US08093174B2
A carbon nanohorn (CNH) is oxidized to make an opening in the side of the CNH. A substance to be included, e.g., a metal, is introduced through the opening. The inclusion substance is moved to a tip part of the carbon nanohorn through heat treatment in vacuum or an inert gas. The CNH is further heat treated in an atmosphere containing oxygen in a low concentration to remove the carbon layer in the tip through catalysis of the inclusion substance. This exposes the inclusion substance. If the inclusion substance is a metal which is not moved to a tip part by the heat treatment in vacuum or an inert gas, the carbon part surrounding the fine catalyst particle is specifically burned by a heat treatment in an low oxygen concentration atmosphere, while utilizing the catalysis. Thus, the fine catalyst particle is fixed to the tip part of the CNH.
US08093171B2
A noncrystalline composite alkali metal titanate composition which is chemically stable, outstanding in resistance to hygroscopicity and suited as base materials for friction materials. The said composition comprises at least 60 wt. % of an alkali metal titanate represented by the general formula M2O.nTiO2 wherein M is one or at least two alkali metal elements and n is a number of 1 to 4, and at least 10 wt. % of SiO2, M2O/SiO2 being equal to or less than 2.5. When desired, it is possible to incorporate into the composition an oxide of at least one element selected from the group consisting of B, Mg, Al, P, Ca and Zn, and/or an oxide of at least one element selected from the group consisting of V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Y, Zr, Nb and Ba.
US08093169B2
Disclosed is a magnesia-carbon based sleeve brick for steelmaking converters, which is obtained by adding, to a refractory raw material mix containing 60 to 95 mass % of a magnesia raw material and 5 to 20 mass % of graphite, a metal powder of one or more selected from the group consisting of Al, Si, Mg, Ca, Cr and an alloy thereof, in an amount of greater than 3 to 6 mass %, and an organic binder, in addition to 100 mass % of the refractory raw material mix, and subjecting the resulting mixture to kneading, forming and heat treatment, wherein the sleeve brick is used under a condition that a thickness thereof is set at 70 mm or less. This makes it possible to prevent cracking which would otherwise occur in the sleeve brick itself, to allow the sleeve brick to have enhanced durability. One or more selected from the group consisting of B, B4C, MgB2, CaB6, and CrB may be further added in an amount of 0.1 to 3 mass %, in addition to 100 mass % of the refractory raw material mix, to enhance strength and oxidation resistance and further enhance the durability. The magnesia raw material may comprise a first particle fraction having a particle diameter of greater than 10 to 500 μm and occupying 20 to 50 mass % in the refractory raw material mix, and a second particle fraction having a particle diameter of 10 μm or less and occupying 5 mass % or less in the refractory raw material mix, to additionally enhance corrosion resistance and thermal shock resistance.
US08093165B2
The present invention provides a TiO2—SiO2 glass in which when used as an optical member for an exposure tool for EUVL, a thermal expansion coefficient is substantially zero at the time of irradiation with high-EUV energy light, and physical properties of a multilayer can be kept over a long period of time by releasing hydrogen from the glass. The present invention relates to a TiO2-containing silica glass having a fictive temperature of 1,100° C. or lower, a hydrogen molecule concentration of 1×1016 molecules/cm3 or more, and a temperature, at which a linear thermal expansion coefficient is 0 ppb/° C., falling within the range of from 40 to 110° C.
US08093160B2
Composite yarns have a filamentary core provided with at least one elastic performance filament and at least one inelastic control filament. A fibrous sheath, preferably formed from spun staple fibers, surrounds the filamentary core, preferably substantially along the entire length thereof. The at least one elastic performance filament most preferably includes a spandex and/or a lastol filament. The at least one inelastic control filament is most preferably formed of a textured polymer or copolymer of a polyamide, a polyester, a polyolefin and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the fibrous sheath is formed of synthetic and/or natural staple fibers, most preferably staple cotton fibers. The elastic composite fibers find particular utility as a component part of a woven textile fabric, especially as a stretch denim fabric, which exhibits advantageous elastic recovery of at least about 95.0% (ASTM D3107).
US08093158B2
Provided are a semiconductor device manufacturing method and a substrate processing apparatus. The method comprise: a first process of forming a film containing a predetermined element on a substrate by supplying a source gas containing the predetermined element to a substrate processing chamber in which the substrate is accommodated; a second process of removing the source gas remaining in the substrate processing chamber by supplying an inert gas to the substrate processing chamber; a third process of modifying the predetermined element-containing film formed in the first process by supplying a modification gas that reacts with the predetermined element to the substrate processing chamber; a fourth process of removing the modification gas remaining in the substrate processing chamber by supplying an inert gas to the substrate processing chamber; and a filling process of filling an inert gas in a gas tank connected to the substrate processing chamber.
US08093157B2
Removing photoresist from a workpiece is described when a region of tungsten is exposed. A plasma is generated from a gas input consisting essentially of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas in a predetermined ratio. The plasma causes the photoresist to be removed from the workpiece while the region of tungsten is left substantially unmodified. The ratio of the hydrogen to oxygen can be adjusted to a particular value which causes the photoresist to be removed at about a maximum removal rate that corresponds to a minimum tungsten loss rate of about zero. Polysilicon oxidation in the presence of tungsten is described with little or no tungsten loss.
US08093154B2
In one embodiment of the invention, a method for finishing or treating a silicon-containing surface is provided which includes removing contaminants and/or smoothing the surface contained on the surface by a slow etch process (e.g., about <100 Å/min). The silicon-containing surface is exposed to an etching gas that contains an etchant and a silicon source. Preferably, the etchant is chlorine gas so that a relatively low temperature (e.g., <800° C.) is used during the process. In another embodiment, a method for etching a silicon-containing surface during a fast etch process (e.g., about >100 Å/min) is provided which includes removing silicon-containing material to form a recess in a source/drain (S/D) area on the substrate. In another embodiment, a method for cleaning a process chamber is provided which includes exposing the interior surfaces with a chamber clean gas that contains an etchant and a silicon source. The chamber clean process limits the etching of quartz and metal surfaces within the process chamber.
US08093148B2
A method for manufacturing semiconductor device which includes forming a first metal film over an electrode pad disposed on a substrate, forming a second metal film on the first metal film, forming a first oxide film on a surface of the first metal film and a second oxide film on a surface of the second metal film by oxidizing the surfaces of the first metal film and the second metal film, removing the first oxide film, and melting the second metal film after removing the first oxide film.
US08093146B2
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. In an embodiment, the method may include providing a semiconductor substrate; forming gate material layers over the semiconductor substrate; forming a hard mask layer over the gate material layers; patterning the hard mask layer to from a hard mask pattern; forming a spacer layer over the hard mask pattern; etching back the spacer layer to form spacers over sidewalls of the hard mask pattern; etching the gate material layers by using the spacers and the hard mask pattern as an etching mask to form a gate structure; and performing a tilt-angle ion implantation process to the semiconductor substrate.
US08093145B2
Semiconductor devices can be fabricated using conventional designs and process but including specialized structures to reduce or eliminate detrimental effects caused by various forms of radiation. Such semiconductor devices can include the one or more parasitic isolation devices and/or buried guard ring structures disclosed in the present application. The introduction of design and/or process steps to accommodate these novel structures is compatible with conventional CMOS fabrication processes, and can therefore be accomplished at relatively low cost and with relative simplicity.
US08093142B2
There is provided a plasma processing device capable of forming a film in a favorable manner irrespective of deflection generated in an anode electrode and a cathode electrode in the case where an area of the electrodes is increased.A plasma processing device 100 includes a chamber 15, a gas introducing portion 28, an exhaust unit 29, and a high-frequency power supply unit 30. In the chamber 15, there are provided an anode electrode (first electrode) 4 having a flat-plate shape, a cathode electrode (second electrode) 12 having a flat-plate shape, and first supporting members 6 and second supporting members 5 for slidably supporting the two electrodes 4 and 12 in parallel with each other. The cathode electrode 12 is provided so as to face the anode electrode 4. The anode electrode 4 and the cathode electrode 12 are not fixed with screws or the like but are merely placed on the first supporting members 6 and the second supporting members 5. In the anode electrode 4 and the cathode electrode 12, deflection amounts when they are freely deflected under their own weights are equal to each other, and maximum deflection amounts of the two electrodes 4 and 12 are also equal to each other.
US08093130B2
This semiconductor device has an MOS transistor equipped with a gate electrode formed on a semiconductor substrate, a source region next to one side of the gate electrode, and a drain region next to another side of the gate electrode, wherein an upper end of the source region and an upper end of the drain region are at positions which are higher than a top surface of the semiconductor substrate, and the height of the upper end of the drain region differs from the height of the upper end of the source region.
US08093129B2
Some embodiments include methods of forming memory cells. A semiconductor construction may be provided, with such construction including tunnel dielectric material over a semiconductor substrate. The construction may be placed within a chamber. While the construction is within the chamber, a plurality of charge-trapping centers may be dispersed over the tunnel dielectric material. The charge-trapping centers may be nanoclusters formed by sputter-depositing metallic nanoparticles into an aggregation chamber, and then aggregating groups of the nanoparticles into the nanoclusters. Also while the construction is within the chamber, electrically insulative material may be formed over and between the charge-trapping centers. Control gate material may then be formed over the electrically insulative material.
US08093121B1
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) transistor structure includes a self-aligned outrigger less than 0.4 microns from a gate electrode that is 50 microns wide. The outrigger is fabricated on ordinary logic transistors of an integrated circuit without severely affecting the performance of the transistors. The outrigger is used as an implant blocking structure to form first and second drain regions on either side of a lightly doped region that underlies the outrigger. The self-aligned outrigger and the lightly doped region beneath it are used to move the location of avalanche breakdown upon an ESD event away from the channel region. Durability is extended when fewer “hot carrier” electrons accumulate in the gate oxide. A current of at least 100 milliamperes can flow into the drain and then through the ESD transistor structure for a period of more than 30 seconds without causing a catastrophic failure of the ESD transistor structure.
US08093116B2
A method is provided that includes providing a substrate, forming a first gate structure in a first region and a second gate structure in a second region, the first and second gate structures each including a high-k dielectric layer, a silicon layer, and a hard mask layer, where the silicon layer of the first gate structure has a different thickness than the silicon layer of the second gate structure, forming an interlayer dielectric (ILD) over the first and second gate structures, performing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) on the ILD, removing the silicon layer from the first gate structure thereby forming a first trench, forming a first metal layer to fill in the first trench, removing the hard mask layer and the silicon layer from the second gate structure thereby forming a second trench, and forming a second metal layer to fill in the second trench.
US08093107B1
A thyristor based semiconductor device includes a thyristor having cathode, P-base, N-base and anode regions disposed in electrical series relationship. The N-base region for the thyristor has a cross-section that defines an inverted “T” shape, wherein a buried well in semiconductor material forms is operable as a part of the N-base. The stem to the inverted “T” shape extends from the upper surface of the semiconductor material to the buried well. The P-base region for the thyristor extends laterally outward from a side of the stem that is opposite the anode region of the thyristor, and is further bounded between the buried well and a surface of the semiconductor material. A thinned portion for the N-base is defined between the cathode region of the thyristor and the buried well, and may include supplemental dopant of concentration greater than that for some other portion of the N-base.
US08093105B2
An underfill composition is formulated to increase the surface tension thereof for use in capillary underfilling of an integrated circuit die that is coupled to a mounting substrate. A method includes mixing a surface tension-increasing additive with a bulk polymer and a hardener and allowing the underfill composition to flow between the integrated circuit die and the mounting substrate. An article is achieved by the method. The article can be assembled into a computing system.
US08093095B2
Device and method of forming a device in which a substrate (10) is fabricated with at least part of an electronic circuit for processing signals. A bulk single crystal material (14) is formed on the substrate, either directly on the substrate (10) or with an intervening thin film layer or transition region (12). A particular application of the device is for a radiation detector.
US08093086B2
A packaged device includes a package having an inner surface defining a closed internal space, a device chip fixed to the package in the internal space, and a parylene film covering at least a part of the inner surface of the package and/or at least a part of a surface of the device chip.
US08093083B1
In one embodiment, a method is disclosed for manufacturing a semiconductor light emitting device. The device includes a crystal layer including a nitride semiconductor. The crystal layer contains In and Ga atoms. The method can include forming the crystal layer by supplying a source gas including a first molecule including Ga atoms and a second molecule including In atoms onto a base body. The crystal layer has a ratio xs of a number of the In atoms to a total of the In atoms and the Ga atoms being not less than 0.2 and not more than 0.4. A vapor phase supply ratio xv of In is a ratio of a second partial pressure to a total of first and second partial pressures. The first and second partial pressures are pressure of the first and second molecules and degradation species of the first and second molecules on the source gas, respectively. (1−1/xv)/(1−1/xs) is less than 0.1.
US08093077B2
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a crack free monocrystalline nitride layer having the composition AlxGa1-xN, where 0≦x≦0.3, on a substrate that is likely to generate tensile stress in the layer and to structures containing such layer and substrate. The method includes forming a nucleation layer on the substrate; forming a monocrystalline intermediate layer of aluminum or gallium nitride at a selected thickness on the nucleation layer; forming a monocrystalline seed layer of an AlBN compound in which the boron content is between 0 and 10% at a selected temperature and thickness on the intermediate layer with the thicknesses of the seed and intermediate layers being in a ratio of between 0.05 and 1; and forming the monocrystalline nitride layer of AlxGa1-xN nitride at a selected temperature on the seed layer, with the temperature of formation of the seed layer being 50 to 150° C. higher than the temperature of formation of the monocrystalline nitride layer in order to avoid producing cracks in the monocrystalline nitride layer.
US08093069B2
This invention refers to surface modification/functionalization of Nitride nanomaterials and electrochemistry and optical measurement based upon such functionalized Nitride materials. With this invention a variety of bio-molecules such as DNA, protein, and antigens can be immobilized on the surface for measurement to realize ultra-sensitive chemical- and bio-sensing applications.
US08093068B2
Methods useful for human adapting non-human monoclonal antibodies are disclosed. The methods select candidate human antibody framework sequences from a human germline framework database.
US08093065B2
An optical sensor and method for use with a visible-light laser excitation beam and a Raman spectroscopy detector, for detecting the presence chemical groups in an analyte applied to the sensor are disclosed. The sensor includes a substrate, a plasmon resonance mirror formed on a sensor surface of the substrate, a plasmon resonance particle layer disposed over the mirror, and an optically transparent dielectric layer about 2-40 nm thick separating the mirror and particle layer. The particle layer is composed of a periodic array of plasmon resonance particles having (i) a coating effective to binding analyte molecules, (ii) substantially uniform particle sizes and shapes in a selected size range between 50-200 nm (ii) a regular periodic particle-to-particle spacing less than the wavelength of the laser excitation beam. The device is capable of detecting analyte with an amplification factor of up to 1012-1014, allowing detection of single analyte molecules.
US08093064B2
Methods of utilizing magnetic particles or beads (MBs) in droplet-based (or digital) microfluidics are disclosed. The methods may be used in enrichment or separation processes. A first method employs the droplet meniscus to assist in the magnetic collection and positioning of MBs during droplet microfluidic operations. The sweeping movement of the meniscus lifts the MBs off the solid surface and frees them from various surface forces acting on the MBs. A second method uses chemical additives to reduce the adhesion of MBs to surfaces. Both methods allow the MBs on a solid surface to be effectively moved by magnetic force. Droplets may be driven by various methods or techniques including, for example, electrowetting, electrostatic, electromechanical, electrophoretic, dielectrophoretic, electroosmotic, thermocapillary, surface acoustic, and pressure.
US08093053B2
The present invention provides methods and compositions for the propagation and expansion of neural precursor cells (NPCs). NPCs may be used in the clinical implementation of stem cell therapy to treat disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, neuropathic pain and other diseases of the central nervous system. The large-scale production of NPCs in bioreactors allows for the generation of clinical quantities of these cells.
US08093052B2
The present invention is in the field of the manufacture of recombinant proteins. More specifically, it relates to the use of a serum-free culture medium comprising an antioxidant for the production of recombinant dimeric gonadotropins. The antioxidant may be selected from the group consisting of L-glutathione, 2-mercaptoethanol, L-methionine and a combination of ascorbic acid and of (+)-alpha-tocoplierol.
US08093045B2
The invention describes improved methods and compositions for producing a recombinant protein, e.g., an antibody, in mammalian cell culture. In addition, the invention provides improved cell culture media, including improved production media, feed solutions, and combination feeds, which may be used to improve protein productivity in mammalian cell culture.
US08093044B2
A system and method for identifying a botulinum neurotoxin inhibitor employing a botulinum neurotoxin substrate complex having a peptide substrate, preferably SNAP-25, a reporter domain on one side of said peptide substrate and an immobilization domain on the opposite side of said peptide substrate. The botulinum neurotoxin inhibitor is identified by its ability to decrease the relative amount of cleaved complex, detected through measuring a decrease in complex bound to a solid support. The method of the present invention also utilizes novel cells that express a botulinum neurotoxin substrate complex. The methods of the present invention are adapted for cell based screening to monitor the catalytic activity of a BoNT in living cells and to identify molecules that inhibit the catalytic activity of a BoNT in living cells. Also provided are novel stable cell lines that express the botulinum toxin substrate complex and viral vectors capable of efficiently expressing an active light chain of the BoNT within mammalian cells.
US08093037B2
Provided herein are genetically modified microorganisms that have enhanced fermentation activity, and methods for making and using such microorganisms.
US08093036B2
The present invention relates to methods for producing a hyaluronic acid, comprising: (a) cultivating a Bacillus host cell under conditions suitable for production of the hyaluronic acid, wherein the Bacillus host cell comprises a nucleic acid construct comprising a hyaluronan synthase encoding sequence operably linked to a promoter sequence foreign to the hyaluronan synthase encoding sequence; and (b) recovering the hyaluronic acid from the cultivation medium. The present invention also relates to an isolated nucleic acid sequence encoding a hyaluronan synthase operon comprising a hyaluronan synthase gene and a UDP-glucose 6-dehydrogenase gene, and optionally one or more genes selected from the group consisting of a UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase gene, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase gene, and glucose-6-phosphate isomerase gene. The present invention also relates to isolated nucleic acid sequences encoding a UDP-glucose 6-dehydrogenase, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase.
US08093027B2
The present invention concerns a biocomposite useful in artificial tissue replacement, methods for its production, and methods of use. The biocomposite can be implanted into humans or animals as an artificial tissue for treatment of a tissue defect. The biocomposite can be formed or manipulated into a desired shape for implantation.
US08093025B2
The present invention relates to a combination of compounds for introducing nucleic acids and/or protein into animal cells, tissue, organs or organisms in vitro, extracorporal, or in vivo. This combination comprises preparations suitable for administration to an animal or human for medical purposes, comprising as one component a bacterial vector genetically manipulated to contain nucleic acid sequences comprising a transgene, and a second component for the subsequent transcription, possibly translation of the transgene by controlled induction of bacterial vector as it is present within the animal or human.
US08093017B2
The present invention relates to soluble C-terminal fragments of the adiponectin receptor and their use in the diagnosis and management of disorders.
US08093015B2
The invention relates to a method for determining the viability of cells in cell cultures, said method comprising the steps of: coloring the sample with a dye which can penetrate into individual cells depending on the viability of the latter, determining the proportions of cells which are colored to differing extents. The invention is distinguished by virtue of the fact that a cell suspension of the colored cells is centrifuged as a sample in a sample vessel (10) until the solid content present in the sample has settled as a compressed cell cake (13), and, in order to determine the proportions, the volumes of differently colored sections (131, 132, 133) of the compressed cell cake (13) are determined as a measure of the proportions of cells of different viability.
US08093012B2
A method of in situ immunohistochemical analysis of a biological sample is provided. The method allows for the multiplex and simultaneous detection of multiple antigens, including multiple nuclear antigens, in a tissue sample.
US08093007B2
The present invention provides a method for analyzing agonist-activity to a cytokinin receptor, which comprises (1) bringing an examinee substance into contact with a transformed cell into which DNA coding the cytokinin receptor is introduced and (2) measuring the existence or the quantity of intracellular signal transduction from the cytokinin receptor expressed in the transformed cell, and, a method for analyzing antagonist activity to a cytokinin receptor, which comprises (1) bringing an examinee substance and a substance having agonist-activity to the cytokinin receptor into contact with a transformed cell into which DNA coding the cytokinin receptor is introduced and (2) measuring the existence or the quantity of intracellular signal transduction from the cytokinin receptor expressed in the transformed cell, and the like.
US08093006B2
An antibody binding to TWEAK comprising as heavy chain variable domain a CDR3H selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 8, 16 or 24.
US08093004B2
Present invention relates to a method for predicting an individual's bronchodilatory response to a β agonist. Present invention particularly relates to the detection of specific allelic variants of the β2AR gene and their use as pharmacogenetic markers towards response to β agonist.
US08092993B2
The present disclosure provides a biosensor capable of producing an indicator response upon detection of the presence of certain metabolites in a biological sample. The biosensor includes a hydrogel that is functionalized with affinity molecules specific to markers for one or more pathogens. The biosensor also includes a detection system adapted to detect the binding the pathogen-specific markers with their corresponding affinity molecules.
US08092992B2
The invention provides a method for modulating gene expression by contacting a cellular system with a double-stranded ribonucleic acid molecule capable of associating with a regulatory machinery that controls transcription of one or more genes, wherein the association results in altered expression of the one or more genes. The invention is further directed to method for directing the differentiation of neuronal stem cells into neurons by contacting a cellular system with a double-stranded ribonucleic acid molecule capable of associating with a regulatory machinery that controls transcription of one or more genes involved in neuronal differentiation and directing the transcription of the one or more genes. In related embodiments, the invention provides particular compositions of double-stranded ribonucleic acid molecules as well as therapeutic and screening applications of the invention.
US08092987B2
A process for hydrolyzing products with enzymatic activity remaining in peptone solutions after mucosa hydrolysis is provided along with a process for preserving mucosa tissue. Broadly, the processes are carried out by hydrolyzing mucosa tissue according to conventional heparin manufacturing processes wherein an excess quantity of proteolytic enzymes is used. The resulting peptone solution is then contacted with proteins or protein-containing materials in order to hydrolyze the proteins. In another embodiment, mucosa tissue is preserved by mixing it with a preserving agent selected from the group consisting of hydrogen peroxide and phosphoric acid. The product preserved by hydrogen peroxide is low in ash, stable for at least a week, and has a reduced odor.
US08092986B2
The present disclosure provides an exposure method for a semiconductor device, in which whether a specific pattern corresponds to a sparse area or a dense area is decided to employ a specific phase-shift mask and by which critical dimension uniformity and resolution of the pattern are enhanced. One example method includes defining a hole area for a plurality of holes into a dense area and a sparse area, coating a photoresist layer on a substrate having a plurality of elements formed thereon, carrying out a first exposure on the photoresist layer using a first photomask having patterns corresponding to the dense and sparse areas, respectively, and carrying out a second exposure on the photoresist layer using a second photomask having at least two halftone layers provided to portions corresponding to the dense and sparse areas, respectively wherein the at least two halftone layers differ from each other in transmitivity, respectively.
US08092985B2
The invention relates to a method of making a planographic printing plate comprising a substrate having thereon one or more layers of a radiation-sensitive metal oxide, sulfide or nitride and excluding an organic hydrophobic material or a binder within or above a radiation-sensitive layer, the method comprising depositing the one or more layers of the radiation-sensitive metal oxide, sulfide or nitride by vapor deposition and exposing the one or more layers without that exposure causing ablative effect. Preferably the compound, and in particular a metal oxide, such as titanium dioxide, is deposited by atomic layer deposition at atmospheric pressure and at a temperature of from 20° C. to 300° C. at a layer thickness of less than 100 nm. The substrate can be any planar material, preferably with the potential to be flexible and with a surface that can be roughened or textured. No binder is required to adhere the metal compound to the printing plate and no processing or chemicals are required in the preparation of the plate.
US08092978B2
Provided is a positive resist composition for an electron beam, an X-ray or EUV, including: (A) a resin capable of decomposing by the action of an acid to increase the dissolution rate in an aqueous alkali solution; (B) a compound capable of generating an acid upon irradiation with an actinic ray or radiation, represented by the following formula (ZI) or (ZII); (C) a basic compound; and (D) an organic solvent, wherein a concentration of all solid contents in said composition is from 1.0 to 4.5 mass %, and a total amount of the compound represented by formula (ZI) or (ZII) is 12 mass % or more based on all solid contents in said composition: wherein symbols in the formulae are defined in the specification.
US08092975B2
Provided is a method for producing a toner for developing electrostatic image which inhibits the generation of small diameter microparticles as a by-product in the polymerization for the toner, which includes easy or simple washing treatment (washing/filtration/dehydration), and which is excellent in productivity.The method is a method for producing a toner for developing electrostatic image comprising a suspending step of suspending a polymerizable monomer composition containing at least a polymerizable monomer and a colorant into an aqueous dispersion medium containing a dispersion stabilizer to yield a suspension wherein droplets of the polymerizable monomer composition are dispersed, and a step of subjecting the suspension to suspension polymerization in the presence of a polymerization initiator to yield colored resin particles, wherein the colorant is a metal-containing organic pigment, and when the suspension polymerization is performed, the suspension contains 0.01 to 1 part by weight of an inhibitor of small diameter microparticle production for 100 parts by weight of the polymerizable monomer.
US08092974B2
A production method of a toner includes a suspension process in which a polymerizable monomer composition is dispersed in an aqueous dispersion medium; and a polymerization process in which suspension polymerization is performed with the suspension in the presence of a polymerization initiator to obtain colored resin particles. In the suspension process an inhibitor of small diameter microparticle production is contained in the aqueous dispersion medium. A minimum reaction activation energy Emin of the inhibitor of small diameter microparticle production is 7 kcal/mol or less and an octanol-water partition coefficient log P is 2 or less. The minimum reaction activation energy Emin is a minimum value of a reaction activation energy “E” which is required when a phenylpropane radical represented by the following Formula 1 acts on the inhibitor of small diameter microparticle production:
US08092971B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a resin-coated ferrite carrier comprising a carrier core material having a small particle size, a high sphericity and surface uniformity, and a low standard deviation, a process for producing the carrier, and an electrophotographic developer comprising the resin-coated ferrite carrier and having a high image quality and excellent durability. For achieving the above object, there is provided a resin-coated carrier for an electrophotographic developer characterized by comprising spherical ferrite particles having an average particle size of 20 to 50 μm, a surface uniformity of 90% or more, an average sphericity of 1 to 1.3 and a sphericity standard deviation of 0.15 or less, a process for producing the carrier, and an electrophotographic developer comprising the resin-coated carrier.
US08092970B2
A method and system for printing adjustable gloss image documents using a variety of toners where some toners have a relatively low melt viscosity and others have a relatively high melt viscosity. These toners are co-printed prior to fixing, on the receiver proximate to and overlying at least a portion of each other.
US08092968B2
The toner includes a plurality of toner particles containing a binder resin and a colorant. In toner particles, according to measurement by a flow particle image analyzer, the content of small size particles having a circle-equivalent diameter of 0.5 to 2.0 μm is 5% by number or less based on the entire toner particles, the content of medium size particles having a circle-equivalent diameter of more than 2.0 μm and 4.0 μm or less is 20% by number or more and 30% by number or less based on the entire toner particles, and the content of large size particles having a circle-equivalent diameter of more than 4.0 μm and 6.0 μm or less is 50% by number or more and 70% by number or less based on the entire toner particles, and the shape factor of the toner particles SF1 is 130 or more and 140 or less.
US08092950B2
The module comprises a reinforced sealing device at the outlet of stacked cells (10). It essentially comprises a distribution box (20), a collection box (30) and a concentric stack of elementary cells (10) intercalated with interconnectors (12). An upper seal (50) is placed at the outlet of the cells (10) into which penetrate the walls (38) of the collection box (30). Inner (44) and outer (45) ferrules form tanks at the outlet of the chambers and themselves open into cavities (37) formed by the walls (38). The invention applies to SOFC type fuel cells and SOEC type electrolysers.
US08092941B2
The present invention concerns chemically stable solid lithium ion conductors, processes for their production and their use in batteries, accumulators, supercaps and electrochromic devices.
US08092940B2
The present invention provides a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode having a negative active material, and a non-aqueous electrolyte; characterized in that said negative active material contains composite particle (C), which has silicon-containing particle (A) and electronic conductive additive (B), and carbon material (D), wherein the weight of said electronic conductive additive (B) falls within the range of 0.5 wt. % to 60 wt. % to the weight of said composite particle (C).The negative active material contains silicon which is capable of performing high discharge capacity, so that a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having a large discharge capacity can be obtained. In addition, since the negative active material contains the electronic conductive additive (B) and the carbon material (D), the contact conductivity between the silicon-containing particle (A) or between the negative active material improves and, as a result, a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having satisfactory cycle performance can be attained.
US08092935B2
A reactive polymer-supported porous film for a battery separator containing a substrate porous film of a porous film and a reactive polymer supported on the substrate porous film. The porous film has a temperature of 200° C. or more, at which a thickness of the porous film is reduced to ½ of a thickness when a probe is placed on the porous film. The reactive polymer is obtainable by partially crosslinking a crosslinkable polymer and a polyfunctional isocyanate. The crosslinkable polymer is obtainable by copolymerizing a crosslinkable monomer having in a molecule at least one reactive group selected from a 3-oxetanyl group and an epoxy group and a crosslinkable monomer having a reactive group capable of reacting with an isocyanate group.
US08092927B2
A method of forming a gate valve for use in a high vacuum environment of an electron gun by machining a core of non-magnetic nickel-chromium-molybdenum-iron-tungsten-silicon-carbon alloy that is weldable with nickel alloys and has a tensile strength of about 750 megapascals, machining a cladding of nickel-iron, welding the core to the cladding to form the gate valve, and machining the gate valve so as to remove any dimensional differences at an interface between the core and the cladding. In this manner, because the final mechanical tolerance is controlled by machining instead of part assembling, extremely high alignment accuracy is obtained. The final part provides field shielding as provided by the nickel alloy shell, low stray field provided by the non-magnetic alloy, good vacuum performance, and tight mechanical tolerance control. Also, because the alloy has the advantage of a low oxidation rate in comparison to stainless steel and titanium, there is less contamination buildup due to conditions such as electron beam bombardment.
