US08012307B2
A separating device for separating an electronic main body from a substrate bonded thereto comprises a platform, a conveying section, a dissolving section, a cleaning section, and a first partition plate. The conveying section is disposed on the platform for moving the electronic main body and the substrate forward. The dissolving section is disposed on the platform for spraying a solvent onto the bonded electronic main body and substrate. The cleaning section is also disposed on the platform for cleaning the electronic main body. The first partition plate is located between the dissolving section and the cleaning section and has at least one first slot, which allows only the electronic main body but not the substrate to pass therethrough, so that the electronic main body is separated from the substrate at the first partition plate. A method for separating the electronic main body and the substrate is also provided.
US08012301B2
A method of making tough, water-proof building panels depositing a first fiber-rich layer onto a support, the first fiber-rich layer having a width defined by first and second side edges, a length direction, and a top surface; placing foam blocks on the first layer, lengths of the foam blocks extending generally between the first and second side edges of the first fiber-rich layer; depositing a second fiber-rich layer onto the combination of the first fiber-rich layer and the foam blocks, thereby to develop an uncured precursor to the building panel; and curing the uncured precursor to the building panel thereby to make a generally rigid structural building panel.
US08012299B2
The invention provides a method of manufacturing a wind turbine blade comprising a spar and at least one airfoil section, where both the spar and the airfoil section comprise an outer surface which forms part of an aerodynamically active surface of the blade. The method comprises steps of providing a support structure, placing the spar at the support structure, providing a clamp adapted to be fixed to the outer surface of both the spar and the airfoil section, arranging the airfoil section relative to the spar, fixing the clamp to the outer surface of the spar and the airfoil section, and assembling the at least one airfoil section an the spar by a process including adhesion.
US08012298B2
A manufacturing method for an organic light emitting display includes forming a first electrode on a target substrate and forming a bank layer including an aperture region that exposes the first electrode; bonding the target substrate and a medium substrate oppositely spaced apart from a top portion of the target substrate and having an organic material layer, an absorption layer, a reflective layer, and a donor substrate sequentially arranged thereon; transferring an organic material layer onto the first electrode exposed in the bank layer by irradiating a laser onto the medium substrate to form an organic light emitting layer; and separating the target substrate and the medium substrate from each other and forming a second electrode on the organic light emitting layer formed on the target substrate, wherein the reflectivity of the absorption layer is lower than the reflectivity of the reflective layer.
US08012291B2
The present invention provides an apparatus and associated method for removing backing film from tape or tape during the fiber placement process. The present invention uses a passive (non-powered) take-up roller to wind up the backing film that has been separated from the tape.
US08012277B2
An ionic liquid is disclosed A precursor composition that comprises at least one ionic liquid and at least one energetic material is also disclosed, as is a method of synthesizing an ionic liquid and a method of desensitizing an explosive composition.
US08012256B2
Disclosed are a method of fabricating a quasi-substrate wafer with a subcarrier wafer and a growth layer, and a semiconductor body fabricated using such a quasi-substrate wafer. In the method of fabricating a quasi-substrate wafer, a growth substrate water is fabricated that is provided with a separation zone and comprises the desired material of the growth layer. The growth substrate wafer is provided with a stress that counteracts a stress generated by the formation of the separation zone, and/or the stress generated by the formation of the separation zone is distributed, by structuring a first main race of the growth substrate water and/or the separation zone, to a plurality of subregions along the first main face. The growth substrate wafer with separation zone exhibits no or only slight bowing.
US08012251B2
There is provided an electroless plating bath which makes it possible to form a diffusion barrier layer of a Re-based alloy, having a uniform thickness regardless of the shape and size of a workpiece, on the surface of a Ni-based alloy by a relatively simple method. The electroless plating bath for forming a Ni—Re—B alloy, containing not less than 50 at % of Re, on a substrate by electroless plating, has a pH of 6 to 8 and includes a metal supply source component containing Ni2+ and ReO4− at an equal equivalent in the range of 0.01 to 0.5 mol/L, a complexing agent component containing citric acid and at least one other organic acid, and a reducing agent component containing dimethylamine-borane.
US08012250B2
A vacuum cleaner is disclosed. The vacuum cleaner may include a cleaner body, in which a suction motor is provided; a dust collector selectively attached to the cleaner body, in which a dust container is formed; at least one pressing element that presses dust stored in the dust container; and a drive device that drives the at least one pressing element.
US08012245B2
A method and device for the reduction of particulate forming vapors in gases, the method comprising passing the gas stream through at least one channel (12) that has a wall temperature that is lower than the condensation temperature of the vapor, the at least one channel having a hydraulic diameter (Dh) satisfying the condition that Dh<[24/(Nπdo)]1/2, where N is the number of nuclei present in the gas stream and do is the initial diameter of the nuclei.
US08012242B2
A method of removing pollutants from building materials using an externally applied adsorbent. The adsorbent has a high affinity to common pollutant chemicals. The pollutants are transferred from the contaminated microporous building materials onto the adsorbent until sufficient amounts of pollutant chemicals are reduced to make the building materials acceptable and safe to use. The adsorbent may be regenerated and reused or treated as a waste.
US08012238B2
A heap is constructed with hypogenic copper sulfide bearing ore to include exposed sulfide mineral particles at least 25 weight % of which are hypogenic copper sulfides. The concentration of the exposed sulfide mineral particles is such that the heap includes at least 10 Kg of exposed sulfide sulfur per tonne of solids in the heap. At least 50% of the total copper in the heap is in the form of hypogenic copper sulfides. A substantial portion of the heap is heated to at least 50° C. The heap is inoculated with a thermophilic microorganism, and bioleaching is carried out so that sufficient sulfide mineral particles in the heap are biooxidized to oxidize at least 10 Kg of sulfide sulfur per tonne of solids in the heap and to cause the dissolution of at least 50% of the copper in the heap in a relatively short period of time.
US08012236B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for solving the following problem by properly controlling the flow of gas such as air (oxidizing gas): a problem that the degree of reduction cannot be increased due to the air entering a feedstock-feeding zone or a discharging zone. The technique is a method for producing reduced iron. The method includes a feedstock-feeding step of feeding a feedstock containing a carbonaceous reductant and an iron oxide-containing material into a rotary hearth furnace, a heating/reducing step of heating the feedstock to reduce iron oxide contained in the feedstock into reduced iron, a melting step of melting the reduced iron, a cooling step of cooling the molten reduced iron, and a discharging step of discharging the cooled reduced iron, these steps being performed in that order in the direction that a hearth is moved. The furnace includes flow rate-controlling partitions, arranged therein, for controlling the flow of furnace gas and the furnace gas in the cooling step is allowed to flow in the direction of the movement of the hearth with the partitions.
US08012234B2
A honeycomb structural body includes a columnar honeycomb structural body having large-capacity through holes and small-capacity through holes extending in parallel in a length direction of the columnar structural body. The large-capacity through holes and the small-capacity through holes have a polygonal shape in a cross section perpendicular to the length direction, and the large-capacity through holes and the small-capacity through holes have R-chamfered corner portions or C-chamfered corner portions in the cross section perpendicular to the length direction.
US08012220B2
The present disclosure relates to monocationic monochromophoric compounds of formula (I) and (II) and dyeing compositions and multicompartment devices comprising monocationic monochromophoric compounds of formula (I) and (II). The disclosure also relates to methods for preparing monocationic monochromophoric compounds of formula (I) and (II), and also to methods for dyeing comprising applying monocationic monochromophoric compounds of formula (I) and (II) to keratin fibers.
US08012217B2
Implant devices, and method of using the same, are provided. The implant devices have a head and a stem. The head has an upper surface, an anterior surface, a posterior surface, a lateral surface and a lower surface. The anterior surface, the lateral surface, and the lower surface are approximately perpendicular to and intersect each other. The anterior surface and the posterior surface are approximately parallel to each other. Preferably, the upper surface has a general shape of at least a portion of a superior articular surface of a talus and at least a portion of a medial articular surfaces of a talus. The stem has a truncated conical portion and a cylindrical portion. The cylindrical portion is affixed to the lower surface of the head, and the truncated conical portion is affixed to the cylindrical portion.
US08012207B2
Devices, systems and methods for dynamically stabilizing the spine are provided. The devices include a radially expandable spacer having an undeployed configuration and a deployed configuration, wherein the spacer has axial and radial dimensions for positioning between the spinous processes of adjacent vertebrae. The systems include one or more spacers and a mechanical actuation means for delivering and deploying the spacer. The methods involve the implantation of one or more spacers within the interspinous space.
US08012206B2
Osteochondral repair of damaged articular joint surfaces is achieved using implants in the form of cylindrical osteochondral plugs. The plugs have an articular surface formed on at least one end. If articular surfaces are provided on both ends of the implant, the articular surfaces have differently curved surfaces. The defective cartilage is removed to create a recipient socket for the implant. An implant sized to fit the recipient socket is chosen from a plurality of implants provided to the surgeon. The implants are preferably formed of a hydrogel material such as Salubria™, although metal or allograft implants can also be used.
US08012205B2
A cartilage repair device comprises a scaffold, for example a naturally occurring extracellular matrix material, and a biological lubricant. The biological lubricant is applied to the naturally occurring extracellular matrix material.
US08012201B2
A cardiovascular prosthetic valve comprises an inflatable body that has at least a first inflatable chamber and a second inflatable chamber that is not in fluid communication with the first inflatable chamber. The inflatable body is configured to form, at least in part, a generally annular ring. A valve is coupled to the inflatable body. The valve is configured to permit flow in a first axial direction and to inhibit flow in a second axial direction opposite to the first axial direction. A first inflation port is in communication with the first inflatable chamber. A second inflation port in communication with the second inflatable chamber.
US08012198B2
A venous valve with a frame and a cover on the frame for unidirectional flow of a liquid through the valve.
US08012194B2
An endoluminal prosthesis including a first polymer member bonded to a second polymer member to selectively encapsulate a stent. Selective bonding between the first and second polymer members results in unbonded regions or pockets that accommodate movement of the stent, permitting compression of the prosthesis using minimal force and enabling collapse of the prosthesis to a low profile. The pockets are believed to encourage enhanced cellular penetration for rapid healing and may contain bioactive substances.
US08012192B2
A catheter assembly comprises a catheter having a catheter shaft with a first rotatable sheath rotatably disposed thereabout. A first guidewire housing which defines a first guidewire lumen for passage of a first guidewire therethrough is engaged to the first rotatable sheath. A first stent, which when in the reduced stent state, is disposed about at least a portion of the first rotatable sheath. A second stent, which when in the reduced stent state, is positioned adjacent to the first stent.
US08012190B2
A device that treats chemically damaged hair by stimulating the circulation of blood and nutrients to the scalp while simultaneously promoting an environment that is not favorable for the propagation of bacteria. The device is composed of a blower that is attached to an air chiller. The blower houses a blue LED that irradiates a blue light outward from the mouth of blower. The device simultaneously blows cold air out of the mouth of the blower and irradiates the hair and scalp of the person being treated.
US08012189B1
An optical-signal vestibular-nerve stimulation device and method that provides different nerve stimulation signals to a plurality of different vestibular nerves, including at least some of the three semicircular canal nerves and the two otolith organ nerves. In some embodiments, balance conditions of the person are sensed by the implanted device or external device, and based on the sensed balance conditions, varying laser nerve-stimulation signals are sent to a plurality of the different vestibular nerves.
US08012187B2
Techniques for spinal surgery include accessing at least one vertebral element of the spinal column. At least one loading member is engaged to the at least one vertebral element. The loading member is allowed to integrate with the bony structure of the vertebral element over time. The integrated loading member is accessed in a second surgical procedure, and can be loaded and/or attached to a construct.
US08012180B2
A damping element includes: two spring elements which are coaxial with or parallel to a longitudinal axis and two axially end-side connectors, where the first spring element exhibits a spring rate F, the second spring element exhibits a spring rate f, and the spring rates F and f are different. A device stabilizing adjacent vertebrae, including N pedicle screws or hooks, where N is greater than or equal to 3 and where each pedicle screw or pedicle hook includes a receiving device receiving a longitudinal affixation device and where an element acting as a spring is inserted between two adjacent pedicle screws or pedicle hooks.
US08012177B2
A dynamic fixation medical implant for attachment to at least two bone anchors includes a longitudinal connecting member assembly having first and second rigid sections, at least one section having a convex or frusto-conical surface held in spaced relation with the other section by an elastic spacer. The spacer may be an over-mold that connects the first and second rigid sections. Some embodiments include an inner, tougher spacer and a separate over-molded spacer.
US08012173B2
A surgical suture material with an antimicrobial surface is described, the surface exhibiting a coating containing a) at least one fatty acid, b) octenidine dichloride and/or dequalinium chloride and c) optionally oligomeric lactic acid esters. In addition, a process for coating surgical suture material is described which is characterized by the fact that the thread material is wetted with a homogeneous methanolic solution of octenidine dichloride and/or dequalinium chloride and subsequently the methanol is evaporated, a coating forming on the thread surface.
US08012169B2
A disposable wound-healing device is disclosed that incorporates a housing having a fluid-impermeable material having a cavity and a perimeter that can be sealed in an air-tight manner over a wound region of a patient. The device is capable of producing a negative pressure over the wound region by either removing oxygen from within the cavity, or absorbing fluid into the cavity and then removing the fluid from the cavity. The oxygen may be removed via chemical absorption, by an electrochemical cell or by a chemical reaction that cannibalizes oxygen from the cavity. The fluid may be removed through the use of osmotic or electro-osmotic cells, or through a one-way valve. The negative partial pressure over the wound region promotes healing.
US08012168B2
Devices and methods for accessing and closing vascular sites are disclosed. Self-sealing closure devices and methods are disclosed. A device that can make a steep and controlled access path into a vascular lumen is disclosed. Methods for using the device are also disclosed.
US08012167B2
A method and apparatus for closing a vascular wound includes an apparatus that can be threaded over a guidewire into place at or adjacent the wound. The apparatus includes a chamber that encloses a hemostatic material therein. When the apparatus is positioned adjacent the wound as desired, the hemostatic material is deployed from the chamber. Blood contacts the hemostatic material, and blood clotting preferably is facilitated by a hemostatic agent within the material. Thus, the vascular puncture wound is sealed by blood clot formation.
US08012166B2
A unique laparoscopy instrument tip and method which allows simultaneous gasping, cauterization, dissection, containment, enclosure and removal of body tissue. Mechanisms for grasping, holding, manipulating, cauterizing, dissecting, encasement in an enclosed cavity and removing the tissue are provided in one implement allowing easy, safe and quick performance of the procedure.
US08012161B2
There is disclosed suture manipulating instrumentation having measuring structure to determine the length of suture during a given point in a surgery. The instrument is preferably a surgical suturing instrument capable of manipulating a suture carrying needle at the distal end. The measuring structure in the form of a scale is provided on the suturing instrument at a location remote from the distal end. The length of suture can easily be determined with the use of the scale at any point during a surgery. There is also disclosed a kit for providing the suture measuring structure on other suture manipulating instruments, as well as, methods of using suture manipulating instrumentation having the disclosed measuring structure.
US08012155B2
A method and apparatus configured to strengthen and support a portion of a bone, such as the femoral head of the proximal femur, for example. The apparatus may include a housing or base member and a movable support member connected to the housing and configured to move between a first, undeployed position in which the support member is disposed proximate the housing or base such that the apparatus may be inserted into bone, and a second, deployed position in which the support member extends away from the housing or base for supporting the femoral head. The support member may be a rod, one or more wires, a leaf spring, a bladder, or an expandable mesh material, for example.
US08012147B2
Devices and methods for cooling vessel walls to inhibit restenosis in conjunction with medical procedures such as coronary artery angioplasty. Stenosed vessel walls can be cooled prior to angioplasty, after angioplasty, or both. The invention is believed to inhibit restenosis through cooling to a temperature near freezing, preferably without causing substantial vessel wall cell death.
US08012138B2
A nursing pad has a first folding portion, which serves as a folding axis that allows the nursing pad to be folded therealong, provided such that it passes near an apex of the nursing pad, and extends up to the perimeter thereof. Furthermore, the nursing pad includes a fastening element, which allows the nursing pad to be fastened to the wearer's clothing, provided to a portion other than the first folding portion and the linear portion orthogonal to the first folding portion.
US08012128B2
A trocar housing for a trocar assembly includes a first housing member selectively coupled to a second housing member, wherein the first and second housing members include aligned apertures shaped and dimensioned for passage of an instrument therethrough. A button latch mechanism selectively couples the first housing member and the second housing member, the button latch mechanism including a latching member which slides about a central axis of the first and second housing members for selectively coupling the first and second housing members.
US08012120B2
A system and method to automatically initiate an injection procedure of a medicament into a patient. In the system, a delivery assembly includes an injector for infusing the medicament into the patient. Further, the system includes a monitor for detecting a parameter characteristic of the procedure, for instance, a pressure indicative of a partial vacuum between the injector and the injection site, a pressure exerted by the patient against the delivery assembly, a conductance, a capacitance, or an optical blood reading. Also, the system includes a timer for determining compliance of the parameter within a predetermined range during a first time interval. In response to the timer, an actuator initiates the injection procedure at the expiration of the first time interval. Further, the actuator may stop the injection procedure if the parameter is outside the predetermined range during a second time interval.
US08012118B2
The present disclosure relates to a wearable dialysis system and method for removing uremic waste metabolites and fluid from a patient suffering from renal disease. Uremic waste metabolites can be removed by a wearable peritoneal dialysis device that regenerates the peritoneal dialysis solution without removing positively charged, essential ions from the solution and, consequently, the patient. Fluids can be removed from the blood of the patient by an implantable fluid removing device. Fluids are delivered to the bladder and preferably removed from the body of the patient through urination. The wearable dialysis system may be operated continuously or semi-continuously and be comfortably adapted to the body of the patient while allowing the patient to perform normal activities.
US08012116B2
We have developed a novel method of brain surface dialysis that reduces intracranial pressure and modifies movement of extracellular fluid in a rat model of brain injury. A chamber with a semipermeable membrane at the site of brain contact is perfused with a hyperosmolar solution (e.g. 15% dextran, inulin, hydroxyethyl starch). It is also capable of providing local brain cooling. In principle, osmotic forces draw water and small molecules from the injured brain into the dialysis chamber thereby reducing brain swelling. The dialysate does not move into the brain.
US08012115B2
Methods and devices for delivering therapeutic substances into the eye. An implant containing the therapeutic substance is implanted at least partially within the optic nerve and the therapeutic substance then elutes from the implant. The implant may have a lumen or it may be solid.
US08012087B2
A laryngoscope blade for use in viewing the vocal cords of a patient in performance of an endotracheal intubation includes a laryngoscope blade portion connectable to a laryngoscope handle to lift the patient's tongue and mandible for viewing the vocal cords and aid in the insertion of an endotracheal tube; and a black light source carried by the blade portion to prompt the visible effects of fluorescence and phosphorescence with respect to the patient's vocal cords for viewing the vocal cords and passing of the endotracheal tube there between during endotracheal intubation.
US08012085B2
The present invention provides a method for collecting/transporting a medical capsule by holding the medical capsule using an endoscopic apparatus comprising: an endoscope having an inserting section to be inserted in a body cavity with a distal end including an observation section to observe a subject and an suction opening; a sucking device in communicated with the suction opening; and a generally cylindrical hood member which is attached to the distal end of the inserting section, the method comprising: a sucking step of making an inside of the hood member vacuum by actuating the sucking device to suck the inside of the hood member through the suction opening; and a holding step of attracting and holding the medical capsule to the hood member sucked by the sucking step.
US08012083B2
A removable, resilient atraumatic sheath for arthroscopic instruments. The sheath covers sharp edges on the arthroscopic instrument, particularly the distal tip of the rigid cannula, and thereby protects tissue and objects near a surgical site from accidental trauma. The sheath may be provided in the form of an inflow/outflow sheath that allows a surgeon to irrigate and drain a surgical field without the use of a separate irrigation instrument. The distal tip of the sheath may comprise a dissimilar material of a higher modulus of elasticity than the material comprising the remainder of the tube.
US08012071B2
An exercise device comprising a flexible band formed in a closed loop, further including at least one tension adjuster associated with the band for selectively adjusting the tension of the loop. The device further includes two handles, associated with the band, the handles being configured to facilitate gripping of the band by a user's hand.
US08012060B2
To provide a speed change control system capable of carrying out an entire speed change operation of a transmission in which speed change operation of a first and a second speed change units are carried out simultaneously in directions opposite to each other, without deteriorating shocks even in case a speed change operation of one of the speed change units is restricted.For this purpose, there is provided a speed change control system for an automatic transmission, which has a first and a second speed change units, and in which a speed change ratio of the second speed change unit is changed in a direction opposite to a changing direction of a speed change ratio of the first speed change unit when changing the speed change ratio of the first speed change unit, comprising: a speed changing rate setting means for setting a speed changing rate of the second speed change unit in accordance with a progression of a speed change operation of the first speed change unit.
US08012057B2
A drive assembly for a motor vehicle generally consisting of a first planetary gear set including a rim gear drivingly connected to an input shaft, a planetary gear carrier mounted on a first output shaft and a sun gear mounted on a second output shaft; a second planetary gear set including a planetary gear carrier mounted on the second output shaft and a planetary gear set drivingly connected to the planetary gear carrier of the first planetary gear set; and a selectively engergizabe electric motor including a rotor mounted on the sun gear of the second planetary gear set.
US08012054B2
In a rocker joint silent chain, the link plates have two different engagement pitches, and the connecting pins are composed of combinations of rocker pins and joint pins, where each rocker pin has one of two thicknesses and each joint pin has one of two thicknesses, so that the rocker joint pins of the chain have three different thicknesses. The link plates and connecting pins are arranged randomly along the length of the chain.
US08012033B2
The subject invention is comprised of a striking member adapted to emulate a specific selected sport, such striking member having removable indicator appendages that enable the user to feel by vibration and replicate by sight where the striking member is during the striking movement, and a target member adapted to emulate the playing object of the same selected sport, the target member including flexible, elongate momentum elements selectively attachable to the target member to provide progressive resistance and accurately simulate the characteristics of an actual ball or playing object.
US08012028B1
A system and method for mounting gaming machines to a support, in a manner that enables gaming machines to be quickly and easily installed and removed. A mounting base is provided for each gaming machine. Ports are formed in the support that are shaped to receive the mounting bases. Once a gaming machine is placed on the support, the mounting base passes into a port and the gaming machine sits flush on the support. Mechanical fasteners are then used to lock the mounting bases into the ports so that the gaming machines cannot be removed from the support. The gaming machines are also connected to power cables and signal cables under the top surface of the support.
US08012022B2
A button structure used in a game controller in which the dimension of the contact area between a metal conducting portion and a continual resistor strip or continual carbon film is determined to control the value of the output signal subject to the biasing angle of the button or the value of pressure applied to the button.
US08012016B2
A squad command interface for a squad-based shooter video game maps character selection and command selection to actuators on a game controller. Players can select squad characters and issue a single order to multiple characters with few controller actuations.
US08011998B2
A sanding block for supporting an exteriorly mounted looped sanding belt having an elongated and planar shaped base. A planar shaped cover exhibits first and second oblique extending surfaces and, upon engaging with the base by a plurality of mating tabs and slots, collectively defines a three-dimensional article for supporting thereupon the looped sanding belt. A trigger exhibits a three-dimensional rectangular shape and extends laterally across a widthwise defined opening in the base in communicating fashion with an end surface associated with the cover, such that the trigger is positioned between the base and cover. The trigger is displaced in a first lateral direction to lengthwise displace the cover away from the base, the trigger displacing in a second and opposite lateral direction to reverse displace the cover inwardly towards the base.
US08011997B2
A guard for a power tool with a rotatably driven insertion tool (14) is configured to cover at least portions of the insertion tool (14). At least one blocking means (32, 40) prevents the insertion tool (14) from turning around an axis of rotation (18).
US08011996B2
A polishing head for polishing machines, in particular for polishing optical surfaces, has a polishing plate that is connected to a rotationally drivable drive shaft. The polishing plate is articulated to, and rotates with, the drive shaft. A ball hexagonal socket joint provides the articulated connection. Rotating by means of the articulated connection, the polishing plate can follow the surface of the workpiece to be processed, so that the polishing covering on the polishing plate always rests on a maximally large area on the surface of the workpiece.
US08011995B1
The present invention is typically configured as toy racecars and tracks, or model train sets but other toy and non-toy configurations are possible. It has a power supply, controller, track, and moveable object(s) such as a racecar or train. The moveable object(s) is a permanent magnet, or contains one or more permanent magnets, or one or more electrical conductors acting as electromagnets, positioned so as to travel general parallel to the surface of the track. The controller has operator interfaces such as switches and/or a potentiometer(s) for speed/motion input. The track is preferably one or more printed circuit boards with conductive traces configured such that the controller can power them. Current passes through the traces in a repetitive sequential order that causes the magnet/moveable object to be propelled along the track due to the Lorentz force generated by the electromagnetic field(s) acting on the conducting traces and the magnet(s).
US08011990B2
This invention provides a process for improving the field emission of an electron field emitter comprised of an acicular emitting substance such as acicular carbon, an acicular semiconductor, an acicular metal or a mixture thereof, comprising applying a force to the surface of the electron field emitter wherein the force results in the removal of a portion of the electron field emitter thereby forming a new surface of the electron field emitter.
US08011967B2
A waterproof connector with sealing capability includes a connector housing with a plurality of conductive terminals mounted therein. The terminals are arranged around the perimeter of a circle with contact portions exposed at the radial outermost extents along the circle. The housing has a central opening around which the terminals are arranged and the terminals are each bent into a circular arc in their mounting on the housing. The housing is over molded around the terminal at intermediate portions thereof to provide a liquid proof barrier.
US08011963B2
An improved power connector provides improved signal integrity in an interconnection system. The connector includes a filter element between a supply contact and a return contact. The filter element may be primarily capacitive, but may also include a resistance and a ferrite member. For connectors that include multiple sets of supply and return contacts, a single filter element may be included, or multiple filter elements may be included between multiple pairs of power and return contacts. The filter element may be formed within a connector housing or otherwise incorporated when the connector is manufactured. Alternatively, the filter element may be inserted into a receptacle such that filtering may be selectively incorporated as the connectors are used. When connected to a conducting loop for carrying power supply, the filter element provides substantially zero attenuation at frequencies below about 50 MHz and in excess of 10 dB of attenuation over a range that extends above 500 MHz.
US08011962B2
A wire clamp for connecting electric wires includes a conducting body having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion in the form of an overturned L. The vertical portion includes an opening adapted to receive the bare end of a wire for clamping and the horizontal portion includes an engagement element adapted to engage an actuating element, such as a screw, for actuating the conducting body in the vertical direction to clamp the wire against a horizontal element. The horizontal portion can include a free end that is folded downward, extending in a vertical direction. The folded free end can interfere with the actuating element causing the actuating element to lock.
US08011960B2
An electrical connector assembly (100) comprises an insulative body (1) integrally including a forward part (12) and a backward part (11). A main shell (32) includes a front pocket (320) enclosing the forward part (12), and a back segment (322) covering an upper portion of the backward part (11) of the body (1). A sub-shell (31) is assembled with the main shell (32), and includes a lower piece (316) covering a lower portion of the backward part (11). Therefore, the main shell (32), the sub-shell (31) are assembled with each other to provide a good shielding enclosure for the insulative body (1), where the contact terminals (2) are held therein.
US08011953B2
A relay connector for electrically connecting a board and a coaxial connector including a shell GND, a dielectric member and a core conductor, includes: a conductive first block including a first surface from which the core conductor is projected and a second surface to which the shell GND is fixed, and provided with a guide pin extending in a first direction parallel to the first surface; a conductive second block including a board rest part on which the board is to be mounted and a guide hole into which the guide pin is inserted, and being electrically connected to the first block; an operating member, provided on the first block at an opposite side to the second block; an elastic member provided between the operating member and the first block in a contracted state; and a coupling member, one end of which is fitted into and fixed to a first groove of the second block, the other end of which is fitted into and fixed to a second groove of the operating member.
US08011949B2
The invention relates to a connector to be mounted on a cable (K) with a plurality of insulated connectors (C), and including a comb (1), a connection terminal block (2) and assembling members (4). According to the invention, the comb (1) includes self-stripping contacts (3) associated with notches (11) for simultaneously introducing each insulated conductor (C) of the cable into a notch (11) and for engaging it into the stripping contact (3) associated with said notch.
US08011941B2
A connector assembly includes releasably mateable plug and receptacle units. At least one socket is enclosed within the receptacle unit and is aligned with at least one permeable membrane disposed in the front end of the receptacle unit. The plug unit includes a body slidably mounted within a longitudinal bore therein. At least one pin extends from the front end of the body and is aligned with at least one permeable membrane disposed in the front end of the plug unit. The plug unit is biased toward a first, de-mate position in which the body is extended rearwardly such that the pin is enclosed with the plug unit and is slidable to a second, mate position in which the body is compressed forwardly such that the pin projects through the permeable membranes of the plug and receptacle units to electrically connect with the socket.
US08011939B2
The invention relates to a coaxial connector (1) for mounting on a printed circuit board adapted to receive a mating coaxial connector in an insertion direction (I). The coaxial connector comprises a contact spring (8) having a fixed leg (16) and an deflectable switching leg (15). The switching leg (15) is moved by insertion of the mating connector from a rest position to a switching position. In rest position said switching leg electrically conductively presses against the switch portion (19) of the contact element (10). The spring force flux (F) is guided via a contact element (10) in a closed loop back to the contact spring (8). In switching position the switching leg (15) is spaced apart in an switching direction (D) from the switch portion (19) by the inserted mating connector. To provide smaller dimensions the contact element (10) is formed as a substantially C-shaped clip forming an opening (O) framed by the support portion (20) and the switch portion (19), the switching leg (15) of the contact spring (8) extending into the opening.
US08011926B2
A dental implant assembly (20) including an anchor (26, 126, 226) and a support ring (52, 152, 252) disposed about the anchor (26, 126, 226) and with a ring top end (54, 154, 254) engaging the bottom of the tooth-replicating device (24) to receive an impact force and to transfer the impact force to the bone (22) of a human. The anchor (26, 126, 226) is made of a first material being fracturable in response to a predetermined force and the support ring (52, 152, 252) is made of a second material being fracturable only in response to a force greater than the predetermined force for avoiding fracture of the anchor (26, 126, 226).
US08011924B2
The present invention relates to the affixation of dental dams and Class III matrixes utilized in conservative dentistry and oral surgery. In particular, the present invention relates to a device and method for retaining and stabilizing a dental dam or Class III matrix, or other device, in the mouth of the patient, which can be clamped between two adjacent teeth.
US08011923B2
In a method for operating a laser system for bleaching teeth, a water-containing bleaching agent applied onto teeth is heated by a laser beam, wherein the laser beam has a wavelength in a range of 2.6 μm, inclusive, to 3.1 μm, inclusive, or in a range of 9.0 μm, inclusive, to 11.0 μm, inclusive. The laser system is operated in pulse mode with individual pulses of the laser beam, wherein the individual pulses each have a fluence that is below a vaporization threshold fluence of the bleaching agent.
US08011922B2
Apparatus and a process for the continuous cycle decoration of profiled bars for shutters and frames, or other similar objects, with a carrier film of plastic material, printed with the desired decoration with sublimable inks. The process provides for a significant number of profiled bars or decorated steel sheets to be produced per unit of time.
US08011920B2
In certain embodiments, a valve assembly includes a housing. The housing can define a first fuel input and a second fuel input. The housing can further define a first flow path, a second flow path, a third flow path, and a fourth flow path. The assembly can include a fluid flow controller configured to selectively permit fluid communication between the first fuel input and either the first flow path or the second flow path, and configured to selectively permit fluid communication between the second fuel input and either the third flow path or the fourth flow path. The assembly can further include a first nozzle member defining an inlet and an outlet. The inlet of the first nozzle member can be in fluid communication with the first flow path. The assembly can further include a second nozzle member defining an inlet and an outlet. The inlet of the second nozzle member can be in fluid communication with the second flow path.
