl, C5-12 arylalkyl, C1-12 alkoxy, C5-12 aryloxy or C5-12 arylalkoxy; W is —SO3H or a water-soluble salt thereof; and each m is independent selected from 0, 1 or 2.
US07971978B2
A refillable ink cartridge has an ink port for both supplying ink to a printhead and refilling the cartridge. An ink reservoir has ink absorbent material disposed therein with a main fluid channel extending between the ink port and the ink absorbent material. A bypass fluid channel with a control valve extends between the main fluid channel the said absorbent material. The bypass control valve is configured to allow ink to flow through the bypass fluid channel only when refilling the ink reservoir via the ink port.
US07971977B2
A retention device for an ink cartridge for engaging and retaining a locking lever when the ink cartridge is attached to a carriage such that a contact between conductive connection portions of a cartridge-side substrate of the ink cartridge and contact terminals of a connector is in a desired state, the retention device includes: a position regulation portion that is provided at a mounting place of the ink cartridge in the carriage, and that is brought into contact with a part of the locking lever and regulates an engagement position of the locking lever when the ink cartridge is attached to the carriage.
US07971974B2
A printhead IC with an array of nozzles 3. A chamber 7 and a heater 14 correspond to each nozzle respectively. The heater has a heater element 10 extending between a pair of electrodes 15. The heater element 10 is suspended in the chamber 7 by the electrodes 15 to heat printing fluid and generate a vapour bubble to cause a drop of the printing fluid to eject through the nozzle 3. Integrated circuit metalization layers corresponding to each of the nozzles supply electrical energy to the heater 14. The heater 14 and the integrated circuit metalization layers 23 are substantially planar and at least partially overlapping, the metallization layers electrically connected to the heater electrodes 15 by vias, the cross sectional area of all the vias being greater than 50% of the surface area of one side of the heater 14. A relatively large number of vias lowers the electrical resistance between the electrodes and the CMOS metalization layers. Lower resistance reduces the power losses and improves the operating efficiency of the printhead.
US07971969B2
A printhead for an inkjet printer includes a wafer defining a plurality of nozzle chambers and a plurality of ink supply channel in fluid communication with the plurality of nozzle chambers for supplying the plurality of nozzle chambers with ink; an ink ejection port associated with each nozzle chamber; and a plurality of actuators associated with each nozzle chamber, the plurality of actuators each including a petal formation. A plurality of petal formations are arranged around an ink ejection port of each nozzle chamber to annularly surround the ink ejection port. Each actuator is operable to displace a respective petal formation into the nozzle chamber.
US07971955B2
A control unit for a printing apparatus has a plurality of heat sources, each heat source being operable at an individual power level. The control unit is configured to control the power supplied to the heat sources such that, at each instant, the sum of the delivered individual power levels is less than or equal to a maximum allowable power. The control unit is also configured to control the power delivered to the heat sources on the basis of sequential cycles and for each cycle, to receive for each heat source a requested power pulse duration, to schedule within the cycle instants at which power is to be delivered to the heat sources, based on the individual power levels and requested pulse durations and to deliver the power according to the scheduled instants within the cycle.
US07971953B2
A recording-medium-residual-quantity detecting device includes a first rotation-quantity detecting unit that detects a rotation quantity of a roll in which a recording medium is wound. A second rotation-quantity detecting unit detects a rotation quantity of a transportation roller that transports the recording medium by rotating in contact with the recording medium that is unwound from the roll. A controlling unit has a winding control mode in which driving units of the device are controlled so that rotational powers to wind the recording medium into the roll without slack between the roll and the transportation roller are applied to the roll and the transportation roller. The residual quantity of the recording medium is calculated on the basis of a rotation quantity θr of the roll and a rotation quantity θs of the transportation roller that are respectively detected by the rotation-quantity detecting units when the winding control mode is executed.
US07971946B2
A printer includes first and second ink cartridges, a print head having first and second nozzle arrays, first and second ink supply passages having first and second valves, and a connecting passages having a third valve. The first passage connects the first cartridge to the first nozzle array. The second passage connects the second cartridge to the second nozzle array. The connecting passage connects the first and second passages at first and second connecting portions, respectively. The first valve is provided in the first passage between the first cartridge and the first connecting portion. The second valve is provided in the second passage between the second cartridge and the second connecting portion. Both the first and second valves are open and the third valve being closed in a first state. The third valve and either one of the first and second valves are open in a second state.
US07971945B2
The present method detects an ink consumption condition in an ink cartridge loaded on an ink jet recording apparatus having a recording head for jetting ink drops, using a piezo-electric device mounted on the cartridge. The method detects the ink consumption condition using the piezo-electric device when the recording head is in a non-recording state. A complicated seal structure is not necessary and the ink residue can be detected surely.
US07971937B2
A seat adjuster assembly includes an electric motor having an output shaft with a worm gear positioned in a gearbox, a spur gear meshing with the worm gear in the gearbox, a spindle shaft fixed to and driven by the spur gear coacting with a nut contained in a tube, and a linkage system connected to both a vertically movable upper vehicle seat part and a non-vertically movable lower vehicle seat part that positions vertically the upper vehicle seat part responsive to the position of the nut relative to the spindle shaft. At least one washer is provided on the spindle shaft. The spur gear is a plastic spur gear molded over the washer. A pair of leaf springs disposed in the gearbox bears against the spur gear and a wall of the gearbox.
US07971936B2
There is provided a link mechanism for a chair that is a link mechanism that is used at a chair, the link mechanism for a chair having: a first link whose one end is connected to a bottom surface of a link that supports a seat surface portion of the chair; a second link whose one end is connected to another end of the first link; a first joint portion rotatably connecting the first link and the second link; a second joint portion provided at another end of the second link; and a first elastic resistance unit imparting elasticity in a rotating direction to the second joint portion.
US07971935B2
An ergonomic chair having a seat with selectively located slot patterns or spring mechanisms to reduce pressure on the occupant of the seat and a flexible back that allows the occupant to recline while at the same time providing lumbar support. An embodiment of the chair may be telescopically stacked in a space-saving configuration of a plurality of identical chairs.
US07971932B2
A vehicle seat 1 includes a seat back 3, a seat unit 2 for supporting the seat back 3, and a rotary damper 5 for interconnecting the seat back 3 and the seat unit 2, and for tilting the seat back 3 backward while absorbing energy generated by a load when the load is applied to the seat back 3 backward, the load having a predetermined strength or more.
US07971930B2
A picnic table may include a table and one or more seat members disposed about the table. One end of each seat member is preferably pivotally attached to the table by a support structure so that the seat member may pivot or rotate between various positions relative to the table top. One or more feet may be connected to the support structures and the feet may be sized and configured to facilitate movement of the seat members relative to the table top. The picnic table may also include a frame and the frame may include a plurality of elongated support members with a first end and a second end. The elongated support members may be interconnected to form a generally polygon-shaped structure and an end of each support member may extend beyond the perimeter of the generally polygon-shaped structure.
US07971924B2
A gangway bellows cover-style connecting device for articulated vehicles comprises a plurality of bands (2) made of flexible material, equipped with stiffening frames (3), connected to each other and forming a tunnel (4) which has an upper wall (6) and two lateral walls (7) for connecting two coaches of a vehicle to each other, and a closing panel (9) connected to a lower portion of the bands (2) for forming a lower wall of the tunnel (4). The connecting device comprises connecting means (10) acting on ends of respective free edges (13, 16) of the closing panel (9) and of the lateral walls (7) of the tunnel (4), in such a way that the closing panel (9) lies coplanar with the free edges (16) of the lateral walls (7) of the tunnel (4).
US07971923B2
A vehicle door assembly is provided that includes a retainer that secures to a door body panel, specifically, to the door inner panel, and is configured such that a door trim component or components may be secured to the retainer, rather than directly to the door trim panel. Door trim components of lightweight materials may be used, with the retainer providing the structural integrity required for securement to the door inner panel. Because it is not a visible component in the assembled door, the same retainer design may be used for doors of different models in a given vehicle platform, with different door trim components of different materials or styles consistent with the different models secured to identical retainers.
US07971921B2
A motorcycle fairing comprised of plastic or composite material fabricated and assembled to form: a front, substantially hemisphere shaped fender or nacelle fairing section which substantially encloses the front wheel of the motorcycle and is affixed to the upper front fork assembly of the motorcycle allowing the front wheel to be turned laterally independent of the attitude of the main frame of the motorcycle; and a frame mounted fairing which intersects and substantially encompasses the hemispherical front wheel fender section within a matching hemispherical shaped socket located in the frontal portion of said frame mounted fairing, which fairing then extends rearward along, and substantially parallel to the main frame of the motorcycle, with both fairing sections together substantially enclosing the front wheel, headlight, and engine of the motorcycle.
US07971920B2
A walk-in memory apparatus for an automobile seat locks the seat on a body only after the seat moves past a preset reference point when the seat, moved forwards with a seat back folded up by a seat walk-in apparatus, moves backwards with the seat back unfolded. The walk-in memory apparatus causes the entire seat to move forwards along tracks in an unlocked state when the seat back is folded up. The seat includes a track memory unit which, when the seat moves backwards with the seat back unfolded, causes the seat to be unlocked from the track when the stopper bracket is located ahead of a reference stopper and to be locked on the track when the stopper bracket is located behind the reference stopper.
US07971915B2
A nozzle unit includes a rotating body and a driving source. The rotating body includes a plurality of nozzles for holding a component using a negative pressure and rotates the plurality of nozzles. The driving source drives the rotating body in a non-contact state.
US07971903B2
An automobile door bracket includes an attachment section and a corrugated section. The door bracket is placed within an automobile door assembly to function as a side impact countermeasure.
US07971895B2
A trailer hitch is disclosed, which is configured to be provided at a rear part of a vehicle. The trailer hitch of the invention includes a pair of hitch side members. Each of the hitch side members including a mounting part and a cross member installation part. The mounting part is configured to be connected to a support portion of a rear side member of the vehicle, and the cross member installation part is configured to protrude from a rear end of the rear side member. The trailer hitch further includes a cross member and a hitch ball support member. The cross member extends in a widthwise direction of the vehicle, and having ends connected to the cross member installation part, and the hitch ball support member has a hitch ball. The upper end of the hitch ball support member is provided on the cross member so as to suspend therefrom.
US07971892B2
A unitary monocoque frame is provided for a bicycle including a right half shell having a peripheral edge and a left half shell having a peripheral edge symmetrical with the peripheral edge of the right half shell. The right half shell includes an integrally formed head tube portion and an integrally formed seat tube collar. The left half shell includes a curved surface to join with the head tube portion and a cupped recess to receive the seat tube collar. A tongue extends along at least a portion of the peripheral edge of one of the right and left half shells. A groove extends along at least a corresponding portion of the peripheral edge of the other one of the right and left half shells. The tongue and groove are in mating engagement to join the right and left half shells forming the unitary monocoque frame.
US07971889B2
A wheeled loading machine includes a body mounting a loading arm, a ground engaging structure including a front axle which carries a front pair of ground engaging wheels and a rear axle which carries a rear pair of ground engaging wheels, the loading arm being mounted at a position towards a rear of the machine for up and down movement about a generally horizontal axis, and the loading arm extending forwardly beside a cab which is mounted at one side of the body, to an outermost end which is beyond a front of the body, and the loading arm having at its outermost end a mounting for a loading implement and the arm being extendible to vary the length of the loading arm, and each axle being suspended from the body by a respective suspension, each of the ground engaging wheels being drivable by an engine of the machine through a mechanical transmission, and the machine including a braking system for braking each wheel, the braking system including a brake control system which provides a brake anti-locking function to resist any braked ground engaging wheel skidding relative to the ground as a result of becoming locked during braking when a low friction condition exists between the wheel and the ground.
US07971887B2
In a method of making a subframe of a motor vehicle profile elements made of hollow sections of steel are placed in a casting tool. Subsequently, aluminum material is filled into the casting tool to casting around the profile elements so as to form plural cast nodes on the profile elements in spaced-apart relationship.
US07971882B1
A stepped labyrinth seal having a plurality of teeth forming gaps between a stationary honeycomb member, where the cavities formed between adjacent teeth include a plurality of vortex flow generating strips on the wall of the cavity that redirect the leakage flow from a gap back toward the gap and in a direction toward the gap in order to limit the leakage flow through the gap. The vortex generating strips extend along the cavity floor and up the sides of the teeth forming the cavity. The strips slope downward from the downstream tooth toward the upstream tooth in the direction of rotation, and with a curvature in the direction of rotation. The stepped labyrinth seal is intended for use in a gas turbine engine having a plurality of stages in the turbine, with the labyrinth seal being used to seal the gap between rotating blades and the honeycomb surface on the stationary casing.
US07971875B2
A sheet accumulation apparatus includes a tray moving device elevatably provided at an apparatus frame and having a fork member; a tray device detachably attached to the fork member; a driving device for elevating the tray moving device; and a carrier device having a hand truck frame with a fork member. An operation handle is connected to the hand truck frame for accommodating the tray device separated from the tray moving device to transport the tray device from the tray moving device. The tray moving device and the carrier device are structured so that the tray device is transferred between the tray moving device and the carrier device at an attachment/detachment position at which the tray moving device is lowered.
US07971869B2
A printing media supply device for use in an image forming apparatus includes a printing media supply cassette adapted to receive a stack of printing media. A pick-up roller picks up the printing media stacked in the printing media supply cassette. The pick-up roller has a pick-up member for picking up the printing media, and a rotation member for supporting the pick-up member. The rotation member has a buffer surface formed by cutting a portion of a leading edge portion thereof away. The buffer surface may be formed so as to expose side surfaces of the pick-up member. The pick-up roller applies a substantially uniform pressure to the printing media even when there is a large quantity of printing media stacked in the printing media supply cassette, and thereby minimizes multifeeding of the printing media. Accordingly, the supply of printing media is stable, improving the printing media supply efficiency.
US07971866B2
A sheet-feeding scanning apparatus having a business card feeding mechanism is provided. The sheet-feeding scanning apparatus includes a scanning module, an ordinary document input tray, an ordinary document pick-up roller assembly, an ejecting tray, a transfer channel, a plurality of transfer rollers, a business card input tray, and a business card pick-up roller assembly. The business card input tray has a business card support plate. In a case that a jam event occurs, the business card support plate may be swung for facilitating removing the jammed business card.
US07971862B2
Disclosed is a vaporizer including a first liquid suction section to suck a first liquid; a second liquid suction section to suck a second liquid; and a heating element to heat the first liquid suction section and the second liquid suction section to vaporize the first liquid and the second liquid.
US07971851B2
A torque balance servo is provided for use in conjunction with a fluidly-controlled device. The torque balance servo includes a pivoting table assembly and an electromagnetic force bias mechanism. The pivoting table assembly includes: (i) a pivoting table configured to pivot about a rotational axis, and (ii) a roller assembly mechanically coupled to the fluidly-controlled device and contacting a surface of the pivoting table. The electromagnetic force bias mechanism is disposed proximate the pivoting table assembly and configured to exert a variable torsional force about the rotational axis of the pivoting table.
US07971844B2
A remote device access system is provided. The system includes a receiving member, an engaging head and a containment cage. The receiving member is configured to be coupled to a device (such as a smoke detector and the like) that is to be positioned in an out of arms reach location. The engaging head is configured to be coupled to an elongated member. The engagement head is further configured to selectively engage the receiving member coupled to the device. The containment cage is configured to be coupled to a surface at the out of arms reach location. The containment cage forms a containing chamber that is configured to selectively hold the device. The elongated member is configured to place and remove the device from the containing chamber of the containment cage via the engaging head and receiving member.
US07971843B2
A longitudinal guide for motor vehicle seats having a bottom rail and a seat rail that are displaceable with respect to each other in one longitudinal direction. The motor vehicle seats are adjustable in a longitudinal direction and are also removable from the longitudinal guide. Detents are formed in the bottom rail. The seat rail comprises a base part and a supporting part. The base part has at least one front and at least one rear transverse bolt, which cooperate with the detents. The base part is adjustable with respect to the supporting part between a lower position, in which the transverse bolts are not engaged with the detents, and an upper position, in which the transverse bolts engage detents. Only in the lower position is the seat rail displaceable with respect to the bottom rail.
US07971837B1
A stuffing box maintenance device designed to be releasably secured to a polished rod above the stuffing box wherein the stuffing box maintenance device is configured to retain the tools and the maintenance items required to perform a maintenance procedure on the stuffing box. The stuffing box maintenance device further includes a body being planar in manner and rectangular in shape. A mounting ring secured to the body on one end is operable to surroundably mount the polished rod. An opening is located on the mounting ring opposite the body and is configured to allow the stuffing box maintenance device to be laterally coupled to the polished rod. The stuffing box maintenance device further includes a support rod for retaining at least one packing gland. The body is further configured to retain the hand tools necessary to perform a maintenance procedure on the stuffing box.
US07971834B2
A support stand for a flat-panel display monitor includes a rotatable bracket, a hinge assembly, a base member, a first link bracket, and a second link bracket. The first and second link brackets are rotatably assembled between the rotatable bracket and the support member via the hinge assembly. The rotatable bracket defines a pivot hole, and a guiding notch communicating with the pivot hole. The hinge assembly includes a pivotal shaft, and a positioning washer sleeved on the pivotal shaft. The pivotal shaft is engaged in the pivot hole of the rotatable bracket from the guiding notch. The positioning washer is fixed on the rotatable bracket to prevent the pivotal shaft from disengaging from the pivot hole.
US07971830B2
A system and method for the initial deployment of a space elevator using a tether, doubly spooled from each end, an inertial mass, beacon satellite and positional thrusters, whereby tether is de-spooled from geosynchronous Earth orbit altitude, using gravity and centripetal force gradient, and timed such that when the tethers fully de-spool or near the point of being fully de-spooled, are released and the free ends, one left to fall inwards to Earth anchor point, and the other left to fall outwards to tether end ballast support point, result in an Earth anchored self supporting tension structure.
US07971824B2
A flying object wing has a leading edge and a trailing edge and an upper and a lower surface between the edges. A portion between the leading edge and trailing edge provides an upper surface which has a curved shape. From the leading part of the upper surface towards the mid part of the surface there is a concave shape. The lower surface has a curved shape such that from the leading part of the upper surface towards the mid part of the surface there is a convex shape. A transverse aperture in the surfaces of the wing accommodates a propeller for creating thrust for forward flight. The blades of the propeller turn in a plane transverse to a line between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the surface.
US07971821B2
A device for applying a paper web onto a paper reel is provided, including a web application roller mobile between a guiding position of the paper web and an application position of the paper web onto the paper reel, and an actuator for moving the web application roller between its two positions. The device includes a locking mechanism adapted for locking the web application roller in its application position.The device may be used in reel changers of web-fed offset printing presses.
US07971820B2
A webbing take-up device comprising: a take-up shaft that takes up a webbing belt; a metal frame that axially supports the take-up shaft; and a lock mechanism comprising a lock plate that blocks rotation in the pullout direction of the webbing of the take-up shaft by engaging the take-up shaft directly or indirectly. The lock plate is formed by performing press-punch and press-bend processing on a metal plate and has a connecting portion formed so that one end side thereof is continuous with a lock, which engages the take-up shaft. The connecting portion spans between one side and the other side of the frame.
US07971818B2
A grinding machine having an improved anvil mounting arrangement is provided. The mounting arrangement according to the present disclosure is configured to securely support an end of the feed table and an anvil, and also enables easy replacement of the anvil.
US07971813B2
A machine for distributing blowing wool from a bag of compressed blowing wool includes a chute configured to receive the bag, a shredder mounted at an outlet end of the chute and configured to shred the bag and to pick apart the blowing wool, a rotatably mounted ripper, distinct from the shredder, mounted to rip apart a portion of the bag, and a blower for distributing the blowing wool and shredded bag into an airstream.
US07971811B2
A disposal processing apparatus comprises: a disposal processing section that disposes of a recording medium; an arrival detecting section that detects whether the recording medium has reached the disposal processing section; and a judging section that judges whether the recording medium has been disposed of by the disposal processing section based on a detection result of the arrival detecting section.
US07971804B2
A channeled shaft check valve assembly includes a conduit with an internal valve seat with a central opening. An actuating member is contained inside the conduit between an outlet fixture and the valve seat. A valve member mounted within the sleeve includes a disc on the opposite side of the valve seat from the outlet end of the conduit and a channeled shaft extending outward from the center of the disc and through the central opening in the internal valve seat. The opposite end of the channeled shaft may also have a disc mounted thereto, allowing for a three position valve. The valve is urged closed under pressure unless an outlet fixture urges the valve open allowing fluid flow along the channeled shaft and through the central opening in the valve seat. In a two disc valve member, the valve may have two closed positions and one open position.
US07971792B2
To provide an IC-tagged bearing device, in which difficulties brought about by reflection and/or absorption of radio waves upon and/or in raceway members or the like can be avoided, information recording can be accomplished satisfactorily, an IC tag itself does not require an antenna, and the IC tag can have a compact, yet large capacity. The bearing device, having a bearing space delimited between inner and outer races (1, 2) and sealed by a sealing member (5), includes an IC tag (9) which utilizes a core metal (6) as an antenna and which is fitted to the sealing member (5). The sealing member (5) is made of a rubber material or a synthetic resin having the core metal (6).
US07971791B2
A multifunction card device has an external connection terminal, an interface controller, a memory, and the security controller connected to the interface controller and the external connection terminal. The interface controller has a plurality of interface control modes, and controls an external-interface action and a memory interface action by the control mode according to the instruction from the outside. The external connection terminals have an individual terminal individualized for every interface control mode, and a communalized common terminal. A clock input terminal, a power supply terminal, and an earthing terminal are included in the common terminals. A data terminal, and a dedicated terminal of the security controller are included in the individual terminals. Partial communalization and individualization of an external connection terminal attain a guarantee of the reliability of an interface, and increase control of physical magnitude to some kinds of interface control modes. The security process by a security controller independent interface can also be guaranteed.
US07971781B2
A system controlled by data bearing records includes an automated banking machine that operates to carry out transactions responsive to data read from user cards. The automated banking machine includes a deposit accepting device. The deposit accepting device is operative to receive a stack of sheets and to separate each sheet from the stack through operation of a picker. Each sheet is aligned with the sheet path and analyzed by analysis devices. Sheets determined not to have at least one property of genuine sheets are returned to a user of the machine. Sheets determined to have at least one property of genuine sheets are processed and stored in the machine.
US07971779B2
A banking system that is controlled by data bearing records includes a cash dispensing automated banking machine that includes a card reader, a keypad, a cash outlet, a deposit accepting opening and other transaction locations that may be susceptible to the installation of fraud devices. The machine is operative to sense the probable installation of unauthorized devices. Such unauthorized devices may include fraudulent card reading devices, fraudulent keypad input intercepting devices, cash outlet trap devices, deposit input diversion devices or other fraud devices. Control circuitry in operative connection with radiation output and radiation sensing devices, operates to identify conditions corresponding to the probable installation of a fraud device on the machine and to take actions in response thereto.
US07971778B2
A transaction data capture system comprises a data capture interface, a portable data capture module (herein, the “PDCM”), and a data transfer interface. Transaction data from an electronic transaction device that would normally be directed to a paper printer is sent to the data capture interface and written to the PDCM. A data transfer interface formats the captured and stored transaction data for import into a software application operating on a computing device. The software application is selectable by a user of the computing device.
US07971777B2
A clothes treating apparatus is disclosed. More particularly, the present invention relates to a clothes treating apparatus which includes a RFID reader capable of reading information of clothes with RF tags such that the information of the clothes may be identified via an external computer. According to the clothes treating apparatus, the RFID reader is used and the information on treating states or positions of the clothes is identified via an external computer or display device. As a result, it can be simple to manage each item of clothes. Furthermore, the information on the treating states of the clothes may be identified. As a result, troubles of treating the clothes again unnecessarily as well as fabric damage may be saved.
US07971775B2
A cost effective latch and alignment mechanism for a banknote cassette and a cassette receiving frame uses a magnetic latch providing a magnetic force cooperating with the cassette to move it to and be releasably maintained in a final aligned position. Preferably a permanent magnet attached to the cassette receiving frame cooperates with the metal of the cassette to provide the magnetic bias and locking force.
US07971774B2
A drinking apparatus comprising a base and a sheet having a first end and a second end. The sheet is rolled to exhibit an inner side and a predefined perimeter, such that the first end is adhesively attached to the inner side of the rolled sheet, and such that the second end protrudes outwardly from the predefined perimeter of the rolled sheet. The rolled sheet is adhesively attached to the base to form an impervious cup. The second end comprises an operationally separable spoon-like stirrer, the spoon-like stirrer comprising an elongated end and a broadened end. Separating the operationally separable spoon-like stirrer leaves a hollow in the second end. The hollow is arranged to operationally serve as a handle to the impervious cup.
US07971772B2
A method of brazing a pipe member to a counterpart member includes steps of mounting in a circumferential direction an engaging portion in a ring shape to an outer periphery of the pipe end portion proximate an endmost portion of the pipe member, engaging a brazing-filler-metal-made ring in a ring shape with the engaging portion, inserting the pipe end portion of the pipe member provided with the brazing-filler-metal-made ring into the counterpart member, heating and melting the brazing-filler-metal-made rug with the outer peripheral surface of the pipe end portion being in abutment with the inner peripheral surface of the counterpart member, pouring a brazing filler metal into an abutment portion between the outer peripheral surface of the pipe end portion and the inner peripheral surface of the counterpart member, and securing by brazing the pipe end portion to the counterpart member.