US08092920B2
A multi-layer heat film having at least three layers is disclosed wherein the film has high optical properties, high stiffness and desirable shrinkage in the cross direction. The inner layer, or layers, comprises at least one stiffening polymer selected from the group consisting of: low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, blends thereof, polypropylene random copolymer, styrene/butadiene copolymer, polystyrene/butadiene copolymer, polystyrene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer and cyclic-olefin copolymer, provided that when more than one inner layer is present, the inner layers can be the same or different. The skin layers, which may be the same or different, comprise at least one of: low density polyethylene; a blend of low density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene; a blend of low density polyethylene and very low density polyethylene; polystyrene; ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer; a blend of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer and linear low density polyethylene; cyclic-olefin copolymer; styrene-butadiene copolymer; or, polypropylene random copolymer, provided that the skin layers are devoid of a homogeneously branched polyethylene resin prepared with a single site catalyst. The inventive films have haze values of less than about 15%, a 2% secant modulus renter than about 50,000 psi and a cross directional shrinkage greater than 0%. The inventive films are made by a process that does not include post-extrusion bi-axial orientation.
US08092913B2
The invention provides a process for obtaining a hydrophobic/oleophobic coating on a substrate of a glass, ceramic or vitroceramic material by applying a priming layer obtained from a priming agent of formula: (X1)3-q(R1)qSi—R3-Si(X2)3-q,(R2)q, the variables of which are defined in the specification and then depositing a hydrophobic coating containing a fluorinated alkylsilane.
US08092905B2
Compositions containing multifunctional nanoparticles are provided. The compositions are the reaction product of fluoroelastomer having at least one cure site, and the reaction product of nanosilica with more than one type of silane coupling agent. The compositions can be used to form abrasion resistant anti-reflective coatings.
US08092903B2
A shaped body, particularly a sorbent shaped body, made of microporous and mesoporous adsorbents and of composite adsorbents is provided for, which shaped body employs a reduced proportion of binding agents. The binding agent added to the shaped body solidifies under the application of force, under which force non-uniformly distributed cavities are formed. The proportion of binding agent on the support forming the wall of the shaped body is higher than the proportion of binding agent inside the shaped body. By using modified alumosilicates and/or aluminum silicates with fluidic action during materials exchange and heat exchange, the shaped body provides for high space-time yields while storing heat and cold.
US08092902B2
One embodiment of the present invention is a hard coat film having a hard coat layer and a function layer on a substrate film, wherein the hard coat layer is formed by irradiating an acrylic acid derivative with ionizing radiation, and wherein (a) a carboxylic acid group (C═O) absorption intensity of a surface of the hard coat layer and (b) a carbon double bond (C═C) absorption intensity of the hard coat layer surface satisfy a numerical value range represented expressed by the following Expression 1, the absorption intensities being measured by infrared ray spectroscopy: 0.15≦(b)/(a)≦0.30 . . . Expression 1.
US08092895B2
A laminated loop tape for a hook-and-loop fastener. The tape has a nonwoven textile support layer having an inner face, printing on the inner face, an at least partially transparent knitted cover layer having an inner face bearing on the support-layer inner face and an outer face provided with loops, and adhesive between the inner faces adhering the layers to each other.
US08092892B2
A method for producing a membrane device by providing a substrate (24), adding a liquid (16) thereon, and covering the liquid (16) and at least one substrate portion bearing the liquid (16) with a homogenous continuous thin film (18) by means of a low-pressure deposition process. The film is made of a plastic material and forms a membrane.
US08092890B2
The optical information recording medium comprises a recording layer on a surface of a support. The surface of the support has pregrooves with a track pitch ranging from 50 to 500 nm, the recording layer comprises an azo metal complex dye, the azo metal complex dye is a complex of one or more azo dye and transition metal ions of which number is equal to or greater than the number of the azo dye. The azo metal complex dye comprises two or more transition metal ions per molecule, and in a molecule of the azo metal complex dye.
US08092882B2
Provided is a shaped body for production of sports equipment such as tennis, squash, and badminton rackets, golf clubs, hockey and ice hockey sticks and baseball bats. The shaped body includes a core of two tubular resonant bodies, running parallel to and spaced at a distance from each other and surrounded by a common covering. A spacer body with convexly curved opposed ends is arranged between the resonant bodies, whereby the mass of the resonant bodies is greater than that of the spacer body. The vibrations of the two vibrating systems, in the form of the resonance bodies, are overlaid in an advantageous manner, by means of the coupling of the resonance bodies. The invention further relates to a method for the production of the shaped body and the use of the shaped body in sports equipment.
US08092879B2
Provided is a fuel system comprising a fuel vessel, molded parts for a fuel and/or a tube for a fuel in which bodies are constituted from at least one of a thermoplastic resin and a synthetic rubber, wherein a coating layer is formed on the surfaces in at least one side of the insides and the outsides of the fuel vessel body, the molded part bodies for a fuel and/or the tube body for a fuel or at least one of connected parts in these bodies; the above coating layer is formed by curing a polyurethane resin composition comprising an active hydrogen-containing compound (A) and an organic polyisocyanate compound (B); and the above coating layer has a gasoline permeability coefficient of 2 g·mm/m2·day or less at 23° C. and a relative humidity of 60% RH. The above coating layer is excellent in a permeation-preventing performance against an automobile fuel (gasoline barrier property), an adhesion property between fuel vessel body and molding parts or tube, a heat resistance and an impact resistance, a flexibility, a bending resistance, etc., then a fuel vessel, molded parts for a fuel and a tube for a fuel which have excellent performances are obtained.
US08092877B2
The present invention relates to polymer structures such as thermoplastic films having improved aroma barrier properties and methods for making the polymeric structures, which may be in the form of a resealable container. Aroma barrier is improved by incorporating a barrier layer of polymeric material including at least about 10 mole percent of polymerized cyclo-olefin moieties.
US08092875B2
A composite luminous vessel container 3 has a hollow and polycrystalline alumina capillary 1 and one or more transparent disk(s) 2 of monocrystalline alumina. The polycrystalline alumina luminous container member 3 functions as a luminous part for a high intensity discharge lamp. Light is emitted from the inside of the polycrystalline alumina luminous member 3 and radiated through the transparent monocrystalline alumina disk to the outside. The light emitted through the transparent window has a low loss due to the scattering so that the lamp efficiency can be improved. In the case of the light emitted through the transparent monocrystalline alumina, the size of the light source is substantially equal to the distance between the electrodes, so that the light source can be utilized as a point light source. The light emitted from the point light source can be subjected to optical control by combination with reflectors or lenses.
US08092874B2
An inkjet printing system, comprises: a printer, a pigment ink composition, and a dry recording media supply for receiving ink, the media comprising a support bearing an ink-receiving layer containing a complex of a polyvalent metal cation and a ligand, wherein the complex has a stability constant, K1, in the range of 0.3 to 6.0. The system gives images with excellent gloss, coalesence, and image quality.
US08092872B2
An optical film includes a transparent support; and a hardcoat layer that is a layer formed by curing a coating solution containing (A) an octa- to pentadeca-functional urethane (meth)acrylate-based compound having a molecular weight of 800 to 2,000 and having two or more urethane bonds in its molecule, and a photopolymerization initiator.
US08092865B2
A method for producing a building board. The method includes applying synthetic-resin layers to the top side and/or the bottom side of a support board made of a wood material or a mixture of wood material and plastic. The layered structure is compressed under the impact of pressure and temperature. At least one of the synthetic-resin layers expands during compressing.
US08092863B2
The invention relates to methods for manufacturing lightweight building boards (1) starting from a workpiece (2) which comprises two thin-walled cover layers (4, 6) and at least one core layer (8) which is disposed between the cover layers (4, 6) and is made of a light filling material, the at least one core layer (8) possessing cavities and having a lower average density than the cover layers. The method comprises the following steps: forming in the workpiece (2) at least one groove (10) which extends through at least one first cover layer (4) and at least partly through the at least one core layer (8) and circumscribes at least a portion of a contour of the lightweight building board (1) to be manufactured; introducing a hardenable mass (12) into the at least one groove (10); at least partly hardening the hardenable mass (12); and making a separating cut along the at least one groove (10), so the at least partly hardened mass (12) is separated in the longitudinal direction of the groove.
US08092861B2
A fabrication method of an ultra low-k dielectric layer is provided. A deposition process is performed, under the control of a temperature varying program or a pressure varying program, by reacting a dielectric matrix to form porous low-k dielectric layers with a gradient density on a barrier layer over a substrate.
US08092859B2
The present invention includes compositions and methods for their used wherein the compositions include clusters of coated fluorescent nanocrystals having a select size formed by controlled aggregation of individual coated nanocrystals.
US08092841B2
Extracts of various species of the Moraceae family have estrogenic properties. For example, aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Ligustrum lucidum Ait. of the Oleaceae Family possess estrogenic properties in both ERα+ and ERβ+ cells. These estrogenic effects include estrogen response element (ERE) stimulation as well as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) repression. Methods are provided for treating climacteric symptoms, breast and/or uterine cancer, and osteoporosis.
US08092840B2
A nutritional supplement for enhancing sleep and lucid dreaming in humans. It contains a combination of ingredients in proportions calculated to enhance lucid dreaming. The primary ingredients are Calea ternifolia, L-5-Hydroxytryptophan (L-5-HTP), and Vinpocetine. In addition, the nutritional supplement may include the secondary ingredient Melatonin and the tertiary ingredients Wild Lettuce Extract, Mugwort Extract, Dimethylaminoethanol Powder (DMAE), Passionflower Extract and Green Tea Extract. Further, various Vitamins may be added such as certain B vitamins, D and C, as well as Zinc, Magnesium and Calcium. The selection and amounts of the ingredients of the nutritional supplement promotes sleep and lucid dreaming in people who have taken the nutritional supplement prior to going to sleep.
US08092837B2
The present invention provides a non-liquid biomaterial that may be used as a surgical sealant, a suture support, a blood flow controller, an adhesion reducing agent, an adhesion preventing agent, a tissue support, a tissue filler, a wound dressing or a combination thereof. The non-liquid biomaterial may comprise a blood derived material such as plasma, platelet poor plasma, platelet rich plasma or a material derived from blood containing tissue aspirate, such as bone marrow aspirate, a protein binding agent and a polymerizing agent. Methods for making and using the non-liquid biomaterial are also provided.
US08092831B2
The present invention relates to an oral pharmaceutical formulation that employs: (1) a compressed core containing a decongestant or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; (2) a delayed release coating on the compressed core and (3) immediate release therapeutic amounts of a decongestant and an antihistamine.
US08092830B2
A process for producing a lactic acid polymer of 15,000 to 50,000 in weight-average molecular weight, the content of polymeric materials having not more than about 5,000 in weight-average molecular weight therein being not more than about 5% by weight, characterized by hydrolyzing a high molecular weight lactic acid polymer, placing the resultant solution comprising the hydrolyzed product under a condition capable of precipitating the objective lactic acid polymer, separating the precipitated lactic acid polymer and collecting them. The lactic acid polymer is useful as a matrix for sustained-release preparations. The sustained-release microcapsule preparation encapsulating a physiologically active substance can fully prevent the initial excessive release of the physiologically active substance from the microcapsules and keep a stable release rate over a long period of time.
US08092822B2
The present invention encompasses a coating on the surface of a substrate and the coated substrates. The coating includes a polymer, an olimus drug (sirolimus, everolimus, zotarolimus, etc.), and a dexamethasone derivative. The polymer may be a hydrophobic polymer, preferably a fluoropolymer, and more preferably a fluoropolymer with at least 25% vinylidene fluoride by weight.
US08092819B2
The present invention provides an implantable medical device comprising a bioactive agent and poly(alkyl cyanoacrylate) polymer. In one embodiment of the invention, the bioactive agent is a water-soluble material, such as an antisense agent.
US08092814B2
A cover material for an absorbent article including a fibrous nonwoven substrate, the substrate having a tortuousity value in the range of about 0.8 to about 3.0, and a particulate skin care material including a particulate material having a particle size in the range of about 1 micron to about 75 microns.
US08092812B2
The present invention provides Chlamydia proteins and compositions and methods of use in the treatment/prevention of chlamydial infection in a subject, for eliciting an immune response in a subject and for reducing the likelihood of infertility and reducing the incidence and/or degree of hydrosalpinx due to Chlamydia infection in a subject.
US08092808B2
The present invention provides a method of inducing an immune response against Campylobacter in an avian species, especially a domesticated avian species such as chicken, turkey, duck, goose and quail, by administering, in ovo, live cells of Campylobacter.
US08092805B2
Compounds, which inhibit the binding of gp120 to CD4 as well as 17b and methods for their use in inhibiting the HIV fusion process, are provided.
US08092804B2
Binding members, especially antibody molecules, for interleukin (IL)-4 receptor alpha (IL-4Rα), and their therapeutic use e.g. in treating or preventing disorders associated with IL-4Rα, IL-4 and/or IL-13, examples of which are asthma and COPD.
US08092801B2
The invention provides improved agents and methods for treatment of diseases associated with synucleinopathic diseases, including Lewy bodies of alpha-synuclein in the brain of a patient. Such methods entail administering agents that induce a beneficial immunogenic response against the Lewy body. The methods are particularly useful for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of Parkinson's disease.
US08092798B2
The disclosure provides novel antibodies against growth and differentiation factor-8 (GDF-8), including antibody fragments, which inhibit GDF-8 activity in vitro and in vivo. The disclosure also provides methods for diagnosing, preventing, or treating degenerative disorders of muscle, bone, or insulin metabolism.
US08092793B2
This invention relates to using live beneficial bacteria for treating inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
US08092788B2
Compositions and methods are provided that are useful for the delivery, including transdermal delivery, of biologically active agents, such as non-protein non-nucleotide therapeutics and protein-based therapeutics excluding insulin, botulinum toxins, antibody fragments, and VEGF. The compositions and methods are particularly useful for topical delivery of antifungal agents and antigenic agents suitable for immunization. Alternately, the compositions can be prepared with components useful for targeting the delivery of the compositions as well as imaging components.
US08092786B2
A method of manufacturing a decorative appliqué and the appliqué itself are disclosed. At least two formulations of high viscosity decorative liquid such as liquid nail enamel are provided and heated. A layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive material is applied onto a substrate, and a layer of the formulations are applied adjacent each other atop the layer of adhesive material on the substrate. The two formulations are preferably of different colors and are preferably confined to separate portions of the appliqué. In one fingernail-shaped embodiment, a small crescent-shaped section contains one formulation, and the remainder contains another formulation. A score or perforation is made between the two sections to facilitate application as a “French manicure”. Double-ended of such appliqués are preferably provided with side handling tabs to facilitate handling of the appliqués and enable use of both ends of the same appliqué.
US08092785B2
Drug substance for use in a pharmaceutical formulation may be prepared by a process which process comprises co-milling a suspension of the drug substance and a pharmaceutically acceptable polymer in a liquid propellant.
US08092778B2
A method for producing a hydrogen enriched fuel and carbon nanotubes includes the steps of providing a flow of methane gas, and providing a catalyst mixture comprising a Fe based catalyst and carbon. The method also includes the steps of pretreating the catalyst mixture using microwave irradiation and exposure to CH4, heating the catalyst mixture and the methane gas using microwave irradiation at a selected microwave power, directing the flow of methane gas over the catalyst mixture, and controlling the microwave power to produce a product gas having a selected composition and the carbon nanotubes. For producing multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) only a flow of methane gas into the reactor is required. For producing single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), a combination of hydrogen gas and methane gas into the reactor is required.
US08092762B2
The present invention provides for an interface mechanism in a bio-separation instrument that makes interface connections to a multi-channel cartridge. The interface mechanism precisely positions the cartridge in relation to the support elements in the instrument (e.g., high-voltage, gas pressure, incident radiation and detector), and makes automated, reliable and secured alignments and connections between various components in the cartridge and the support elements in the supporting instrument. The interface mechanism comprises pneumatically or electromechanically driven actuators for engaging support elements in the instrument to components on the cartridge. After the cartridge has been securely received by the interface mechanism, the connection sequence is initiated. The interface provides separate high voltage and optical connections for each separation channel in the cartridge, thus providing channel-to-channel isolation from cross talk both electrically and optically.
US08092746B2
A catalytic purification device including a substrate permeable to exhaust gases, is optionally impregnated with catalytic materials, and is provided with an upstream face and an opposing downstream face; and an envelope containing the permeable substrate and defining an enclosure provided with an inlet line and an outlet line, between which the permeable substrate is arranged, the upstream face of the permeable substrate projecting along the extension of the inlet line, and the axis of the inlet line defining, with the upstream face (14A), an angle smaller than 20°. The envelope includes a deflector arranged at the outlet of the inlet line, the deflector being inclined towards the upstream face and used to orient the exhaust gases escaping from the inlet line towards the permeable substrate. The envelope also includes elements for creating turbulence in the flow along the upstream face.
US08092744B1
A purge and trap concentrator system that includes a sparge vessel, and includes a variable gas flow valve for controlling the gas pressure in an analytic trap or the sparge vessel; a sensor that detects both a foaming sample state and a high liquid level in the sparge vessel, using one optical sensor; a control scheme that re-directs the purge gases to a second inlet of the sparge vessel during a foaming condition; a control scheme that uses a split flow to enhance the quantity of sample gases passed from an analytic trap; an electrically powered thermal energy source with a fan raising the sparge vessel temperature via thermal convection.
US08092742B2
An automated in situ heat induced antigen recovery and staining method and apparatus for treating a plurality of microscope slides. The process of heat induced antigen recovery and the process of staining the biological sample on the microscope slide are conducted in the same apparatus, wherein the microscope slides do not need to be physically removed from one apparatus to another. Each treatment step occurs within the same reaction compartment. The reaction conditions of each reaction compartment for treating a slide can preferably be controlled independently, including the individualized application of reagents to each slide and the individualized treatment of each slide.
US08092740B2
A porous material is provided, including a connected structure formed by combining silicon carbide aggregate particles with cordierite, which is a combining material in a state to hold a large number of pores, and having a porosity of 52 to 70% and a median pore diameter of 15 to 30 μm. The porous material has a high porosity and a high strength and has a remarkably low possibility of including defective portions, such as cuts and the like which cause liquid leakage when the material is used as a filter.
US08092731B2
The invention relates to a method for producing a thermoplastic plastic film. According to said method, the thermoplastic plastic is melted and transported in an extrusion installation comprising an extruder, an extrusion nozzle with a wide-slot delivery opening and a chill roll, which is fixed to a roll system and then leaves the delivery opening of the extrusion nozzle in the form of a flat melted web. Said melted web is then applied to the chill roll and is cooled. The invention is characterised in that it uses an extrusion installation, in which the distance between the delivery opening of the extrusion nozzle and the surface of the cooled roll does not vary by more than +/−50 μm during the operating time. The invention also relates to a film of this type and to uses of the latter.
US08092719B2
Disclosed herein are nanocrystal-metal oxide composites. The composites comprise nanocrystals and a metal oxide bound to the nanocrystals wherein the metal oxide has organic groups. The composites are stable to mechanical stress and exhibit improved processability. Also disclosed herein is a method for preparing the composites.
US08092718B2
The present invention provides a semiconductive seamless belt, which is obtained from a polyamide acid solution containing a tertiary amine having a boiling point of 200° C. or higher and an acid dissociation constant pKa of 4 to 9.
US08092714B2
A phosphor has a chemical formula of: Am(Ba1-xEux)nPyOz, wherein A is at least one of the group consisting of Li, Na and K, while 0
US08092711B2
A liquid crystal compound having a good durability against light, a polymerizable liquid crystal composition and an optically anisotropic material are provided. Further, an optical element having a good durability against light and an optical information writing/reading device employing such an element are provided.The liquid crystal compound is represented by a general formula CH2═CR1—COO-(L)k-E1-E2-(E3)m-R2. E1 is preferably a trans-2,6-decahydronaphthalene group and E2 is preferably a trans-1,4-cyclohexylene group. A phase difference plate 4 produced by employing the compound has a good durability against light, and accordingly, it is possible to achieve an optical head device employing a blue laser as a light source 1 and being suitable for large capacity writing/reading.
US08092696B2
An insulating layer made of an insulator film or the like is prepared. Then, a thin metal film and a thin copper film are formed in sequence on the insulating layer. The thin copper film is subsequently laminated with a dry film or the like, and exposed and developed to form a plating resist thereon that have patterns opposite to conductor patterns which are formed in a subsequent step. This is followed by forming conductor patterns made of copper, by electrolytic plating using an electrolytic copper sulfate plating solution, on the surfaces of the thin copper film where the plating resist is not formed. The plating resist is then removed by, for example, stripping. After this, the thin copper film is held at a temperature of not less than 200° C. and not more than 300° C. for approximately an hour to be thermally treated. Then, the thin copper film and the thin metal film are removed by chemical etching except the portions under the conductor patterns.
US08092695B2
Apparatus and method for endpoint detection are provided for photomask etching. The apparatus provides a plasma etch chamber with a substrate support member. The substrate support member has at least two optical components disposed therein for use in endpoint detection. Enhanced process monitoring for photomask etching are achieved by the use of various optical measurement techniques for monitoring at different locations of the photomask.
US08092694B2
The present invention describes a device allowing secondary filtration of catalyst particles contained in an effluent from a process comprising a reactor operated in three-phase mode.
US08092693B2
Apparatus for inhibiting fines carryover in the form of a settlement tank comprising: a filter which divides the tank into upper and lower portions; a fluid inlet in the lower portion for admitting into the tank a fluid with entrained solids; and a fluid outlet in the upper portion through which filtered fluid can leave the tank. The filter comprises filter media supported on a permeable wall, the wall including a filter media outlet which is normally closed, and opening means for opening the filter media outlet to allow the filter media to discharge into the lower portion of the tank. The invention also relates to a method of refilling the filter with filter media.
US08092691B2
A method and device for separating particles from a liquid having particles therein, using a filter sized to permit the liquid to flow through pores, while retaining a substantial portion of the particles on the filter, with an absorbent layer contacting the back of the filter to facilitate liquid movement away from the particles.
US08092682B2
The present invention relates to a separation matrix comprised of a support to the surfaces of which polymer chains have been coupled, wherein each polymer chain presents recurring proton-donating groups and at least the surface of the support is substantially hydrophilic. In the most advantageous embodiment, the support is porous cross-linked agarose, the polymers are poly(acrylic acid) and the proton-donating groups are carboxyl groups. The matrix is useful e.g. to remove PEG from pegylated and/or native compounds in a liquid. Accordingly, the invention also encompasses a method, such as a chromatographic method, wherein the separation matrix according to the invention is used, for example as a pre-treatment of a reaction mixture that comprises unreacted PEG, pegylated proteins and native proteins.
US08092681B2
The invention relates to a method for separating constituents of a liquid feed by liquid-liquid centrifugal chromatography and to a device for implementing it. Constituents (A, B) having different partition coefficients such that they are respectively carried along at unequal velocities by a light solvent (l) and a heavier solvent (L), the feed is continuously injected at an intermediate point of a separation column (col), successive cycles comprising alternately a heavy solvent injection stage and a light solvent injection stage are carried out respectively at the two ends of the column consisting of the interconnection in series of at least one set of separation cells, and the separated solvents (FA, FB) are collected during each one of said stages at the column ends opposite the solvent injection points.
US08092675B2
Detailed is electricity generation for powering devices associated with swimming pools or other structures utilizing recirculating fluid. The recirculating fluid is used to produce electricity for direct or indirect supply to electrical devices. Turbines may be placed in by-pass channels so as to have access to some fluid flow yet not unduly disrupt main flow of the recirculating fluid.
US08092674B2
A traveling band screen machine (1) is proposed with a careful fish return. To this end, the screen panels (4) each have a fish lifting channel (26) in which fishes (28) in a liquid-filled collecting recess (27) are lifted out of the stream of liquid and then emptied in the upper guidance zone (21) of the endless screen band (6) in an emptying zone (29) of the screen band machine (1) into a catch collecting drain (30) by tilting the screen panel (4) and the collecting recess (27) before the screen panel (4) reaches the cleaning zone (14) with the spray nozzles (23), in which debris deposited from the sluice channel on the screen panel (4) is cleaned off into the debris collecting drain (24).
US08092665B2
An expanding cam lock for use with an electrophoresis system is disclosed herein. The cam lock allows the simultaneous use of multiple slab gel cassettes in first and second buffer core assemblies in an electrophoresis system while maintaining the necessary compressive force to create a liquid-tight seal between the anode and cathode buffer solutions. In one example embodiment, the expanding cam lock includes a base plate with a first surface adapted to engage the first buffer core assembly and a follower plate having second surface adapted to engage the second buffer core assembly, buffer dam or buffer displacement dam. The base plate and the follower plate are slidably coupled together and are designed for insertion between the first buffer core assembly and the second buffer core assembly, buffer dam or buffer displacement dam in the electrophoresis container. A cam is positioned between and moveably coupled with the base plate and the follower plate. The cam is movable from a first position to a second position to urge the first and second surfaces to secure the gel cassette to the first and second buffer core assemblies. Also provided herein is a buffer displacement dam. Also provided herein are kits and assemblies which incorporate the expanding cam and buffer displacement dam described herein.
US08092660B2
The invention provides certain embodiments that involve sputtering techniques for applying a mixed oxide film comprising silica and titania. In these embodiments, the techniques involve sputtering at least two targets in a common chamber (e.g., in a shared gaseous atmosphere). A first of these targets includes silicon, while a second of the targets includes titanium. Further, the invention provides embodiments involving a substrate bearing a hydrophilic coating, which can be deposited by sputtering or any other suitable thin film deposition technique. The invention also provides techniques and apparatuses useful for depositing a wide variety of coating types. For example, the invention provides thin film deposition technologies in which sputtering apparatuses or other thin film deposition apparatuses are employed.
US08092656B2
A process for treatment of an aqueous stream to produce a low solute containing distillate stream and a high solute/solids containing blowdown stream utilizing a method to increase the efficiency of an evaporator while providing an essentially scale free environment for the heat transfer surface. Multi-valent ions and non-hydroxide alkalinity are removed from aqueous feed streams to very low levels and then the pH is increased preferably to about 9 or higher to increase the ionization of low ionizable constituents in the aqueous solution. In this manner, species such as silica and boron become highly ionized, and their solubility in the concentrated solution that is present in the evaporation equipment is significantly increased. The result of this is high allowable concentration factors and a corresponding increase in the recovery of high quality reusable water with essentially no scaling.
US08092655B2
A dividing wall column is described which includes the following segments:a) an upper column region (1),b) an enrichment section (2) of the feed section,c) a stripping section (4) of the feed section,d) an upper part (3) of the offtake section,e) a lower part (5) of the offtake section,f) an intermediate region (9) of the feed section,g) an intermediate region (10) of the offtake section andh) a lower column region (6).The dividing wall column has a dividing wall (7) is located vertically between the segments b) (2) and d) (3) and between the segments c) (4) and e) (5). The segments b) (2), d) (3), c) (4) and e) (5) have separation-active internals, Segment b (2) has a cross-sectional area Ab which is at least 10% smaller than the cross-sectional area Ad of segment d) (3), and segment c) has a cross-sectional area Ac which is at least 10% greater than the cross-sectional area Ae of segment e) (5).
US08092652B2
System for drying a tissue or hygiene web. The system includes a permeable structured fabric carrying the web over a drying apparatus. A permeable dewatering fabric contacts the web and is guided over the drying apparatus. A mechanism is used to apply pressure to the permeable structured fabric, the web, and the permeable dewatering fabric at the drying apparatus. This Abstract is not intended to define the invention disclosed in the specification, nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.
US08092649B2
A method of decreasing the rate of photoyellowing in paper containing mechanical pulp comprising: applying an aqueous solution containing an effective amount of one or more salts of thiocyanic acid on the surface of a paper sheet in a papermaking process.
US08092648B2
The present disclosure includes a regenerated cotton board material comprised of dry cut cotton lint fiber, and wood fiber. The regenerated cotton board material may further include non-cellulosic fibers such as synthetic fibers or other natural fibers. In an alternate embodiment, a cotton board material may be manufactured from a mixture of dry cut cotton lint fiber and a binder material. A method for forming a regenerated cotton board material according to the present disclosure includes forming an aqueous slurry fiber furnish from a combination of dry cut cotton lint fiber, and wood fiber. The fiber furnish is then wet processed, calendered to remove the bulk of the water, and dried.
US08092638B2
A plasma reactor for processing a workpiece includes a reactor chamber, an electrostatic chuck within the chamber for supporting a workpiece, an RF plasma bias power generator coupled to apply RF power to the electrostatic chuck and a refrigeration loop having an evaporator inside the electrostatic chuck with a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet. Preferably, the evaporator includes a meandering passageway distributed in a plane beneath a top surface of the electrostatic chuck. Preferably, refrigerant within the evaporator is apportioned between a vapor phase and a liquid phase. As a result, heat transfer between the electrostatic chuck and the refrigerant within the evaporator is a constant-temperature process. This feature improves uniformity of temperature distribution across a diameter of the electrostatic chuck.
US08092634B2
A method for connecting a catheter balloon with a catheter shaft of a balloon catheter that improves the welding quality of a weld between the catheter balloon and the catheter shaft of the balloon catheter. Preferably, a welding energy absorbing device is arranged, preferably in the form of a coloured tubing, in the area of a fixation site after attaching a pre-fixation and then to irradiate this welding energy absorbing device with the radiation energy to carry out the welding. After the welding the pre-fixation and the welding energy absorbing device are removed.
US08092623B1
An igniter composition is provided including metal fuel particles having a predetermined average diameter and metallic oxide oxidizer particles having a predetermined average diameter. The metal fuel particles are mixed substantially homogeneously with the metallic oxide oxidizer particles and, upon initiation of the igniter composition, actively participate in an exothermic reaction with the metallic oxide oxidizer particles. Also provided are methods and devices containing the igniter composition.
US08092611B2
A method, and corresponding system, for dishwasher operation including receiving an operation setting at a dishwasher to be performed by the dishwasher, where the dishwasher is configured to receive an input of electrical power at a defined operating voltage and frequency; and causing an operation of the dishwasher based on the operation setting by causing an inverter of the dishwasher to operate a pump motor of the dishwasher at an electrical power condition different from the defined operating voltage and frequency received at the dishwasher, where the electrical power condition at the pump motor causes the dishwasher to operate in accordance with a quiet dishwashing cycle, a high water pressure dishwashing cycle, a constant mass flow operation, or a minimum water use operation.
US08092609B2
We disclose a method of inverting sucrose, including (i) determining an initial solids concentration of an aqueous sucrose solution (solidsi), an initial bed volume (BVi) of a sucrose inversion resin system, a minimum target inversion percentage (invert %min), a maximum target inversion percentage (invert %max), a target maximum hydroxymethylfuran (HMF) concentration (HMFmax), a minimum target pH (pHmin), or a maximum target pH (pHmax); (ii) contacting the sucrose inversion resin system with the aqueous sucrose solution under conditions of aqueous solution flow rate in BVi/hr (ratep) and aqueous solution temperature in ° C. (temperaturep) to produce an inverted sucrose solution having an inversion percentage (invert %product), an HMF concentration (HMFproduct), and a pH (pHproduct); (iii) observing an instantaneous inversion percentage (invert %inst), an instantaneous HMF concentration (HMFinst), or an instantaneous pH (pHinst) of the inverted sucrose solution; and, if invert %inst
US08092590B2
The invention relates to a mineral, hydraulic binder for producing concrete or mortars or cement suspensions, based on at least one cement. The cement comprises clinker phases such as, C3S, C2S, C3A, and C4AF, which on reaction with water form hydrate phases that cure to form hardened cement. The cement displays a delay phase after mixing with water of some hours, e.g. from 4 to 8 hours, during which time no appreciable curing reaction takes place. The binder further comprises at least one finely divided SiO2 component and at least one finely divided CaO component, which react with make-up water during the delay phase to form calcium silicate hydrate phases that cure as a result of a pozzolanic reaction and produce early strength.