US08011916B2
In order to alleviate or suppress curing of a photocurable resin material in an area in which the curing of the photocurable resin material is not intended, exposure of the photocurable resin material to light is suppressed through a non-pattern portion at which a light-blocking member is provided by means of a mold having an imprint pattern portion and the non-pattern portion or is suppressed by disposing a light-blocking member so as not to irradiate the photocurable resin material with light not via the mold.
US08011904B2
A gas feed assembly (30) comprises a compressor arrangement (32) comprising first and second compressor (34, 36). The gas feed assembly includes an outlet (42) for gas for the first and second compressors (34, 36). The gas feed assembly includes a first inlet (38) for the first compressor (34) and a second inlet (40) for the second compressor (36). The gas feed assembly further includes a valve assembly (52, 64) for allowing gas to enter either, or both, of the first and second compressors from at least one gas source.
US08011900B2
A heat dissipating system for a hermetic compressor includes a thermal energy transfer duct having a heat absorbing end mounted to the cylinder block of the compressor to absorb the heat generated by the compression of the refrigerant fluid in the cylinder block and a heat releasing end positioned away from the heat absorbing end and away from the cylinder block in order to release the heat conducted from the cylinder block by the transfer duct.
US08011899B2
A compact water pump assembly has a shaft extending from a first end to a second end. An annular groove is located on the shaft. A housing member is located about the shaft and intermediate the first and second ends. An impeller is coupled to the second end of the shaft. A plurality of bearing members are arranged in a single-row within the groove. The bearing members rotatably support the shaft in the housing. In addition, each bearing member includes a radial centerline. A pulley is coupled to the first end of the shaft. The pulley is capable of engaging a drive belt such that the centerline of the belt driving surface is in substantial alignment with the bearing centerlines.
US08011897B2
A cam driven piston compressor includes one or more cams powered by a motor, the cams being adapted to rotate through 360 degrees, and one or more cam followers, each of which is in contact with one of the cams. The compressor also includes one or more pistons wherein each of the pistons is attached to one of the cam followers, one or more cylinders wherein each of the cylinders encloses one of the pistons, and a compressor head in contact with the cylinders.
US08011895B2
A method and apparatus are provided for controlling the operation of a pump in a pumping system, featuring sensing a no water or dead head condition of the flow of a medium in the pumping system operating at a set point pressure; and dynamically reducing the set-point pressure to a lower set point pressure that allows for the flow of the medium to continue at the lower set point pressure while further monitoring the flow of the medium through the pump to protect the pump against damage due to the no water or dead head condition.
US08011891B2
A centrifugal multiblade fan according to the present invention sucks air from one end side of an axial direction of a rotation axis to a radial inside, and blows the air to a radial outside. The centrifugal multiblade fan includes a plurality of blades located around the rotation axis. Each blade has a leading edge positioned at the radial inside, and a trailing edge positioned at a radial outside. The leading edge of each blade has an edge shape with a radius of curvature of 0.2 mm or less, for example.
US08011889B1
A turbine blade for use in an industrial gas turbine engine, especially for the first stage turbine blade, in which the blade includes a squealer tip with a pressure side tip rail extending all the way top the trailing edge of the tip and a suction side tip rail with a cut back adjacent to the trailing edge to form a cooling air flow path from the squealer pocket and up and over the cut back in the suction side tip rail. The floor of the squealer pocket includes a series of skewed trip strips in the location of the cut back in the tip end, the trip strips being skewed in a direction to direct the cooling air toward the cut back. Rows of film cooling holes extend along the pressure and suction sides of the blade just below the tip rails to provide cooling for the tip rails. Tip cooling holes are located on the squealer pocket floor upstream from the trip strips and along the tip rail walls to provide cooling within the pocket. The skew trip strips begin just upstream from the cut back and extend along the pocket toward the tip end, extending substantially from the pressure side tip rail to the suction side tip rail.
US08011881B1
A stator vane for a gas turbine engine having a cooling circuit that passes through the airfoil and both of the inner and the outer diameter endwalls to provide cooling for the airfoil and endwalls. Each endwall includes an intricate cooling circuit and is connected to the serpentine flow circuit within the airfoil to pass cooling air back and fourth from one endwall to the other through one of the legs in the serpentine flow circuit of the airfoil. A row of exit cooling holes is located in one or both of the endwalls and is connected to the last leg of the serpentine circuit to discharge cooling air. The airfoil and endwalls cooling circuit forms a series of passages that meander through the vane before discharging out through the exit holes.
US08011878B2
A centrifugal fan includes a housing and an impeller. The housing includes a base plate, a side plate extending upwardly from a periphery of the base plate and a concave portion depressed downwardly from a central portion of the base plate. The concave portion includes a bottom wall spaced from the base plate and a side wall interconnects with the base plate. An air inlet is defined in the bottom wall. The impeller includes a hub and a plurality of blades extending radially from the hub. The impeller is rotatably arranged on the bottom wall of the concave portion. A bottom face of each of the blades extends into the concave portion.
US08011875B2
A controllable transmission system and a method thereof are provided. The controllable transmission system includes a first rotation device, a coupling device and a control device. The first rotation device includes a transmission shaft, a rotation body and a plurality of blade units connected with the rotation body, wherein each of the blade units includes an adjustable blade having a first and a second contact elements and having an opening corresponding to the adjustable blade. The coupling device is mounted beside the rotation device and includes a coupling unit having a first and a second contact surfaces. The control device is connected with the coupling device for controlling a movement of the coupling device to cause one of the contact surfaces positioned corresponding to a respective one of the first contact element and the second contact element.
US08011869B2
An adhesive application assembly is configured for use in a book binding station that includes a saddle for supporting a plurality of sheets. The adhesive application assembly includes an adhesive applicator, a movable support arm supporting the adhesive applicator, and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism is coupled with the support arm and is configured to move the support arm and the adhesive applicator toward the saddle to apply adhesive to an outermost sheet on the saddle.
US08011867B2
A mounting device for a screw including a head and a tip, the mounting device comprising a body and a plunger. The body is attachable to the head of the screw, and the plunger is adapted to extend from within the body upon receiving a downward force. Additionally, the plunger includes a plurality of knurls adapted to transfer torque to the tip of the screw.
US08011866B2
A locking fastener assembly comprising a nut and a washer. The nut and washer each have opposed load bearing surfaces which include a series of annularly extending, slightly inclined faces forming shallow undulations around each surface. The load bearing surface on the nut is generally spherically convex and the load bearing surface on the washer is generally spherically concave. The nut rotates as it is installed while the washer is prevented from rotating so that the undulating bearing surface on the nut slides over the undulating bearing surface on the washer against ever increasing resistance until the assembly is properly seated and the nut is effectively prevented from counter-rotating by interference between opposed, inclined faces. A concave clamping surface is formed on the outer end of the washer on a radially extending flange. The flange flexes when the assembly is installed and resiliently urges the washer against the nut.
US08011859B2
A soil reinforced structure and method of manufacturing the structure is disclosed, the structure includes fill, reinforcement strips including reinforcement sections extending in a reinforced area of the fill at the rear of a front face of the structure, and a facing along the front face, the reinforcement strips are anchored to the facing in anchoring regions, and at least one anchoring region includes a path formed for a reinforcement strip between two protruding points located on a rear face of the facing adjacent to the fill, and at least two reinforcement sections each prolong a rectilinear portion of a path beyond a protruding point and are connected together by at least one linking member and each of the reinforcement sections is a part of a reinforcement strip arranged according to the path, and the linking members are flexible strips fastened to the reinforcement strips above or underneath the reinforcement strips.
US08011846B1
A pen flower comprises an artificial flower head attached to the cap end of a writing instrument and flower stem-like appearing material, such as floral wrap, wrapped around the writing instrument to re-design a writing instrument, such as a standard ball point pen, into the appearance of a flower. The pen flower further comprises a flower pot containing smooth spherical elements such as marbles or beads. A plurality of flower pens are placed in the spherical elements in the flower pot with the flowers on at least some of the instruments being located outside the pot whereby the writing instruments are held in the flower pot in a manner which produces an appearance of a potted flower while also allowing each writing instrument to be easily removed from the pot for use and replaced into the pot to re-establish the potted flower effect.
US08011837B2
A vibrating device includes a dust-screening member shaped like a plate as a whole, a first vibrating member secured to the dust-screening member and configured to cause, when driven alone, the dust-screening member to undergo first standing-wave vibration, and a second vibrating member secured to the dust-screening member and configured to cause, when driven alone, the dust-screening member to undergo second standing-wave vibration. The first vibrating member and the second vibrating member are so positioned that the first standing-wave vibration and second standing-wave vibration produced by the first and second vibrating members, respectively, overlap each other, thus producing a travelling wave propagating in one direction and having nodes regions at an outer circumferential edge of the dust-screening member, the node regions having virtually no vibrational amplitude.
US08011832B2
A linear guide, which has a guide carriage that is mounted in a longitudinally moveable manner on a guide rail and to which an additional component, for example a measuring head, can be fastened by a fastening device. The fastening device has a pin which is fastened to the guide carriage at the end side. The pin has a fastening section to which the additional component can be fastened, that projects from the guiding carriage at the end side.
US08011813B2
An actuator system for a lighting system includes a shape memory alloy coupled to a component of the lighting system to control an actuation of the component and thereby produce a plurality of light patterns and an electrical control circuit in electrical communication with the shape memory alloy to selectively provide an electrical current to the shape memory alloy for controlling a physical property of the shape memory alloy and thereby the motion of the component of the lighting system.
US08011809B2
A lamp (6) includes a housing (5) mounted to a lamp post (4) and a light-emitting diode module (10) mounted in the housing (5). The light-emitting diode module (10) includes a metal substrate (21) and a plurality of light-emitting diode dies (221) mounted on a face (211) of the metal substrate (21). A jacket (11) has a coupling surface (112) engaged with the other face (212) of the metal substrate (21). A heat conduction pipe (12) includes a portion (123) received in a longitudinal hole (111) of the jacket (11). The coupling surface (112) of the jacket (11) has an opening (114) in communication with the longitudinal hole (111). A portion of an outer periphery (124) of the portion (123) of the heat conduction pipe (12) is in direct, thermal contact with the other face (212) of the metal substrate (21) through the opening (114) of the jacket (11) to absorb heat generated by the light-emitting diode dies (221). A finned heat sink (13) is mounted on another portion (121) of the heat conduction pipe (12) outside the jacket (11) to dissipate heat transferred to the heat conduction pipe (12) into the environment.
US08011804B2
A backlight unit includes a bottom cover having a bottom surface and side surfaces, a plurality of light emitting diodes installed within the bottom cover for emitting a plurality of lights, a reflection plate within the bottom cover, the reflection plate having a variety of angles for mixing the plurality of lights into a white light, and a diffusion plate attached to the bottom cover for diffusing the white light.
US08011802B2
A display unit capable of reducing luminance irregularity when using a point light source is provided. The display unit includes: a panel driven based on an image signal; a plurality of point light sources arranged in a region facing the panel; and an optical sheet arranged between the panel and the plurality of point light sources. The plurality of point light sources are arranged in a first direction and also in a second direction intersecting with the first direction, and the optical sheet has a tridimensional configuration that includes a first ridgeline extending in a third direction intersecting with the first and second directions, and a second ridgeline extending in a direction intersecting with the first, second and third directions.
US08011798B2
The invention relates to a halogen incandescent lamp for motor vehicle headlamps with two incandescent filaments (21, 22), which are arranged within a lamp vessel (10), wherein a first incandescent filament (21) is designed for operation with a higher electrical power than the second incandescent filament (22), wherein the incandescent filaments (21, 22) are constructed in such a way that their dimensions and/or their geometry are in each case matched to an operating voltage of at least 20 volts, and at least the second incandescent filament (22) is an incandescent filament in the form of a single coil. Preferably, both incandescent filaments (21, 22) are in the form of incandescent filaments with a single coil, wherein the first incandescent filament (21) is used, for example, for producing the upper beam or lower beam and the second incandescent filament (22) is used for producing the daytime driving light or foglight.
US08011780B2
A drying system for a printer is provided. The printer feeds a media web along a media path past a printhead to an exit region. The drying system has a first chamber positioned on one side of the media web between the printhead and exit region, a heating element within the first chamber, a fan positioned to direct air past the heating element to produce heated air, and a second chamber positioned on the other side of the media web opposite the first chamber, the second chamber having an opening through which the heated air from the first chamber passes. The opening is configured so that the printed media web extends from the media path as a loop to hang within the second chamber through the opening from opposite sides of the opening.
US08011775B2
An ink set includes a red ink and a magenta ink. The red ink includes an effective amount of a red pigment having a predetermined red/green lambda cutoff, and the magenta ink includes an effective amount of a magenta pigment having a predetermined red/green lambda cutoff that is substantially similar to the predetermined lambda cutoff of the red pigment.
US08011756B2
An imaging method is disclosed for realizing full color printing using an ink head configured to discharge black ink and a plurality of color inks. The imaging method involves printing a monochrome image portion by printing a plurality of first rasters using black ink and an arbitrary number of the color inks, and printing a second raster in between the first rasters using pseudo black ink that is realized by the remaining number of the color inks.
US08011742B1
Tilt out shelf guide mechanism suitable for rack mount computing systems are disclosed. The mechanism generally includes a slidable shelf and two opposing shelf tracks configured to support and guide the shelf. The slidable shelf incorporates a storage or component mounting region and a rear catch mechanism at the rear end of the shelf. The rear catch mechanism has a shelf-mounted pivot. The two opposing shelf tracks incorporate a pivot support at the front end of the tracks configured to engage the pivot of the shelf when the rear end of the shelf is approximately adjacent to the front end of the tracks, whereupon the pivot of the shelf is supported by the rear catch mechanism of the guides and the shelf is pivotable about the pivot.
US08011738B2
Fabricated bead seat attached vehicle wheel, wheel disc for such wheel and method for producing same
A fabricated bead seat attached vehicle wheel includes a wheel rim and wheel disc joined together. The wheel rim includes an inboard tire bead seat retaining flange, an inner tire bead seat, a well, an outer tire bead seat, and an outboard tire bead seat retaining flange. The wheel defines a wheel axis and includes a generally centrally located wheel mounting portion and an outer annular portion which defines a wheel disc outer flange The wheel disc outer annular flange is segmented around a circumference thereof and includes at least a first plurality of segments and a second plurality of segments. The first plurality of segments extending a first axial distance relative to an adjacent outer surface of the wheel disc and the second plurality of segments extending a second axial distance relative to the adjacent outer surface of the wheel disc which is less than the first axial distance.
US08011731B2
Disclosed is a portable head cradle for use by a seated user on an upwardly-facing top surface of a support that has a peripheral edge around the top surface. The portable head cradle includes a support structure configured to be placed on the top surface of the support and shaped and dimensioned for overlying engagement by a seated person's head. The support structure has a first substantially rigid portion and a second substantially rigid portion, the first substantially rigid portion and the second substantially rigid portion joined along at least one edge by a substantially flexible portion. A cradle portion is substantially inverted-U shaped when viewed by a user and dimensioned for engagement by the user at the forehead and cheeks of the user. At least one hook is extendable from the support structure and configured to engage the peripheral edge of the upwardly-facing top surface.
US08011729B2
A seating element has an archable element with a first side to face an occupant of a seat when the seating element is installed in a seat and a second side opposite of the first side. A pneumatic arching element is arranged at the second side of the archable element.
US08011728B2
The invention relates to a vehicle seat having a backrest and a seat surface device that forms a seat surface and that is provided with a pad cover, in particular an outer pad cover, wherein the seat depth of the seat surface is adjustable. A seat depth adjustment device facilitates seat depth adjustment, the seat depth adjustment device including a first deflection device for deflecting the seat pad cover in the end region of the seat surface remote from the backrest, a flexible part that is coupled to the pad cover, and at least one second deflection device for deflecting the flexible part, the second deflection device being arranged at a distance from the first deflection device.
US08011726B2
A vehicle seat comprises a rectangular-shaped seat back frame having right and left side frames; a flexible plate member provided between the right and left side frames; a seat back cushion provided in front of the flexible plate member; a mechanism for pushing the seat back cushion to a front direction by forwardly protruding the flexible plate member that results from the flexible plate member being bent; a headrest for supporting a head of a seat occupant, wherein the headrest is forwardly movably connected to the right and left side frames via right and left link members; and a rear-end collision detecting plate disposed at a portion of the seat back frame behind the seat occupant, wherein the rear-end collision detecting plate detects rearward movement of the seat occupant.
US08011722B2
A foldable frame comprises a front leg frame and a rear leg frame, each having one or more leg units foldable or detachable with one another. The front leg frame and the rear leg frame are rotatable with each other such that the foldable frame can be folded to a small size. The foldable frame also utilizes a receiving frame pivotally or steadily configured on the frame body for receiving the detachable infant carrier. A recliner apparatus is further configured between the receiving frame and the frame body for adjusting the receiving frame together with the infant carrier to different reclining angle for convenient use.
US08011721B2
Side sill includes a side sill body formed of a steel plate, and a side sill reinforcing member formed by extruding an aluminum alloy and provided inside the side sill body. Reinforcing bracket formed by casting an aluminum alloy covers the outer surface of the side sill body. The reinforcing bracket has protruding portions projecting, through through-holes formed in the side sill body, generally toward the interior of the side sill to be fixed to portions of the side sill reinforcing member, so that the side sill reinforcing member is restrainedly held by the reinforcing bracket.
US08011716B2
An assembly for mounting a windshield on a motorcycle including a mounting bracket and a pivotal master-link that includes a first pivotal connection with the windshield and a second pivotal connection with the mounting bracket that is fixed in relation to a triple clamp of the motorcycle. The assembly provides a cantilevered joint from the windshield to the first pivotal connection, through the master-link, from the master-link to the second pivotal connection and to the triple clamp of the motorcycle.
US08011711B2
In a tonneau cover device for a vehicle, an interlocking mechanism (interlocking means) 40 comprises a pair of pulleys 45, 46 disposed separated in a vertical direction at each of the left and right sides of a cargo compartment, a first linking wire 51 wrapped around the pulleys 45, 46 and connected to the rear end of a tonneau cover, a rotary member 50 whereabout the first linking wire 51 is wrapped or wound between the pulleys 45, 46, and a second linking wire 53 having an end thereof connected to the back door, another end thereof wrapped around and engaged with the rotary member 50, and rotating the rotary member 50 interlocked with opening and closing of the back door.
US08011707B1
A manually-operable coupling assembly may include a primary coupling and auxiliary couplings. Both the primary and auxiliary couplings preferably include an elongated strap with a clamp attached to a distal end thereof. Each clamp may include a first and C-shaped region with a cavity and socket formed therein. A second C-shaped region may be pivotally mated to the first C-shaped region and may have a male finger with a ball bearing protruding outwardly from a distal tip thereof. The ball bearing may penetrate into the socket and become interlocked so that the first and second C-shaped regions may remain in a closed position. A spring-actuated stop block is calibrated to withstand varying pulling forces during transport as needed.
US08011703B2
A handle assembly has a handle, a handle spigot to which the handle is attached, a biasing member to bias the handle to a naturally closed position, an operating plate which is rotatable by the handle spigot, a mounting stock, and a housing, the spigot, the biasing member, operating plate and a majority of the mounting stock being positioned within the housing, the mounting stock being securable to the housing to hold all the components within the housing. In this manner, the handle assembly can be made as a “complete” unit with all the internal components being in position and with the handle being rotatably attached relative to the housing. Thus, no separate rose is required. Another advantage is that the unit can be assembled using a substantially concealed fixing arrangement to improve security and also to improve the aesthetic appeal of the assembly.
US08011698B2
A tubular joint in which radial expansion caused by the passage of an expander, inclined shoulder fittings formed respectively on a peripheral surface of the female element facing radially inwards and on a peripheral surface of the male element facing radially outwards, are subjected to a relative axial displacement towards each other to be urged into sealed mutual contact with radial interference. The tubular joint is, for example, useful in hydrocarbon wells.
US08011695B2
There is provided an underbody structure capable of exactly distributing and transmitting a front collision load to front and back skeleton portions of an underbody even in a case where the front collision load to be input from the front of a vehicle is concentrated on one side in a vehicle width direction. When a power unit 1 moves rearward due to an offset collision load of a right front face of a vehicle, a right connecting arm 7G of a sub-frame 7, an engine rear mount 7E, and right and left stoppers 7H and 7I receive an offset collision load from the power unit 1, thereby suppressing generation of an unintended rotative force in the power unit 1. The sub-frame 7 distributedly transmits an offset collision load to a rear portion 4A of a right front side member 4, and right and left tunnel reinforcements 5 and 5 mainly through four paths of a right beam 7D, a right load transmission beam 7J2, and right and left load transmission beams 7J3 and 7J4 of an intermediate portion.
US08011693B2
The designed invention relates to a temperature regulation device for both hot and cold climates primarily for occupants of human transport mediums such as strollers, wheelchairs, and scooters and secondarily for the caregivers who use these mobile mediums. The invention comprises of an enclosed compartment to hold the occupant, and at least one thermoregulatory unit, comprising at least one thermoelectric element, connected to the compartment.
US08011684B2
The invention relates to a trailer towing-control apparatus comprising a towing means connectable between a trailer and a towing vehicle; the towing means having a first connection means at its operative forward end pivotably connectable to a towing vehicle and a second connection means pivotably connectable to the trailer on the other side of the axis of the trailer relative to the first connection means; and a restraint means to selectively allow for articulation of the first connection means relative to the towing vehicle or to prevent articulation of the towing means relative to the towing vehicle in a horizontal plane.
US08011683B2
A watercraft trailer has a releasable connector for releasably connecting a watercraft to the trailer. The releasable connector has a lever pivotally connected to a connector support and a hook connected to the lever. Pivoting of the lever towards a front of the trailer moves the releasable connector to a locked position and pivots the hook towards the front of the trailer. A locking mechanism prevents the releasable connector from moving to an unlocked position by applying forces to any one of the lever and the hook that would otherwise pivot the lever and the hook towards a rear of the trailer. Unlocking the locking mechanism moves the releasable connector to the unlocked position and pivots the hook towards the rear of the trailer. A method of securing a watercraft to a watercraft trailer and a method of releasing a watercraft from a watercraft trailer are also disclosed.
US08011681B2
A vehicle side panel step structure includes a step, a mounting structure and a sub-side body panel. The mounting structure movably couples the step to the structural support for movement of the step between a retracted step position and an extended step position relative to a structural support of the vehicle. In the extended step position the step is approximately horizontally oriented relative to a main side body panel of the vehicle. A sub-side body panel is coupled to the mounting structure to move between a fascia mating position when the step is in the retracted step position and a non-fascia mating position when the step is in the extended step position. The sub-side body panel includes a contoured edge configured such that in the retracted step position the contoured edge of the sub-side body panel and a contoured edge of the main side body panel at least partially define the wheel well.
US08011680B2
A wheelchair suspension system includes a suspension member which clamps to longitudinal bars of the wheelchair frame located below the seat of the wheelchair. The suspension member is elongate with upper and lower parallel leaf springs extending between the opposing ends of the suspension member. An axle support member is hinged to each end of the suspension member, by pivotal connection to each of the leaf springs. Each axle support member receives the axle of one of the opposing large rear wheels of the wheelchair. As the large wheels encounter uneven areas on the ground surface on which the wheelchair moves, the leaf springs flex reducing vibrations and shock to the wheelchair occupant. The axle support members maintain their generally upright orientation as the leaf springs flex so that camber angle of the rear wheels does not change.
US08011677B1
A system and method for delivery of packaged goods on a pallet with a pallet jack is described. The pallet jack enables substantially easy navigation over rough terrain through the configuration and placement of the left and right rear wheels and the configuration and placement of the left and right front wheels, as well as the design and implementation of handle bars. Other useful features include a basket for holding personal items, and jacks for retaining hand held devices that can be used to track and update deliveries and orders for goods. Accordingly, the pallet jack is preferably used to deliver consumer soft drink beverages but can be used to deliver any type of packaged product, goods and/or raw materials.
US08011669B2
A valve stem seal can include an elastomeric component having a first portion for having a sealed engagement with a valve stem, a second portion for engaging a valve guide, and a pressure relief lip extending from the second portion. The first portion can be configured to extend away from or within the second portion, and the second portion can have a channel formed therein. The pressure relief lip can have a sealing configuration and a venting configuration. The venting configuration can allow excess exhaust gases to vent from a combustion chamber. After the venting of excess exhaust gases, the pressure relief lip can close to the sealing configuration to prevent oil from entering the combustion chamber.
US08011644B2
To block the transmission to a vehicle body side of the vibration due to the cavitation phenomenon occurred in a primary liquid chamber so as to prevent the generation of noises, at the same time, to make the device compact, and to improve the fitting accuracy to obtain the reliable positioning, a first metallic fitting and a second metallic fitting are connected by an insulator. A primary liquid chamber and a secondary liquid chamber formed inwardly are partitioned by a partition member and communicated therebetween by an orifice passage. The partition member is floatingly supported between an extended portion of the insulator and an outer peripheral thick wall portion of a diaphragm, and the tuning is performed to generate the rigid resonance at the predetermined frequency. An outer ring is provided in the outer peripheral thick wall portion so as to be securely fixed by a fixing portion formed by bending an end of an outer cylindrical fitting. The floatingly supporting structure does not become large-sized and complicated since the partition member is simply floatingly supported.
US08011637B2
Improved concrete form systems (10) are provided which permit erection of the systems (10) in close quarters adjacent existing structures, e.g., the systems (10) may be successfully installed with as little as 2-½ inches of clearance between such existing structures. The systems (10) include spaced apart outer and inner wall sections (12, 14) each formed of juxtaposed, interconnected form panels (16, 18, 20, 22), with connection assemblies (24, 25) serving to interconnect the adjacent form panels (16, 18, 20, 22) of each wall section (12, 14), and to cross-connect the wall sections (12, 14). Each form panel has a planar panel segment (26) having side marginal connection structures (48) preferably including concave surfaces (50, 52). The connection assemblies (24, 25) have elongated connection elements (58, 82) having central openings (60a) and laterally extending legs (62, 64) which mate with the surfaces (50, 52) A series of elongated, threaded connector bodies (72) extend through the element openings (60a) and are threadably secured via threaded ferrules (70) forming a part of the elements (58), and nuts (84) forming a part of elements (82). The threaded connection of the bodies (72) serves to draw together the adjacent form panels (16, 18, 20, 22) by virtue of a camming action between the legs (62, 64) and the surfaces (50, 52). Such threaded connections also cross-connect the wall sections (12, 14).
US08011633B2
A hook structure includes a base and a movable hook which is fixed on the base and is provided with a hook board and a hook board seat that are mutually assembled. An elastic member is provided between the hook board and the hook board seat. By the elastic member, when the hook is collided by an external force, the elastic member will operate the hook board to be ejected back, allowing the present invention to be provided with an advantage of a hidden-type and collision-proofed hook.
US08011629B2
A clamping device for attaching a piece of first moveable equipment to a piece of second moveable equipment comprising a body, a mounting portion, and an attachment portion. The attachment portion comprising an attachment recess disposed within the body for receiving the piece of first movable equipment, and a latch plate rotatably attached to the body at a pivot disposed on one side of said attachment recess, wherein the latch plate may be pivotally disposed between an open position and a closed position. The latch plate further having an attachment lock disposed within the latch plate. The attachment lock is configured to produce a force against the piece of first moveable equipment when the latch plate is in the closed position.
US08011627B2
A compact mounting device for releasibly securing a GPS receiver or other electronic accessory to a handlebar of a motorcycle or other handlebar-steered vehicle is described. The device includes a clamp releasibly attachable to a motorcycle handlebar; a cylindrical mounting post rotatably attached to the upper surface of the clamp; a mounting yoke pivotally attached to the mounting post; and a mounting plate to support a GPS receiver or other accessory rotatably attached to the yoke. The face of the accessory can be oriented toward the vehicle rider by rotating the post, tilting the yoke and/or rotating the mounting plate, so that the device is useable with a wide variety of handlebar orientations.
US08011616B2
Disclosed is an aircraft, configured to have a wide range of flight speeds, consuming low levels of power for an extended period of time, while supporting a communications platform with an unobstructed downward-looking view. The aircraft includes an extendable slat at the leading edge of the wing, and a reflexed trailing edge. The aircraft comprises a flying wing extending laterally between two ends and a center point. The wing is swept and has a relatively constant chord. The aircraft also includes a power module configured to provide power via a fuel cell. The fuel cell stores liquid hydrogen as fuel, but uses gaseous hydrogen in the fuel cell. A fuel tank heater is used to control the boil-rate of the fuel in the fuel tank. The fuel cell compresses ambient air for an oxidizer, and operates with the fuel and oxidizer at pressures below one atmosphere. The aircraft of the invention includes a support structure including a plurality of supports, where the supports form a tetrahedron that affixes to the wing.
US08011615B2
An environmental data collection system and method is provided having an internet link for providing an additional level of security for a remotely controlled data collection platform having a security alarm for protecting the platform and the environmental subject of the study. A novel lighter-than-air platform having a novel snorkel for detachably securing, mooring and providing buoyancy control is provided for the collection of data in the form of real time audio and video linked to the internet and subscribers. The novel snorkel is flexible and retractable into the novel airship to provide remote buoyancy control of the airship together with silently operating electrical motors for allowing the novel airship to be remotely controlled and moved at will to track and monitor wildlife and make environmental measurements necessary for the protection of the environment, wildlife and the operation of the novel airship. Detachable securing means provide an anti-tethering feature of the novel airship and allow the collection of data from both, an aerial perspective and a ground perspective, while providing for the collection of data from either the surface of the earth or below the surface of the water while transmitting the data to scientists, environmentalists and subscribers through the internet.
US08011614B2
The present invention comprises, in one embodiment, an inexpensive, lightweight flying vehicle using fixed pitch helicopter blades powered by ramjet engines mounted to a power-ring which transfers torque to the lifting rotors. The use of fixed pitch blades eliminates the need for a tail boom and tail rotor, as well as for variable incidence control of blade pitch and/or cyclic and collective rotor-pitch controls. An optional ballistic parachute may be deployed for emergency landings. A radial shroud encloses the ramjet engines to act as a sound shield. Since the rotor has a fixed pitch, lift may be controlled by rotor speed, where increased speed results in ascent, and decreased speed, descent.
US08011601B2
A dispersion lance is for use in combination with a fluid treatment system of the type which includes a flow duct in which a fluid stream is mixed with a treating agent. The dispersion lance includes a pipe mounted in the duct with its axis approximately transverse to the direction of the fluid stream flow, the pipe having a series of openings along its length for injecting a treating agent into the fluid stream. A baffle extends lengthwise along the pipe, the baffle having a cross-section the central portion of which is V-shaped, with the apex of the V facing upstream of the fluid stream flow, and with generally flattened wing portions extending from the legs of the V beyond the sides of the pipe in a direction where they transversely intersect the stream flow. The baffle acts to generate a low pressure zone on its downstream side which enhances turbulence in the fluid. The orifices of the pipe are located to inject the treating agent into the low pressure zone to better distribute and intermix the injected treating agent into the surrounding fluid.
US08011590B2
A portable communication device for at least mono-directional communication with a terminal is disclosed. The portable communication device includes a micro-module including a chip that has an antenna allowing the micro-module to communicate with the terminal when the antenna is placed in the immediate vicinity of the terminal. The portable device further includes a reader receiving the removable micro-module, and the antenna is held by the reader such that the micro-module is removable relative to the antenna.
US08011588B2
There is provided an electronic wallet device using electronic value concerning a prescribed service by means of a non-contact type IC card capable of non-contact communication with an external unit, which includes a holding section to hold a plurality of non-contact type IC cards, an external communication antenna to perform non-contact communication with the external unit, a card communication antenna to perform non-contact communication with the non-contact type IC cards held in the holding section, a value storing section capable of storing electronic value, and a control section to receive a transaction request concerning the service from the external unit via the external communication antenna and, in response to the transaction request, transfer electronic value between the value storing section and at least one of the plurality of non-contact type IC cards via the card communication antenna.