US07971765B2
A method for splitting tablets includes positioning a plurality of tablets onto a supporting structure. Each of the plurality of tablets are then substantially simultaneously split into at least two parts. Finally, if desired, the at least two parts of each tablet are dispensed into a compartment of a corresponding one of a plurality of first capsule portions.
US07971764B2
A backpack shell construction having a stiff back panel supporting storage compartments projecting outwardly therefrom and carried on the user's back by a pair of shoulder straps and further secured to the user by a waist strap, to which shell a pair of tandem collapsible boot shelves or platforms are integrated at lower corner portions and an outer ski carrier and helmet mounting panel is hingedly attached to the front face of the backpack shell.
US07971761B1
An apparatus and method for preparing saline solution and using the saline solution for rinsing nasal passages. The apparatus includes a container (10) having sidewalls and opening for a removable cap (13). The cap has an external tapering hollow nozzle (14). The nozzle (14) is inserted into one end of a flexible tube (21). The other end of the tube (21) is inserted into a hollow removable contoured dispenser tip (23) which is shaped to fit a human nostril comfortably. A thin tubular conduit (19) is attached to the cap by means of a fitting (16) and the conduit extends into the container (10) close to its bottom when the apparatus is fully assembled. A saline solution is prepared by adding iodine free common salt to warm distilled or boiled water in the container. After attaching the cap (13) to the container (10) and inserting the dispenser tip (23) into one nostril, a user bends forward and tilts the head to the side of the other nostril and breaths through open mouth. The user then allows the saline solution to flow by gravity through one nostril and come out through the other open nostril, after passing through nasal passages, by holding the container (10) inverted (bottom up cap down) and raising it above the level of nostrils. The rate of flow of the saline solution to the nostril can be controlled by varying the height at which the container is held above the level of nostrils.
US07971755B2
The invention concerns a container for packaging a liquid (1) to be dispensed in drops. The container is reversibly deformable by air input and is equipped with a head (3) for dispensing liquid through a nozzle (5). The dispensing head (3) comprises a recessed body (4) which is nested inside a neck (10) of the container and which holds a hydrophobic microporous pad (8) arranged upstream of a chamber (9). Chamber (9) is provided with an air reservoir for preventing the liquid from passing through the microporous pad (8) between two liquid dispensing operations, when the nozzle (5) is sealingly obstructed with a cap (6), and for drying a partly hydrophilic and hydrophobic filtering membrane (7) arranged in the dispensing head (3).
US07971752B2
A cinch (10) to hold resilient tubes (22), permanently collapsed, during and between use. Partially used resilient tubes (22) can not stay collapsed without an external containment, like a cinch (10), made of a single piece of back-to-back, self-engaging material. As product is dispensed, the tube is flattened (24) to keep product at the outlet (30) and folded to form a passageway (26) wide enough to receive the cinch (10) that was stored on the tube (100). A cinch (10) inserted through the passageway (26), wrapped around the body of the tube (28), overlapped and fastened (18) to itself, will permanently hold the tube (22) in a collapsed state, ready to use and full to exclude the atmosphere protecting its contents from contamination, oxidation and drying, over the products useful life time. A tube (22) so contained may be stored in new ways. The string (11) and holes (16) allow for aftermarket decoration, identification and tracking of product.
US07971751B2
Systems, devices, and methods are provided for dispensing material from a container. Devices can include driving means for providing one or more forces, and actuator means for activating the driving means whereby the driving means causes material to be dispensed from the container.
US07971747B2
A closure has a body and a lid is molded with the body. A utensil, such as a scoop or spear, is integrally formed with the closure body, and connected to the closure body via frangible connections. The lid includes a utensil-receiving structure for releasably holding the utensil, once it is initially broken away from the closure body, such that the utensil can be attached to the closure lid for storage.
US07971745B2
A disposal unit for discarded smoking products has, a lower tubular section mounted on a base, an upper tubular section with an interior partition to form a closed-bottom receptacle for the discarded smoking products, a removable cap covering an open end of the upper tubular section, and the cap and tubular sections are detachable from one another for emptying the receptacle.
US07971743B2
A collapsible container for receiving food has a flexible wall that includes at least two layers. The container has a withdrawal opening with a bent opening edge and is closed at its end opposite the withdrawal opening. The container is rolled from a two-dimensional blank which is connected with itself in an overlap region extending in particular in the longitudinal direction of the container by heat and/or pressure. An inspection of the interior of the container is possible, since the container is formed from a transparent and liquid tight material which can be shaped for bending the opening edge and is dimensionally stable after the shaping. A blank for the manufacture of such a collapsible container is provided.
US07971741B2
A folding box made of synthetic resin which a worker can surely grip and stably carry without a slip by gripping whichever edge parts of a hexahedron of a box with both hands is provided. The folding box includes a rectangular-tube shaped side wall configuration member 3 comprised of four side panels 1 made of hard synthetic resin, adjacent side ends of the four side panels 1 being foldably connected to each other through side panel connecting hinge parts 2, a bottom plate configuration member 6 comprised of connecting bottom pieces 4 made of hard synthetic resin which are foldably connected to bottom ends of the plurality of side panels 1 through bottom piece connecting hinge parts 5, and a lid configuration member 7 comprised of lid pieces 15 made of hard synthetic resin which are foldably connected to upper ends of the plurality of side panels 1 through lid piece connecting hinge parts 10. Nonslip parts 13 made of soft synthetic resin exposed to the outside are provided near edges of one or both surfaces adjacent to each other at right angle through edges of a hexahedron. The Nonslip parts are provided near all the sides of the hexahedron.
US07971728B2
A filtration system for collecting bone fragments during surgery performed on a patient includes a cylinder having a rotating disk with circumferential arms extending radially in the cylinder to define pockets. The rotating disk includes a longitudinal hub that carries an outlet connected to a central passageway formed in the disk. A plurality of apertures on the disk permit the liquid to flow into the passageway and through the outlet while the pockets retain the bone fragments. The disk is rotated to align circumferential spaced pockets to align with the inlet and outlet ports. The disks includes bearing surfaces that permit the rotation thereof and the arms are spaced from the cylinder inner surface to allow the flow of fluid in the event the pockets fill and clog the apertures and prevent flow into the outlet passage.
US07971723B1
A wafer container including a container body having an opening formed on one sidewall and a door joining with the opening, the characteristic of the wafer container in that: A latch component disposed in a platform of the door comprising an oval cam with an arrester disposed at its center, one surface of the oval cam being disposed with at least a groove, a pair of moving bars respectively having an engaging portion that is engaged in the groove for the pair of moving bars to be engaged with the oval cam, a guiding element disposed at the center of the oval cam, and a long narrow spring framingly disposed on the guiding element, wherein the arrester is used to control the rotation of the oval cam for the moving bars to go to and fro between the pair of socket holes and the pair of latch holes.
US07971722B2
A wafer container includes a container body that having a plurality of slots therein for placing a plurality of wafers; an opening is formed on a sidewall of the container body for importing or exporting the wafers; and a door having an inner surface and an outer surface, in which the inner surface of the door is joined with the opening of the container body for protecting the plurality of wafers therein, the characteristic in that: a recess is disposed in the central portion of the inner surface of the door to divide the inner surface into two platforms, and each restraint module is located on two platforms.
US07971719B2
A product or device for holding medicinals, and serving as a convenient daily reminder to the user to take the medicinals at prescribed periodic intervals. The device comprises a board having ridges or slots on each side, with the ridges or slots arranged in a saw-tooth configuration. Indicia are inscribed on the board to indicate to the user when each medicinal is to be taken. A length of flexible or elastic material is affixed to the board and interwoven on each side of the board along the ridges or slots to hold the medicinals in place until removed by the user.
US07971713B2
In a container for shipping vehicles, a bottom plate is provided having a predetermined length and a predetermined width satisfying standards of a conventional container holder. Support poles are installed on four corners of the bottom plate and include corner casts on upper portions thereof. An extension plate extends from a side of the bottom plate and supports vehicles so that vehicles can be loaded in the width direction of the bottom plate.
US07971712B2
The present invention provides a portable casing for carrying instrument, particularly musical instrument, very securely. The casing interior is provided with flexible shock absorbing support(s) on which the non-vulnerable portions of the instrument are laid whereas the delicate and vulnerable portions are held suspended in mid-air. As soon as the casing is closed, the supports get deformed acquiring a loop-shaped structure to encircle and cradle the instrument-parts which overlie thereon and in doing so the instrument is rendered securely captive against any movement In case of accidental impact the stress generated is borne by the soft lining of the casing and by the shock absorbing supports, rendering the instrument unharmed. The shock absorbing supports are advantageously detachably secured to the inner walls of the casing by retaining means. The present invention also provides a method for housing instrument in a portable casing for transportation.
US07971711B2
A folded and sealed cigarette coupon is inserted typically between the outermost face of a cigarette packet and its transparent overwrap. The coupon is fashioned from a flat blank divided by crease lines into a set of panels and extended at either end to create a corresponding set of flaps. The panels are quarto folded to form a substantially rectangular main body of the coupon with the flaps combining to form a grippable closure tab along one edge of the body, which can be torn off to open the coupon. The flaps making up the tab are equal in number to the folded panels, so that the thickness of the coupon remains uniform from edge to edge in both length and breadth.
US07971708B2
A module for a modular conveyor mat, comprising a sheet metal body part (2) bent-over, in cross section, into a substantially inversed U-shape, wherein the connecting part of the U forms a conveying face and wherein the legs of the U form side faces (6, 7) located adjacent longitudinal edges of the conveying face, extending downwards relative to the conveying face, which side faces are provided adjacent the front and rear side (8, 9) of the body part (2) with openings (10) for receiving hinge pins (22) therethrough.
US07971696B2
In order to realize an idling disengagement by simple structural means in a dual mass clutch flywheel, a separation is provided between the damper system and spring system of a torsional vibration damper in this dual mass clutch flywheel.
US07971695B2
Drive assemblies and related methods are provided particularly suited for a snowblower. The drive assemblies include a transmission wheel disposed about a shaft and rotatably movable for rotating at least one wheel. The transmission wheel has a contact surface. The drive assemblies also include a drive pulley having a drive surface. The drive pulley is rotatable and configured for causing the transmission wheel to rotate when the drive surface and the contact surface of the transmission wheel are in contact. At least one brake clutch is disposed about an end of the shaft to provide independent control to the at least one wheel.
US07971689B2
A hydraulic caliper brake assembly for a bicycle comprises a caliper body; a first chamber installed in the caliper body; a first piston installed in the first chamber; a second piston installed in the first chamber; an inner chamber formed between the first piston and the second piston for receiving brake oil; an outer chamber installed between the second piston and the caliper body for receiving brake oil; and an outer valve installed in the second piston for switching flowing of the brake oil between the inner chamber and outer chamber. When a small force is applied, the brake oil will flow into the inner chamber; by closing the outer valve, the first piston is pushed to have the effect of speed reduction; when the braking force is increased, by opening the outer valve, the second piston is pushed to have the effect of emergent braking.
US07971687B2
An elevator load bearing assembly (20) includes a plurality of cords (22) within a jacket (24). The jacket has a plurality of grooves (32, 34, 36, 38 40) spaced along the length of the belt assembly. Each groove has a plurality of portions (50, 52, 54, 56) aligned at an oblique angle (A, B) relative to a longitudinal axis (48) of the belt (20). In one example, the grooves are separated such that there is no longitudinal overlap between adjacent grooves. In another example, transitions (60, 64) between the obliquely aligned portions are at different longitudinal positions on the belt. Another example includes a combination of the different longitudinal positions and the non-overlapping groove placement.
US07971679B2
A power steering system for a vehicle is described, wherein a magnetic or electromagnetic actuator, which can be acted on via a controller, is associated with a torsion bar connected to a steering wheel, and by which the torsional stiffness of the system is variable in dependence on the vehicle speed, the steering angle speed and/or the transverse acceleration. In this connection, the electrical power supply of the magnetic or electromagnetic actuator taking place via the controller is interrupted or reduced when a steering angle speed of zero is detected or when a steering angle speed of zero and a vehicle speed of zero are detected.
US07971674B2
A shaft drive type motorcycle includes a drive shaft, a constant-velocity universal joint interposed in the drive shaft, and the pinion gear provided at one end of the drive shaft and meshed with a final gear. A shaft part may be extended from a cup of the constant-velocity universal joint, the shaft part is provided with male splines, and a tubular part extends from the pinion gear. The tubular part is provided with female splines in which to fit the male splines, and the male splines and the female splines are coupled with each other.
US07971672B2
A motorcycle including a body frame 1 and an engine 20 mounted to the body frame 1, wherein the body frame 1 includes: left and right frame members (tank rails) 3 and 3 provided on one and the other sides in the vehicle width direction; a cross member 50 for connecting the left and right frame members with each other; and a bracket 53 provided into one body with the cross member 50, wherein a cylinder part (a cylinder head) 24 of the engine 20 is directly mounted to the bracket 53.
US07971668B2
In a hybrid vehicle 20, when a deceleration demand based on accelerator-off is made in selecting an S position that allows arbitrary selection of shift positions SP1 to SP6, and fuel cut cannot be prohibited from a state of a battery 50, an engine 22 and motors MG1 and MG2 are controlled so that a driving force based on a torque demand Tr* is outputted with the fuel cut (Steps S410, S420, S360 to S400). When the deceleration demand based on the accelerator-off is made in selecting the S position, and the fuel cut can be prohibited from the state of the battery 50, the engine 22 and the motors MG1 and MG2 are controlled so that the engine 22 substantially performs self-sustaining operation at a target rotation speed Ne0 and a driving force based on the torque demand Tr* is outputted (Steps S340 to S400).
US07971667B2
In a hybrid electric vehicle, a motor may be downstream of an engine and transmission. This configuration can be exploited by using the motor to buffer and control torque changes between the engine and the wheels, thereby reducing driveline backlash and clunk.
US07971665B2
A motor vehicle having a hybrid drive and a method for idle-speed control of a hybrid drive of a motor vehicle are provided. The hybrid drive includes an internal combustion engine having an engine management system, and at least one speed-controlled electric machine which is coupled to a drive shaft of the internal combustion engine during idling. During idling, the internal combustion engine is controlled by the engine management system in open or closed loop as a function of power demands of an electrical system of the motor vehicle.
US07971664B2
The method and apparatus consist of a robot body having at least two, but preferably six appendages. The appendages are organized into appendage groups of one to six appendages. The appendages are linked mechanically into groups of two or more and each group is actuated using a single drive actuator. A selective engagement mechanism is used to selectively engaged and disengage one or more appendages at a time in a way that allows for at least one appendage and at most all but one appendage per group to be engaged to a group's drive actuator. When the appendage is disengaged it is preferably locked in place to resist a reasonable force applied to them externally, such as the force equivalent to the weight of the robot.
US07971660B2
A rock bit includes a shaft and a cone mounted for rotation about the shaft at a journal bearing. A seal gland for the rock bit is defined at least by the shaft and the cone. A compressible seal ring is positioned within the seal gland. A thermal insulating ring is installed within the seal gland and positioned between the compressible seal ring itself and the journal bearing to insulate the compressible seal ring from heat radiating from the journal bearing.
US07971658B2
Method is provided for drilling of formations containing carbonate minerals with flexible tubing capable of being turned in a very short radius. The very flexible tubing may be placed inside a work string in a well with coiled tubing and a micro-jet bit on the tubing be diverted to a selected direction and depth. Acidic drilling fluid pumped through the micro-jet bit allows high rates of drilling with hydrochloric acid. A slip joint between coiled tubing and the flexible tubing may be used to allow jet drilling without movement of the coiled tubing and use of a jet bit with forward-facing jets. Mixing of acid and base solutions downhole may be used to provide hotter acid solutions for drilling.
US07971648B2
A flow control system includes a pump positioned in a well uphole of a producing formation to remove liquid from the well. An isolation device is positioned uphole of the pump such that the pump is between the isolation device and the producing formation, the isolation device capable of being selectively engaged to substantially reduce gas flow at the pump during removal of the liquid.
US07971645B2
Bottom hole assemblies for cutting windows in wellbore casing comprise a window mill, a first upper mill, a second upper mill, and a third upper mill. The first mill has an outer diameter that is smaller than the outer diameters of the window mill and the second and third upper mills. The first upper mill is disposed above the window mill at a distance measuring approximately twenty to thirty-seven percent of the distance measured from the window mill to the third upper mill. The second upper mill is disposed above the window mill at a distance measuring approximately fifty-five to seventy-five percent of the distance measured from the window mill to the third upper mill. The third upper mill is disposed above the window mill at a distance measuring approximately one-hundred twenty to one-hundred thirty percent of the length of a ramp of a whipstock for guiding the mills.
US07971644B2
A system includes a hydraulic fracturing fluid including a polymeric constituent and an additive having particles including poly-vinyl acetate in an amount sufficient to control fluid loss. The system includes a formation of interest having a downhole temperature, and the particles including poly-vinyl acetate have a size and/or shape such that the poly-vinyl acetate hydrolyses at the downhole temperature. The particles may have a size and/or shape such that the particles are deformable at the downhole temperature. The poly-vinyl acetate in the particles may be a part of the particle substrate, a coating on the particles, and/or the entire particle may be poly-vinyl acetate. The poly-vinyl acetate may be included in any portion of the hydraulic fracturing fluid, or only the portion of the hydraulic fracturing fluid that is not proppant laden.
US07971643B2
Methods and compositions useful for subterranean formation treatments, such as hydraulic fracturing treatments and sand control that utilize relatively lightweight and/or substantially neutrally buoyant particulates. Particles that may be employed include particulates of naturally occurring materials that may be optionally strengthened or hardened by exposure to a modifying agent; porous materials including selectively configured porous material particles manufactured and/or treated with selected glazing materials, coating materials and/or penetrating materials; and well treating aggregates composed of an organic lightweight material and a weight modifying agent. The relatively lightweight particulate may be suspended as a substantially neutral buoyant particulate and stored with a carrier fluid as a pumpable slurry.
US07971635B2
The invention relates to a plastic charge air tank or coolant tank (5) comprising at least one tie rod (10) that is integrated thereinto and is connected thereto as a single piece or in a fixed manner. The tie rod (10) is provided with at least one continuous hollow space which extends along the longitudinal axis thereof.
US07971629B2
A strand guide roller (100) of a strand guide device for guiding a cast strand (200) includes at least one first and one second sectional rollers arranged next to each other, includes a middle bearing (120-1, 120-2) located between both sectional rollers (110-1, 110-2) for receiving and supporting the roller journal (112-1) of the first sectional roller (110-1) formed on an end surface of the first sectional roller (110-1) adjacent to the second sectional roller (110-2), with the first and second sectional rollers being connected with each other outside of the middle bearing by a plug-in connection.
US07971628B2
A cold-chamber die-casting apparatus and method for making a die-cast part with an open space within the geometry of the part. The apparatus includes an injection shaft which receives molten material for casting the part. The molten material is pushed with a plunger through a gate and into a tool cavity corresponding to the part. The gate is disposed at an end of the injection shaft and adjacent the tool cavity at a position that corresponds to the open space of the part and is inside the geometry of the part.
US07971624B2
A retractable covering for architectural openings having collapsible vanes includes a head rail and support structure in the form of a sheet of material, monofilaments, tapes, ribbons, cords, or the like, supporting an upper edge of a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally extending vanes with the lower edges of the vanes being connected to operating elements adapted to raise the lower edges of each vane toward the upper edges to define openings or gaps between the vanes through which vision and light can pass in an open condition of the covering. The support structure, vanes and operating elements are adapted to be wrapped around a roller in the head rail in a retracted position of the covering and unwrapped in an extended position. An inhibitor system is incorporated into the covering to permit automatic opening of the vanes when the support structure, vanes and operating elements reach an extended position.
US07971620B2
The present invention is directed to a one-touch label-dispensing device for dispensing labels marked with time information, such as the month, day and year, that can be attached or integrated into the panel of a refrigerator so that labels automatically marked and dispensed can be used to mark food items placed in the refrigerator and/or cabinets. The present invention is also directed to a one-touch label-dispensing device for dispensing labels that can be equipped with a recording device for recording audible and text messages, such as e-mails, to be played back at a later time.
US07971617B2
A welding machine having a frame that includes end supports spanned by a top beam with a truncated V-shaped cross-section. A vacuum track assembly disposed vertically beneath the top beam retains fabrics to be welded on a perforated surface using suction. A welding head travels along the top beam and applies heat and pressure to the surface to weld the fabrics together. The top beam and vacuum track assembly are extendable by including additional unit segments from which the beam and assembly are constructed.
US07971613B2
Methods to detect when a human body contacts a predetermined portion of a machine are disclosed. The methods distinguish contact with a person from contact with other materials. The methods are particularly applicable in woodworking equipment such as table saws to distinguish contact between a person and the blade of the saw from contact between the blade and wet or green wood. The methods and woodworking equipment may include predictive blade stop algorithms that prevent unnecessary activations of a safety brake during coast down of a blade and continued protection in the event a main power switch is turned off.
US07971610B2
A tubular body comprises an inner hollow core and an outer casing of one or more strips of self mechanically inter-engaging helically wound material having a higher yield strength than that of the core material. Also provided is a method of forming the tubular body comprising the steps of winding the outer core onto the inner core and an end connector for use with said tubular body when said body is provided with helically extending detents on an outer surface thereof.
US07971609B2
A water saving device for use at or near a water outlet has a first water flow regulating element; a second water flow regulating element disposed downstream of the first regulating element; and a chamber formed between the first and second regulating elements. All of one or more water flow regulating parts of the second regulating element are made from substantially solid material.
US07971604B2
A system and method for delivering a specified-quantity of a fluid using a flow controller based on a fluid delivery profile is described. One embodiment includes a fluid delivery profile that includes a delivery time window with a plurality of set points that each correspond with a specified instant in time within the delivery time window. The method also includes delivering the fluid according to the fluid delivery profile through a variable valve using the flow controller and a feedback signal from a flow sensor.
US07971602B2
Systems and methods for collecting, storing, and redistributing water, which systems and methods make use of building foundations and surface concrete slab structures. A variety of rainwater collectors are anticipated, including rooftop collection systems (e.g., gutters) and ground surface covering structures (driveways, sidewalks, parking lots, and patios). These collection systems are joined together in a collection conduit system that carries the rainwater to one or more rainwater containment vessels. The stored water may then be redistributed, again through a variety of distribution means, to address part or all of the landscape watering requirements of the property. The system takes advantage of standard foundation and slab construction techniques to establish a major portion of the structure required for the containment vessel.
US07971596B2
A portable confinement device for confining a person upon a mattress is provided. The device includes a frame and a flexible enclosure. The enclosure is supported by and sits upon the frame to stabilize the device from tipping over. A mattress may be received into the interior space of the enclosure. The enclosure includes an opening for allowing a person to enter or exit the interior space of the enclosure. All openings of the enclosure are designed to be unfastened only from outside of the enclosure.
US07971594B2
A vehicle wheel washer comprising a pair of spaced-apart, mirror image, depending spray arms with spray heads mounted at the lower ends and directed inwardly toward the wheels of a vehicle which passes between the spray heads. The spray arms are mounted pendulum-type from an overhead pivotal support to move in unison between angular displacement positions thereby to follow the wheels of the vehicle being washed for a considerable linear distance to increase the effectiveness of the wheel cleaning operation. A bi-directional hydraulic actuator controls the positions of the pendulum arms in combination with gravitational force.
US07971591B2
A custom-fitted dental appliance having a base member with a generally U-shaped horizontal portion with opposing posterior sections and an anterior section disposed between the posterior sections. The base member has a vertical portion connected to a forward edge of the horizontal portion. The vertical portion has an arcuate curvature substantially following the curvature of the anterior section. The appliance includes over-molded molar pads that are bonded to the upper surfaces of the posterior sections of the base member. An over-molded anterior flange is bonded to the vertical portion of the base member. The molar pads and the anterior flange are formed from a thermoplastic material having a Vicat softening temperature below that of the base member. After heating the appliance to above the softening temperature of the over-molded portions, the molar pads and anterior flange may be custom fitted to the upper teeth and gums of the wearer.
US07971584B2
A sawing strip for fixing a substantially cylindrical workpiece when cutting off slices from this workpiece with a wire saw has a first face, which is concavely curved perpendicular to its longitudinal direction for connecting to the workpiece, a second face opposite the first face for connecting to a mounting plate, and two side faces which connect the first face and the second face, two edges of the sawing strip at which the side faces meet the first face at a distance a from each other, an imaginary line on the first face marking its minimum distance d from the second face, the side faces being at a distance b, measured at the height of the line and perpendicular to the distance d, wherein the distance b is less than the distance a. The sawing strip is useful for decreasing waviness of wafers cut from a cylindrical workpiece using the sawing strip.