US08092589B2
The invention relates to compositions intended to be applied to surfaces of freshly poured mortar and/or concrete mixes, before the start of setting, in order to prevent the evaporation of water needed for them to set and harden, which are distinguished by the fact that, for the purpose of making them synergistic with regard to water retention, they are composed, in the form of aqueous emulsions, of: a) at least one petroleum-derived or synthetic paraffin wax containing, as a mixture, saturated and unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons of general formulae CnH2n+2 and CnH2n for which n is at least equal to 30 and the melting point of which is between 40° C. and 75° C.; b) at least one linear and/or cyclic hydrocarbon oil, of aliphatic and/or naphthenic origin, which are hydrocarbon chains, by themselves or as a mixture, of general formula CnH2n+2 and CnH2n for which n is less than 30, in a liquid state at room temperature; and/or c) at least one oil formed from at least one ester resulting from the condensation reaction between a saturated and/or unsaturated fatty acid and a monohydric, dihydric or trihydric alcohol.
US08092574B2
In a method of producing a reduced iron cast, a cast of a powder which includes total iron of 40% or more and an atomic molar amount of fixed carbon of 0.7 to 1.5 times the atomic molar amount of oxygen compounded with metal oxide reduced in a carbon monoxide atmosphere at 1200° C. is reduced in a rotary hearth furnace. The method includes: producing, in an atmosphere at a maximum temperature of 1200° C. to 1420° C. at a ratio of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide of 0.3 to 1.2 in the reduced zone, a reduced iron-containing material in which a ratio of metal iron is 50 mass % or more and a ratio of carbon is 5 mass % or less; and compression-molding the reduced iron-containing material at a temperature of 500° C. to 800° C. by a roller-type mold.
US08092572B2
In a method of regulating the output of CO in steel production, oxygen is introduced into a melt to remove carbon present, the actual value of the carbon stream evolved from the melt is determined, the intended value of the evolved carbon stream derived from the amount of oxygen introduced and the carbon content of the melt is calculated, intended and actual values are compared with one another and if the actual value is below the intended value, measures for preventing boiling are undertaken.
US08092571B2
The present invention relates to a combustion reactor for nanopowders, a synthesis apparatus for nanopowders using the combustion reactor, and a method of controlling the synthesis apparatus. The combustion reactor for nanopowders comprises an oxidized gas supply nozzle connected to an oxidized gas tube; a gas supply unit supplying a fuel gas and a precursor gas; and a reaction nozzle forming concentricity on an inner wall of the oxidized gas supply nozzle to be connected to the gas supply unit and having an inlet opening for supplying an oxidized gas disposed at a region adjacent to a jet orifice for spraying flames. In the present invention, it is possible to precisely control the stability of flames, the uniform temperature distribution of flames and the temperature of flames that affect the properties of nanopowders, and the deposition of oxide in the combustion reactor is prevented to thus enable a continuous and uniform reaction for a long time, thereby enabling an economic and efficient synthesis of nanopowders.
US08092570B2
A process and apparatus for producing titanium metal is described herein. The process comprises generating an RF thermal plasma discharge using a plasma torch provided with an RF coil; reducing titanium tetrachloride to a titanium metal by supplying titanium tetrachloride and magnesium into the RF thermal plasma discharge; and collecting or depositing the titanium metal at a temperature not lower than the boiling point of magnesium chloride and not higher than the boiling point of the titanium metal.
US08092567B2
An air filter element partially-fabricated on site wherein one or more wire frames are fastened to one another to form a structure substantially conforming to the dimensions of the original equipment manufacturer's filter housing. One or more of the wire frames are flexibly attached to each other end-to-end by flexible attachment means, allowing the assembled filter unit to be inserted into the filter housing one frame at a time, with the frame sections yet to be inserted folded or directed off to one side, thus bypassing space restrictions. Flexible attachment means may comprise spring connectors. Also disclosed is an end-cap affixed to or formed at one or both ends of the filter element. The end-caps may also contain printed material, such as text or pictures, which may include instructions for use, identifying labels or symbols, or the like.
US08092566B2
A composite fabric formed by depositing a web of nanofibers electroblown from a first polymer onto a first support web comprising fibers of larger average diameter than the nanofibers spun from a compatible material, in the absence of an adhesive between the webs, and solvent-bonding the webs together.
US08092543B2
A surgical procedure for preparing a damaged area of a human knee to receive at least one graft according to which a moldable material is positioned over the damaged area and removed after it hardens. Cutting a tape in a configuration and dimension corresponding to the mold and forming at least one opening in the damaged area. Harvesting a graft from a biological sample that is configured to fit in the at least one opening, adhering the at least one graft to a surface of the tape and inserting the graft into each opening of the mold.
US08092536B2
An assembly for the in situ formation of a prosthesis in an intervertebral disc space between adjacent vertebrae of a patient. At least one retention structure is located in the intervertebral disc space. A distal end of at least one lumen is located proximate the at least one retention structure. One or more in situ curable biomaterials are delivered to the intervertebral disc space through the first lumen and into engagement with the retention structure. The retention structure serves to retain at least a portion of the biomaterial in the intervertebral disc space by surface tension, adhesion, mechanical capture, friction, viscosity, and/or a variety of other mechanisms. The at least partially cured biomaterial and the at least one retention structure cooperate to comprise the prosthesis.
US08092507B2
An interstitial laser energy treatment apparatus having co-acting movable probe holders which facilitate positioning of a laser probe and thermal probe in different positions relative to a tissue mass such as the tumor to be treated and relative to each other to facilitate treating tissue masses based on the exact position, size and shape of the tissue mass.
US08092506B2
An ionic foot bath array for generating an ionic foot bath includes an upper rod support structure, at least one electrically non-conductive support structure leg depending downwards from the upper rod support structure and a plurality of generally cylindrical electrically conductive ionic rods each having the same diameter, the ionic rods being removably mounted and depending downwards from the upper rod support structure, each of the ionic rods extending generally parallel with one another in spaced-apart relationship in at least two generally parallel rows, the ionic rods having an intra-row spacing therebetween of no greater than two times the diameter of each ionic rod, the rows being spaced no greater than three times the diameter of each ionic rod, with at least one of the rows being positively charged and at least one of the rows being negatively charged.
US08092504B2
The pedicle screw system may be used for fixation of spinal segments and may be advantageous when minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques are employed. The pedicle screw system includes a tulip assembly comprising of a tulip body, a inner member, and an expansion member.Installation of the pedicle screw system into pedicles of the spine, for example, includes inserting the pedicle screw into a portion of the spine and then coupling the tulip assembly to the pedicle screw. The tulip assembly may be locked onto the pedicle screw before a distraction rod is placed in the tulip assembly. After the rod is placed in the tulip assembly, the tulip body and the inner member can be rotated relative to one another to lock the rod into the tulip assembly. In addition, the relative rotation may also provide additional locking of the tulip assembly to the pedicle screw.
US08092500B2
A dynamic fixation medical implant having at least two bone anchors includes a dynamic longitudinal connecting member assembly having the following features: a pair of elongate bone anchor engagement segments, a floating inner core disposed in apertures of both anchor segments, at least one compression spacer surrounding the core and located between the anchor segments and in some embodiments an over-mold surrounding the compression spacer and at least a portion of one of the anchor segments. The implant may further include a tubed sleeve surrounding the core and located between the anchor segments.
US08092499B1
An apparatus for treatment of a body having a skeletal curvature comprising:a rod capable of being attached to at least two vertebrae of the spine; which rod, under fluid pressure moves from a first position to an extended position, which extended position straightens the two vertebrae; anda hydraulic mechanism, in fluid communication with the rod, which moves the rod from the first position to the extended position, wherein the rod and hydraulic mechanism are capable of being inserted within the body having a skeletal curvature.
US08092491B2
An instrument for stretching tissue is provided. The instrument can include opposing hook jaws 10 movably coupled to a rod 12 and movable toward each other, and each hook jaw 10 can have a hook receptacle 18. A hook module 20, having at least one hook 22, can be seated in the hook receptacle 18. An adjustment cam 28 can be connected to each hook module 20 and an adjustment drive 26 can be coupled to the adjustment cams 28 where the adjustment drive 26 moves the adjustment cams 28 to cause a skin stretching force at one or more hook modules 20 and to cause a skin reperfusion force at one or more hook modules 20.
US08092486B2
Everting filter devices and methods for using the devices, including using the devices as intra-vascular filters to filter thrombus, emboli, and plaque fragments from blood vessels. The filter devices include a filter body nominally tubular in shape and having a large proximal opening. The filter body can extend from a proximal first end region distally over the non-everted exterior surface of the filter, further extending distally to a distal-most region, then converging inwardly and extending proximally toward the filter second end region, forming a distal everted cavity. The degree of eversion of the filter can be controlled by varying the distance between the filter first end region near the proximal opening and the closed second end region. Bringing the filter first and second end regions closer together can bring filter material previously on the non-everted filter exterior to occupy the distal-most region.
US08092481B2
Disclosed is an expandable percutaneous sheath, for introduction into the body while in a first, low cross-sectional area configuration, and subsequent expansion to a second, enlarged cross-sectional configuration. The sheath is maintained in the first, low cross-sectional configuration by a tubular restraint. In one application, the sheath is utilized to provide access for a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure such as percutaneous nephrostomy or urinary bladder access.
US08092477B2
A device (1) for making a cut in a tissue, such as a blood vessel (2), capsule and the like, includes a trocar (3), the distal end (4) of which can be placed on the tissue (2) and inside which trocar (3) a reduced pressure can be generated for holding the tissue pressed against the distal end (3) under the influence of the reduced pressure, as well as a cutting member (6) located in the trocar (3), such that the tissue (2) pressed against the distal end (4) and the cutting member (6) can be moved relative to one another to make the cut (9). A tissue support (10) is provided in the trocar (3) close to the distal end (4) thereof with which the tissue (2) that extends over the lumen of the trocar (3) can make contact under the influence of the reduced pressure inside the trocar (3).
US08092475B2
Ultrasonic horns configured for use with a surgical ultrasonic handpiece including a resonator are described. The ultrasonic horns include an elongated member having a longitudinal internal channel extending partially therethrough. Disposed on the distal end of the elongated member is a chisel and awl shaped tip configured for cutting and/or abrading hard tissue, for example bone.
US08092469B2
A tool for removing a discrete object from the body of a human or animal patient includes a single length of Nitinol tubing and a sheath. The tubing includes a tool head section at a distal end of the tubing and a shaft section extending from a proximal end of the tubing to the tool head section. The tool head section includes a slitted section and a non-slitted section. The non-slitted section is disposed at a distal most end of the tubing. The slitted section includes a plurality of longitudinal slits forming a plurality of strands.
US08092468B2
A deployment handle (112) for an implant deployment device (10) facilitates withdrawal of a sheath (18). The deployment handle (112) includes two separate actuators: a trigger (130) and a sliding actuator (330). The trigger (130) can be used to effect small step-wise movement of a carriage (120) that is connected to a sheath (18) to be withdrawn. The sliding actuator (330) can be used to effect continuous movement of a carriage (120) to withdraw a sheath (18). In order to transmit movement of either the trigger (130) or the sliding actuator (330) to the carriage (120), a flexible rack (380) is used. The flexible rack (380) includes upper teeth (390) and lower teeth (395) for engagement with the trigger (130) and the sliding actuator (330) respectively. The ability of the flexible rack (380) to bend back on itself means that unnecessary elongation of the deployment handle (112) is avoided.
US08092467B1
An apparatus and method facilitating removal, from a body, of an implanted elongated structure with a lumen such as a lead or catheter, comprises a plurality of wire stylets that are inserted together into the lumen and subsequently moved relative to each other in a longitudinal direction by manipulation at the proximal end. The stylets have dimensional features on their adjacent sides that mate together to minimize the overall diameter of the stylet assembly during insertion into the lumen. Interaction of the features on the stylets' adjacent sides, resulting from the subsequent relative displacement, causes the assembly to expand radially. The expansion is sufficient to engage the luminal surface of the implanted structure, thereby allowing traction forces to be applied, while minimizing deformation of the implanted structure. If repositioning of the apparatus is necessary, the stylets may be returned to initial relative positions, reestablishing a minimal overall diameter.
US08092465B2
A method of preparing a joint for a prosthesis in a patient. The method includes obtaining scan data associated with the joint of the patient, preparing a three-dimensional image of the joint based on the scan data, preparing an interactive initial surgical plan based on the scan data, sending the surgical plan to a surgeon, receiving a finalized surgical plan from the surgeon, and preparing an image of a patient-specific alignment guide.
US08092464B2
Described are syringe devices useful in delivering medical materials internally in patients. In certain embodiments, syringe devices of the invention include widening internal lumen to assist in effective delivery of substances therethrough, and/or curved barrel portions with curved lumens therein. In still further disclosed embodiments, syringe devices include adaptations to prevent compression of compressible carrier materials to be delivered therethrough, curved barrel portions with flexible plunger arms to track the curved barrel portions, barrel portions controllable in shape such as to introduce and remove curves, visible markings to denote the direction of deflection of syringe barrel portions, imagable markers located on the syringe barrel, a cooperating plunger apparatus, or both; or combinations of some or all of these features. Further described are spinal fusion procedures with syringe-based delivery of osteogenic material through a minimally invasive procedure, which procedures can utilize syringe devices of the invention.
US08092459B2
A method provides for the insertion of an implant between adjacent bone structures. For example, an implant is inserted between adjacent spinous processes. The implant can be advanced within a body to a location between adjacent bone structures with an insertion tool and guided by a path defined by a guide member releasably coupled to the guide member. For example, the guide member can define a curved path through the body and a portion of the path goes between the adjacent bone structures.
US08092455B2
An apparatus for providing medical treatment includes a tool portion configured to operate relative to bone tissue, a handle portion to operate the tool portion, and a nerve monitoring system to detect neural elements. The tool portion includes an insulated shaft comprised of an electrically conductive member and a non-insulated tip. The shaft carries an electrical signal to the non-insulated tip. The handle portion, which is removably and operably connected to the tool portion, incorporates an operating system to operate the tool portion. Additionally, the nerve monitoring system is linked to the tip and is operable to detect a neural element as a function of a characteristic of the electrical signal on the tip. Upon detection of a neural element, the nerve monitoring system provides a signal to the operating system of the handle portion directing the operating system change an operative mode of the tool portion.
US08092450B2
An energy delivery apparatus for delivering electrical energy at a target location, the energy delivery apparatus being usable in combination with a magnetic field. The energy delivery apparatus includes an electrical conductor, the electrical conductor having a substantially elongated configuration; an electrode for delivering the electrical energy at the target location, the electrode being electrically coupled to the electrical conductor and located at a predetermined location therealong; and a guiding element mounted to the electrical conductor in a substantially spaced apart relationship relative to the electrode, the guiding element including a magnetically responsive material. The energy delivery apparatus is constructed such that a movement of the guiding element causes a corresponding movement of the electrode. The magnetic field is used to move the guiding element in order to position the electrode substantially adjacent to the target location.
US08092449B2
The invention concerns a surgical probe having electrodes for use in tissue ablation or coagulation. The probe has hollow spaces therein for delivering a cooling fluid to the probe. The probe has a handle and shaft and two axially-spaced electrodes on the surface of the shaft, separated from each other by an insulator.
US08092447B2
A handpiece for tissue treatment is provided. The handpiece has receiving means for receiving a first light beam, at least two components and selector device being movable between at least two positions, each position corresponding to a component. The selector device may be moved between the two positions, thereby positioning a selected component in a beam path of the first light beam. The selected component provide one or more functions, such as sensing, emitting a third light beam, emitting no light beam, and/or emitting a second light beam in response to the first light beam being incident on the selected component. The second or third light beam may, if present, be emitted towards a target area, or said light beam(s) may be deflected towards a target area. Furthermore, a method for tissue treatment using such a handpiece, and a selector device for use in such a handpiece is provided.
US08092445B2
The invention relates to a fluid connection device and to a continuous automated system and method for taking fluid microsamples using this device.A device (20) according to the invention, which is intended to be connected to a first line (21) via a first opening and includes a second opening through which a second line (28) passes, comprises: a female fluid connector (22) that defines the first opening and has an internal fitting surface (23) terminating in a female end (24) into which this first line opens; and a male fluid connector (25) that defines the second opening, which is fitted into the female connector via its external surface (26) and terminates via its male radial end (27) inside the female connector. According to the invention, this second line is formed from a flexible microtube pushed right through the male connector beyond the male end, the free end of the second line pressing in a sealed manner against the female end so as to minimize the dead volume between the first line and the male connector.
US08092439B2
An absorbent article includes a liquid pervious bodyside liner; a liquid impervious outer cover; and an absorbent core positioned between the bodyside liner and the outer cover. The absorbent article defining a crotch portion connected between a front portion and a back portion; the front portion includes a front waist region, a front waist edge, and a front waist relief area. The front waist relief area is defined in part by a first material cut edge and a second material cut edge wherein the second material cut edge extends beyond the first material cut edge to define a fringe.
US08092435B2
An implantable portal includes a septum that has embedded therein an indicia adapted to identify at least one characteristic of the portal. The indicia may be formed as an impression at a base layer of the septum, and is filled with a radiopaque material. The septum base layer is covered by liquid silicone, which bonds with the septum base layer when solidified, so that an integral one-piece septum, with the identifier indicia embedded therein, is effected. The indicia embedded septum is fitted to the reservoir housing of the portal for providing identification information for that portal. The septum embedded indicia is viewable visually and also by x-ray or computer tomography imaging.
US08092429B2
The needle assembly of the invention is a quad-partite system for use with an arc-center stereotactic headframe that allows a clinician to deliver recombinant expression vectors through the needle assembly to targeted sites at exact depths in the brain. Methods for use of the needle assembly with a rube insert for the needle cannula that does not bind proteins, as in protein viral capsids, permit delivery of precise volumes of pharmaceutical compositions containing viral recombinant expression vectors for gene therapy.
US08092427B2
An ophthalmic aspiration system that can be used with a hand piece and a vacuum source, is disclosed and claimed. The aspiration system includes a first tube that is connected to the hand piece and a second tube that is connected to a vacuum source. A filter assembly is connected to both tubes to filter out particles aspirated into the system. The second tube has an inner diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the first tube. The smaller second tube limits the amount of flow through the system to minimize vacuum surges caused by occlusions.
US08092423B2
A low profile surgical access device includes an elongated cannula having an opening defined at a proximal end thereof including an inner peripheral surface dimensioned to facilitate passage of instrumentation therethrough and an outer peripheral surface configured to operatively engage and removably secure to tissue via, e.g., fixation ribs, adhesive, anchors, clips, suction elements, expandable materials and/or combinations thereof. A valve is operatively coupled to the elongated cannula and provides a substantially fluid tight seal when instrumentation is inserted through the cannula. A seal housing is included which is positionable relative to the cannula and which is configured to operatively engage and removably secure to tissue. The instrument seal in the seal housing is positioned in vertical registry with the valve in the elongated cannula.
US08092414B2
A tubular medical fluid flow set comprises a pressure sensing chamber connected in flow-through relation to fluid flow tubing of the set. The pressure sensing chamber defines a movable, flexible, impermeable diaphragm dividing the chamber into two separate compartments. The fluid flow tubing communicates with one of the compartments and is isolated from the other of the compartments. A port is carried on the chamber, the port having a seal therein, and communicating with the other of the compartments. Thus, the other of the compartments is hermetically sealed until the port is opened for connection with a pressure measuring device, to keep the flexible diaphragm in a desired, initial position prior to opening of the seal.
US08092413B2
An improved tubing device, preferably for use in the medical industry is provided. The tubing device provides a seamless transport path by using the tubing itself as the transport means without any other internally wetted parts, or connections, to provide a substantial reduction in the number of fluid contact components, and eliminate the need for cutting tubes into segments to be later bonded via tubing connectors. This can reduce the risk of contamination of the transported materials and can also reduce the use of chemicals such as adhesives and bonding agents.
US08092411B2
A hand orthosis supporting a patient's thumb and fingers spaced apart and separated from contact with the palm of the hand, including an elongated body having a palm surface, a thumb portion, and a finger support portion. The elongated body includes a plurality of unequal cross-sectional areas spaced along the axial length between a distal end and a base end. A plurality of finger concavities are angled in helical orientation along the orthosis, including spaced apart concavities for each finger and the patient's thumb. Each finger and thumb concavity is angled non-perpendicular relative to the orthosis axial length to retain the fingers and thumb spaced apart, curved in a relaxed orientation, and apart from the palm of the hand during extended periods of time without impeding hand or wrist motion. A method of extended use for the hand orthosis is also disclosed.
US08092403B2
One or more embodiments of the presently described invention provide a vacuum pressure regulator including a spring, a knob, a housing, a chamber and a diaphragm. The spring encircles the knob and is capable of being compressed when the knob is rotated in one direction. The chamber and diaphragm are located inside the housing. A seal is formed when the compression of the spring creates a spring force that pushes at least a part of the diaphragm against a sealing surface of the chamber. This seal enables the chamber to maintain or hold a vacuum pressure for more than a transitory time period.
US08092398B2
Among other things, a vestibular prosthesis includes a wearable motion sensing system, the motion sensing system generating a motion signal indicative of a motion thereof, wherein the motion includes rotation about two distinct axes; a signal processor in communication with the motion sensing system, the signal processor being configured to generate an estimate of a tilt of the motion sensing system; and an actuator responsive to the estimate of the tilt made by the signal processor.
US08092395B2
A guidewire (1) for re-canalizing a vascular occlusion comprises a core wire (5) which terminates at its distal end (4) in a terminal member (7) for opening the occlusion. A helical coil sleeve (10) extends around the core wire (5) from the terminal member (7) to a location (11) along the core wire (5). The terminal member (7) defines first and second planar surface portions (13,14) which converge towards a distal transversely extending leading edge portion (8). As the terminal member (7) is urged through the vascular occlusion, the first and second surface portions (13,14) act on the occlusion to form an opening therethrough. A distal portion (28) of the core wire (5) is of spade-like configuration for facilitating bending thereof for directing the terminal member (7) out of a central major plane (35) defined by the distal portion (28) for facilitating aligning of the terminal member (7) with a branched vessel of the vascular system.
US08092394B2
A medical device having a housing (2) with a bore (3) and a lancet (1) slidably fitting in the bore. The lancet operates as a positive displacement piston. In a retracted position, in which the lancet is rearwardly displaced along the bore to define a fluid-containing space in the bore forwardly on the lancet tip, the fluid-containing space has a cross-section dimension to allow fluid to be retained therein by surface tension. The device has a seal (6) operable substantially to prevent flow of fluid from the fluid-containing space past the seal means on movement of the lancet. Displacement of the lancet between the puncture and retracted positions provides suction for drawing fluid into and along the fluid-containing space from the forward end of the bore, and/or pressure for expelling fluid from the fluid-containing space via the forward end of the bore. Also disclosed are methods for operating the device.
US08092387B2
An ultrasonic imaging technique for differentiating the distribution of scatterers within a tissue comprises a correcting and an imaging procedure. The correcting procedure includes steps of obtaining ultrasonic backscattered signals from a standard phantom, compensating and demodulating the signals into an envelope image, calculating the parameter m and m, selecting a window to calculate parameter mw in each location of the envelope image and mw, if mw≠ m then increase the size of the window to repeat the steps above, and when mw= m, it is the optimal size of the window. The imaging procedure includes steps of obtaining ultrasonic backscattered signals from a target tissue, compensating and demodulating the signals into an envelope image, calculating mw in each location to form a mw matrix, and presenting the matrix by utilizing pseudocolors.
US08092381B2
A system for increasing the fitness level of a fitness enthusiast. The system includes a personalized set of intensity zones corresponding to increasing levels of exercise intensity. The personalization of the system is accomplished through determining a threshold level based on oxygen consumption or a numerical rating of perception of effort or lactate or metabolism that is unique to each individual. From this determination, an anchor point is created upon which the heart rate values for each of eight zones is based. Each zone corresponds to a multiplier that when factored in to the amount time spent in each zone by the individual, yields a total training load value.
US08092346B2
An example exercise system includes an exercise apparatus having a processor and a movable element and a device coupled to the exercise apparatus and to a communication network. The device is configured to receive an exercise program and to output the exercise program to the exercise apparatus.
US08092344B2
Systems and techniques for the collection and display of athletic information. Athletic data relating to a single person or group of people is collected at a central location, and subsequently displayed at a desired remote location so that the person or people can review and critique their performance. In addition, athletic data for multiple persons can be collected at a central location, and subsequently displayed to a user at a desired remote location, so that the user can compare his or her athletic activities to others.
US08092338B2
Method for recovering electrical energy in a vehicle with regenerative braking is used in a vehicle equipped for this purpose with an electrical capacitance device to store electrical energy supplied by a rotary electrical machine of the vehicle during regenerative braking operation. A choice is made, on the basis of the initial rotational speed of the rotary electrical machine to apply an energy recovery stratagem from at least the following two: —a first energy recovery strategy that favors high power supplied by the rotary electrical machine; and—a second energy recovery strategy that favors high efficiency of the rotary electrical machine.
US08092336B2
A transmission is disclosed having an input member, an output member, a plurality of planetary gear sets, a plurality of interconnecting members and a plurality of torque-transmitting mechanisms. The plurality of planetary gear sets has first, second and third members. The input member is continuously interconnected with a member of the planetary gear sets. The output member is continuously interconnected with another member of the planetary gear sets. At least eight forward speeds and one reverse speed are produced by the selective engagement of the five torque-transmitting mechanisms.
US08092331B2
When the shift position is changed to the drive position, the amount of oil that is supplied to an automatic shift unit is increased by a larger amount as the standby hydraulic pressure is lower. Therefore, even if the standby hydraulic pressure is decreased, the required hydraulic pressure is more easily achieved when the shift position is changed to the drive position. Therefore, it is possible to decrease the standby hydraulic pressure without slowing down the response to the automatic shift unit to the hydraulic pressure and reducing the useful life of the automatic shift unit. Thus, the amount of electricity consumed by the electric oil pump is reduced. As a result, it is possible to enhance the fuel efficiency.
US08092326B2
In a motor generator pulley 122, a mechanical clutch 105 and a switching unit 132 are provided such that the mechanical clutch 105 is interposed between a first power transmission unit 104A and a second power transmission unit 104B and can transmit power even when an engine 102 serves as a drive element and a motor generator 103 serves as a drive element and when the motor generator 103 serves as the drive element and the engine 102 serves as the driven element, and that the switching unit 132 can switch, when at least one of the engine 102 and the motor generator 103 serves as a drive element, the mechanical clutch 105 so as to inhibit the engine 102 and the motor generator 103 from being connected to each other.
US08092312B2
A driveline yoke assembly may include a yoke and a barrel. The yoke may include first and second arms extending from a base. The base may include a first protrusion extending radially therefrom. The barrel may be axially fixed to the yoke and may define an axially extending body having a second protrusion extending radially therefrom and engaged with the first protrusion to transfer rotation from the barrel to the yoke.
US08092303B2
A convenience gaming system is provided. The convenience gaming system allows users to access applications via gaming communication devices coupled to a communication network. At least a portion of the network may be wireless. The gaming applications include gambling, financial, entertainment service, and other types of transactions. The system may include a user location determination feature to prevent users from conducting transactions from unauthorized areas.
US08092302B2
The gaming system and method disclosed herein provides a plurality of players with an opportunity to win a plurality of progressive awards maintained by the gaming system. The gaming system accumulates a quantity of progressive event points for each player playing at one of the gaming machines in the gaming system. In one embodiment, the gaming system uses an accumulated quantity of progressive event points for a designated player to determine which one or more of the progressive awards the designated player wins. In another embodiment, the gaming system uses an accumulated quantity of progressive event points to determine the designated player's probability of winning one or more of the progressive awards. Accordingly, the gaming system provides a point-based system in which either a progressive award to win or a probability of winning a progressive award is determined based on the quantities of progressive event points accumulated by the players.
US08092298B2
A gaming machine is described wherein a player first plays a primary game, such as the spinning and stopping of mechanical or video reels displaying symbols. A plurality of progressive jackpots is displayed to the player, where the progressive jackpots are incremented at different random rates. Upon a jackpot-winning outcome of the primary game, the number of different progressive jackpots paid to the player depends on the number of credits bet by the player. The jackpots are incremented upon jackpot-incrementing symbols being displayed by the reels. In one embodiment, the jackpot above each column of symbols gets incremented upon a special symbol, such as a credit value, being displayed in that column.
US08092293B2
A wagering monitoring system configured to detect player wagers at a roulette table. A table having antennas associated with the various wagering areas is provided for the players. A reader connects to each antenna to thereby communicate via the antenna with tokens equipped with an identification element. By monitoring wagers, game play is monitored and processing may occur to track each player wager and the amount wagered by each player. To facilitate play at a roulette table, the identification element associated with each token includes a token color identification code which identifies the color of the token. The token color identification code is associated with a specific player which in turn provides means to associated each wager and a total amount wagered with that player.
US08092283B2
A system for processing fish of different anatomic constitution where the fish (22) having at least an end waste part (23, 24), a body part (26) and a transition (30) between the end waste part and the body part. The system comprising a frame including a fish loading area (18) for receiving the fish and a fish unloading area (52), an optical measurement unit (36) monitoring at least part of the fish loading area for producing a digital representation of the fish, a grabbing unit (40) mounted on the frame downstream in relation to the optical measurement unit for collecting the fish from the fish loading area and placing the fish on the fish unloading area, a processing unit for receiving the digital representation of the fish, determining the transition between the end waste part and the body part of the fish and a separation arrangement for separating the end waste part from the body part at the transition.
US08092281B2
The present invention is a polishing head provided with an annular rigid ring, a rubber film bonded to the rigid ring with a uniform tension, a mid plate joined to the rigid ring and forming a space portion together with the rubber film and the rigid ring, and an annular template provided concentrically with the rigid ring in a peripheral portion on a lower face part of the rubber film and having an outer diameter larger than an inner diameter of the rigid ring, in which a pressure of the space portion can be changed by a pressure adjustment mechanism, a back face of a work is held on the lower face part of the rubber film, and a surface of the work is brought into sliding contact with the polishing pad attached onto a turn table for performing polishing, and an inner diameter of the template is smaller than an inner diameter of the rigid ring, and a ratio between an inner diameter difference between the rigid ring and the template and a difference between the inner diameter and an outer diameter of the template is 26% or more and 45% or less. Thereby, a polishing head and the like that can obtain constant flatness stably can be provided.