US08011584B2
A method for glare reduction may be implemented by a graphical code reader. The method may include illuminating a target area using a plurality of light sources. The method may also include capturing images of the target area using at least one image sensor. The method may also include determining that glare is present in at least one captured image. The method may also include determining glare information that indicates which of the light sources are responsible for the glare. The method may further include taking corrective action to reduce the glare in subsequent images based on the glare information that is determined.
US08011582B2
This system includes modified ATM machine, resetting machine and voter's log. This system integrates the stages of voter's verification, casting, collecting votes, prevents voter's fraud, has safeguard in place to prevent multiple voting, creates hard copy for possible recount, and verifies that every vote counts and counts correctly without exposing the selection of candidate to any person other than the voter. This system tracks and verifies votes in four different ways. 1st by hard copy of the votes, 2nd by ATM machine 3rd by resetting card machine and 4th by voters log. This system also provides security and prevents voting fraud by taking picture of the voter while voting. It also places a flag on the record of voter after casting a vote which prevents duplicate voting. This system will also print a hard copy which will be kept as a backup for possible recount. The voter selects the language to be displayed for voting therefore will be less confusion while voting.
US08011571B2
A self-service terminal comprises a plurality of devices, each device having a unique device identifier. The terminal also has a fascia including a plurality of apertures, each aperture having a corresponding indicator and being associated with a device in the self-service terminal. The terminal executes a control application for identifying and energizing an indicator corresponding to an aperture to be used by a customer. The terminal also includes a mapping component for allowing an authorized user (i) to display the current mapping of indicators to device identifiers, and (ii) to modify the current mapping to associate an indicator with a different device identifier.
US08011567B2
Cartons have dispenser sections that when opened, allow easy access to containers or other articles stored within the carton. The cartons can be configured to allow placement on a door shelf or other shelf within a refrigerator.
US08011563B2
A mold fill head includes a solder delivery head and an interface portion having a compliant portion secured to the solder delivery head and a dispensing region associated with the compliant portion. The dispensing region is formed with at least one aperture configured to interface with cavities in a mold plate, the at least one aperture being in fluid communication with the solder delivery head. The compliant portion is configured and dimensioned to urge the dispensing region against the mold plate when held a predetermined distance therefrom and to substantially tolerate variations in flatness of the mold plate, variations in the predetermined distance, and/or variations in an angular orientation of the interface portion and the mold plate.
US08011561B2
A method of mounting electronic components on a PCB, includes following steps. The PCB is placed with a first side of the PCB facing upwards. A plurality of solder is applied on bonding pads of the first side. A plurality of electronic components is stuck on the bonding pads of the first side. The PCB is turned over with a second side of the PCB facing upwards and the first side of the PCB facing downwards. A plurality of solder is applied on bonding pads of the second side. A plurality of electronic components is stuck on the bonding pads of the second side. The PCB is placed in a reflow oven to weld the electronic components on the first side and the second side of the PCB.
US08011557B1
An automatic soldering machine for soldering wires, each exposing at least one core wire and electronic components with at least one soldering portion respectively is disclosed. The automatic soldering machine comprises an equipment, a delivery mechanism, a plurality of clamps, a feeding mechanism, an insulation removing mechanism, a soldering mechanism, an unloading mechanism and a programmable control system. The delivery mechanism delivers the wires. The clamps locate the wires. The feeding mechanism conveys the electronic components. The insulation removing mechanism cuts the core wires and strips insulations at tops of the core wires. The soldering mechanism solders the core wires and the soldering portions of the electronic components. The unloading mechanism separates the soldered electronic components and core wires off from the clamps. The programmable control system is connect to the aforesaid mechanisms and controls thereof with high production efficacy and stable production quality.
US08011545B2
A system for carrying articles from a belt worn on the body of a person or other animate bearer comprises a belt or elongated member (20) with a substantially planar rail (30) borne on the outside surface of the belt and a carrier (50) for articles attached to the rail by a sleeve sewn to the body of the carrier. The carrier (50) may be free to slide along the rail (30) or may be secured at least temporarily to the rail. The carrier (50) thereby can be moved along the rail when worn on the belt so that the bearer can place the carrier (50) in a more comfortable or useful position with respect to the body of the bearer and secure it in that position at least temporarily.
US08011540B1
An aerator bottle pourer for smoothing the taste of certain liquids such as wine and preventing dripping of the liquid after being poured from a bottle. The aerator bottle pourer includes a pouring assembly being removably engaged to a bottle for pouring liquid from the bottle, and also includes an aerating assembly being attached to the pouring assembly for aerating the liquid as it is being poured from the bottle.
US08011537B2
A dispensing system for an appliance has a main tank for holding a fluid. The main tank controls the temperature of the fluid. A dispenser outlet fluidly is connected to the tank by a dispenser fluid line. An auxiliary tank holds a volume of the fluid. A flow control device selectively moves the fluid held in the auxiliary tank to the main tank then through the dispenser fluid line to the dispenser outlet and selectively removes the fluid remaining in the dispenser fluid line after dispensing.
US08011528B2
A laterally expandable receptacle wherein a greater volume of items, such as trash, linen, laundry, recyclables, grain, and the like, may be contained as compared to conventional receptacles. Side walls and/or corners of the receptacle may comprise resilient expansion means allowing for beneficial lateral displacement. The resilient expansion means may be selected from a variety of structures including, at least one pleat, an accordion configuration, at least one slit, at least one aperture, an expandable material, an expandable material covering at least one aperture, flexible cords, and all legal equivalents thereof. The receptacle of the present invention may further comprise a pressure release means to eliminate a vacuum seal from forming between the receptacle and an optional replaceable liner therein. The receptacle of the present invention may still further comprise a stabilization means for providing a necessary stabilizing force against the receptacle during liner removal.
US08011524B2
A microwaveable packaged good article is described. The microwaveable packaged good article includes a container and an overcap. The container includes a base and a continuous wall extending from the base terminating in a chime. The overcap includes a panel, a neck extending from the panel terminating in a drip bead, and a skirt radially spaced from the drip bead to define a channel between the skirt and the drip bead. In this regard, the chime is received within the channel upon assembly of the overcap to the container.
US08011523B2
Structures, methods, and systems associated with a stackable and collapsible container are provided. One structure includes a stackable and collapsible container having at least four non-collapsible, load bearing vertical support members attached to vertical walls of the container and capable of supporting the weight of other containers. A top surface is included having a number of sections which include a pivotal connection to one another and which are collapsible about the pivotal connection to an interior of the container. A bottom surface is included having a number of sections which include a pivotal connection to one another and which are collapsible about the pivotal connection to an interior of the container. The top and the bottom surfaces of the container can be fixedly positioned in a number of collapsed states.
US08011512B2
A child-resistant but adult-friendly package package comprising a sleeve having top and bottom walls, opposite side walls, a closed end, and an open end. A blister card insert configured to be movable into and out of the sleeve through the open end. A first latch element on the insert and a second latch element on the sleeve, the first and second latch elements are interengageable when the insert is fully inserted in the sleeve to latch the insert against withdrawal from the sleeve. A biasing member on the insert is configured to be in contact with the top and bottom walls of the sleeve, urging the first latch element into engagement with the second latch element. The biasing member also forming a first portion of a retaining means to prevent complete withdrawal of the insert from the sleeve and a second portion of the retaining means is formed on the sleeve for cooperation with the first portion to retain the insert against complete withdrawal from the sleeve.
US08011509B1
A package for storing a prize associated with a crane claw arcade game includes a sidewall, a first and second end panels, a cavity, at least one first side aperture, and optionally at least one second side aperture. The sidewall includes a plurality of side panels, wherein each includes opposing first and second side edges and opposing first and second end edges. The cavity is adapted to store the prize associated with the crane claw arcade game. The first side aperture is defined by a first side panel of the plurality of side panels, and the optional second side aperture is defined by a second side panel of the plurality of side panels. The first and second side apertures are adapted to receive a finger of a claw of the crane claw arcade game to facilitate retrieval of the package from a housing of the arcade game.
US08011497B2
A greasing through hole is perforated through one outer link plate, and greasing device is attached to the through hole. Degreasing through-holes are perforated through an outer link plate or an inner link plate on the side distant from the outer link plate with a bearing section A between the link plates, and degreasing device 22 is attached to those through-holes. Lubricant injected from the greasing device is supplied to the bearing section A through a gap c between the sealing device and the outer link plate, and used lubricant within the bearing section A is discharged out of the degreasing device through another gap c.
US08011491B2
A conveyance apparatus has a conveyance carriage for conveying a vehicle body, a vehicle-body support, a synchronous traveling carriage capable of traveling in synchronization with the conveyance carriage from a start point position to an end point position, a lifter provided with an elevating base that ascends via an aperture arranged on a floor surface of the conveyance carriage, and an elevating table for supporting an engine of an engine carrying-in carriage that stops at a fixed stop position and is lifted up to a predetermined height by the elevating base of the lifter.
US08011485B2
The hydraulic control apparatus includes a separating plate that is interposed between an upper valve body and a lower valve body. The separating plate and the lower valve body provide a projecting portion that projects toward a discharge opening side of the oil pump with respect to the upper valve body. A first oil feed path is provided at the projecting portion, is formed between the separating plate and the lower valve body, and receives the hydraulic oil from the oil pump and guides the hydraulic oil to an upper valve body disposition side.
US08011482B2
An improved structure for an electric actuator unit for use in a brake assembly. According to an embodiment, a drum brake assembly comprises a mounting flange having an abutment; a backing plate secured to the mounting flange, the backing plate having a pair of brake shoes supported thereon; and an electric actuator unit for actuating the drum brake assembly to selectively move the brake shoes between a braking and a non-braking position, the electric actuator unit including a motor, a gear-set operatively coupled to be driven by the motor, a spindle nut operatively coupled to be rotationally driven by the gear-set, a pull rod operatively coupled to be translatorily driven by the spindle nut, and a brake shoe actuation link assembly operatively coupled to be actuated by the pull rod to thereby move the brake shoes between the braking and non-braking positions, the pull rod being operatively coupled to the brake shoe actuation link assembly by a link, the link having a first end pivotally connected to the pull rod and a second end pivotally connected to a second member of the brake shoe actuation link assembly.
US08011477B2
An internal combustion engine includes a continuously variable transmission chamber formed of a crank case and a cover member connected to the crank case to permit the use of oil different between the internal combustion engine and the continuously variable transmission. Thereafter, a sufficient amount of each oil is ensured to not reduce the lowest road clearance. A division wall divides an interior of an oil pan into an internal combustion engine side oil reservoir and a continuously variable transmission side oil reservoir that reserves oil for lubrication of a continuously variable transmission and for speed control thereof, and which is connected to a lower portion of a crank case. The continuously variable transmission side oil reservoir is formed in a width direction of the motorcycle wherein part of continuously variable transmission side oil reservoir expands more outwardly than a continuously variable transmission chamber.
US08011475B2
An extension ladder, including multiple ladder sections, each including a pair of pin holes, a pair of columns, and a rung, including a pair of pins, a pair of springs, a gear, a pair of gear racks, and a pair of mounting rings, wherein the columns of adjacent ladder sections are fit with each other, diameters of the columns of the ladder sections increase from the top to the bottom, the pin holes are disposed on the columns, and operate to receive the pins, the pins are coaxial, the gear is disposed on a side wall of the rung and engaged with the gear rack, one end surface of the gear sticks out from the side wall of the rung, a key hole is disposed on the end surface of the gear, the mounting ring operates to fix the pin, and the spring is contacted with the pin.
US08011463B1
An energy source includes an internal combustion engine with a cooling jacket in which a vapor of a working medium (steam in the case of water) is generated; a turbine connected to receive the vapor from the cooling jacket and having a rotating component rotated by the passage of the vapor; a generator rotated in response to rotation of the rotating component to generate electricity; and a heating coil powered by electricity produced by the generator, the heating coil being disposed to heat the medium in the cooling jacket to assist in providing vapor. The energy source may be used in a motor vehicle, and the steam (when water is used as the working medium) and the generated electricity can be used as energy sources for external loads, such as heating and powering a building.
US08011461B2
This invention relates to a parallel hybrid electric conversion kit for a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, a driveshaft and a transmission, such as, rear wheel drive vehicles, four-wheel drive vehicles, heavy duty multiple-driven-axle vehicles and/or all-wheel drive vehicles. The conversion kit includes a motor-generator, a torque coupler, a battery, a power electronics module and a controller. Suitable torque couplers include transfer cases and/or rear-through differentials. The conversion kit provides an aftermarket solution to increased performance, fuel economy and/or reduced emissions by modifying the drivetrain after the transmission. According to one embodiment of this invention, the control scheme of the installed conversion kit receives input signals from the engine and the motor-generator, but only sends control signals to the motor-generator, facilitating installation of the conversion kit.
US08011453B2
A drilling system is presented for use in drilling lateral boreholes from a main borehole. The drilling system generally comprises a drilling machine, a drill string connected to the drilling machine so as to be driveable in an axial direction, and a guide connected to the drilling machine such that when the drill string is driven axially by the drilling machine, it interacts with the guide so as to be directed in a predetermined radial direction. A method of drilling a lateral borehole from a main borehole is also presented, comprising the steps of: positioning the drilling system in the main borehole; anchoring the guide in the borehole; operating the drilling machine to drive the drill string in an axial direction; and deflecting the drill string, by means of the guide, in a radial direction into the wall of the main borehole to drill the lateral borehole.
US08011443B2
The invention is a striking mechanism for a handheld power tools in particular electric hammer. A piston is arranged in an axially bidirectionally movable manner in a guide tube. A striker is provided which acts on a striking pin and which is held in a movable manner in the guide tube. A compression space is delimited by the piston and the striker such that an air cushion is enclosed therein. It is proposed that at least one spring element is provided between the striker and the striking pin.
US08011437B2
A method associated with the production of hydrocarbons comprising a joint assembly comprising a main body portion having primary and secondary fluid flow paths, wherein the main body portion is attached to a load sleeve assembly at one end and a torque sleeve assembly at the opposite end. The load sleeve may include at least one transport conduit and at least one packing conduit. The main body portion may include a sand control device, a packer, or other well tool for use in a downhole environment. Included is a coupling assembly having a manifold region in fluid flow communication with the second fluid flow path of the main body portion and facilitating the make-up of first and second joint assemblies with a single connection.
US08011433B2
Systems and methods for bidirectional gravel packing of wells. A gravel packing method includes flowing a gravel slurry in one direction in an annulus formed between a wellbore and a gravel packing assembly, and flowing another gravel slurry in an opposite direction in the annulus. A well system includes a gravel packing assembly positioned in a wellbore; one or more well screens interconnected in the gravel packing assembly; a flow control device, interconnected in the gravel packing assembly, and which selectively permits and prevents flow of a gravel slurry outward from the gravel packing assembly to an exterior of the well screens; another flow control device, interconnected in the gravel packing assembly, and which selectively permits and prevents flow of another gravel slurry outward from the gravel packing assembly to the exterior of the well screens; and the well screens being positioned between the flow control devices.
US08011428B2
Disclosed herein is a decelerating device. The device includes, a body movably engagable within a tubular, a mandrel longitudinally movably disposed at the body, and at least one deceleration element disposed at the body in operable communication with the mandrel such that longitudinal movement of the mandrel with respect to the body causes controlled radial movement of the at least one deceleration element to decelerate the decelerating device in relation to the downhole tubular.
US08011407B2
A compression bonding device has a dam member so that when a pressing head is pressed against an object to be pressed, the bonding part is surrounded by the dam member. Thus, even if the surface of the bonding part bulges by pressing, the bulging part is stopped by the dam member and the surface of the bonding part does not horizontally extend. As a result of the absence of horizontal extension of the bonding part, electric components of the object to be pressed are not subjected to a force that horizontally moves the electric components and the electric components are vertically pressed downward and connected to the terminals of the substrate. Thus, an electric device having high connection reliability is obtained.
US08011405B2
A labeller includes a waste liner rewind wheel for taking up the release liner after it has been separated from the labels, and a print mechanism positioned along the label path for real-time printing of a desired print material on the labels. In one embodiment, the waste liner rewind wheel includes a mechanism for adjusting the speed of the rewind wheel as the amount of waste liner on the rewind wheel increases, while maintaining sufficient tension on the waste liner to pull the waste liner onto the rewind wheel. In another embodiment, the print mechanism is mounted to the frame along the label path, such that the print mechanism is capable of printing on the labels as they are moved past the print mechanism. The labeller may additionally include an encoder for registering the position of the label web with respect to the print mechanism.
US08011402B1
A golf club head cover and towel assembly comprises a head cover having a toe end and a heel end. The heel end comprises an opening thereon, and the opening is positionable between an open position and a closed position. A towel removably coupled with the opening is provided.
US08011400B2
A compressed wood product includes a wood whose shape is taken while a volume decreased by compression is previously added, wherein a direction intersecting a fiber direction of the wood is set to a compression direction, and the wood is formed by being subjected to compressive force.
US08011395B2
The present invention relates to a tablet feeding device for supplying tablets accommodated in a tablet feeder to vials by supplying a power source from a surface side of the tablet feeder to a rotor of the tablet feeder and further allowing many tablet feeders to be mounted with high density.The tablet feeder 21 has a stationary guide member 119 having a stationary tilt plate 119c and a movable guide member 121 having a movable tilt plate 121c. The stationary tilt plate 119c is disposed adjacent to a tablet outlet 112 of the tablet feeder 21 and guides the tablets discharged from the tablet outlet 112 to the vials 4. The movable tilt plate 121c is movable between a receiving position and an operating position in association with an attachment and detachment of a driving means 202 with the tablet feeder 21. The movable tilt plate 121c overlaps with the stationary tilt plate 119c at the receiving position and continues to the stationary tilt plate 119c at the operating position. The tablet feeder 21 positioned below is formed with a cutout 118 into which the movable member guide member 121 enters when the movable guide member 121 of the tablet feeder 21 positioned above is moved to the operating position.
US08011388B2
A MEMS device is disclosed having a single microvalve actuator for controlling multiple microvalves. Exemplary embodiments include a MEMS device including two microvalves formed on a beam positioned by an actuator, the two microvalves controlling separate flow paths between two separate pairs of ports; a device with a two-way pilot operated microvalve and a four-way pilot microvalve for controlling the two-way pilot operated microvalve; a device with two three-way microvalves actuated by a common microvalve actuator; and a two-way microvalve with a moveable microvalve element and a feedback port formed in the moveable element operable to regulate the pressure on an end of the moveable element relative to the movement of the moveable element between the first position and the second position. Also disclosed is a MEMS device including a beam with a plurality of apertures formed therein, resulting in a mass reduction of at least 10 percent.
US08011384B2
A bridge faucet assembly including a hot water pillar, a cold water pillar positioned in spaced relation to the hot water pillar, and a bridge fluidly coupled to the hot water pillar and the cold water pillar. A spout is supported by the bridge and includes an internal passageway. A coupler is at least partially received within the internal passageway of the spout and is configured to couple the spout to the bridge.
US08011376B2
The case (1) comprises a lid (2), a base (3) and a holder (7) for a cosmetics applicator; the lid, base and holder being interconnected along a hinge (4). The hinge comprises a boss (5) positioned intermediate its ends and the holder comprises a surface (18) engageable with the boss such that opening the container causes the holder to lift from the base.
US08011375B2
This invention provides a unitary hair clip. More specifically, provided is an elastic midsection with a first portion extending from the midsection, the first portion having a first width. A second portion extends from the midsection opposite from the first portion. The second portion provides an aperture having a second width greater than the first width. The aperture is adapted to receive the first portion. The first portion, the second portion and the elastic midsection are formed as a contiguous seamless structure.
US08011374B2
Mixed metal oxide catalysts are prepared by combining first nanoscale particles and second nanoscale particles to form a mixture of nanoscale particles and then the mixture is heated to form a mixed metal oxide catalyst. The mixed metal oxide catalysts, which are capable of reducing the concentration of carbon monoxide in the mainstream smoke of a cigarette during smoking, are incorporated into a smoking article component such as tobacco cut filler, cigarette paper and/or cigarette filter material.
US08011373B2
A method of treating a tobacco extract solution includes bringing an extract solution, which is obtained by extracting a natural tobacco material with an aqueous extracting solvent, into contact with a polymer containing, in its side chain, a functional group which traps metal ions including at least magnesium, thereby obtaining an extract solution with an amount of at least magnesium reduced.
US08011371B2
A surgical drape includes a flexible opaque sheet configured to satisfy barrier performance requirements of AAMI PB70:2003, and a flexible transparent sheet disposed within the opaque sheet to form a window sized and shaped to permit the patient to view the surgical procedure therethrough. The window is configured to satisfy the barrier performance requirements of AAMI PB70:2003, and a flexible, opaque cover is sized and shaped to substantially match that of the window. One or more releasable fasteners are configured to releasably dispose the cover in superposed relation with the window, to selectively cover and uncover the window.
US08011369B2
A connector includes a mask end for connecting with the interior of a respiratory mask, a supply conduit end, and a gas washout vent passage having an inlet adjacent to, or forming part of, the mask end in fluid communication with the interior of the respiratory mask and an outlet in fluid communication with atmosphere. The vent outlet of the vent passage is disposed on the side of the connector remote from the mask end. A respiratory mask includes a mask shell, a mask inlet for connecting with the outlet of a breathable gas supply conduit, and a gas washout vent passage. A vent outlet is disposed on the side of the mask remote from the mask interior and is adapted to direct the washout gas in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mask inlet and away from the mask inlet.
US08011367B2
A method for increasing circulation and providing oxygen to a patient in cardiac arrest includes the step of coupling an interface to the patient's airway, the interface providing access to the patient's respiratory system. A valve system is operably attached to the interface. Oxygen is delivered through the interface a rate of between about 1.0 to about 10.0 L/min to provide a continuous supply of oxygen to the patient. While supplying the oxygen, a body structure of the patient is manipulated to increase the magnitude and duration of the patient's negative intrathoracic pressure. During the manipulation, the valve system prevents additional respiratory gases from entering the lungs until a negative intrathoracic pressure level in the range from about −1 cm H2O to about −15 cm H2O, the valve system assisting in increasing the magnitude and duration of negative intrathoracic pressure thereby enhancing the amount of blood flow in the heart and lungs and lowering intracranial pressure, therein further increasing blood flow to the brain.
US08011366B2
A method for acclimating a CPAP therapy patient to a prescribed pressure while the patient falls asleep. During an initial startup period, the CPAP apparatus applies a therapeutic IPAP pressure to the patient's airway and a lower initial EPAP pressure to the patient's airway. The EPAP pressure is ramped up to the IPAP pressure over a sufficient time for the patient to fall asleep. In a modified embodiment, both the initial IPAP pressure and the initial EPAP pressure are less than the prescribed therapeutic pressure. The IPAP and EPAP pressures are then independently ramped up to the prescribed therapeutic pressure.
US08011346B2
This invention relates to an apparatus for producing a rotary motion force by means of a compressed gas rotary engine, rotary type with pistons in the circular rotor, consisting of a housing, a rotor with cylinder chambers containing pistons that has a rod containing a bearing which rotates against a stationary cam, the rotor is connected to a shaft, and combined with a r rod guiding system This engine may be produced in any suitable size and contain as many pistons as needed. More than one engine may be attached together. The engine has many uses such as to power machinery, automobiles, motorcycles, boats, generators, etc.
US08011345B2
An energy transfer machine, for example, a positive displacement internal combustion device, has a fixed or rotating outer housing, an internal rotating carrier and one or more inner rotors with rotational axes which are offset from the inner rotor carrier rotational axis. Circumferentially expandable projections from the outer housing and rotor mesh with each other to define variable volume chambers.
US08011343B2
A multi link type piston-crank mechanism comprises an upper link that has one end pivotally connected to a piston of the engine through a piston pin, a lower link that is pivotally connected to the other end of the upper link through an upper pin and rotatably disposed on a crank pin of a crankshaft of the engine; and a control link that has a base end part swingably held by a body of the engine and a leading end pivotally connected to the lower link through a control pin. An axis of the piston pin is offset relative to an axis of the piston in thrust and counter thrust directions. When the piston comes to BDC, a part of the piston takes a position below a lower edge of a corresponding cylinder of the engine and the upper pin is offset relative to the axis of the piston pin in the same direction as a pin offset direction in which the axis of the piston pin is offset in the thrust and counter thrust directions relative to the axis of the piston.
US08011334B2
An exhaust valve control method for a diesel engine 6 for switching between a normal combustion mode and a premixed combustion mode according to operating conditions; an exhaust valve 9 is opened only in the exhaust stroke in the normal combustion mode, and two-stage valve opening control is carried out to open the exhaust valve 9 not only in the exhaust stroke, but also between the latter part of the air inlet stroke and the initial stage of the compression stroke in the premixed combustion mode.
US08011325B2
A floatable pet toy comprising a hollow outer member, a sealed buoyant flotation bladder, and a rope section. The hollow outer member is made of rubber or polymeric material and has an inner cavity. The flotation bladder is disposed in the inner cavity of the outer member. A first end of the rope section is connected or anchored to the flotation bladder or to a washer disposed in the cavity, and a second end of the rope section extends beyond the outer member.
US08011321B2
A teatcup liner adapted to be mounted in a shell to form a teatcup to be applied to a teat of an animal, and a method of mounting a teatcup liner. The liner defines an inner space for receiving the teat and a longitudinal center axis. The liner has a head portion, a tubular barrel portion and, a tubular lower portion defining a milk channel having a cross-section area perpendicular to the center axis. The tubular lower portion has a primary engagement member to be engaged by a secondary engagement member of the shell. The liner includes a grip member extending from the tubular lower portion to be gripped by an operator when the liner is to be mounted. The grip member defines a force application zone on which a pulling force is to be applied and which seen along the center axis is located within the cross-section area.
US08011316B2
A machine and process useful for processing a delicate workpiece, e.g., an implantable medical device, includes a carrier having a mandrel and wheels. The workpiece is positioned on the mandrel, which is free to roll by gravity on rails which cooperate with the wheels to self-align the travel of the carrier. The carrier can move the workpieces through a series of processing steps by gravity feed and without human intervention. A laterally movable carriage receives the rolling carriers and moves the carrier for processing, and returns the carrier to the rails to again roll by gravity to another processing substation for additional processing. An elevator, which can including processing units itself, is positioned along the rails to receive carriers and raise them so they can continue to roll for further processing.
US08011310B2
Micro-bubble generators attached to a ship hull below the waterline decrease frictional resistance during navigation and improve fuel efficiency. Each micro-bubble generator is supplied with air and has a wing positioned outside the hull for generating negative pressure. The negative pressure created by the wing increases with an increase in ship's speed, which pushes the air-liquid interface outwardly toward the wing. As the air and the water move at different speeds due to difference in their densities, micro-bubbles are generated in the micro-bubble generator according to the Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability mechanism and discharged downstream to move closely along the outside surface of the hull.
US08011304B2
A rail section for use in a rail switch and method for assembling same are provided. The rail section is connected to a switch mounting by inserting a portion of the switch mounting through an aperture provided in the rail section and then applying a double weld. Similarly, a gate operating mechanism is connected to the rail section by inserting a portion of the gate operating mechanism through an aperture provided in the rail section and then applying a double weld. A receptor portion of the rail section that is reinforced to withstand a greater load is also provided. A plurality of gate retention mechanisms are also disclosed.
US08011302B2
The present invention related to a pyrotechnic gas generator intended for motor vehicle safety, comprising a sealed housing (1), which contains: —at least one combustion chamber (C) containing a pyrotechnic charge (3), the combustion of which is initiated by an initiator (2) associated with the chamber; —at least one plenum chamber (T) for receiving the gases generated by the combustion of the charge (3) for removing them to the exterior, via at least one discharge aperture (10) formed in said housing (1). It is characterized in that said housing (1) also contains means (R) for temporarily storing at least some of the combustion gases.
US08011301B1
A cartridge case for a firearm is formed to contain a .338 caliber bullet. The case includes a cylindrical body portion with a central aperture in the head end for receipt of a primer and a cartridge extraction groove formed around the periphery of the body portion adjacent the head end. A frusto-conical shoulder portion tapers radially inwardly from the body portion and a generally cylindrical neck portion extends longitudinally from the shoulder portion. The length of the body portion is approximately 1.8813 inches and the outside diameter of the body portion at the shoulder portion is 0.5709±0.0059 inches. The length of the shoulder portion is 0.2727 inches. The length of the neck portion is 0.3381 inches and the outside diameter of the neck portion is 0.3669 inches. The case encloses a volume designed to receive an amount of propellant in a range of 82.0 grns to 97.8 grns.
US08011295B1
An automated bale wrapping control system for a round baler that includes a simplified remotely installable operator interface for installation on a tractor. The simplified operator interface includes manual operated, mechanical input switches for selecting system on/off, number of wraps, twine or net wrapper selection, manual extension/retraction of the wrapping mechanism, and/or manual wrap cycle initiation. An audible alarm provides feedback to the operator for monitoring the baling and wrapping processes and for alerting the operator to abnormal conditions in the baling and/or wrapping processes.
US08011291B2
A machine for preparing an infusion includes: an infusion chamber (14) delimited by a lower vessel (3) and an upper packing head (6) that can move relative to one another; a supply of hot pressurized water to the infusion chamber, the packing head (6) having an inner conduit (26) having an inlet (27) that communicates with the infusion chamber and enabling the infusion to pass through the packing head (6) in an upward direction toward the distribution outlet, and; elements (30) located inside the conduit (26) in the vicinity of its inlet and configured for forming the foam in the infusion when passing through the packing head (6) and for preventing the infusion from returning into the infusion chamber. These elements are formed by a deformable flexible piece (30) passed through by at least one hole (35) calibrated for forming the foam and for preventing the infusion from returning.
US08011281B2
A punching device includes a detecting unit, a punching unit, a moving unit, a storage unit, and a controlling unit. The detecting unit detects a lateral edge position of a recording medium to obtain edge position data. When the edge position data does not indicate an error value, the edge position data is stored in the storage unit as reference data. The controlling unit determines, when the edge position data indicates an error value, a movement amount of the punching unit based on reference data previously obtained and stored in the storage unit. The moving unit moves the punching unit by the movement amount in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording medium.
US08011271B2
A connecting rod is a fracture split-type connecting rod made of an α+β type titanium alloy, including a rod main body and a big end provided at an end of the rod main body, the big end being fracture-split. The structure of the rod main body is an equiaxed α structure, and the structure of fractured surfaces of the big end is an acicular α structure.
US08011269B2
An actuator has a rotatable input member coupled to a drive member such that rotation of the rotatable input member under an input load causes rotation of the drive member on a first axis. The drive member is coupled to a driven member such that rotation of the drive member causes rotation of the driven member on a second axis which is laterally offset from the first axis. A coupling between the drive member and the driven member is arranged to provide a rotational reduction from the drive member to the driven member. The driven member is arranged for connection to a wire of a Bowden cable having a sleeve seatable in relation to a housing for the actuator such that rotation of the driven member causes extension or retraction of the cable. The braking means exerts a braking load on a braking surface of the actuator which is fixed relative to the housing and the braking means is arranged for cooperation with the drive member such that when a backdriving load is exerted through the Bowden cable wire to the driven member, tending to cause the driven member to rotate the drive member, the drive member cooperates with the braking means to increase the braking load to resist rotation of the drive member.
US08011268B2
To provide a steering column system which has superior operating feeling and operating properties which can suppress an operational failure, an engaging arm is displaced relative to a cam member by an annular member that is deformed elastically. Distal ends of gear teeth are made to shift from each other, making it possible not only to enhance the feeling of the operation lever, but also to facilitate meshing of the gear teeth.
US08011266B2
Disclosed herein is a gear for eliminating backlash. The gear includes a rotating shaft having a hollow portion. A first gear is connected to an end of the rotating shaft to be rotated in sync with the rotating shaft, and has on a central portion thereof a connecting protrusion which protrudes forwards. A hole is formed so as to communicate with the hollow portion of the rotating shaft, and a pair of first mounting holes is formed in the first gear along an arc thereof. A second gear is rotatably connected to the connecting protrusion of the first gear and has the same teeth as teeth of the first gear. A cylinder is provided in each of the first mounting holes and connected at both ends thereof to the first gear and the second gear, thus rotating the second gear in one direction. A locking cap is provided on an end of the connecting protrusion of the first gear to prevent the second gear from being eliminated from the first gear.