US07971578B2
The present invention relates to an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve for a vehicle. The EGR valve includes a valve housing connected to an exhaust line for discharging exhaust gas therethrough, having a flow line with an inside area divided for taking and re-circulating a portion of the exhaust gas to a suction manifold, a driving unit on one side of the valve housing, and a valve unit mounted in a flow line of the valve housing for receiving driving force from the driving unit directly to control flows of the exhaust gas flowing through the flow line at the same time individually, thereby making stable control of the exhaust gas flowing through the EGR valve, preventing damage caused by the high temperature exhaust gas, and preventing the exhaust gas from leaking to an outside of the EGR valve.
US07971574B2
A return fuel passage is configured to communicate an outlet of a low-pressure fuel pump with a back pressure side of a fuel injection device. The return fuel passage is configured to partially return fuel from the back pressure side to the fuel tank to control fuel pressure at the back pressure side in response to fuel injection. In a starting operation a backpressure control valve communicates the outlet of the low-pressure fuel pump with the back pressure side and blocks the fuel tank from both the outlet of the low-pressure fuel pump and the back pressure side. In a normal operation, the backpressure control valve communicates the back pressure side with the fuel tank and blocks the outlet of the low-pressure fuel pump from both the fuel tank and the back pressure side.
US07971572B2
Fuel management system for efficient operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder of the engine. A fuel management microprocessor system controls injection of the anti-knock agent so as to control knock and minimize that amount of the anti-knock agent that is used in a drive cycle. It is preferred that the anti-knock agent is ethanol. The use of ethanol can be further minimized by injection in a non-uniform manner within a cylinder. The ethanol injection suppresses knock so that higher compression ratio and/or engine downsizing from increased turbocharging or supercharging can be used to increase the efficiency of the engine.
US07971569B2
A lost motion valve actuation system includes an engine brake housing and one or more hydraulic fluid supply passages extending through the housing. Master and slave pistons are slidably disposed corresponding bores in the housing. The master and slave pistons are used to provide selective actuation to one or more engine valves. An engine brake rocker arm disposed adjacent to the housing includes a master piston contact surface and a bias mechanism contact surface. A bias mechanism is disposed in the housing and includes a bias piston which extends from the housing. The bias piston biases the rocker arm out of contact with an engine cam during select engine operation modes, such as during a positive power mode of operation. The bias piston may be mechanically or hydraulically repositioned to permit the rocker arm to contact the engine cam during a second mode of engine operation, such as an engine braking mode.
US07971556B2
An animal toy includes structure presenting regions having characteristics providing different degrees of animal interest and/or accessibility, such that there is a higher likelihood that a dog will retain a particular part of the toy in its mouth apart from another region intended for grasping by the owner. The toy finds application in various modes of play, including tug activities between dog and owner, throwing and retrieval, and any other type of interaction in which the toy is held by the dog in its mouth and is thereby subjected to a depositing of saliva over the particular involved region of the toy. An embodiment includes members which include animal access regions and which are disposed in circumferentially spaced apart positions about a toy axis and radially spaced apart therefrom, and at least partially shielded handles, portions of which are positioned radially inward of a outermost radial extent of said members. Exposure to saliva by a user is reduced by avoided contact with the region accessed to a greater degree by the animal during play.
US07971554B1
A bird feeder preferably includes a top lid, a central housing pivotally coupled to the top lid, a bottom base pivotally coupled to the central, and a mechanism for automatically articulating a first one of the top lid and the bottom base along a first arcuate path while manually articulating a second one of the top lid and the bottom base along a second arcuate path. In this manner, the central housing remains at a statically fixed position while the top lid and the bottom base articulate between corresponding open and closed positions. In one embodiment, the articulating mechanism may include an actuating shaft contiguously abutted against a gear for ensuring the bottom base simultaneously rotates with the top lid during opening and closing positions respectively.
US07971551B2
A powder spray coating facility is automatically switched between a first operating mode in which only recovery powder is moved into an intermediate receptacle, and a second operating mode in which only fresh powder from a fresh powder unit is fed to the intermediate receptacle. Switching may be carried out from the second operating mode to a reserve powder operating mode when, following switching from the first operating mode to the second operating mode, an intermediate receptacle sensor continues to transmit a “powder needed” signal.
US07971533B1
Methods and apparatus for a weapon according to various aspects of the present invention comprise and/or operate in conjunction with a warhead case and a fuze system. The fuze system may comprise a fuze housing including a flange configured to be secured to the weapon. In one embodiment, the methods and apparatus operate in conjunction with a fuze well rigidly attached to the warhead case. In addition, the methods and apparatus may include a sensor mounted on the flange, and a booster attached to the fuze well adjacent the fuze housing.
US07971531B2
A system, for example an electronic blasting system, in which a detection command is issued by a master device to all slave devices connected to the system, causing all slave devices that have not been identified to the master device to respond.
US07971520B2
A fluid power arrangement includes a valve means and a fluid power implement, which is connected or is able to be connected with the valve means by way of a first fluid line a and at least one second fluid line for fluid actuation through the valve means (13a and 13b), the valve means and the implement constituting spatially separate assembly units, the valve means having a first valve fluid port for the first fluid line and at least one second valve fluid port for the at least one second fluid line and the implement having a first implement fluid port for the first fluid line and at least one second implement fluid port for the at least one second fluid line. In the fluid power arrangement there is a provision such that the first valve fluid port and the first implement fluid port on the one hand and on the at least one second valve fluid port and the at least one second implement fluid port on the other hand mutually different port encodings are provided so that a coordination of the first valve fluid port with the first implement fluid port and of the at least one second valve fluid port with the at least one second implement fluid port is apparent on the basis of the respective mutually corresponding port encodings.
US07971519B2
An apparatus for hydraulically adjusting the blades of an impeller of an axial-flow fan, comprising an adjustment cylinder that on both sides of a piston displaceably disposed in the cylinder has a first chamber and a second chamber respectively provided with a connection to control oil lines connected to four-way valves. Not only a feed line leading to one of the control oil lines, but also a return line connected to the other control oil line, is each divided into two parallel branch lines. Two redundant four-way valves are provided, each being disposed in one of the parallel branch lines. Disposed in each branch line of each control oil line, between the respective connection and the respective four-way valve, is a seat valve that closes by spring force.
US07971513B2
A paper punch die (125) is disclosed as including a top part (110, 202, 302) and a platform (100, 206, 306) engaged with each other, the platform (100, 206, 306) having an upper major surface (106) and a lower major surface (126, 207, 307), the upper major surface of the platform (100, 206, 306) being in abutment with a lower major surface (118) of the top part (110, 202, 302), and an endless wall (130) with an undulating cutting edge (132) extending away from the lower major surface (126, 207, 307) of the platform (100, 206, 306). There is also disclosed a paper punch (140) including such a paper punch die (125).
US07971512B2
A cutting device includes a lock device for locking and unlocking a cover against a cover support. The cover includes a first cover removably mounted to the cover support and a second cover removably mounted to the first cover. The lock device is operable in a first mode, a second mode and a third mode. The first mode prevents the first cover from being removed from the cover support and prevents the second cover from being removed from the first cover. The second mode permits the first cover from being removed from the cover support but prevents the second cover from being removed from the first cover. The third mode permits the second cover to be removed from the first cover.
US07971507B2
A lubrication arrangement for interlocking gears 2, 3 is configured by a housing 1 which incorporates sections 1a, 1b of a snail cross-section. Thus, rotating gears 2, 3 are positioned to generate a centrifugal pumping effect between those gears 2, 3 and the housing sections 1a, 1b which drives scavenged oil flow into a volute 11 formed by the opposing surface of the housing 1a, 1b. The scavenged oil is driven in the direction 13 towards an off-take 12 configured such that there is a minimum available cross-sectional area 14 between the housing at the intermeshing of the gears 2, 3 at an interlocking location 4. In such circumstances the scavenged oil is driven at relatively high speed through the off-take 12. Such relatively high speed scavenged oil 15 can be used for displacement scavenging in other parts of an engine or machine where problems exist with oil residence.
US07971504B2
This invention provides a manipulator that can facilitate a teaching method, improve the operation speed of an arm, and mount a heavy load in a narrow space. The manipulator includes a plurality of arm bodies provided in series, joint parts rotatably connecting two adjacent arm bodies, and the joint parts in which slope of rotation axes of the adjacent joints are 90 degrees, at least one linear body disposed in the joint parts coaxially with the rotation axes. The joint parts are composed of a servo motor, and a speed-reduction mechanism. The rotation axes of the servo motor, the speed-reduction mechanism and the joint parts become the same axis.
US07971503B2
There is provided a joint mechanism constituted by a base 1, a turning base 4 provided above the base and rotated, and an arm 6 a lower end portion is pivotably supported by the turning base, in which a speed reducer 2 for rotating the turning base is provided at inside of the base, a counterbalance system 10 constituted by a cylinder 7 pivotably supported above the turning base and filled with a lubricant, a piston 8 provided in a hermetically sealed state slidably in a longitudinal direction at inside of the cylinder, and a piston rod 9 one end portion of which is connected to the piston and other end portion of which is connected to the arm 6 is provided, the speed reducer and the cylinder of the counterbalance system are connected and a lubricant of the speed reducer is introduced into the cylinder.
US07971500B2
A sheet metal cylinder (1) with an axis of rotation (a) and a synchronization profile extending in axial direction (a), which can be manufactured by sheet metal shaping. The synchronization profile (4, 5) has a circumferential supporting element (6) located along its axial length (a).
US07971499B2
A method for synchronizing multiple generators includes positioning a pilot feature of a shaft of a first generator positioned at a first angular position that is substantially aligned with a first predetermined reference point located at a predetermined angular position relative to an axis, locking the shaft of the first generator at the first angular position, aligning a pilot feature of a first shaft of a second generator with a second angular position that is substantially aligned with a second predetermined reference point located at a position relative to the axis that is substantially equal to the predetermined angular position, calculating an angular difference between the two angular positions, and rotating a second shaft splined with the first shaft of the second generator about the axis in another direction, based on the calculated angular difference.
US07971498B2
A control device is provided for a technical system (17), e.g. for a shift-by-wire vehicle transmission. The control device includes a control (actuating) element, e.g. a rotary knob (1), with at least two shifting positions. The control element (1), itself, can rotate without limitation, whereas the control device has at least one stop device (2, 3), which can be adjusted in a controlled manner and which limits the angle of rotation (W) of the control element (1).
US07971495B2
An apparatus can measure a tensile force in a continuously running material, such as a material web or strand. The apparatus can facilitating an improved absorption of force and a more precise measurement while at the same time enabling simpler manufacture and easier installation.
US07971494B2
A Coriolis mass flowmeter has exactly two measuring tubes that can be excited to oscillation and a housing. An end connection plate from a pipe to both measuring tubes is provided on each end of the measuring tube, and these the end connection plates are attached to one another by means of a reinforcing bridge that is separate from the housing.
US07971493B2
The disclosure relates to a method for operation of a flow measurement device, and to a flow measurement device itself. In order in this case to record the conductivity of the medium or faults resulting from deposits by means of a measurement tube configuration in a technically simple manner, a total of at least 4 electrodes are arranged distributed on the circumference of the measurement tube, in the measurement tube. When a signal is fed in at one of the electrodes or at an electrode pair, an electric current is measured between one electrode pair, while an electrical voltage is measured between another electrode pair. An impedance value is determined from the two measured values, from which impedance value a conductivity of the medium is determined and/or in comparison of different conductivities or in comparison with historical values, it is deduced that there is a covering layer on the electrodes.
US07971488B2
A force measuring device for a parking brake of a vehicle has a housing, having a Bowden cable for actuating the parking brake and having a force measuring element for determining the cable force. The Bowden cable is guided through the housing and has first and second stops which are fastened to the Bowden cable, wherein under loading of the Bowden cable, the first stop is fixedly supported on a housing inner side and the opposite, second stop is supported on the force measuring element which is provided between the housing and the second stop, wherein a movement of the second stop is generated corresponding to the loading of the Bowden cable, which movement leads, at the force measuring element, to a corresponding measurement value for the force transmitted by the Bowden cable. The force measuring device is provided for parking brakes for passenger vehicles.
US07971477B2
A detection method for at least one of acting forces on tire among a back-and-forth directional force, a lateral force, vertical force, and a moment about a tire axis, detects the forces by strain outputs of strain sensors, which are attached on the tire and measure the strains of a sidewall portion. The method includes a strain measuring step to measure the strain of the sidewall portion with each of the above-mentioned strain sensors simultaneously at the rotational position P based on the tire rotational standard position X and to obtain the strain output per each strain sensor, and an acting force calculating step to calculate the above-mentioned force acting on the tire based on the strain output per strain sensor obtained on this strain measuring step.
US07971476B2
The present invention falls into the field of methods and devices for identifying the various phases of the ionization current during combustion in a cylinder of an internal combustion engine.The present invention develops over various phases comprising the measurement of the ionization current signal and the sampling of the signal within predetermined windows, with the subsequent identification of the sample signal which is preceded by a signal whose derivative has a positive value and followed by a signal whose derivative has a negative value.
US07971467B2
The present application provides a technique for simultaneously bending and drawing.In a stamping device, the timing at which an upper pad moves downward and grips a work piece between the upper pad and a first supporting surface is adjusted so as not to be later than the timing at which an upper bending steel makes contact with the work piece. The height of a lower end of the upper bending steel after the timing at which the upper bending steel has made contact with the work piece, and the height of a lower surface of a drawing pad after the timing at which the work piece has been gripped between the drawing pad and a third supporting surface are adjusted such that the lower end of the upper bending steel and the lower surface of the drawing pad move downward while maintaining the same height at a boundary between the upper bending steel and the drawing pad.
US07971451B2
An air conditioner is installable in a ceiling of an air-conditioned room and is disposed with a casing in whose top surface is formed a suction opening and in whose bottom surface are formed blowout openings, and in which is formed an air flow path that leads from the suction opening to the blowout openings, a blow fan that is disposed in the air flow path, and a heat exchanger that is disposed in the air flow path.
US07971443B2
There is provided a temperature switching compartment 3 which can switch the internal temperature thereof between a low temperature side at which a storage material is kept in cold storage and a high temperature side maintained at 50° C., to 80° C. at which cooked food is kept warm, by cooling with a cooler 17 and heating with a heater 15.
US07971440B2
A voltage regulator is configured to receive an input voltage from a power supply, measure a temperature associated with a heat transfer medium, produce an output voltage to drive a thermo-electric cooler, and vary the output voltage in accordance with changes in the measured temperature. Varying the output voltage results in: 1) extracting of heat from the heat transfer medium when the measured temperature is above a threshold value, or 2) supplying of heat to the heat transfer medium when the measured temperature is below a threshold value. The voltage regulator can cap upper and lower bounds of the output voltage to prevent the thermo-electric cooler from reaching its saturation point. The voltage regulator can be configured to produce an output voltage having reduced voltage ripple.
US07971436B2
A rotary steam engine of a simple constitution capable of efficiently obtaining mechanical energy not only from a heat source of a high temperature but also from various heat sources in a low-temperature state such as the exhaust heat of an internal combustion engine. The engine has a rotor 1 having a plurality of displacement chambers 11 provided in a sealed container 2 which is filled with a liquid. A steam-generating portion 4 is arranged under the rotor 1 and where the liquid vaporizes being heated by the exhaust heat of an internal combustion engine. The vaporized stem is jetted from a flow-out passage 42 toward the displacement chambers 11 of the rotor 1. The steam stays in the displacement chambers 11 and, therefore, buoyancy acts onto the displacement chambers 11 on one side of the rotor 1. The rotor 1 rotates to produce the rotational energy. The steam in the displacement chambers 11 is released in the sealed container 2 accompanying the rotation of the rotor 1, and is introduced into a condenser 3 where the steam is condensed and refluxes into the sealed container 2. The pressure in the sealed container 2 is maintained to be a saturated steam pressure by a vacuum pump 34. Therefore, the steam is formed despite the liquid has a low temperature to rotate the rotor 1.
US07971433B2
A system and method for treating exhaust gasses from an engine is described. In one example, the exhaust gasses are routed from the engine to atmosphere through a helical exhaust passage. The helical exhaust passage includes a plurality of spatially separated exhaust passages that separates the exhaust flow into separated smaller flows, wherein the smaller flows are re-introduced into a common passage and re-combined to form a single exhaust flow, and wherein the plurality of spatially separated exhaust passages induces a helical flow pattern within the re-combined exhaust flow.
US07971426B2
A method is described for controlling operation of a reductant injection system. In one example, a pump of the reductant injection system is operated at a pressure to inject reductant into an exhaust system based on voltage supplied to the pump. The method can allow operation of the reductant injection system during degradation of a pressure sensor that is used to determine reductant flow.
US07971423B2
A gas turbine engine incorporating a starter mounted on the gear box is disclosed. The gas turbine engine includes an AGB gear housing mechanically connected with an engine shaft for driving auxiliary machines and an air starter mounted on the housing, the starter and housing enclosures being in communication such that the lubricating oil of the starter should be distributed from the AGB housing. The oil enclosure of the starter is pressurized by a source of air, being independent from the AGB housing. Advantageously, the pressurization air is taken from a pressurization enclosure of an engine bearing.
US07971420B1
A draper platform (102) with an elongate, laterally extending frame (110), has a suspension system has two independent hydraulic circuits (502, 504), that can be independently filled and emptied to selectively lift the left side and the right side of the draper platform (102). Two hydraulic cylinders (306, 406) are disposed on the left side of the draper platform (102) in fluid communication with a gas-charged accumulator (506) to form the first hydraulic circuit (502), and to support the draper platform (102) on a gauge wheel (218) and the left side of a feederhouse (104). Two additional hydraulic cylinders (510, 512 are disposed on the right side of the draper platform (102) in fluid communication with the second gas-charged accumulator (514) to form the second hydraulic circuit (504), and to support the draper platform (102) on a gauge wheel (220) and the right side of the feederhouse (104). Valves (518, 520) control flow to the first and second hydraulic circuits (502, 504), respectively, to permit an electronic control circuit (500) to separately and independently fill and empty the first and second hydraulic circuits (502, 504).
US07971414B1
An apparatus for transferring a plurality of tablets of a product from a first blister card to a second blister card includes a press plate, a transfer fixture, and a tray. The press plate is adapted for displacement between a first position and a second position to force the plurality of tablets out of a plurality of blisters carried by the first blister card. The transfer fixture includes a plurality of passageways, each of which is adapted to receive one tablet of the plurality of tablets from the first blister card. The passageways further direct the tablets into a corresponding plurality of blisters carried by the second blister card. The tray supports the second blister card adjacent the transfer fixture for receiving the tablets.
US07971412B1
Stairway balusters are described which includes baluster extensions for ease in use, adjustability and convenience during installation, replacement or remodeling. The various extensions illustrated all allow the baluster shaft to adjust longitudinally. If a single baluster is being replaced on site, the baluster can be shortened using the adjustable features while removing. Also, during retrofitting the described method allows a baluster to be shortened, positioned in place and then lengthened to the desired height without undue modification or effort by the installer. Various extension embodiments are demonstrated.
US07971399B1
A stairway having an alternating series of risers and treads wherein two risers and a tread form a step structure for use in constructing the stairway. The step structure including a first riser having a front portion and a rear portion, a tread having a support surface and an opposite surface, a second riser having a front portion and a rear portion, and wherein the tread is positioned between the rear portion of the first riser and the front portion of the second riser and wherein the second riser of one step structure becomes the first riser of the next-up step structure.
US07971393B2
A door system includes a structural member and a door that is movably mounted with respect to the structural member for movement between an open position and a closed position. A spring is mounted with respect to the structural member or the door and being sufficiently positioned to bias the door toward its open position when the door is in its closed position. Active material based actuators may selectively compress the spring prior to door closure to minimize door closing effort.
US07971390B2
An irrigation apparatus provides water to one or more plants growing in a growing medium contained in a pot or tray. The irrigation apparatus includes a water container mounted to a base below the tray for vertical movement between an upper position and a lower position, in which the water container is urged toward the upper position. Also included is a water supply for supplying water to the water container, the water supply including a control valve having an open and a closed position for permitting and preventing flow of water into the water container, respectively, the control valve closes when the water container is in its lower position. The arrangement is such that when the water container contains water and is in its lower position, the surface of the water in the water container is at a predetermined distance below the underside of the tray supported on the base.
US07971382B2
An improved firearm having a barrel coupled to an upper receiver where the receiver includes a passageway extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis, and a guidance feature extending along the passageway generally parallel to the longitudinal axis. The firearm also includes a lower receiver coupled to the upper receiver and a recoil spring assembly comprising a mating attachment structure and a disassembly button disposed on a lateral side of the upper receiver. The mating attachment structure is attached to an attachment structure of the lower receiver to attach the lower receiver to the upper receiver. Actuation of the disassembly button detaches the mating attachment structure from the attachment structure to detach the lower receiver from the upper receiver.
US07971376B2
A rocking head picture display device includes a casing and a rocking assembly received in the casing. The rocking device includes an electromagnetic device mounted to the bottom of the casing and a rocking device mounted to the top of the casing. The rocking device includes a pivotal shaft supported by the casing and a rocking arm extending downward next to the electromagnetic device. A circular plate shaped connector is eccentrically joined to the outer end of the pivotal shaft in front of the casing. A channel shaped base is joined to bottom of the casing to form a locating groove. A picture has a head portion adhered to the connector and a body portion rested in the locating groove. When the electromagnetic device is powered on, the rocking device is induced to swing with the connector and the head portion.
US07971374B2
An apparatus for use in footwear and the like, the apparatus having a primary body adapted to be mounted on a work object operable to perform a task; and at least two secondary bodies mounted on the primary body and adapted selectively to be moved by the work object in the performance of the task.
US07971348B2
A component-embedded substrate includes a component embedded in an uncured resin layer of a second layer. After curing the resin layer, a hole passing through the second layer in the vertical direction is formed. The hole is filled with an electroconductive paste to form a second interlayer connection conductor. A first in-plane conductor including a plurality of lands, a first layer, and the second layer are respectively stacked in that order and pressed to join together, and the first layer is heated to form an integrated structure. A method for manufacturing the component-embedded substrate can form an interlayer connection conductor having a small diameter and high straightness and thus can achieve a miniaturized component-embedded substrate including interlayer connection conductors at a narrow pitch.
US07971322B2
A grip designed for a handle has a quality of unidirectional extendibility and is extended in a direction in accordance with a direction of extendibility for wrapping the handle. A method for making a grip designed for a handle includes preparing a sheet that has the quality of unidirectional extendibility; trimming the grip from the sheet; and extending the grip in a direction in accordance with the direction of unidirectional extendibility for wrapping the handle.
US07971320B2
A hinge assembly for opening and closing a door that provides access to the interior of a motor vehicle body is disclosed. The hinge assembly includes a body-side hinge strap secured to the body and providing a first axis, a door-side hinge strap secured to the door and providing a second axis spaced laterally from the first axis, a hinge mid-strap supported on the body-side hinge strap to pivot about the first axis and being pivotably supported on the door-side hinge strap at the second axis, and a lockout bracket secured to the door-side hinge strap and secured to the hinge mid-strap at a location between the first axis and second axis for preventing the door from pivoting about the second axis.
US07971306B2
The invention described herein relates to a cleaning tool for cleaning subsea conduits, such as tendons, risers or strakes. This invention comprises a flotation collar and brush member which may be attached to a subsea conduit and which may travel up a subsea conduit as a result of buoyancy forces and be retracted using one or more winches.
US07971297B2
An apparatus has a back section, a center section pivotally connected to the back section so that the back section is movable between a first position coplanar with the center section and a second position approximately perpendicular upwardly relative to the center section, a leg section pivotally connected to the center section so that the leg section is movable between a straight position coplanar with the center section and a bent position approximately perpendicular downwardly relative to the center section, a cushion slidably positioned on the center section so that the cushion is movable between a backward position and a forward position, and a sliding mechanism for sliding the cushion between the backward position and the forward position.
US07971295B2
The present embodiments relate to a lifting unit for a patient support. The lifting unit includes a base plate, a motor drive, a lifting drive driven by the motor drive and received in the base plate. The lifting drive is adapted to carry out a lifting movement and a movement in the opposite direction. A triggering element is activated when the pressure exerted by the lifting drive on the base plate falls below a defined minimum value. The movement of the lifting drive is stopped in response to the activation of the triggering element. If the patient support collides with an obstacle during lifting, the pressure exerted by the lifting drive on the base plate is reduced. The reduced pressure is detected by the triggering element and the movement of the patient support is stopped.
US07971293B1
A bedclothes apparatus includes a blanket sized to cover two occupants of a bed, first and second coverlets, a first fastener assembly operable to secure the first coverlet to a central section of the blanket to allow the first coverlet to be laid across a first segment of the blanket and to release the first coverlet from the central section of the blanket to allow the first coverlet to be moved away from the first segment and the central section of the blanket, and a second fastener assembly operable to secure the second coverlet to the central section of the blanket to allow the second coverlet to be laid across a second segment of the blanket and to release the second coverlet from the central section of the blanket to allow the second coverlet to be moved away from the second segment and the central section of the blanket.
US07971292B1
A bedsheet, a system, and a method for use thereof for elevating at least one leg or heel of the patient lying on a mattress is disclosed. The bedsheet has a plurality of overlapping longitudinally spaced pockets into which a pillow is insertable. The orientation and configuration of the pockets of the bedsheet allows for insertion of the pillow into the bedsheet at a desired location with minimal interruption to or movement of the patient, and holds the inserted pillow in a relatively fixed position relative to the bedsheet. The system includes the bedsheet and the pillow. The method includes placing the bedsheet on the mattress, inserting the pillow into one of the pockets of the bedsheet to create an elevated portion of the bedsheet, and positioning the leg or heel of the patient on top of the elevated portion of the bedsheet.