US08092277B2
A method of grinding semiconductor wafers including simultaneously grinding both surfaces of multiple semiconductor wafers by rotating the wafers between a pair of upper and lower rotating surface plates in a state where the wafers are held on a carrier so that centers of the wafers are positioned on a circumference of a single circle, wherein a ratio of an area of a circle passing through the centers of the wafers to an area of one of the wafers is greater than or equal to 1.33 but less than 2.0; surfaces of the fixed abrasive grains comprised in the surface plates are comprised of pellets disposed in a grid-like fashion, with the pellets provided in a center portion and pellets provided in a peripheral portion being larger in size than the pellets provided in an intermediate portion.
US08092263B2
An object of the invention is to provide a process for providing a connector, which prevents component atoms constituting a material and a substrate layer from diffusing into a tin-containing material layer and suppressing an occurrence of external force-type whiskers upon the application of external force to a surface of the tin-containing material layer, and a connector produced by the same process. In a production process of a connector comprising a step of providing a substrate layer on a surface of the material to surface treat the material and a step of providing a tin-containing material layer on an upside of the substrate layer to surface treat the substrate layer, the object can be achieved by further comprising a step of providing a barrier intermediate layer before the provision of the tin-containing material layer.
US08092261B2
A keyed power source connector and keyed device connector that are backwards compatible, ensuring that the power rated device connectors can only mate with power source connectors power rated at or above the device connector power rating. One connector is formed as a plug, and the other connector is formed as a socket. The connectors have are shaped having a profile that is a function of the respective connector power rating. A keyed portion of the power source connector plug will physically interfere with and not be receivable within a device connector socket when the device connector power rating exceeds the power source connector power rating. This connector system ensures target portable electronic devices coupled to the device connector can not draw power exceeding the rating of the power source connector.
US08092257B2
A memory card is disclosed resembling a CompactFlash card, but which is compatible with an ExpressCard slot.
US08092251B2
Active packaging for supplying power, data, or both power and data to an electronic media device while the device is housed within the active packaging is provided. The active packaging may include one or more electrical traces in-molded or printed onto the packaging that couple to a suitable connector on the device. Power may also be provided via one or more wireless power techniques. Multiple active packages may be conductively stacked to transmit power, data, or both power and data to a row or stack or devices. POM sensors integrated with or attached to the device (or the active packaging itself) may detect various movement events. Coordinated and synchronized display effects may be presented while the devices are housed within the active packaging.
US08092245B2
An electrical connector assembly includes a male connector, a female connector, and a sleeve. The male connector has a shoulder. The female connector is constructed to receive the male connector and has a flex arm with a nib. The sleeve is constructed to receive the female connector and has an inner surface. When the male connector, the female connector, and the sleeve are telescoped together, the inner surface of the sleeve overlaps the flex arm and forces engagement between the shoulder and the nib to eliminate relative movement between the male and female connectors.
US08092239B2
A substrate fixing member that fixes a first substrate having an insertion hole into which a second substrate having mutually opposing an end portion is to be inserted, the substrate fixing member including a fixing member main body portion that covers a top surface portion of a connector having the insertion hole and has a through-hole which the substrate is to be passed through and a substrate support portion having a groove portion slidably holding an end portion of the substrate when the substrate is passed through the through-hole and the insertion hole to connect a substrate-side connection terminal to a connector-side terminal.
US08092238B2
A universal serial bus (USB) interface includes a positive differential signal pin including first and second sections, a button mounted to the USB interface, and an elastic piece. The button includes a driving rod with a distal end resisting against the second section, a receiving room is defined below the second section to receive the elastic piece, so the second section is clamped between the elastic piece and the driving rod and is electrically connected to the first section. When the button is pressed, the driving rod of the button causes the second section to deform the elastic piece, so the second section moves away from the first section. When the button is released, the elastic piece is restored to return the first section to the second section, so the first and second sections are electrically connected again.
US08092236B2
A battery connector is adapted for being assembled to a printed circuit board. The battery connector includes an insulating housing, two holding elements and a plurality of terminals. The insulating housing has two opposite side surfaces. The insulating housing defines a plurality of terminal cavities and receiving grooves. Two holding grooves are opened in two opposite ends of the insulating housing. Each side surface of the insulating housing protrudes sideward to form a locating piece. Each holding element has a base plate mounted to the holding groove and a holding piece projecting out of the holding groove to be inserted into the printed circuit board. The terminals are respectively received in the terminal cavities. Each terminal has two contacting portions having an interstice therebetween and facing towards the receiving groove, and a soldering portion projecting out of the terminal cavity to be inserted in the printed circuit board.
US08092228B2
The invention relates to a termination (1) for telecommunication and data engineering, comprising a housing (10) which contains terminal strips for connecting up a prescribed number of pairs, wherein the housing (10) is designed to have mounting means which can be used to mount the housing (10) on supports, wherein the terminal strips are in the form of printed circuit board connectors (50), wherein the housing (10) contains a plurality of printed circuit boards (60) which are accessible from the front and at least one side portion (12) of the housing (10), wherein the printed circuit board connectors (50) are plugged onto the printed circuit boards (60) from the front of the housing (10) and are plugged onto the printed circuit boards (60) from the side portion(s) (12) of the housing (10), wherein the printed circuit boards (60) hold conductor tracks which are respectively used to connect a contact on a printed circuit board connector (50) from the front to a contact on the printed circuit board connector (50) from the side portion(s) (12) via the respective common printed circuit board (60).
US08092221B2
A speech-generating product for controlling the output of tabular or other composite data in a computer having a screen reader function. The product provides a customized control presentation tool that configures a screen reader to present tabular or other composite data to a user in the order most useful to the user. The tool includes the ability to configure the screen reader independently for both speech and Braille output on a control by control basis. This customized control presentation is saved in permanent storage. Consequently, each time the screen reader is presented with this instance of the control, the screen reader immediately knows how to present it to the user. The software product allows a user to modify the output by the screen reader of the data according to preferences configurable by the user. These preferences may include the ability to skip display information, to specify the order in which the screen reader presents the display information and the ability to alter the headers associated with the display information. By altering the headers the user may annotate the headers to provide additional information about the underlying data. The headers may also be output in an alternative voice by a speech synthesizer to queue a user to a change of information. The user may also specify that certain display information is sent by the screen reader to one display device while other display information is sent to an alternative display device.
US08092217B2
A high-speed turbine dental drill handpiece has a drilling needle, a wind wheel axle, a head housing having an annular opening with a two-step profile shape, and a suckback prevention device. The suckback prevention device includes an elastic bowl-shaped axle shroud coupled to an annular skeleton that are buckled in an inner step of the head housing and an annular screw connected to the outer step of the head housing (or retaining of the elastic bowl-shaped axle shroud. An eyelet for the drilling needle is set at the center of the elastic bowl-shaped axle shroud, the diameter of the eyelet being slightly larger than that of the drilling needle.
US08092216B2
A handset includes a high power LED and a vibrator. An optical tip includes a stepwise tapered portion for insertion into a root canal. The optical tip is used in combination with the vibrator for distributing a photosynthesizer in a root canal. The optical tip is used in combination with the LED for activating the photosynthesizer.
US08092212B2
Cooking appliance (1A,1B) having an external and control panel (2,2′) equipped with one or more regulating valves, where the rotary regulator organ (6) is equipped with various peripheral openings (16-19) for supplying a flow Q. According to two embodiments (1A, 1B) of the cooking appliance, for the supply of one or another type of gas, NG or LPG, either the control knob (9) or a bezel disk (22) in the external panel (2) are interchangeable on the appliance, being chosen between two different available units, one and the other permitting two different angular position limits A2, A3 of the regulator organ (6) for the supply of a constant flow Qmin through one or another opening (18,19) with calibrated sections, respectively for NG or LP gas. An appendix (14) in the control knob (9) guided in a slide groove (20) on the control panel (2) of the appliance, or a tongue (24) on the bezel disk stopping the rotation of the control knob, determines the travel limit A2 for the supply of Qmin of NG.
US08092207B2
The present invention provides a slot die that includes a flow passageway that includes a transverse flow-providing manifold, a flow metering section that provides a transverse flow metering gap, and an exit channel that includes an exit orifice. In accordance with the invention, the transverse flow metering gap may beneficially be selected independent of changing the gap or width of the exit office, using one or more normally non-adjustable die bodies.
US08092202B2
A pump system includes an inlet port, a discharge port, a drive aperture and a drain aperture. The drive aperture and the drain aperture are interchangeable such that the pump system may be utilized on either a clockwise or counterclockwise driven propeller. A propeller gearbox driven pump drive shaft is mounted into either aperture such that the aperture which receives the drive shaft becomes the drive aperture while the other aperture becomes the drain aperture. By allowing either pumping gear to become the driver gear by receiving the drive shaft, the pump system may accommodate either a clockwise or counterclockwise propeller gearbox.
US08092200B2
In a gas compressor, a cyclone block is configured to include a substantially cylindrical space into which a compressed gas is introduced to separate refrigeration oil from the gas. A pressure bypass is formed in the substantially cylindrical space defined by an outer cylindrical unit and an inner cylindrical unit to communicate with a discharge chamber having lower pressure than that of the substantially cylindrical space. The pressure bypass includes a pressure valve to open and close the pressure bypass in accordance with the internal pressure of the substantially cylindrical space having the pressure bypass. During a high speed operation of a compressor unit, the coolant gas including unseparated refrigeration oil is discharged from the pressure bypass.
US08092198B2
A fuel pump includes a pump housing having a compression chamber. A plunger is axially movable in the pump housing for pressurizing fuel in the compression chamber. A discharge valve is configured to open to supply fuel from the compression chamber to an internal combustion engine when pressure in the compression chamber is more than predetermined pressure. A fuel passage is configured to communicate a downstream of the discharge valve with an upstream of the discharge valve. An in-passage member is accommodated in the fuel passage. The in-passage member includes multiple members, which are combined to define a throttle portion for restricting fuel, which returns from the downstream of the discharge valve to the upstream of the discharge valve.
US08092192B2
A wind-power water supply pump includes a housing, a rotary disk, a vane wheel, a direction control vane, a linkage, and a plurality of expandable tubes, wherein the rotary disk is rotatably mounted to a top of the housing and the vane wheel and the direction control vane are symmetrically arranged on opposite sides of the rotary disk. The vane wheel is set in driving coupling with the linkage. The vane wheel, when rotated by winds, drives repeated expansion/compression of the expandable tube. The change of the volume of the expandable tube is used to deliver water so that the consumption of human labor and additional power supply that are used to deliver water in areas where power is not readily acquired but wind power is available can be cut down.
US08092178B2
The turbine blade comprises an airfoil having opposite pressure and suction sidewalls extending from a platform to a free end tip and in a chordwise direction from a leading edge to a trailing edge. The blade has two winglets extending in a chordwise direction from adjacent the leading edge to adjacent the trailing edge. Each winglet extends from the pressure sidewall upwardly and outwardly from the sidewall to provide a channel between them. Each winglet has a free end extending laterally beyond a surface defined by the pressure sidewall offset.
US08092175B2
The invention relates to a turbine blade comprising a profiled vane around which working gas flows. The working gas cross-flows a front edge of the vane and flows away on a rear edge of the vane. The vane has a first and a second channel system for guiding two media separated from the turbine blade. Combustion taking place inside is reduced in a safe manner to maintain the service life of the turbine blade and to prevent damage in the gas turbine, such that a first outlet connected to the first channel system is arranged in the region of the rear edge for blowing out the first media into the working gas and a second outlet connected to the second channel system is arranged in the region of the rear edge for blowing out the second medium.
US08092174B2
A method of determining at least one rotation parameter of a wind turbine rotor rotating with a rotation speed and a phase is provided. The method comprises the steps of: measuring an effective centrifugal force acting in a first pre-determined direction, which is defined in a co-ordinate system rotating synchronously with the rotor, on at least one reference object located in or at the rotor, establishing a first angular frequency representing the rotation speed of the rotor on the basis of variations in the measured effective centrifugal force due to gravitational force, establishing a second angular frequency representing the rotation speed of the rotor by use of at least one yaw rate gyro, and establishing the value of the rotation speed as the rotational parameter by correcting the second angular frequency by comparing it to the first angular frequency.
US08092172B2
A method of operating a wind turbine is provided. The wind turbine has at least one rotor blade and an active flow control (AFC) system. The at least one rotor blade has at least one aperture defined through a surface thereof, and the AFC system is configured to modify aerodynamic properties of the at least one rotor blade by ejecting gas through the at least one aperture. The method includes operating the wind turbine in a first mode, determining an environmental condition surrounding the wind turbine indicative of fouling of the AFC system, and operating the wind turbine in a second mode different than the first mode based on the environmental condition. The second mode facilitates reducing fouling of the AFC system.
US08092169B2
A fan section of a gas turbine engine includes nacelle inlet and a fan containment case that are integrally formed together as a single-piece component.
US08092167B2
A guiding device (2) includes a base (21), a cover (23) and a sidewall (22) cooperatively defining an annular space therein and a passage therethrough. An air inlet (221) is defined in the sidewall communicating with the space for an airflow flowing into the space. A plurality of guiding plates (24) are arranged in the space around the passage. An air outlet (29) is defined between two neighboring guiding plates for the airflow flowing out the space into the passage. The airflow is distributed into a plurality of even streams by the guiding plates. An atomizer (4) is connected with the space via the air inlet. The atomizer produces a high-pressured water vapor which is taken by the airflow to cool an aluminum profile produced by an extrusions press (6) and moving through the passage.
US08092165B2
A stator vane segment, for constructing a circumferential array of like segments in a gas turbine engine, each segment in the array being separated by an axially extending joint from an adjacent segment and being releasably mounted to an outer engine casing. Each stator vane segment has: a number of vane airfoils spanning radially between an inner platform and an outer platform, and the outer platform includes: a casing mounting fastener on an outer surface and mating lateral joint edges extending between forward and aft edges.
US08092160B2
A shroud suitable for use in a gas turbine engine exhibits substantially uniform thermal growth.
US08092158B2
A method of positioning a shaft and associated seal in turbomachinery utilizing electromagnetic bearings. The method includes applying electrical power to the electromagnetic bearings' windings, the shaft center being in a first position and the shaft being in contact with the associated seal. Power adjustment to the electromagnetic bearings moves the shaft. Shaft movements can manipulate the seal, the movements being of decreasing amplitude to a position in which the seal is out of contact with the shaft when the shaft is rotated at its centered position during normal operation. The shaft is in its centered position during normal operation when the shaft axis is substantially coaxial with an axis of the electromagnetic bearings. Movements of decreasing amplitude may include oscillations of decreasing amplitude about one or more axes, or may include a spiral rotation with a decreasing radius to move the shaft center from initial to final positions.
US08092155B2
A light-emitting fan includes a frame, a vane, at least one flexible circuit structures, and a plurality of light-emitting elements. The van is pivotally provided on the frame. The van has a hub and a plurality of blades connected to the hub. The flexible circuit structure is circumferentially provided on the frame. The light-emitting elements are provided on the flexible circuit structure to emit light respectively. With the above arrangement, the light-emitting elements can be combined with the frame easily via the flexible circuit structure.
US08092144B2
The invention concerns a method which consists in cyclically: transferring a first row of products (3) between the station for preparing said products (6) and the pre-assembly station (7), at a speed V; transferring similarly a second row of products (3) onto said pre-assembly table (7), and in order to manage the docking of said second row with the row of products already set on said pre-assembly table (7), moving said set row at a speed v selected between zero and V, depending on the type or products (3); transferring, as the case may be, another row of products (3) onto the table (7), and, when the number of rows is reached to obtain said layer, transferring said layer onto the setting table (13) of the palletizing station (14). The installation comprises transfer means consisting of pushers (25) and (26) mobile between different stations, driven at suitable speeds. The invention also concerns, at the pre-assembly station (7), a modular endless belt which is supported and moves on a slider bed, said belt being mobile, driven at a speed which is related to that of the pushers (25) and (26).
US08092136B2
A multiple hopper charging installation for a shaft furnace includes a rotary distribution device for distributing bulk material in the shaft furnace by rotating a distribution member about a central axis of the shaft furnace and at least two hoppers arranged in parallel and offset from the central axis above the rotary distribution device. Each hopper has a lower funnel part ending in an outlet portion and each hopper has a material gate valve with a shutter member associated to its outlet portion. According to the invention, each funnel part is configured asymmetrically with its outlet portion being eccentric and arranged proximate to the central axis, each outlet portion is oriented vertically so as to produce a substantially vertical outflow of bulk material and each material gate valve has a one-piece shutter member and is configured with its respective shutter member opening in a direction pointing away from the central axis such that any partial valve opening area is located on the side of the associated outlet portion proximate to the central axis.
US08092131B2
A method of attaching a clinch spacer to a panel including forming a clinch spacer having a body portion including an axial bore, an annular flange portion surrounding the bore and an annular barrel portion integral and coaxially aligned with the flange portion having a diameter less than the flange portion including an end face having an outer lip extending at an angle radially outwardly and axially from the end face; forming an opening in the panel; and driving the barrel portion through the opening in the panel against a die member having a generally V-shaped annular projecting lip which is driven against a second face of the panel, deforming the panel radially inwardly against the outer surface of the barrel portion and deforming the outer annular lip radially outwardly and axially against the panel, forming a secure installation.
US08092128B1
A fastener suitable for use in airplane manufacture or repair that is coated with a pre-mixed moisture cure sealant. The sealant layer is coated with a frangible moisture barrier that will break apart when the fastener is installed, thus exposing the sealant to atmospheric moisture. Once exposed to moisture, the sealant will begin to cure. Preferred embodiments also provide a moisture indicator that provides a visual indication that the outer moisture resistant layer has been damaged.
US08092118B2
A method to create a net increase in soil organic carbon (SOC) by acidifying land applied waters with pH adjusted sulfur dioxide to open up soil pores at greater depths, while providing sulfur and other nutrients to plants and soil bacteria to stimulate and increase their overall grow and their assimilation of carbon dioxide to sequester a greater net volume increase of soil organic carbon (SOC).
US08092115B1
An apparatus having a first panel and a second panel that may form part of a network enclosure. The first panel is connected to the second panel. A nut has a first portion and a second portion extending outwardly from the first portion. The second portion of the nut is trapped between the first panel and the second panel. There may also be a joining plate of a field replaceable unit fixable to the network enclosure by at least one bolt engaging the nut.
US08092113B2
A cantilever plate connection element (1) for connecting a floor/ceiling plate.
US08092109B2
Aspects of the invention disclose an applicator distributor of a pasty product that flows by gravity, the applicator distributor comprising a body comprising a main reservoir for said product, a distribution head comprising at least one orifice and a removable cap. The cap forms a means for vertically placing the applicator distributor, and wherein the applicator distributor is a downward-facing applicator distributor, so that the product can flow by gravity to the head, and wherein, the head comprises: a peripheral member forming a means of attachment to said reservoir, a central member comprising a central arch obstructing said main opening and comprising a portion forming an application surface of said product, and at least one flexible element that can be deformed under an axial strain, and can form a secondary reservoir that can house a dose of said product, and that can be filled when said applicator distributor is facing downwards.
US08092105B2
An image generating apparatus capable of properly feeding papers in the body thereof and reliably suppressing wrinkling easily caused on cross-directional ends of an ink sheet is obtained. This image generating apparatus includes a print head, including a print portion pressing an ink sheet, capable of printing an image on a paper, a paper guide member guiding a transport direction for the paper when feeding the paper and an ink sheet guide member, having a central portion convexed toward a take-up direction for the ink sheet with respect to the print head in plan view, for guiding transportation of the ink sheet in printing, while a region of the paper guide member corresponding to a cross-directional end of the ink sheet integrally includes an ink sheet contact portion so shaped as to apply tension to the cross-directional end of the ink sheet.
US08092101B2
An imaging apparatus with a rotatable lens barrel includes the following elements. An optical block includes a lens. An imaging block includes an imaging device. The lens barrel receives the respective blocks and includes a rotating truncated ball larger than a hemisphere of a virtual sphere formed by extending the curved surface of the truncated ball. A mount rotatably holds the lens barrel. The mount includes a support and a retainer. The support has a circular hole with a diameter smaller than that of the truncated ball and holds the ball such that the ball is fitted in the hole. The retainer has a circular opening with a diameter smaller than that of the truncated ball and holds the ball in the opening so as to prevent the lens barrel from coming out. At least part of the optical block is located within the virtual sphere.
US08092093B2
A rotating seal for a gas turbine engine includes: (a) an annular seal body; (b) a sealing component carried by the seal body which is adapted to form one-half of a rotating seal interface; and (c) an impeller carried by the seal body which comprises a plurality of radially-inwardly-extending impeller blades.
US08092091B2
A bearing with strength and abrasion resistance for a flow rate control valve of an exhaust gas recirculation system of an internal combustion engine. By using a sintered Cu alloy with a composition consisting of, by mass %, Ni: 10 to 30%, Sn: 5 to 12%, C: 3 to 10%, P: 0.1 to 0.9% and Cu and inevitable impurities as the balance, the bearing exhibits a thermal expansion coefficient corresponding to that of a shaft made of austenitic stainless steel. As a result, a bearing with strength and abrasion resistance under high temperature conditions is obtained.
US08092088B2
A flexible reclosable container with a header strip, fastener elements, and a slider. The header strip preferably extends from the mouth of the bag, and includes a line of weakness for easy tear off of the bag. The slider and profiles are arranged such that the mouth of the bag is substantially open.
US08092081B2
A method and apparatus is provided for determining when a battery, or one or more batteries within a battery pack, undergoes an undesired thermal event such as thermal runaway. The system uses an optical fiber mounted in close proximity to, or in contact with, an external surface of the battery or batteries to be monitored. A source of light is optically coupled to the input facet of the optical fiber and a detector optically coupled to the output facet of the optical fiber. Battery health is determined by monitoring the light transmitted through the optical fiber.
US08092074B2
The invention relates to a rotary pump (1) including a rotor (3) arranged in a closed pump housing (2) which is in operative connection with a drive (5) for the pumping of a fluid (4), wherein an inlet opening (6) is provided at the pump housing (2) for the intake of the fluid (4) into the pump housing (2) and an outlet opening (7) is provided at the pump housing (2) for conveying the fluid (4) out of the pump housing into a storage container (8) which is at least partially filled with the fluid (4). In accordance with the invention the outlet opening (7) is arranged and designed at the pump housing in such a way that the fluid (4) can be conveyed out of the pump housing (2) through the outlet opening (7) to the storage container (8) directly and free of ducting. The invention further relates to a hydrodynamic mixer (100) with a rotary pump (1) in accordance with the invention and also to the use of the rotary pump (1) and of the hydrodynamic mixer (100) for the processing of a fluid (4).
US08092069B2
A backlight module and a frame thereof are provided, which comprises an outer frame, an elastic side frame, a connecting arm and a cantilever. Here, the elastic side frame is disposed on the at least one side of the outer frame. The connecting arm is connected to a surface of the elastic side frame. The cantilever is disposed on the connecting arm, and formed a first space with the elastic side frame.
US08092058B2
There is provided a vehicle lamp unit. The vehicle lamp includes: a projection lens disposed on an optical axis extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction; a semiconductor light emitting element comprising a light emitting surface having an almost rectangular shape and disposed behind a rear focal point of the projection lens such that a long side of the light emitting surface is substantially perpendicular to the optical axis; and a reflector comprising a reflection surface having an almost oval shape. A first focal point of the reflector is located on the rear focal point of the projection lens, and a second focal point of the reflector is located on the semiconductor light emitting element, and a minimum distance between the reflection surface and a rear corner portion of the light emitting surface is in a range of about 0.3 millimeters (mm) to about 3 mm.
US08092040B2
The multi-directional lighting fixture includes a lighting fixture having a substantially elongated opaque housing with first and second ends with an open top for emitting light in an upward direction and a longitudinal slot along the bottom surface of the housing extending between the first and second ends. The longitudinal slot includes a shielding material, such as a louver or cover, with a predetermined degree of light translucence. The housing has a substantially elliptical cross section tapering towards one end of the housing. The ends of the housing have elliptical translucent members that can transmit lighting horizontally and radially outward from the interior of the housing. Two or more housings can be coupled together in series.
US08092034B2
In one embodiment, a lighted tile system, comprises a first tile. The first tile comprises a tray that comprises a floor, one or more walls coupled to a perimeter of the floor, and a cavity defined at least in part by the floor and the one or more walls. The first tile also comprises a ceiling coupled to the tray and located substantially opposite the floor of the tray, and a substrate located between the floor of the tray and the ceiling. One or more light sources are coupled to the substrate to shine a light from the one or more light sources in a substantially uniform pattern towards the ceiling. The ceiling is at least partially translucent to permit at least part of the light from the one or more light sources to shine through the ceiling. Other embodiments and related methods are also disclosed herein.
US08092028B2
A light source that emits light includes light source units, each emitting a plurality of light beams parallel to one another, the plurality of light beams including first and second light beams, and a beam distance adjustment element that is an optical element made of a light-transmissive material. The beam distance adjustment element is configured to adjust the distance between the first and second light beams. The beam distance adjustment element includes a first incidence plane on which the first light beam is incident, a first exit plane that is parallel to the first incidence plane and from which the first light beam exits, a second incidence plane on which the second light beam is incident, and a second exit plane that is parallel to the second incidence plane and from which the second light beam exits. The first and second light beams intersect in the beam distance adjustment element.
US08092027B2
A portable electronic device with micro-projecting module includes a shell body, a micro-projecting module, a heat-conducting plate and a supporting stand. The shell body has a front lateral plate and a bottom lateral plate adjoining the front lateral plate. The front lateral plate has a front through hole, while the bottom lateral plate has a bottom through hole. The micro-projecting module is arranged in the shell body and has a lens exposing to an outside of the shell body from the front through hole. The heat-conducting plate is arranged in the shell body and is positioned between the micro-projecting module and the bottom through hole. In the meantime, the heat-conducting plate has a heat-absorbing face contacting the micro-projecting module and a heat-dissipating face abutted against the bottom through hole. The supporting stand may be pivoted onto the heat-dissipating face with a closing position substantially parallel to the heat-dissipating face after a rotation and a developing position by rotating a predetermined angle with respect to the heat-dissipating face.
US08092021B1
The present invention provides a rapid, high quality iris imaging system. In one embodiment, on-axis illumination is used. A single steering mechanism steers both the camera and the illumination, without parallax issues. The illumination beam can be combined along the camera's optical axis before or after the fine steering and focus correction mechanism. In a pre-correction configuration, the iris illumination spot can be reduced in size to be only slightly larger than the iris. In both the pre and post-correction configuration, the eye safety limits will be most critical at the subject, which allows for maximization of the illumination flux.
US08092011B2
An eyeglass-mounted type image display device suggested by the present invention is applicable to an existing pair of eyeglasses and includes an image display unit having an image display panel and attachable and detachable to and from an eyeglass temple and a light guiding unit that exits the image light emitted from the image display panel of the image display unit toward an eyeball of an observer through an entering end, an optical path and an exit end is provided, wherein the light guiding unit is provided separately from the image display unit.
US08092008B2
A system for protecting eye glass frames during a hair dye, coloring, or highlighting process is described. The system comprises a support layer, a pair of gloves laminated onto the support layer, and a pair of eyeglass arm protectors laminated onto the support layer. Each eyeglass arm protector is formed as a sleeve having an open end. An apparatus and method are also disclosed for manufacturing sections of a support layer material, each section having a pair of gloves and a pair of eyeglass arm protectors laminated thereto.
US08092003B2
Systems and methods for digitally printing images onto substrates are provided using digital inks and catalysts which initiate and/or accelerate curing of the inks on the substrates. The ink and catalyst are kept separate from each other while inside the heads of an inkjet printer and combine only after being discharged therefrom. The system produces high-quality, high-resolution images on substrates that may not normally receptive to low-viscosity digital inks.
US08092002B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid droplet ejection head capable of securing sealing of a common liquid chamber and realizing a high damper effect while suppressing a driving energy of the liquid droplet ejection head. A passage unit includes manifold plates, and a damper plate which is stacked on the manifold plates and has a damper wall facing a common liquid chamber. The damper plate is constituted by a base portion having a damping space at a position corresponding to the manifold holes in plan view, and a resin portion stacked on the base portion. The resin portion is formed to cover at least a portion above and around the damping space to constitute the damper wall, be smaller in a contour shape than the common liquid chamber in plan view, and be stored in the manifold holes.
US08091996B2
A method for sealing an opening formed in a cover film welded to a fluid retainer at a position corresponding to a covered area of an ink inlet hole. A sealing member, which seals the opening, is a laminated film including a first film and a second film. The method includes preparing the laminated film, placing the laminated film on the fluid container with the first film facing the fluid container in such a manner that the laminated film covers the opening, and sealing the opening with the laminated film by heating the sealing member covering the opening from the side corresponding to the second film to melt the first film.
US08091990B2
A continuous liquid printing system gas flow device includes a gas flow duct structure including a first wall and a second wall. The first wall and the second wall are positioned spaced apart and opposite each other to form an opening. The first wall is contoured such that a distance between the first wall and the second wall varies when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the opening.
US08091989B2
The invention relates to a wide format print head composed of X inkjet print devices intended to print on a moving support and for which the print quality is to be improved over the entire width.The solution according to the invention consists of inputting a single air flow passing through the internal cavity of the print head.
US08091983B2
A method of printing and an apparatus for controlling the directionality of liquid emitted from nozzles of a printhead are provided. Example embodiments of the apparatus include directionality control of liquid jets or liquid drops using a liquid jet directionality control mechanism. Example embodiments of the liquid jet directionality control mechanism include asymmetric energy application device configurations, nozzle geometry configurations, liquid delivery channel geometry configurations, or combinations of these configurations.
US08091978B2
An exemplary printer system may include a print head for dispensing ink during a printing operation. A roller is positioned beneath a platen to collect excess ink from the print head. A scraper is positioned against the roller to remove ink from the roller.
US08091974B2
Coloring material recording device, coloring material recording program, and image forming apparatus
A coloring material recording device comprises a plurality of image recording elements and a control unit. The plurality of image recording elements record with a plurality of coloring materials on a recording medium and form an image, and one of the plurality of image recording elements is provided for each of the coloring materials. The control unit controls the plurality of image recording elements such that detection images of at least two coloring materials of the plurality of coloring materials overlap each other on the recording medium.
US08091971B2
A soft-close cabinet slide assembly permits the soft-close action and/or a soft-open action of a drawer, and thus the reduction of effort by an operator, when the drawer is opening or closing. The cabinet slide assembly includes a cabinet, a drawer, and at least one slide mechanism coupling the drawer to the cabinet to permit movement of the drawer between a fully open position and a fully closed position. A forcing means for exerting an extension force, preferably a gas spring, is also be included in the soft-close cabinet slide assembly having a first end coupled to the cabinet and a second end coupled to the drawer. Preferably, the soft-close cabinet slide assembly also includes a first and second pivotal coupling, which permit the gas spring to swing through an arc as the drawer moves between the fully open position and the fully closed position.