US08011256B2
A magnetostrictive torque sensor includes a single magnetostrictive film disposed on a steering shaft, and first and second coils for detecting changes in a magnetic property of the magnetostrictive film. The single magnetostrictive film includes a first anisotropic region and a second anisotropic region, having respective magnetic anisotropies inverse to each other. The first coil is disposed in confronting relation to the first anisotropic region, whereas the second coil is disposed in confronting relation to the second anisotropic region.
US08011250B2
An apparatus including a chamber having a chamber opening, a plunger which is movable within the chamber so as to change a chamber volume, which is defined by the plunger and a chamber wall and which adjoins the chamber opening, includes a measurer for measuring a pressure within the chamber or for measuring a force F, F being the force which acts upon the plunger so as to change the chamber volume.
US08011248B2
Methods, systems, and computer program products for determining a property of construction material. According to one aspect, a material property gauge operable to determine a property of construction material is disclosed. The gauge may include an electromagnetic sensor operable to measure a response of construction material to an electromagnetic field. Further, the electromagnetic sensor may be operable to produce a signal representing the measured response by the construction material to the electromagnetic field. An acoustic detector may be operable to detect a response of the construction material to the acoustical energy. Further, the acoustic detector may be operable to produce a signal representing the detected response by the construction material to the acoustical energy. A material property calculation function may be configured to calculate a property value associated with the construction material based upon the signals produced by the electromagnetic sensor and the acoustic detector.
US08011247B2
A micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) device includes a substrate comprising at least one anchor, a proof mass having first and second deceleration extensions extending therefrom, a motor drive comb, a motor sense comb, a plurality of suspensions configured to suspend the proof mass over the substrate and between the motor drive comb and the motor sense comb. The suspensions are anchored to the substrate. A body is attached to the substrate. At least one deceleration beam extends from a first side of said body. The at least one deceleration beam is configured to engage at least one of the first and second deceleration extensions and slow or stop the proof mass before the proof mass contacts the motor drive comb and the motor sense comb.
US08011244B2
A microsystem, and more particularly a microgyrometer, includes at least two mechanically coupled oscillating masses.The microsystem is achieved in a flat substrate. The oscillating masses are connected to the substrate by suspension springs. The oscillating masses are coupled together by a rigid coupling bar so as to produce an anti-phase movement of the oscillating masses when driven by an excitation device in a predefined excitation direction. The coupling bar is connected to intermediate zones of the corresponding suspension springs. The suspension springs are arranged on opposite sides of the oscillating masses. An intermediate zone is arranged between a first end of a suspension spring, which is fixed to the corresponding oscillating mass, and a second end of the suspension spring, which is fixed to the substrate by a corresponding anchoring point.
US08011240B2
The flow sensor comprises a heater arranged between two sensing thermopiles. In addition, at least one monitoring thermocouple is provided for measuring the temperature of the heater. The signal from the monitoring thermocouple can be used to improve the accuracy of the device in several ways. In particular, the signal from the monitoring thermocouple depends on changes of the Seeback constant and other inherent properties of the thermopiles in the same way as the signal from the sensing thermopiles, which allows a compensation of such effects. The signal from the monitoring thermocouple can also be used as a reference voltage to an A/D converter for converting the signals from the sensing thermopiles.
US08011228B2
Disclosed is a lateral flow quantitative assay method capable of quantitatively determining the concentration and analyzing the spatial distribution of a disease marker by employing the principle of the laser-induced fluorescence detection technique, which is based on detecting emitted fluorescence when laser light is focused to the disease marker deposited onto a lateral flow quantitative assay chip. The present invention discloses a strip, a laser-induced epifluorescence detection device and a small scanner for the assay method. The present assay method is advantageous in terms of allowing quantitative point-of-care diagnostics in hospitals, being capable of specifically detecting a disease marker by optimizing a lateral flow assay biochip for diagnosis of a specific disease, allowing more accurate quantitative analysis of analytes, and being capable of simultaneously analyzing several cancer markers, reducing the hook effect and expanding the detection range and accurately measuring concentration of analytes.
US08011227B2
An apparatus and a method for determining a moisture ingress in an insulating layer surrounding a pipe, the insulating layer being surrounded by a tubular jacket. The apparatus includes an acoustic transducer in communication with an exciter adapted to provide a brief and broad banded acoustic signal which includes frequencies which by their propagation in the material of the jacket has a wavelength which corresponds to twice the thickness of the jacket or an odd multiple of twice the thickness of the jacket, and to process a reverberation signal emitted from the jacket in response to sending into the jacket the brief and broad banded output signal from the transducer. The signal processor is adapted to make a frequency analysis of the received reverberation signal for producing a frequency response curve, to establish features of the frequency response curve which are characteristic of a moisture content in the insulation material on the inside of the jacket, and to output an indication being specific for the moisture ingress.
US08011212B2
This invention relates to a lock, which includes a housing and an indicative lock core. The indicative lock core is operable by a key to move to an indicative position and be stuck in the indicative position. The indicative lock core can move back to its original position only through a restore mechanism. When the key-operated lock core is in the indicative position, the key-operated lock core is partly situated outside the housing and is easily noticed.
US08011204B2
Disclosed is a system for controlling the temperature of a series of interconnected kennels. The system includes a primary reservoir and supply and return lines for delivering a refrigerant to the series of kennel beds. Each of the kennels includes a flexible bed for supporting the animal and an interior chamber which is adapted to receive a volume of the refrigerant. Thus, the refrigerant, by way of the supply and return valves, is continuously supplied to the beds to provide a pleasing temperature for the animal.
US08011198B2
To reduce a leakage current when a motor for driving a compressor is energized, with the compressor unoperated. Setting the carrier frequency of an inverter at a value lower than that used during normal operation to cause phase interruption electrification of the motor.
US08011195B2
A Kimchi refrigerator that applies cold shock to Kimchi stored therein at predetermined time intervals, while a keeping mode is performed, so as to improve the taste of the Kimchi, wherein the time intervals are changed, and a control method of the same are disclosed. The Kimchi refrigerator includes a cooling system to cool the interior of the refrigerator in which Kimchi is stored, and a control unit to control the cooling system to perform a cold shock operation in which the interior of the refrigerator is cooled to a cold shock temperature lower than a keeping temperature at predetermined time intervals, for a predetermined period of time, while a keeping mode is performed. The control unit changes the time intervals.
US08011190B2
A cooling system for beverage dispense has a circuit 5 in which binary ice is circulated. A modular heat exchange unit 13 for a plurality of beverage lines 25,27,29,31,33 is connected to the circuit 5 for cooling beverage prior to dispense from a dispense tap 35 in a serving area such as a bar. The ice fraction in the binary ice provides a thermal store that can absorb heat without increasing the temperature of the binary ice and enables the system to respond quickly to changes in the cooling requirements in the circuit 5.
US08011189B2
A Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) system includes a first combustion turbine assembly (42) having a shaft (52) coupled to a motor (54), a compressor (44) and a debladed turbine element (46). A second combustion turbine assembly (68) has a shaft (74) coupled to an electrical generator (80), a turbine (70) and a debladed compressor (72). A first interconnection (58) is from an output of the compressor (44) of the first combustion turbine assembly to an air storage (66). A second interconnection (87) is from the air storage to the turbine (70) of the second combustion turbine assembly for producing power. An expander (88) and an electrical generator (94) are provided. A third interconnection (90) is from the air storage (66) to the expander (88). A source of heat preheats compressed air in the third interconnection. A fourth interconnection (96) is from the expander to the turbine (70).
US08011185B2
A boost pressure control apparatus includes a turbocharger whose turbine is rotationally driven by exhaust of an internal combustion engine, and an EGR device, wherein EGR is performed at the time of supercharge, or the EGR amount is increased at the time of supercharge in comparison with when supercharge is not performed. If the internal EGR gas amount is increased by changing opening/closure timings of intake valves and/or exhaust valves via the EGR device, the energy of exhaust can be increased, so that the rotation speed of the turbocharger can be enhanced. Therefore, the responsiveness of boost pressure rise can be enhanced. Thus, a technology of more promptly raising the boost pressure is provided.
US08011181B2
The invention makes use of an exhaust gas catalyst, comprising an active component comprising at least one type of metal from noble metals and transition metals; NOx-absorbing material for absorbing and releasing nitrogen oxides according to the surrounding nitrogen oxide concentration; and compounds represented by A2O2SO4 and/or A2O2S (A is a rare earth element).
US08011174B2
In an apparatus for diagnosing an exhaust gas purifying device, a catalyst deterioration level detector 104 detects the deterioration level of a catalyst from a relationship between a catalyst-upstream air-fuel-ratio detector 101 and a catalyst-downstream air-fuel-ratio detector 102. A catalyst-deterioration-level correction section 111 corrects the catalyst deterioration level detected by the catalyst deterioration level detector 104 based on a falling response ratio representing the ratio between a falling response index of the catalyst-upstream air-fuel-ratio detector 101 and a falling response index of the catalyst-downstream air-fuel-ratio detector 102 or based on a rising response ratio representing the ratio between a rising response index of the catalyst-upstream air-fuel-ratio detector 101 and a rising response index of the catalyst-downstream air-fuel-ratio detector 102. A catalyst deterioration judgment section 112 determines that the catalyst is deteriorated from information provided by the catalyst-deterioration-level correction section 111. This allows any deteriorated catalyst to be precisely detected even if an air-fuel ratio sensor downstream of the catalyst is degraded in terms of rising response.
US08011170B2
A clothing packing apparatus for folding a clothing article, such as a suit, comprising a spacing material to separate parts of the folded clothing article comprises a parts that partial overlay a fold line in the aligned sleeves and the body of an article of clothing; a slit for folding the sleeves independently; gripping surfaces to engage the clothing article; rounded/tapered edges to eliminate pressure compressions; pre-formed bands to improve folding performance; and a casing for storage and transit. The spacing material is preferably formed of foam capable of forming a continuous U-shaped curve along the fold lines and an anti-collapsible structure when folded with the clothing article.
US08011158B1
A foundation system, such as a frost-protected foundation system, includes an elongated body having a lower base surface, an upper support surface and side surfaces between the lower base surface and the upper support surface. The base surface is adapted to be supported on a ground surface and the upper support surface is adapted to supporting at least a portion of a structure. The body may be made substantially from a polymeric material, such as a high density crush resistant material, an extruded polystyrene insulation, or the like. At least one of said side surfaces is at an acute angle to said base surface. An architectural structure made with the frost-protected foundation system includes a slab supported with the upper support surface.
US08011155B2
A locking system for mechanical joining of floorboards (1, 1′) which have a body (30), a lower balancing layer (34) and an upper surface layer (32). A strip (6) is integrally formed with the body (30) of the floorboard (1) and extends under an adjoining floorboard (1′). The strip (6) has a locking element (8), which engages a looking groove (14) in the underside of the adjoining floorboard (1′) and forms a horizontal joint. A tongue (38) and a tongue groove (36) form a vertical joint between upper and lower plane-parallel contact surfaces (43, 45) and are designed in such manner that the lower contact surfaces (45) are on a level between the upper side of the locking element (8) and a plane containing the underside (3) of the floorboard. Also, a floorboard having such a locking system, a floor made of such floorboards, as well as a method for making such a locking system.
US08011146B2
A blast-proof window and mullion system for sustaining and mitigating an explosion and/or blast to the window and mullion system on a multi-storied building or structure. The window and mullion system includes a blast-resistant mullion having a mullion housing with mullion walls with outer surfaces; and a pressure bar member having a pressure bar housing with an interior wall and a pair of outer walls being connected to the interior wall to form a center channel opening. The outer walls are angled for reducing the space between the angled walls and for reducing the size of the center channel opening for reduction of bullet and/or blast penetration to the interior wall of the pressure bar member. Also, one of the mullion walls of the mullion housing includes a mullion tongue thereon having a pair of tongue extension arms for forming a vertical bolt receiving channel therebetween. Each of the tongue extension arms have interior serrated surfaces for receiving threaded bolts between the interior serrated surfaces. The interior wall of the pressure bar member has a pair of spaced-apart pressure bar extension arms thereon. The interior wall of the pressure bar member includes a plurality of spaced-apart bolt openings for receiving a plurality of the threaded bolts therein for permanently locking together the pressure bar extension arms with the mullion extension arms in order to join together and lock the pressure bar housing of the pressure bar member to said mullion housing of the blast-resistant mullion to form the blast-proof window and mullion system.
US08011141B1
A new conical roof building method provides flat plates having straight abutting edges and curved outer edges. The plates are placed horizontally edge to edge except for a sectoral opening. The plates are welded together to form a flat disc-shaped blank, leaving an open sector of the blank. Radial supports are welded to a top of the disc-shaped blank. A center of the disc-shaped blank is lifted, forming a conical-shaped structure, closing and abutting edges of the open sector and touching edges of the formerly open sector are welded together, completing the forming of the conical roof.
US08011136B2
A power closure actuator especially suitable for use in powering various automotive closure devices. The actuator includes a brushless pancake electric motor having an output shaft; a sun gear on the output shaft; a plurality of compound planet gears each having a large diameter lower portion meshingly engaging the sun gear and a small diameter upper portion; a ring gear surrounding and meshingly engaging the small diameter upper portions of the planet gears, and a cable drum splined to the ring gear. A mounting plate positioned in overlying confronting relation to the flat upper face of the motor mounts a plurality of planet shafts extending upwardly from the mounting plate in circumferentially spaced relation to the motor output shaft with one of the compound planet gears journaled on each planet shaft.
US08011134B2
A method of creating a hydroponic growing medium. The method includes retrieving polyurethane constituents and mixing the polyurethane constituents in a shear spray mix, creating a resultant foam. Thereafter the resultant foam is placed in a form to cure and a forced heated air is convected in a post-processing step, whereby the hot air convected upon the resultant foam causes additional cracks throughout cell walls within the resultant foam. These fissure cracks allow for a wicking action to occur in the foam, making the material suitable for a hydroponic growing medium.
US08011133B2
An apparatus and method of quantitatively obtaining a measurement of pollen of a plant. One method of counting comprises imaging the sample with the pollen well-distributed in the focal plane of the imager. Image evaluation software can identify and count objects in the image that are consistent with pollen. Total pollen count for the plant can be derived from the count of pollen of the sample, proportionality of the sample volume to the starting volume, and proportionality of area of sample imaged to total area of sample. Pollen quantification can be used for research or commercial production decisions relative to the plant or its seed.
US08011127B2
Disclosed is a unitary sheet-like merchandise labeling article that has a labeling tag flatly conjoined along a unifying flat bond zone with a flexible elastic layer that extends away from the tag and includes an elastic fastening loop. The loop sides that define the loop are wider than the thickness of the elastic layer. Further, the flexible elastic layer that extends away from the tag has a thickness greater than the thickness of the tag and has a dispersion zone adjacent the unifying flat bond zone. The dispersion zone allows dissipation of elastic loop in-line stretching forces sufficiently to reduce transmission of such forces into the bond zone.
US08011124B1
A bracelet identification system including a band or bracelet with a locking mechanism that is adjustable, a pocket receptacle for placement of an identification card, and an identification card including an identification number specific to a wearer of the system, a bar code storing additional information about the wearer, a security device, and/or printed information about the wearer.
US08011118B2
An article of footwear is disclosed. The article of footwear includes an outsole with a circular tread pattern. The circular tread pattern provides sufficient traction in all directions but also allows the wearer to pivot about a pivot portion. The circular tread pattern is generally large, and in some cases, the first and smallest circular tread extends less than 360 degrees. The pivot portion can include a slot that aids in flexibility. The outsole can also include a different tread pattern for the heel portion, or the circular tread pattern may also extend into the heel portion.
US08011106B2
A method and apparatus for a pipe alignment tool have been described. A laser is inserted into the end of a pipe and projects a laser beam indicative of the longitudinal axis of the pipe.
US08011097B2
A method for restoring a crack formed within a turbo charger engine transition section, the method including preparing a crack in the transition section to receive a material within the crack, applying the material within the crack, and retaining structural integrity of the transition section proximate the crack while at least one of preparing the crack and applying the material.
US08011096B2
The invention relates to a method for increasing the bending strength and the endurance limit of crankshafts by locally restricted hammering in areas of high stress, such as grooves, the mouths of bores and cross-sectional transition zones, in which method pressure impulse machines or beating devices comprising heating tools are employed. The pressure impulse machines or beating devices only execute a relative displacement of the beating tool against the surface of the crankshaft segment to be processed when the compressive stress is introduced between the heating tool and said surface of the crankshaft segment to be processed. The invention also relates to a device for increasing the endurance limit of crankshafts.
US08011093B2
A method for manufacturing connectors comprises providing a carrier strip with a plurality of first alignment apertures and a plurality of contacts arranged in a row. The carrier strip is cut to desired lengths to form contact band pieces. The first alignment apertures are engaged with first protrusions on a carrier tape to mount each of the contact band pieces to the carrier tape. The first protrusions have a smaller outer diameter than an inner diameter of the first alignment apertures such that there is slight play there between. Resin is insert molded around the rows of the contacts to form a housing. The contacts are then cut from the carrier strip.
US08011084B2
A method for manufacturing a manufacturing a magnetoresistive sensor that allows the sensor to be constructed with a very narrow and well controlled track width. The method includes depositing a layer of diamond like carbon over a series of sensor layers. A first mask is then formed to define a sensor, and an ion milling is performed to remove sensor material not protected by the first mask. Then, a second mask is formed, and a hard bias layer is deposited to the thickness of the sensor layers. The second mask is then lifted off and a CMP is performed to remove the first mask structure. Because all areas other than the area directly over the sensor are substantially planar a quick, gentle CMP can be used to remove the first mask layer even if the first mask is small, such as for definition of a very narrow track-width sensor.
US08011081B1
A method of manufacturing a bedknife for a reel cutting unit comprises providing a base having a tool steel insert that forms a cutting edge of the bedknife. The base comprises a heat treatable steel. Both the base and the insert are heat treated prior to joining the insert to the base. The insert is then integrally joined to the base by brazing the two together using a silver based filler between the two.
US08011078B2
A method of producing a stent-balloon assembly is disclosed which includes providing a stent having a polymeric component; exposing the stent to a relative humidity of 20% to 100%; and crimping the stent on a balloon of a catheter assembly. The polymeric component could be at least part of the material from which the stent is made or could be a constituent of a coating for the stent, such as a drug delivery coating. In lieu of or in addition to the application of humidity, a plasticizing agent can be applied to the polymeric component. A crimping device is also disclosed which allows the stent to be exposed to humidity during the crimping process.
US08011071B2
A lockable mounting mechanism has a hitch portion and a receiver portion, the hitch portion having a hitch member, a locking member being rotatable between an unlocked position and a locked position, and a camming surface being rotatable with the locking member and the receiver portion having a channel, the hitch member of the hitch portion and the channel of the receiver portion sized to slidably receive the hitch member into the channel portion whereby to mount the hitch portion to the receiver portion, the receiver portion further having a reset surface positioned to engage the camming surface as the hitch member is slid into the channel when the locking member is out of the unlocked position, the camming surface and reset surface cooperating to automatically rotate the locking member toward the unlocked position as the hitch member is slid into the channel.
US08011070B2
A curved slide fastener in which a convex element attaching edge portion which is curved convexly and outwardly and a concave element attaching edge portion which is curved concavely and inwardly are arranged to face each other on opposing side edges of a pair of fastener tapes, a stretchable member which is elastically deformed so as to be stretchable in a length direction of the fastener tape is attached to an edge side of the fastener tape on an opposite side to the convex element attaching edge portion, and the stretchable member is fixed to the fastener tape in a contracted state and maintains a foundation structure of the fastener tape in a contracted state, thereby preventing occurrence of wrinkle or swelling on the tape surface.
US08011064B2
A hinge cover is provided for a refrigerator door hinge so as to hide the hinge screws. The cover includes a cap with a front face and a side wall extending continuously around the cover. A bead is formed on the inside of the side wall to engage a mounting plate secured to the base of the door hinge, or alternatively, to frictionally engage the hinge base. The cover is made of a flexible material, and includes a slot through which the hinge flange and post extend. The cover can be colored to match or complement the refrigerator color.
US08011056B2
A mop and mop shield or cover is described in which the mop shield is slideably mounted on the handle of a mop, and capable of being lowered over the head of the mop to protect it from damage. The protective shield can also be marked, so as to enable a person to identify the purpose for which the mop has been used.
US08011051B1
A toilet bowl cleaning assembly includes an elongated housing that has a first end and a second end. A cleaning brush apparatus is rotatably coupled to the housing and extends downwardly from the second end of the housing. A drive apparatus is mounted in the housing and is mechanically coupled to the cleaning brush apparatus and turns the cleaning brush apparatus when the drive apparatus is turned on. A shroud is coupled to the housing between the first end of the housing and the cleaning brush apparatus. The shroud has a bottom edge is engageable with an upper edge of a toilet bowl. The cleaning brush apparatus is placed in the toilet bowl and the drive apparatus turned on to clean the toilet bowl.
US08011049B2
The present invention relates to a method for controlling a time period display at the steam spray type washing machine with a steam generator for washing laundry by using a high temperature steam, in which a preliminary set time required for display in the steam spray cycle is determined, not only with reference to a set temperature, but also with reference to a laundry amount, to minimize an error between the time displayed and an actual time. According to this, since a difference between the preliminary set time displayed in the steam spray cycle and the actual time reached to the set temperature is small, there will be no error which is liable to make the user misunderstood that the washing machine is out of order, According to this, reliability of the product, and convenience of the user is enhanced.
US08011031B2
A toilet assembly is provided having a bowl assembly having an inlet, a wastewater outlet, and a water supply inlet having an inlet valve. The assembly includes an adjustable metering valve in fluid communication with the inlet valve and the inlet of the bowl assembly, and an accumulator in fluid communication with the inlet valve and disposed upstream of the adjustable metering valve. A fragmentation passage is provided in fluid communication with the wastewater outlet and disposed downstream of the wastewater outlet. The assembly includes jet assembly having an inlet in fluid communication with the inlet valve, and an outlet disposed upstream of the fragmentation passage. The water supply inlet is structured to deliver a quantity of water through the inlet of the bowl assembly, and a quantity of water to the jet assembly to remove wastewater from the fragmentation passage.
US08011019B1
A inflatable protective suit apparatus provides separate upper body jacket and lower body pant with self-inflating protection. The apparatus is self-contained so that no external gas supply, electronics or other mechanisms other than the tether clip for removably clipping to an external object are needed. The tether clip can be hooked to a motorcycle, snowmobile, bicycle, AN, and any other of a host of various vehicles. Any vehicle is thereby chosen for use without regard to equipping every vehicle chosen with complimentary equipment. The apparatus places significant importance on style such that the protective mechanisms are not visually discernible.
US08011017B2
A neck-protective member for preventing chafe encountered when wearing a wetsuit is provided that fits snugly around the wearer's neck, with its lower edge under the edge of the neck opening in the wetsuit. The edge of the neck opening in the wetsuit bears against the protective member rather than the skin of the wearer's neck, preventing painful chafing that can be experienced around a wearer's neck upon prolonged wetsuit use.In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the neck-protective member of the invention comprises a generally conical neck portion, which fits around the wearer's neck, and a skirt portion, which fits over the wearer's shoulders, under the wetsuit. The neck portion may be formed of a single band-like member cut from a sheet of flat material, preferably “smoothskin” neoprene rubber material, oriented such that the smooth surface of the “smoothskin” neoprene rubber material is to the inside and contacts the wearer's neck.Similar members can also be provided for prevention of chafe between the ends of sleeves in the garment and the arms of the wearer.
US08015616B2
Mobile unit 16 which can activate Java-AP software receives SDF (Security Descriptive File) 204 from administering server unit 18 which a trustworthy organization (a communication provider which administers mobile packet communication network 15) administers, and obtains ADF 205 from IP server unit 13 by using URL contained in the SDF, and obtains Jar file 206 from IP server unit 13 by using ADF 205, and installs in itself Java-AP containing these files. Java-AP, which is achieved by activating the installed Java-AP software, operates within the range of authorization expressed by policy information contained in SDF 204.
US08015613B2
System renewability message data is transmitted to set top boxes, or other devices, using a protocol such as an MPEG-2 Systems type transport protocol. The system renewability message data is incorporated by a content provider or distributor directly into a MPEG-type transport packet stream. A data structure within a transport multiplex carries information pertinent to the system renewability message data. A plurality of packets is selected from the MPEG-type transport stream wherein the packets include data corresponding to identities of a plurality of devices that are unauthorized for the use of content. Each packet comprises an identifier that is referenced from a transport stream description table. The data from the plurality of packets is processed whereupon use of the content is prevented in accordance with the data.
US08015603B2
A method for packet transmission in an MIP network is disclosed. A mobile node sends to a Home Agent (HA) a first Firewall Detection (FD) packet encapsulated with IP security (IPsec) protocol and a second FD packet encapsulated with the IPsec protocol and User Datagram Payload (UDP) protocol. The mobile node determines whether there is a firewall blocking an IPsec packet between the mobile node and the HA according to a Firewall Detection Reply (FDR) packet from the HA. If there is a firewall, packets are encapsulated with the UDP protocol and binding update and packet exchange are performed; otherwise, binding update and packet exchange are performed. A mobile node for packet transmission is also provided. Embodiments of the present invention enables the mobile node to exchange a packet with a correspondent node when there is a firewall not supporting the IPsec protocol between the mobile node and the HA.
US08015598B2
A computerized method of providing access to a secure resource includes, to each of a plurality of authorized users, providing a link to the secure resource. Each link includes a unique password embedded therein and each unique password relates to a particular user identification (userID) and personal identification number (PIN). The method also includes receiving a request to access the resource using a link having a password embedded therein, which request originates at a web browser. The method further includes directing the browser to a login screen and receiving via the login screen a userID and PIN. The method also includes determining whether the userID and PIN relate to one another and to the password and allowing or denying access to the resource in accordance with the determination.
US08015595B2
A gaming system may include a gaming security arbiter, and first and second network gaming devices, each including a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor. The arbiter controller may be programmed to receive a request from the first network gaming device for a communication session between the first network gaming device and the second network gaming device, to provide a first encryption key to the first network gaming device and to provide a second encryption key to a second network gaming device. The first controller may transmit the request to the gaming security arbiter, receive the first encryption key, encrypt a message using the first encryption key and transmit the encrypted message to the second network gaming device. The second controller may be programmed to receive the second encryption key, receive the encrypted message and decrypt the encrypted message using the second encryption key.
US08015586B2
An image reproduction function for reproducing effectively reproducing image recorded in a storage device in diversified forms is provided. A moving picture obtained from one image pickup device is recorded in a plurality of systems at different frame rates. The recorded moving picture is formed of a plurality of still picture data. When reproducing the recorded moving picture, the still picture data forming a moving picture of either one of the systems are reproduced according to a time axis serving as reference for reproduction of the recorded moving picture.
US08015585B2
A method for preventing disconnection of an audio/video stream in a home network includes: a step in which a renderer connected to a server requests A/V streams; a step in which the server judges whether A/V streams can be outputted in response to the request from the renderer; and a step in which the server provides the A/V streams to the renderer sequentially or simultaneously if the A/V stream can be outputted, or outputting a server unavailableness message to the renderer if the server judges that the A/V streams can not be outputted. Without a memory, even though plural renderers are simultaneously or sequentially connected to the server, an abnormal image is prevented from being outputted, so that a service user can be provided with an image without disconnection.
US08015570B2
An arbitration policy resolves software applications operating on a single unit of data in a manner conflicting with other applications that operates on the same data or properties of the data. This is accomplished through picking an entity type of one application to have priority over an entity type of another application when both entity types map to a same property which caused the conflict. This allows user to observe the data in a consistent manner when switching between applications.
US08015569B2
A system for supporting the diversity of a ubiquitous computing environment according to the present invention has a message bus including a message broker managing an intermediary role of delivering an actual message between the subsystems and a messaging adaptor managing an interface function between the message broker and the subsystems, wherein the messaging adaptor is installed in the subsystems and includes a first adaptor including a first application port for interfacing with the subsystems, and a second adaptor including a second application port for interfacing with the first adaptor and the broker port operating with the message broker.
US08015566B2
A data processing system attributes energy consumption to individual program segments or threads includes a processor that executes a first thread during a first portion of a measurement interval and a second thread during a second portion of the interval. An energy monitor measures the total energy during the interval. Energy attribution code attributes a first amount of the total energy to the first thread and a second amount to the second thread based in part on the execution times of the threads. The code may define a range of possible energy values by determining maximum and minimum energy constraints for the threads. The invention may also be extended to a multiprocessor environment and to a simultaneous multithreading (SMT) processor. In addition, the process may be expanded to determine energy consumed by various peripheral units such as hard disk controllers and the like.
US08015564B1
An embodiment of a method of dispatching tasks in a multi-processor computing environment begins with a step of a dispatcher within the multi-processor computing environment receiving job properties for a plurality of jobs to be processed in the multi-processor computing environment. Each job comprises at least one task. In a second step, the dispatcher employs an initial dispatching rule to assign an initial subset of tasks to processors within the multi-processor computing environment. The method continues with a third step of the dispatcher monitoring system status of the multi-processor computing environment. In a fourth step, the dispatcher selects a second dispatching rule from a plurality of dispatching rules in response to a change in the system status. In a fifth step, the dispatcher employs the second dispatching rule to assign a second subset of tasks to the processors.
US08015562B2
A process for managing virtual machines in a physical machine includes the generation of virtual machines and executing operating systems in the virtual machines on top of the physical machine. A virtual machine monitoring function includes the operations of running in privileged mode, operating multiprogramming functions and providing a plurality of virtual machines identical to the physical machine for executing the operating systems.
US08015546B2
Methods and Systems are provided for assembling a software information technology (IT) solution using a graphical user interface (GUI) based development environment. Software solution building blocks (e.g., plug-ins) are selected and stored in a catalog of solutions within the development environment. Meta data is generated for each of the selected building blocks describing the building block's compatibility with other building blocks. The building blocks displayed in the catalog of solutions may be selected for the IT software solution by a software developer based on input from the customer for the requirements of the IT software solution. A set of logical relationships between the building blocks is based on the meta data, allowing the IT software solution to be created and modified by adding building blocks without incurring extensive system integration services for building block installation and configuration.
US08015539B2
The DC offset of a differential signal can be changed by differentially shifting the DC offset of each of its signals. Techniques are presented for changing, in a controlled way, the DC offset of a differential signal as received by a receiver of a data transmission system. Several classes of example embodiments, utilizing digitally controllable voltage or current sources, are presented. The classes differ based upon such factors as coupling capacitor arrangement and use of termination resistors. Specific embodiments, within each class, differ based upon such factors as whether voltage or current sources are used and the characteristics of such sources. Once the DC offset of a differential signal has been changed, the effect of such change on a performance metric can be measured. Example applications include the ability to determine a differential signal level that results in BER having a particular level and determination of differential signal margin.
US08015522B2
An engineering change order (ECO) modifying an IC having spare cell instances is implemented by converting active cell instances implementing portions of the IC to be deleted into additional spare cell instances, by creating a technology independent behavioral model of portions of the IC to be added, by selecting spare cell instances to implement the behavior model, and by routing nets to the selected spare cell instances in a way that minimizes a number of metal layers of the IC that are modified.
US08015520B2
Methods and apparatuses to automatically determine conditions at hierarchical boundaries of a hierarchical circuit design and to use the determined conditions in hierarchical optimization and verification. In one embodiment, a hierarchical block is optimized and transformed during design synthesis using one or more lemmas at the boundary of the hierarchical block. For example, the lemmas are automatically generated to specify range information for input boundary nodes. The lemmas are also used for the equivalence checker to perform hierarchical equivalence checking. Equivalence of hierarchical blocks is individually checked, in view of the lemmas. Thus, based on the lemmas, optimizations across hierarchical boundaries can be performed, while the hierarchical structure of the design is preserved so that equivalence checking of hierarchical circuit designs can still be based on the equivalence of individual hierarchical blocks.