US07971289B2
A portable self-contained bed-on-demand system is presented which includes a portable collapsible self-contained storage bed and support assembly and a portable self-contained peripheral support system, or headwall, adapted to the bed that supplies medical-grade power, ventilation, and an oxygen treatment system. The bed-on-demand system duplicates, in a self-contained package usable outside a hospital environment, the critical facilities provided to a patient in a traditional hospital room.
US07971286B2
A modular occupant bench unit for use in a swimming pool formed from a plurality of contiguous modular wall panels joined end-to-end to define a pool enclosure having a vertical perimeter wall includes a vertical wall having opposite ends adapted to be joined with contiguous wall panels and being substantially coplanar with the vertical walls of the wall panels and an elongate bench protruding from the vertical wall between the top and bottom thereof into the pool substantially beyond the plane formed by the vertical wall of the pool, the upper side of the bench defining an occupant seating area and the underside being spaced from the floor of the pool. A plurality of hydrotherapy jets are spaced apart along the vertical wall above the upper side of said bench and below the water line of the swimming pool.
US07971284B2
The invention relates to a flushing water guiding arrangement (1) for a toilet bowl (5) or similar, comprising a housing which can be inserted into the edge (4) of the toilet bowl, an inlet (6), at least one outlet (7, 8, 10) and a dispensing device (11) which is used to dispense at least one liquid active substance as a supplement to the flushing water. The dispensing device (11) comprises at least one container (12) which is used to receive the active substance and at least one dispensing opening (13) which is arranged between the inlet (6) and the outlet (J, 8, 10). The flushing water guiding arrangement is characterized in that low pressure is set in the container (12) when the active substance is dispensed and that, essentially, only air reaches into the container (12) which is suctioned by the low pressure in the container (12).
US07971278B2
A hat cover protects the face and neck of a wearer. The cover can be designed to fit almost any type or style of hat. The cover is adapted to slip over the outer area of the hat and to be easily attached and detached. The cover includes rear and side wing portions that drape below the rim of the hat to cover the neck and face of the wearer. The hat may be provided with a pouch for containing a cooling medium (ice), if desired. The hat cover may include frames specially designed for use with the cover if no hat is worn.
US07971274B2
A full coverage, over the head, disposable medical gown is described. The gown includes a front member, a left rear member, and a right rear member. The left rear member and the right rear member are folded over the front member to define a body portion of the gown. The left rear member and the right rear member are attached to one another to define a neck opening for the gown. This attachment occurs in an area that lies between the neck and the shoulder blades of a person wearing the gown. At least one of said left rear member and said right rear member includes perforations therein that extend from the neck opening to an edge of the respective rear member proximate the attachment area.
US07971269B2
A device for connecting and maintaining a sports pad to a skate, contains a cord having a first end and a second end. A first hook portion is removably connected to the first end of the cord, wherein the first hook portion contains a first anchoring portion and a first clasping portion, the first end of the cord being removably connected to the first clasping portion. The device also contains a first outer cylinder for maintaining the first end of the cord within the first clasping portion and a second hook portion removably connected to the second end of the cord. The second hook portion contains a second anchoring portion and a second clasping portion, where the second end of the cord is removably connected to the second clasping portion. The device also contains a second outer cylinder for maintaining the second end of the cord within the second clasping portion.
US07975307B2
An electronic device as described herein implements a scheme to secure a data mapping function from scan access. The protection scheme can be used as a security measure for proprietary lookup tables, secret constants, digitally implemented algorithms, and the like. The electronic device employs a reconfigurable data mapping arrangement that can be reconfigured for a normal operating mode and a scan testing mode. While in the normal operating mode, a normal data mapping arrangement generates valid output data in accordance with the data mapping function. While in the scanning mode, however, a scanning data mapping arrangement generates invalid but testable output data in accordance with a data masking function that conceals, hides, masks, or obfuscates the data mapping function. Using the data masking function in this manner protects the data mapping function against reverse engineering attacks that attempt to derive the data mapping function from scan testing results.
US07975303B1
A scanning optimization manager scans files for malicious code. The scanning optimization manager creates listings of the portions of scanned files accessed during the scanning. The scanning optimization manager proceeds to utilize these listings of accessed portions of files as I/O hints to optimize subsequent scans of the files for malicious code.
US07975298B1
A security system may detect a rootkit by detecting a filesystem configuration of the first system and comparing the filesystem configuration to a known valid filesystem configuration of a second system. The known valid filesystem configuration may be the filesystem configuration of a protected second system, or may be stored in a protected area of the second system. The first and second system may be part of a single device. The filesystem configuration of the first system and the known valid filesystem configuration are compared and differences are analyzed to determine if they are indicative of a rootkit. If a rootkit is detected, some embodiments may provide tools to clean, delete, or quarantine the rootkit. The second system may be provided by a security provider.
US07975289B2
The client requests authentication by transmitting the authentication information entered by the user, the MAC address of the network adapter, and the address change information as to whether or not the MAC address has been changed. When the authentication information and the MAC address are in agreement with the details of registration, and if a change in the MAC address is recognized from the address change information, the server regards the authentication as being a failure and issues an access refusal, thus completing the processing. If a change in the MAC address is recognized, the fact may be notified to the manager to issue an access permit or an access refusal in accordance with the manager's instruction.
US07975280B2
A conditional access control apparatus for inserting descrambling messages and impulse authorizations to enable requesting subscribers to utilize requested scrambled content. The apparatus includes a content and asset storage module for storing content and assets, and a pre-encryption module for encrypting content to be stored in said content device. A transport processor inserts stored content into a forward application transport channel (FATC), and a controller interacts with a requesting subscriber and inserts into the FATC descrambling messages and impulse authorizations enabling the requesting subscriber to utilize requested scrambled content.
US07975278B2
There is provided a digital broadcast receiving apparatus capable of notifying a user that an item in itself exists even if a blank exists in the name portion of an item in the variable RRT to prevent the user from omitting setting. The microcomputer 18 acquires a rating region table (RRT) from a transport steam (TS) signal and attaches a flag capable of restricting viewing to each level in the RTT based on inputs entered by a user while displaying the RTT on a screen. If rating information including the TS signal expresses the level on which the flag capable of restricting viewing is attached, viewing of a program including the rating information is restricted, a blank in the level, item and table names included in the RRT is detected and the detected blank is substituted with a predetermined character string.
US07975274B2
A disc loading apparatus of an optical disc player includes components of a loading mechanism interacting with each other and steadily performing multiple functions such that reliability of loading/unloading of an optical disc enhanced and the number of components is reduced. The disc loading apparatus includes a main frame having a loading motor loading optical discs of different sizes to a chucking position, a base plate, a guide lever guiding the optical discs to the chucking position, a locking lever selectively locking/releasing the guide lever according to the disc loading position, a slider reciprocating in the loading/unloading directions of the optical disc and selectively receiving a driving force of the loading motor according to the traveling positions, and a connector rotating and translating to move in association with the guide lever, the slider, and the locking lever. The connector transfers the movement of the guide lever to the slider.
US07975270B2
Allocation of resources in a heterogeneous computing environment is facilitated. A resource manager of the heterogeneous computing environment obtains information that describes which nodes of the heterogeneous computing environment are capable of supporting additional operating systems and platforms over and above their native operating systems and platforms. This information is then used by the resource manager in allocating resources to satisfy a particular job.
US07975267B2
Embodiments of apparatuses, methods, and systems for processing virtual interrupts in a layered virtualization architecture are disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes virtual machine entry logic, recognition logic, and evaluation logic. The virtual machine entry logic is to transfer control of the apparatus from a host to a guest. The recognition logic is to recognize a virtual interrupt request. The evaluation logic is to determine whether to transfer control from the guest to an intervening monitor in response to the virtual interrupt request.
US07975266B2
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for installing resources in a computer system operate to identify a need to install resources on a target device and perform an installation of the resources on the target device using installer components located remotely from the target device. The remotely located installer components control the installation of the resources.
US07975258B2
A system for providing a test environment for database server-side objects persistently stores a profile for a plurality of test runs for database server-side objects, where the profile comprises persistently stored test parameter values, pre-execution scripts, and/or post-execution scripts. Once the profile is created, it can be selected for subsequent test runs for one or more objects. A plurality of profiles for the objects may also be created. The system eliminates the need for a manual set up or destruction of the test environment for each test run, improving efficiency in the development of database server-side objects significantly.
US07975252B2
The present invention relates to a method for finding design weakness and potential field failure of a PCB assembly which includes components, comprising the steps of: (a) creating a model of the PCB assembly by which natural frequencies and mode shapes of the PCB assembly can be determined; (b) performing a natural frequencies simulation for determining natural frequencies and mode shapes of the PCB assembly; and (c) analyzing said determined natural frequencies and mode shapes and identifying local dominant oscillations of components, components identified as having a local dominant oscillation in at least one of said determined mode shapes are identified as components having a relatively high potential of field failure.
US07975251B2
A design method includes creating power supply planes in each layer of a circuit board, from CAD data of the circuit boards whereby the power supply planes form one power supply conductor interconnect and supply power or connect to ground, expanding the shape of the power supply planes by a predetermined width, creating power supply pairs which are formed by opposing portions wherein two power supply planes existing in different layers are separated by an insulator and correcting the parameter by use of the mesh area.
US07975246B2
A method that purposely relaxes OPC algorithm constraints to allow post OPC mask shapes to elongate along one direction (particularly lowering the 1-dimensional MEEF in this direction with the result of an effectively overall lowered MEEF) to produce a pattern on wafer that is circular to within an acceptable tolerance.
US07975237B2
There is provided a novel menu selection method in a mobile phone. Also provided is a cursor displaying method with which a user can intuitively recognize a moving direction and moving speed. In addition, a novel scrollbar with which the user can recognize, in a case of displaying menus beyond a display screen, a range currently displayed on a display screen among all the menus and a current cursor position within the menus displayed on the current display screen.
US07975236B1
A method, system and computer program product recorded on a computer-readable medium for execution on at least one processor, for seamless integration of a non-host application into a host OS, including launching a first Virtual Execution Environment (VEE) on a computing system that has a host operating system and a host desktop displayed to a user; displaying a window corresponding to the VEE on the host desktop; upon a user invoking a user application that is non-native to both the host OS and the first VEE, (a) installing a second VEE that is compatible with the user application, (b) installing the user application into the second VEE, (c) launching the application inside the second VEE, and (d) displaying the non-host application window within a window of the second VEE. The VEE can be a Virtual Private Server or a Virtual Machine.
US07975233B2
Automatic conversion of textual program code to graphical program code is performed. The method automatically translates the given functionality of a textual program code into executable graphical program code, corresponding to the same functionality. The method includes a parsing routine that generates a syntax tree and code generation routines, which create graphical program code from the syntax tree.
US07975224B2
A method, document processing apparatus, and computer readable recording medium for performing document preparation of documents to be printed by a multi-function output device capable of applying finishing functions to the printed document. A document preparation program further includes a WYSIWYG display function for displaying the document or portions of the document in a WYSIWYG format. The document preparation program is configured to display a current document in a document window, display document finishing options to a user, accept user selections of one or more of the document finishing options, and display a representation of the user-selected document finishing options in the document window with displayed pages of the current document.
US07975218B2
The apparatus for forming a document group structure data contains a base document specifying section that specifies plural documents to be positionally fixed on the tree structure as base documents based on an input from a user, an upper tree structure forming section that forms an upper tree structure data showing a hierarchical relation among the base documents based on positional information of the base documents in the directory structure, a lower tree structure forming section that forms lower tree structure data showing tree structures of document groups having the base documents as root nodes, respectively, by following links of the hypertext structure starting from the respective base documents, and a tree structure combining section that forms a tree structure data showing the hypertext structure by combining the upper tree structure data and the respective lower tree structure data.
US07975215B2
Data associated with pixels obscured by annotations in an annotated image is stored using an annotation mask enabling annotation-aware applications to reconstruct the original image, while annotation-unaware applications can display the annotated image with optimized increase in extra data to be stored. The annotation mask, same size as the image, is initialized to a monochrome default and the color depth information for obscured pixels saved within the annotation mask. Because a majority area of the annotation mask is monochrome, it compresses well and the obscured image content can be saved in a side channel, metadata header, or a separate file. During reconstruction, changes to annotated image such as rotation, size change, and the like, may be detected and accounted for when obscured image content is carried over to the annotated image for reconstruction.
US07975198B2
A test system for performing a test of a device is provided that comprises a source file of a test plan that describes a program for performing a test, and one or more of elements that are formed in a unit that divides the source file into one or more blocks. The test system further comprises an annotatable object that, when debugging of objects of the source file is performed, manages modification details of the debugging with reference to an element corresponding to a portion where the debugging is performed, and a controller that, after the debugging, rewrites the source file with details after the debugging is performed on an element basis based on the element and the annotatable object.
US07975197B2
A scan clock generator includes a clock signal input for receiving a clock signal, a scan shift mode signal input for receiving a scan shift mode signal, and a sequence controller coupled to the clock signal input for gating a selected number of clock signal pulses at a time to generate a sequence of nonconcurrent scan clock signals at separate outputs respectively in response to a first state of the scan shift mode signal.
US07975192B2
A method for operating a memory (28) includes storing data, which is encoded with an Error Correction Code (ECC), in analog memory cells (32) of the memory by writing respective analog input values selected from a set of nominal values to the analog memory cells. The stored data is read by performing multiple read operations that compare analog output values of the analog memory cells to different, respective read thresholds so as to produce multiple comparison results for each of the analog memory cells. At least two of the read thresholds are positioned between a pair of the nominal values that are adjacent to one another in the set of the nominal values. Soft metrics are computed responsively to the multiple comparison results. The ECC is decoded using the soft metrics, so as to extract the data stored in the analog memory cells.
US07975190B2
A stream of traffic data is generated, where the traffic data has a known characteristic. The stream of traffic data is applied to the network device, where the network device has a specific type. The network device generates an output based on the traffic data. A performance of the network device is monitored while the traffic data is processed by the network device to generate monitoring data for the traffic data applied to the network device having the specific type. The output from the network device is analyzed to identify how the traffic data was handled by the network device to generate performance metrics. The monitoring data and the performance metrics are saved to a knowledge database. The knowledge database can be accessed to enable configuration of other network devices based in part on the monitoring data and performance metrics.
US07975187B2
A method and system for measuring a customer impacting failure rate in a communication network are disclosed. For example, the method collects a plurality of customer impacting network failure events, where the plurality of customer impacting network failure events comprises both hardware failure events and software failure events associated with a particular type of router or switch, or a particular type of component of the router or the switch. The method computes a Mean Time Between Outage (MTBO) metric from the plurality of customer impacting network failure events and compares the MTBO metric with a MTBO goal metric, wherein the MTBO goal metric is calculated in accordance with a predicted Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) metric.
US07975185B2
According to the method for configuring an information system (1), components (2) are provided for the information system (1) and component-specific error susceptibility data (3) on the individual components (2). For a given system configuration (5), error susceptibility information (7) is determined for the information system (1) in this given system configuration (5) as a function of the component-specific error susceptibility data (3). The error susceptibility information (7) is evaluated with reference to given evaluation criteria (8). In a subsequent step, the information system (1) is configured in the given system configuration (5) if the error susceptibility information (7) satisfies the given evaluation criteria (8). By means of the method, it is achieved that only system configurations are accepted that satisfy requirements specified by the evaluation criteria (8) with respect to the reliability of the information system (1).
US07975163B1
A system and method are disclosed for masking a clock input from a clock line when the clock line is not being driven by a clock source. The clock mask is triggered by a clock cycle from the clock source. In one version, a memory controller configures a masking circuit to either allow a clock signal to the clock input or to mask the clock input from a bidirectional clock bus. The masking circuit may comprise a storage element and a gate, as an example.
US07975157B2
A card reader with power-saving function is used for being inserted with a memory card so that a computer can access the memory card through the card reader. When the memory card is inserted in the card reader, the card reader is enabled to operate. On the other hand, when the memory card is not inserted in the card reader, the card reader enters to a power-down mode for saving power.
US07975153B2
A midspan power sourcing equipment (PSE) for operation with power over Ethernet (PoE). The midspan PSE provides powering over wire pairs that are also used for data communication. To ensure compatibility with legacy Ethernet devices, the ports used for transmission of data are designed with a low effective impedance at a frequency of operation.
US07975151B2
An ASIC or ASSP has processor circuitry (110), a predetermined initialization program (100) for execution by the processor circuitry at power up, and a non-volatile key table (120) readable by the initialization program, and not accessible otherwise by the processor circuitry. The initialization program reads a key index associated with encrypted data, from external memory, and uses the key index to read a corresponding key from the table, to decrypt the encrypted data for use by the processor circuitry. Optionally another key is first decrypted and used for the decryption of the encrypted data. By keeping the key on board the chip and restricting access in this way, the key and therefore the encrypted data can be protected from software based reverse engineering. This means the encrypted data can cheaper memory chips or other storage. Thus the processor circuitry can be formed on a smaller integrated circuit.
US07975147B1
Disclosed herein is an electronic device network having a plurality of associated electronic devices. The electronic devices may include an update agent adapted to decipher code and/or data segments. The update agent may also be adapted to modify and/or upgrade firmware and/or software components resident in the electronic devices by employing the deciphered code and/or data segments along with contents of an update. An update generator, resident in the electronic devices may employ deciphering techniques to the code and/or date segments to extract enciphered code and/or data segments. The update generator may also process the code and/or data segments to generate an update including difference information. The update generator may also be adapted to encipher difference information in the generated update.
US07975141B2
A method and apparatus of sharing a bus key is provided, the method including receiving at a first device a device key, encrypted using an encryption key, from a storage device; decrypting the encrypted device key using a decryption key corresponding to the encryption key; creating a random number, and generating a bus key using the created random number and the decrypted device key, by which data to be transmitted through a bus can be encrypted using the bus key; and transmitting the generated bus key to a predetermined device connected to the first device via the bus.
US07975138B2
Systems and methods are provided that enable authentication of transaction coordination messages sent via insecure connections. Also provided are systems and methods for controlling transaction coordination and recovery. In many embodiments, there is an exchange between a coordinator and a sub-coordinator, such that the coordinator provides the sub-coordinator with a coordinator token, and the sub-coordinator provides the coordinator with a sub-coordinator token. The coordinator and sub-coordinator tokens are used to authenticate transaction coordination messages sent over one or more insecure connections between the coordinator and the sub-coordinator.
US07975135B2
An apparatus, method and product for selecting an iSCSI target for us in automatically booting a remote initiator is disclosed. A policy engine is created for use in a discovery domain of an iSCSI device. A boot attribute setting within the policy engine is set for selecting an iSCSI target to allow the remote initiator to automatically log onto the selected target for booting.
US07975127B2
A computer system comprising a data file having entries each of which is designed to hold data, an advanced and a completed mapping file each having entries each of which is designed to hold a data-file-entry address, an operation window that is a buffer to hold substances of operations waiting execution, and a state-modification queue that is designed to be able to hold a substance of a modification on the advanced mapping file for each clock cycle; wherein making a modification on the advanced mapping file, entering the substance of this modification into the state-modification queue, and entering substances of operations into the operation window are each to be done in one clock cycle, and operations held in the operation window are to be executed out of order. The system can attain high performance easily and utilize programs described in any machine language for traditional register-based/stack-based processors.
US07975120B2
A method for allocating memory that is associated with a CAN (controller area network) controller, comprises receiving a data frame comprising an identifier (ID) and data; dynamically allocating a message buffer (MB) within the memory for queuing the data frame; and generating a pointer that points to the MB, where the pointer is accessed via a static location in the memory. A corresponding host interface for the CAN controller can be implemented in IC circuitry, is configured to be coupled to a host CPU and a CAN bus interface, and includes a memory allocation unit for dynamic memory allocation and a memory access controller, coupled to the memory allocation unit and the memory, that is configured to control access to the memory to facilitate transmitting and receiving a multiplicity of data frames over a CAN bus.
US07975117B2
Plural guest operating systems run on a computer, where a security kernel enforces a policy of isolation among the guest operating systems. An exclusion vector defines a set of pages that cannot be accessed by direct memory access (DMA) devices. The security kernel enforces an isolation policy by causing certain pages to be excluded from direct access. Thus, device drivers in guest operating systems are permitted to control DMA devices directly without virtualization of those devices, while each guest is prevented from using DMA devices to access pages that the guest is not permitted to access under the policy.
US07975115B2
A method and device for managing snapshot data is provided. Snapshots may be created having a preserved data area and a write data area. The preserved data area is used to maintain snapshot data corresponding to the point-in-time when the snapshot was created while the write data area is used to facilitate host read/write access to the snapshot. By maintaining two separate areas, the snapshot can be written to without altering the point-in-time representation of the snapshot.
US07975101B2
A storage medium stores a set of program instructions including: acquiring a number of at least one virtual unit with which at least one of a plurality of storage units is associated, the number of at least one virtual unit being set smaller than a total number of the plurality of storage units; receiving, from an operating system, a first command that specifies one of the at least one virtual unit; registering, as an accessible storage unit, a single storage unit from among the at least one of the plurality of storage units that is associated with the one of the at least one virtual unit specified by the first command, the single storage unit being in condition for communicating data with a data processing device; and outputting, to a peripheral device, a second command that specifies the accessible storage unit based on the first command.
US07975100B2
Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture, wherein a storage manager application implemented in a first computational device maintains a virtual logical volume that represents a plurality of segments of a linear storage medium of a secondary storage, wherein the virtual logical volume and the plurality of segments are created by the storage manager application. A request for data is received at the first computational device, from a second computational device. The storage manager application moves selected segments of the plurality of segments from the linear storage medium of the secondary storage to a cache storage, in anticipation that the requested data is included in the selected segments that are moved from the linear storage medium of the secondary storage to the cache storage.
US07975086B1
Apparatus for real-time arbitration between masters and requestors and method for operating the same
A circuit is provided for handling multiple requestors desiring access to a resource. The circuit includes a plurality of arbitrators and a plurality of masters. Each master is assigned to a different one of the plurality of arbitrators. Each arbitrator is defined to select a different one of the multiple requestors to be serviced by the master to which the arbitrator is assigned. Also, the plurality of arbitrators is defined to make their requestor selections in the same clock cycle. Additionally, the plurality of arbitrators is defined to make their requestor selections such that selection of a particular requestor is not duplicated among the plurality of arbitrators.
US07975080B2
Techniques for providing improved data distribution to and collection from multiple memories are described. Such memories are often associated with and local to processing elements (PEs) within an array processor. Improved data transfer control within a data processing system provides support for radix 2, 4 and 8 fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithms through data reordering or bit-reversed addressing across multiple PEs, carried out concurrently with FFT computation on a digital signal processor (DSP) array by a DMA unit. Parallel data distribution and collection through forms of multicast and packet-gather operations are also supported.
US07975074B2
A data transmission method with multiple token mechanism in wireless token ring protocol is provided. First, (a) a logical ring with M nodes is provided; (b) a k-th node is selected from the logical ring, and a token in the k-th node is generated; (c) a first message is sent to a (k+1)-th node from the k-th node with the token, and whether the (k+1)-th node responds a second message is judged, if yes, the data to be transmitted is transmitted from the k-th node, otherwise, the token of the k-th node is eliminated; (d) the token is sent to the (k+1)-th node from the k-th node after completing the transmission of the transmitted data of the k-th node, a generation token sequence is generated in a i-th node, and sent to a (i−1)-th node; and (e) the token is generated for the (i−1)-th node with the generation token sequence.
US07975060B2
A video server for transmitting video across a network to a plurality of users includes a coder (112) which operates in response to call requests or instructions received across the network (102) from individual clients (104, 106). The server maintains in memory a series of user status records (116), one for each of the users. Each record includes, or refers to, a copy of a previous frame sent to the respective user. When the coder (112) receives a call request, it uses the previously-sent frame for that user to optimise coding the current frame that is to be sent, received from a frame grabber (110). The invention avoids the difficulties of video broadcasting while still requiring only a single instance of a video coder.
US07975039B2
A method of clustering communication nodes based on network attributes such as network delays and forwarding capacity; on communication interest attributes; and on application attributes such as quality of service preferences/constraints in providing communications between users and application servers. A multi-attribute communication feature vector is formed. That vector is comprised of network attributes, communication interests attributes, and quality of service requirements and is used to form efficient group communication mechanisms for distributed collaborative applications. Then the multi-attribute communication feature vectors are clustered. The clustering methods for multi-type attribute feature vectors are: iterative clustering using a generalized distance space with normalized attribute subspace metrics; fusion clustering, and nested clustering.
US07975035B2
A method of clustering communication nodes based on network attributes such as network delays and forwarding capacity; on communication interest attributes; and on application attributes such as quality of service preferences/constraints in providing communications between users and application servers. A multi-attribute communication feature vector is formed. That vector is comprised of network attributes, communication interests attributes, and quality of service requirements and is used to form efficient group communication mechanisms for distributed collaborative applications. Then the multi-attribute communication feature vectors are clustered. The clustering methods for multi-type attribute feature vectors are: iterative clustering using a generalized distance space with normalized attribute subspace metrics; fusion clustering, and nested clustering.