US08091964B2
A blast mitigating seat features a base and a seat frame. The seat frame includes a pan and a backrest including an open area for gear worn by a user. A first damping subsystem between the base and the seat frame has a first force/stroke relationship and a second damping subsystem between the base and the seat frame has a second force/stroke relationship.
US08091949B2
In an arrangement structure for a door wire harness, the door wire harness is arranged in a door of a vehicle body and is spanned in a space between the door and the vehicle body inside a vehicle room beyond a weather strip. The door wire harness is drawn out of a space between a door inner panel and a door trim at a door side and is fixed on the door at a wire harness drawing-out position. A door side fixing position of the door wire harness is shifted from a vehicle body side fixing position of the door wire harness in a vertical direction. A spanning section of the door wire harness between the door side fixing position and the vehicle body side fixing position is sheathed by a grommet having a flexible bellows-like tube portion and made of rubber or resin. The spanning section of the door wire harness is bent in an S-shaped configuration in a space between opposed surfaces of the door and the vehicle body when the door is closed. The door wire harness is changed from the S-shaped configuration to a straight line configuration when the door is opened.
US08091938B2
A pneumatic linear gripper, including a gripper body (11) with a chamber (15), a piston (12) moving alternately in the chamber (15) and a pair of jaws (13) sliding associated and movable in opposite directions with piston via a translation device (20). The gripper body (11) is formed of two elements (14), or semi-shells, joined face to face to define at the same time the chamber (15) for the piston (12) and the sliding guides (16) for the jaws (13). The piston (12) is composed of a first component (21), made of a plastic material, bearing seals and a second component (22), made of metal, associated with the first and united, in particular integral, with the translation device (20) of the jaws in opposite directions.
US08091934B2
A swimming pool skimmer maintenance apparatus (10) includes an elongate tubular handle (12) having a hook end (14) and an opposed sealing end (16). The sealing end includes a sealing structure such as a spherical ball (116) defining a sealing surface effective to seal a skimmer suction port to prevent a flow of water through the skimmer suction port. The hook end supports a metal wire hook (32) which extends from the handle and which is adapted to lift a debris collection basket, a skimmer diverter or a skimmer lid present at the skimmer. The apparatus is also useful for safely probing the skimmer for animals or insects.
US08091927B2
A gas supply coupling is disposed within and extends through an opening of a combustion chamber for a water heater. The coupling includes a fitting which is a relatively inexpensive stamped component. A stepped tubular connection extends from a plate and includes a first portion having a first diameter which necks down to a second portion having a second diameter less than the first diameter. The stepped tubular connection receives a gas supply tube into the first portion and a gas supply line over the second portion. The tubes are braised to the stepped connection. Other gas supply couplings include a machined fitting and a direct connection between a gas supply tube and a gas supply line in which the gas supply tube itself provides for both the seal to the shield and the connection to the gas supply line.
US08091913B1
A variably adjustable trailer hitch assembly, comprising a horizontal tube assembly that is fixedly secured onto a vehicle. A journaling tube assembly is mounted upon and journals the horizontal tube assembly. A ball assembly is mounted onto the journaling tube assembly and receives a trailer's hitch ball coupler. Adjustable means laterally move the journaling tube assembly mounted upon the horizontal tube assembly. A torque equalizer assembly is fixed upon the journaling tube assembly.
US08091910B2
An apparatus for controlling a bicycle suspension element includes a suspension parameter controller that provides a suspension parameter controlling signal to control an operating parameter of the bicycle suspension element in response to a bicycle seat position.
US08091882B2
A sheet finishing apparatus includes: a puncher which moves between a penetrate position and a standby position; a detection unit which detects a lateral edge of a sheet; a standby tray which supports the sheet passed through the puncher, by a pair of tray members; a lateral alignment unit which holds and aligns the sheet falling off the standby tray, by a pair of alignment boards; a moving mechanism which moves the position of the standby tray or the alignment boards in a direction orthogonal to the carrying direction of the sheet; and a control unit which measures a quantity of misalignment of the sheet by using a result of detection of the lateral edge from the detection unit and controls the moving mechanism in accordance with the quantity of misalignment.
US08091878B2
A conveying apparatus with conveying compartments (2) which can be displaced one behind the other along a conveying path has supporting surfaces (S) which are arranged in the conveying compartments and on which flat articles (G), in particular printed products, can be conveyed in a state in which they rest thereon. The supporting surfaces (S) are each formed by a flexible supporting belt (5). In order to set different angles between the supporting surface (S) and the conveying path (1), each conveying compartment (2) has a setting element (3), which acts on the supporting belt (5) in a region between two belt ends which are fastened at two fastening locations (10, 11) which are spaced apart from one another parallel to the conveying path (1). The setting element (3) is further equipped in order to press articles (G) against the supporting surface (S) in an adjacent conveying compartment (2′).
US08091877B2
A sheet finisher of the invention includes a saddle stitch unit configured to stitch a center of a sheet bundle in which printed sheets are bundled, a fold unit configured to fold the center stitched by the saddle stitch unit and to form a fold line, and a fold reinforcing unit configured to reinforce the fold line formed by the fold unit, and the fold reinforcing unit includes a placement table on which the sheet bundle transported from the fold unit is placed, a band-like elastic member that is extended to face the fold line of the placed sheet bundle and is formed to be longer than the length of the fold line, and a roller unit that includes a reinforce roller and moves the reinforce roller along the direction of the fold line while pressing it to the fold line through the intervening elastic member.
US08091871B2
A hydromount assembly includes a first fluid chamber and a second fluid chamber that communicate with one another through an inertia track. The inertia track is interposed between the first and second fluid chambers, and is used as a fluid actuating plunger to move relative to at least one of the first and second chambers in response to vibration to pump fluid from the first chamber to the second chamber, and vice versa, through the inertia track. An opening extends through the first and second fluid chambers and the inertia track and receives a shaft therein. The inertia track is secured to the shaft so that axial movement of the shaft results in axial movement of the inertia track. Elastomeric portions of the hydromount may be differently tuned from one another. The center mount hydromount may be selectively assembled with a body mount, or the body mount integrated into the hydromount whereby the center mount arrangement increases the functionality of the damper.
US08091866B2
A wire pull assembly including a quick-change assembly and a wire pull attachment. The wire pull attachment includes an insert, a basket adapted to receive and secure an article therein, and a swivel assembly interconnecting the insert and basket such that the swivel assembly allows the basket to move freely relative to the insert.
US08091860B2
A valve is provided according to one embodiment of the invention. The valve comprises a piston (104), a housing (106) surrounding the piston (104), an inlet (108) capable of allowing fluid into the valve, an exhaust (110) capable of allowing fluid out of the valve, a light source (112) capable of emitting light directed at the piston (104), and a light sensor (114) capable of measuring an intensity of the light received from the light source (112), said intensity varying based on the position of the piston (104) within the housing (106). A piston assembly is also provided according to an embodiment of the invention, in which a light source 608 and a light sensor 610 may be used to determine the position of the piston. A system is provided for obtaining and analyzing operational status information is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. An action may be automatically taken depending on the analyzed operational status. A method is provided for automatically performing a diagnostic operation on a valve. A safety protocol may be executed based on the outcome of the diagnostic operation.
US08091859B2
A valve for controlling fluids having a piezoelectric actuator unit which has an actuator base and an actuator head that acts on a coupling module which is connected to a valve closing member that cooperates with a valve seat; the actuator base is braced via a spherical face on a conical seat of a valve housing and has an O-ring seal on its circumference. The spherical face of the actuator base is located on the side of the O-ring seal facing away from the actuator head.
US08091854B2
A system and method for extracting broken delineators severed adjacent to a ground surface where the delineator was installed. A distal end of a delineator extractor may be positionable in a delineator conduit. At least a portion of the distal end of the delineator extractor may be configured to engage an interior surface of the delineator conduit when the delineator extractor is activated. Upon the delineator extractor engaging the delineator conduit, a user may activate a slide hammer of the delineator extractor to amplify a force applied by the user to assist in extracting the delineator conduit. A delineator extraction system may include an installer couplable to a distal end of an outer conduit of a delineator extractor. The installer may function to install or extract a delineator system.
US08091842B2
An equipment support (10) for supporting a piece of equipment (20). The equipment support (10) being operable to support the piece of equipment (20) and including a drive arrangement (13a, 13b) to provide drive so that the position of the piece of equipment (20) relative to a user of the equipment is automatically and continuous varied over time.
US08091835B2
A propellant depot (40, 150) includes a utility box (42, 42′) that has space flight equipment. A propellant cartridge adaptor (95) is coupled to the utility box (42, 42′) and to an exchangeable propellant cartridge system (41). The propellant depot (40, 150) also includes a docking adaptor (44) for coupling to an approaching spacecraft (24). A controller (66) controls the transfer of propellant from within the exchangeable propellant cartridge system (41) to the spacecraft (24). A method of providing propellant to a spacecraft in space includes launching an orbital propellant depot (40, 150) into space. The spacecraft is docked to the orbital propellant depot (40, 150) in space. Propellant is transferred to the spacecraft. The spacecraft is separated from the orbital propellant depot (40, 150).
US08091834B2
A reefing slider for providing improved line management and canopy deployment characteristics of a ram air inflated airfoil type canopy. During initial descent of the parachute the slider, secured by retaining elements, is held against the canopy in the upper reefing position where it mechanically restricts canopy deployment while giving the canopy time to achieve proper orientation following the drop from the launching aircraft. Upon sufficient air flow into the canopy cells, the retaining elements separate, releasing the slider and enabling full opening of the canopy.
US08091829B2
A lifting structure for aircraft is essentially applicable to a horizontal stabilizer that includes two side symmetrical boxes that converge at one end (its root) thereof in a shared center area in order to connect integrally in the central area. Both boxes connect by a single part that constitutes a center rib with a double T-shaped profile. The root of the side boxes overlap converging on the inside surfaces of the wings of the center rib. The connection is ensured with rivets (lap joint). The proposed connection simplifies the assembly process (single part) and lead to a weight reduction since a carbon fiber connecting rib can be used.
US08091826B2
A system allowing for the active management of aerostatic lift in buoyant and semi-buoyant aerial vehicles comprised of a high tensile-strength outer pressure cell of a given volume and an inner compression cell of only slightly smaller dimensions. The inner compression cell is filled with a lifting gas, such as helium or hydrogen, to some fractional volume of its maximum, allowing for expansion of the lifting gas at different operational altitudes. When a reduction in aerostatic lift is desired, external air is compressed through the use of air handling means, and introduced into the outer pressure cell through a directional valve that prevents the pressurized air from leaving the pressure cell. When increased aerostatic lift is once again desired, the valve system may release all or a part of the pressurized air in the pressure cell, allowing the lifting gas to expand thereby displacing a greater volume of air and increasing lift.
US08091824B2
An aircraft including a wing and a pylon, wherein the pylon provides an airfoil inverted for an airfoil of the wing, and an improvement and method for improved flight dynamics for 20 and 30 Series LEARJET® is provided. The improvement includes an increased distance between a leading edge of a wing and an intake of an engine of the aircraft, which reduces drag and increases lift for improved flight dynamics of the aircraft. The inverted airfoil of the pylon negates an influence of the pylon on flight dynamics for improved overall flight dynamics of the aircraft. The method includes steps of removing an original engine from an original pylon, removing the original pylon from the fuselage of the aircraft, and mounting a new pylon in a new location adjacent to the fuselage, wherein the new location is aft of the original location.
US08091809B2
A shredder is disclosed having a jam proof system. In one embodiment, the jam proof system provides a thickness detector having a contact member which displaces as an article is inserted into a throat of the shredder and a resistance generating mechanism configured to provide a resistance force to the contact member, in response to displacement of the contact member. The greater the thickness of the material the greater the resistance force that will be realized. When the material reaches a predetermined thickness, there will be a significant change in the resistance force. The resistance generating mechanism may include at least two spring mechanisms serially arranged, such as, a first spring mechanism and a second spring mechanism. This feature provides immediate and direct feedback to the user that the article inserted into the shredder may be too thick. In addition, the thickness detector may include a sensor, and in particular, a Hall effect sensor assembly configured to measure the thickness of the article inserted into the throat. The sensor may communicate with a controller that is configured to alert the user, and/or alter the operation of the shredder, in response to the thickness of the material. For example, the controller may visually and/or audibly alert the user, or control the shredder motor response.
US08091801B2
Improved therapeutic sclerosing microfoams and methods and devices for making them are provided that have advantage in producing a consistent profile injectable foam with minimal input by the physician yet using high volume percentages of blood dispersible gases, thus avoiding use of potentially hazardous amounts of nitrogen.
US08091800B2
A drip irrigation device for distributing a portion of the water flowing in an irrigation pipe to a plant, the device comprising: a housing formed from a relatively soft plastic; and a connector for coupling the housing to the irrigation pipe comprising a bayonet for puncturing the irrigation pipe formed from a relatively hard material over-molded onto a feature of the housing made from the soft plastic.
US08091799B2
A boom cradle slide system for use with an agricultural sprayer vehicle is provided. The boom cradle slide system includes a boom cradle that holds a sprayer boom in a stowed position. A slide assembly connects the boom cradle to the sprayer vehicle and allows the boom cradle to move transversely or laterally nearer to or further from the sprayer vehicle. An actuator provides the mechanism for driving the slide assembly and correspondingly moving the boom cradle and sprayer boom. The actuator is operated from outside a cab of the sprayer vehicle.
US08091798B2
A safety straw comprising a barrier for use with or incorporated as part of a straw, wherein the straw comprises a bendable segment, and wherein the barrier prevents the straw from being inserted too far into a person's mouth. The barrier comprises a mouthpiece that retains the conventional shape of a straw and is preferably molded as a unit with the straw. Alternatively, the barrier may be separately formed and installed on an existing straw. Further, the barrier may comprise a circular disk with a hole in the center thereof. To use, a user inserts the straw with the barrier into their mouth, wherein the barrier prevents the user from inserting the straw too far into their mouth.
US08091792B2
A substrate having a coding pattern disposed on a surface thereof. The coding pattern comprises a plurality of target elements defining a target grid. The target grid comprises a plurality of cells, wherein neighboring cells share target elements. A plurality of data elements are contained in each cell. Tags are defined by a plurality of contiguous cells and each tag comprises respective local tag data encoded by a respective set of the data elements. Each cell comprises one or more translation symbols encoded by a respective set of the data elements. The translation symbols identify a translation of the cell relative to a tag containing the cell.
US08091791B2
The invention is about a marking method and a corresponding coding center device for the marking of individual items (1), such as security documents, currency, tax excise stamps, labels, pieces of packaging, articles, or transportation means, with pertinent information indicating their nature and/or content, origin and/or destination, etc., and their registration in a remote, centralized data base, enabling the tracking & tracing of said items (1) and of the goods they may be applied to. The method of the invention is based on a three-step printreadcancel (PRC) sequence, embodied in a device comprising a printing unit (P), a reading unit (R) and a canceling unit (C), arranged in-line on an integrated equipment and operating under the control of information processing means (IP).
US08091786B2
An electronic transaction card communicates with an add-on slot of an intelligent electronic device. The add-on slot may be a memory card slot. The intelligent electronic device may be a mobile phone or other device with or without network connectivity. The electronic transaction card may have magnetic field producing circuitry compatible with magnetic card readers, smartcard circuitry, other point-of-sale interfaces, or any combination thereof.
US08091783B2
A cartridge reader device includes an RFID unit that reads cartridge memory (CM) data from an RFID tag of a data cartridge, a bar code unit that reads a bar code of the data cartridge, and a housing that encloses the RFID unit and the bar code unit. The housing encloses the RFID unit and the bar code unit and defines at least one receiving area configured to accept the data cartridge and enables the bar code unit to read the bar code data from the bar code of the data cartridge. The reader device further includes a pair of mirrors positioned within the housing that direct light emitted by the bar code reader to the bar code of the data cartridge along a u-shaped path.
US08091777B2
A monitoring apparatus for monitoring open/close statuses of open/close portions (5) of multiple money processing machines (1) includes: a reader monitoring apparatus (3) which monitors open/close status of the open/close portion (5) of each of the multiple money processing machines (1) by using an RFID inlet (6) and an RFID reader (4); and a control apparatus (2) for monitoring a processing status of each of the multiple money processing machines (1). If the reader monitoring apparatus (3) detects that the open/close portion (5) of the money processing machine (1) is opened, and if the control apparatus (2) determines that the money processing machine (1) is not operating, an alarm signal is output.
US08091770B2
A container is adapted to transport food or other articles. The container includes a floor, two side walls, a front end closure coupled to the side walls, and a rear end closure coupled to the side walls.
US08091767B2
A substrate manufacturing apparatus manufactures a ball-mounted substrate and has a ball mounting apparatus which includes a ball vacuum chucking apparatus including a vacuum chucking head that carries out a vacuum chucking process to chuck balls at edges of inlets formed in a vacuum chucking surface and which mounts the balls vacuum-chucked by the vacuum chucking head on a substrate, the ball vacuum chucking apparatus further including: a holding vessel that holds the balls; and a vacuum chucking/holding unit that vacuum chucks and holds the balls held in the holding vessel on a front end thereof, and carrying out a supplying process that brings the vacuum chucking/holding unit that holds the balls on the front end thereof and the vacuum chucking surface of the vacuum chucking head relatively close to supply the balls to the vacuum chucking head while air is being drawn through the inlets.
US08091766B2
A solder ball loading apparatus for loading solder balls onto pads of a printed wiring board includes a holding device for holding a printed wiring board having pads and holding a ball array mask having of openings that correspond to pads of the printed wiring board, one or more cylinder members positioned over the holding device such that an opening portion of the cylinder member faces the holding device, the cylinder member gathering solder balls on the surface of the ball array mask under the cylinder member by suctioning air through the opening portion of the cylinder member, and a conveyor mechanism for moving the ball array mask and the printed wiring board relative to the cylinder member such that solder balls gathered under the opening portion of the cylinder member can be loaded onto the pads of the printed wiring board through the openings of the ball array mask held by the holding device.
US08091763B2
In a method of making a control arm, a middle piece is held in a mounting of a rotary friction welding machine so as to be constraint against rotation and movement in an axial direction. End pieces are rotated in synchronism on opposite ends of the middle piece so as to rub friction welding sites of the end pieces and friction welding sites on the middle piece on one another to initiate a friction welding process. After releasing the middle piece, the friction welding sites are compressed through axial displacement of at least one of the end pieces.
US08091762B1
A wire is bonded to a target surface using a rotary bond head by positioning a wedge bonding tool of the bond head over the target surface. A camera system is tilted at an oblique angle relative to an arrangement of the bond head to conduct pattern recognition of bonding points on the target surface for determining actual positions of the bonding points and an orientation between the actual positions of first and second bonding points. The bond head is moved to the actual position of the first bonding point and rotated to the determined orientation. Thereafter, the wire is bonded to the target surface at the first bonding point with the bond head.
US08091756B2
The present disclosure relates to surgical fastener applying apparatus, and the application of variable compression to tissue. More specifically, the presently disclosed surgical fastener applying apparatus act to limit the flow of blood through tissue immediately adjacent a cut-line formed therein to effectuate hemostasis, while maximizing the flow of blood through tissue more removed from the cut-line to limit unnecessary necrosis. In one embodiment, a surgical fastener applying apparatus is disclosed having a tool assembly coupled to a distal end thereof with first and second jaws respectively including an anvil and a surgical fastener cartridge. The surgical fastener cartridge includes, among other things, a hemostasis member that is configured to apply at least two different compressive forces to tissue clamped between the first and second jaws of the tool assembly.
US08091755B2
A fastening apparatus for use in endoscopic surgery is provided and includes a fastener applicator having a first half-section and a second half-section. The first half-section includes a flat side having a first recessed region formed therein, the recessed region being configured and dimensioned to retain the plurality of vertically stacked fasteners therein. The second half-section includes a flat side having a second recessed region formed therein. The fastener applicator includes a fastener positioning spring attached to and flush with the first recessed region, wherein the fastener positioning spring is biased to extend beyond the first recessed region and the flat side of the first half-section; and a stop spring housed within the second recessed region, wherein the stop spring is biased such that when unrestrained the stop spring extends beyond the second recessed region and into the first recessed region.
US08091751B2
A gas internal combustion type nailing machine including a striking cylinder for slidably accommodating a striking piston therein, a combustion chamber formed in an upper side and capable of being opened and closed, a compressor for supercharging compressed air into the combustion chamber, a fuel supply device for supplying a fuel gas into the combustion chamber, and a safety device for preventing the nailing machine from being driven for ignition when the supercharge pressure of the compressed air exceeds a set pressure value.
US08091748B2
A device to assist physically challenged individuals to don outer, lower-body clothing or simultaneously don undergarments and pants or a skirt. The device comprises a cord to which at least one pair of grips is attached at either end. The grips are attached to a garment and the cord pulled to move the garments over the legs, hips, and ultimately to the waist. In one configuration, the cord is passed through a hand piece which allows locking the cord, freeing free one or both hands to fasten buttons of zippers.
US08091747B2
A hanger for a garment steamer that is adapted for unrumpling clothing such as trousers, jackets, or the like, having a hub, arms, ribs, a hinge for connecting one end of each rib to an end of each arm, and joining means for connecting the other end of each rib to the hub.
US08091746B2
A tamper-evident container with pour-out container fitment for frictional engagement within the cylindrical neck of a container to control and meter the flow of liquids out of the container. The fitment includes a top flange sufficient to cover the mouth of the container and a coaxial cylindrical insert extending from the top flange into the neck. The fitment is held into the neck by friction and a ring extends from the insert for enhanced frictional engagement. Apertures are provided in the insert to allow fluid to pass into the interior of the insert, and channels are provided along the walls of the interior from the apertures to the top flange to guide the liquid from the apertures to the flange.
US08091739B2
An improved arrangement for removably coupling a movable element of a piston pump to an actuator mechanism with the movable element including a resilient member which prevents radial movement of the movable element relative a catch member of the actuator mechanism from a coupled orientation unless the resilient member is deflected from an unbiased inherent configuration.
US08091735B2
An improved concentrated/extract cartridge is provided for dispensing a liquid in an accurate and repeatable manner. The cartridge includes an electromagnetically actuated piston connected to a value. The piston includes an exterior ring supported by a hollow interior web that is configured to permit a flow of fluid into the dispensing tube when the value body is in contact with the value seat. A membrane is located below the web and is in sealing contact with the internal ring when the piston is activated. This allows a precise and repeatable amount of the liquid to be dispensed with each stroke. Dispensers for dispensing the liquid from the cartridge for a number of applications are also provided. The dispensers each include an actuating coil into which the dispensing tube is inserted. A controller is connected to the coil for controlling the actuation of the piston/value assembly for dispensing the fluid in the cartridge as required for the particular application.
US08091733B2
Disclosed is a system for collecting, sorting, counting and consolidating an unorganized pool of solid or semi-solid articles such as pills for dispensation. Specifically, the articles are extracted from inside a bin using attraction points on a transport substrate and sorted into containers in finite quantities. The system consists of several components, preferably including a torque source, a counter and a vacuum source, which are uniquely integrated onto a single end-effector to reduce cost and redundancy by servicing several bins. Further, the system presents a method of attracting and carrying pills using negative vacuum pressure, gravity and centrifugal force. This centrifugal force holds articles to the local attraction points and is provided by the spinning of the transport substrate. Pills are collected from the bin or plenum at the local attraction points, counted, cleaved from the local attraction points and guided to a container or vial.
US08091731B2
A container for packaging food for transporting and selling to consumers is provided. The container includes a base having a pair of inwardly recessed pockets for capturing a pair of extending latching portions on a lid. The pair of extending latching portions has concave grooves allowing the extending latching portions to flex inwards from an initial position for insertion into the pair inwardly recessed pockets. When the pair of extending latching portions are inserted into the pair inwardly recessed pockets, the pair of extending latching portions expand back to their initial position and protrusions within the pair of inwardly recessed pockets retain the pair of extending latching portions creating a tight fit and preventing the lid of the container from being easily disengaged from the base of the container.
US08091725B2
An anti-twist device for a sealing cap that is located on a fixed connecting piece of a motor vehicle radiator. The sealing cap comprises an external cap part with a grip element and a sealing element, which can be connected to a counter sealing element of the connecting piece and in relation to which the grip element can be rotated. The sealing cap also comprises an internal cap part comprising a valve assembly that is configured in an excess/negative pressure combination. An anti-twist stop acts in the external cap part between the grip element and the sealing element. An anti-twist device of this type has a no-load function instead of a locking function and yet has a simple construction and is easy to produce. To achieve this, the anti-twist stop can be actuated by means of a drive, which is controlled by the operating data in the container and is located inside said container in close proximity to the external cap part.
US08091719B2
An improved container cap has a structural design for preventing pills from spilling out of a container closed with the container cap. The container cap includes a movable cover that is extensible to enable indirect, two-step dispensing of pills, so that the pills come out of the container at a reduced speed and will not fall out accidentally.
US08091715B2
There is provided an adjustable display pallet and a method for manufacturing display pallets. In certain embodiments, display pallets have a pallet base, corner columns, and span members that are adapted to hold individual products or trays of product. Corner columns are adhered to the pallet base in the desired locations. Span members are then inserted through insertion portions on the corner columns. The insertion portions are shaped to receive and secure span member ends. Optional end caps, backer panels and print panels may be provided on the pallet displays to enhance visual aspects of the display, as well as provide additional marketing space.
US08091711B2
A dynamically real-time adaptive trommel screen system is revealed. The dynamically adaptive trommel screen system includes a fixture, a trommel screen disposed on the fixture for screening a mixture into regenerated filter granules and screened residues, a structured duct for transporting the regenerated filter granules and an enclosure for collecting the screened residues, a tilt control member arranged on the fixture for adjusting the tilt angle of the trommel screen, and a feedback controller that controls the tilt control member according to the mass flow rate of the screened residues when the trommel screen operates so as to adjust the tilt angle of the trommel screen instantly and dynamically. By the feedback controller and the tilt control member, the tilt angle of the trommel screen is adjusted in a real-time and dynamic way so as to increase the screening efficiency. Moreover, the state of fractured filter granules is acquired from the feedback controller so that a certain amount of fresh filter granules can be refilled into the filter system for improving the filtration efficiency.
US08091708B2
A child resistant product package includes a first panel, a second panel, a tab strip insert, and a blister package. The first panel incorporates at least one blister aperture and at least one tab strip access pad. The second panel includes at least one product access aperture and at least one tab strip grasping pad. The tab strip insert has at least one tab strip. The first panel and the second panel are fastened together. Once fastened together, the first panel and the second panel collectively form a housing for the tab strip insert and the blister package.
US08091700B2
A package for holding and displaying paint brushes includes one or more receptacles for holding paint. Once the paint brushes are removed from the package, empty paint receptacles formed in the cover of the package can be filled with paint and thereby serve as an artist's palette. The package can be reused over and over and thereby reduce trash.
US08091699B2
A device (10) for loading containers (12), which are provided with a neck (20), on an transporting element (14) includes a member (28) for individually grasping the container by the neck thereof, wherein the grasping member is used for catching or releasing the neck of a preform by the vertical slide of the preform with respect to the grasping member during an operation for catching or releasing it, the loading device includes elements (42, 68) for selectively ejecting the container from the transporting element during the releasing operation. The elements for ejecting the container are provided with container receiving members (42) which are used for catching the container prior to the releasing operation and are mounted in a horizontally movable manner in such a way that the trajectory of the receiving members are vertically superimposed and synchronized with the trajectory of the grasping device.
US08091698B2
A transport device for a system for finger jointing pieces of wood, by packets, has a support. Transport means are provided, which are set up for moving the pieces of wood sliding along the support to the system for finger jointing. The transport means have a gripping device for holding the pieces of wood in place by packets, aligned flush at a first end, which is situated upstream, while the pieces are being pulled to a work station by way of the support.
US08091695B2
A dampening element for a vibration damper and a vibration damper. The dampening element comprises a body part having flow openings, a dampening part arranged to abut against the body part, the dampening part having openings aligning with the flow openings of the body part. In addition, a cover part is arranged against the dampening part, the cover part being movable in relation to the dampening part for changing the cross-sectional flow area of the openings of the dampening part.
US08091692B2
An impact absorber using an energy-absorbing, fluid-impregnated material consisting of a porous interconnected network of solid material forming edges and faces of cells, preferably an open-cell reticulated or partially closed-cell foam, or formed from fibers or other cellular solids. The matrix is impregnated with a field responsive fluid such as a magneto- or electro-rheological fluid, or with a shear-rate responsive fluid such as a dilatant (shear-thickening) fluid. The material is placed under compression during impact, and may be housed within a cylinder and compressed by a piston. The stiffness of the composite material consisting of a matrix filled with a field responsive fluid can be controlled by varying the field intensity and spatial gradients of the applied field to vary the rheological properties of the fluid.
US08091685B2
A sound absorbing structure is constituted of a vibration plate and a rear air layer and is installed in a luggage compartment or trunk which is separated from a cabin in a vehicle. Sound waves entering into the luggage compartment drive the vibration plate to vibrate so that acoustic energy is converted into mechanical energy and is consumed by way of vibration of the vibration plate. By appropriately setting parameters and dimensions, the sound absorbing structure efficiently absorbs low-frequency sound such as road noise occurring due to friction of wheels of the vehicle traveling on a road.
US08091679B2
A highly safe electric power steering device including a control device for determining the failure of a motor current detector based on the difference between the motor current estimate value and the detected motor current value is provided. The abnormality determining unit computes the absolute value of difference between the motor current estimate value and the detected motor current value, measures the number of times when the absolute value of difference exceeded the predetermined threshold value within the predetermined period, and measures further the cumulative value of the number of times of exceeding the threshold value within the predetermined period. When the cumulative value exceeded the predetermined reference number of times for determining abnormality, the motor current detector is determined to be abnormal.
US08091675B2
To realize an easy maintenance of the load sensor.A passenger's weight measurement device includes a left and right pair of fixed lower rails which are fixed on the vehicle floor, a left and right pair of movable upper rails which are disposed to move in a front-and-rear direction on the fixed lower rail, load sensors which are fixed to an upper surface of the right movable upper rail, load sensors which are disposed on the movable upper rail to be movable in a left-and-right direction with respect to the right movable upper rail, a sub frame which is mounted on the load sensors, side frames which are welded to the sub frame, and a pan frame which is detachably disposed to the side frames to cover the front of the side frames. A gouged section is formed on the side frame.