US08015511B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for making mask shape adjustment The method includes creating a first mask shape; identifying one or more mask segments of the first mask shape as candidate mask segments of needing segment adjustment; applying an optical proximity correction (OPC) process to the first mask shape, the OPC process identifying at least one of the candidate mask segments as a constrained mask segment; applying a rotational adjustment to the constrained mask segment; and creating a second mask shape having the constrained mask segment being rotationally adjusted. A system and a machine-readable medium for performing the above method are also provided.
US08015509B2
The present invention discloses a solution to add a user selectable lock to a GUI control, such as a close button. The lock can be imposed on an individual window. After being applied, a user will have to explicitly unlock the control before the control can be selected, which prevents inadvertent selections of the locked control. For example, a lock can be placed on a close control to prevent accidental closing of a window. Locks can be manually or automatically applied. Automatically applied locks can be associated with a set of user configurable rules, which can also establish rules for automatically unlocking GUI controls. An applied GUI control lock can be unlocked in a user configurable manner, with any level of security.
US08015502B2
The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for providing dynamic search results based upon historical data through the use of one or more widgets. The method of the present invention comprises receiving a request for content from a client and generating one or more widgets for providing search result content. A display profile is applied to the one or more widgets and the one or more widgets are combined with static search results to form a search result page that is provided to a requesting client.
US08015497B2
An example of a solution provided here comprises receiving a signal for sending in a side conversation, and in response to the signal for sending, sending a first portion of text, in a side conversation. The first portion of text is new, and the first portion of text is not necessarily revealed to some participants.
US08015490B2
The present invention has been made to facilitate search or management of video data. The present invention generates a display space defined by display axes determined by feature parameters representing the feature of video data or audio data or associated parameters linked to the video data or audio data, converts feature values designated by the feature parameters or associated values designated by the associated parameters into coordinate parameters corresponding to a position on the display axes on the display space, and displays the video data through a display window on the display space in accordance with the change of the position corresponding to the converted coordinate parameters.
US08015485B2
A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for managing the spatial coordinates and visual attributes of objects within a user interface (UI). A Web UI ruler is executed within a UI comprising a plurality of objects. A first object and second object are selected. The Web UI Ruler then collects the spatial coordinate and visual attribute values for the first and second object and their relationship values are determined. The spatial coordinate and visual attribute values for the first and second objects, along with their corresponding relationship values, are modified and the modifications are applied to the target objects. The values are then stored in the Web UI ruler. These values can then be subsequently applied to one or more target objects. Alternatively, the stored values are exported as a cascading style sheet (CSS) class, which can then likewise be subsequently applied to one or more target objects.
US08015481B2
A method for operating a computer which has access to data of a database, is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: creating a spreadsheet using a table calculation program; defining logic operations between various cells of the spreadsheet; defining an assignment of the data from the database to the cells of the spreadsheet; and generating a source code of a procedural, re-entrant-compatible programming language from the spreadsheet, which when called, reads data from the database, executes a logic operation on it and outputs the result of the logic operation. Also disclosed is a method for generating source code in a procedural, re-entrant-compatible programming language from a spreadsheet representation, wherein a source code is generated from a representation of algorithms and/or data in one or more spreadsheets in such a way that cell areas with the same formula structure are mapped onto one or more methods of the programming language.
US08015478B2
A non-transitory computer readable medium includes a computer program, which when executed by a processor performs a method, the method including processing a data message to extract segments of data and computing a checksum by applying gray code conversions to one or more of the data segments, wherein only one bit changes on each count when consecutive integers are represented as bits. The method further includes extracting remaining data segments and adding bitwise to the previously calculated gray code checksum to provide the next checksum, converting the next checksum to gray code, and adding a final gray code conversion to a final data message including all remaining data segments and transmitting the final data message.
US08015465B2
A scan control method of a circuit device including setting information indicating scan mode in a register is provided. The scan control method includes cutting an output of scan-out data to a test access port controller and an input of scan-in data from a data register based on information set in the register, and controlling a connection between a scan register and a data register. Each data/scan register includes data registers for the same number of chains to be scanned at the same time. Data set in one data register may be kept in all the data registers in parallel and scanned in all the scan chains in a scan-in process in the broadcast mode. The data set in the data register may be kept in the data register corresponding to the scan register and scanned in the corresponding scan chain, in a scan-in process in the parallel mode.
US08015460B2
One or more embodiments of the invention enable a memory device to load its memory array with desired background data, such as to reduce total test time and costs associated with testing. A background data loading circuit according to one embodiment of the invention includes a buffer, a data loading circuit, and a pattern generating logic. The buffer is coupled to the array of memory cells. The data loading circuit is coupled to load data into the buffer to be transferred to a respective row of the memory cells. The pattern generating logic is coupled to the data loading circuit. The pattern generating logic applies a pattern generating algorithm corresponding to a test mode when the memory devices is in the test mode and generates patterns of data each for a respective row of the memory cells according to the pattern generating algorithm. The pattern generating logic further causes the data loading circuit to load each of the generated patterns of data into the buffer for transferring to a respective row of the memory cells.
US08015456B2
The network fault manager described herein may generate an alarm data table having various columns and rows respectively corresponding to different alarm data fields and different alarms. The alarm data table may be associated with a primary key that includes a subset of the different data fields in the multiple columns to uniquely represent the different alarms in the multiple rows. In response to removing one or more of the different alarm data fields in the subset from the primary key, the primary key may non-uniquely represent the different alarms in a plurality of the multiple rows. Thus, the alarm data table may be collapsed to combine the different alarms non-uniquely represented in the plurality of the multiple rows into one combined row uniquely representing the different alarms, whereby the collapsed alarm data table may replace the plurality of the multiple rows with the combined row.
US08015454B1
Systems and methods are disclosed for monitoring and managing data transactions, such as SQL transactions. In certain examples, a management subsystem generates an alert identifying degrading database transactions to facilitate preventative tuning or other maintenance. In particular, a monitor module tracks performance measurements (e.g., logical reads) of select transactions. A modeler correlates the performance measurements and assigns first performance model(s) to represent the performance measurements and predicted performance measurements of a particular transaction. A trend change module detects a significant change in a trend and/or variance of the performance measurements and can cause the modeler module to generate a second performance model to represent at least a portion of the performance measurements and the predicted performance measurements of the particular transaction. An interface module triggers an alert when the second performance model indicates that the predicted performance measurements of the particular transaction are degrading at or above a threshold rate.
US08015450B1
Computer-implemented methods and systems for detecting and automatically installing missing software components are disclosed. In one example, an exemplary method for performing such a task may comprise: 1) detecting a failed attempt by a process to load a shared object, 2) identifying the shared object requested in the failed attempt, 3) automatically obtaining the shared object from a network-accessible storage device, 4) installing the shared object on the computing device, and then 5) successfully loading the shared object.
US08015448B2
A storage controller including a first controller. The first controller includes a memory module, a test access port controller, the test access port controller configured to control a built in self-test operation on the memory module, and a register configured to store a first instruction. In response to the storage controller detecting a test access port interface being accessible to the storage controller, the test access port controller is configured to control the built in self-test operation on the memory module of the first controller by having either (i) a second instruction sent from the test access port controller to the first controller or (ii) the first instruction sent from the register to the first controller. The first controller is configured to perform the built in self-test operation on the memory module in response to having received the first instruction or having received the second instruction.
US08015443B2
In order to reproduce the past operations of a medical system, a reproduction test service apparatus stores a plurality of past log files directly or indirectly supplied from the medical system in a log file storage unit and reproduces the past operations of the medical system on a pseudo X-ray CT system in accordance with the stored log files.
US08015439B2
The present invention is a method for handling disk drives in a Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) configuration. The method may include detecting a disk drive received via insertion of the disk drive in a disk drive slot of an enclosure of the RAID configuration. Prior to the disk drive being received, it may be that fewer than a maximum number of supported disk drives are configured. It may also be the case that, after the disk drive is received, no more than the maximum number of supported drives are in-place within the enclosure of the RAID configuration. In such instances, and when the insertion is a cold insertion into an empty disk drive slot, the method may further include marking the disk drive as Un-configured good alias Ready. Further, if the disk drive is inserted into a missing disk drive slot and has a smaller storage capacity than that of the replaced disk drive previously in place within the missing disk drive slot, the method may further include marking the disk drive as FAIL. Still further, if the disk drive is inserted into a missing disk drive slot and has the same storage capacity or larger storage capacity than the replaced disk drive, the method may further include marking the disk drive as FAIL or RBLD based on an Auto Rebuild flag.
US08015436B2
A method for data protection includes, in a first operational mode, sending data items for storage in a primary storage device and in a secondary storage device, while temporarily caching the data items in a disaster-proof storage unit and subsequently deleting the data items from the disaster-proof storage unit, wherein each data item is deleted from the disaster-proof storage unit upon successful storage of the data item in the secondary storage device.An indication of a fault related to storage of the data in the secondary storage device is received. Responsively to the indication, operation is switched to a second operational mode in which the data items are sent for storage at least in the primary storage device and are cached and retained in the disaster-proof storage unit irrespective of the successful storage of the data items in the secondary storage device.
US08015435B2
According to an aspect of an embodiment, a method for controlling a controller connected to a plurality of storage units storing data, the controller including a cache and a buffer, the method comprising the steps of: storing data in the cache; generating parity data corresponding to the data and storing the parity data in the buffer; writing the data and the parity data into the plurality of the storage units; comparing the parity data stored in the buffer with the parity data written into and read out from at least one of the storage unit; deleting, when the parity data stored in the buffer is different from the parity data read out from the storage unit, the parity data from the buffer; and regenerating parity data from data stored in the cache and rewriting the regenerated parity data into at least one of the storage unit.
US08015431B2
Provided is a failover method for a cluster system for realizing smooth failover of the guest OS's, even when there are many guest OS's, while reducing consumption of computer resources of a server. Smooth failover is realized by preventing competition during failover even when the number of guest OS's is increased. In a cluster configuration in which a slave/master cluster program is operated in a guest OS/host OS, the master cluster program (510) collects and transmits heartbeats of the slave cluster program, thereby realizing failure monitoring through the certain amount of heartbeats without depending on the number of guest OS's. Further, when the master cluster program monitors failures of the slave cluster program of its own computer to find a normal operation of the guest OS, the amount of communication through heartbeats is reduced by eliminating the necessity of communication to a standby system slave cluster program.
US08015429B2
Embodiments of methods and apparatus for clock and data recovery are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method for recovering data from an input data stream of a device is disclosed, the method comprising synchronizing, during an initialization phase, a data clock (DCK) with an input data stream; synchronizing, during the initialization phase, an edge clock signal (ECK) with the input data stream based at least in part on a phase relationship between the ECK and the synchronized DCK; and sampling, during the initialization phase, a rising edge of the input data stream with the synchronized ECK to generate a transition level reference voltage. Additional variants and embodiments may also be disclosed and claimed.
US08015423B1
A temporally normalized processor utilization trace is generated.
US08015416B2
An information processing apparatus causes an encryption key data generating section to generate key data stored in a semiconductor memory by using encryption key source data read from the semiconductor memory and cipher generation data stored therein, and stores the key data in a temporary storage section. The information processing apparatus transmits data encrypted by an encryption circuit by using the key data. Upon receipt of the encrypted data, the semiconductor memory executes a command decrypted by a decryption circuit similarly using the key data. This achieves data communication only between the predetermined semiconductor memory and the information processing apparatus.
US08015402B2
A DHCP/authentication server transmits an IP address and authentication information acquired from the IP address to a home gateway. The home gateway creates authentication data from the authentication information and adds the authentication data to an IP packet received from a terminal, and transfers the IP packet to a false-address checking server. The false-address checking server extracts a source IP address and the authentication data from the IP packet, and creates provisional authentication data based on the source IP address. The false-address checking server checks the provisional authentication data against the original authentication data. If these two pieces of the authentication data coincide with each other, the false-address checking server transfers the IP packet to a communication counter part. If the authentication data do not coincide with each other, the false-address checking server discards the IP packet.
US08015399B2
A communication apparatus includes an authentication part for authenticating another communication apparatus with a first digital certificate, and a certificate transmission part for transmitting a second digital certificate when the authentication part succeeds in authenticating the other communication apparatus with the first digital certificate.
US08015389B2
An image memory, image memory system, and memory controller that are capable of efficiently accessing a rectangular area of two-dimensionally arrayed data are provided. The memory device has: a memory cell array that has a plurality of memory unit areas, each of which is selected by addresses; a plurality of input/output terminals; and an input/output unit provided between the memory cell array and the plurality of input/output terminals. Each of the memory unit areas stores therein data of a plurality of bytes or bits corresponding to the plurality of input/output terminals respectively, and the memory cell array and the input/output unit access a plurality of bytes or bits stored in a first memory unit area corresponding to the input address and in a second memory unit area adjacent to the first memory unit on the basis of the input address and combination information of the bytes or bits in response to a first operation code, and then, from the plurality of bytes or bits within the accessed first and second memory unit areas, associate a combination of the plurality of bytes or bits based on the combination information, with the plurality of input/output terminals.
US08015388B1
A method and system are provided that does not perform a page walk on the guest page tables if the shadow page table entry corresponding to the guest virtual address for accessing the virtual memory indicates that a corresponding mapping from the guest virtual address to a guest physical address is not present in the guest page tables. A marker or indicator is stored in the shadow page table entries to indicate that a mapping corresponding to the guest virtual address of the shadow page table entry is not present in the guest page table.
US08015387B2
A processor (e.g. utilizing an operating system and/or circuitry) may access physical memory by paging, where a page is the smallest partition of memory mapped by the processor from a virtual address to a physical address. An application program executing on the processor addresses a virtual address space so that the application program may be unaware of physical memory paging mechanisms. A memory control layer manages physical memory space in units of sub-blocks, wherein a sub-blocks is smaller than a size of the page. Multiple virtual address blocks may be mapped to the same physical page in memory. A sub-block can be moved from a page (e.g. from one physical memory to a second physical memory) without moving other sub-blocks within the page in a manner that is transparent to the application program.
US08015381B2
A management computer monitors an allocated capacity of a source virtual volume and an allocated capacity of a virtual pool having a storage area allocated to a destination virtual volume in a storage, judges whether the allocated capacity of the source virtual volume can be covered in the virtual pool or not, and informs the user of a result that data migration fails when the allocated capacity of the source virtual volume cannot be covered. When the allocated capacity of the source virtual volume cannot be covered, the management computer uses another storage area to increase the capacity of the virtual pool. Accordingly, when data migration is performed between the virtual volumes, capacities of physical areas allocated to the source virtual volume and the destination virtual volume can be grasped so that the data migration can be performed accurately between the source virtual volume and the destination virtual volume.
US08015375B1
A method of parallel processing and storing tracking information for multiple write requests in a data replication environment including multiple data storage devices is disclosed. According to one aspect, the method includes receiving a plurality of first write requests to write data to the source in a data storage environment having a first volume of data denominated as a source being stored on a data storage system and at least a second volume of data denominated as a clone and which has data content that is a copy of data content of the source, the clone being stored on the data storage system or on another data storage system. Tracking information is saved to persistent storage representing differences in data located on the source and data located on the clone indicated by the first write requests. Parallel writing of data is initiated, where the data to be written to the source and the clone is indicated by the first write requests. During the parallel writing of data indicated by the first write requests, tracking information is saved to the persistent data storage, the tracking information representing differences in data located on the source and data located on the clone as indicated by a plurality of second write requests.
US08015371B2
Disclosed is a storage apparatus that extends endurance and reduces bit cost. A storage apparatus includes a controller and a semiconductor storage media that has a plurality of storage devices. The plurality of storage devices include a first storage device and a second storage device having an upper limit of an erase count of data smaller than that of the first storage device. Area conversion information includes correspondence of a first address to be specified as a data storage destination and a second address of an area in which data is to be stored. A rewrite frequency of stored data is recorded for each area. The controller selects an area corresponding to the first address, determines whether or not the rewrite frequency of the selected area is equal to or larger than a first threshold value, when the rewrite frequency is equal to or larger than the threshold value, selects an area to be provided by the first storage device, and when the rewrite frequency is smaller than the threshold value, selects an area to be provided by the second storage device and maps the address of the selected area to the first address.
US08015366B2
A method for communicating between nodes of a plurality of nodes is disclosed. Each node includes a plurality of processors and an interconnect chipset. The method issues a request for data from a processor in a first node and passes the request for data to other nodes through an expansion port (or scalability port). The method also starts an access of a memory in response to the request for data and snoops a processor cache of each processor in each node. The method accordingly identifies the location of the data in either the processor cache or memory in the node having the processor issuing the request or in a processor cache or memory of another node.
US08015355B1
Apparatus and method are disclosed for managing lock state information in a distributed file system. A set of data containers storing data is maintained. The data containers are striped across a plurality of volumes, where each volume includes one or more data storage devices. A metadata volume is maintained with the plurality of volumes, the metadata volume configured to include a lock state database that stores lock state information for the plurality of volumes. The lock state information is communicated between the metadata volume and the plurality of volumes.
US08015353B2
A method of configuring a virtual disk for an information handling system is disclosed. The method comprises embedding a data structure onto a data storage medium prior to installing the medium into an information handling system. The data structure makes up a default policy for configuration of a RAID container using the data storage medium and is recognizable by a controller. When the controller identifies the data structure the controller will read the data structure and configure the medium having the structure into a virtual disk such as a RAID container.
US08015352B2
The present invention provides a disk drive storage defragmentation system, comprising providing a cache buffer system coupled to a host system, coupling a disk drive storage system to the cache buffer system, performing a defragmentation process on the disk drive storage system utilizing the cache buffer system and servicing a data access request by the host system from the cache buffer system.
US08015350B2
Method and apparatus for using block level quality of service (QOS) data in a data storage device. A memory space is provided with a plurality of physical data storage blocks, such as data sectors on a magnetic disc. The QOS data identify at least one QOS characteristic for each of the available blocks. Transfers of user data between the blocks and a host device are preferably carried out in relation to the QOS data. In some preferred embodiments, the QOS data identifies a certification state for each of the blocks. In this way, the device is manufactured with less than all of the blocks having been successfully certified, and the remaining blocks are certified by the device during field use. In other preferred embodiments, the QOS data include a virus scan status, an access history, a write status, or an overlapped track indication for each said block.
US08015349B2
A predetermined number of erasable blocks positioned at a start of a volume area in a semiconductor memory card are provided so as to include volume management information. A user area following the volume management information includes a plurality of clusters. A data length NOM of an area from a master boot record & partition table sector to a partition boot sector is determined so that the plurality of clusters in the user area are not arranged so as to straddle erasable block boundaries. Since cluster boundaries and erasable block boundaries in the user area are aligned, there is no need to perform wasteful processing in which two erasable blocks are erased to rewrite one cluster.
US08015345B2
A method for accessing a non volatile memory device including at least one group or sector of memory cells divided into regions programmable with two different data storage densities and accessible with at least two reading modes, for example a two-level mode and a multilevel mode. The memory regions are being organized into pages including a sub-group of memory cells for storing error correction codes of the data stored in the multilevel mode. The method includes providing at the beginning of each page at least one first cell wherein the information concerning the ECC protection or not of the whole page is to be stored. In the sub-group of cells at least one second cell intended for the storage of information concerning the programmed or erased state of the same page is provided. The content of the first and of the second cell is read before accessing, in programming, the corresponding page of the memory region.
US08015321B2
A computer main unit and a PCI_Box (#0) are connected to each other in a loop connection manner by two paths. A first path is formed of an SMBus and a PCI_Box connection cable and a second path is formed of another PCI_Box connection cable. A monitoring and control unit (MMB) recognizes a connection path by reading out, through the second path, connection setting information written to the PCI_Box (#0) via the first path.
US08015315B2
Modified flow keys holding compressed IPv6 addresses are stored in a flow table to improve memory utilization. The compressed IPv6 addresses are utilized to access a compression table holding the full IPv6 address, and full IPv6 address are substituted into the modified flow key to form an unmodified flow key.
US08015307B2
The system and method for streaming media to a viewer and managing the media comprises and an enhanced service routing processor (ESRP), a real time switch management system (RTSMS), a name routing processor (NRP), and a managed media switch (MMS). The system and method operate with a reservation server. The ESRP receives media from an owner, manages the media according to media rules and order rules defined by the owner, and distributes the media to one or more switches, such as the MMS, according to the media rules and the order rules. The RTSMS is configured to receive the media rules and to receive a viewer's media request via the reservation server. The RTSMS processes the media request according to the media rules and builds a reservation for the requested media. The RTSMS generates the reservation to the viewer and to the NRP. The NRP receives the reservation data from the viewer and from the RTSMS. The NRP processes the reservation data and locates an MMS that can stream the media to the viewer. The NRP transmits the IP address of the MMS to the viewer and transmits the reservation data to the MMS. The viewer initiates a session or connection with the MMS using the reservation number. If the reservation data from the viewer matches the reservation data from the NRP, the MMS streams the media to the viewer.
US08015282B2
A system and method for synthesizing custom metric attributes from available attributes. The system includes an application server that exposes available metric attributes of a MBean. A network console displays for selection the metric attributes of the MBean on a navigation tree and a view panel is located on the network management console where the metric attributes are dragged. The console and view panel allow network administrators to review monitoring data collected exposed by the application server. Custom attributes are created by combining attributes made available by the application server and can be combined to synthesize a custom expression that can be made available to other managed servers on the application server.
US08015281B2
Technologies are described herein for providing dynamic flow control of requests to a server in a hybrid peer-to-peer network. The server collects a number of metrics related to its current stability and the throughput of requests from peer-to-peer devices. These metrics, along with associated trend data, are used by the server to calculate a current stability rating and a current throughput rating. The server then imposes flow control on a proportional number of the peer-to-peer devices based upon the current ratings. This operation is run periodically, with ratings re-calculated from current metrics, and new flow control measures imposed in each cycle.
US08015279B2
A method of analysing a network having a plurality of computing and infrastructure elements, some of which run agents that monitor one or more network phenomenon, the method comprising the steps of: disabling a selected infrastructure element on which it is not possible to run a monitoring agent; acquiring data from an element adjacent a disabled element; and generating, from the acquired data, a signature representative of the selected element being inoperative.
US08015271B2
Disclosed is a provisioning tool and method for a communications network, particularly a broadband communications network which is arranged to provision a service for a user based on information available via another user connection; this facilitates provision. In a preferred embodiment, a user device address is obtained from a user IP address. Provisioning and other network tools with additional or alternative advantageous features are disclosed and the provisioning tools disclosed may communicate with a variety of other tools including planning and inventory applications and agents associated with equipment, all of which are also independently provided, enabling provision of a variety of novel services and features dealing with a spectrum of problems arising in a communications environment, particularly a broadband environment.
US08015267B2
A method selectively distributes data to a set of devices linked by a network, where each device has at least one unique identifier. The method comprises selecting devices to be members of the set, the set devices being selected to receive the data based on the at least one unique identifier, and distributing data to at least the selected devices, the data including at least one matching key for matching at least a portion of the unique identifier of selected devices. The unique identifier is a device hardware identifier, being a string of bits and the key correlates to at least a portion of the string of bits.
US08015263B2
A method and apparatus for creating and posting media is provided. For example, the invention allows a user to quickly create, signal process, encode, and transfer media files to a server for storage, posting, distribution, and retrieval. Thus, media such as audio, video, display, photo, spreadsheet, Web Clips, and HTML pages can be combined into a media file for uploading to a server and accessed from listings posted at web sites. In accordance with embodiments, a user downloads and installs a plug-in at the user's client computer. The user then registers and logs onto the server to perform various tasks. For example, the user can create a combined audio and photo media file at the client computer, in accordance with server based control parameters received from the system server. The plug-in then allows the user to perform digital signal processing and encoding of the media file at the client computer. After the file is encoded, it may be uploaded to a server for storage, posting, distribution, and retrieval. A file management system provides copies and listings of the file to other servers and web sites as permitted. Thus, other user having access to the database or web site lists via other client computers may select the file for retrieval. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an information management system provides file and file list rankings based upon selection or click through of files and file listings.
US08015261B2
An information processing apparatus comprising a first sending/receiving means for a first information processing apparatus; a second sending/receiving means for a second information processing apparatus; a first recording means for recording normal content data and restricted content data; a second recording means for recording information required for selecting data; an updating means for updating the information recorded; and a selection means for selecting data to be sent to said first information processing apparatus from the first content data and the second content data recorded by said first recording means based on the information recorded by said second recording means in response to a request signal from said first information processing apparatus received by said first sending/receiving means.
US08015255B2
The disclosure is directed to a method for communicating with a monitoring device. The method includes sending an unsolicited-type message from a client program resident on the monitoring device coupled to a first secure network. The unsolicited-type message is sent to a computing system coupled to a second network separated from the first secure network by a firewall. The method also includes receiving a response message to the unsolicited-type message from the computing system. The response message includes an embedded unsolicited-type message. The client program is resident on the monitoring device receiving the response message. The method further includes providing the embedded unsolicited-type message to a server program resident on the monitoring device.
US08015245B2
A personalized information communications system enables a source user to provide personalized information in a datastore for access and display by a communications device of a recipient user. An aggregation server records user settings of the source user in a datastore, and collects personalized information of the source user into the datastore based on the user settings. The user settings specify at least one element of personalized information specified by the source user. In response to request from the recipient user, the aggregation server accesses and provides the personalized information of the source user to the recipient user. In one implementation, the communications device periodically polls the aggregation server for updated information associated with the source user. Alternatively, the aggregation server pushes the information to the communications device. Accordingly, the recipient user gains access to the personalized information of the source user.
US08015242B2
An end user is provided with an environment to easily remote-control a video camera via a general network such as the Internet. For this purpose, on a client side, the content of camera control is described in file-transfer protocol description, and the description is transferred to a camera server on the Internet via a browser. The camera server interprets the description, controls a camera in accordance with the designated content, to perform image sensing, and returns the obtained video image as the content of a file to the client. The client performs various controls while observing the video image. When a desired angle has been found, the client instructs to register the angle in a bookmark, then angle information displayed at that time is registered. Thereafter, when the user of the client can see the video image obtained on the same image-sensing conditions by merely select-designating the angle information registered in the bookmark.
US08015229B2
An apparatus for performing multiply-accumulate operations in a microprocessor comprising operand input registers for receiving data to be operated on an adder and a multiplier for performing operations on the data, a result output port for presenting results to the microprocessor, a multiplexer for storing results, an accumulator cache for storing an accumulator value internal to the apparatus, and control circuitry for controlling the operation of the apparatus.
US08015223B1
A computer system is configured to translate telecommunications trouble tickets. The computer system receives a native telecommunications trouble ticket from a first telecommunications trouble ticket system, and translates the native telecommunications trouble ticket into a master telecommunications trouble ticket. The computer system then stores first data from the native telecommunications trouble ticket in a database, and retrieves second data related to the native telecommunications trouble ticket from the database. Next, the computer system merges at least some of the second data into the master telecommunications trouble ticket, translates the master ticket into a first enhanced telecommunications trouble ticket configured for use by the first telecommunications trouble ticket system, and sends the first enhanced telecommunications trouble ticket to the first telecommunications trouble ticket system.
US08015222B2
Virtual repository management is disclosed. An indication is received that a content management functionality is desired to be available with respect to one or more external content items. A reference object is created for each for the one or more external content items that represents the external content item and enables the content management functionality to be performed with respect to the external content item.
US08015206B2
A computer program product including stored program code adapted to implement a method for document analysis and retrieval. A document that includes text is received from a host. Document keys associated with the text are generated. In first embodiments, a document taxonomy is provided. The taxonomy has categories and associated category keys. The category keys of each category are compared with the document keys to determine a distance between the document and each category as a measure of how close the document is to each category. A subset of the categories is returned to the host, wherein the subset of the categories reflects the determined distances. In second embodiments, a search string is created as a logical function of a subset of the document keys. The search string is submitted to a search engine. Links to related documents are received from the search engine and returned to the host.
US08015199B1
A search engine receives a query from an end-user. The search engine executes the query on a content database and identifies a set of matching content. The search engine utilizes the matching content to generate a query vector describing the end-user query. The search engine searches a repository of other vectors, called “centroids,” to produce a ranked set of centroids matching the query vector. These centroids are converted into search queries and form a set of candidate queries. The search engine filters the candidate queries to identify ones that are likely to be meaningful to the end-user. The selected candidate queries are returned to the end-user as query suggestions.
US08015193B2
A method for accessing a file system including computing a first numerical similarity score for a first stored document and a second numerical similarity score for a second stored document by comparing a plurality of weighted active terms with a plurality of weighted indexed terms, determining a document order of the first stored document followed by the second stored document based on the first numerical similarity score exceeding the second numerical similarity score, generating a list of similar documents including the first stored document followed by the second stored document based on the document order, and displaying, in a file system interface and on the computer display, the list of similar documents while an active document is open in an active document interface.
US08015189B2
Meta-data from any meta-data source or feed, whose selection is customizable, is associated with media objects, such as photographs or video. In specific example embodiments, the meta-data from the custom-selected feeds are used to provide selectable feed tags that can be used to tag media objects. An architecture is provided that allows any combination of feeds to be selected for creation of a custom set of selected feeds that are to be used as sources of feed tags for media objects, and this custom set of selected feeds is extensible. In specific applications, different sets of feeds and feed tags may be utilized for facilitating the annotation of media objects.
US08015184B2
A search-enabled remote control device to facilitate viewers' ability to search through programming and/or content options and view results. In one embodiment, a viewer is able to use a traditional remote control interface to navigate through menus or selections and to display search results on screen. In another embodiment, a viewer's watching behavior and/or searching habits are tracked by the search-enabled remote control and used to develop a viewer profile, which may in turn be used to target advertisements, information and/or future programming options.
US08015180B2
Systems, methodologies, media, and other embodiments associated with supporting queries with hard time constraints are described. One exemplary system embodiment includes logic for accepting a query having a hard time constraint. The example system may also include logic for selectively rewriting the query having the hard time constraint into a query having a row limitation or a sample percentage limitation. In one example, the row limitation or sample percentage limitation are computed by repetitively comparing an estimated query execution time to the hard time constraint. The example system may also include logic for establishing a timer(s) associated with the rewritten query.
US08015175B2
A stemming framework for combining stemming algorithms together in a multilingual environment to obtain improved stemming behavior over any individual stemming algorithm, together with a new language independent stemming algorithm based on shortest path techniques. The stemmer essentially treats the stemming problem as a simple instance of the shortest path problem where the cost for each path can be computed from its word component and its number of characters. The goal of the stemmer is to find the shortest path to construct the entire word. The stemmer uses dynamic dictionaries constructed as lexical analyzer state transition tables to recognize the various allowable word parts for any given language in order to obtain maximum speed. The stemming framework provides the necessary logic to combine multiple stemmers in parallel and to merge their results to obtain the best behavior. Mapping dictionaries handle irregular plurals, tense, phrase mapping and proper name recognition.
US08015174B2
Certain embodiments provide for systems and methods of monitoring data sent from a requested device to a requesting device and removing certain portions of the data such as malicious or otherwise objectionable content. Objectionable content may include, for example, potentially executable web content. In certain embodiments, the systems and methods remove uniform resource locator (URL) links from the intercepted data which point to web pages having malicious or otherwise objectionable content.
US08015171B2
A computer system configured to implement a method for document analysis and retrieval. A document that includes text is received from a host. Document keys (i.e., keywords and keyphrases) associated with the text are generated. In first embodiments, a provided document taxonomy has categories and associated category keys (i.e., keywords and keyphrases). The category keys of each category are compared with the document keys to determine a distance between the document and each category as a measure of how close the document is to each category. A subset of the categories is returned to the host, wherein the subset of the categories reflects the determined distances. In second embodiments, a search string is created as a logical function of a subset of the document keys. The search string is submitted to a search engine. Links to related documents are received from the search engine and returned to the host.