US07975030B2
Methods and systems for configuring a remote device are described. In one embodiment, a method of configuring a remote device while negotiating a secure connection between the remote device and a central server is described. The method involves transmitting a configuration request from the remote device to the central server, including a request for a location to retrieve the latest configuration file from. The method also entails receiving a configuration response from the central server, with a pointer to such a location. The configuration file is retrieved from the indicated location, and applied to the remote device. The remote device sends general information about its configuration and status to the central server, using the secure connection.
US07975029B2
A Terminal equipment 10 has a message information accepter 12 for accepting message information from terminal program 26, an ID generator 14 for generating a thread ID for identifying the message information, a transmitter 16 for generating a message containing the message information and the thread ID and for transmitting the message to IC card 24, and a receiver 18 for receiving a message from the IC card 24. When the message received from the IC card 24 contains the thread ID inserted in the transmitted message, the message information accepter 12 returns the received message as a return value for the message information to the terminal program 26 and terminates a process attributed to the message information.
US07975026B2
The present invention relates to a card game adopting new “mission function.”According to the present invention, there is provided a method for providing a card game on the Internet comprising the steps of: (a) providing a display of a game panel to a plurality of players connected to the Internet; (b) inviting the players to the card game upon request of the players; (c) distributing game items to invited players; (d) conducting a random retrieval of at least one mission from a database; (e) checking whether the mission is achieved when the game items are transacted; and (f) settling results of the card game when the card game is over.
US07975024B2
A computer system in a wide area network, including a workstation computer and a first virtualization server which maintains virtualization information in real time for the workstation computer on a first storage device, wherein the first virtualization server is located at a first site. A second virtualization server is located at a second site in the wide area network. At the first site, a first gateway computer is operatively connected to a first synchronization computer and at the second site, a second gateway computer is operatively connected to a second synchronization computer. A copy of the virtualization information of the workstation computer is maintained in real time on a second storage device at the second site, by intercommunicating between the first synchronization computer and the second synchronization computer.
US07975017B1
A method, system and computer program product for accessing remote devices is provided. The proposed method allows users to remotely access devices or tools controlled by a VM implemented on a remote server. A user of a client machine can access a remote device controlled by a server or by local client of the server. The server can have a number of Virtual Machines (VMs) implemented on it. Each of the VMs can run a Guest OS that has guest device drivers installed on it. The VM receives the user request and passes on user commands to a device controlled by the guest device driver installed on the Guest OS of the VM.
US07975009B2
A method and apparatus are provided for processing an instant message within a system having a plurality agents for handling the instant message. The method includes the step of a buffer sever detecting an arrival of the instant message. The method also includes the steps of sending the instant message to one of a plurality of messages queues associated with the buffer server pending availability of one of the plurality of agents to handle the instant message and automatically generating and sending a status message to a source of the instant message while the message is in the message queue based upon the status of the instant message in the message queue.
US07975000B2
Performing A/B testing of content of a webpage includes selecting one of at least two different versions of the webpage to be displayed to a user through an interactive user interface (e.g., a web browser) based on an identification code, such as an Internet Protocol address or tracker identifier supplied by a cookie, associated with the user.
US07974996B1
A math coprocessor 1300 includes a multiply-accumulate unit 1600. Multiplier-accumulate unit 1600 includes a multiplier array 1603 for selectively multiplying first and second operands, the first and second operands having a data type selected from the group including floating point and integer data types. An adder 1604 selectively performs addition and subtraction operations on third and fourth operands, the third and fourth operands selected by multiplexer circuitry from the contents of a set of associated source registers, data output from multiplier array 1603 and data output from adder 1604.
US07974988B2
A system and method for cross-carrier mobile device capability discovery. According to an embodiment, a content delivery platform receives an identifier associated with a mobile computing device of a user, identifies a wireless carrier associated with the mobile computing device based on the received identifier, and detects one or more media capabilities supported by the user's mobile computing device for delivering content to the user's mobile computing device based at least in part on media capabilities supported by the identified carrier.
US07974986B1
Systems, methods and computer program products include capturing a job seeker's résumé, capturing a list of career websites on which the job seeker desires to post his or her résumé and for each career website specified, logging onto that career website and posting the job seeker's résumé to that career website. If the job seeker doesn't have an account on a specific career website, one is created for him/her.
US07974985B1
A method and system for managing files in a server environment includes launching a plurality of virtual servers in a computing system; copying a content of a file of a virtual server to a shared space; providing access to the file copy in the shared space when the virtual server attempts to access the file; detecting files with the same content in other virtual servers; and providing access to the file copy in the shared space from the other virtual servers when they attempt to access their files with the identical content.
US07974984B2
A system and method may include retrieving a first taxonomy comprising at least one first category and one or more second taxonomies, at least one second category being associated with at least one of the one or more second taxonomies. The system and method may further include creating a new taxonomy by merging the first taxonomy with the second taxonomy based on a comparison of a first category profile of the at least one first category with a second category profile of the at least one second category.
US07974975B2
A method and apparatus for providing information to a plurality of users based on the relevancy of the information to the users are disclosed. An incoming message is received. Similarity scores are generated indicating similarities of the incoming message to features of a plurality of messages. Relevancy scores are generated for the plurality of users, the relevancy scores indicating relevancies of the incoming message to the plurality of users based on the similarity scores and a plurality of user profiles including information descriptive of the plurality of users' preferences for the features of the plurality of users. Message information derived from the incoming message, the relevancy scores, and the plurality of user profiles is delivered to at least some of the plurality of users.
US07974973B1
Apparatus, methods, and computer readable medium for monitoring a database and for determining aggregate I/O wait times (i.e. for a ‘target’ index or table) associated at least one I/O category selected from a plurality of I/O categories are disclosed herein.
US07974969B1
Apparatus, methods, and computer readable medium for monitoring a database and for determining an estimated index-overhead for a given index is provided. A description of database performance may be presented to a user in accordance with the determined index overhead. Furthermore, in some embodiments, apparatus, methods and computer-code for (i) determining fractional aggregate index-wait time in accordance with database statement execution plans and (ii) presenting a description of database performance in accordance with the fractional aggregated index-wait time are also disclosed.
US07974963B2
A method, computer readable medium and system are provided which retrieve confirming sentences from a sentence database in response to a query. A search engine retrieves confirming sentences from the sentence database in response to the query. IN retrieving the confirming sentences, the search engine defines indexing units based upon the query, with the indexing units including both lemma from the query and extended indexing units associated with the query. The search engine then retrieves a plurality of sentences from the sentence database using the defined indexing units as search parameters. A similarity between each of the plurality of retrieved sentences and the query is determined by the search engine, wherein each similarity is determined as a function of a linguistic weight of a term in the query. The search engine then ranks the plurality of retrieved sentences based upon the determined similarities.
US07974961B2
A method for facilitating creation and managing of partitioned table indices of a table object of a first partitioning type includes steps of: automatically looking up a table and its partitioning type definition; retrieving the table index and all indices defined for that table object, and their definitions; presenting to a user at least a portion of the table index in a single set of index alter screens; receiving from the user an alter request in the form of a screen option; performing validity checking on the screen option, based on the index type. If the screen option is not compatible with the index type, the method automatically overrides the screen option with one that is compatible, and issues a diagnostic message. If the screen option is valid for the index type, the user is notified about the changes that will be made and the effect of those changes. Data definition language statements are then generated consistent with the screen options.
US07974958B2
A method and apparatus for updating technical data sets that perform maintenance processes in technical systems is provided. The technical systems include a plurality of components that can each be configured dynamically. After a change in configuration of a component is detected, a report is sent by a configuration database to a central management system. The current management system provides the current version of the technical data sets to a document server.
US07974954B2
The present invention is a recording method for recording, data to a disc shaped record medium 10 corresponding to a hierarchical file system, the method comprising the steps of recording management information for managing a hierarchical structure of the file system to a particular area 16 of the disc shaped record medium, treating an unused area of the particular area 16 as a particular file, and recording information with respect to an initial location and an initial length of the particular file and information with respect to a current location and a current length of the particular file to the particular area 16.
US07974940B2
Methods and systems provide for establishment of online dialogs between a person and a user of an online community where those people are not necessarily familiar with each others areas of expertise or interests. The methods and systems can categorize a dialog topic received from the person, and determine, from categorization of users, a selection of users of a system to receive the dialog topic. That selection can be further narrowed according to user availability and/or ranking determinations, as well as an initial subject matter test posed to the selection of users. Judging the acceptability of the users' responses can help determine subject matter expertise in an area relevant to the proposed topic.
US07974932B2
In one embodiment a method comprises a method of determining a price level for a computer-based service utility comprises determining a base price for the service utility, determining a loss premium for the service utility, and adding the loss premium to the base price level.
US07974931B2
A method is provided for producing content, the content to be produced depicting at least one person and being subject to a federal record-keeping requirement. The method includes the steps of providing to a computer system information pertaining to a person to be depicted in at least a portion of the content in accordance with a federal record-keeping requirement; associating by the computer system the information with the content to be produced by storing the information together with an identification of the content to be produced in a storage medium independent of a medium to be used to store the content; determining by the computer system that the stored associated information complies with the federal record-keeping requirement; and producing the content based on the determination of compliance.Methods for transmitting such content, and for preventing the transmission of such content, are also provided.
US07974928B2
A method of managing and recovering from the failure of cryptographic devices in a secure transaction processing system including a database, a plurality first cryptographic devices and a standby cryptographic device. Each of the first cryptographic devices periodically generates and sends to the database a total freshness counter record and generates and sends to another of the first cryptographic devices a digital signature and time stamp record. Upon failure of a first cryptographic device, the standby cryptographic device requests and receives the current total freshness counter record and digital signature and time stamp record for the failed first cryptographic device, and uses the digital signature and time stamp record to verify that the total freshness center record is most current. If so verified, the standby cryptographic device assumes the operation of the failed first cryptographic device.
US07974923B2
Extensible grammar-based rights expression system for processing rights expressions including an interpreter with plug-in subcomponents, a validator, and a framework. In another embodiment, system includes a framework having an extensible architecture with extensibility points for adding extensions to the grammar, and an interpreter, the extensions defining semantics and syntax of new rights expressions. A method for processing rights expressions is also provided having the steps of registering plug-in components, making a programmatic call, finding and invoking appropriate plug-in components, evaluating the request against the grant, and returning an authorization result. In another embodiment, method includes the steps of providing an extensible grammar-based rights expression system having an extensible architecture with an interpreter, evaluating the request against the grant using the interpreter, and returning an authorization result. The method may include the step of adding new extensions to the rights expression system to allow processing of new rights expressions.
US07974920B2
Methods, computer readable media, and systems including program instructions are provided for use with benefit planning. A method embodiment includes providing terms for a number of benefit plans available to a potential participant. The embodiment also includes receiving an estimate of benefits to be used by the potential participant. The embodiment further includes displaying together an estimate of expenses to be incurred by the potential participant under each of the benefit plans based on the terms and the estimate of benefits to be used.
US07974917B2
The present invention relates to a mortgage having a forward portion and a reverse portion. In the forward portion, the borrower receives a loan from a lender in order to purchase or refinance a property, such as a home. In the reverse portion, the property has accumulated sufficient equity to enable the lender to disburse funds back to the borrower. The present disclosure describes various computer systems and computer-implemented methods that assist in planning for this type of mortgage. Various factors may be considered, such as, the home value, ages of one or more borrowers, and an expected mortgage interest rate that may be used to calculate a reverse portion loan-to-value ratio. Then, considering the existing forward portion loan balance, different scenarios for conversion from the forward portion to the reverse portion of the mortgage may be calculated and presented. For example, one or more forward mortgage payment schedules may be calculated and future reverse mortgage timing and capacity may be presented. In some embodiments, the reverse mortgage capacity is used to pay some or all of the forward mortgage portion.
US07974913B1
The disclosed technology involves estimating daily trading volume for a securities market for a next day, estimating daily trading volume for a particular security for a next day, and estimating intraday trading volume for a particular security for a next time bin in the current day.
US07974907B2
A system in an electronic securities market includes a configurable look-up table having assignment entries that assign each of a plurality of securities to one or more securities processors in the system. A configuration process allows administration of the assignment entries included in this configurable look-up table.
US07974900B2
Computer implemented methods are provided for managing and optimizing the profitability of an insurance network with a plurality of physicians in a healthcare practice participating therein. Exemplary computer implemented methods can include, for example, comparing data received via a communications network for each of the plurality of physicians in the healthcare practice with one or more preferred ancillary medical procedures of the insurance network to thereby identify at least one of the plurality of physicians in the healthcare practice who engages in ancillary medical procedures that are not preferred by the insurance network. Such exemplary computer implemented methods can also include, for example, determining whether the risk of the at least one of the plurality of physicians of not receiving a predetermined reimbursement amount for the ancillary medical costs from the insurance company has been reduced responsive to recommending alternative ancillary medical procedures to the at least one of the plurality of physicians.
US07974898B2
A system for providing stabilized annuity payments, the system comprising a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory. The computer program allocates the risks associated with an investment to the potential beneficiaries of the annuitant by controlling the allocation of assets between two investment pools. The annuitant pool is the pool on which annuity payments are based and the beneficiary pool contains assets that are provided to the beneficiaries upon the death of the annuitant. The beneficiary pool is used as a cushion to isolate the contents of the annuitant pool from fluctuations in value. If the underlying investments perform poorly, assets from the beneficiary pool are reallocated to the annuity pool in order to maintain the existing annuity payment. If the underlying investments perform favorably, increasing in value, excess amounts above a set trigger level amount will be periodically transferred to the annuitant pool.
US07974896B2
Systems, methods and computer readable media are provided for controlling operations of an enterprise. In one exemplary embodiment, a method is provided that includes creating an alert model that may be parameterized by a user to monitor the behavior of one or more operational drivers. The method may also include monitoring the behavior of the one or more operational drivers based on the alert model and sending an alert message when the behavior of the one or more operational driver causes a deviation from a preset standard. The method may further include analyzing the alert message to determine one or more behaviors contributing to the alert and communicating the alert message to others in order to collaborate on correcting the deviation from the preset standard. Moreover, the method may include generating a report summary regarding the alert.
US07974891B2
Methods and apparatuses for the processing of receptacles containing heterogeneous inventory items in materials handling facilities are generally described. Dirty picking may be described as a mechanism for the “batch” processing of a receptacle which includes multiple heterogeneous inventory items with different identification codes in a materials handling facility as if all of the items in the receptacle have been ordered, even though one or more of the items may have not been ordered. Through the implementation of a dirty pick mechanism, instead of processing individual items in a receptacle, the entire receptacle may be “dirty picked” and all of the items within the receptacle may be processed “downstream” at a processing station, during which needed items for processing may be selected, and “overage” items may be put aside to be disposed, e.g. by being restocked.
US07974886B2
A method for delivery of targeted commercial messages. The method comprises assembling a plurality of potential purchaser profiles in an electronic file for presentation to at least one potential advertiser of goods or services applicable to a substantial portion of the plurality of potential purchasers, developing commercial message selection criteria for selecting from the potential purchasers those suited to receive a specified commercial message contained in a set of commercial messages, applying the commercial message selection criteria to the purchaser profiles to identify the potential purchasers suited to receive specified commercial messages, and presenting over a data network to a potential purchaser identified as suited, the specified commercial messages.
US07974882B1
The present invention is directed to a method and system for generating a comprehensive undeliverable-as-addressed database and receiving mailing lists which may be analyzed to determine confirmed undeliverable-as-addressed records within a mailing list. Items of mail found to be undeliverable subsequent to mailing may be received at one or more processing locations, and consolidated into a single clearinghouse. The names and address of the intended recipient may be retrieved through scanning of the address via an optical character recognition software system or manually entered and may be stored in a consolidated database of confirmed undeliverable as addressed mail. Prior to mailing marketing materials, a mailing list may be compared with the consolidated database of confirmed undeliverable-as-addressed mail to determine confirmed undeliverable-as-addressed records. The undeliverable-as-addressed records may be flagged or alternatively removed from the mailing list.
US07974879B2
A system and method that enhances the “focus” of information exchanged between sellers and buyers. Buyers identify potential sources for goods and services that are desirable to the buyer. Buyers can focus their access to listings of seller information by identifying desirable attributes, including but not limited to: geography attributes relating to the location(s) of the seller; and category attributes relating to the various categories of offerings that interest to the buyer. The use of geographical and categorical attributes is not limited to their inclusion as part of the search terms. Instead, seller listings can be organized into hierarchies of geography-based and category-based attributes in a highly normalized fashion to enhance the ability of a buyer focus on the most desirable listings. The system can be configured to limit, order, or otherwise prioritize the information viewed by the buyer on the basis of the desired attributes identified by the buyer.
US07974874B2
A computer method and device for intercepting contracting client's sent electronic messages, scanning the message body content for key words, sending the key words to a remote central computer server which analyses the key words and enhances the message by attaching a relevant, contextual advertising tag line or image/banner/words/HTML/Flash, etc. to the electronic message, and transmitting the enhanced message to a receiver.
US07974861B1
Digital assets may be insured against loss. The digital assets may comprise commercial products and/or user-generated data. An insurance product may provide either for monetary reimbursement or replacement (e.g., repurchase) of the digital assets and/or for backup services to backup insured digital assets so that the insured digital assets may be retrieved if the original user copies are lost.
US07974859B1
A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for the modeling of insurance coverage. Coverage parameters of a policy are displayed as graphical elements within a user interface (UI) of a computing device along with a plurality of claim scenario parameters for selection by a user. Once selected, the claim scenario parameters are applied to relevant claim data and a claim scenario is generated. The claim scenario is then applied to the policy coverage parameters of the policy to determine and graphically display coverage parameter disparities, which are then graphically modified to offset any coverage parameter disparities. As coverage parameters are modified, corresponding adjustments to the premium of the current policy are made and displayed within the UI. A resulting policy is generated, using the modified coverage parameters of the current policy and adjusted premiums, and then fulfilled, electronically or physically.
US07974857B1
A system and method for handling unemployment insurance includes a unified database containing unemployment insurance benefit data and unemployment insurance tax data. The unemployment insurance benefit data and the unemployment insurance tax data are unified into unified data. In another aspect, the system and method include a unified desktop configured to allow a worker to manage the unemployment insurance benefit data and the unemployment insurance tax data. The unified desktop enables a worker to manage both claims for unemployment insurance benefits and unemployment insurance tax payments.
US07974848B2
Provided are an audio data encoding method and apparatus including determining an initial scale factor value for each frequency band of the audio data according to a quantization error and a maximum permissible distortion level for each frequency band; comparing the initial scale factor value for each frequency band and a predetermined common scale factor value and determining a final scale factor value for each frequency band based on a comparison result; quantizing the audio data using the final scale factor value for each frequency band; and encoding the quantized audio data.
US07974847B2
A parameter calculator calculates lower resolution parametric information and interpolation information. On a decoder-side, an upmixer is used for generating the output channels. The upmixer uses high resolution parametric information generated by a parameter interpolator using the low resolution parametric information and decoder-side derived interpolation information or encoder-generated interpolation information for selecting one of a plurality of different interpolation characteristics.
US07974843B2
The invention relates to an operating method for an automated language recognizer intended for the speaker-independent language recognition of words from different languages, particularly for recognizing names from different languages. The method is based on a language defined as the mother tongue and has an input phase for establishing a language recognizer vocabulary. Phonetic transcripts are determined for words in various languages in order to obtain phoneme sequences for pronunciation variants. The phonemes of each relevant phoneme set of the mother tongue are then specifically mapped to determine phoneme sequences that correspond to pronunciation variants.
US07974842B2
A method of improving speech recognition includes receiving a plurality of recognized sentences from an automatic speech recognition (ASR) engine, each of the plurality of the recognized sentences including a plurality of information items. A confirmation is also receive that a value of an information item of the plurality of information items has been misrecognized or recognized. If the value has been misrecognized, each of the plurality of sentences are deleted that include the value of the information item that was misrecognized. If the value has been recognized, each of the plurality of sentences that do not include the value of the information item is deleted. The remaining sentences are transmitted to a dialog manager module.
US07974839B2
Provided is a method and apparatus for encoding a scalable wideband audio signal, the method including: filtering a voiced signal by performing linear prediction on the voiced signal and modulating the filtered signal; encoding the modulated signal in the time domain, and outputting a core layer encoding result of the voiced signal; subtracting a signal obtained by decoding the core layer encoding result from the modulated signal and outputting an error signal; and encoding the error signal and outputting an enhancement layer encoding result of the voiced signal.
US07974825B2
A method and system are provided for generating code from a graphical model in a graphical modeling environment. The graphical model includes at least one signal having a data size, a data dimensionality, or both that can vary from a first time instance to a second time instance as the model executes. The size and dimensionality of the signal can vary without the use of a graphically rendered connection to convey the size and dimension information to a block associated with the signal. The generated code includes the attributes of the signal.
US07974820B1
A method of synchronizing a block diagram view of a system being modeled with a three-dimensional view of the system being modeled and with the underlying block diagram model data is disclosed. Changes in the block diagram model data are reflected in both views to the degree that the views contain a point of correspondence. User selected changes to the block diagram view of the system being modeled cause changes in the underlying model data. A view generator examines the model data to determine if a point of correspondence equivalent to the changed portion of the block diagram view exists in the three dimensional view. If a point of correspondence exists in the three-dimensional view the view is updated to reflect the changes in the block diagram view. Similarly, user selected changes in the three-dimensional view cause changes in the underlying block diagram model data. The view generator examines the model data to determine if a point of correspondence equivalent to the changed portion of the three dimensional view exists in the block diagram view. In the event that a point of correspondence is found, the block diagram view is updated.
US07974811B2
A method for substantially aligning a bearing seal on a shaft of a turbine engine. The method including measuring characteristics of the subject shaft, measuring characteristics of a plurality of bearing seal components and determining and outputting alignment information of the plurality of bearing seal components with the shaft based on the measured characteristics. The alignment information can be outputted for either substantially perpendicular alignment for an axial seal or substantially parallel alignment for a radial seal.
US07974805B2
Described herein are methods that may improve yield of an image sensor. In one embodiment, a method that may improve yield of an image sensor includes generating output values of control logic associated with an array of light sensitive elements. The method further may include determining if the control logic has one or more faulty output values. The method further may include automatically correcting the one or more faulty output values.
US07974792B2
Meter electronics (20) for determining a liquid flow fraction in a gas flow material flowing through a flow meter (5) is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. The meter electronics (20) includes an interface (201) for receiving a first sensor signal and a second sensor signal from the flow meter (5) and a processing system (203) in communication with the interface (201). The processing system (203) is configured to receive the first and second sensor signals from the interface (201), determine a substantially instantaneous flow stream density of the gas flow material using the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal, compare the substantially instantaneous flow stream density to at least one of a predetermined gas density that is representative of a gas flow fraction of the gas flow material and a predetermined liquid density that is representative of a liquid flow fraction, and determine the liquid flow fraction from the comparison.
US07974790B2
A particulate determination method determines by onetime scanning, the size of a particulate included in a plurality of particulates of various sizes which are arranged on a disc. False recognition of the number of particulates is avoided even when a plurality of particulates are adjacent to each other. A photodetector detection signal is judged using plural threshold values according to the sizes of particulates to be detected. Results of determinations corresponding to the respective threshold values are stored on mutually independent memory maps. When counting particulates, a particulate size and a particulate count value are determined from a combination of stored data appearing in a scanning window at the same position on the respective memory maps.
US07974782B2
Disclosed are a navigation system and/or a point information display method and a program. The navigation system consists mainly of: a stream receiver that receives broadcast streams; a data decoder that samples a data signal from the received streams and decodes the data signal into character string information; a matching block that performs matching to compare a predetermined keyword, which is associated with position information specified in map information data, with stored keywords and searches a keyword consistent with the keyword contained in the character string information; a position information searching block that searches position information associated with the keyword contained in the character string information and detected to be consistent with a stored keyword by the matching block; and a display unit that displays the detected position information while superimposing it on a display image.
US07974777B2
A method and a navigation device are disclosed for sharing at least one location message with at least one other device. The navigation device includes a receiver to receive multiple traffic message channels, an input device to receive a user input indicating a frequency, and a processor to select a traffic message channel based on a signal strength, starting with the indicated frequency. The method includes receiving multiple traffic message channels, receiving a user input indicating a frequency, and a selecting a traffic message channel based on a planned route, starting with the indicated frequency.
US07974775B1
A method of providing electronic flight bag for an aviation professional for use on an aircraft by providing a transportable laptop computer and programming the transportable laptop computer with linear and non-linear algorithms and operating programs. Flight plan information is received by the transportable laptop computer, and additional aircraft and flight related data is inputted as well. Additional information is acquired by the transportable laptop computer on an up to the minute basis during flight, and calculations are made en route to adjust the original flight plan. The updated flight plan is outputted to the aviation professional en route.