US08091674B1
A torque detecting system for a bottom bracket axle of a power-assisted bicycle includes a torque sensor for being mounted on the bottom bracket axle of the bicycle, a wireless signal transmitter arranged stationarily relative to the bottom bracket axle, and a wireless signal receiver for being arranged at a location of a bicycle frame of the bicycle in proximity to the bottom bracket axle. The wireless signal transmitter is adapted for receiving a detected signal, which is outputted from the torque sensor, and then transmitting the detected signal to the wireless signal receiver wirelessly. In this way, the signal attenuation and the possibility of signal loss of the detected signal can be minimized during the signal transmission, such that the torque applied on the bottom bracket axle by the bicyclist can be detected precisely.
US08091673B2
A straddle-type vehicle (e.g., a motorcycle) includes an electrical component accommodating section to protect one or more electrical components from heat generated by an engine, even when the vehicle is stopped. The vehicle includes a head pipe, at least one tank rail extending rearward from the head pipe, and at least one down pipe extending downward from the head pipe. A first joint portion is defined between the head pipe and the tank rail, and a second joint portion is defined between the head pipe and the down pipe. An engine is disposed generally between the tank rail and the head pipe. The electrical component accommodating section houses at least one electrical component and is defined generally between the first and second joint portions. In a preferred mode, at least a portion of the electrical component accommodating section is made of heat insulating material to shield the electrical component from heat generated by the engine.
US08091672B2
An electrically driven single-drive-axis vehicle with a platform for a driver, driven about a common wheel axis, which provides the single-drive-axis to improve its handling and its range of uses. The vehicle includes at least one attachment, the attachment being connected to the single-axle vehicle pivotably about at least one first attachment axis.
US08091669B2
A battery positioning structure reliably positions battery modules on a vehicle chassis even when battery modules have different sizes and heights. The battery positioning structure includes a bracket having at opposite ends not only check plates which are configured to be positioned on a body of the electric vehicle but also locks at opposite side edges of the bracket, the bracket being configured to be attached to outer surfaces of the battery modules and to unite the battery modules, and bands configured to extend across the bracket, and linked to the locks at opposite ends of the bracket. The battery modules and the bracket are positioned on the body of the electric vehicle.
US08091662B2
A hybrid drive for vehicles includes at least a main engine, especially an internal combustion engine, a generator, an electric engine, and a planetary transmission including a sun wheel, an internal-geared wheel, a planet carrier, and planet wheels. The planetary transmission also includes at least one output shaft. For a first driving mode of the vehicle, the drive shafts of the main engine and the electric engine are coupled to the sun wheel of the planetary transmission, for the addition of the torques, and, for another driving mode of one of the engines, one of the two engines can be coupled to the internal-geared wheel of the planetary transmission in a non-positive manner, for the mechanical addition of the rotational speeds according to the superposition principle.
US08091654B2
A drill bit for drilling through an earthen formation to form a borehole includes a bit body having a central axis, an internal plenum, and an underside. The underside includes an annular outer region. The bit body includes an outer receptacle extending from the plenum to the outer region. In addition, the drill bit comprises a first and a second cone cutter. Each cone cutter comprises an outer region distal the bit axis. Further the drill bit comprises an outer sleeve having an upstream end received by the outer sleeve receptacle and a through passage. The through passage includes an upstream section having an upstream axis and a downstream section having a downstream axis that is skewed at an angle α relative to the upstream axis. A projection of the downstream axis passes between the outer regions of the first and second cone cutters.
US08091651B2
A hand-held power tool includes a main element with a normal axis which extends perpendicularly to a tool axis and through a center of gravity. A handle is supported in the plane of motion defined by the tool axis and the normal axis such that it is movable relative to the main element. A spring unit connects the handle with the main element, and has a spring element to define a trajectory of at least one portion of the handle in the plane of motion under the influence of a load force triggered when the handle is moved out of a neutral position and approaches the stationary main element. A rotary element defines a joint-free rotation axis, about which the handle rotates in the plane of motion when a motion takes place relative to the main element.
US08091646B2
Single phase microemulsions (SPMEs) and in situ-formed microemulsions may be used to clean up and remove non-polar materials from reservoir production zones of oil and gas wells. This clean up occurs by solubilization of the non-polar material into the microemulsion when the treatment fluid contacts the non-polar material. An in situ microemulsion may be formed when one or more surfactant and a polar phase (e.g. water or brine), and eventually some small amount of organic phase, contacts the reservoir formation and solubilizes the non-polar material encountered in the porous media. The microemulsions are effective for removing the formation damage caused by non-polar materials which include, but are not necessarily limited to oil-based mud, synthetic-based mud, paraffins, asphaltenes, emulsions, slugs, and combinations thereof.
US08091645B2
Nanoemulsion, macroemulsions, miniemulsions, microemulsion systems with excess oil or water or both (Winsor I, II or III phase behavior) or single phase microemulsions (Winsor IV) improve the removal of filter cakes formed during hydrocarbon reservoir wellbore drilling with OBM. The macroemulsion, nanoemulsion, miniemulsion, microemulsion systems with excess oil or water or both or single phase microemulsion removes oil and solids from the deposited filter cake. In one non-limiting embodiment, the emulsion system (e.g. single phase microemulsion, nanoemulsion, or other emulsions) may be formed in situ (downhole) rather than produced or prepared in advance and pumped downhole. Skin damage removal from internal and external filter cake deposition can be reduced.
US08091636B2
Methods for increasing the recovery of hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir. A method may include the steps of injecting a first fluid into a first horizontal well in the reservoir by a first device; producing hydrocarbons from a second horizontal well disposed below the first well; injecting a second fluid into a third well laterally offset from each of the first and second wells while continuing to produce hydrocarbons from the second well; and selectively ceasing injection into the first well when the second well is in fluid communication with the third well. The first and second fluid may comprise steam, carbon dioxide, oxygen, or combinations thereof. Injection into the first well selectively may be ceased when pressure in the first well is increased to a first injection pressure.
US08091634B2
A technique involves collecting formation fluids through a single packer having at least one drain located within the single packer. The single packer is designed with an outer flexible skin and one or more drains coupled to the outer flexible skin. The single packer further comprises one or more sensors positioned to detect one or more specific parameters that may be related to well characteristics and/or single packer characteristics.
US08091631B2
An intelligent well system and method has a sand face completion and a monitoring system to monitor application of a well operation. Various equipment and services may be used. In another aspect, the invention provides a monitoring system for determining placement of a well treatment. Yet another aspect of the invention is an instrumented sand screen. Another aspect is a connector for routing control lines.
US08091628B2
Apparatus and methods for providing fluid and projectiles to downhole tubulars includes a manifold. The manifold may include a housing, a cartridge disposed within the housing, and an actuator. The cartridge includes multiple throughbores for selectively allowing a fluid flow to pass through, and storing a projectile. The actuator is adapted to move the multiple throughbores of the cartridge out of and into the fluid flow to release the stored projectile into the fluid flow. The manifold may include multiple projectiles that are stored laterally relative to each other for radial translation and release into the fluid flow.
US08091625B2
A downhole burner is used for producing heavy-oil formations. Hydrogen, oxygen, and steam are pumped by separate conduits to the burner, which burns at least part of the hydrogen and forces the combustion products out into the earth formation. The steam cools the burner and becomes superheated steam, which is injected along with the combustion products into the earth formation. Carbon dioxide is also pumped down the well and injected into the formation.
US08091624B2
A radiator element in a motor vehicle is disclosed, the motor vehicle including a body, a driver's space with at least one door for access to the driver's space, and a step element with at least one step and situated below the door. An engine cooling system includes a radiator element in which a circulating coolant is cooled by an airflow flowing through the radiator element. The radiator element is positioned close to the step element. An air inlet aperture is positioned between or behind the steps. The radiator element is a second radiator element of the vehicle, operable when the first radiator element cools insufficiently.
US08091616B2
A heat transfer tube can comprise a tube body, and outer fins integrated with the tube body which are formed by allowing material on the tube body to extend along radial direction of the tube body and wind and extend around the tube outer surface in helical manner, wherein microscale channels are formed on at least one lateral surface of the outer fin. The invention has the advantage that the microscale channel is formed on at least one lateral surface of the outer fin to help increase the heat exchange area of the outer fin surface, improve the fluid disturbance, enhance the forced convention heat exchange out of tube, and significantly improve the heat transfer coefficient; when the enhanced heat transfer tube in the present invention is applied on an evaporator, the microscale channel can greatly increase the number of the nucleation sites, so as to enhance boiling heat exchange in condition of low heat flux density; when the enhanced heat transfer tube in the present invention is applied on a condenser, the microscale channel can improve distribution of liquid membrane thickness on outer fin surface to enhance condensing heat exchange.
US08091614B2
The present invention is an air/fluid cooling system. In one embodiment an apparatus for dissipating heat from a heat-generating device includes a base having a first side configured for thermal coupling to the heat-generating device, an air-based cooling path coupled to the base, for dissipating at least a portion of the heat via air, and a fluid-based cooling path coupled to the base, for dissipating at least a portion of the heat via a fluid. The air-based cooling path and the fluid-based cooling path may be operated simultaneously or individually to dissipate heat from the heat generating device and to allow access to the cooling system, for example for maintenance, repairs and upgrades.
US08091598B2
A motorcycle tire comprises a tread portion having a tread face curved along a radially outwardly convex arc in the cross section of the tire including the rotational axis of the tire. The tread face is provided in the ground contacting region during straight running with three parallel circumferential grooves which are: a wide circumferential groove having a width Wg1 of from 8 to 16 mm and extending along the tire equator; and a pair of narrow circumferential grooves disposed one on each side of the tire equator and having a width Wg2 less than the width Wg1. Each of the narrow circumferential grooves is positioned such that the distance L1 measured along the tread face from the tire equator to the axially outside edge of the narrow circumferential groove is not more than 35% of the width (tw) of the ground contacting region during straight running measured along the tread face.
US08091592B2
A substrate container has a container main body to contain a substrate and a check valve which has a cylindrical housing and a valve disc installed in the housing and controls gas flowing from and to the interior and the exterior of the container main body, and is formed by inserting the housing into a through-hole of the container main body. When an end of the valve located inside the container main body is defined as a front end, a check valve has a fixing ring that is mounted on the rear end side in the manner of being rotatable relative to the housing and fixes the housing to the container main body from rearward, and the housing has a first housing installed on the front end side and a second housing inserted into the first housing at the front end and attached to the first housing.
US08091589B2
A loom (1) has feed motor (27) rotating a warp beam (3) in a direction to feeding warps (V) from the warp beam (3), a heddles (10) opening and closing the warps (V) fed off from the warp beam (3), a reed (13) beating wefts (H) inserted into the openings of the warps (V) by a weft inserting device (11), a surface motor (61) rotating a surface roller (17) to pull in the woven fabric (W), which has been beaten by the reed (13) and formed of the warps (V) and the wefts (H), in the pulling direction, a position detector (35) detecting the tension of the warps (V), and a control device 25 having an adaptive filter unit (83) filtering the tension detected by the position detector (35), and controlling the feed motor (27) and the surface motor (61) on the basis of the tension filtered by that adaptive filter unit (83) so that the tension of the warps (V) to a predetermined target tension.
US08091584B2
The actuator (50) comprises a slide (52) carrying at least two stages (54, 56) and being capable of sliding in a cylinder and two control chambers (62, 64) connected to respective use holes (U1, U2) of an electrically controlled servo-valve hydraulic distributor (20). The control chambers (62, 64) are each situated on one side of a respective stage and an intermediate chamber connected to high or low pressure is situated between the other sides of the stages. In the event of electrical control failure, the distributor (20) slide is taken to a safety position in which the control chambers (62, 64) of the actuator (50) are at the same low or high pressure opposed to that applying in the intermediate chamber (66) so that each stage of the actuator slide is then subjected to high pressure on one side and to low pressure on the other side. Sealing between each actuator slide stage (54, 56) and the actuator cylinder (60) is carried out by a dynamic seal (70) producing a frictional force between stage and cylinder, depending on the difference between the pressures exerted on the two sides of the stage so that, in the event of electrical control failure, the actuator slide valve is immobilized in its position at the moment of the failure (“fail freeze”). The actuator (50) can be an aeronautical engine fuel metering unit.
US08091579B2
A level sensor for providing an indication of liquid level in a container. The level sensor including an ultrasonic transducer for emitting an ultrasonic signal to the surface of the liquid and for detecting a return signal, reflected from the surface. A controller instructs the transducer to emit ultrasonic signals and receives an indication that a return signal has been detected. The controller including a timer for measuring the time period between emission of the ultrasonic signal and receipt of a return signal, the determined time period providing an indication of the liquid level. A radio transmitter receives an indication of the liquid level and transmits a radio liquid level signal to a remote output unit.
US08091576B2
A by-pass and pressure regulator valve exhibiting: an inlet mouth and an outlet mouth set in reciprocal communication by a main conduit; a by-pass mouth. The by-pass and pressure regulator valve comprises: an obturator, mobile between at least a closed position, in which it interrupts fluid communication between the main conduit and the by-pass mouth, and at least an open position, in which the fluid communication is not interrupted; operating pressure control means, predisposed to move the obturator from the closed position; means for determining a flow pressure loss in fluids crossing the main conduit, arranged along the main conduit in order to separate a first tract upstream of the main conduit from a second tract downstream thereof; obturator command means governed by a fluid pressure difference between the first tract and the second tract of the main conduit, distinct from the operating pressure control means but operatively connected to the obturator.
US08091570B2
The corner brace of a framework of a quickly erectable canopy shelter is connected between portions of a perimeter truss assembly connected to a leg of the framework of the canopy shelter. The corner brace includes a corner brace mounting pin on a first link member of an outer truss of the perimeter truss assembly, and a support truss tube member pivotally and rotatably connected at one end to an outer truss on one side of the leg. The other end of the support truss tube member is removably connected to an outer truss on the other side of the leg. The support truss tube member of the corner brace may include a support truss clip that fits to a link member of the framework. The framework may also include a canopy framework support assembly for supporting a canopy.
US08091568B2
The present invention provides a lens care kit for disinfecting and cleaning contact lenses. The lens care kit of the invention allows customers to visually identify when their lenses are disinfected, clean, and ready to wear. The invention is relied on color change, due to temporally photo-bleaching of a colored lens care solution, to indicate the readiness of disinfection and cleaning of contact lenses.
US08091557B2
The device consists of a first container body (1) with a lighter for a cigarette and a housing seat (2) having a size suitable to house a cigarette and it further has a container body (8) to extinguish the cigarette.
US08091556B2
Methods and apparatus for decreasing cardiac pressure in a patient by implanting a shunt communicating with an area outside a first portion, whereby a volume of blood sufficient to reduce pressure in a first portion is released. Preferably, the end diastolic pressure in the left ventricle is reduced, which is accomplished by having the shunt communicate with the left ventricle so a small volume of blood is released from the left ventricle. Most preferably, the shunt selectively permits flow when a pressure differential between the left ventricle and another chamber of a heart above a threshold pressure, so that shunting is prevented during left ventricular systole, or, alternatively, selectively permits flow when a pressure differential between the left ventricle and another chamber of a heart is between a lower threshold and a higher threshold. In certain embodiments a semi-passive check-valve is controlled and actuated by an external signal.
US08091554B2
Methods and devices are provided that are effective to remove an obstruction in a human airway related to snoring and/or OSA. In one embodiment, the device includes mouthpiece having a hollow body configured to be disposed in a user's mouth. The body includes superior and inferior outer surfaces as well as anterior and posterior surfaces, a channel configured to receive a user's teeth formed in at least one of the superior and inferior surfaces, an inner cavity formed between the superior, inferior, anterior, and posterior surfaces, and at least one aperture formed in the posterior surface that extends into the inner cavity. In one exemplary embodiment the at least one aperture is oriented to extend away from the user's teeth and toward a user's tongue when the mouthpiece is in use. In another embodiment, the hollow body is substantially c-shaped, and the at least one aperture includes a plurality of apertures spaced a distance apart from one another along the posterior surface between first and second terminal ends of the c-shaped inner portion of the hollow body. In still another embodiment, the mouthpiece includes an outer portion having an opening extending therethrough such that the outer portion is coupled to the hollow body and is in fluid communication with the cavity in the hollow body. A one-way valve can be disposed in the opening and can be configured to allow air to flow out of a user's oral cavity when the mouthpiece is in use.
US08091553B2
A face mask support for continuous positive airway pressure comprises a circumferential band with biasing means support at the crown of the head on the medial line of the head. The circumferential edge of the cap extends from just below the forehead of a patient to below the inion protrusion at the nape of the neck. A biasing means which is preferably of length of spring steel is formed so as to extend from the biasing means support hold a nasal or face mask apposed to the face of a patient. The circumferential band is stabilized by a band extending from the circumferential band at the region of the ear to the biasing means support.
US08091551B2
There is provided a protective media and a method of manufacturing the same. In one aspect, the protective media includes a porous dielectric carrier, an active agent incorporated in the porous dielectric carrier, and an electrostatic charge across at least a portion of the porous dielectric carrier. This innovative media is capable of eradicating microorganisms and/or toxins more efficiently than prior art solutions and can also self sterilize.
US08091548B2
An anti-condensation arrangement for catheters including a heated air generator, a sheath covering a catheter such as to create a cavity with it, and a device for the input of heated air produced by the generator into the cavity wherein the sheath has a venting opening to allow the exit of heated air from the cavity and therefore continuous exchange of air.
US08091543B2
The present invention generally relates to a cooking oven, which is provided with a cooking cavity and a door adapted to close the cooking cavity. The door is provided with an outer frame and one or more glass panes supported by such frame along the periphery thereof. On the surface of at least one of the glass panes there are applied heating means, which include a layer of substantially clear, e.g. transparent resistive material, and means adapted to connect two sides of such layer of resistive material to appropriate terminals energizable by an electric voltage supplied from a source available inside the oven.
US08091528B2
Embodiments of injectors configured for adaptively injecting and igniting various fuels in a combustion chamber are disclosed herein. An injector according to one embodiment includes an end portion configured to be positioned adjacent to a combustion chamber, and an ignition feature carried by the end portion and configured to generate an ignition event. The injector also includes a force generator assembly and a movable valve. The force generator assembly includes a first force generator separate from a second force generator. The first force generator creates a motive force to move the valve between the closed and open positions into the combustion chamber. The second force generator is electrically coupled to the ignition feature and provides voltage to the ignition feature to at least partially generate the ignition event.
US08091526B2
A resin intake manifold is provided with two separated bodies manufactured by connecting protrusions of weld portions of the separated bodies to each other in accordance with a vibration welding, and a cover wall in which one of the weld portions is arranged in an inner side or an outer side of the protrusion with leaving space with the protrusion. The protrusions of the weld portions are respectively provided with parallel protrusion portions extending in parallel to a vibrating direction of the vibration welding, and a cover wall arranged at a position in an orthogonal direction to the vibrating direction in the parallel protrusion portions is provided with an extension portion extending to the separated body in the other side welded to the separated body provided with the cover wall, in such a manner as to prevent a burr generated at a time of welding the parallel protrusion portion from getting over the cover wall arranged at the position in the orthogonal to the vibrating direction in the parallel protrusion portion. A recess groove receiving the extension portion is arranged in a side of the other side separated body.
US08091524B2
A valve timing control device includes a driving side rotational member, a driven side rotational member, a fluid pressure chamber, a parting portion dividing the fluid pressure chamber into an advanced angle chamber and a retarded angle chamber, a restriction member, a restriction recessed portion for restricting a displacement of a relative rotational phase within a range between a most advanced angle phase or a most retarded angle phase and a predetermined phase when the restriction member is inserted into the restriction recessed portion, and a restriction cancellation passage, wherein a communication between the accommodation portion and one of the advanced angle chamber and the retarded angle chamber via the cancellation passage is interrupted at least when the restriction member contacts one of end portions of the restriction recessed portion, and the restriction member is restricted so as not to move over the other one of the end portions.
US08091523B2
The application provides a control apparatus of a variable valve timing mechanism capable of converging valve timing to a target value with good responsiveness as well as with high accuracy when an engine starts. In the state where the engine starts, the variable valve timing mechanism is driven to a target value at the engine start by a second manipulated variable corresponding to a maximum variation speed of valve timing. Valve timing is estimate in the state where the variable valve timing mechanism is driven by the second manipulated variable, and when the estimated valve timing reaches the target value, a manipulated variable is switched from the second manipulated variable to a first manipulated variable which is a feedforward manipulated variable or to the first manipulated variable which is a value obtained by adding the feedforward manipulated variable and a feedback manipulated variable.
US08091522B2
To provide a variable valve driving device which can accurately control the lift amount of valves and can be manufactured at a low cost. The device has: valves (10) serving as intake valves or exhaust valves of an engine; springs (11) for biasing the valves (10) in the valve closing direction; a cam (12) for pressing the valves (10) in the valve opening direction against a biasing force of the springs; a piston (19) joined to the valves (10); a control chamber (21) configured by a piston insertion hole (20) into which the piston (19) is inserted; and a control mechanism (24) for changing the valve closing timing of the valves (10) by controlling the introduction and discharge of a working fluid into and from the control chamber (21).
US08091521B2
The invention is directed to a novel self-supercharging internal combustion engine with two pairs of three pistons and cylinders. A self-supercharging internal combustion engine comprising: (a) a first piston and cylinder with intake and exhaust valves, the piston being connected to a crankshaft; (b) a second piston and cylinder with intake and exhaust valves, the piston being connected to the crankshaft; (c) a third piston and cylinder of a size which is at least double the size of the first and second pistons, the third piston having a valve which enables air and fuel to be drawn into the cylinder, the third cylinder being connected to the intake valves of the first and second pistons and cylinders, the third piston being connected to the same crankshaft as the first and second pistons, and a corresponding second set of three pistons and cylinders, the three pistons being connected to a second crankshaft, each crankshaft being interconnected by meshing gears. A freewheeling mechanism can be included with the first and/or second crankshaft.
US08091519B2
A linear internal combustion engine is disclosed having a cylinder defining an intake port proximate a first end thereof and an exhaust port proximate a second end thereof. First and second pistons insert into opposite ends of the cylinder. Each piston is coupled to an actuator/generator, such as a linear switched reluctance motor. The actuator/generators are coupled to a control unit which controls the actuator/generators and extracts energy therefrom. The control unit causes the actuators to move the pistons through a fluid handling process, such as pumping, compression, or a four cycle combustion process coupled with a recovery phase. The pistons are positioned over the intake and output ports to seal them off at proper times during the fluid handling process.
US08091514B2
An energy re-claimer is provided for preheating water prior to the water entering a conventional residential, commercial or industrial gas water heater. The energy re-claimer is mounted on top of the water heater between the draft diverter and the hot air flue. The energy re-claimer is preferably a double wall construction that is larger in diameter than the draft diverter and hot air flue in order to allow normal passage of hot air through the system; however, a single wall construction may also be used. Tap water enters a pipe inside the double wall construction and is heated prior to being directed through the water heater. The pipe may be constructed of a number of straight lengths connected by returns or may be in the form of a single straight section connected to a coil made of connected curving sections that surround the axis of the energy re-claimer. A condensation collector may be provided between the draft diverter and the energy re-claimer to collect any condensation that may form as a result of cooling gases and prevent the condensate from falling into the water heater where it could extinguish the flame.
US08091509B2
Methods for preparing dog food compositions adapted for dogs with certain body conformation types by categorizing a dog for which the food composition is intended as a robust or athletic body conformation type and formulating a dog food composition to contain feed ingredients beneficial for the categorized dog. Typically, the protein and fat content of the food composition will be adjusted based upon the robust or athletic category for a particular dog or dog type.
US08091502B2
A stiffening spine for use in a selectively inflatable kayak. Inflatable kayaks are characterized as having an elongated pneumatically inflatable peripheral tubes which, when inflated, define a passenger compartment and relatively narrow bow and stem sections. A flexible cover extends between and at least partially encases the elongated pneumatically inflatable peripheral tubes to provide a floor for the kayak. A spine for stiffening the inflatable kayak is provided in the form of a relatively rigid longitudinal member and end caps fitted to both ends thereof. The longitudinal member is sized to be removably inserted within the flexible cover so that when installed, the end caps are positioned proximate the bow and stem sections of the inflatable kayak.
US08091501B2
An amphibious small boat, including rowing/fishing/motor/sailing boats, canoes and kayaks has a removable, retractable wheeled undercarriage enabling the craft to be trailered or managed singlehandedly on the ground; or the undercarriage retracted inboard. The canoe and kayak undercarriage is easily removed. Working loads are distributed to the fabric of the craft. The boat undercarriage can be manually lever-controlled and the lever anchors the undercarriage. A motorized actuator is also given. An elevated towing hitch is used with all embodiments, and includes a safety, breakaway link for highway needs. Signal/running lights are included with the small boat embodiments.
US08091500B2
An over-the-water dock includes a plurality of modular floating docks adjacently positioned. Each modular floating dock includes a float and a plurality of walers fixedly attaches to the float and walers include at least one outer waler and an inner waler. One or more crossbeams transversely attach to the at least one outer waler of one of the modular floating docks and the at least one outer waler of another of the modular floating docks.
US08091499B1
A mooring device is disclosed for securing a boat to an object. The boat has a first cleat. The object has a second cleat. The mooring device comprises a coupling bar having a proximal end and a distal end. A first arcuate arm extends from the proximal end of the coupling bar. A second arcuate arm extends from the distal end of the coupling bar. A first C-clamp engages the first cleat. A second C-clamp engages the second cleat. A first clamp pivot pivotably couples the first C-clamp to the first arcuate arm of the coupling bar. A second clamp pivot pivotably couples the second C-clamp to second arcuate arm of the coupling bar. The first arcuate arm and the first clamp pivot define a first pivot wedging stop and the second arcuate arm and the second clamp pivot define a second pivot wedging stop upon the first cleat offset relative to the second cleat.
US08091497B2
Disclosed is a sectionalized mast track that solves problems associated with furling and reefing sails on yachts, particularly large yachts. The inventive mast track includes mast track sections that are secured to a mast with hinges. Securing pins connect the sections to each other such that all the sections pivot together along the centerline defined by hinges. The securing mechanisms also make it possible to remove a single mast track section at a time. Embodiments of the inventive mast track have a cross section that absorbs wind-generated compressive forces exerted by battens, reducing chafing, and eliminates the need for sail slides, which would otherwise lock the sail in place during furling and reefing. The inventive mast track may also be configured to couple to an articulating sail feeder that bends and rotates freely, but limits the axial twist of the sail as during furling and reefing.
US08091494B2
The present invention comprises a tank for liquefied gases or a so-called cryogenic tank (1) with a tank bottom structure (10) and a tank wall structure (11) arranged around a circumference of the tank bottom structure (10). The tank bottom structure (10) is provided with a tank bottom hub (2) adapted for being held by a bottom hub retainer (20) on a tank support structural floor (23). The tank is simple to install, cheap in production and handles in an improved manner forces acting upon it.
US08091489B2
A connecting device for connecting at least one foot element to furniture includes a holding element adhesively bonded to the furniture, an intermediate piece connected to the holding element, and a mounting part, couplable to the at least one foot element. The mounting part is removably connected to the intermediate piece.
US08091488B2
A table top with a flip mechanism has a frame of two spaced apart legs, each leg having two pivoting wheels, a spine connecting each leg, and a table top hingedly connecting to the spine for rotation off the center of the table. The spine and table top extend upon the longitudinal axis of the table. The spine has generally two parallel spaced apart members. The table top hingedly connects to one member and rests upon the other member when the table top is flat. Lifting the table from a longitudinal edge opposite the hinges, the table top pivots upon the hinges and rotates about the spine until upright. The upright table is then parallel to the legs and occupies a minimum footprint. Alternatively, the legs have wheels for easy movement of the table.
US08091486B1
The adjustable tray provides a central body adapted to receive drinks, food, toys, reading material, or any other item(s) that a user places upon the central body. Retention arms pivotally attached to the central body adjust to a retaining position that extends the retention arms above the central body. The retention arms also adjust to an elevating position that extends the retention arms below the central body to raise the central body. Retention arms also detach from each other to pivot freely to avoid obstructing placement of larger items on the central body. A retention lip also maintains items within the confines of the adjustable tray. Unique webbing of the present invention allows the user to adjust the length of webbing extending from the central body and to secure either the front or the rear of the adjustable tray around the user and/or object(s).
US08091480B2
An irritation body (1) is proposed that has a container (5) and a first effect charge as well as an ignition mechanism (3) and an ignition cap (4), which now has in the free area on the floor (8) of the irritation body (1) an additional body (10) provided with a further or second effect charge (11). The housing (12) of the additional body (10) is preferably made of plastic and contains, for example, metal dust as the second effect charge (11).
US08091475B2
A stencil stretcher frame unit includes a stencil stretcher frame for stretching a printing stencil, the stencil stretcher frame including a seat; a protective device accommodated in the seat and holding the stencil stretcher frame, the protective device including a plurality of protective bars configured to hold the printing stencil in a plane and to accommodate a circumferential edge of the printing stencil so as to cover the circumferential edge along a circumference of the printing stencil, adjacent ones of the plurality of protective bars being supported on each other at respective end areas of the protective bars so as to allow a relative movement with respect to each other; and a joining device configured to fasten the protective device to the stencil stretcher frame.
US08091470B2
A machine for filtered coffee, having an upper body, inside which a filter-carrier for the coffee and a tank for the water are housed, both accessible through a window. The machine comprises a shutter able to be moved slidingly with respect to said upper body between an open condition and a closed condition of said window and vice versa, so as to selectively allow complete frontal access to said filter-carrier and to said tank, through said window, leaving free frontal access to the filter-carrier and to the water tank. The machine further comprises a pivoting opening which opens frontally with respect to a user and allows access to said tank, when said shutter is in the open condition, for conveying water to the tank without moving said tank from the machine.
US08091469B2
A beverage machine comprising a drip tray device that can accommodate recipients of different heights. The drip tray device is formed of a collect tank and has a first drip support grid removably mounted on the tank for holding short recipients and has a second drip support for longer recipients such as a glass. The whole device is removable for ease of emptying and rinsing. In a possible mode, the first removable grid is provided with a gutter to evacuate liquid in a main collect reservoir.
US08091461B1
A system includes a support structure having a compressed air tank therein, a pneumatic launch assembly coupled to the support structure, and an inflatable bladder disposed around at least a portion of a region defined by the support structure and the pneumatic launch assembly. The angle of the pneumatic launch assembly with respect to the support structure is adjustable. The pneumatic launch assembly comprises a launch tube, a compressed air manifold contained within the launch tube and in fluid connection with the compressed air tank, the compressed air manifold having an air outlet, a telescoping guide rod connected to the compressed air manifold, and a shuttle slidably coupled to the telescoping guide rod and at least partially disposed over the air outlet. The system may include a collapsible stabilizing weight coupled to the support structure, as well as communications and control circuitry within the launch tube.