US08015167B1
A media player monitors a media feed (e.g., a web feed) for availability of newly published content available over a network. Via the feed, the media player can receive notification that certain retrievable content (e.g., the same content or substantially similar content) is available from multiple different locations over the network. The notification can include multiple pointers for use by the media player to retrieve the content. For example, a first pointer of the multiple pointers can identify a first remote location over the network in which to retrieve the content, a second pointer can identify a second remote location over the network in which to retrieve the content, and so on. The media player can have an associated download manager that selects an appropriate one of the pointers to retrieve the content depending on which of one or more download by applications resides on a computer system.
US08015162B2
Near-duplicate documents may be identified by processing an accepted set of documents to determine a first set of near-duplicate documents using a first technique, and processing the first set to determine a second set of near-duplicate documents using a second technique. The first technique might be token order dependent, and the second technique might be order independent. The first technique might be token frequency independent, and the second technique might be frequency dependent. The first technique might determine whether two documents are near-duplicates using representations based on a subset of the words or tokens of the documents, and the second technique might determine whether two documents are near-duplicates using representations based on all of the words or tokens of the documents. The first technique might use set intersection to determine whether or not documents are near-duplicates, and the second technique might use random projections to determine whether or not documents are near-duplicates.
US08015161B2
Disclosed is a mechanism, system, interface, and process to determine one or more life intervals when given a key. In addition, one or more life intervals can be determined for each key within a range of keys. This type of process is useful for auditing purposes or if it is desire to implement a query upon past versions when a key or range of keys is specified for the data for which past versions is desired. This facilitates algorithms, mechanisms, and processes to implement a query upon past versions.
US08015154B1
A database system that has a plurality of nodes determines whether each node has a first version of database software. A broadcast message is sent from a first node of the database system to other nodes of the database system. In response to the broadcast message, at least each of at least some of the other nodes starts a software module to perform a task with respect to the database software executable in each node.
US08015153B2
A system for use in a distributed environment comprising a first data processing system having a first entity (e.g. an object) and a second data processing system having a second entity. The first entity sends a request for an operation associated with the second entity. The request comprises an operation identifier in a first format (e.g. a first national language) and the operation comprises an operation identifier in a second format (e.g. a second national language). The environment also comprises a data structure comprising an association between the operation identifier in the first format and the operation identifier in the second format. The system comprises an intercept component for intercepting the request, a search component for searching the data structure for the operation identifier in the first format and a map component for mapping the operation identifier in the first format to the operation identifier in the second format.
US08015147B2
This method includes: identifying, for each child log having a job type identifier in a message to a lower-layer server and a start time and end time of a processing executed in the lower-layer server, an inclusive parent log that is a parent log having a start time and end time of a processing executed in an upper-layer Web server, wherein the start time and end time of the inclusive parent log define an interval containing a period from the start time to the end time of the child log, and registering the job type identifier in the child log and a path of URI in the inclusive parent log, into a table, and registering a frequency for each combination of the identifier and the path of URI into the table. By using this table, features in the path of URI are extracted for each job type identifier.
US08015145B2
A system provides a user interface for viewing nursing problems with multiple levels of granularity in a knowledge base and rendered in an application that are dependent on context of problems, patient demographic information and information needed by a user interface image. A user interface system presents patient medical problem information to a user. The system includes a first search processor for automatically searching a knowledge base of information associating multiple different medical problems with corresponding attributes to find an attribute indicating a particular characteristic of a particular medical problem, in response to occurrence of an event. A display processor initiates generation of data representing a display image. The display image includes, a first image area for including data indicating candidate medical problems and associated attributes and a second image area for including data representing assigned medical problems of a particular patient and enabling a user to select a medical problem for transfer from the first image area to the second image area.
US08015138B2
A system and method for providing computerized, knowledge-based medical diagnostic and treatment advice. The medical advice is provided to the general public over a telephone network. Two new authoring languages, interactive voice response and speech recognition are used to enable expert and general practitioner knowledge to be encoded for access by the public. “Meta” functions for time-density analysis of a number of factors regarding the number of medical complaints per unit of time are an integral part of the system. A semantic discrepancy evaluator routine along with a mental status examination are used to detect the consciousness level of a user of the system. A re-enter feature monitors the user's changing condition over time. A symptom severity analysis helps to respond to the changing conditions. System sensitivity factors may be changed at a global level or other levels to adjust the system advice as necessary.
US08015134B2
A computer-implemented method is provided for determining a corrective action. The method may include obtaining diagnostic data and calculating, using the diagnostic data, a prognostic. The method may also include retrieving, when the prognostic is above an alarm level, historical records and calculating a Bayesian posterior probability using the diagnostic data and the historical records. Further, the method may include calculating a prognostic prescience metric using the diagnostic data and the historical records and determining, based on the Bayesian posterior probability, the prognostic prescience metric, and an economic calculation, the corrective action.
US08015124B2
A system for determining that a document B is a candidate for near duplicate to a document A with a given similarity level th. The system includes a storage for providing two different functions on the documents, each function having a numeric function value. The system further includes a processor associated with the storage and configured to determine that the document B is a candidate for near duplicate to the document A, if a condition is met. The condition includes: for any function ƒi from among the two functions, ƒi(A)−ƒi(B)≦δi(ƒ,A,th).
US08015122B2
Postage metering apparatus is provided with a removably mounted print head module such as an inkjet cartridge with an integral ink supply. The module includes means responsive to the number of printing operations performed by the print head and to terminate operation of the print head when a predetermined number of operations have been performed. Upon termination of operation of the print head, a signal is sent to a microprocessor of the postage meter which then transmits information relating to use of the print head, and if desired postal register information, to a remote data center. The remote data center may then send an authorization signal permitting further operation of the print head.
US08015118B1
A system and method of obtaining and storing a signed agreement authorizing the use of a user's biometric data for the purpose of offering legal consent to agreements and transactions with one or more operators. The present invention imparts a process by which merchants and other service providers can access a verifying agreement indicating a user's intent to submit biometric data as a substitute for a written signature and the user's consent to abide by the terms and conditions of any agreements entered into by the submission of biometric data.
US08015117B1
A system and method for anonymous reporting. Specifically, the method includes collecting user information about a user and generating a user profile based on the user information. The user profile is stored such that the user profile is used to achieve delivery of data that is targeted to the user based on the user profile without requiring a release of user information in the user profile. A signed authorization number is generated. The signed authorization number is signed by the third party but unknown to the third party. The signed authorization number is attached to a report detailing activities of the user. The report along with the signed authorization number is sent to the third party to preserve reporting privacy of the user. The third party is able to authenticate the report using the signed authorization number.
US08015109B2
The present invention provides methods and systems for defining financial transaction components; defining mapping rules for taking individual financial transactions and breaking them down into their components, such as production services, billing services and settlement services. A data processing system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, creates a transaction instance corresponding to a financial transaction, creates a production service instance linked to the transaction instance by a first relation instance, and creates a billing service instance linked to the production service instance by a second relation instance. The data processing system, may also create other production service instances linked to the transaction instance using other relation instances, as well as, other billing service instances linked to the production service instances.
US08015099B2
A method for routing a financial instrument order incorporating dark pools and at least one electronic communication network (ECN) or exchange. The financial instrument order includes an identification of a financial instrument, a bid or ask price, and a number of units to be traded. A ping order of the dark pools is determined. The financial instrument order is routed to a top dark pool as an immediate or cancel order. If the financial instrument order is not complete, the ping order is updated by removing the top dark pool. If any dark pools remain in the updated ping order, the financial instrument order is routed to the next dark pool. This process continues until all of the dark pools have been pinged or the financial instrument order is complete. If the financial instrument order is not complete, the financial instrument order is routed to the ECN or exchange.
US08015096B2
Network-based systems and methods for hosting and operating a network-based platform that allows clients to open and build a portfolio-swap account that is subdivided into a plurality of client sub-accounts or funds. The methods and systems of the invention allow the client to sub-allocate equity-swap transactions among its various client sub-account or funds as the client deems appropriate.
US08015085B2
A system is described allowing the transfer of funds, for example, from an employer to a third-party intermediary which can distribute the funds via a payroll card to an employee. The system allows a portion of the population such as that which does not use traditional bank accounts to receive funds via a payroll card at a variety of locations without the necessity of visiting the bank location of the employer to cash a check. Other embodiments of the invention allow funds to be distributed from a first party to a second party via an intermediary party.
US08015083B1
Method and apparatus for an automated, client-specific notification service for reporting return preparers. A notification mechanism may be implemented as a part or component of a return preparation program or as a separate application. The notification mechanism may generate customized notifications for clients based at least in part on the clients' previous return information, for example information from previously filed tax returns. The notification mechanism may customize both the content of the notifications and the timing of the notifications based on each client's particular return information. The notifications generated by the notification mechanism may include or indicate any information related to the return preparation and filing process. The information in a particular notification may be tailored to the specific client's reporting situation. The notifications may be provided to the client(s) via one or more other communications channels or mechanisms.
US08015081B1
An Internet-based computer-assisted supply-chain management system (SCMS) replaces the archaic commerce systems presently in use. It coordinates just-in-time distribution of items purchased by consumers from a plurality of merchants whereby the inventory in the distribution pipeline is reduced to inventory in transport. It uses regional distributions centers and neighborhood order aggregation facilities for an efficient transfer of items to consumers. Consumers can pick up aggregated orders at an order aggregation facility or have them delivered to a residence. The SCMS phases out conventional checkout registers in favor of web browsers with automatic transaction execution. Retailers can operate with little or no inventory. Window shops facilitate promotion of items and help consumers make selections and decisions with respect to purchases they may be contemplating. The SCMS provides real-time consumption monitoring and forecasts, significantly reduces supply-chain costs and retail prices, promotes economic growth, and minimizes undesirable cyclic economic fluctuations.
US08015080B2
Identifying anomalous products in a supply chain includes maintaining a set of anomalous patterns of events products in the supply chain. At least one of the anomalous patterns of events is transmitted to nodes of the supply chain. Messages are received from nodes at a third party and indicate whether an event of the product in the supply chain at the node matches an event in the anomalous pattern of events that has been transmitted to the node. Messages indicating that an event at the node matches an event in the anomalous pattern of events are securely encrypted, based on a key that is unknown to the third party, prior to transmission to the third party. A determination is made whether the product is an anomalous product, based on the messages from nodes indicating that a sequence of events occurring at one or more nodes matches a sequence of events in the anomalous pattern of events.
US08015077B2
An activity log is displayed in a dedicated area in a business to consumer e-commerce web site that tracks activities that occur during a current e-commerce account session. The activity log is updated automatically, without requiring user intervention. The activity log displays information such as the activity type, the activity name, and the time the activity was performed. The activity log may also provide an option for the user to view details about or to undo an individual activity. The activity log tracks activities that would conventionally be lost from view, such as the removal of items from a list and the changing of the password. In addition, the activity log automatically displays updates that are not conventionally available, such as greater granularity in the status of an asynchronous transaction.
US08015074B2
A commodity order issuing and accepting method is disclosed in which an order issuer requests a first electronic document having first input fields for order issuer information and for commodity order issuance information except for a payment date to an order accepter; the order accepter transmits the first electronic document to the order issuer; the order issuer fills the first input fields; the order issuer transmits the filled information to the order accepter; the order accepter retrieves a transaction condition corresponding to the commodity order issuance information except for the payment date; the order accepter transmits a second electronic document on which the transaction condition is described and which has a second input field for the payment date to the order issuer; the order issuer inputs the payment date to the second input field; and the order issuer transmits the payment date to the order accepter.
US08015067B2
An application service server provides hosted services to clients. Upon receiving a request to delete a user account associated with a user of the hosted services, the server deactivates the user account to prevent the user from accessing the user account for a predefined probation time period. If the server receives an account revival request before the predefined probation time period is over, the server then undoes the deactivation and transfers the user account's status from “inactive” to “active”. If no account revival request is received at the end of the probation time period, the server then deletes the user account from the client-server environment.
US08015061B2
Data may be exported from a media campaign to an external processing device using a specifically designated communication channel within the media campaign application. When the media campaign application is executed, the campaign is directed to contacting various business partners using one or more communication means. With this media campaign application, a channel selection command may be received, where the channel selection command indicates the selection of an export channel selection. When the channel selection is the export channel selection, the application provides for the compilation of the business data and writing the data to an export file. The business data is compiled into an open format that is readily usable by an external application. After the file is generated, the export file is thereupon transmitted to a storage device.
US08015060B2
A system for managing coupon redemption and prioritization is provided. According to one aspect of the system, the system allows an electronic coupon or reward to be redeemed a specific number of times. The specific number of times may range from one to infinity. According to another aspect of the system, the system automatically resolves any redemption conflict associated with the concurrent redemption of electronic coupon(s) and paper-based coupon(s) by using certain predefined rules and logic.
US08015051B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an automated way for a non-technical person to create or modify software functionality in support of a business process without needing expertise in software. According to the invention, an automated matching tool may apply user input expressed semantically to a database of semantic information associated with syntactic information, to match the user input with a service (e.g., an application program) capable of performing a business process step corresponding to the input.
US08015050B2
There is provided an operation supporting apparatus including a memory portion that stores characteristics of an operation to be multiplexed, and a determination portion that determines appropriateness of multiple operations to be multiplexed on the basis of the characteristics thereof stored in the memory portion.
US08015043B2
A method of forecasting workforce demand, includes forecasting an ongoing engagements demand, forecasting an opportunities demand, forecasting a wedge engagements demand, representing a result of the forecasting the ongoing engagements demand as a first workforce demand statement, a result of the forecasting the opportunities demand as a second workforce demand statement, and a result of the forecasting the wedge engagements demand as third workforce demand statement, and integrating the first workforce demand statement, the second workforce demand statement and the third workforce demand statement to generate an overall workforce demand forecast.
US08015042B2
Systems and methods for long-range simulation are provided. A representative method includes: defining at least one resource description, wherein a resource description comprises a group of resources that have similar characteristics, and wherein defining comprises specifying the characteristics, including at least one capability and at least one performance measure; defining at least one work load; and specifying at least one criteria to be satisfied by a long-range staffing plan; and calculating an effect of applying the at least one resource description to the at least one work load using discrete event based simulation, wherein the calculated effect includes at least one performance measure for the at least one work load.
US08015039B2
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided for verifying business objects. In one exemplary aspect, the business object and a predetermined contract defining the business object are received. The received business object is verified based on one or more tests defined by the predetermined contract. Based on the results of the verification of the business object, an indication is provided of whether the business object complies with the predetermined contract.
US08015030B2
A user-based monitoring system includes a remote user-based subsystem with at least one display and at least two microprocessor-based units in communication with each other. The microprocessor-based units are selected from a group consisting of a data management unit, a personal computer, a handheld device or a user monitoring device. The subsystem is configured to facilitate collection of user-related data. The system also has at least one central server remotely located from and configured for two-way communication with the user-based subsystem so that it can receive and deliver signal communications to and from the user-based subsystem. the system also has at least one authorized user computer remotely located from, and configured for two-way signal communication with, the central server to receive user-related data collected by a remote user-based subsystem and allow an authorized user to communicate with the central server. The system is suited, amongst others, for monitoring remotely the health of a system user.
US08015026B2
A system, apparatus and method for simultaneously managing health of different individuals and pets over a network are provided. The present invention provides a strategy to motivate an individual to exercise. In one embodiment of the invention, the pet is being used as a means of monitoring the pet-owner's compliance with the exercise regimen. A healthcare provider is provided for transmitting health and physical exercise related scripted content into communication devices of the individuals and the pets. Data related to physical activities of the pets and the individuals are collected and are sent to the remote server. The healthcare provider linked with the remote server is accessed by physicians and the veterinarians for analyzing the data related to the physical activities and providing feedback messages accordingly.
US08015025B2
A health monitoring system includes a plurality of remote user sites, each remote user site comprising at least one health monitoring device for collection of user health monitoring data, an interactive video device, and a user interface apparatus; at least one remote computing facility configured for signal communication with, and to receive health monitoring data-related signals from, the plurality of remote user sites; and at least one computer, configured for signal communication with the remote computing facility, wherein the interactive video device is interactively coupled with the remote computing facility. Associated methods are also described.
US08015020B2
A method and article of manufacture for providing a mechanical bond and an improved water vapor seal between a lens (11, 41) and a base (17, 47) in an instrument housing (10, 40), includes heating the components and a hot butyl rubber sealant (18, 58) prior to assembly, maintaining a level of heating for the assembly during assembly, dispensing the heated sealant (18, 58) into a channel (25, 65) to form a ring-shaped body of sealant (18, 58), assembling the lens (11, 41) to the base (17, 47) and pressing a lower edge (11a, 41a) of the lens (11, 41) into the ring of sealant (18, 58) and bending an upper edge (17b, 47b) of the side wall (17a, 47a) over a portion (11b, 41b) of the lens (11, 41). The method is applied in a second embodiment to an instrument having at least two signal conductors (55) entering the base (47) at two entry points. Apparatuses manufactured with the method are also disclosed.
US08015018B2
Each of N audio signals are filtered with a unique decorrelating filter (38) characteristic, the characteristic being a causal linear time-invariant characteristic in the time domain or the equivalent thereof in the frequency domain, and, for each decorrelating filter characteristic, combining (40, 44, 46), in a time and frequency varying manner, its input (Zi) and output (Z-i) signals to provide a set of N processed signals (X i). The set of decorrelation filter characteristics are designed so that all of the input and output signals are approximately mutually decorrelated. The set of N audio signals may be synthesized from M audio signals by upmixing (36), where M is one or more and N is greater than M.
US08015016B2
Provided are an automatic speech translation system and a method for obtaining accurate translation performance with a simple structure. Because input and output sentences are written in different languages, automatic speech translation requires techniques for processing different languages. Repetition of text processing like morpheme analysis or sentence parsing in conventional automatic speech translation can complicate the overall translation process. Meanwhile, although input and output sentences are written in different languages, they have to have the same meaning and a corresponding sentence form and words. Accordingly, the corresponding words and sentence forms of the two languages can be expressed with a simple structure and utilized in the automatic speech translation process, thereby maintaining consistency during the process and avoiding unnecessary process repetition, which reduces errors and improves performance.
US08015011B2
A synthetic speech system includes a phoneme segment storage section for storing multiple phoneme segment data pieces; a synthesis section for generating voice data from text by reading phoneme segment data pieces representing the pronunciation of an inputted text from the phoneme segment storage section and connecting the phoneme segment data pieces to each other; a computing section for computing a score indicating the unnaturalness of the voice data representing the synthetic speech of the text; a paraphrase storage section for storing multiple paraphrases of the multiple first phrases; a replacement section for searching the text and replacing with appropriate paraphrases; and a judgment section for outputting generated voice data on condition that the computed score is smaller than a reference value and for inputting the text after the replacement to the synthesis section to cause the synthesis section to further generate voice data for the text.
US08015008B2
Disclosed are systems, methods and computer readable media for training acoustic models for an automatic speech recognition systems (ASR) system. The method includes receiving a speech signal, defining at least one syllable boundary position in the received speech signal, based on the at least one syllable boundary position, generating for each consonant in a consonant phoneme inventory a pre-vocalic position label and a post-vocalic position label to expand the consonant phoneme inventory, reformulating a lexicon to reflect an expanded consonant phoneme inventory, and training a language model for an automated speech recognition (ASR) system based on the reformulated lexicon.
US08015000B2
An audio decoding system performs frame loss concealment (FLC) when portions of a bit stream representing an audio signal are lost within the context of a digital communication system. The audio decoding system employs two different FLC methods: one designed to perform well for music, and the other designed to perform well for speech. When a frame is deemed lost, the audio decoding system analyzes a previously-decoded audio signal corresponding to previously-decoded frames of an audio bit-stream. Based on the results of the analysis, the lost frame is classified as either speech or music. Using this classification, other signal analysis, and knowledge of the employed FLC methods, the audio decoding system selects the appropriate FLC method which then performs FLC on the lost frame.
US08014999B2
The invention provides a softscaled frequency compensation function that allows the evaluation of a first quality measure indicating a global impact of all distortions in an audio transmission system, including linear frequency response distortions and second quality measure that only lakes into account the impact of linear frequency response distortions. The softscaled frequency compensation function is derived from a softscaled ratio between a time integrated output and a time integrated input power density functions. The first quality measure is derived from the difference loudness density function as function of time and frequency, using the frequency compensated input loudness density function and the gain compensated output loudness density function both as a function of time and frequency, in the same manner as carried out in ITU standard P.862. The second measure is established from a difference loudness density function as function of frequency only that is derived from a time integration of a second frequency compensated input loudness density function and the gain compensated output loudness density function both as a function of time and frequency.
US08014996B1
Disclosed are systems and methods for analyzing and improving document readability. For example, a computer-implementable method of improving authored text is disclosed that can identify passive voice text within authored text by performing the following steps: scanning for a “to be” verb in the text; identifying from the scan an occurrence of a “to be” verb; scanning for a past participle in the text; identifying from the scan an occurrence of a past participle in the text; and providing information to a user regarding a proposed edit to improve the text. Various other rules for improving text are also disclosed.
US08014990B2
A field-based similarity search system and method includes a database for storing at least one candidate molecule, an input device for inputting a query molecule, and a processor for identifying a candidate molecule which is similar to the query molecule based on a similarity of fragment pair features.
US08014973B1
A method for constructing a distance histogram for nearest neighbor classification. A training sample is determined for each of two classes. For each defect, a distance is measured in the feature space between the defect and the training sample for each of the classes. All of the distances for a given defect are normalized by dividing each distance for the given defect by the sum of all of the distances for the given defect. A histogram is constructed by plotting a chart of the normalized distances versus the number of defects having the distances. A threshold bar is placed on the center of the histogram to construct a normal nearest neighbor classifier. The threshold bar can be adjusted to the left or to the right to construct a weighted nearest neighbor classifier.
US08014962B2
A method for analyzing a multi-channel chromatogram is realized for accurately resolving overlapping peaks on a multi-channel chromatogram to permit analysis of the composition of a sample. First, components of overlapping peaks are specified. A data matrix Dij is determined, and compressed in the wavelength direction to obtain a data matrix vector Di. Next, the two-dimensional data is deconvoluted, final standard deviation s0 is registered, and the deconvoluted two-dimensional data is reconvoluted to a retention intensity matrix. A quantitative spectral intensity matrix is computed, components are identified, and the identified components are quantified. Subsequently, an eigenvalue problem is solved, and the number n of components is estimated. The deconvolution and computation of the eigenvalue problem are iteratively executed until the peaks are isolated. Then, elution profiles are calculated, the components are identified, and the identified components are quantified.
US08014954B2
In one aspect, the present invention provides methods of determining whether an agent is more like a partial agonist of a target molecule than a full agonist of the same target molecule. In another aspect, the present invention provides methods to select a candidate compound that may reduce blood plasma glucose concentration in a mammal. Populations of genes are provided that are useful in the practice of the present invention.
US08014951B2
A method for processing seismic data, characterized in that with a view to analyzing them as a function of at least four dimensions. Picking and/or picking propagation is carried out on at least one subset of data which corresponds to a collection of data sampled in three or two dimensions. The quantity or quantities which correspond to the other dimension or dimensions are fixed values. In applying a given projection law to at least one of the points highlighted by the picking and/or picking propagation to determine a point that corresponds to it in another subset corresponding to a collection of data sampled in the same dimensions for a different value of at least one quantity that corresponds to at least one other dimension.
US08014944B2
A method for auto updating application program suitable for a global position system (GPS) navigator is provided. The method comprises the following steps. First, a map-update short message is sent to the GPS navigator at a client terminal from a wireless station. Then, a map-downloading program inside the GPS navigator is woken up when the GPS navigator receives the map-update short message. Then, connecting to a map server through the map-update short message when a user decides to update the map. Accordingly, a newest electronic map can be downloaded from the wireless station.
US08014943B2
A mapping system associated with a social network includes determining that a social networking map object (“MO”) is outside a visible area of a map displayed; calculating the direction, distance and travel-time to the MO (e.g. a social network member, a location, a meeting place, etc.), creating an object vector indicator (“OVI”) and displaying the OVI on a map-display application. The OVI may be displayed on the periphery of the displayed map and may be positioned in the general direction of the MO. The position of the electronic device, as well as a current position of the MO, are factored into the calculations and placement of the OVI. The OVI may include a graphical representation, obtained from the social network, of the MO it references.
US08014942B2
Remote destination programming enables a user to define a desired destination (402, 406, 410) in advance of a journey. The destination may be stored in a user profile (502, 504) on a remote navigation server (400, 500). It may be uploaded there via a web interface (402), or through land-line or wireless telecom communications (410). Subsequently, for example beginning at a rental car agency, the navigation server supports navigation through any of several modes of operation, including a first mode in which the desired destination information is downloaded from the server (520) so as to program target navigation equipment (522) on-board the rental vehicle. In another mode, the user's GPS-enabled communication device (428) interacts with the navigation server (500) to upload periodic location data (430), and receive turn-by-turn directions (530) for the user. In this mode, there is no need for separate on-board navigation equipment to assist the user to the desired location.
US08014937B2
A computer-implemented method of creating a virtual traffic network includes inputting map data representing a road system, inputting flow data related to traffic flow on the road system and integrating the map data and the flow data to produce a virtual traffic network representing traffic conditions on the road system.
US08014935B2
In this apparatus, maintaining control (time t1 to t2) which instructs fixing of the open timing VVT of an intake valve is executed in a predetermined low load state. Subsequently, there are executed changing control which instructs changing of the open timing VVT by a predetermined amount (time t2), and maintaining control which again instructs fixing of the open timing VVT of the intake valve (time t2 to t3). An intake-valve control apparatus is determined to be “anomalous” when an change amount Δave (=ave2−ave1) between the average ave1 of a large number of sample values of ΔMFBβ (combustion percentage increase amount within a predetermined crank angle range in an expansion stroke) during the maintaining control before execution of the changing control and the average ave2 of a large number of sample values of ΔMFBβ during the maintaining control after execution of the changing control is less than a predetermined value C.
US08014924B2
A method for improving haul road surface conditions comprises collecting performance data associated with at least one machine operating on a haul route and determining a rolling resistance of each of the at least one machine based on the performance data. An average rolling resistance associated with one or more portions of the haul route is determined based on the rolling resistance of each of the at least one machine. The one or more portions of the haul route are identified as irregular if the average rolling resistance of the one or more portions exceeds a threshold resistance value. A proposed modification to the irregular portion of the haul route is generated, and performance of the at least one machine is simulated based on the proposed modification. The method also includes outputting results of the simulated performance.
US08014922B2
An automobile rollover detection system comprising a control module to receive a first set and a second set of signals, to determine a first threshold in response to the first set of signals, to determine a second threshold in response to the second set of signals, to provide a first signal in response to the first threshold, to provide a second signal in response to the second threshold, and to provide a control signal in response to the first and second signals. The control signal may activate an occupant restraint system in response to the detection of an automobile rollover event. Other embodiments are also claimed and described.
US08014921B2
A side-impact threat assessment system that uses at least one ultrasonic sensor is provided. A method of detecting a potential side-impact collision on a host vehicle is also provided. The method calls for using at least one ultrasonic sensor for presence detection and for providing sensed data used in estimating closing velocity.
US08014918B2
A vehicular drive assist system that analyzes information collected from a vehicle and sends a result of analysis to the vehicle and/or another vehicle, including a vehicle-mounted apparatus (101) mounted in the vehicle, and a communication center (102) that communicates with the vehicle-mounted apparatus (101). The vehicle-mounted apparatus (101) detects a present position of the host vehicle, detects a vehicular state of the host vehicle, and sends the present position and the vehicular state at the position detected to the communication center (102). The communication center (102) performs statistic processing of the vehicular state received, separately for each predetermined area on a road, by using the present position, calculates a tendency of the vehicular state separately for each predetermined area, evaluates ease of travel on the road in the predetermined area from the tendency calculated, and sends a result of evaluation to the vehicle and/or another vehicle.
US08014904B1
A plurality of receptacles in an irrigation controller removably receive a plurality of modules. At least one station module is configured for insertion into a first one of the receptacles and is connectable to a corresponding solenoid actuated valve through a dedicated field valve line and common return line. The station module includes at least one switching device for selectively providing a first power signal that energizes the corresponding solenoid actuated valve. At least one encoder module is configured for insertion into a second one of the receptacles and is connectable to a multi-wire path for sending encoded signals and a second power signal along the multi-wire path for selectively energizing one of a plurality of solenoid actuated valves connected to corresponding decoder circuits connected along the multi-wire path. A processor executes the stored watering program and controls the station module and/or the encoder module in accordance with the stored watering program.
US08014900B2
A system and method for detecting a traveling state. The system includes an image receiving unit acquiring two consecutive images and detecting first traveling information from image information regarding each of the two consecutive images, a traveling information processing unit connected to a driver moving in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the images are acquired, the traveling information processing unit detecting second traveling information from information regarding the driver, and a control unit determining the traveling state based on the first traveling information and the second traveling information.
US08014894B2
The present invention is related to manufacturing surfaces with an axis decentered from the spindle axis. In particular, the present invention is related to compensating for tool geometry in cutting processes that involve an oscillating tool.
US08014888B2
A design module is a software module that is implemented in a computer system that comprises instructions stored in a machine-readable medium and a processor that executes the instructions. The design module receives inputs from a person to create a custom insert for a lighting control panel. The inputs identify the content and locations of labels and a decorative background of the insert. Each label is associated with a corresponding input device. Each input device is associated with an optical configuration or “scene” of an environment associated with the lighting control panel. Each label includes alphanumeric text and/or graphics that identify the scene of the label's corresponding input device. The design module causes the insert to be generated by instructing a printer to print the labels and background on a sheet of material, at the specified locations.
US08014886B2
A bill of material and a design layout are aligned to generate a configuration for a virtual vehicle. The bill of material includes a part number and usage associated with a part. The design layout includes a CAD model of the part. CAD models in vehicle position are generated from the design layout. Logical positions are identified based on the usage and the CAD models in vehicle position are associated with the logical positions. Feature conditions are applied to the CAD models in vehicle position representing content and position configuration.
US08014874B2
Connection structures on an extra-vascular electrode lead body improve strain relief and strengthen the transition region where electrical conductors carried by the lead body are joined to individual electrodes at the distal end of the lead. The electrodes include structure or mechanisms for externally securing the electrode assembly to a body part. A first connection structure is located on the lead body proximal the electrodes to anchor the lead body to a first anchor location in the body that generally moves in concert with the body part. A second connection structure is located on the lead body proximal to the first connection structure to anchor the lead body to a second anchor location that is at least partially independent of movement of the body part. The first and second anchor location are offset by a distance that is less than a distance between the first and second connection structures to provide strain relief for the electrodes.
US08014858B1
Apparatus (18) is provided for defibrillating a heart (20) of a person. The apparatus (18) includes one or more electrodes (100) that are adapted to be coupled to the heart, and a control unit (90) that is adapted to drive the electrodes to apply electrical pulses to the heart at a rate which is typically greater than about 10 Hz. The control unit terminates the electrical pulses, so that the heart beats without fibrillation. Other embodiments are also described.
US08014854B2
This invention relates generally to the electrical treatment of malignant tumors and neoplasms by applying a voltage to affected tissue. Devices and various adaptations therein are described for use in electrical therapy. Additionally, various chemotherapeutic agent and radiation therapies are described which may be advantageously used in conjunction with electrical therapy to ameliorate cancer.
US08014846B2
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for delivering an electric field to a body by delivering a first magnetic field from a first coil in a first orientation to a body and directed at a desired target within the body, and delivering a second magnetic field from a second coil in a second orientation directed at the desired target within the body to induce an electric field across the desired target, wherein only one magnetic field is delivered to the body at any one time.
US08014813B2
The invention relates to a method for controlling feedback of mobile terminals receiving via an air interface of a mobile communication system a multicast or broadcast service transmitted or forwarded by a feedback control entity and to a mobile terminal, the feedback control entity using this method. Further, a system comprising a feedback control entity and a mobile terminal receiving a multicast or broadcast service is provided. To enable configurable and adaptive feedback for multicast or broadcast services provided via an air interface maintaining the end-to-end session concept the invention suggests selecting a subset of the mobile terminals of the mobile communication system and which receive the multicast or broadcast service for providing feedback to a feedback control entity. In one embodiment of the invention the terminals may decide whether to provide feedback based on a probabilistic experiment performed based on parameters determined and provided by the feedback control entity.