US07974768B2
(EN) The invention concerns a device for controlling an internal combustion engine (601), comprising means (600) for generating a signal for controlling the internal combustion engine (601), a sensor (602) for supplying a pressure measurement signal of a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine (601), and a filtering device (603) for generating a filtered pressure signal, said filtering device (603) being made from analog electronic components. The invention is characterized in that the filtering device (603) has a closed loop configuration with a direct portion (201, 202, 203, 204) and a return portion (205), the return portion comprising a module for re-injecting (205) said filtered pressure signal (P) and the direct portion including: a first subtracting module (201) generating the difference between said pressure measurement signal (Pr) and the output of said re-injection module (205), a static non-linear module (202) in output of said subtracting module, an integrating module (204) generating said filtered pressure signal (P) by integration from the output of said non-linear module.
US07974766B2
A valve control system for an internal combustion engine includes a valve actuation system. The valve actuation system includes lift control valves that actuate at least one of an intake valve and an exhaust valve between N open lift modes, where N is an integer greater than one. A control module enables transitioning of at least one of the intake valve and the exhaust valve between the open lift modes. The control module synchronizes transitions between the N open lift modes with crankshaft and valvetrain timing. The control module generates an engine position synchronization signal based on the transitioning.
US07974762B2
A method for automatic, heat release computation in a piston engine, comprises the steps of: measuring a cylinder pressure as a function of crank angle (see FIGURE), based on said measurement; calculating a first polytropic exponent for a compression stroke (in M), based on said measurement, calculating a second polytropic exponent for an expansion stroke (in M′); for a crank angle interval between the compression stroke and the expansion stroke, performing an interpolation of the first and second polytropic exponents and performing a net heat release computation based on said interpolated polytropic exponent.
US07974761B2
According to the present invention, when a target braking/driving force and a vehicle target yaw moment required to a vehicle cannot be achieved through a control of a braking/driving forces of wheels, in a rectangular coordinate of the braking/driving force and the yaw moment, a polygon indicating the maximum range of the braking/driving force and the yaw moment attainable by the braking/driving forces of the wheels, and an ellipse that crosses each side of the polygon and has a major axis and a minor axis aligning with the coordinate axis of the rectangular coordinate are set, for example. The target braking/driving force and the target yaw moment are modified to the values at the coordinate of the point, which is closer to the origin, of a point of intersection of a segment linking a point indicating the target braking/driving force and the target yaw moment and the origin, and the polygon, and a point of intersection of a segment linking a point indicating the target braking/driving force and the target yaw moment and the origin, and the ellipse.
US07974760B2
A method for controlling a power-shift transmission comprising controlling a vehicle travel speed by simultaneously slipping two or more clutch packs associated with opposing directions of vehicle travel and adjusting an engine speed, according to a programmed response associated with a change in one or more of the engine speed, a torque converter slip, a selected direction of vehicle travel, and an accelerator position.
US07974754B2
A vehicle steering control system includes a variable transmission ratio device that rotates an output shaft relative to an input shaft so as to change the transmission ratio, and a locking device that is switched between a lock-on state in which the transmission ratio between the input shaft and the output shaft is inhibited from being changed and a lock-off state in which the transmission ratio between the input shaft and the output shaft is allowed to be changed. The variable transmission ratio device includes an electric motor and a speed reduction mechanism. The locking device inhibits the input shaft and a rotor of the electric motor from rotating relative to each other when placed in the lock-on state, and allows the input shaft and the rotor to rotate relative to each other when placed in the lock-off state.
US07974751B2
A sensitivity identifying device has an operating object device configured to operate when an operation member is moved according to a force applied by a user, an assist force applying device for applying an assist force to movement of the operation member, an operation force parameter detecting device for detecting a value of an operation force parameter, an operation response parameter detecting device for detecting a value of an operation response parameter, a sensitivity identifying information storage section for storing sensitivity identifying information associating a sensitivity index, with a combination of the value of the operation force parameter and the operation response parameter, and a sensitivity determining unit for specifying the sensitivity index based on the combination of the value of the operation force parameter and the operation response parameter, and the sensitivity identifying information, and outputting the sensitivity index.
US07974746B2
Techniques for providing singularity escape and avoidance are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for providing control moment gyroscope (CMG) attitude control singularity escape includes calculating a Jacobian A of a set of control equations, calculating a measure of closeness to a singularity, and comparing the calculated closeness to a threshold value, when the calculated closeness is less than or equal to the threshold value, recalculating the Jacobian A. Recalculating may include determining a new direction of virtual misalignment of β and γ, recalculating the Jacobian inputting the new direction of the virtual misalignment, recalculating the measure of closeness to a singularity, and comparing the measure of closeness to the threshold value. Further, the method may include calculating a gimbal rate command if the of closeness is greater than the threshold value and generating a torque from the gimbal rate command to control the attitude of a satellite.
US07974741B2
An electronics module for an industrial device is associated with an individual industrial device. Audit data for the industrial device is stored in a memory of the electronics module. The audit data includes information related to one or more steps that have been performed while making the individual industrial device. Operating instructions for the industrial device are stored in the memory of the electronics module. The operating instructions are operable to enable the electronics module to control and/or monitor one or more aspects of the flow control device operation.
US07974736B2
This subject invention features a robot deployed weapon system. A remotely controlled mobile robot has a weapon mounted to the robot. There is a firing circuit for the weapon and a weapon interrupt module on board the robot. An operator control unit is for remotely operating the robot and the weapon. The operating control unit preferably includes a stop switch. Also, a separate operator module is in communication with the weapon interrupt module. Preferably, the operator module includes a kill switch. There are two communication links. The first communication link is between the operator control unit and the robot. This communication link is configured to safe the weapon if the stop switch is activated and/or the first communication link degrades. The second communication link is between the operator module and the weapon interrupt module. The communication link is configured to safe the weapon if the kill switch is activated and/or the second communication link degrades.
US07974735B2
A robot system includes s a robot (1) which moves a tool (3) attached to an end of the robot (1) by driving a robot drive shaft. The tool (3) applies a laser beam inputted from a laser oscillator (5) by drive of the tool drive shaft to an object. A robot control device (2) controls the robot drive shaft and the tool drive shaft in synchronization.
US07974733B2
A method for estimating a plurality of geometrical parameters defining the size of a weld gun that has particular application for automatically selecting a weld gun for a welding operation. The method includes iteratively estimating a plurality of geometric parameters based on part section curves corresponding to a direction of approach of the weld gun to weld point of the plurality of weld points. Thereafter, a set of valid weld gun sizes are calculated based on the estimated plurality of geometric parameters. Similarly all the valid weld gun sizes are calculated corresponding to each of the weld gun approach direction. Further, each set of the valid gun sizes are estimated for each of the weld point for the welding operation. Finally, a weld gun for performing the welding operation is selected based on the set of weld gun sizes corresponding to the welding operation.
US07974717B2
A system and method for replacing all or part of the original audio of a digital program with other audio enables a user to customize a digital program soundtrack. The method includes receiving the audio portion of the digital program as an audio data stream including multiplexed associated audio and data packets, selecting at least one of the audio packets to be replaced by a replacement audio packet, and replacing the at least one of the audio packets with a replacement audio packet thereby customizing the audio portion of the digital program during program playback. The method also enables customizing an audio portion of a transmitted analog program. The method includes receiving first and second audio signals, receiving information transmitted in a vertical blanking interval of the transmitted analog program, interpreting the information and removing a replaceable audio signal, and replacing the replaceable audio signal with a user-selected audio signal.
US07974716B2
A programmable apparatus improves perception of sound by a person. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a processor, digital-to-analog converter, audio output section and means for generating first and second control signals. The processor executes one or more available programs for processing digital audio signals based on control signals. The digital-to-analog converter generates output analog audio signals based on the digital audio signals. The audio output section receives and amplifies the output analog audio signals, generates audible sound based thereon and provides the audible sound to the person. The memory stores programs for processing the digital audio signals. Based on an action by the person, a first control signal is generated which causes the processor to switch from one available program to another available program so that the person may cycle through and evaluate each of the available programs. Also based on an action by the person, a second control signal is generated which causes the processor to designate at least one of the available programs as a chosen program for continued use.
US07974711B2
A cochlear implant electrode assembly device (10) comprising an elongate electrode carrier member (11), a first stiffening element (15a), and a second stiffening element (15b). The carrier member (11) is made of a resiliently flexible first material and has a plurality of electrodes (12) mounted thereon. The carrier member (11) has a first configuration selected to allow it to be inserted into an implantee's cochlea (30), a second configuration wherein it is curved in shape to match a surface of the cochlea (30), and at least one intermediate configuration between the first and second configurations. Both the first and second stiffening elements (15a,15b) are made of a material relatively stiffer than said the material and in combination bias the elongate member into the first configuration. If either the first stiffening element (15a) or the second stiffening element (15b) are removed, the elongate member (11) adopts the at least one intermediate configuration.
US07974709B2
A cardiac lead system includes a cardiac lead having a lumen, and a guide member displaceable within the lumen. The guide member includes a guide wire extension that extends distal to the elongated body of the guide member. The guide wire extension is dimensioned to pass through an external distal opening of the cardiac lead lumen. Engagement of stop features or a stop mechanism of the cardiac lead system provides a push point for advancing the cardiac lead system through the patient's anatomy.
US07974705B2
Implantable stimulation devices are provided. Aspects of the devices include a multiplexed multi-electrode component configured for neural stimulation. The multiplexed multi-electrode component includes two or more individually addressable satellite electrode structures electrically coupled to a common conductor. The satellite structures include a hermetically sealed integrated circuit controller operatively coupled to one or more electrodes. Also provided are systems that include the devices of the invention, as well as methods of using the systems and devices in a variety of different applications.
US07974702B1
A communication device for an implantable medical device may include: an input/output interface configured to communicate with a wireless communication device; a communication interface configured to communicate with a remote system; and a processor configured to perform an analysis of data received from the wireless communication device via the input/output interface and associated with the implantable medical device. The communication device may include a user interface configured to receive data input by a user. A communication system may include a wireless communication device and the aforementioned communication device. A communication method for an implantable medical device may include: providing a communication device that is configured to communicate with a wireless communication device, to communicate with a remote system and to perform an analysis of data; communicating data associated with an implantable medical device from a wireless device to the communication device; and analyzing the received data at the communication device.
US07974698B2
The invention relates to an apparatus for desynchronization of neural illness-synchronous brain activity in which the activities in at least two subareas of a brain area or at least two functionally associated brain areas are stimulated by means of at least two electrodes. In the case of a person with an illness, desynchronization therapy suppresses symptoms in the relevant neuron population. The feedback stimulation signal, that is to say the measured, time-delayed and process neural activity, is used as an individual stimulus. This results in self-regulated, demand control of the amplitude of the stimulation signal, thus minimizing the intensity of the stimulation stimuli automatically after successful desynchronization. The apparatus has at least two stimulation electrodes and at least one sensor, which are driven by a controller such that they result in desynchronization in their local environment.
US07974696B1
A neurological control system for modulating activity of any component or structure of some or all of the nervous system, or any structure interfaced thereto, generally referred to herein as a “nervous system component.” This system generates neural modulation signals delivered to a nervous system component through one or more neuromodulators to control neurological state or autonomic state and prevent neurological or metabolic signs and symptoms. Such treatment parameters may be derived from a neural response to previously delivered neural modulation signals, with sensors configured to sense a particular characteristic indicative of a neurological, psychiatric, or metabolic condition.
US07974689B2
A wearable defibrillator consists of a vest (or belt) which is worn by the patient. The device monitors the patient's ECG with sensing electrodes and can monitor other patient conditions and in appropriate cases can treat certain conditions. An accelerometer(s) in the wearable defibrillator can allow for the device to determine the position, movements, forces applied to the patient, and/or the device. The device can use a least one patient motion detector generating a signal indicative of patient activity. Analysis of the signal can be indicative of patient activity appropriate for treatment or indication of device condition.
US07974682B2
A system and method are provided for determining individualized scan and injection protocols for contrast-enhanced diagnostic imaging. Taking into account parameters specific to the scan subject, injection-related parameters, and scan parameters, the system and method can determine an optimal timing for a scan sequence to begin, to ensure that the scan sequence coincides with a desired contrast enhancement. Some embodiments further provide for real-time triggering of the scan commencement based on bolus tracking, and can adapt the scan and injection protocols in real-time based on monitored dynamic scan subject parameters and/or actual enhancement values determined from image data.
US07974679B2
The present invention provides a system and method of reducing image intensity variations during imaging acquisitions that utilize large encoding gradient pulses that are played out immediately before a center of k-space is sampled. The present invention includes an acquisition and sampling that implements a predetermined delay in sampling prior to sampling the center of k-space. The delay in sampling the center of k-space following sampling of a peripheral region of k-space maintains the steady state of the MR signal and reduces the image intensity variation caused by eddy current and gradient hysteresis. As such, the intensity variations throughout k-space may be reduced substantially and brought closer to the intrinsic noise level of the data acquisition.
US07974672B2
Devices and methods for determining analyte levels are described. The devices and methods allow for the implantation of analyte-monitoring devices, such as glucose monitoring devices, that result in the delivery of a dependable flow of blood to deliver sample to the implanted device. The devices comprise a unique microarchitectural arrangement in the sensor region that allows accurate data to be obtained over long periods of time.
US07974671B2
A living body information signal processing system (100) combining organically a living body optical measurement apparatus and a brain wave measurement apparatus, the living body optical measurement apparatus (300) in which inspection light of from visible to near infrared is irradiated on a head portion of a subject (140) and the penetration light is received and which measures an optical characteristic variation induced by a brain activity inside the head portion as a living body optical signal and the brain wave measurement apparatus (400) which measures an electrical characteristic variation induced by a brain activity inside the head portion of the subject as a brain wave signal, is provided with a probe device (50) used for both apparatus; and a living body information signal processing and displaying device (200) which displays the living body optical signal corresponding to respective measurement positions from the living body optical measurement apparatus and the brain wave signal corresponding to respective measurement positions from the brain wave measurement apparatus on a common display device while correlating the respective measurement positions each other, thereby, with the system comprehensive observation of both data can be achieved.
US07974668B2
Guiding pieces on a bracket cover is engaged with attachment claws on a bracket body. This engagement serves to hold the bracket cover on the bracket body when the bracket cover is set at a first position. When the bracket cover is set at a second position, the engagement between an engagement piece and a hook piece serves to cooperate with the engagement between the guiding pieces and the attachment claws so as to hold the bracket cover on the bracket body. The bracket cover is firmly held on the bracket body when the bracket cover is set at the second position. The bracket cover is thus reliably prevented from detachment from the bracket body.
US07974667B2
An information terminal device that includes a first housing electrically and movably connected to a second housing via a cable, the first housing includes a first substrate, a cable guide member having a portion of the cable therein so that the cable guide member guides an end portion of the cable to the first substrate, and a cable cover member which integrally includes a cable surrounding unit which covers the portion of the cable in the cable guide member and a sensor holding unit which holds a detection sensor for detecting the position of the second housing in relation to the first housing.
US07974654B2
A communication apparatus, includes unit extracting a reception key feature of a temporal change in received power in each frequency band contained in a received signal, unit storing, in correspondence with one another, a system name of a system which uses the frequency band, event information indicating that a communication apparatus belonging to the system starts or stops transmission, and a transmission key feature of a temporal waveform change shape of a transmission signal from a communication apparatus belonging to the system, a transmission key feature corresponding to the event information, unit determining whether there is any transmission key feature matching the reception key feature, by comparing the reception key feature with the transmission key feature, and unit selecting, when the determination unit determines that there is a matched transmission key feature, the event information and the system name which correspond to the transmission key feature from the storage unit.
US07974643B2
In a Universal Mobile Telecommunications (UMTS) system, a mobile device reads scheduling information for uplink interference (SIB7) from a Master Information Block, broadcasted on the Broadcast Channel (BCCH). The UE wakes up from the sleep during its periodic paging occasions and reads the paging indicator channel (PICH). If the UE needs to read the PCH, then the UE computes the timing of the next broadcast of SIB7 using the scheduling information broadcast in the MIB on BCCH. Knowing the timing of the next SIB7, the UE can determine if there is an overlap. If overlap is detected, the mobile device demodulates both the paging channel carried by the Secondary Common Control Physical Channel (S-CCPCH) and the broadcast channel carried by the Primary CCPCH, avoiding a mobile-terminated (MT) call setup delay by waiting for the next SIB7 broadcast, which depending upon a SIB7 repetition ranges from 360 msec to 2.56 seconds.
US07974641B2
A communication terminal apparatus includes: a communication unit performing communication; a storage unit collecting and storing history information on communication; a registration unit registering at least communication address information on communicating parties and image information that represents the communicating parties; a display unit displaying images, which represent the registered communicating parties, on a display screen; and an arrangement position determining unit determining arrangement positions of the images, which represent the communicating parties, based on the history information on communication with the communicating parties.
US07974635B2
A method and system for collecting location-sensitive call routing data in a wireless telecommunications network under test, the wireless network routing a test call to an appropriate destination based on a geographic area from which the test call was placed. The method and system include receiving the test call placed from a test call device to one or more destination devices, via said network under test; generating originator call records by the test call device; generating destination call records by the devices; electronically collecting originator call records from the test call device, destination call records from the one or more destination devices and network call records from said network under test; and storing said collected originator, destination call records, and network call records in a data collecting device; and organizing said call records such that the originator call records, the destination call records, and the network call records pertaining to the placed test call are associated together.
US07974629B2
A wireless networking system uses mobile and fixed transceivers to achieve a network with changing topology. A routing process includes quality-of-service considerations in the network to allow for features such as file or other data transfer, streaming audio and video, digital telephone communications, etc. The routing process adapts to transceiver units entering, leaving, or moving within, the network. Auxiliary networks such as the Internet, campus or corporate intranets, home networks, etc., can be accessed through the wireless network. Features, designs and user interfaces for the units are described. Security and access control of media content and other data is presented.
US07974622B1
A method, system, and computer-readable media are provided for authorizing a device to authenticate onto a network from a base station. The method includes receiving a first identifier of a device and receiving a second identifier of a base station. Furthermore, the method includes determining if the device is authorized to authenticate onto the network from the base station based on an evaluation of the first and second identifiers. Additionally, the method includes authorizing the device to authenticate onto the network when it is determined that the device is authorized to receive service at the base station.
US07974619B2
Communications of a mobile station with a satellite mobile communications system and a terrestrial mobile communications system are coordinated. The mobile station is registered with the terrestrial mobile communications system and, responsive to the registration of the mobile station with the terrestrial mobile communications system, the mobile station is concurrently registered with the satellite mobile communications system. The concurrent registration may include implicitly registering the mobile station with the satellite mobile communications system, e.g., by storing information identifying the mobile station may be stored in a location register of the satellite mobile communications system responsive to the registration of the mobile station with the terrestrial mobile communications system, and maintaining synchronization between the two registrations. Authentication tokens may be pre-generated for quick re-registration with a satellite mobile communications system.
US07974616B1
The issues introduced above are addressed by, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the invention, a communication device that includes various hardware and software components. The communication device also comprises instrumentation logic that detects the occurrences of various user usage events and logs such events. The usage events impart information about how a user is actually using the communication device. The logged usage event information can be transmitted to a server (e.g., a data center) for subsequent storage and/or analysis. User behavior profiles can thus be analyzed to determine, for example, services that users seem to prefer.
US07974615B2
A mobile platform is equipped with a broadcast signal receiver to receive a broadcast signal and with a two-way wireless communications device. Messages within the broadcast signal are received. Other messages between the communications source and the mobile platform are wirelessly communicated via the two-way wireless communications device.
US07974613B1
A device management (DM) technique wherein management objects (MOs) with device capability information are created and used for each feature domain or application. Each application installed in a mobile electronic device such as, for example, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, or a pager may provide device capability information that is stored as a management object or sub-node of a standard device management object, such as sub-nodes of the “DevDetail” management object in a DM tree in a mobile device compatible with the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) specification, for example. The device capability information may be retrieved, for example, by a DM server or a customer care server in the form of extensible markup language (XML) data or an OMA UAProf-based device profile, to name only two possible forms.
US07974610B2
A system for recovering an unintentionally interrupted call in a telephony network includes an interrupted call data capturer and a re-connector. The interrupted call data capturer is deployable in the telephony network and configured to capture data pertaining to an interruption of the call from the telephony network. The re-connector is associated with the interrupted call data capturer and configured to use the captured data to automatically reconnect at least one unintentionally disconnected participant of the call, thereby recovering the unintentionally interrupted call.
US07974596B2
In one embodiment, a method includes detecting a power level of a power amplifier coupled to a transceiver during a current burst of a radio communication and providing the detected power level from the power amplifier to the transceiver and controlling a power level of the power amplifier during a next burst based on the detected power level of the current burst.
US07974593B2
An example of a radio frequency (RF) transmitter system for communication may include a transmit pre-distortion module configured to provide a second transmit calibration signal during a transmit calibration mode based on a first transmit calibration signal and one or more transmit calibration adjustment signals. The one or more transmit calibration adjustment signals may include an offset parameter associated with DC offset and an imbalance parameter associated with at least one of gain and phase imbalances. The system may include a transmit channel frequency converter coupled to the transmit pre-distortion module. The transmit channel frequency converter may be configured to provide a fourth transmit calibration signal during the transmit calibration mode based on a third transmit calibration signal and a transmit reference signal.
US07974581B2
A transmitter suppresses a peak level of a multi-carrier signal produced by synthesizing a plurality of carrier signals. Specifically, a peak level suppression signal for a multi-carrier signal is generated. The generated peak level suppression signal is adjusted in accordance with the levels of respective carriers constituting the multi-carrier signal. And, the adjusted peak level suppression signal for each carrier is subtracted from an input signal, thereby generating a multi-carrier signal whose peak level is suppressed.
US07974578B2
A baseband controller includes a microsequencer with special hardware resources circuitry and a configuration that supports real-time micronetwork functionality for an upper limit of slave devices. The microsequencer includes a correlator that may also be used as an accumulator, wherein the topology provides that the correlator can communicate with an arithmetic logic unit that correspondingly enables the correlator to act as an accumulator. The microsequencer also includes a plurality of clocks and timers for facilitating micronetwork timing functionality, and at registers for temporarily storing computational data, where each of the storage registers have different sizes for accommodating different-sized packets of computational data.
US07974573B2
A repeater is configured so as to detect feedback oscillation conditions by detecting a gain parameter, and responding to the detected gain parameter by reducing the gain when the loop gain approaches unity. When used in a framed shared channel wireless communication systems, feedback oscillation conditions the loop gain of the repeater may be adjusted so as to permit operation of the repeater outside of the oscillation range. The invention is particularly useful when the repeater is used in a framed shared channel wireless communication system.
US07974571B2
A wireless satellite communication device is provided according to one embodiment of the invention. The wireless satellite communication device may include one or more satellite antennas, one or more local antennas and circuitry. A satellite antenna may be configured to communicate with one or more satellites. The local antenna may be configured to communicate with one or more wireless user devices within the vicinity of the wireless satellite communication device. The local antennas may include a local antenna. The circuitry may be coupled with the satellite antenna and the local antenna and may be configured to receive data from the satellite antenna and transmit the data with the local antenna. The wireless satellite communication device may also include a solar panel configured to provide electrical power to at least the satellite antenna, the local antenna, and the circuitry.
US07974559B2
A marking apparatus including a traveling wave grid toner transport circuit structure for transporting powdered toner along a transport surface, and electric field concentrating elements for selectively enabling toner patches to be projected to an output medium by a projecting electric field.
US07974554B2
In a method or system for printing of a recording medium, potential images are generated on a potential image carrier. A developer liquid is used that comprises a transparent photo-polymerizable carrier liquid and charged colorant particles. The developer is transported via an applicator roller to the potential image carrier to form a developer film in a developing zone. The developer film adjacent to the potential image carrier comprises the photo-polymerizable carrier liquid enriched with the colorant particles in regions in which potential images are present on the potential image carrier and said photo-polymerizable liquid substantially depleted of said colorant particles in regions in which no potential images are present. The developer film splits at an end of the developing zone into an image film adhering to the potential image carrier comprising the developed potential image and a film adhering to the applicator roller comprising the photo-polymerizable liquid with residual colorant particles. The image film with the developed potential images is transferred from the potential image carrier onto the recording medium such that the colorant particles and a portion of the photo-polymerizable liquid in which the colorant particles are arranged migrates from the image film. The image film is fixed on the recording medium with a radiation such that the colorant particles of the developed potential images are embedded in a solid, transparent polymer mass via photo-polymerization, and otherwise the photo-polymerizable liquid is solidified into a transparent film.
US07974552B2
An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier which moves while carrying an image and a transfer roller including a roller base material which faces the image carrier and rotates. A concave portion is positioned on a peripheral surface of the roller base material. A grip unit on the concave portion grips a recording medium. An elastic layer is disposed on a peripheral surface of the roller base material. The transfer roller grips a recording medium by the grip unit when the concave portion faces the image carrier and passes the recording medium through a nip between the image carrier and the elastic layer when facing each other so that the image carried on the image carrier is transferred on the recording medium. A roller driving unit rotates the roller base material. A control unit controls the roller driving unit to adjust a timing for forming the nip.