US08091448B2
The present invention relates to a manipulator having distributed mechanism for maximizing the performance of the manipulator. The manipulator is comprised of a first link; a second link; a joint for rotatably joining the first link and the second link each other; a connector having a first movable node at one end and a second movable node at the other end; a driver for providing power to linearly move the first movable node and the second movable node; and a guide for guiding the first movable node and the second movable node linearly.The first movable node is connected to the first link and is capable of linearly moving and rotating with respect to the first link. The second movable node is connected to the second link and is capable of linearly moving and rotating with respect to the second link.
US08091446B2
A transmission for a vehicle is disclosed. The transmission has a reverse gear locking device that includes a rotating shaft having a longitudinal axis, the rotating shaft adapted for rotational movement about its longitudinal axis, and a lock connected to the rotating shaft and positioned in alignment with a stopper extending from the shift drum of the transmission. The initial position of the lock prevents the shift drum from engaging the reverse gear. A rotational movement of the rotating shaft tilts the lock out of alignment with the stopper and allows the shift drum to engage the reverse gear.
US08091444B2
A transmission mechanism having a deceleration function includes a guide screw, a worm wheel set, an intermediary ring, an isolator and a passive sleeve. The worm wheel set is fitted onto the guide screw and includes worm wheel and plural claw arms. A spacing slot is formed between any two adjacent claw arms. The intermediary ring is fitted onto a peripheral edge of each claw arm. The isolator surrounds a peripheral edge of the intermediary ring with one side fixed to an actuator. With plural grooves arranged on a peripheral edge thereof, the passive sleeve is fitted onto the guide screw. An accommodation space is formed among the groove, spacing slot and intermediary ring. Each needle roller is accommodated in the accommodation space and inter-contacted with the claw arm, the intermediary ring and the passive sleeve.
US08091439B2
A probe assembly for use in the extraction of analytes from a sample, which probe includes an elongate cylinder portion which is arranged to rotate about its longitudinal axis, and having thereon one or more vanes extending away from the cylinder portion.
US08091425B2
An ultrasonic testing method relates to a threaded joint of pipes including a pin having an external thread part, a metal seal part, and a shoulder part on an outer peripheral surface, and a box having an internal thread part, a metal seal part, and a shoulder part with the box and pin being fastened together using a lubricant. The method includes transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a plurality of locations along an axial direction of the threaded joint in at least one of the internal thread part, the metal seal part, and the shoulder part of the box; detecting echo intensities and reception times of echoes for the plurality of locations; and detecting an abnormal portion in the threaded joint based on a longitudinal axial directional distribution of the echo intensities and longitudinal axial directional distribution of reception times of the echoes.
US08091423B2
An inspection method and system that locates a probe proximate a region of a shaft that is welded to a slug that secures the shaft to a housing. An acoustical wavefront may be emitted from the probe into the shaft toward the slug, and a reflection of the acoustical wavefront may be received with the probe. Whether the reflection occurred at an interface between the shaft and the slug or at a distal end of the slug is determined based on a time that the reflection is received by the probe.
US08091420B2
A combination wind direction and wind speed indicating apparatus for providing enhanced visibility at night and under other low visibility conditions is mounted, for example, at an airport landing zone, to rotate in the wind and indicates wind direction with high-intensity colored lights mounted in a specified array about the horizontal periphery of the apparatus; a vertical array of lights is illuminated in response to incremental wind speed variations. The apparatus can include a self-contained source of electrical power such as a rechargeable battery pack connected via appropriate circuitry to a solar power cell.
US08091412B2
The invention relates to the field of method and devices therefore for identifying which cylinder is in the compression phase in a gasoline indirect electronic injection internal combustion engine.The present invention develops over various phases, measuring the signal of the ionisation current of each cylinder in which the piston is located at the top dead centre, registering the average value thereof and comparing it with a predetermined value.
US08091406B1
A gage for measuring deflection of a “mini-strip” used to determine peening intensity in small cavities and crevices of a work piece includes a pair of platforms made of a magnetic material spaced apart in a non-magnetic fixture a distance substantially the same as the length of the mini-strip. The platforms have a diameter slightly larger than the width of the mini-strip to provide support for both corners on each end of the mini-strip. A magnet for each of the platforms may be advanced toward and retracted from the platform to adjust the degree of magnetic attraction of the mini-strip. The platforms are stepped to define a shoulder and posts are offset from one of the platforms which cooperate to guide the user in proper placement of the strip. A plunger extended from the indicator engages the strip at substantially its midpoint, to thereby measure the deflection of the strip to give an indication of peening intensity.
US08091403B2
A bodymaker ram attachment has a screwed locator (60), which is fastened to a slide block (70) of the bodymaker and can be aligned to the machine. A new ram with an internal thread and location diameter is screwed onto the locator. A clamp ring (65) tightens a locking element (80) so as to fix the ram (50) to the locator (60) when screws (68), which fasten the clamp ring to the locator, are tightened. The advantage of this new attachment is that the ram can be removed quickly by loosening the clamp ring and locking element then unscrewing the ram from the locator. The ram can then be removed and replaced by sliding through the front of the machine without the need for further disassembly.
US08091393B2
A cylinder lock assembly includes a cylinder body and a plug assembly which is manufactured in a multiple of pieces to facilitate casting of each plug piece in a single operation. The plug assembly includes a plug body with a plug insert opening to receive a plug insert. The plug insert opening is generally L-shaped in cross-section to receive the plug insert which is correspondingly shaped. The plug insert includes a plug outer portion which defines an arcuate outer surface which corresponds with the outer circumference of the plug body when the plug insert is mounted therein. A plug pin chamber portion extends generally transverse to the plug outer portion to define a multiple of tumbler pin chambers which extend through the plug outer portion.
US08091392B2
A high security lock includes a lock bolt movable between extended and retracted positions, a bolt retraction gear coupled to the lock bolt, and a manually-driven gear train. When a controller verifies that user-input information is correct for unlocking the lock, the bolt retraction gear and manually-driven gear train are operatively coupled such that the gear train can drive the lock bolt from the extended position to the retracted position.
US08091388B2
The present invention provides improved cooling of a veil of glass fibers by using a combination of nozzle assemblies. The nozzle assemblies include air caps of differing configurations to control the penetration of the spray into the veil. One suitable spray configuration is a nozzle assembly having punch air cap that creates a narrow exit angle, high velocity flow of droplets to penetrate the veil to cool the fibers at the interior. Another suitable configuration is a nozzle assembly having a flat air cap that creates a wide exit angle, low velocity, dispersed spray pattern to cool the exterior of the veil. Preferably, the flat air cap creates a very fine particle size to increase the cooling efficiency of the spray. By using the cooling ring of the present invention, lower levels of binder to be applied to the fibers and environmental emissions from the plant may be reduced.
US08091387B2
A method of manufacturing high-quality preforms from glass melt, manufacturing glass elements, such as lenses, by press molding these preforms and, manufacturing optical elements by reheating and press molding these glass gobs. In the method glass gobs are continuously separated from a glass melt flow continuously flowing out of a nozzle and the separated glass gobs are formed with glass forming members that are intermittently or continuously moving. A support member is made to approach the front end of the nozzle, the front end of the glass melt flow is received by the support member, and the support member is dropped more rapidly than the rate of flow of the glass melt flow to separate a glass gob from the glass melt flow. The separated glass gob is transferred from the support member to a stopped or moving glass forming member to mold a glass article.
US08091386B2
A method of making decorative glass objects of any of a wide variety of appearances, structures and functions teaches that recycled glass bottles may be cut into disks, rings and other shapes using a diamond dust blade on a bandsaw, then firing the glass objects in a glass kiln to the point of slumping but not to melting, and finally by grinding the objects with a diamond head glass grinder. Glass objects made by the method of the invention betray their recycled origins with an eye-pleasing organic quality to finish and shape.
US08091372B1
A heat pump defrost system for efficiently defrosting an outdoor coil while simultaneously operating the heat pump in a normal heating manner. The heat pump defrost system generally includes a primary flow circuit including an indoor heat exchanger, an outdoor heat exchanger, a compressor connected thereto and a reverse valve for toggling a direction of refrigerant flow therethrough, and an auxiliary flow circuit for deicing the outdoor heat exchanger. The auxiliary flow circuit includes a valve for connecting the auxiliary flow circuit to the primary flow circuit, a heat sink in line with the auxiliary flow circuit, wherein the heat sink stores defrost fluid within the auxiliary flow circuit, at least one thermostat to read an outdoor ambient temperature and a control unit for operatively engaging the valve to direct the hot gas from the compressor of the primary circuit within the auxiliary flow circuit and the heat pump according to the outdoor ambient temperature for deicing the outdoor heat exchanger.
US08091338B2
An exhaust gas cleaning apparatus includes a LNT, a fuel adding device, an exhaust gas returning passage, and a controller. The LNT is provided in an exhaust gas passage of an engine. The fuel adding device is located upstream of the LNT to add fuel to exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust pipe. The exhaust gas returning passage branches off from the exhaust gas passage at a position downstream of the fuel adding device. The controller controls the apparatus to selectively operate in one of first and second modes according to the operating condition of the engine. In the first mode, the fuel adding device adds the fuel to the exhaust gas with the exhaust gas returning passage closed; in the second mode, the exhaust gas is partially returned to an intake air passage through the exhaust gas returning passage without the fuel being added by the fuel adding device.
US08091337B2
An exhaust treatment device and a method of conditioning the device that include a reactive compound capable of undergoing an endothermic reaction are described. A method of manufacturing the device is also disclosed.
US08091330B2
A harvesting machine includes a draper header with a header frame, a crop-cutting assembly attached to the header frame along the length thereof and configured to cut a crop, and a draper assembly positioned behind the crop-cutter assembly and operable to receive severed crop material from the crop-cutter assembly and convey the material laterally. The draper assembly includes a draper belt with a crop-retaining rib to retain severed crop material on the draper belt and to restrict movement of the crop material back to the crop-cutting assembly. At least one belt guard is attached to and disposed along the crop-cutting assembly.
US08091321B2
A surgical suture package for storing at least one surgical suture includes an outer jacket having a plurality of panels foldably connected to each other and adapted to fold upon each other to form an inner pocket and an inner retainer for positioning within the pocket of the outer jacket. The inner retainer includes a row of support panels having a main support panel for supporting the at least one suture, and a pair of side support panels foldably connected to the main support panel along respective opposed major sides of the main support panel. The side support panels are adapted to be folded onto the main support panel to at least partially enclose the at least one suture. A cover panel is foldably connected to the main support panel along a minor side of the main support panel, and is adapted to be folded onto the support panels. A row of closure panels including a main closure panel is foldably connected to the main support panel along a second minor side of the main closure panel, and a pair of side closure panels is foldably connected to the main closure panel along respective opposed major sides of the main closure panel. The main closure panel is adapted to be folded along the second minor side of the main support panel onto the main support panel and the side closure panels are adapted to be folded along the major sides of the main closure panel to at least partially enclose the support and cover panels.
US08091320B2
A system for automatically packaging prescription orders composed of one or more prescription containers. The system includes a printer for generating literature associated with each order and a packer for packing the prescription containers and the associated literature into a package. The packer has a scale or other means for determining the weight of the prescription containers. A packer controller calculates package weight information based on the container weight information. The package weight information is transmitted to a mail manifest system, which generates shipping information comprising postage. A labeler applies the shipping information to the package. The packer also includes a loading mechanism for inserting the prescription containers and the literature into the package.
US08091311B2
A composite integrated module may be used in a method for constructing a building. The module includes at least a floor member, and can also include a sidewall members installed on the floor member, and a ceiling member installed on the sidewall members. The floor member, sidewall members, and ceiling member can be connected to each other form an internal space. The floor member, sidewall members, and ceiling member have a formwork facing the internal space. Anchor members are mounted on the outer side of at least one of the formworks so as not to project into the internal space. A structure may be disposed in the internal space and mounted to the formwork with the anchor members by connecting removable tightening apparatuses to the anchor members from the internal space.
US08091309B2
The present invention provides thermal insulation products such as loose fill, batts and boards, such as duct boards and duct liner. The insulation products include randomly distributed inorganic fibers, which are supplemented with at least about five weight percent microspheres, macrospheres, or both, and preferably include hollow microspheres, which boost the insulation value of the fiberglass thermal insulation by at least about 0.5R.
US08091303B2
A translucent building block and method of manufacturing the same where the block has at least two oppositely oriented outer surfaces between which extend a plurality of translucent members that are mounted to a retainer which supports the translucent members spaced inwardly of opposite free ends thereof which extend outwardly from the retainer to points adjacent the at least two outer surfaces and wherein a plurality of openings are provided through the retainer to permit passage of cast material during introduction of the material about the translucent members within a mold during a manufacturing process.
US08091299B2
The present invention is a entryway protector for use with elevator door jamb panels to protect the surfaces of the panels from sustaining damage from collisions with moving equipment, building materials and furniture. The entryway protector includes the main sections and an angled guide and a minor section which is attached at approximately a right angle. The entryway protector is constructed of a material that is sufficiently rigid to protect the elevator door jamb panel and also to remain in proper position. The preferred material is polycarbonate. The entryway protector may be attached to the elevator door jamb panel by suction cups. Preferably the entryway protector is made at a height of approximately forty inches so that two entryway protectors are need for each elevator door jamb panel. Two entryway protectors can be attached together by one or more H clamps.
US08091281B1
A removable louver shutter comprises a shutter frame defining an opening and inserts mounted to the frame proximate to the opening. End caps are rotatably mounted along the inserts. Generally planar louvers are each removably attached between corresponding pairs of the end caps so as to be disposed within the opening. At least one link bar connects the end caps so as to move the louvers between an open position and a closed position.
US08091280B2
A vehicle is provided having a sensor for detecting a vehicle occupant's presence, and another sensor for detecting an owner's response with respect to automatically opening a vehicle closure panel. An actuator opens the closure panel when the occupant's presence and response are detected. A signal from an emitter outside the vehicle signals occupant presence. A photoelectric and/or optical device, audio receiver, and/or touch-sensitive sensor detects the response. The optical device projects a light beam, and breaking the beam with a gesture signals the response. An automatic closure panel opening apparatus has an RF receiver adapted to receive an RF signal to detect occupant presence, a sensor for detecting the occupant response, and an actuator for opening the closure panel when both the presence and occupant response are detected. A method for automatically opening the closure panel includes detecting an occupant presence and response, and automatically opening the closure panel when a predetermined response is detected.
US08091276B2
A method for efficiently delivering an aqueous solution to plants includes positioning a distal portion of a microporous hydrophobic tubing coated with a hydrophilic polymer adjacent a root system of a plant and channeling an aqueous solution from an inlet to the distal portion through a lumen. The tubing along the distal portion has a porosity adapted for permitting a flow of the aqueous solution therethrough when acted upon by a surfactant root exudate generated by the roots due to water stress. The aqueous solution is held in a reservoir, from which it can be channeled to the hydrophilic device's inlet. A nutrient solution can also be channeled to the plant roots via additional tubing.
US08091270B2
The present invention relates to fishing lures equipped with one or more light sources interacting and/or interfacing with one or more light transmission mediums. The light transmission medium acts to illuminate one or more areas proximate to the fishing lure to provide a natural luminance or iridescence. The light transmission medium can be made from a flexible translucent hot melt thermoplastic material extruded into a polymer lens and can be located on an outer surface of a body of the fishing lure or inside the body of the fishing lure. The light transmission medium can also be provided in the form of a soft flexible component made from Plastisol or other similar translucent materials. The light source can be embedded in or located proximate to the light transmission medium to amplify, intensify, and/or disperse light along the light transmission medium to provide a natural looking luminescence to the fishing lure.
US08091258B1
A device incorporating an erectile member that becomes erect upon being partially immersed in water. The erectile member is formed from a flexible tube that contains a hydrophilic material. The hydrophilic material swells when hydrated, pressurizing the tube and causing it to become erect. A decorative feature may be added to one end of the erectile member, such as a simulated flower blossom, and the device may be displayed in a vase. The device may be designed to return to its original drooping state once it has consumed all the water in the vase. Other features and embodiments are described herein.
US08091257B2
A steam iron includes a sensor for detecting and measuring movement of the steam iron. The sensor is coupled to an actuator that regulates the flow of steam via a valve located between a steam chamber and steam outlets. The sensor can detect movement in three directions (X, Y, Z) and adjust steam generation based on speed of movement of the iron and tilt angle. A pre-heater is used to pre-heat water in a water chamber. The pre-heated water is provided to a steam chamber where it is later converted to steam.
US08091255B2
An apparatus to gather and relocate benthic life and life supporting material for use in combination with a seabed or aquatic bed dredger, plough, mole or other seabed disturbing apparatus comprising a means of gathering the benthic life and life supporting material in, on or above the seabed in front of and in the path of the draghead or said seabed disturbing apparatus, thereby preventing entrainment or damage to the benthic life, and a means of releasing the benthic organisms and life supporting material via a directional exit duct, away from the work area.
US08091254B2
A biomechanics medical corrective shoe pad with far infrared ray energy fibers includes a bacteriostasis surface cloth layer, an inner foamed layer, a far infrared ray energy emitting fiber layer, a polyethene layer, and a bacteriostasis cloth layer, which are positioned one on another in sequence, and heat-pressed and joined together with a mold; the far infrared ray energy emitting fiber layer includes a fiber, and far infrared ray energy containing mineral granules joined on the fiber; the shoe pad includes a peripheral area, a supporting area, and a cambering area, which undergo different-temperature heat-pressing processes; the supporting area and the cambering area are shaped according to ergonomics and human dynamics and in such a manner as to match pressure-responsive points of a man's sole; therefore, the shoe pad can absorb shock, reduce pressure, provide sufficient protection and support, and massage the wearer's foot.
US08091241B2
An electric hair remover, includes: a body part having a head end part in a longitudinal direction, a blade part for cutting hair being formed at the head end part; a holder part mounted to the body part in such a configuration as to slide along the longitudinal direction of the body part and to rotate.
US08091233B2
A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head including a plurality of passages on a substrate, the passages communicating with a plurality of discharge ports configured to discharge liquid. The method includes the step of forming first, second, third, and fourth members, the first member having a shape of one passage, the second member having a shape of another member, the third member being formed near the first member, the fourth member being formed near the second member, the first to fourth members being formed on a surface of the substrate. The method also includes coating the substrate with a cover layer covering the first to fourth members, removing the first member to form the one passage, and removing the second member to form the another passage.
US08091230B2
A method and apparatus for forming a closely spaced radial array of overlapping twisted airfoil blades or vanes. The apparatus comprises an electro-discharge machine that articulates an electrode (150), electrode (150) being in the form of an elongate and substantially rigid (non-wire) curved element which is turned by a tool holder (130) as it is advanced on a helical path. As the electrode (150) is advanced toward the edge surface of the blank it forms the inner surface of each airfoil blade with its outer curve, and forms the outer surface of each airfoil blade with its inner curve. As the electrode (150) is advanced through the blank it is twisted to give the first groove a helical form, thereby forming a twisted airfoil blade.
US08091228B2
A method of repair of a turbine blade involves inspecting a turbine blade having an internal cavity and a cap. The cap is removed and replaced with a replacement cap. The replacement cap has an opening. The opening provides access to the internal cavity of the internal blade so that the replacement cap may be attached to the turbine blade through the opening.
US08091218B2
Provided is a bending rigid printed wiring board which facilitate the mounting of electric parts (realization of a high producibility and high assemblability substrate circuit) and enables spaces to be saved and which can be easily manufactured.That is, provided is a bending rigid printed wiring board, which is characterized in that a heat resistant resin layer is laminated on a front surface of a hard core material provided so as to contain a gap portion and also on a top surface of the gap portion, in that a heat resistant resin layer is laminated on a rear surface of the core material except the gap portion, in that a conductor layer is laminated and firmly fixed via the heat resistant resin layers and in that the conductor layer is etched, whereby a circuit is formed.
US08091213B2
A display change device is formed by connecting and thereby integrating an installation/removal device and a card display change device together. The card installation/removal device is configured to have at a back side thereof a pressure reception wall, at a further back side of which a position adjustment mechanism part is provided. The position adjustment mechanism part is configured to include a seat member, a moving part, and a drive part. The position adjustment mechanism part is configured to strike and move the card installation/removal device by an eccentric cam. The position adjustment mechanism part moves the eccentric cam far from the pressure reception wall under the condition that a reaction force Fr received by the eccentric cam becomes larger than a force Fa for pulling the moving part toward the pressure reception wall side.
US08091212B2
A method of manufacturing a panel switch is provided. The panel switch includes insulating films and a base layer having a stationary contact. Each insulating film includes an adhesive layer, and an apex portion of a moving contact adhered to the adhesive layer. The insulating films are aligned and adhered on top of each other and the adhered insulating films are aligned and adhered to the base layer such that the locations of the moving contacts of the respective insulating films align with the stationary contact of the base layer. The method includes applying an adhesive layer to an insulating film; adhering a moving contact onto the adhesive layer; aligning the moving contact with a stationary contact of a base member and adhering the insulating film to the base member; and cutting and removing an excess portion from the insulating film with a laser.
US08091211B2
A reactor coil includes first and second coil elements each formed by edgewise and rectangular winding of one piece of rectangular wire rod in a manner in which the wound rectangular wire rod is stacked rectangularly and cylindrically and, at a winding terminating end point of the first coil element, the rectangular wire rod is bent approximately 90 degrees in a direction opposite to the winding direction of the first coil element so that the rectangular wire rod is stacked in a direction opposite to the stacking direction of the first coil element and is wound edgewisely and rectangularly in a direction opposite to the winding direction of the first coil element to form the second coil element and, as a result, the first coil element and second coil element are aligned in parallel to each other in a continuous state.
US08091195B2
A trigger device is mounted on a rivet gun. The rivet gun has a barrel, a handle and a pneumatic cylinder. The trigger device has an inlet channel defined in the handle, an outlet hole defined through the handle and communicating with the barrel, a valve-driving channel defined in the handle and communicating with the pneumatic cylinder, a space defined in the handle and communicating with the inlet channel, outlet channel and valve-driving channel. A trigger member is mounted on the handle. A two-step pressing assembly is mounted in the space and may be activated to control the rivet gun to eject a core pin of a used rivet or rivet pieces with an unused rivet. High-pressure air from an air source connected to the rivet gun is output only during the ejection operation of the rivet gun to prevent unnecessary air consumption and noise.
US08091192B2
A device for surface blasting, e.g., for ultrasonic shot blasting, components, e.g., gas turbine components, includes at least one vibrator having an oscillating surface, e.g., having at least one ultrasonic sonotrode, the or each oscillating surface of the or each vibrator being adjoined by a machining chamber for receiving a section to be blasted of the component to be machined. The machining chamber is bounded in its cross-section by at least three sides, e.g., by at least two substantially vertical sides and by at least one substantially horizontal side. At least the substantially vertical sides of the machining chamber are formed by oscillating surfaces of in each case one vibrator.
US08091186B2
A slider for a fluid tight slide fastener has upper and lower wings joined by a guide post and a guide plate provided between the upper and lower wings and spaced there from to cooperate with the upper and lower wings to guide coupling elements and sealing lips of the slide fastener. The upper wing is provided with upper side flanges which extend from the trailing end of the upper wing to a position at least as far forward as the forward end of the guide post.
US08091183B2
A wire grip is adapted for fastening a wire and mounted to a tension device which pulls the wire grip to produce a pulling force to the wire. The wire grip includes a basic body and a capstan. The capstan is slidably mounted to the basic body for fastening an end portion of the wire and enabling the wire to be wrapped thereon. The capstan is movable in a direction relative to an axis thereof whereby to ensure the pulling force provided by the tension device is in alignment direction with the pulling force received by a middle portion of the wire.
US08091181B2
An apparatus for adding moisture to cotton in a cotton ginning process utilizes a quick response heater generate a heated air flow which is routed to a series of conduits passing through a reservoir of water to raise water to at or near boiling to generate vapor at atmospheric pressure which is entrained in a portion of the heated air flow which is directed to the battery condenser and/or gin stand.
US08091177B2
A fan includes a hub and blades. A first edge of each blade is proximate an open end of the hub. A first rib is coupled to the hub and substantially aligned with a first plane intersecting the central axis and an intersection of the first edge of the first blade with the hub. The first plane is angularly spaced from a reference plane intersecting the central axis and an intersection of the first edge of the second blade with the hub. An angular spacing between the first plane and the reference plane defines one sector. A second rib is aligned with a second plane angularly positioned between the first plane and the reference plane at a location less than or equal to about (1/nR−0.05) sectors from the first plane, in which nR equals the number of ribs divided by the number of blades.
US08091176B2
The device for decelerating at least the closing rotation of a furniture hinge, comprises a container housing a first rotating friction element in contact at a first friction surface with the bottom of the container, a second fixed friction element overlapped to the first rotating friction element with which it is in contact at a second friction surface, and at least a third rotating friction element overlapped to the second fixed friction element with which it is in contact with at least a third friction surface, constraint means between the first friction element and the third friction element, a slider movable along a direction of translation at least during closing rotation and kinematic means for conversion of the translation of the slider into a rotation of the first and third friction element in such a manner as to create a dragging friction at the first, second and third friction surface.
US08091173B2
Wiper apparatus for wiping a window glass of a vehicle includes: an arm shank pivotably supported at its proximal end portion on a vehicle near a window glass and having an opening portion opposed to the window glass and an inner space located inwardly of the opening portion; an arm piece mounted to a distal end portion of the arm shank and having a wiper blade attached thereto; and a wind-noise preventing device provided between the arm piece and the proximal end portion of the arm shank and having a portion protruding through the opening portion toward the window glass so as to prevent traveling wind from entering the inner space through the opening portion.
US08091171B2
A device and method for coupling a floor cleaning implement to a floor cleaning machine. The device and method selectively couple a floor cleaning implement, such as a pad or brush, in manner that can be easily released and connected. In one embodiment the coupling device comprises a plate having a first and second channel coupled to opposite edges of the plate. The channels are dimensioned and configured to receive edges of the cleaning implement. At least one channel has projecting members that selectively prevent the cleaning implement from leaving the channel. In some embodiments, the plate has a plurality of recesses dimensioned and configured to selectively receive projections extending from the cleaning implement. The projections of the cleaning implement only fully engage the recesses of the coupling device when an actuator presses the cleaning implement against a floor.
US08091170B2
An oral care implement having a handle and a head having a flexible support from which cleaning elements extend. In one aspect, the invention can be an oral care implement comprising: a handle; a head attached to the handle; a flexible support attached to the head and having a face; a plurality of cleaning elements attached to the flexible support and projecting outwardly from the face, the cleaning elements including bristles and wall-like elements and being movable in the outward direction from the head; wherein the cleaning elements comprise a row of first cleaning elements substantially aligned along a longitudinal axis of the head and traversing a central region of the flexible support; and wherein some of the wall-like cleaning elements laterally radiate from the central region of the flexible support.
US08091169B2
The invention relates to a mobile floor-cleaning appliance having a housing in which a cleaning tool is mounted, and having a handle holder which is mounted on the housing and is adapted to be connected to a handle in order to guide the appliance along a floor surface which is to be cleaned. In order to develop the mobile floor-cleaning appliance such that the handle holder can be reliably arrested in a rest position and can easily be transferred from the rest position into an operating position, it is proposed according to the invention that the handle holder is adapted to be pivoted about two pivot axes oriented obliquely or perpendicularly in relation to one another and is adapted to be arrested in a rest position, at least one arresting element being associated with each of the two pivot axes, for arresting the handle holder, wherein it is possible to eliminate the arresting action on the handle holder in relation to the two pivot axes by virtue of the handle holder being pivoted as desired out of the rest position about one of the two pivot axes.
US08091158B2
A shower bathing apparatus is described as including a seat and a first water discharger provided rearward and upward in relation to the seat. The first water discharger is configured to discharge water in a direction forward of the seat. A water discharge direction from the first water discharger and a positional relationship between the first water discharger and the seat may be adjustable so that the water discharged from the first water discharger is able to reach the seat or forward of the seat. The water discharged from the first water discharger may further flow from above a seat occupant's shoulder to the seat occupant's leg.
US08091156B1
The universal wall mount toilet gasket has a planar configuration and has at least one opening therein for engagement about a drain, the gasket being maintained in position by a base of the toilet engaged thereover.
US08091150B2
The batting helmet is a training helmet having an extendable panel on each side of the helmet. Each panel is slidably mounted in a hollow case or sheath attached to the ear flap and extends forward from the ear flap at eye level. The panel is extendable in discrete increments, preferably to three different lengths, to offer a greater or lesser degree of restriction of the batter's field of vision according to the batter's skill level. In order to accomplish incremental extension, the panel has a resilient tab or button that locks into one of a plurality of slots defined in the case to lock the panel at the desired length. The panel restricts the batter's vision to focus the batter's attention on the pitched ball, often requiring the batter to turn his head to see the ball leave the pitcher's hand and follow its flight.
US08091146B1
A removable liner assembly for pants includes first and second separating liner members joined together. Separating torso covering sections are joined to form an entry opening by a separating zipper assembly having a zipper section secured to each torso covering section of the liner member. A zipper slide member secured to one zipper section engages and disengages the zipper sections. A pull cord member fastened to the zipper slide member is anchored to the torso covering section, near the box end of the zipper section containing the zipper slide member. The zipper sections are disengaged with the pull cord member. An individual wearing the removable liner assembly beneath a pair of pants disengages the separating zipper assembly by pulling the cord member. This separates the first and second liner members. The individual removes each liner member from within the pants through the foot exit openings.
US08091145B2
Examples of a nursing cover are described, including a sheet having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a first side edge and a second side edge, wherein a strap is coupled to the top edge of the sheet and a plurality of D-rings are coupled using another strap to the top edge of the sheet, and a stiffener stitched into the top edge of the sheet and coupled to the sheet using a stitch configured to prevent the stiffener from rotating within a stiffener pocket, the stiffener having a first end cap disposed on a first end of the stiffener and a second end cap disposed on a second end of the stiffener, wherein the stiffener, when worn, bows outward to provide a viewing area, the stiffener having a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape wherein the first end cap and the second end cap each comprise a substantially rectangular cavity that is configured to receive the first end and the second end of the stiffener, respectively, wherein the stiffener has a material memory associated with a pre-determined shape, the stiffener assuming the pre-determined shape during a resting state and, when a force is applied, the stiffener is configured to temporarily deform and, when the force is removed, the stiffener reassumes the pre-determined shape.
US08095986B2
The present invention is a method for enabling a trusted dialog for collection of sensitive data, including the steps of: storing a personal security token specified by a user; receiving an input dialog request from an application; determining whether the application is a signed application; and, if a determination is made that the application is a signed application, accessing the personal security token and allowing the input dialog to be displayed with the personal security token and signed application identification.
US08095985B2
In a protected media path for delivering content from a source to a sink, a source authority (SOTA) on behalf of the source decides with regard to a policy corresponding to the content that a particular type of action with the content is to be refused, and provides a particular enabler to an application. The provided enabler includes information and methods necessary for the application to obtain data necessary to respond to the refusal. The application receives the enabler at an interface thereof and the interface applies a common interaction procedure to run the enabler to obtain the data necessary to respond to the refusal.