US08014812B2
In a method for communication between a first station (BS1) and a second station (MS1) the first station may provide the second station with information associated with the manner how the second station should transmit towards the first station. The second station (MS1) may then transmit e.g. a response to a message from the first station (BS1) based on said information. That is, the second station (MS1) may e.g. use a specific transmission parameter for the transmission instead of transmitting in a manner the second station would have transmitted had it not been provided with said information. A communication system and stations for the communication system embodying the method are also disclosed.
US08014805B2
A mobile station accesses a base station by randomly selecting a first reverse link common control channel from a set of random access channels. The mobile station transmits a request portion of an access probe over the first reverse link common control channel. The request portion is subject to collision with other signals. The request portion comprises a hash identification which is derived from a uniquely identifying number using a hash function. The hash identification quasi-uniquely identifies the mobile station. The mobile station receives a channel assignment message from the base station designating the hash identification and a reserved access channel. The reserved access channel provides communication with a low probability of contention. The mobile station transmits a message portion of the access probe over the reserved access channel.
US08014804B2
A station associates with an access point in a wireless local area network conforming to, e.g., an IEEE 802.11 standard. The station measures the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the downlink from each of the access points sending either a beacon or a probe response, and forms a first list of access points in decreasing order of received downlink SNR. The station transmits a link test request to each access point to query the access point for the SNR of the link test request received at the corresponding access point. Access points respond to the link test request with corresponding link test responses containing the corresponding SNR. The station i) forms a second list of access points in decreasing order of received uplink SNR and ii) compares the first and second lists to determine which access point to associate with based on overall quality of the uplink and downlink channels.
US08014803B2
A disclosed mobile station includes a storage unit configured to establish a correspondence between an identifier for a downlink Layer-1 control channel associated with a downlink data channel and a physical channel parameter for an uplink Layer-1 control channel and to store the identifier and the physical channel parameter; and a unit configured to determine the physical channel parameter based on the identifier and generate the uplink Layer-1 control channel. A disclosed base station includes a storage unit; a unit configured to measure reception quality based on a signal transmitted from the mobile station, select the physical channel parameter and generate the downlink Layer-1 control channel corresponding to the physical channel parameter; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit control information on the generated downlink Layer-1 control channel.
US08014802B1
A first wireless device includes a signal strength module and a control module. The signal strength module is configured to receive a signal from a second wireless device, wherein the signal includes transmit power data indicating a transmit power of the second wireless device, and estimate a signal strength of the signal. The control module is configured to estimate a path loss between the first wireless device and the second wireless device based on (i) the signal strength and (ii) the transmit power data, and generate a control signal to control a transmit power of the first wireless device based on (i) the path loss and (ii) a sensitivity of a receiver of the first wireless device, where the sensitivity of the receiver is a minimum signal strength that the receiver is able to detect.
US08014799B2
Disclosed is a system for downloading an application from a server and providing the same to a client by using a short message or a subscriber interface module (SIM) card. The system modifies a function key for each application according to a client's selection, and randomly modifies a user interface used for selecting an application. The system extends a usage range of the SIM card. The system periodically checks and analyzes the client' use log for a predetermined time, presents at least one application to the client according to the analysis result on the use log, provides a single application selected by the client to the client, and updates at least one application stored in the client mobile terminal according to the analysis result on the use log. Therefore, the system increases service satisfaction for the client.
US08014798B2
Apparatus, and an associated method for facilitating paging of an access terminal operable in a radio communication system. A paging message is formed that includes partial identities of access terminals that are to be paged. The partial identities are arranged into groups of partial identities. And, the groups are ordered. Ordering of the groups conveys additional information bits.
US08014794B2
A mobile terminal and schedule management method using the same. The method includes: setting a schedule, the schedule including an alarm time, planned event time, planned event and a destination; and information about the location of the scheduled destination from a map search feature. A current location of the mobile terminal can be computed at an alarm time of a current schedule, using global positioning system (GPS) satellite signals. A first estimated travel time from the current location of the mobile terminal to a destination of the current schedule is provided. An alarm is output in which at least the computed first estimated travel time and the current schedule are displayed. The schedule management function integrates location and traffic information to provide effective schedule guidance to a user.
US08014783B2
Communicating between a plurality of nodes includes sensing spectrum activity on at least one channel; generating spectrum awareness data based at least in part on the sensed spectrum activity; determining at least one selected bearer based on the spectrum awareness data; negotiating among nodes to select at least one bearer based on various spectral use criteria.
US08014776B2
Cellular mobile networks can include unlicensed-radio access networks, which comprise access point controllers connected via a fixed broadband network to access points that communicate with mobile stations via unlicensed radio. The access points are connected to the broadband network from any location by the subscriber. In order to alleviate the configuration required to enable handover each access point controller is assigned to a location area defined in the conventional cellular network. A mobile station entering the mini-cell of an access point sends the access point information concerning the location area for the last cell of conventional network it communicated with. With this information, the access point obtains from a memory the fixed broadband address of the access point controller assigned to this location area. The access point uses this address to establish a connection with the access point controller assigned to handle its current location.
US08014774B2
Scanning neighboring base stations in a wireless access system is provided. In one embodiment, a method of scanning neighboring base stations for assessing channel quality includes receiving from a serving base station information associated with at least one neighboring base station, and transmitting a scanning request message from a mobile subscriber station to the serving base station, wherein the scanning request message comprises a requested scan duration and a requested scan iteration, the requested scan iteration being associated with a requested number of iterations of the scanning of the at least one neighboring base station. The method also includes receiving a scanning response message from the serving base station, wherein the scanning response message comprises an allowed scan duration and an allowed scan iteration, the allowed scan iteration being associated with an allowed number of iterations of the scanning of the at least one neighboring base station.
US08014769B2
A method for efficiently transmitting and receiving control information through a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) is provided. When a User Equipment (UE) receives control information through a PDCCH, the received control information is set to be decoded in units of search spaces, each having a specific start position in the specific subframe. Here, a modulo operation according to a predetermined first constant value (D) is performed on an input value to calculate a first result value, and a modulo operation according to a predetermined first variable value (C) corresponding to the number of candidate start positions that can be used as the specific start position is performed on the calculated first result value to calculate a second result value and an index position corresponding to the second result value is used as the specific start position. Transmitting control information in this manner enables a plurality of UEs to efficiently receive PDCCHs without collisions.
US08014763B2
A method of exchanging data comprises specifying in a first electronic device a recipient via perceptual addressing, and sending information from the first electronic device indicating an intent to conditionally communicate with the recipient only upon an expression of interest from the recipient in communicating with a user of the first electronic device. In a further example, a conditional message is sent from the first electronic device to the specified recipient electronic device such that the conditional message is visible to a recipient device user only upon the expression of interest from the recipient in communicating with a user of the first electronic device.
US08014756B1
A mobile authorization service may be implemented as a web-based service, hosted on an authorization service server, and may exchange messages with various computing devices of subscribers to the service, including mobile communication devices. The service may be implemented as a software application executing on the server, and may include a client portion executing on subscriber computer systems and/or mobile communication devices, or subscribers may interact with the service using a text messaging application or a web browsing application. The service may receive an authorization request from a subscriber and may send a request message to an approver. The approver may send a reply message to the service indicating an answer. After authenticating the reply, the service may provide a response to the requester. The service may store information regarding authorization requests and responses. An authorization service subscriber account may be configurable for an individual or corporate subscriber.
US08014753B2
A distributed test architecture of transmitting boundary scan Test Access Port (TAP_signals over a serial channel is disclosed. The architecture facilitates the system testing and remote field update of distributed base stations in a wireless network. The distributed test architecture enables system testing as if the distributed units are on a backplane within the same chassis by creating a plurality of logical connections between the distributed unit and the test bus using a single bit fiber line and a five bit TAP test bus.
US08014746B2
A function control information transmitter 30 transmits function control information 40 for controlling the function of a terminal device 10 such as a mobile telephone. When the terminal device (mobile telephone 10) receives the function control information 40 from the function control information transmitter 30, the terminal device analyzes the received function control information 40 so as to control the function of the control object even without preparing in advance a correspondence table for controlling the function. Thus, it is possible to easily use the optimal function, application software, and a service in accordance the environment and the situation.
US08014742B1
This disclosure discloses methods and apparatus for calibrating received signal strength indicators.
US08014738B2
Some embodiments discussed relate to an apparatus comprising a power amplifier module. The power amplifier module includes a plurality of sensors, and a first digital communication port configured to provide a monitor signal from at least one of the plurality of sensors. The apparatus includes a transceiver module coupled to provide an signal to an input of the power amplifier the transceiver module including a second digital communication port configured to receive the monitor signal from the first digital communication port, a processing unit configured to generate at least one of a bias control signal and a back-off signal dependent upon the monitor signal, and a power controller to receive the at least one of bias control signal and the back-off signal and provide at least one further input signal to the power amplifier based on at least one of the bias control signal and the back-off signal.
US08014736B2
A distortion compensating apparatus includes following units. An information measuring unit measures a distortion component and an electric power component based on a radiation signal. A compensation coefficient calculating unit calculates a compensation coefficient based on the distortion component and the electric power component. A signal transmitting unit outputs a signal corrected by the compensation coefficient as a transmission signal. A signal converting unit converts the transmission signal into a high frequency signal. An amplitude separating unit amplifies the high frequency signal and separates a portion thereof as a signal to be fed back. A feeding-back unit processes the portion and outputs the result as a feedback signal to the information measuring unit. An electric power information extracting unit outputs a portion of the high frequency signal as the radiation signal, extracts electric power information from the radiation signal, and directly outputs the electric power information to the information measuring unit.
US08014735B2
A radio frequency (RF) power amplifier system is provided, in which a distortion of the RF output signal from the power amplifier is estimated by comparing the RF output signal with reference modulation information. The supply voltage to the power amplifier is adjusted so that the estimated distortion of the RF output signal corresponds to a predetermined distortion level. The predetermined distortion level is set to represent an acceptable distortion level at the RF output signal.
US08014721B2
A mobile communication device is capable of operation in accordance with a plurality of operation mode profiles. Data linking each operation mode profile to a respective operation identifier are stored in the device memory. The device controller, coupled to a contained near field communication (NFC) device, is responsive to operation mode identifier data received from the NFC device during near field communication with an external establishment to change operation from an initial mode to the operation mode linked to the received data.
US08014715B2
A fixing apparatus to fix unfixed toner carried on a surface of a recording medium by attaching a fixing solution capable of softening toner onto the unfixed toner is provided. The fixing apparatus includes a sprayer to spray the fixing solution; a fixing solution charging part to charge the fixing solution; a first electrode to rotate and provided on a same side of the recording medium as the surface carrying the unfixed toner; a second electrode provided on an opposite side of the recording medium to the surface carrying the unfixed toner; and a voltage applying part to generate an electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode so that the fixing solution sprayed by the sprayer and charged by the fixing solution charging part moves toward the second electrode.
US08014705B2
A developing device includes: a developer supporter that includes: a magnet member that has a plurality of magnetic poles; and a cylinder member; and a thickness regulation member wherein, of the plurality of the magnetic poles, a magnetic pole, which is placed at a position nearest to the thickness regulation member downstream in a rotation direction of the cylinder member from the thickness regulation member, has a maximum position of a normal magnetic flux density distribution, and the maximum position is placed outside the area of angle α downstream in the rotation direction of the cylinder member from the thickness regulation member, and wherein the diameter of the cylinder member is D, the projection width is W in a case where the thickness regulation member is projected onto the surface of the cylinder member, and the angle α is 180×W/(D×π).
US08014699B2
An image forming apparatus includes process units arranged in a predetermined direction to form a process-unit row, each having a photosensitive body and a developer container; a casing accommodating the process units and having a cover opening and closing an opening formed at one side in the predetermined direction, and an exposure member exposing the photosensitive body, and having a laser source, a deflector, and an optical element, and the exposure member is arranged facing the developer container of each process unit in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. The process units are detachable from the casing, through the opening of the casing, and the developer container of one process unit arranged at one end of the process-unit row has a protruding portion protruding toward the exposure member to overlap with the exposure member in the orthogonal direction.
US08014698B2
An image forming apparatus includes a main body in which a cassette unit to accommodate a plurality of sheets of paper, a toner cartridge unit to contain toner, an imaging unit to flow into the toner contained in the toner cartridge unit, a transfer unit which transfers an image formed by the imaging unit onto the paper, and a waste toner collection unit to collect waste toner discharged from the imaging unit and the transfer unit, and a control panel unit to receive user commands, wherein at least four of the cassette unit, the toner cartridge unit, the imaging unit, the transfer unit, the waste toner collection unit, and the control panel unit are disposed so as to be accessed by a user in the same direction.
US08014695B2
An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet, includes: an image forming section which forms the image on the sheet; a fixing device which fixes the image onto the sheet; a first duct which covers the fixing device and ventilates air heated by the fixing device; a second duct, which covers the first duct and ventilates cool air introduced from outside; and an exhaust fan which exhausts the air that has passed through each of the first duct and the second duct.
US08014694B2
A developing cartridge includes a case having a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite to the first sidewall, and a developing roller disposed between the first sidewall and second sidewall. The developing roller can include a developing roller shaft and a developing roller member configured to carry a developing agent thereon, the developing roller member disposed around the developing roller shaft. Also, the developing cartridge can include an electrode disposed on the first sidewall adjacent to the developing roller shaft, the electrode electrically connected to the developing roller member, and a driven coupling disposed on the second sidewall. The electrode can include, an extending portion extending in a direction away from the first sidewall. An outermost periphery of the driven coupling defines a projection plane projecting in a direction towards the electrode, wherein at least a part of the extending portion is disposed within the projection plane.
US08014693B2
An image forming apparatus including maintenance function for maintaining the image forming apparatus at a given operating condition includes an operation screen unit. The operation screen unit is useable for conducting maintenance on the image forming apparatus. The maintenance is categorized into a service-maintenance work conductable by a service engineer within service-operation content, and a user-maintenance work conductable by a user within user-allowed-operation content. The operation screen unit includes a user-specific operation screen, with which the user-maintenance work is conductable for adjusting the maintenance function within the user-allowed-operation content. The user-specific operation screen displays the user-allowed-operation content, which is different from the service-operation content.
US08014692B2
When an instruction reception section receives an image forming instruction from an operator, a detector detects an toner image forming unit which performs an image forming operation in connection with the operator's instruction. A mode determining section determines which one of an image formation preceding mode or a sheet conveyance preceding mode is set for the toner image forming unit detected by the detector, and a drive controller controls drivings of the sheet conveying section and the image forming section according to the determined mode.
US08014688B2
An image forming apparatus including a photosensitive member, a charging apparatus to charge a surface of the photosensitive member when applied with a charging voltage, and an exposure apparatus to expose the surface of the photosensitive member after being charged to form an electrostatic image. A developing apparatus attaches a developer to the electrostatic image and develop the electrostatic image as a developer image when applied with a development voltage. An environment measuring apparatus measures information regarding temperature and a time information obtaining apparatus obtains information regarding a photosensitive member rotation time that represents a time during which the photosensitive member is rotated, and information regarding a photosensitive member stop time that represents a time during which the photosensitive member is stopped. A control apparatus controls an image formation condition based on a control mode.
US08014667B2
An imaging device is provided, in which a front sheet metal casing and/or a back sheet metal casing can be secured to a top sheet metal casing without the necessity of providing any screw holes in the top surface of the top sheet metal casing in order to secure the top sheet metal casing to the front sheet metal casing and/or the back sheet metal casing. The top sheet metal casing includes a top plate and a secured sheet metal casing secured to the top plate such that at least a portion of its perimeter is spaced apart from the top plate at a predetermined distance. A flange provided to the front or back sheet metal casing is inserted between the top plate and the secured sheet metal plate, so that an engagement pin provided to the secured sheet metal plate is fitted in an engagement hole provided in the flange, thereby securing the front or back sheet metal casing to the top sheet metal casing.
US08014662B1
A method and system for facilitating focusing of a miniature camera are disclosed. One or more lenses can be attached to a MEMS stage. The MEMS stage can be moved by a Lorentz actuator. The MEMS stage can be configured to limit movement of the lens(es) to a single degree of freedom to inhibit misalignment thereof with respect to an imaging sensor. The stage can be biased to a predefined position thereof, e.g., for focus at infinity. A metal cover can inhibit electromagnetic interference and can limit movement of the lens(es).
US08014661B2
An imaging device includes an autofocusing section, which moves at least a part of an imaging lens as a focusing lens, and focuses the imaging device on a subject, a photographing distance range setting section, which sets a predetermined distance range including a subject distance to the subject obtained by the autofocusing section as a photographing distance range for photographing, a continuous shooting section, which continuously photographs at a plurality of focused positions in the photographing distance range while moving and stopping the focusing lens according to input of a photographing instruction, and a display section, which displays an image of the subject focused by the autofocusing section and the photographing distance range set by the photographing distance range setting section.
US08014648B2
An information recording apparatus includes recording means for recording a file and filesystem information on a recording medium; filesystem-information generating means for generating the filesystem information for every application software program using the file; and operation control means for controlling the operation of the recording means so as to allocate the filesystem information, generated for every application software program using the file by the filesystem-information generating means, to virtual addresses as one file. When the file is to be recorded by the recording means, the operation control means controls the recording means so as to update the filesystem information corresponding to the application software program using the file to be recorded and to record the updated filesystem information on the recording medium.
US08014647B2
The invention relates to an optical fiber comprising a gain medium which is equipped with: a core (22) which is formed from a transparent material and nanoparticles (24) comprising a doping element and at least one element for enhancing the use of said doping element; and an outer cladding (26) which surrounds the core. The invention is characterized in that the doping element is erbium (Er) and in that the enhancing element is selected from among antimony (Sb), bismuth (Bi) and a combination of antimony (Sb) and bismuth (Bi).According to the invention, one such fiber is characterized in that the size of the nanoparticles is variable and is between 1 and 500 nanometers inclusive, and preferably greater than 20 nm.
US08014646B2
A telecommunications patching system includes: a generally horizontal main panel; a row of front connectors associated with the main panel, each of the front connectors being spaced apart from immediately adjacent front connectors by a gap; and a row of rear connectors associated with the main panel, each of the rear connectors being spaced apart from immediately adjacent rear connectors by a gap. The front connectors are laterally offset from the rear connectors such that each of the gaps between the rear connectors aligns with a respective front connector, and each of the gaps between the front connectors aligns with a respective rear connector. In this configuration, cords or cables connected with the front row of connectors can reside in the gaps between the rear connectors, and cords or cable with the rear connectors can reside in the gaps between the front connectors. This arrangement can provide high port density to the patching system.
US08014643B2
Disclosed herein is a photonic crystal waveguide inlet structure for improving coupling efficiency of a strip waveguide and a photonic crystal waveguide. The photonic crystal waveguide inlet structure includes an inlet region of the photonic crystal waveguide. The photonic crystal waveguide includes photonic crystals in which air holes are arranged in a triangle lattice shape in a dielectric, and a hybrid waveguide in which at least one of the air holes is removed, the hybrid waveguide spacing the inlet region apart from the strip waveguide.
US08014642B2
An optical gate array device which permits the use of an optical gate array with a pitch smaller than the diameter of optical fibers. The optical gate array has an array of optical gates, and an optical fiber array has an array of optical fibers. A lens is arranged between the optical gate array and the optical fiber array, for collectively achieving optical coupling between all of the optical gates of the optical gate array and all of the optical fibers of the optical fiber array.
US08014636B2
A phase modulation waveguide structure includes one of a semiconductor and a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate, a doped semiconductor layer formed over the one of a semiconductor and a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate, the doped semiconductor portion including a waveguide rib protruding from a surface thereof not in contact with the one of a semiconductor and a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate, and an electrical contact on top of the waveguide rib. The electrical contact is formed of a material with an optical refractive index close to that of a surrounding oxide layer that surrounds the waveguide rib and the electrical contact and lower than the optical refractive index of the doped semiconductor layer. During propagation of an optical mode within the waveguide structure, the electrical contact isolates the optical mode between the doped semiconductor layer and a metal electrode contact on top of the electrical contact.
US08014626B2
An image processing device to correct chromatic aberration of image data is provided. The image processing device includes an overexposed pixel detecting unit configured to detect overexposed pixels by using a luminance signal of the image data; an overexposure distribution information generating unit configured to generate overexposure distribution information indicating distribution of the overexposed pixels detected by the overexposed pixel detecting unit; and a chromatic aberration amount calculating unit configured to calculate the amount of chromatic aberration of each pixel by using the overexposure distribution information generated by the overexposure distribution information generating unit and chromatic aberration amount distribution information indicating distribution of the amount of chromatic aberration, which is the amount of correction regarding chromatic aberration of nearby pixels due to overexposure of a target pixel.
US08014623B2
System and method for efficiently enhancing videos and images. According to an embodiment, the present invention provides a method for processing videos and/or images. The method includes providing a target pixel that is characterized by a first pixel value. The method further includes obtaining a plurality of surrounding pixels that are positioned within a predetermined area surrounding the target pixel. Also, the method includes selecting a transition pixel from the plurality of surrounding pixels. The transition pixel is characterized by a second pixel value. The transition pixel is associated with a greatest transition value that is a function of the first pixel value and the second pixel value. The method additionally includes determining a first direction, the first direction being parallel to a second direction from the target pixel to the transition pixel.
US08014616B2
A method of compressed sensing imaging includes acquiring a sparse digital image b, said image comprising a plurality of intensities corresponding to an I-dimensional grid of points, initializing points (x(k), y(k)), wherein x(k) is an element of a first expanded image x defined by b=RΦ−1 x, wherein R is a Fourier transform matrix, Φ is a wavelet transform matrix, y(k) is a point in ∂ ( ∑ i = 1 l ( ∇ i Φ - 1 x ( k ) ) 2 ) 1 / 2 , ∇i is a forward finite difference operator for a ith coordinate, and k is an iteration counter; calculating a first auxiliary variable s(k) from x ( k ) - τ 1 ( αΦ ∑ n L n * y n ( k ) + Φ R * ( R Φ - 1 x ( k ) - b ) ) , wherein τ1,α are predetermined positive scalar constants, the sum is over all points n in x, and L* is an adjoint of operator L=(∇1, . . . , ∇I); calculating a second auxiliary variable tn(k) from yn(k)+τ2LnΦ−1x(k), wherein τ2 is a predetermined positive scalar constant; updating x(k+1) from sign(s(k))max{0,|s(k)|−τ1β}, wherein β is a predetermined positive scalar constant; and updating yn(k+1) from min { 1 τ 2 , t n ( k ) 2 } t n ( k ) t n ( k ) 2 .
US08014615B2
A system and method receives video data and its corresponding alpha channel data using a single stream or file, each of the video data and alpha channel data in the same format, and decompresses each set of data using a single decompression algorithm.
US08014612B2
The disclosed image processing device receiving image data comprises a first encoder, a second encoder and an encoding switch. The first encoder generates first data by encoding the image data according to a predetermined method. The second encoder generates second data by encoding the image data according to an encoding pattern table. The encoding pattern table is set up in accordance with the first data. The encoding switch determines to output either the first data or the second data as an encoded result and generates a mark value for indicating the encoded result.
US08014611B2
An image compression apparatus and method capable of performing compression with different image qualities within an image. In a mosaic processing unit (16) of the image compression apparatus, a filtering region divider (130) divides input image data into a plurality of filtering areas and at least some of the filtering areas are subjected to unification processing for each of the filtering areas by a filtering unit (131). On the other hand, a JPEG encoder (17) divides the image data after the mosaic processing into a plurality of rectangular block areas and each of the block areas is subjected to DCT processing and quantization processing. Here, the filtering area consists of adjacent one or more sets of rectangular areas each consisting of two or more pixels obtained by equally dividing the aforementioned block area by 2n (n is a natural number).
US08014610B2
Disclosed is a multi-path method of block matching computing for image processing, which comprises: determining a searching pattern with a center pixel point and a plurality of surrounding pixel points to perform a block searching operation; computing a plurality of pixel value differences between the center pixel point and the surrounding points of two continuous frames; and utilizing at least two pixel points with a pixel value difference as the center pixel point to perform the next block searching operation, wherein the pixel difference of the at least two pixel points has a difference less than a predetermined value from a minimum pixel value difference.
US08014592B2
An automatic process for performing CMY (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) registration for film digital restoration. After three color components Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow of a picture are scanned into files, each component is divided into blocks, and edge detection is applied to each block, and an edge match is performed. The data of displacements is processed, and then affine transform parameters are calculated. The affine transform is then applied for each block, and warping is used to combine the color components and obtain the registered picture of a color component.
US08014588B2
A method and apparatus to extract a dense three-dimensional model of an observed scene or object from one or more sequences of images acquired with an imaging device such as a camera or camcorder, or clusters of cameras and/or camcorders. In some embodiments the method includes capturing an image sequence by a camera moving with a translateral motion, for example moving on a straight path with a fixed orientation. The images in each sequence are captured at regularly spaced sites on the straight path. In some embodiments, a device projects structured light on the observed scene. Multiple image sequences can be acquired, on different cameras on straight paths. The captured image sequences are input to a computer. The 3D structure of the scene viewed by each image sequence is computed. Dense reconstruction from EPIs is performed by interpolating the EPIs after having detecting straight segments on the EPIs. 3D models extracted from each image sequence are combined and merged to create a 3D model of the whole scene.
US08014581B2
A method for segmenting a tubular structure includes providing a three-dimensional image containing the tubular structure, providing at least one seed point within the tubular structure, fitting an initial cylinder into the tubular structure at the seed point, adding cylinder segments to the initial cylinder in forward and backward directions within the three-dimensional image of the tubular structure by tracking the cylinder model over the tubular structure, modeling each cylinder segment using parameters to account for a three-dimensional orientation, a radius, a length and a curvature, describing an intensity image of the tubular structure using a second model to represent an edge and intensity distribution of the tubular structure, fitting the parameters as the cylinder segment is added to the intensity image, and outputting cylinder segments as a segmentation of the tube.
US08014578B2
A technique is provided for utilizing a model of an anatomical feature to facilitate the segmentation of the anatomical feature from its background in a medical image. A global alignment of the model with a region in the patient's image data that generally corresponds to the anatomical feature is performed in one embodiment. Internal structural features within the model are then aligned with their corresponding structural features in the patient's image data. The portion of the patient's image data that is aligned with the model of the anatomical feature is then segmented from the remaining portions of the patient's image data that are not aligned with the model.
US08014574B2
To provide a noise eliminating apparatus and the like that can eliminate an atypical shaped background noise. A character noise eliminating apparatus includes a character noise area detecting device for detecting a character noise area which is an area corresponding to a character noise from an image, a density conversion area layer determining device for setting a plurality of density conversion area layers inside and outside the character noise area, and a density converting device for setting a neighboring pixel group within the same density conversion area layer as the density conversion area layer to which a target pixel belongs as a reference area of the target pixel, with respect to pixels in the density conversion area layers, and generating a density converted image applying a local image enhancement.
US08014570B2
A method, system and computer program product for improving error discrimination in biometric authentication systems. The error discrimination is set to a predetermined security policy. A plurality of biometric samples are provided and authenticated by a computer system in conjunction with a security token. An alternate embodiment allows inputting of the plurality of biometric samples in a predetermined sequence. The predetermined input sequence is maintained as an authentication secret which may be used to further reduce the authentication transaction error rate. A user may input one or more biometric samples, where a portion of the biometric samples are inputted in a predetermined sequence, selecting from among a plurality of available processing units, a set of processing units which will generate intermediate results from the processing of the biometric samples, processing at least a portion of the biometric samples by the selected set of processing units to provide intermediate results, verifying the predetermined sequence, and arbitrating the intermediate results to generate a final result which at least meets a predetermined security policy. Various embodiments provide for a security token to perform at least a portion of the processing or the arbitration function.
US08014567B2
A method and apparatus for recognizing a gesture in an image processing system. In the apparatus, an input unit receives an image obtained by capturing a gesture of a user using a camera. A detector detects a face area in the input image, and detects a hand area in gesture search areas. The gesture search areas being set by dividing the image into predetermined areas with reference to a predetermined location of the detected face area. A controller sets the gesture search areas, determines whether a gesture occurs in the detected hand area, and selects a detection area with respect to the gesture to generate a control command for controlling an image device. A calculator calculates skin-color information and differential-area information for checking a gesture in the detected hand area. Accordingly, a hand area can be accurately detected, and a gesture can be separated from peripheral movement information, so that mal-functioning caused by gesture recognition can be reduced.
US08014561B2
An embodiment of the invention is method, which can be implemented in software, firmware, hardware, etc., for virtual fly over inspection of complex anatomical tubular structures. In a preferred embodiment, the method is implemented in software, and the software reconstructs the tubular anatomical structure from a binary imaging data that is originally acquired from computer aided tomography scan or comparable biological imaging system. The software of the invention splits the entire tubular anatomy into exactly two halves. The software assigns a virtual camera to each half to perform fly-over navigation. Through controlling the elevation of the virtual camera, there is no restriction on its field of view (FOV) angle, which can be greater than 90 degrees, for example. The camera viewing volume is perpendicular to each half of the tubular anatomical structure, so potential structures of interest, e.g., polyps hidden behind haustral folds in a colon are easily found. The orientation of the splitting surface is controllable, the navigation can be repeated at another or a plurality of another split orientations. This avoids the possibility that a structure of interest, e.g., a polyp that is divided between the two halves of the anatomical structure in a first fly over is missed during a virtual inspection. Preferred embodiment software conducts virtual colonoscopy fly over. Experimental virtual fly over colonoscopy software of the invention that performed virtual fly over on 15 clinical datasets demonstrated average surface visibility coverage is 99.59+/−0.2%.
US08014552B2
An improved communication coupling device having a coupler coil with about 125 turns of wire about a bar-shaped core for use with a hearing aid having a hearing aid coil to accommodate individuals with various degrees of hearing loss to use a sound generation device such as a telephone.
US08014550B2
This invention relates to a system (100) for controlling gain function of a hearing aid. The system (100) comprises a microphone (102) converting a sound pressure to an input signal, a speaker (112) converting an output signal to a processed sound pressure, and a signal processing means (106) interconnecting the microphone (102) and the speaker (112) and processing the input signal to the output signal according to a control signal. The system (100) further comprises a signal analysis means (108) connecting to the microphone (102) and to the signal processing means (106) and comprising a controller means (124) generating the control signal based on detector means (128, 130, 120) responses to the input signal.
US08014542B2
A system, set-top box, and method of providing audio content are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, the set-top box device includes an audio input device that is configured to receive a voice command. The set-top box device also includes a display disposed on a visible side of a set-top box housing. Additionally, the set-top box device includes a media control logic module to retrieve audio content identified by the voice command and data related to the audio content. The media control logic module transmits an audio signal corresponding to the audio content to an audio output device. The data related to the audio content is displayable on the display.
US08014539B2
A method and apparatus to control output power of a digital amplifier capable of automatically determining an impedance of an earphone or headphone connected to a portable audio device and outputting a power that is optimized according to the impedance. The apparatus is usable with a digital amplification device and includes a signal processing unit to convert a pulse signal into a direct current (DC) voltage by power-amplifying the pulse signal, an impedance measuring unit to connect a resistance device between the signal processing unit and a speaker unit and to detect a voltage value applied to the resistance device and the speaker unit, and a micom unit to generate a pulse signal having a predetermined duty cycle in the signal processing unit if the speaker unit is connected to the device, to determine an impedance of the speaker unit based on the voltage value detected by the impedance measuring unit, to control a power amplification by providing a voltage level control signal to the signal processing unit according to the determined impedance, and to control an audio level in an audio reproduction mode accordingly.