US07974540B2
A communication system capable of employing polarization-dependent phase modulators with a reversing configuration that preserves security against disturbance of a polarization state at a transmission path but without using Faraday mirrors and a communication method using the same are provided.A quantum cryptography system of the present invention includes a first station 1, a transmission path 2, and a second station 3. The first station 1 has means for emitting time-divided optical pulses into the transmission path 2 and measuring a phase difference between the optical pulses returning from the transmission path 2. The transmission path 2 is a medium of light. The second station 3 has means for reversing traveling directions of the optical pulses, means for producing a phase difference, corresponding to a random number bit value to be transmitted, between the time-divided optical pulses, means for splitting the entering optical pulse into orthogonally polarized components and producing a 180-degree phase difference therebetween, means for rotating each polarization direction by 90 degrees, means for eliminating a component resulting from a deviation from the polarization rotation angle of 90 degrees, and means for attenuating optical pulse intensity to include no more than 1 photon per bit.
US07974539B2
Provided is a bi-directional optical module including: a transmission optical element including an SOA (semiconductor optical amplifier) aligned on an optical axis of an LD (laser diode) formed on a substrate; and a reception optical element comprising a PD (photodiode) including a light receiving surface perpendicular to the optical axis of the LD of the transmission optical element.
US07974536B2
An electronic device includes a data processor and data communication mechanism for: (a) transmitting, via an optical link, configuration and authentication requests/information for a second data communication link to an external device; and (b) transmitting other content data via the separate, second data communication link that is configured using the configuration data transmitted on the optical link. Data communication on the optical link is provided via modulated optical pulses from an illumination light source of the electronic device. The light source is selectively utilized for illuminating a component in the electronic device and for transmitting configuration/authentication data via optical pulses. An optical receiver also receives optically transmitted configuration/acknowledgement data from the external device.
US07974529B2
A digital camera is provided with a special successive shooting mode wherein an imaging device makes a series of successive shots upon each shutter release operation, including at least a non-flash shot and at least a flash shot. When a shutter button is pressed halfway in the successive shooting mode, an exposure condition deciding device decides an exposure condition common to the non-flash and flash shots, or individual exposure conditions for the non-flash shot and the flash shot. When the shutter button is fully pressed, the imaging device starts the successive shots of one series. Images captured by the non-flash shot and the flash shot are displayed on an LCD panel. Before the imaging device starts the successive shots, necessary warning marks are displayed together with the exposure conditions decided by the exposure condition deciding device.
US07974524B2
An object is to provide a method of activating impurity elements added to a semiconductor film, and a method of gettering, in a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a substrate having a low resistance to heat, such as glass, without changing the shape of the substrate, by using a short time heat treatment process. Another object is to provide a heat treatment apparatus that makes this type of heat treatment process possible. A unit for supplying a gas from the upstream side of a reaction chamber, a unit for heating the gas in the upstream side of the reaction chamber, a unit for holding a substrate to be processed in the downstream side of the reaction chamber, and a unit for circulating the gas from the downstream side of the reaction chamber to the upstream side are prepared. The amount of electric power used in heating the gas can be economized by circulating the gas used to heat the substrate to be processed. A portion of the circulating gas may be expelled, and can be utilized as a heat source in order to preheat a newly introduced gas.
US07974521B2
A moving image coding method that can prevent playback discontinuity without an increase in processing load during playback is provided.The moving image coding method codes a video stream that includes a first moving image and a second moving image to be overlaid on the first moving image. The moving image coding method includes: a step of determining a continuous playback section that is a group of partial sections and is subject to continuous playback, in the video stream (S5301 to S5303); a step of coding the first and second moving images in the partial sections constituting the continuous playback section, under a constraint that prevents a threshold from being changed in the continuous playback section, the threshold being used for a transparency process by a luminance key in the overlaying (S5304); and a step of generating management information including flag information which indicates that the threshold is fixed in the continuous playback section (S5305).
US07974519B2
When information is recorded on an optical disc of DVD+R type, a latest RSAT is recorded upon completion of recording of one title. When recording of the latest RSAT fails, previous RSAT address information that indicates an address in which a previous RSAT is recorded is stored in a lead-in area of the optical disc. When an optical disc is loaded for reproduction, it is checked if the previous RSAT address information is present in the lead-in area. If it is present, the previous RSAT address information is obtained. If the latest RSAT is not found in a predetermined location but the previous RSAT address information is present, reproduction from the optical disc of DVD+R type is started by using the previous RSAT.
US07974518B2
A record/play device includes a recording unit that records, on a recording medium, a series content data sequentially input to the record/play device, a playback unit that plays back, while recording the data by the recording unit, the content data recorded on the recording medium, and a control unit that controls simultaneous record and play. The control unit includes a data size changing unit that changes a data size at which the content data is to be recorded on the recording medium to a data size different from a data size at which content data that has been recorded on the recording medium is recorded.
US07974517B2
Systems, methods, and computer program products are described to determine and present proper decoding information to ensure correct decoding in digital video recording applications, and in other applications. For example, decoding and display of certain video units in a compressed bitstream may require the correct header information corresponding to the video unit to be also presented to a decoder along with the video unit. Since, however, the location of the corresponding header information in the compressed bitstream may not be adjacent to the video unit, the described header locating systems, methods, and computer program products may be used not only to index the header information in a bitstream, but also to determine when and what header information needs to be presented to the decoder.
US07974511B2
There is disclosed an image recording apparatus which automatically records location information that the user can easily understand in an image recording apparatus which records a sensed image and location information associated with the image sensing location of that image in association with each other. An image recording apparatus of this invention includes an area information reception unit for acquiring area information broadcasted by an external apparatus such as a wireless base station or the like, and automatically acquires information associated with an area where the image recording apparatus is located. The apparatus records a sensed image signal and area information in association with each other.
US07974510B2
A waveguide having a spatially-variable refractive index is disclosed. The waveguide having a spatially-variable refractive index comprises a light-propagating medium and a non-uniform distribution of liquid crystal material in a matrix of dielectric material located in a portion of the light-propagating medium.
US07974509B2
An interface panel that mounts to a telecommunications rack. The interface panel including a splicing arrangement and a splitter module. The interface panel further including a fixed tray to which each of the splicing arrangement and the splitter module mounts. The splicing arrangement and the splitter module each having a sliding mounting arrangement that provides access to the functional splicing and splitting components.
US07974504B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide systems, devices and methods in which optical reflections are reduced in a photonic integrated circuit. These embodiments include reflection suppression elements which operate to dissipate optical energy that would otherwise provide a source for optical reflections which may impact the operation of one or more devices within the photonic integrated circuit. In particular, within photonic integrated circuits incorporating semiconductor optical amplifiers, embodiments of the present invention include reflection suppression elements which operate to dissipate optical energy preventing the semiconductor optical amplifiers from operating in a gain-clamped mode.
US07974502B2
An optical module controls its output characteristics electrically and an optical switch constitutes the optical module. An optical waveguide circuit (PLC) and an electronic circuit (IC) for driving the PLC are mounted on the same substrate. The IC is composed of a bare chip to be molded afterward. Wiring of the IC is grouped and integrated on the PLC substrate to achieve higher density and miniaturization of the optical module.
US07974501B2
An optical modulator 24 has a supporting substrate 5, a modulating substrate 11 made of an electro-optical material, an optical waveguide 12 provided on the side of a first main surface 30 of the modulating substrate 11, and an adhesion layer 6 adhering a second main surface 31 of the modulating substrate 11 onto the supporting substrate 5. The modulating substrate 11 has a high-frequency interaction portion 11c applying a voltage on the optical waveguide 12 to modulate propagating light, an incident portion 11a inputting light to the optical waveguide, and an outgoing portion 11b outputting light from the optical waveguide. The high-frequency interaction portion 11c is recessed on the first main surface 30 of the modulating substrate 11 with respect to the incident and outgoing portions 11a and 11b. The high-frequency interaction portion 11c has a thickness smaller than the those of the incident and outgoing portions 11a and 11b.
US07974498B2
A super-resolution algorithm that explicitly and exactly models the detector pixel shape, size, location, and gaps for periodic and aperiodic tilings. The algorithm projects the low-resolution input image into high-resolution space to model the actual shapes and/or gaps of the detector pixels. By using an aperiodic pixel layout such as a Penrose tiling significant improvements in super-resolution results can be obtained. An error back-projection super-resolution algorithm makes use of the exact detector model in its back projection operator for better accuracy. Theoretically, the aperiodic detector can be based on CCD (charge-coupled device) technology, and/or more practically, CMOS (complimentary metal oxide semiconductor) technology, for example.
US07974496B2
A portion of a digital image is displayed where the portion that is displayed depends upon a mask. After the portion of the digital image is displayed, a change to the mask is received. It is determined, based at least in part on the received change to the mask, a transformation to be applied to the digital image. A new portion of the digital image is displayed based at least in part on the changed mask and the determined transformation, where the new portion that is displayed has the same center point as the previously displayed portion.
US07974480B2
An Image Signal Processing unit (ISP) has at least one fixed-size line buffer which is smaller than the width of the image buffer. To handle the image data, the image buffer is divided into regions which are sequentially loaded into the at least one fixed-size line buffer of the ISP for processing. Since functions of the ISP operate with neighboring pixels of the target pixel, margins of the regions need to be transmitted as well. After processing by the ISP, the data is encoded which includes a DCT, Quantization, and VLC. The result is then stored in segments in a buffer storage. VLC also inserts a Restart Marker which is used as a pointer to stitch together all the segments thus producing a new and seamless image.
US07974472B2
An exemplary method for online character recognition of East Asian characters includes acquiring time sequential, online ink data for a handwritten East Asian character, conditioning the ink data to produce conditioned ink data where the conditioned ink data includes information as to writing sequence of the handwritten East Asian character and extracting features from the conditioned ink data where the features include a tangent feature, a curvature feature, a local length feature, a connection point feature and an imaginary stroke feature. Such a method may determine neighborhoods for ink data and extract features for each neighborhood. An exemplary Hidden Markov Model based character recognition system may use various exemplary methods for training and character recognition.
US07974469B2
An image processing apparatus includes the following elements. An image data obtaining unit obtains image data. A sampling unit samples the image data. A statistic value determining unit determines a statistic value based on statistic information in a histogram with respect to a grayscale value of image data that is obtained by performing rough quantization and linear interpolation on the sampled image data. A correction-amount determining unit determines a correction amount to be used for image processing based on the statistic value. An image processing unit performs the image processing according to the correction amount.
US07974458B2
A method for detecting defects in camera modules is provided. The method includes the following: an image is acquired from the camera module; a comparison formula and a standard value of defect luminance are set; the image is divided into many test regions; the corresponding reference regions are then plotted out; a test region is selected, and a reference region is confirmed correspondingly; averages of gray scale values of the selected test region and the confirmed reference region are calculated; a defect luminance of the selected test region is calculated; the calculated defect luminance is compared with the standard value for confirming whether the camera module is of satisfactory quality. A related system is also disclosed.
US07974456B2
A computerized spatial-temporal regulation method for accurate spatial-temporal model estimation receives a spatial temporal sequence containing object confidence mask. A spatial-temporal weight regulation is performed to generate weight sequence output. A weighted model estimation is performed using the spatial temporal sequence and the weight sequence to generate at least one model parameter output. An iterative weight update is performed to generate weight sequence output. A weighted model estimation is performed to generate estimation result output. A stopping criteria is checked and the next iteration iterative weight update and weighted model estimation is performed until the stopping criteria is met. A model estimation is performed to generate model parameter output. An outlier data identification is performed to generate outlier data output. A spatial-temporal data integrity check is performed and the outlier data is disqualified.
US07974455B2
In a method and apparatus for image processing an algorithm is used to detect radiological signals in a series of 3D data. The algorithm indicates the position of a radiological signs in a digital volume by means of markers. The algorithm has the potential to distinguish automatically between malignant elements and benign elements. The algorithm comprises a fuzzy logic approach to explain the ambiguities in the image. The algorithm is applied directly to the radiography projection images.
US07974451B2
It is an object to provide a diffusion weighted image processing apparatus or the like which can correct a distortion of a diffusion weighted image requiring smaller endurance on a patient in a diffusion weighted image processing method for correcting distortion of a diffusion weighted image. The diffusion weighted image processing apparatus has a correcting device which relatively corrects, with mutual reference among two or more diffusion weighted images having different directions of gradient field pulses during imaging, distortions occurring in the directions of the gradient field pulses during the imaging of the diffusion weighted images, the distortion being caused by the gradient field pulse of the diffusion weighted image.
US07974448B2
A personal authentication system using biometrics information, which identifies or authenticates an individual by verifying to-be-verified biometrics characteristic data against previously registered biometrics characteristic data. The system includes a biometrics information inputting section having a function to acquire the to-be-verified biometrics information; a biometrics information converting section converting said to-be-verified biometrics information, acquired through said biometrics information inputting section, into a state to be acquired on a predetermined acquisition condition, said predetermined acquisition condition being a same condition under which the registered biometric information was acquired; and a biometrics characteristic data extracting section extracting to-be-verified biometrics characteristics data from the to-be-verified biometrics information obtained by the conversion in said biometrics information converting section.
US07974439B2
Methods and apparatus for steganographically embedding information in media signals (e.g., audio and video) are provided. One claim recites a method of enabling tracing of a media signal to a distribution point of the media signal, including: providing time and place information associated with the distribution point, the distribution point includes at least speakers to render the media signal to an assembled audience; utilizing a programmed electronic processor, embedding the time and place information in the media signal, such that the time and place information is imperceptibly distributed in the media signal, said embedding alters data representing audible portions of the media signal or alters data representing video picture elements of the media signal to convey the time and place information in the media signal; and at least the place information is recoverable from plural different portions of the media signal. Of course, other claims, combinations and features are also provided.
US07974434B2
A loudspeaker includes a frame; a magnetic circuit supported by the frame; a voice coil disposed in a magnetic gap of the magnetic circuit so as to be able to vibrate freely in the gap; a diaphragm connected to the frame at the outer rim thereof via a first edge and connected to the voice coil at the inner rim thereof; a damper connected to the voice coil at the inner rim thereof, the damper being closer to the magnetic circuit than the diaphragm is close to the magnetic circuit; and a second edge connecting the outer rim of the damper to the frame. The second edge has a protrusion protruding either toward the diaphragm or in the opposite direction. The second edge is coupled to a third edge having a protrusion protruding at least in the opposite direction in which the protrusion of the second edge protrudes. This structure enables the loudspeaker to have little distortion and high driving efficiency.
US07974428B2
A hearing aid having an input transducer (2), a signal processor (3), an output transducer (4) and an adaptive filter (5) for generating a feedback cancellation signal (101) further comprises a norm estimator (10) generating a first norm signal (109) indicative of a norm of the electrical input signal and a second norm signal (110) indicative of a norm of a feedback-cancelled electrical input signal, a comparator for comparing the first and second norm signals and generating a difference value Nfbc−Nx and a decision unit disabling application of the feedback cancellation signal to the signal path of the hearing aid if the difference value is above a certain threshold value cth thus avoiding the feedback cancellation mechanism actually increasing acoustic feedback of the hearing aid. The invention also provides a method for reducing acoustic feedback of a hearing aid, a computer program, and an electronic circuit for a hearing aid.
US07974425B2
A sound reproduction system comprises a left and right speakers located in close proximity, and a sound processor which provides audio signals to the pair of speakers. The sound processor preferably derives a cancellation signal from the difference between the left and right channels. The resulting difference signal is scaled, delayed (if necessary), and spectrally modified before being added to the left channel and, in opposite polarity, to the right channel. The spectral modification to the difference channel preferably takes the form of a low-frequency boost over a specified frequency range, in order to restore the correct timbral balance after the differencing process. Additional phase-compensating all-pass networks may be inserted in the difference channel to correct for any extra phase shift contributed by the spectral modifying circuit. The technique may be used in a surround sound system.
US07974423B2
A loudspeaker system comprises a cabinet, a speaker unit, a package body, a filler gas, and an absorbent. The speaker unit is mounted in the cabinet. At least one package body is disposed in a vacant space inside of the cabinet and is structured by a bag body for sealing materials thereinto from outside thereof. A predetermined amount of the filler gas is sealed into the package body. A predetermined amount of the absorbent is sealed into the package body and physically absorbs the filler gas.
US07974415B2
A provider system is disclosed for providing a sequence of public keys to a receiver system, wherein each public key of the sequence is related to a private key and is applicable for a public key cryptography procedure. The provider system can include a computing unit and a sending unit. The computing unit can be configured to generate the sequence of public keys and related keys and compute a plurality of data sets, where a data set of the plurality of data sets includes a public key and a proof value. The proof values can result from applying a hash function to a following data set that includes a further public key following in the sequence. The sending unit can be configured to provide the plurality of data to a receiver system.
US07974413B2
A method is provided for generating a coherent chaotic sequence spread spectrum communications system. The method includes phase modulating a carrier with information symbols. The method also includes generating a string of discrete time chaotic samples. The method further includes modulating the carrier in a chaotic manner using the string of discrete time chaotic samples. Each of the discrete time chaotic samples has a shorter sample time interval than the duration of the information symbols. The generating step includes selecting a plurality of polynomial equations. The generating step also includes using residue number system (RNS) arithmetic operations to respectively determine solutions for the polynomial equations. The solutions are iteratively computed and expressed as RNS residue values. The generating step further includes determining a series of digits in the weighted number system based on the RNS residue values. The method further includes synchronizing the chaos generated at the receiver with that generated at the transmitter without periodic transfer of state update information.
US07974408B2
A method and a circuit for scrambling an RSA-CRT algorithm calculation by an electronic circuit, in which a result is obtained from two modular exponentiation calculations, each providing a partial result, and from a recombination step, and in which a first step adds a digital quantity to at least one first partial result before said recombination step; and a second step cancels the effects of this quantity after the recombination step.
US07974406B2
A computer implemented method for performing a privacy enhanced comparison of a plurality of data sets includes allocating a private encryption key to each of the data sets; performing an encryption operation for each of the data sets, the encryption operation comprising generating a commutatively encrypted data set of the respective data set, wherein the commutatively encrypted data sets are generated by successively applying a keyed commutative encryption function on the respective data set with the private encryption key of the respective data set itself and with the private encryption keys of the other data sets; and comparing the commutatively encrypted data sets.
US07974398B2
Connecting a caller with a plurality of destinations using a destination list received from a caller or a designated user. Attempts are made to connect the caller with each of the destinations in the stored destination list, with each attempt including a connectability query to determine whether either the caller or the destination is connectable. Thereafter, the other party is called and offered a connection attempt to the first party. If the second party accepts, a call is made to the first party. If the first party is indeed connectable and answers the call, a connection is established between the two parties. Once the destination list is stored, attempts to connect the caller with each destination can be separately initiated or paused. Furthermore, the stored destination list can be edited even after connection attempts have been initiated.
US07974392B2
A communication device and method are provided for audibly outputting a received text message to a user, the text message being received from a sender. A text message to present audibly is received. An output voice to present the text message is retrieved, wherein the output voice is synthesized using predefined voice characteristic information to represent the sender's voice. The output voice is used to audibly present the text message to the user.
US07974374B2
Systems for multi-mode phase modulation are disclosed. Systems provide for direct modulation of a multi-mode voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). A fractional-N counter may be used in a phase-locked loop (PLL) to synthesize a radio frequency carrier signal. The multi-mode VCO may be characterized by a first frequency gain during operation in a first mode and by a second frequency gain during operation in a second mode where signals controlling the first and second operating modes are provided by a control circuit. The control circuit may include a switch to provide control signals to the VCO.
US07974366B2
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for detecting a signal to provide a detected data sequence, comprising providing a plurality of candidate data sequences, computing baseline wander estimates associated with respective ones of the candidate data sequences, comparing a signal to each of the respective ones of the candidate data sequences, wherein the comparisons are compensated by corresponding ones of the baseline wander estimates, and choosing, based on the comparisons, one of the plurality of candidate data sequences to be the detected data sequence.
US07974365B2
A method and apparatus for correcting symbols of a common pilot channel (CPICH) to generate an accurate signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) estimate in a wireless communication system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a non-stationary mean of a group of the CPICH symbols is estimated, the CPICH symbols are delayed, and the CPICH symbols are corrected by dividing the delayed CPICH symbols by the estimated non-stationary mean of the group of CPICH symbols. In another embodiment, a signal power estimate is generated based on the magnitude of CPICH symbols, a noise power estimate is generated by subtracting the signal power estimate from a total power estimate based on the magnitude of the CPICH symbols, and a SIR estimate is generated for symbols that have undergone a time varying gain by dividing the signal power estimate by the noise power estimate.
US07974361B2
This invention relates to a space-time coding process for a pulse type MIMO-UWB system using symbols belonging to a PPM modulation alphabet. Orthogonality of signals emitted by the different antennas is achieved by providing a mechanism for permutation of PPM symbol modulation positions and by imposing a constraint on the positions of said symbols. The space-time coding process according to the invention enables an incoherent type reception.
US07974360B2
An embodiment of the present invention is a technique to process signals in a communication system. In one embodiment, a plurality of signal processing units processes signals received from a plurality of antennae. The signal processor units are controlled by operational mode control signals. A channel estimator estimates channel responses using the processed signals according to an operational mode. An equalizer and combiner generates an equalized and combined signal using the received signals and the estimated channel responses. A Carrier to Interference Noise Ratio (CINR) estimator estimates CINR from the equalized and combined signal. The estimated CINR is used to generate the operational mode control signals. In another embodiment, a sub-carrier allocation controller generates sub-carrier allocation signals using an allocation base. A channel status information (CSI) and multiple input multiple output (MIMO) controller generates sub-carrier CSI signals and operational mode control signals using the sub-carrier allocation signals, estimated channel responses provided by a channel estimator, and an estimated CINR provided by an CINR estimator. The operational mode control signals select one of a plurality of antenna paths associated with a plurality of antennae. A transmitter diversity processor generates transmitter diversity signals as a function of at least a mapped signal Mk, the sub-carrier CSI signals, and the operational mode control signals.
US07974353B2
According to an embodiment, the present invention provides a method for providing resource allocation in a wireless communication network. The method includes providing an access provider that is configured to perform orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). The access provider is configured to allocate transmission resources. The method also includes providing a first plurality of terminals that are wirelessly connected to the access provider. The method further includes assigning the first plurality of terminals to a first scheduling group that is associated with a first plurality of resources. The first plurality of resources includes at least a first resource. The method additionally includes providing a second plurality of terminals that are wirelessly connected to the access provider. The method further includes assigning the second plurality of terminals to a second scheduling group that is associated with a second plurality of resources.
US07974352B2
To reduce interference mutually provided among peripheral cells, and perform data transmission while maintaining total throughput at the maximum level.Provided are an acquiring section (105) that acquires information of interfering power level that a communication apparatus receives from peripheral cells from a signal received from the communication apparatus, a determining section (106) that determines the number of subcarriers to use in data transmission corresponding to the information of interfering power level, and a modulation scheme determining section (107) that determines a modulation scheme for each of the subcarriers to use in data transmission corresponding to the information of interfering power level, and a radio signal is transmitted to the communication apparatus using the modulation scheme determined in the modulation scheme determining section (107) and the number of subcarriers determined in the determining section (106).
US07974337B2
Various example embodiments are disclosed. According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include a continuous time filter, a decision feedback equalizer, a clock and data recovery circuit, and an adaptation circuit. The adaptation circuit may be configured to adapt equalization according to at least one dithering algorithm by adjusting a delay adjust signal based on a mean square error of equalized data signals.
US07974332B2
A network device includes a HomePNA modem and means for synchronizing its clock with clocks of other HomePNA modems in the network in order to communicate at a higher frequency band. In one embodiment, the synchronization is with pilot signals. In another, it is by correcting for clock differences. The upconversions may be via oversampling or via analog mixing. The downconversions may be via subsampling or via analog demixing.
US07974331B2
Rake receivers in code division multiple access (CDMA) telecommunication comprise fingers (1,2,3) with each finger processing signal components for a particular transmission path to be able to better synchronize with a RF signal received via different paths, and a combiner (4) for combining the results originating from said fingers, and a compensator in the form of a controlled oscillator in a feedback loop. By locating a finger compensator (20-25) in a finger, said finger can handle complex situations, like Doppler shifts under high-speed conditions. Preferably, most or all fingers each comprise such a finger compensator, in which case said feedback loop can be avoided. Such a finger compensator can be hardware, software or a mixture of both when comprising a filter (21) plus an amplitude normalizer (22) between two arithmetical modules (20,25) for multiplying an input symbol signal with a conjugated previous input symbol signal and an output symbol signal with a previous output symbol signal.
US07974328B2
The present invention provides a surface-emission type semiconductor laser wherein an effective length of a cavity is reduced, thereby enabling to realize a higher-speed direct modulation. In the surface-emission type semiconductor laser according to the present invention, when supposing the optical path length (L) of a resonator part relative to a lasing wavelength λ0 to be given as 0.9×λ0≦L≦1.1×λ0, and denoting the refractive indexes of a high refractive index layer and a low refractive index layer of a dielectric DBR by nH1 and nL1; the average refractive index within an optical path length λ0/4 in the semiconductor in contact with the dielectric DBR by nS1; and the refractive indexes of the high refractive index layer and the low refractive index layer of a semiconductor DBR by nH2 and nL2, respective materials to be used are selected so as to satisfy the following conditions (1) and (2): nH1>f(nS1)nL12+g(nS1)nL1+h(nS1), (1) where f(nS1)=0.0266 nS12−0.2407 nS1+0.6347; g(nS1)=−0.0508 nS12+0.4335 nS1−0.0085; and h(nS1)=0.0382 nS12−0.3194 nS1+0.7398, and nH2−nL2>0.4. (2)
US07974320B2
When the laser light source is caused to standby, the temperatures of semiconductor laser 1 and semiconductor laser 9 are changed by approximately 3° C. from the temperature when the laser light source is always being used. With a temperature change of approximately 3° C., the wavelengths of the laser light generated by semiconductor lasers 1 and 9 change approximately 0.3 nm. This change hardly has any effect at all on optical fiber amplifier 2 and optical fiber amplifier 10, but the conversion efficiencies at the respective wavelength conversion elements of the wavelength conversion optical system change, and, particularly, deep ultraviolet light is hardly generated at all any longer. Therefore, even while the laser light has been made incident to the wavelength conversion optical system, there is no longer damaging of the wavelength conversion elements. Therefore, it is possible to provide a laser light source standby method that is able to shorten the start up time of the laser light source.