US08014534B2
The present invention provides improvements to prior art audio codecs that generate a stereo-illusion through post-processing of a received mono signal. These improvements are accomplished by extraction of stereo-image describing parameters at the encoder side, which are transmitted and subsequently used for control of a stereo generator at the decoder side. Furthermore, the invention bridges the gap between simple pseudo-stereo methods, and current methods of true stereo-coding, by using a new form of parametric stereo coding. A stereo-balance parameter is introduced, which enables more advanced stereo modes, and in addition forms the basis of a new method of stereo-coding of spectral envelopes, of particular use in systems where guided HFR (High Frequency Reconstruction) is employed. As a special case, the application of this stereo-coding scheme in scalable HFR-based codecs is described.
US08014532B2
A method of processing a sound field representation which can be used to provide a representation which has been modified by at least spatial processing. The method includes: the establishment of an initial representation of the sound field and the establishment of a representation which has been modified by filtering combinations corresponding to the processing operation. The method also includes a step which defines the processing operation and which includes: a step involving the establishment of a set of directivity functions, which is representative of the processing and which takes the form of a set of coefficients corresponding to the spherical harmonic decomposition of the functions; and a step in which the filtering combinations are determined from the decomposition so that another step involving the application of the defined filtering combinations can be performed.
US08014529B2
In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for configuring a wireless device, so as to enable the wireless device to join a secured wireless network, by broadcasting a series of broadcast packets encoding a network configuration parameter (e.g., a shared secret key) from a computer coupled to a wireless access point to the wireless device. The information representing the network configuration parameter is encoded, not within the payload portion of the packet, but within the length of each broadcast packet in the series of broadcast packets. Accordingly, a wireless device that has not yet been configured to receive packets from the wireless access point can observe the information encoded in the length of each broadcast packet, and thereby decode the network configuration parameter and join the network.
US08014522B2
Based on the demand of developing a data encryption technique for the optical storage media, the present invention discloses a cryptography for data encryption based on a design of specific hardware conditions, so as to achieve the security requirements for the encrypted digital data stored in the optical storage media and the design requirements for the security issues on the optical storage media for software vendors in the current market.
US08014512B2
A system for providing caller interaction within a queue. In response to receiving a call, it is determined whether a wait time exists before a caller is connected to a customer service representative. In response to determining that the wait time exists, it is determined whether the caller is interested in an interaction. In response to determining that the caller is interested in the interaction, a profile associated with the caller is loaded. In response to detecting a connection with an interactive system, interactive options are loaded from the interactive system and presented to the caller based on the profile. In response to receiving a selection from the interactive options, it is determined whether the selection includes a group interaction. In response to determining that the selection includes the group interaction, the group interaction is loaded based on the profile. Then, the caller is entered into the group interaction.
US08014509B2
A telephony system (100) includes a user device (110, 130) configured to enable a user of the telephony system (100) to place and receive telephone calls, and a service node (180, 185) configured to communicate with the user device (110, 130) and to thereby provide the user with an automated voice interface to the telephony system (100) upon the user's initiating access to the telephony system (100) via the user device (110, 130). The automated voice interface permits the user to verbally specify a desired objective corresponding to any one of a number of predefined objectives, the predefined objectives including directory assisted call placement and at least one form of information retrieval. Upon receiving the desired objective from the user, the service node (180, 185) acts to implement the desired objective.
US08014502B2
A communication device includes a network control device connected to a Public Switched Telephone Network; an interface connected to an IP network; an operations control part configured to set an address corresponding to the Public Switched Telephone Network and another address corresponding to the IP network for an authorizing person who permits transmission; and a system control part configured to implement sending to the address corresponding to the Public Switched Telephone Network. The system control part determines whether sending permission is necessary; e-mail including the address corresponding to the Public Switched Telephone Network is sent to the other address of at least one said authorizing person if the sending permission is necessary; and sending to the address corresponding to the Public Switched Telephone Network is implemented in a case where e-mail including the sending permission from the authorizing person is received.
US08014499B2
A user computer, for example a personal computer (PC), includes a recorder configured for generating an audio file having an identifier enabling a unified messaging system to identify the audio file as a voice message, and an e-mail client configured for sending the audio file to a prescribed destination corresponding to a unified messaging subscriber voice mail inbox, enabling the unified messaging subscriber to use the unified messaging system for retrieval of the audio file as a stored voice message.
US08014488B2
A shift register is disclosed, which can prevent malfunctioning of device by decreasing the load on a discharging voltage source line, and can decrease a size of stage. The shift register comprises a plurality of stages to sequentially output scan pulses through respective output terminals, wherein each of the stages comprises a pull-up switching unit controlled based on a signal state of node, and connected between the output terminal and any one among a plurality of clock transmission lines to transmit the clock pulses provided with sequential phase differences; and a node controller to control the signal state of node, and to discharge the node by using the clock pulse from any one among the plurality of clock transmission line.
US08014476B2
A wireless device achieves good performance using a crystal oscillator that is not compensated for temperature. The crystal oscillator provides a reference signal having a temperature dependent frequency error. A control unit estimates the frequency error (e.g., based on a received pilot) and provides a frequency error estimate. A clock generator generates a digital clock, which tracks chip timing, based on the reference signal and the frequency error estimate. A receiver frequency downconverts an input RF signal with a receive LO signal having the frequency error and provides an analog baseband signal. An ADC digitizes the analog baseband signal based on a sampling clock having the frequency error and provides ADC samples. A re-clocking circuit re-clocks the ADC samples based on a digital clock and provides data samples. A digital rotator frequency translates the data samples based on the frequency error estimate and provides frequency-translated samples centered near DC.
US08014445B2
Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods and systems for high dynamic range (HDR) video coding and decoding that is backwards-compatible with one or more standard dynamic range (SDR) encoding and decoding techniques, through the transmission of HDR residual data used to reconstruct an encoded HDR sequence from an inverse-tone-mapped SDR sequence.
US08014443B2
The present invention provides a non-linear distortion detection method and a distortion compensation amplifying device capable of suppressing increase of the circuit size and the power consumption even if the signal band is widened. A signal obtained by feeding back an output of a power amplifier is sampled by an A/D converter. An equalizer of a distortion detection unit uses an input signal d(n) of a predistorter as a reference symbol to detect an equalization error e(n) of the orthogonal demodulation signal u(n). An absolute value averaging unit outputs an absolute value of the equalization error e(n) which has been temporally averaged to E(n) as a distortion value to a control unit. According to the distortion value, the control unit adaptively controls the predistorter to perform distortion compensation.
US08014437B2
A system for implementing an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing scheme and providing an improved range extension. The system includes a transmitter for transmitting data to a receiver. The transmitter includes a symbol mapper for generating a symbol for each of a plurality of subcarriers and a spreading module for spreading out the symbol on each of the plurality of subcarriers by using a direct sequence spread spectrum. The symbol on each of the plurality of subcarriers is spread by multiplying the symbol by predefined length sequences. The receiver includes a de-spreader module for de-spreading the symbols on each of the plurality of subcarriers. The de-spreader module includes a simply correlator receiver for obtaining maximum detection. The correlator produces an output sequence of a same length as an input sequence and the de-spreader module uses a point of maximum correlation on the output sequence to obtain a recovered symbol.
US08014436B2
A transmitter and a method are described herein that can generate a radio signal with a reduced ratio of peak amplitude to root-mean-square amplitude which helps to improve the transmit efficiency of the transmitter's power amplifier. In addition, a receiver is also described herein that can decode the radio signal.
US08014424B2
Systems and methods are provided to generate a set of synchronization channel sequences that optimize time and frequency acquisition. A set of root indices of Zadoff-Chu sequences in a first domain (e.g., time domain) that optimize a performance metric or merit factor are identified. An optimal index is determined that also optimizes a performance metric in a reciprocal domain (e.g., frequency domain). For sequences of length Q2=N, a base sequence generated with an optimal sequence can be utilized to generate at least two disparate optimal sequences through sign-flip, conjugation, and periodic modulation operations. Evaluating a primary synchronization channel having length N of 63, an optimal pair of root indices of (28, 31, 32) and (31, 33, 35) provide a five-fold improvement in frequency offset error over conventional single index set of (25, 29, 34).
US08014421B2
The present invention is generally directed towards a remote access architecture for providing peer-to-peer communications and remote access connectivity. In one embodiment, the remote access architecture of the present invention provides a method for establishing a direct connection between peer computing devices via a third computing device, such as a gateway. Additionally, the present invention provides the following techniques to optimize peer-to-peer communications: 1) false acknowledgement of receipt of network packets allowing communications via a lossless protocol of packets constructed for transmission via a lossy protocol, 2) payload shifting of network packets allowing communications via a lossless protocol of packets constructed for transmission via a lossy protocol, 3) reduction of packet fragmentation by adjusting the maximum transmission unit (MTU) parameter, accounting for overhead due to encryption, 4) application-aware prioritization of client-side network communications, and 5) network disruption shielding for reliable and persistent network connectivity and access.
US08014415B2
Techniques are provided for communicating a data stream in a wireless communication network. A source divides the data stream into a first data sub-stream and a second data sub-stream. The first data sub-stream can be modulated using a first modulation technique to generate a first modulated data sub-stream, and the second data sub-stream can be modulated using a second modulation technique to generate a second modulated data sub-stream. A destination receives the first data sub-stream over a first frequency band, and receives the second data sub-stream over a second frequency band. The destination demodulates the first data sub-stream using a first demodulation technique to generate a first demodulated data sub-stream, and demodulates the second data sub-stream using a second demodulation technique to generate a second demodulated data sub-stream. The destination then combines the first demodulated data sub-stream and the second demodulated data sub-stream to generate the data stream.
US08014413B2
In some embodiments, a shared IO device includes a plurality of packet filters associated with a plurality of virtual systems sharing the shared I/O device and a plurality of filter receive queues assigned to the plurality of packet filters. A processor is responsive to a receive packet to determine if the receive packet matches one of the plurality of packet filters and the processor, upon determining that there is a matched packet filter, is adapted to place the receive packet in the filter receive queue assigned to the matched packet filter.
US08014411B2
Service providers can reduce multiple overlay networks by creating multiple logical service networks (LSNS) on the same physical or optical fiber network. The LSNs are established by the service provider and can be characterized by traffic type, bandwidth, delay, hop count, guaranteed information rates and/or restoration priorities. Once established, the LSNs allow the service provider to deliver a variety of services to customers depending on customer's traffic specifications. Different traffic specifications are serviced on different LSNS, depending on each LSN's characteristics. Such LSNS, once built within a broadband network, can be customized and sold to multiple customers.
US08014410B2
A method and a system for forwarding Ethernet packets by an Ethernet bridge in an Ethernet Layer 2 VPN network is provided. The method includes: notifying the first Ethernet bridge about the primary internal port associated with the receiving MAC-address and to the given VLAN identification; notifying the first Ethernet bridge about the backup internal port directly associated with the backup MPLS port acting as a backup MPLS port in an event of failure of the primary MPLS port; and, if the corresponding primary MPLS port has failed, forwarding Ethernet packets to the backup egress port of the receiving MAC-address having the given VLAN identification.
US08014403B2
This method of processing multimedia content description data sets to deliver a plurality of output data sets (141, 142, . . . , 14n) from a single input data set (10), the method being characterized in that it comprises the following steps: allocating priority coefficients (16) to at least some of the description data in the input data set (10); associating priority coefficient thresholds (18) with a predetermined number of output data sets (141, 142, . . . , 14n); and distributing the data to the output data sets (141, 142, . . . , 14n) as a function of the priority coefficients (16) allocated to the elements of the input data set and as a function of the thresholds (18) associated with each of the output data sets.
US08014392B2
Aspects of a method and system for advertising a Bluetooth multicast feature are provided. A master device may provide a multicast service to active slave devices during a Bluetooth piconet connection. A Bluetooth multicast packet addressed to a specific slave device may be transmitted over a point-to-point connection. The multicast packet may be decoded and acknowledged by each of the slave devices on the piconet. The master device may re-transmit the multicast packet addressed to the specific slave device over the same point-to-point connection when an acknowledgment or response indicating a reception of the multicast packet from each of active slave devices may not be detected. The point-to-point connection may be associated with a L2CAP channel identified by a determined unique channel identifier (M-CID). The point- to-point connection may be secured by assigning a common authentication key shared among the slaves of the piconet.
US08014389B2
Disclosed are systems and/or apparatuses of transmitting digital objects to a destination. In particular, disclosed are systems and/or apparatuses of facilitating bidding for the business of forwarding digital objects in a data transmission network.
US08014377B2
A mobile terminal in a wireless communication network may be one of several modes of operation. When in an idle mode, the mobile terminal may avoid a lengthy random access procedure normally associated with responding to a page from a base station, if the base station includes in the page an indication of a resource that the mobile terminal may utilize when responding to the page. Additionally, the mobile terminal may transmit an efficient location update MAC header to a base station, whether prompted to by a page from the base station or not. Furthermore, without leaving the idle mode or a sleep mode, the mobile terminal may exchange short data burst messages with a base station.
US08014375B2
In a compressed mode, a spread spectrum communication device interleaves bit units across multiple frames using an interleaver, reduces the spreading factor using a framing/spreading unit, outputs the compressed mode frames at a predetermined compressed mode frame timing, and increases the average transmission power in the compressed mode at a radio frequency transmitter. Furthermore, a handover between different frequencies is carried out by establishing synchronization to another frequency carrier, based on a first search code and a second search code which have been detected, and moreover, a handover between different communication systems is carried out by establishing synchronization to a GSM, based on an FCCH and a SCH which have been detected.
US08014374B2
A system and method for maintaining timing compatibility for high rate wireless transceivers employs a cycle stealing technique so that latencies introduced by multi-antenna signal processors in an access point can be masked. A speculative pre-stored, predetermined preamble is issued in response to a data transmission initiation from another access point, so that a responsive packet is sent within an acceptable protocol timing interval.
US08014365B2
A method and a device for transferring signalling information in a TDMA based system. Temporal alignment of values for a retransmission number parameter (R) with the TDMA frame structure is determined on the basis of which a first radio packet to be sent in a number of first TDMA frames is encoded by using a certain first value for the parameter and a second radio packet to be sent in a number of second TDMA frames is encoded by using a certain second value for the parameter. The first and second radio packets are transmitted to the recipient that adheres to the same temporal alignment rules and can thus properly decode both the packets. The solution can be utilized especially in GERAN radio access network with FLO (Flexible Layer One) for transferring signalling information on half-rate channels.
US08014362B2
A method for assigning scrambling codes in a code division multiple access cellular radio communications network includes a plurality of network cells covering a geographic area, including: determining, for each of the cells, a respective set of adjacent cells by: taking a first set of cells that are neighbors of the given cell; taking a second set of cells that are neighbors of neighbors of the given cell; taking a third set of cells that are neighbors of neighbors of neighbors of the given cell, wherein two cells are considered neighbors in case the respective coverage areas at least partially overlap; taking a fourth set of cells which, in at least one point of the best server are of the given cell, have an adjacent coefficient with the given cell higher than a predetermined threshold; combining the first, second, third and fourth set of cells; and assigning to each cell of the set of adjacent cells a scrambling code different from a scrambling code assigned to the given cell.
US08014361B2
In orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) selects a random access channel (RACH) and a phase for a constant amplitude zero auto correlation (CAZAC) sequence for RACH transmission. The WTRU then transmits a RACH transmission to a Node B via the selected RACH. Once the RACH transmission is detected, the Node B sends an acknowledgement (ACK) to the WTRU over an ACK channel. The Node B may transmit the ACK on a shared channel. The WTRU may ramp up transmit power while the RACH transmission is transmitted, or steps up transmit power of a subsequent RACH transmission. The RACH transmission and data transmission may be either time multiplexed or frequency multiplexed. A plurality of RACHs may be defined and one of the defined RACHs may be selected randomly or based on predetermined criteria.
US08014355B2
When a service apparatus detects a predetermined state, the service apparatus selects one of a plurality of client apparatuses connected to the service apparatus and selects a client apparatus to which a connection should be cut. The service apparatus determines another service apparatus to be a redirection destination of the client through communication with other service apparatuses which are capable of establishing a connection with the client. The service apparatus gives control information to the other service apparatuses and inhibits transmission of a response, which indicates that connection with the client is possible, corresponding to a probe request from the client apparatus for a given period of time.
US08014354B2
Dynamic configuration of a wireless environment, for example a wireless automatic data collection environment adjust various thresholds that trigger searching or scanning for new wireless access points (WAPs) and/or roaming. Thresholds may be increased or decreased based on various outcomes.
US08014352B2
One or more dynamically selected signaling bits are added in a downlink from a base station to user equipment (UE) so that the UE can use an adaptive “symbol space” for uplink feedback (CQI/HARQ) signaling and know from the extra added downlink signaling bits and the MCS currently signaled in parallel how big a symbol space to use at the moment for the uplink feedback.
US08014323B2
Systems and methods for facilitating communication between communication devices are provided. An exemplary method includes: sending an indication signal by a second communication device to a first communication device, the indication signal corresponding to a request to receive buffered data from the first communication device; and sending a data frame by the second communication device to the first communication device.
US08014311B2
Methods and apparatus for determining a load estimate in a receiver in an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) communication system include detecting at least one OFDM symbol of at least one predetermined synchronization signal; determining a signal strength measure based on the detected at least one synchronization symbol; detecting at least one OFDM symbol nearby to the OFDM symbol of the at least one predetermined synchronization signal; determining a total signal power measure based on the detected at least one nearby OFDM symbol; and determining the load estimate based on the signal strength measure and the total signal power measure.
US08014307B2
A method of communication between a first node and a second node for a system where a plurality of different channels is provided between said first and second node. The method comprises the step of calculating an integrity output. The integrity output is calculated from a plurality of values, some of said values being the same for said different channels. At least one of said values is arranged to comprise information relating to the identity of said channel, each channel having a different identity. After the integrity output has been calculated, Information relating to the integrity output is transmitted from one of said nodes to the other.
US08014301B2
Systems and methods are described for providing network route redundancy through Layer 2 devices, such as a loop free Layer 2 network having a plurality of switching devices. A virtual switch is coupled to the loop free Layer 2 network, the virtual switch having two or more switches configured to transition between master and backup modes to provide redundant support for the loop free Layer 2 network, the switches communicating their status through use of a plurality of redundancy control packets. The system also includes means for allowing the redundancy control packets to be flooded through the Layer 2 network. The means may include time-to-live data attached to the redundancy control packet which is decremented only when the packets are transferred through devices which are configured to recognize the protocol used in redundancy control packets.
US08014298B1
A communication network comprises a service network configured to provide a service over access provided by an access network, and a first access system configured to access the service over the access provided by the access network, detect a loss of the access, monitor for access restoration, upon detecting the access restoration delay a first service restoration for a first delay period, and initiate the first service restoration after the first delay period.
US08014293B1
A router comprises a route resolution module to maintain routing information in accordance with a topology of a network, and an indirect next hop manager to maintain indirect next hop data that associates protocol next hops with forwarding next hops. The route resolution module invokes an application programming interface (API) of the indirect next hop manager for associating and disassociating protocol next hops and forwarding next hops. In response to a network event, the route resolution module can modify the indirect next hop data to reduce the time and resources necessary to perform route resolution.
US08014290B2
A method for managing traffic flow through a multipath network and systems and apparatuses configured to employ such a method are provided. The method includes forwarding a packet along a first link of the multipath network and tracking a load of the first link subsequent to forwarding the packet. In addition, the method includes preserving the first link for a subsequent packet having the same flow address as the forwarded packet upon determining a desired load change of the first link is less than a predetermined value.
US08014287B2
A communications apparatus, enabling an efficient data transfer without an environmental restriction, notifies a transmission-side apparatus connected via a network of data amount in a window size, and receives data as large as the window size, the data which is transmitted from the transmission-side apparatus. The communications apparatus includes: a receiving buffer memory having a region for storing a data packet transmitted from the transmission-side apparatus; a communications protocol processing unit notifying the transmission-side apparatus of the window size larger than a capacity of the receiving buffer memory, receiving the data packet transmitted from the transmission-side apparatus according to the notified window size, and storing the received data packet in the receiving buffer memory; and a central controlling unit retrieving the data packet stored in the receiving buffer memory and processing the retrieved data packet.
US08014285B2
A method for relaying received data by a relay node in a sensor network that includes a sink node, a source node for collecting and transmitting data requested by the sink node, and the relay node for relaying the data transmitted from the source node to the sink node. The relay node determines whether the source node that transmits the data is a previously identified source node, stores the data in a buffer and forwards the data to a neighbor node when the source node transmitting the data is the previously identified source node according to the determination. The data is managed based on the relay node having the buffer, rather than the source node and the sink node as in the related art. Further, the data error can be promptly handled.
US08014281B1
A system controls the transfer of data. The system receives a request to transfer data and determines whether a counter value equals or exceeds a threshold. The counter value represents an amount of time since a previous data transfer. When the counter value equals or exceeds the threshold, the system transmits the data. In another implementation, the system tracks the amount of data read from a buffer. The system reduces the speed at which data is read when the amount of data read from the buffer exceeds a threshold.
US08014276B2
A scheduling system may include a read sequence management table that includes a group of positions for arranging data received from a group of lines and a schedule management table to store a group of peak rate values that are each associated with one of the group of positions of the read sequence management table. The scheduling system may further include a schedule computation section to determine the association between each of the group of peak rate values and the group of positions based on an availability of the group of positions, store each of the associations in the schedule management table, and select one of the group of positions in the read sequence management table as a starting position to arrange data from a new line, where the selected position is based on a comparison of a peak rate value of the new line and the group of peak rate values stored in the schedule management table.
US08014275B1
Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a method, which can comprise, from a central routing device of a plurality of central routing devices, automatically polling each of a plurality of Provider Edge routers with Bidirectional Forwarding Detection protocol messages. The method can comprise automatically determining a suspected failure of a Provider Edge router of the plurality of Provider Edge routers.
US08014263B2
Cross-talk is canceled in a cooperative wireless relay network that includes a base station (BS), a relay station (RS), and a mobile station (MS). A coupling channel between a transmit antenna and a receive antenna colocated at the RS is estimated. Cross-talk interference determination is based on a previous transmitted signal by the transmit antenna, and the coupling channel. The cross-talk interference is subtracted from a currently received signal by the receive antenna to obtain a residual signal. The residual signal is then transmitted as a next transmitted signal by the transmit antenna.
US08014262B2
An optical information recording medium includes a substrate having a through-hole provided at the central portion thereof and a guiding groove provided on a surface at the light-incident side; a reflective layer provided on the surface of the substrate having the guiding groove; a recording layer provided on the reflective layer and made of an organic substance containing a dye; and a light-transmissive cover layer provided on the recording layer, wherein the cover layer is made of a curable resin, and a modulus of elasticity of at least a portion of the cover layer facing the recording layer is in the range of about 34 MPa to about 96 MPa at 25° C.
US08014259B2
It is an object of the invention to provide a multi layer optical disc that can be used effectively and an optical disc apparatus that can cope with the multi layer optical disc. The object described above can be accomplished by providing redundancy to the number of layers of the multi layer optical disc. The object can also be accomplished by providing reproducing/recording unit of the multi layer optical disc to the optical disc apparatus.
US08014258B2
An optical pickup includes a first source which emits a first beam with a first wavelength; a second source which emits a second beam with a wavelength shorter than the first wavelength; a first collimate lens which collimates the first beam; a second collimate lens which collimates the second beam; a first objective lens which converges the first collimated beam onto an optical disc; and a second objective lens which converges the second collimated beam onto the disc. The first and second objective lenses are arranged in the disc radial direction. The second objective lens is arranged closer to the side of the disc outer circumference than the first objective lens. The first collimate lens is arranged on the right-hand side when the second objective lens is viewed from the first objective lens. The second collimate lens is arranged on the left-hand side when the first objective lens is viewed from the second objective lens. The gap between the first collimate lens and the first objective lens is larger than the gap between the second collimate lens and the second objective lens.
US08014253B2
In a multilayer optical disc having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, because the type of each information layer is not recorded in the other information layers, in read and write operations by a compatible optical disc device conforming to a plurality of optical disc standards, every time the information layer being accessed changes, it has been necessary to read the type of the information layer and select a method of generating a tracking error signal adapted to the type of information layer, so access has taken time. In order to solve the above problem, in the optical multilayer disc according to the present invention, having information layers conforming to a plurality of different optical disc standards, in an area in one of the information layers, information about the other information layers is recorded. The time required to access the other information layers can be reduced by using this information to select a tracking error signal generating method.
US08014233B2
A satellite signal reception device having a reception unit that captures a positioning information satellite and receives a satellite signal transmitted from the captured positioning information satellite; a data acquisition unit that can acquire time information and positioning information based on the satellite signal received by the reception unit; and a reception mode control unit that controls the reception mode of the reception unit to at least one of a time information reception mode and positioning information reception mode. The reception unit includes a correlation unit that determines a correlation between a code used for capturing the satellite signal and the received satellite signal. The data acquisition unit includes an operating unit that decodes the received data. The reception mode control unit includes a clock control unit that separately controls the operating clock of the correlation unit and the process clock of the operating unit according to the reception mode.
US08014229B2
The invention relates to a method for seismic exploration, comprising the steps of controlling a plurality of sources so that they emit a plurality of seismic waves in a subsurface zone to be explored, each source successively occupying a plurality of emitter positions, producing for each emission a signal representative of the emission, and recording the position of the source and the instant at which the emission starts, continuously recording by means of seismic sensors the composite signals reflected by the medium in response to said emissions, and carrying out shot point migration, on the one hand, from a reflected wave field constituted of said composite signals and respective sensor positions, and on the other hand, from an incident wave field constituted of signals representative of the emissions, source positions and start emission instants, so as to obtain a seismic image.
US08014228B2
Marine seismic sources and methods of use are described, one source comprising a first set of source arrays and a second set of source arrays, each source array of the first set alternates in cross-line position with source arrays of the second set, each source member of the first set hangs from a hang plate having a first length, and each source member of the second set hangs from a hang plate having a second length, wherein the first length is sufficiently longer than the second length such that downward traveling acoustic pulses emanating from source members in the first set are substantially deghosted by acoustic pulses emanating from corresponding source members of the second set.
US08014217B2
A primary-side regulation (PSR) controller integrated circuit includes a PSR CC/CV controller and a non-volatile shift register. An assembled power supply that includes the integrated circuit is in-circuit tested to determine errors in power supply output voltage and/or current. Programming information is determined and shifted into the shift register. During programming, the power supply regulates to a different output voltage, and the different voltage is used for shift register programming. After programming, the power supply operates in a normal mode so that the output voltage and current are within specification. The voltage and current to which the power supply regulates are set by some of the bits of the programming information. Other of the bits set error correction circuits of the PSR CC/CV controller such as a primary inductance variation compensation circuit, a line input voltage variation compensation circuit, an efficiency variation compensation circuit, and a cord resistance compensation circuit.
US08014213B2
A semiconductor memory device is constituted of a plurality of fuses (or anti-fuses) used for internal voltage adjustment or timing adjustment after manufacturing, a selector for sequentially selecting the fuses, and a single-direction latch circuit for latching a fuse breakdown determination result which is produced by determining whether or not each fuse selected by the selector is broken down and which is varied in a single direction from the low level to the high level or in a single direction from the high level to the low level. The semiconductor memory device allows the fuse breakdown determination to progress with a high reliability by use of a relatively small chip area and to cope with a failure in which one or more fuses are accidentally short-circuited to an unwanted potential.
US08014212B2
Disclosed is a memory circuit that includes a plurality of columns of bit line pairs, each bit line pair including True and Bar bit lines, between which at least a memory cell is connected; a sense amplifier that has True and Bar terminals and that performs differential amplification; and a switching circuit that selects one of: a straight connection in which the True and Bar bit lines of a selected column bit line pair are connected to the True and Bar terminals of the sense amplifier, respectively; and a cross connection in which the True and Bar bit lines of a selected column bit line pair are connected to the Bar and True terminals of the sense amplifier, respectively.
US08014205B2
When performing a data sensing operation, including a verify operation during programming of non-volatile storage elements (or, in some cases, during a read operation after programming), a first voltage is used for unselected word lines that have been subjected to a programming operation and a second voltage is used for unselected word lines that have not been subjected to a programming operation. In some embodiments, the second voltage is lower than the first voltage.
US08014200B2
A semiconductor memory cell, semiconductor memory devices comprising a plurality of the semiconductor memory cells, and methods of using the semiconductor memory cell and devices are described. A semiconductor memory cell includes a substrate having a first conductivity type; a first region embedded in the substrate at a first location of the substrate and having a second conductivity type; a second region embedded in the substrate at a second location of the substrate and have the second conductivity type, such that at least a portion of the substrate having the first conductivity type is located between the first and second locations and functions as a floating body to store data in volatile memory; a trapping layer positioned in between the first and second locations and above a surface of the substrate; the trapping layer comprising first and second storage locations being configured to store data as nonvolatile memory independently of one another; and a control gate positioned above the trapping layer.
US08014198B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device including a memory cell array of memory cells arranged in a matrix, each of which includes a selecting transistor and a memory cell transistor; a column decoder controlling the potential of bit lines; a voltage application circuit controlling the potential of the first word lines; a first row decoder controlling the potential of the second word lines; and a second row decoder controlling the potential of the source line. The column decoder is formed of a circuit whose withstand voltage is lower than the voltage application circuit and the second row decoder.
US08014193B2
A magnetoresistance effect element includes: a first ferromagnetic layer having invariable magnetization perpendicular to a film plane; a second ferromagnetic layer having variable magnetization perpendicular to the film plane; a first nonmagnetic layer interposed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer; a third ferromagnetic layer on an opposite side of the second ferromagnetic layer from the first nonmagnetic layer, and having variable magnetization parallel to the film plane; and a second nonmagnetic layer interposed between the second and third ferromagnetic layers. Spin-polarized electrons are injected into the second ferromagnetic layer by flowing a current in the direction perpendicular to the film planes between the first and third ferromagnetic layers, precession movement is induced in the magnetization of the third ferromagnetic layer by injecting the spin-polarized electrons, and a microwave magnetic field of a frequency corresponding to the precession movement is applied to the second ferromagnetic layer.
US08014190B2
A method of programming a resistance variable memory cell to a given logic state includes applying a first programming current to the memory cell, executing a verify read of the memory cell by sensing a logic state of the memory cell, and applying a second programming current to the memory cell when the sensed logic state is different than the given logic state, where the second programming current is greater than the first programming current.
US08014188B2
An electric element includes a pair of electrodes; and a plurality of carbon nanotubes of three-dimensional network structure which are located between the pair of electrodes. The electric element can be applied for a memory element and the like.
US08014187B2
A method is disclosed for driving a phase change memory device including a phase change resistor. The method includes applying a trigger voltage to the phase change resistor for a first write time to preheat the phase change resistor, applying a first write voltage to the phase change resistor for a second write time to control a first state of the phase change resistor, and applying a second voltage to the phase change resistor for a third write time to control a second state of the phase change resistor.
US08014185B2
A nonvolatile memory cell including at least two two-terminal non-linear steering elements arranged in series, and a resistivity switching storage element arranged in series with the at least two two-terminal non-linear steering elements. A memory array, comprising a plurality of the nonvolatile memory cells is also described. A method of forming a nonvolatile memory cell is also described.
US08014183B2
A power converter with a feedback controller includes a converter body with an input end for an input voltage, an output end for an output voltage, a controller with a feedback device, and a connector for connection with the output end of the converter body and with an electric appliance. The circuit of the converter body converts an input voltage to an output voltage. A controller is connected in circuit to the converter body and includes a circuit for regulating the voltage for a desired system output. The feedback device connects to the output end of the converter body. The output voltage is adjustable only when the controller receives an output voltage as a feedback from the feedback device. The controller is not triggered and hence an output voltage is not adjustable when the connector is engaged with the output end of the converter body.
US08014180B2
A voltage regulator coupled to an unregulated DC input voltage source by an input terminal, and to a load by an output terminal is disclosed. The voltage regulator converts an input voltage at the input terminal to an output voltage at the output terminal. The voltage regulator includes one or more slaves, and each slave includes a switching circuit which serves as a power switch for alternately coupling and decoupling the input terminal to an intermediate node. The voltage regulator also includes a filter coupled to the slaves, the filter including one or more inductor banks each of which having a predetermined number of inductors.