US07974310B2
An apparatus and method for constructing a data unit that includes a buffer status report (BSR) such that when BSR triggering is performed, the size(s) of the necessary sub-header(s) are also to be considered together in addition to the BSR size. There is a checking unit that checks whether any padding region is available in a MAC PDU that was constructed, a comparing unit that compares the number of padding bits with the size of a buffer status report (BSR) plus its sub-header, and a processing unit that cooperates with the checking unit and the comparing unit to trigger a buffer status report (BSR) procedure if the number of padding bits is larger than the size of the BSR plus its sub-header, including the BSR and its sub-header in the MAC PDU, and setting an LCID in the sub-header to indicate a BSR is included, the BSR having been triggered due to padding. Using such apparatus allows the sub-header(s) to be inserted (included) into the MAC PDU (or transport block (TB) or other data unit).
US07974304B2
An integrated microelectronic serial driver is provided which is operable to transmit a differential pattern signal during a burst interval and a predetermined common mode voltage level during a second interval between adjacent burst intervals, the serial driver including at least one pre-driver and a driver coupled to an output of the pre-driver for transmitting the differential communication signal. A switching circuit is operable to switch the serial driver between a first power supply voltage level for the burst interval and the predetermined common mode voltage level, wherein the predetermined common mode voltage level is independent of variations in power supply voltage conditions and temperature conditions.
US07974296B2
A method and apparatus supporting the handling of calls using simulcasting of multimedia information via a broadband access gateway are disclosed. A broadband access gateway supporting both a personal area network and a broadband network may receive multimedia information simultaneously exchanged by an associated access device via a wide area network. The broadband access gateway may store the received multimedia information locally, within the broadband access gateway, or may communicate the multimedia information to storage accessible from the broadband access gateway. The broadband access gateway may cause a user of the access device to be notified of the availability of multimedia information for a recorded call, and may communicate the multimedia information to the access device for playback. A user may be notified if storage and bandwidth for the recording of a call is not available.
US07974282B2
For continuing multicast data transfer according to path control information after being switched from an active status to a standby status, it is necessary that the standby status hold the same path control information as the active status. However, a synchronization of the path control information thereof is not guaranteed. To solve the above-mentioned problem, this invention provides a data transfer apparatus coupled to a network, including a plurality of interfaces for transmitting and receiving data, in which the data transfer apparatus is configured to: create transfer destination information for correlating a destination of the data with the interfaces for transmitting the data to be transmitted to the destination; and transmit, upon reception of multicast data via one of the interfaces before being judged that the transfer destination information has been created, the multicast data from at least one of the interfaces irrespective of the transfer destination information.
US07974275B2
Methods for aging datagrams in the memory portion of a datagram distribution device or other network device are provided. According to some of these methods, an attribute of each datagram entering the device may be used to assign an initial aging counter value to each datagram. Then, the attribute-specific aging counter values may be used to extend the time until expiration of certain datagrams relative to other datagrams. Also, devices for implementing these methods are provided.
US07974268B2
A method and system for efficient voice transmission over internet protocol networks is provided. A first node detects a next node, and a channel is created between the first node and the next node. A first packet is received at the first node and the protocol of the first packet is detected. The first packet is merged with a second packet having the same protocol as the first packet, and the merged first packet and second packet are transmitted to the next node via the channel.
US07974264B2
A method determines the propagation delays between nodes in a network, the network including a plurality of nodes. The method includes recording by each one of the nodes the transmission time of a beacon-signal respective of the one of the nodes and the reception times of other beacon-signals respective of other nodes. The beacon signal and the other beacon signals are transmitted according to a forward transmission sequence, a reverse transmission sequence is determined according to the forward transmission sequence. The procedure of recording for beacon signals is repeated and transmitted according to the reverse transmission sequence, and a propagation delay is determined between each pair of communicating nodes according to a forward propagation delay and a reverses propagation delay respective of the each of pair of communicating nodes. The forward propagation delay and the reverse propagation delay are determined according to the recorded times of transmissions and receptions of the beacon signals by the respective nodes. The pair of communicating nodes are defined as a pair of nodes that can receive transmissions of each other, and the time difference between transmissions of beacon signals respective of two nodes, during the forward transmission sequence, is substantially the same as the time difference between transmissions of the beacon signals respective of the two nodes, during the reverse transmission sequence.
US07974256B2
A radio communication system for carrying out communications among a plurality of radio communication apparatus pertaining to the radio communication system through a radio network connecting the radio communication apparatus with each other wherein, each of the radio communication apparatus includes an access setting unit configured to prescribe a super frame period within a predetermined time and setting a reserved period within the super frame as a period for making an access to the radio network, and the access setting unit selects either a first reservation setting method not contending with reservation setting done by another radio communication apparatus, or a second reservation setting method possibly contending with reservation setting done by another radio communication apparatus.
US07974248B2
A Wireless Whooper system for use in wireless networks is provided with a collection of wireless client stations arranged to transmit and receive wireless streams of information, and wireless Access Points (APs) arranged to wirelessly link with the wireless client stations, each supporting a group of wireless client stations; and a supervisory processing unit (SPU) arranged to monitor and dynamically switch between available wireless APs, forward and transmit streams of information through the wireless networks. Such a supervisory processing unit (SPU) can be installed as a separate control device or integrated within each wireless AP to handle the dynamic switching and routing of streams of information between available wireless APs within the system. This way the Wireless Whooper system can advantageously provide high quality differentiated wireless services and capabilities to dynamically change a single wireless traffic stream between any single source and destination to multiple streams via other existing wireless elements (e.g., wireless Access Points “APs” and client stations).
US07974243B2
In retransmission processing due to a failure of transmission of data packets, a plurality of data packets are simultaneously transmitted between two STAs by utilizing multiple wireless channels and MIMO, and the number of idle channels and the number of retransmission packets are compared. Then, when both of the numbers are different or only when the number of idle channels is larger than the number of retransmission packets, the retransmission packets are reconstructed according to the number of idle channels, and the reconstructed retransmission packets are simultaneously transmitted by using the idle channels.
US07974242B2
Device, system, and method of channel quality indication. In some demonstrative embodiments a method may include, for example, calculating a plurality of channel-quality-indicator values corresponding to a plurality of sub-channels associated with a mobile communication device; and transmitting a channel-quality-indicator message from the mobile communication device to a base station, the channel-quality-indicator message including only first and second channel-quality-indicator values of the plurality of channel-quality-indicator values corresponding to first and second sub-channels of the plurality of sub-channels. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07974234B2
Methods for authenticating peer mobile network nodes for establishing a secure peer-to-peer communications context in an ad-hoc network are presented. The methods include accessing wireless infrastructure network entities at low bandwidth and for a short time duration to obtain cryptographic information regarding a peer mobile network node for the purpose of establishing secure peer-to-peer communications therewith ad-hoc network. Having received cryptographic information regarding a peer mobile network node, the method further includes challenging the peer network node with a challenge phrase derived from the cryptographic information received, receiving a response, and establishing a secure communications context to the peer mobile network node based on the validity of the received response. Advantages are derived from addressing security threats encountered in provisioning ad-hoc networking, by leveraging wireless infrastructure network security architecture, exemplary deployed in UMTS/GSM infrastructure networks, enabling seamless mobile network node authentication through the existing UMTS and/or GSM authentication infrastructure, while pervasively communicating with peer mobile network nodes in an ad-hoc network.
US07974233B2
Systems, apparatus, and methods are provided to enhance transmitting and receiving video data streams with feedback information over a lossy and/or congested network. The systems, apparatus, and methods may optimize retransmission for lost packets or lost data frames. Optimizations are also provided to select reference frames in a data stream so that block errors are contained when RPS is used to encode data frames. Optimization in decoding may include reconstructing high-resolution data frames from low-resolution data frames.
US07974230B1
Methods and systems are provided for mitigating interference by low-cost Internet-base-station (LCIB) pilot beacons with macro-network communications. In one embodiment, an LCIB transmits a pilot beacon on the forward link of a carrier at a first power level. While transmitting the pilot beacon on the forward link of the first carrier, the LCIB measures a current reverse-noise rise (RNR) on the reverse link of the carrier. The LCIB determines that the current RNR is greater than an RNR threshold, and responsively transmits the pilot beacon on the carrier at a second power level, which is lower than the first power level.
US07974229B2
A limited acknowledgement-based communication methodology increases the throughput efficiency of a relay-based, extended range, wireless packetized data transmissions to a data-reception site from a data-sourcing site, geographically remote with respect to the data-reception site. Rather than return an acknowledgement for each received packet, the data-reception site returns an acknowledgement only after receipt of a group of packets. When returning an acknowledgement, the data-reception site identifies which packets of the group were not successfully received. Missing packets may be retransmitted by the data-sourcing transmitter either immediately, or in response to a subsequent poll.
US07974214B2
Provided is a method and apparatus for classifying applications in traffic easily and accurately by utilizing only statistical data of traffic at transport layer. A method of the present invention includes determining candidate applications by comparing at least one of smallest packet size, biggest packet size and average packet size of collected packets for a flow with corresponding reference data of potential applications; and comparing mode set of packet size for the collected packets with corresponding reference data of the candidate applications to identify the flow as an application which has identical elements in the same order, the number of the identical elements being equal to or more than a predetermined number.
US07974209B1
Method and apparatus for packet processing by re-insertion into network interface circuitry. A method for handling a burst of packets sent to network interface circuitry includes checking for a connection table entry for received packets, and responsive to non-existence of the connection table entry for the received packets, sending the packets to network interface software for processing. The network interface software processing includes: building the connection table entry; processing the packets; and sending the packets as processed to the network interface circuitry. Additionally, a method for re-inserting a packet responsive to an active audit mode is described.
US07974184B2
A radio network system and a control node switching method which can improve a reliability of the whole network and improve a wording efficiency. The system includes at least one alternate control node which can be substituted form the control node. The alternate control node monitors an operating state in the control node and discriminates whether or not the operating state is abnormal. When the operating state is determined to be abnormal, the alternate control node sets its own address into a control node address.
US07974178B2
A novel pilot method employs a cluster having a particular arrangement of pilot sub-carriers to optimize transmissions under 802.16 m, or WiMAX-II. The optimally configured cluster features equal pilot density per OFDM symbol, two or more pilot sub-carriers per cluster, and interlaced pilot sub-carriers, which enables the base stations to successfully boost the pilot sub-carriers, for optimum performance.
US07974173B2
An optical device for holographic recording or reading is provided and includes: a light emission unit that emits light to be irradiated on an optical recording medium, the light being recording or reading light; a first prism unit that moves in accordance with a moving speed of the optical recording medium and refracts the light to move the light irradiated on the optical recording medium over a distance in a moving direction of the optical recording medium so that the light is irradiated on substantially the same position on the optical recording medium for a period of time; and a second prism unit that moves in accordance with the moving speed of the first prism unit to compensate for an optical path length of the light.
US07974170B2
An optical data recovery system including an optical receiver configured to receive light reflected from an optical medium and produce modulated data, a processing unit configured to transform the modulated data into a series of transform coefficients respectively identifying frequencies of the modulated data at respective times, and the processing unit is configured to identify from the series of transform coefficients defect coefficients associated with positions in the modulated data where the modulated data is corrupted.
US07974162B2
A digital data demodulator which can reduce a loss of decodable digital data, and increase capability of reproducing digital data inputted through a transmission line even when an error occurs in the transmission line. In the digital data demodulator, a specific pattern detector (113) detects a specific pattern to be included in a modulation code, from a bit string inputted through a transmission line (104). A modulation code identifying unit (117) generates a demodulation data strobe signal (119) according to a phase of the modulation code including the specific pattern. An error corrector (121) samples demodulation data (109) in response to the demodulation data strobe signal (119) and reproduces the data to the original digital data.
US07974161B2
A method of adjusting gain balance of an optical transducer includes the following steps. First, two external gains are predetermined. Next, the projection position of a reflection spot is adjusted toward one side of the optical transducer, and the current output values of the optical transducer each corresponding to one of the external gains are measured, respectively. Next, the projection position of the reflection spot is adjusted toward the other side of the optical transducer, and the current output values of the optical transducer each corresponding to one of the external gains are measured, respectively. Then, a gain balance value of the optical transducer is adjusted, and is set as the external gain. Next, the projection position of the reflection spot is adjusted. Finally, the projection position of the reflection spot, where the current output value of the transducer is equal to 0, is locked to complete the adjustment rapidly.
US07974160B1
A gain calibration method for optical storage servo systems in which, plant gain calibration is used by injecting a reference sine wave r into an optical storage servo system, obtaining an effort signal m at the input of the servo plant and an error signal y at the output of the servo plant, using a DFT (Discrete Fourier Transformation) to translate the time domain signals m and y into frequency responses M and Y, calculating a Y-to-M ratio, and using the magnitude of the Y-to-M ratio as the plant gain K of the servo system. The servo system's sensor gain K1 at the outermost layer of a disk may be calibrated by, e.g., the conventional peak-to-peak measurement. Since K=K1·K2, the servo system's actuator gain K2 at the outermost layer of the disk may be obtained. Because the actuator gain K2 is the same for all layers of a disk, the variation of the sensor gain K1 at an inner layer may follow that of the plant gain K at that layer. Accordingly, the sensor gain K1 may be calibrated for each layer of a multilayer disk, and the calibration is independent from the compensator C.
US07974158B2
A small-sized, large-capacity optical disk is provided which is superior in portability. The optical disk has a diameter less than 64 mm and a thickness less than 0.8 mm. Tracks are formed with a pitch less than 0.6 μm, and the record area is divided into a plurality of zones alone the radium. The optical disk can store more than 650 MB of compressed data.
US07974157B2
The present invention discloses a time passage indicating apparatus which comprises a substrate, a background layer on the substrate, and a time passage indicating layer on the background layer. The background layer and the time passage indicating layer bond to each other through a first and second polymer binder. The background layer displays a background color. The time passage indicating layer displays an initial color in an initial state that is different from the background color, and a final color in a final state that is substantially the same as the background color, so as to indicate the end of a time period where the time passage indicating layer transforms from the initial state to the final state.
US07974156B2
A movement for a timepiece having a retrograde display member displaying at least one time division, includes a going train, elements for driving the display member including a wheel unit driven by the going train and carrying a first cam sharing the same axis of rotation. The movement also includes a rocker supporting a probe held against the edge of the first cam by deformable elastic elements undergoing a deformation of variable amplitude. This results in the application of a corresponding force on the rocker in proportion to the distance between the probe and the axis of rotation of the first cam. The movement also includes drive members to connect the rocker to a retrograde display member. A force-regulating device is interposed between the elastic elements and the rocker.
US07974146B2
A nonvolatile memory includes a temperature dependent read window. One or more temperature compensated wordline voltage supply circuits provide temperature compensated wordline signal(s) to the nonvolatile memory. The temperature compensated wordline signals change as the temperature dependent read window changes.
US07974141B2
Setting memory device VREF in a memory controller and memory device interface in a communication bus
A memory device is connected through an interface to a memory controller. The memory device's reference voltage is set based on a driver's impedance of the memory device and the controller driver drive strength during driver training. The voltage is applied to a reference resistor pair at the memory device and changed until the voltage level switches. The voltage is then set at the reference resistor pair of the memory device.
US07974134B2
In a non-volatile memory system, a voltage generator provides a voltage to a gate of a voltage-setting transistor which is used in a sense circuit to set an initial voltage at a sense node. At the end of a sense period, a final voltage of the sense node is compared to a trip point, which is the threshold voltage of a voltage-sensing transistor. To account for temperature variations and manufacturing process variations, the voltage generator includes a transistor which is matched to the voltage-setting transistor, and a transistor which is matched to the voltage-sensing transistor. As a result, a voltage swing between the initial voltage and the trip point is constant, even as the initial voltage and trip point vary. In a particular implementation, the voltage generator uses a cascode current mirror circuit, and receives a reference current from a band gap voltage circuit.
US07974130B2
A semiconductor memory device including a memory cell array with NAND cell units arranged therein, the NAND cell unit having a plurality of electrically rewritable and non-volatile memory cells connected in series, first and second select gate transistors disposed for coupling the both ends of the NAND cell unit to a bit line and a source line, respectively, and a dummy cell disposed adjacent to at least one of the first and second select gate transistors, wherein after erasing the memory cells in an erase unit, the memory cells excepting the dummy cell are subject to soft-program.
US07974106B2
Systems, methods and devices for power generation systems are described. In particular, embodiments of the invention relate to the architecture of power conditioning systems for use with fuel cells and methods used therein. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems usable to reduce ripple currents in fuel cells.
US07974101B2
A power converter in which the structure of a connecting portion is highly resistant against vibration and has a low inductance. The power converter includes a plurality of capacitors and a laminate made up of a first wide conductor and a second wide conductor joined in a layered form with an insulation sheet interposed between the first and second wide conductors. The laminate comprises a first flat portion including the plurality of capacitors which are supported thereon and electrically connected thereto, a second flat portion continuously extending from the first flat portion while being bent, and connecting portions formed at ends of the first flat portion and the second flat portion and electrically connected to the exterior.
US07974098B2
A heat-dissipating mechanism with a thermo-conducting sheet is arranged between a pluggable optical transceiver and a heat sink. One of the optical transceiver and the heat sink includes the thermo-conducting sheet. The heat sink is assembled with a cage to be movable vertically and against a downward force. The optical transceiver includes a projection that comes in contact with the heat sink. The heat sink includes a rail with a pocket. When the transceiver is inserted into the cage, the projection first runs along the rail to lift the heat sink upward; subsequently, the projection is set within the pocket to allow the thermo-conducting sheet to contact the transceiver.
US07974096B2
The present disclosure relates to heat transfer thermal management device utilizing varied methods of heat transfer to cool a heat generating component from a circuit assembly or any other embodiment where a heat generating component can be functionally and operatively coupled. In a proposed embodiment, at least one heat pipe is used to transfer heat from the condensation portion of a vapor chamber to cool a bottom portion of a finned heat dissipation space and transfer the heat to a colder location on the heat fins. In another proposed embodiment, the water vapor chamber is placed in a heat sink and is adapted to thermally connect to at least one heat pipe.
US07974068B2
A generator of a pseudoperiodic logic signal of mean period Tmean includes: a reference clock of period Tref, a logic memory, changing state on receipt of a pulse, a first mechanism producing a normal pulse on completion of a base time interval Tsec=K×T ref, with K an integer, a second mechanism producing a shifted pulse on completion of a modified time interval T′sec=(K±1)×Tref, and a selector capable of selecting the mechanism that produces the pulse, in such a way as to regularly include a shifted pulse so as to correct the mean period, to generate a pseudoperiodic signal. Such a generator may find application, as an example, to driving a resonator for producing a plasma spark for radiofrequency ignition.
US07974063B2
A hybrid surge protector for a network interface device (NID) is disclosed. The hybrid surge protector includes a fail-safe spring connected to the ground electrode of a three-electrode gas tube. Tabs on the fail-safe spring are held away from the gas-tube end electrodes by a fusible element. The hybrid surge protector also includes metal-oxide varistor elements (“MOVs”) in contact with the gas-tube end electrodes and with the ground electrode via an MOV spring. This arrangement provides for two initial paths to ground-one path from the gas-tube end electrodes to the ground electrode through the gas tube, and another from the gas-tube end electrodes to the ground electrode through the MOVs and the MOV spring. The dominant path to ground starts as the MOV ground path but switches to the gas-tube path as the gas tube becomes activated. Another path to ground via the fail-safe spring is also available should the gas tube overheat. A surge protection module that includes the hybrid surge protector is also disclosed.
US07974061B2
When a series protective element such as a transient blocking unit (TBU) is used in combination with a shunt protective element such as a gas discharge tube (GDT), firing of the GDT can cause a transient having the potential to damage the TBU. This problem can be alleviated by placing a TBU core in series between depletion mode transistors having their gates connected. With this arrangement, the GDT transient causes a transient in the TBU circuit that has the effect of switching the transistors around the TBU hard off, thereby protecting the TBU from the GDT transient.
US07974059B2
A power supply apparatus comprises a current limiting unit connected in series between a power source and a power supply circuit that limits output current of the power source; a first switch connected in series with the current limiting unit; a second switch connected in parallel with the current limiting unit; a resistor connected in series between the power source and the current limiting unit; an abnormal current detection unit, connected in parallel with the resistor, that detects the current flowing through the resistor and determines whether or not the detected current is abnormal; and a control unit that turns on the first switch if the abnormal current detection unit detects a current, and, thereafter, turns the second switch on if the detected current is not abnormal, and turns the first switch off if the detected current is abnormal.
US07974047B2
A current to perpendicular to plane (CPP) differential magnetoresistance (DMR) read head using current confinement proximal to an air bearing surface (ABS) is disclosed. The CPP DMR read head includes a first electrically conductive lead, a first MR sensor formed on the first lead, and a non-magnetic electrically conductive spacer formed on the first MR sensor proximate to the ABS. The CPP DMR read head further includes insulating material on the first MR sensor distal to the ABS. A second MR sensor is formed in contact with the conductive spacer such that the second MR sensor is in electrical contact with the first MR sensor proximate to the ABS and is electrically isolated from the first MR sensor distal to the ABS. A second electrically conductive lead is in contact with the second MR sensor. Sense current injected into the first and the second MR sensor is confined proximate to the ABS.
US07974037B2
A data storage device includes a first filter that generates a short DC equalization target in response to a read back signal generated from magnetic patterns that are recorded on a storage medium using perpendicular recording. The data storage device also includes a first detector that generates an output sequence in response to the short DC equalization target. The data storage device also includes a high pass filter that attenuates DC components of the short DC equalization target and that passes low frequency components of the short DC equalization target above a cutoff frequency to generate a filtered signal. The data storage device also includes a second detector that processes the output sequence in response to the filtered signal.
US07974034B1
Systems and methods for detecting and designing enhanced disk sync marks using correlation detection are disclosed. The enhanced sync marks provide better noise immunity and higher detection rates over traditional Viterbi-based detection schemes even with a shorter sync mark length. The disk sync mark may provide optimal noise immunity for a particular target polynomial or a plurality of common target polynomials. The minimum Euclidean distance between a candidate sync mark and a plurality of right-shifted versions of the candidate sync mark is computed and compared with other candidate sync marks. The sync mark with the largest minimum Euclidean distance is then selected as the optimal mark. Systems and methods are also disclosed for detecting and designing a disk sync mark using correlation detection when the polarity of the disk is unknown or time-varying.
US07974033B1
Injecting pad bits during a read operation to improve format efficiency is disclosed. In some embodiments, a pad sequence associated with error correction is not stored in a sector on a disk. Instead, the pad sequence is merged at a read channel with data stored in a sector that is accessed by the read channel.
US07974032B1
A system for identifying and compensating for non-linear transition shift in a magnetic medium data storage device is disclosed. The non-linear transition shift compensation system includes a non-linear transition shift estimation module adapted to generate non-linear transition shift estimates for specific bit patterns. The system further includes a pre-compensation module adapted to adjust the temporal spacing of binary transitions written to the magnetic medium based on the non-linear transition shift estimates generated by the non-linear transition shift estimation module for specific bit patterns corresponding to bit patterns appearing in the data being written to the magnetic medium.
US07974029B2
A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk comprising a plurality of tracks, and a head actuated over the disk. A plurality of refresh zones are defined, wherein each refresh zone corresponds to a plurality of the tracks. Data is written to a first refresh zone, and a first zone counter is updated for a second refresh zone at a first rate. Data is written to a third refresh zone, and the first zone counter is updated for the second refresh zone at a second rate different than the first rate.
US07974028B2
A magnetic transfer master carrier of the present invention includes a base material having convex portions on its surface, the convex portions being provided corresponding to a pattern of information to be recorded on a perpendicular magnetic recording medium, and a magnetic layer deposited at least on top surfaces of the convex portions, wherein when a magnetic field is applied to the magnetic transfer master carrier, the magnetic layer absorbs a magnetic flux so as to form a pattern of the magnetic field, wherein the magnetic layer includes at least two perpendicular magnetic anisotropic layers, and an antiferromagnetic coupling induction layer which is provided so as to be sandwiched in between two neighboring layers of all the perpendicular magnetic anisotropic layers, and to induce antiferromagnetic coupling therebetween.
US07974026B2
Disclosed is a lens moving device and a lens installation unit within which at least one lens is installed and at least one guiding protrusion is formed, a driving means that moves the lens installation unit, and a frame which includes a guiding slot into which the guiding protrusion is arranged and houses the lens installation unit.