US08095982B1
A security analyzer includes a single software application that both sends test messages to a device under analysis (DUA) and receives response messages generated by the DUA in response to the test messages. In this way, synchronization of which response messages correspond to which test messages can be reduced or avoided. The software application further determines whether the DUA operated correctly by analyzing the received response messages.
US08095979B2
Analysis of audit information that takes into account a wide context allows for a rich picture from which system conditions may be assessed. Event information about various events that have occurred or are occurring, on various sources in the computing arrangement, is maintained. Each entity has an “activity identifier”, which remains the same across various events performed by that entity at the various sources. Event information associated with the various sources is contextually analyzed on the basis of the activity identifier, to assess whether a condition exists that impacts the performance and/or security of the computing arrangement. In case it is determined that such a condition exists, an action is performed to remediate the condition.
US08095977B2
A secure channel is established between a processor and a smart card such that authentication can be achieved without transmitting a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to or from the smart card in the clear. A session ticket indicative of the PIN is generated, and the session ticket is securely negotiated between the computer and the smart card instead of the PIN. Also, a trusted path is established between a user and the operating system of the processor for allowing the user to enter a PIN. A trusted computing base is established in the processor for receiving the PIN from the user and performing operations associated therewith.
US08095975B2
A document merging method and system. The method includes receiving by a computing system from a first user, a plurality of documents and a command for tagging portions of each document according to various parameters. The computing system assigns identification tags to the portions of each document. The computing system receives from a second user, a command for generating a merged document. The computing system receives a selection of a first identification tag associated with a first document and a selection of a second identification tag associated with a second document. The computing system generates a merged document comprising a first portion of the first document and said second portion of the second document. The computing system stores the merged document.
US08095974B2
Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for identification verification. A signature, representing the presence of a device, is acquired. The signature is compared to a reference signature. When the signature favorably compares to the reference signature, then the identity of a user associated with the device is verified.
US08095969B2
Security assertion revocation enables a revocation granularity in a security scheme down to the level of individual assertions. In an example implementation, a security token includes multiple respective assertions that are associated with multiple respective assertion identifiers. More specifically, each individual assertion is associated with at least one individual assertion identifier.
US08095967B2
A secure authentication process detects and prevents phishing and pharming attacks for specific web sites. The process is based on a dedicated secure hardware store for user sign-in credentials, a database of information about specific web sites, and a private secure browser. All user web activity is monitored by an agent program. The agent program checks to make sure that user attempts to send any sign-in credentials stored in secure hardware store of user sign-in credentials, to any web site accessed by the user, is allowed only if the IP address of the web site accessed by the user matches at least one of the IP addresses stored web site database associated with the sign-in credential the user is attempting to send. The process also detects mismatches between a URL and the actual IP address of the web site associated with the URL.
US08095951B1
Systems and methods for a video scan are provided. The scan may be dynamically interactive and a function of characteristics of the programs in the scan (e.g., commercial breaks or the end of a program approaching) The scan may simultaneously display multiple scan windows for a plurality of programs, for example in a scan wizard. The scan wizard allows the user to simultaneously view a scan window and an information panel, select criteria for the scan from a criteria panel, and control the scan using a scan control panel. The scan may allow the user to record a program displayed in the scan without interrupting the scan (e.g., by using an additional tuner). The scan may display, within the scan interface, trick-play functions for appropriate scanned programs (e.g., recorded, cached and on-demand programs). The user may select and perform trick-play functions for a scanned program without exiting the scan mode.
US08095950B1
A computer-assisted method of preparing video and audio content for playback at a plurality of facilities. The method includes transferring the content from a central network computer to at least one remote playback system located in each of the facilities. The method also includes generating, using the central network computer, at least one playlist for each of the facilities, the playlist for determining an order of playback of the content and transferring each of the playlists from the central network computer to the playback system in each of the facilities.
US08095941B2
A system for generating an electronic notice programmed to display a portion of a day out of the office notice. The system including an application server node configured to execute a personal information management application. An application programming interface is programmatically associated with the personal information management application for allowing requests for services to be transmitted to the personal information management application. At least one of a rich client delegate and a remote EJB housing the API, the rich client delegate and the remote EJB being programmatically associated with the application server node and the personal information management application. The rich client delegate being configured to receive and transmit data to the API via a network. At least one client node is operably associated with the application server node via the network. Each client node having a user interface (UI) that is programmatically associated with the personal information management application.
US08095932B2
A method and apparatus for providing quality of service in a multi-processing element environment based on priority is herein described. Consumption of resources, such as a reservation station and a pipeline, are biased towards a higher priority processing element. In a reservation station, mask elements are set to provide access for higher priority processing elements to more reservation entries. In a pipeline, bias logic provides a ratio of preference for selection of a high priority processing element for further processing in the pipeline.
US08095930B2
A computer application program executing on a computer, such as a portable computer, is selected for termination by first identifying computer application programs executing on the computer. A priority value is assigned to each of the identified computer applications. The priority value is based on multiple characteristics of the identified computer application programs. The computer application program with the smallest priority value is automatically terminated. If the computer application program with the smallest priority value is in a modal state in which it waits for a response from a user, then a default response is provided to the application prior to terminating the computer application program. The characteristics associated with the computer application programs may include average launch times, average memory usages, a class or type of application, frequencies of usage, and an amount of data stored on the computer by the computer application program.
US08095924B2
A method and apparatus to upgrade a driver of an image forming apparatus. The method includes accessing a website having a website driver program useable by the image forming apparatus, converting a class mode of the image forming apparatus from an original class mode to a predetermined class mode that is different from the original class mode, comparing a driver program stored in the image forming apparatus with the website driver program on the website, and downloading the website driver program from the website and storing the website driver program in the image forming apparatus when the website driver program is a later version than the stored driver program.
US08095919B2
The illustrative embodiment of the present invention provides a platform that enables a content developer to distribute uniform content to multiple types of requesting mobile devices. By authoring content in a generic markup language and using the technologies included in the Mobile Content Framework (MCF), the content developer is able to provide content to multiple types devices without providing different versions of the content. The content may be authored originally in the generic markup language or translated from other languages into the generic markup language by the MCF. The MCF exploits the capabilities and accommodates the limitations of different types of wireless devices by converting generic markup language content to device-specific content. The MCF interacts with device registries holding records of the device attributes in order to provide the device-specific content. The MCF handles these issues for current mobile devices while also being extensible for future mobile devices.
US08095915B2
A system and method for supporting tracking of data values of original source code at execution of a translated target version of the source code on a computer system. The system associates references to target data value containers in the target code with corresponding address information of original data value containers of the source code during program code translation. The system also stores, at execution of the target code, information related to target code instructions together with associated address information of original data value containers of the source code to uphold a data value view of the original source code.
US08095910B2
Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for creating interruptible client-side scripts. Input is received from a developer to write original code for a web application in at least one client-side script. A code injection process is programmatically performed to modify the original code to make one or more parts of an execution of the code interruptible in the client-side script. The code injection process parses a code segment of a client-side script to retrieve a next code segment. If the next code segment has at least one conditional semantic construct, then code is injected in the form of one or more script functions that will transition execution flow from the original code segment into the one or more script functions that are operable to interrupt execution of the client-side script upon user request. The modified code resulting from the code injection process is saved for the web application.
US08095902B2
A design structure for a computer-aided design system for generating a functional design model of an integrated circuit design (having nets comprising wires) determines critical parameters for coupling noise between the wires of the nets and acceptable limits for the critical parameters. Further, methods herein include designing a ring oscillator to have stages, each of the stages measuring only one of the critical parameters. This ring oscillator is then included within an integrated circuit design and associated design structure. The embodiments herein produce an integrated circuit according to this integrated circuit design and operate the ring oscillator within the integrated circuit to measure the critical parameters of the integrated circuit and produce test results. These test results are output to determine whether the test results are within the acceptable limits.
US08095901B2
A design coordination engine coordinates design implementation among a manufacturing facility, a customer, an IP vendor, and a design group during the design phase of a semiconductor device. The design coordination engine includes a tracking module configured to track design information updates in a design database. The design coordination engine also includes an alert module configured to notify a customer who has accessed a file associated with information updates that occurred during a predefined period of time.
US08095894B2
First, multiple circuit patterns, which will eventually make an LSI, are designed on a cell-by-cell basis, and an initial placement is made for the circuit patterns designed. Next, optical proximity corrections are performed on at least two of the circuit patterns that have been initially placed to be adjacent to or cross each other, thereby forming optical proximity corrected patterns out of the adjacent or crossing circuit patterns. Then, it is determined whether or not optical proximity corrections can be performed effectively using the corrected patterns. If the effectiveness of the corrections is negated, a design rule defining the circuit patterns is changed to make the corrections effective. Thereafter, the initially placed circuit patterns are placed again in accordance with the design rule changed.
US08095888B2
A mobile terminal including a wireless communication unit configured to connect to the Internet to receive a Web page, a display unit configured to display the Web page, and a controller configured to receive an input signal corresponding to a selection of at least one image included in the displayed Web page, to hide or un-hide the selected at least one image, and to reconfigure and display the reconfigured Web page such that an image region where the selected at least one image is located is reduced and other regions of the Web page are increased when the selected at least one image is hid.
US08095883B2
A system for indicating a default value for a property of a selected object to a user within a graphical user interface (GUI) of a program module is provided. The property has a value and a state that can be set. The state of the property is one of a default state and a user-set state. The value of the property is assigned the default value when the state is the default state. The system comprises a GUI control having first, second, and third interface elements. The first interface element is configured to indicate the value of the property to the user. The second interface element is configured to indicate the state of the property to the user. The third interface element is configured to indicate the default value for the property to the user when the state of the property is the user-set state.
US08095869B2
A system and method are disclosed for managing target documents referred to by referring documents. A user sends a delete request for a referring document from a user client computer to a master server computer. Next, the master server computer accesses and deletes the referring document, updates a counter for a target document hypertext linked to the referring document, and updates a database, which contained the deleted referring document. The master server computer then determines whether the count for the counter of the target document equals zero. If the counter for the referring document is not equal to zero, the master server computer sends a message to the user indicating that the referring document has been deleted and sends a message to the user asking whether the user wants to delete another referring document. If the user wants to delete another referring document the process goes back to the initial process step, and the user sends another delete request for a referring document. However, if the counter for the referring document equals zero, the master server computer sends a message to the user indicating that the referring document has been deleted and then sends a message to an author of the target document (author client) asking whether the author client wants to delete the target document. Automatic deletion of target documents is also disclosed. Further disclosed are systems and methods for viewing, creating, and providing security for target documents referred to in referring documents.
US08095863B2
An improved decoder and decoding method for low density parity check (LDPC) codes is provided. Decoding proceeds by repetitive message passing from a set of variable nodes to a set of check nodes, and from the check nodes back to the variable nodes. The variable node output messages include a “best guess” as to the relevant bit value, along with a weight giving the confidence in the, guess. The check node output messages have magnitudes selected from a predetermined set including neutral, weak, medium and strong magnitudes. The check node output messages tend to reinforce the status quo of the input variable nodes if the check node parity check is satisfied, and tend to flip bits in the input variable nodes if the check node parity check is not satisfied. The variable node message weights are used to determine the check node message magnitudes.
US08095858B2
The present invention discloses a solution for automatically replacing a media files upon a device able to identify problems with locally stored media files. Initially, an automated process or user of a media playing device can initially identify a media file, which the media playing device is unable to play. The media playing device can be connected to an external device associated with a media store including a set of source media files. The source media files of the media store can be automatically queried for a corresponding one of the detected media file. A copy of a source media file resulting from the query can be automatically conveyed from the media store to the media playing device.
US08095854B2
An approach for generating a structured Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes is provided. Structure of the LDPC codes is provided by restricting a certain part of the parity check matrix to be lower triangular, hence enabling a very simple encoding method that does not require the generator matrix of the code. The approach can also exploit the unequal error protecting capability of LDPC codes on transmitted bits to provide extra error protection to more vulnerable bits of high order modulation constellations (such as 8-PSK (Phase Shift Keying)).
US08095853B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus for operating digital memory including determining, by a controller, a bit to be written to the digital memory and writing, by the controller, the bit. The bit may be part of a data word comprising a plurality of bits and both the determining and the writing may be performed at a granularity level finer than a data word. In embodiments, the bit to be written may be determined by error correction.
US08095847B2
A computer program product, apparatus, and method for handling exception condition feedback at a channel subsystem of an I/O processing system using data from a control unit are provided. The computer program product includes a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method. The method includes sending a command message to the control unit, and receiving a response message in response to the command message. The response message includes exception condition feedback identifying a termination reason code in response to unsuccessful execution of at least one command in the command message. The method also includes interrupting a CPU in the I/O processing system, and reporting status associated with the exception condition feedback to the CPU in an interrupt response block.
US08095834B2
Methods and apparatus for executing internal operations of memory devices utilizing instructions stored in the memory array of the memory device are disclosed. Decode blocks adapted to interpret instructions and data stored in the memory device are also disclosed. Methods can be used to perform internal self-test operations of the memory device by executing test procedures stored in the memory array of the memory device performing a self-test operation.
US08095825B2
This method is an error correction method such that, when an error is detected in a CPU with pipeline structure, a content of a register file is restored by a delayed register file which holds an execute completion state of an [Instruction N] correctly executed before this error, and a rollback control that re-executes an instruction from the [Instruction N+1] which is the next instruction of the [Instruction N] is performed. The method collects a parity check result of arbitrary Flip-Flops existing inside the CPU, and detects an error. As a result, the content of the register file is restored into the instruction execute completion state preceding to the instruction range likely to malfunction by the error, and the instruction can be roll backed from the beginning of the instruction range likely having malfunctioned by the error.
US08095824B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for selecting a first transaction execution mode to begin a first transaction in a unbounded transactional memory (UTM) system having a plurality of transaction execution modes. These transaction execution modes include hardware modes to execute within a cache memory of a processor, a hardware assisted mode to execute using transactional hardware of the processor and a software buffer, and a software transactional memory (STM) mode to execute without the transactional hardware. The first transaction execution mode can be selected to be a highest performant of the hardware modes if no pending transaction is executing in the STM mode, otherwise a lower performant mode can be selected. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08095823B2
A processing system for assisting computer programs running in a distributed computer system is disclosed, the processing system including: a detector for detecting that a running program has encountered a problem caused by not having direct access to another piece of code; a requisitioner for obtaining the other piece of code from another part of the system; and a controller for controlling the computer to re-run the program from a point before the problem was encountered, in such a way that it has the necessary direct access to the other piece of code.
US08095822B2
The present invention is devised so that snapshot data preparation processing does not end abnormally as a result of the pool region becoming full with saved data from the primary logical volume during snapshot data preparation. When the CHA receives a snapshot data preparation request, the CHA checks whether or not update information is present in the logical volume that is the object of this data preparation. If such information is present (YES in S51), a check is made from the number of slots in the in the volume control information and the updating amount count value in the update information in order to ascertain whether or not the proportion of the updating amount relative to the number of slots is equal to or greater than the threshold value in the threshold value control information (S52). If this proportion is equal to or greater than the threshold value (YES in S52), the update information is initialized (S53), and physical snapshot control is started (S54). If such is not the case (NO in S52), the update information is initialized (S55), and logical snapshot control is started (S56).
US08095819B2
A failure cause analysis system for estimating a cause of a failure in a communication network from recorded contents of internal processing of a communication apparatus includes: feature extraction means for extracting a statistical feature of the recorded contents at a time of occurrence of a failure; and failure cause estimation means for estimating a failure cause based on similarity between a statistical feature of the recorded contents that is acquired at a time of occurrence of a past failure with a known failure cause and the statistical feature of the recorded contents that is acquired at the time of occurrence of the failure. The failure cause analysis system of a communication network provided can acquire the correspondence between failure features and failure causes from past failure cases irrespective of the number of cases as to communication network failures that are detected from process logs retained in communication apparatuses, and quantitatively incorporate the range of dispersion of the features into a judgment to estimate the cause of occurrence of a failure.
US08095817B2
According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes a sound controller which reproduces a sound signal, and a sound driver which controls a drive of the sound controller. The sound driver includes a volume full-mute determination unit which determines whether or not the apparatus is set in a volume full-mute state of making zero sound output volume, and a control unit which determines whether or not the apparatus is set in a volume full-mute state by using the volume full-mute determination unit when a sound signal reproduce request is made while the sound controller has transferred to a power saving mode, and maintains the sound controller in a power saving mode when the apparatus is set in a volume full-mute state.
US08095813B2
Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide a clock generation apparatus, system, and method, which include power management. The apparatus is couplable to second circuitry which has a clock input terminal and an inverted clock output terminal. An exemplary apparatus comprises a clock generator, a sensor, and a processor. The clock generator provides a clock signal on a first terminal which is couplable to the clock input terminal of the second circuitry. The sensor is coupled to a second terminal which is couplable to the inverted clock output terminal, and detects a power conservation mode and a power resumption mode of the second circuitry. The processor is adapted to reduce power to the clock generator and to provide a first predetermined voltage or a second predetermined voltage to the first and second terminals in response to the detection of the power conservation mode, and to increase power to the clock generator in response to the detection of the power resumption mode.
US08095811B2
Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for reducing power consumption while synchronizing a plurality of compute nodes during execution of a parallel application that include: beginning, by each compute node, performance of a blocking operation specified by the parallel application, each compute node beginning the blocking operation asynchronously with respect to the other compute nodes; reducing, for each compute node, power to one or more hardware components of that compute node in response to that compute node beginning the performance of the blocking operation; and restoring, for each compute node, the power to the hardware components having power reduced in response to all of the compute nodes beginning the performance of the blocking operation.
US08095806B2
Disclosed are a method of simulating power and a power simulator. The power simulator includes a static information extracting unit that extracts static information with respect to execution of the second instruction; a dynamic information extracting unit that extracts dynamic information with respect to the execution of the second instruction; and a calculation unit that calculates an estimated power of the processor based on the static information and the dynamic information.
US08095801B2
A method of protecting a microcomputer system against manipulation of data stored in a memory assembly of the microcomputer system is provided. The method may protect, for example, a control program stored in the memory assembly of a motor vehicle control device. To secure and reliably protect the microcomputer system against manipulation of the data, the data is stored in the memory assembly marked or encrypted using an asymmetrical encryption method. The data may, for example, be encrypted outside the microcomputer system using an encryption algorithm and a private key, which is accessible to only a limited group of persons. The data may be decrypted in the microcomputer system using a decryption algorithm and a freely accessible public key.
US08095800B2
A cryptographic system (100) and methodology executable within the cryptographic system (100) enable the use of a programmable logic device PLD (108) in a single chip cryptographic design flow for secure cryptographic services. Methodology for secure configuration of the PLD (108) within a cryptographic system 100 entails secure configuration and authentication (202), functional verification (204), configuration key reload capability (206), traffic key load capability (208) using a split key technique, isolation between command and key fill domains for secure key fill (210) of key material, redundant system instantiation (212), and high speed comparison for secure operation.
US08095795B2
The present invention describes methods and apparatus involving embedding data. Data can be embedded steganographically in content or embedded in, e.g., headers associated with the content. In one implementation, a method of embedding auxiliary information in data is provided. The method includes receiving data and correlated data. The correlated data is related to but independent from the received data. The method further includes receiving auxiliary information, the auxiliary information being independent of the received data and the correlated data; changing the auxiliary information based on at least the correlated data; and embedding the changed auxiliary information in the received data. Other implementations are also provided.
US08095794B2
A system and method of generating a watermarked signal are disclosed. The system segments the signal into overlapping blocks using a window function and processes the overlapping blocks according to whether each block is odd- or even-numbered. The system windows the odd-numbered blocks, modulates the phase of each block in the frequency domain, transforms each modulated block in the time domain, windows each block transformed into the time domain and overlap-adds each odd-numbered block with each even-numbered block to generate the watermarked signal.
US08095792B2
A cryptosystem prevents replay attacks within existing authentication protocols, susceptible to such attacks but containing a random component, without requiring modification to said protocols. The entity charged with authentication maintains a list of previously used bit patterns, extracted from a portion of the authentication message connected to the random component. If the bit pattern has been seen before, the message is rejected; if the bit pattern has not been seen before, the bit pattern is added to the stored list and the message is accepted.
US08095780B2
A multi-issue processor includes a register file and a plurality of issue slots, each one of the plurality of issue slots having a plurality of functional units and a plurality of holdable registers. The plurality of issue slots include a first set of issue slots and a second set of issue slots, and the register file is accessible by the plurality of issue slots. A location of at least a part of the plurality of holdable registers in the first set of issue slots is different from a location of at least a corresponding part of the plurality of holdable registers in the second set of issue slots.
US08095779B2
The present invention provides system and method for a group priority issue schema for a cascaded pipeline. The system includes a cascaded delayed execution pipeline unit having a plurality of execution pipelines that execute instructions in a common issue group in a delayed manner relative to each other. The system further includes circuitry configured to: (1) receive an issue group of instructions; (2) determine if a plurality of load instructions are in the issue group, if so, schedule the plurality of load instructions in descending order of longest dependency chain depth to shortest dependency chain depth in a shortest to longest available execution pipelines; and (3) execute the issue group of instructions in the cascaded delayed execution pipeline unit.
US08095778B1
Sharing functional units within a multithreaded processor. In one embodiment, the multithreaded processor may include a multithreaded instruction source that may provide an instruction from each of a plurality of thread groups in a given cycle. A given thread group may include one or more instructions from one or more threads. The arbitration functionality may arbitrate between the plurality of thread groups for access to a functional unit such as a load store unit, for example, that may be shared between the thread groups.
US08095777B2
A design structure embodied in a machine readable medium used in a design process includes an apparatus for predictive decoding, the apparatus including register logic for fetching an instruction; predictor logic containing predictor information including prior instruction execution characteristics; logic for obtaining predictor information for the fetched instruction from the predictor; and decode logic for generating a selected one of a plurality of decode operation streams corresponding to the fetched instruction, wherein the decode operation stream is selected based on the predictor information.
US08095774B1
Systems and methods for pre-fetching of data in a memory are provided. By pre-fetching stored data from a slower memory into a faster memory, the amount of time required for data retrieval and/or processing may be reduced. First, data is received and pre-scanned to generate a sample fingerprint. Fingerprints stored in a faster memory that are similar to the sample fingerprint are identified. Data stored in the slower memory associated with the identified stored fingerprints is copied into the faster memory. The copied data may be compared to the received data. Various embodiments may be included in a network memory architecture to allow for faster data matching and instruction generation in a central appliance.
US08095769B2
A method for address comparison, the method includes: (i) receiving an input address; (ii) determining whether the input address is within a memory segment out of a group of memory segments by comparing, in parallel, the input address to memory segment boundaries of each memory segment of the group; (iii) wherein a comparison between the input address and a memory segment boundary comprises: (a) applying a XOR operation on bits of a most significant portion of the input address and corresponding bits of a most significant portion of the memory segment boundary; (b) ignoring bits of a least significant portion of the input address and corresponding bits of a least significant portion of the memory segment boundary; and (c) comparing, by utilizing a set of full comparators, between bits of an intermediate portion of the input address and corresponding bits of an intermediate portion of the memory segment boundary; wherein a location of bits that form the intermediate portion of the input address and of the memory segment boundary is selected in response to an alignment restriction imposed on the memory segment, to a size of the memory segment and in response to a boundary restriction imposed on the memory segment.
US08095748B2
In a memory system, multiple memory modules communicate over a bus. Each memory module may include a hub and at least one memory storage unit. The hub receives local data from the memory storage units, and downstream data from one or more other memory modules. The hub assembles data to be sent over the bus within a data block structure, which is divided into multiple lanes. An indication is made of where, within the data block structure, a breakpoint will occur in the data being placed on the bus by a first source (e.g., the local or downstream data). Based on the indication, data from a second source (e.g., the downstream or local data) is placed in the remainder of the data block, thus reducing gaps on the bus. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
US08095746B1
A system and method for using an array structure to abstract the addressing of device memory allows for larger amounts of device memory to be accessed compared with using conventional pointers to access a 32 bit memory space. Additionally, the memory organization may be changed for optimal performance based on the underlying memory subsystem and characteristics of the accesses without impacting the array structure.
US08095741B2
A computing system processes memory transactions for parallel processing of multiple threads of execution provides execution of multiple atomic instruction groups (AIGs) on multiple systems to support a single large transaction that requires operations on multiple threads of execution and/or on multiple systems connected by a network. The support provides a Transaction Table in memory and fast detection of potential conflicts between multiple transactions. Special instructions may mark the boundaries of a transaction and identify memory locations applicable to a transaction. A ‘private to transaction’ (PTRAN) tag, directly addressable as part of the main data storage memory location, enables a quick detection of potential conflicts with other transactions that are concurrently executing on another thread. The tag indicates whether (or not) a data entry in memory is part of a speculative memory state of an uncommitted transaction that is currently active in the system.
US08095730B1
A computer data storage system is described. A processor maintains a striped volume set by striping a data container over a plurality of storage nodes. A storage node determines whether space available on that node is below a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold indicating a low-in-space state. The storage node sends a message indicating that the storage node is in a low-in-space state. The processor accepts no further write messages to the data container as long as the storage node is in a low-in-space state.
US08095724B2
A method of wear leveling for a non-volatile memory is disclosed. A non-volatile memory is divided into windows and gaps, with each gap between two adjacent windows. The windows comprise physical blocks mapped to logical addresses, and the gaps comprise physical blocks not mapped to logical addresses. The windows are shifted through the non-volatile memory in which the mapping to the physical blocks in the window to be shifted is changed to the physical blocks in the gap.
US08095721B2
A network switch with a plurality of crossbar switches that is available to suppress increase in the circuit scale is provided. The network switch has: the plurality of crossbar switches that transfer unit data in a specified format; a receiving side transfer unit that transfers data received from a network to the plurality of crossbar switches in the unit data basis; and a plurality of transmitting side transfer units that transmit data transferred from the plurality of crossbar switches to the network. The receiving side transfer sets a consecutive serial number to the unit data in transfer sequence, and distributes the unit data to the plurality of crossbar switches. Each of the plurality of transmitting side transfer units has a plurality of queues for the respective crossbar switches that stores the transferred unit data, and extracts the unit data with smallest serial number of the unit data stored in the queues when all of the queues store the unit data.
US08095718B2
A downstream port 22 of a bridge 20 connecting a processor unit and a peripheral device acknowledges access from the peripheral device via one of a plurality of downstream channels available for access by the peripheral device to a memory of the processor unit, the downstream channels being virtual channels provided for interfacing with the peripheral device. The router 24 routes the access to upstream channels each assigned a memory bandwidth available for access to the memory, the upstream channels being virtual channels supported by the processor unit. In this process, the router refers to a table storing identifiers of the downstream channels and identifiers of the upstream channels in association with each other so as to allocate to the peripheral device the upstream channel corresponding to the downstream channel used by the peripheral device, in response to the access from the peripheral device.
US08095715B1
Systems and methods for accessing host bus adapter (HBA) management features for Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) based HBAs produced by different vendors use a standard interface. A virtual SCSI target is created to emulate each HBA in a system, representing the HBA as a logical unit. Standard commands specified for logical units are used by an HBA device driver to perform HBA management operations. The standard commands may be used to access HBA management features for any HBA regardless of the vendor. Therefore, the HBA communication interface is standardized for HBA devices, permitting efficient access regardless of the operating system or HBA vendor.
US08095704B2
One embodiment of the present invention is an integrated circuit implementing a storage-shelf router, used in combination with path controller cards and optionally with other storage-shelf routers, to interconnect SATA disks within a storage shelf or disk array to a high-bandwidth communications medium, such as an FC arbitrated loop. When two, four, six, or eight or more storage-shelf routers are used within a storage shelf, and the interconnections between the storage-shelf routers, disk drives, and external communications media are properly designed and configured, the resulting storage shelf constitutes a discrete, highly-available component that may be included in a disk array or in other types of electronic devices. The storage-shelf router features a disk-drive adaptation layer that allows a storage-shelf router to interface to, and manage, any of many different types of disk drives. The disk-drive adaptation layer includes a disk-profile table and associated firmware logic.
US08095697B2
An apparatus for in-field configuration of a seismic device such as a seismic sensor may include a memory module having data for configuring the seismic device, a location sensor determining a location parameter for the seismic sensor, an alignment member aligning the location sensor with the seismic sensor, and a communication device transmitting the determined location parameter to a selected external device.
US08095694B2
A centralized resource manager manages the routing of audio or visual information within a device, including a handheld device such as a smartphone. The resource manager evaluates data-driven policies to determine how to route audio or visual information to or from various input or output components connected to the device, including headphones, built-in speakers, microphones, bluetooth headsets, cameras, and so on. Among the data considered in the policies are connection status data, indicating if a device is connected, routing status data, indicating if a device is permitted to route information to or from a component, and grouping data, indicating logical relationships between various components. Components may be considered inherently routable, automatically routable, or optionally routable. Numerous other uses exist for such data, including providing simpler and more logical management interfaces.
US08095687B1
The present invention provides systems and methods that can be used to manage state on a cluster comprising a plurality of application servers. A system according to one aspect of the invention comprises a plurality of application servers each of which is equipped to process requests, host unique state, and selectively forward requests. Client requests can arrive at any of the application servers. The servers forward client requests, as needed. A target computer system identification used in request forwarding can be provided with a response to the client whenever a cluster member develops state while carrying out a client request. The client, can include the request forwarding data in subsequent requests that are part of the same session. The invention provides a standards-compliant and secure system for allowing applications servers to effectuate requests that require processing by a particular target computer system.
US08095684B2
Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media are disclosed for a computer system determining a transport path for a data duplication job. A data duplication job request, being a request that data stored on a source device be duplicated, may be received. A plurality of possible transport path components may be enumerated. The plurality of possible transport path components may include one or more possible destination devices, one or more possible means of transport, and one or more possible media servers. A ranking may be determined for at least a subset of the possible transport path components. An availability may be determined for at least a subset of the possible transport path components. A transport path may be selected based on the determined rankings and the determined availabilities. The data duplication job may be performed using the selected transport path.
US08095671B2
A method for accessing a network in a telecommunication system which comprises at least one terminal and a plurality of networks in which information sets describing settings needed to access networks and their resources are stored in the terminal. The terminal scans for information about available networks. Available information sets are determined by comparing the information about available networks to the stored information sets. At least one network is accessed based on the settings defined in the available information sets.
US08095666B2
A system, method, and computer readable medium for communicating at least one real-time specially-composed bulletin message to at least one subscriber of a provider of Internet services, comprising a first device, and a second device communicably coupled to the first device, wherein the first device: accesses only subscriber upstream traffic to a destination web site requested by the subscriber, wherein the first device inter-connects between the at least one subscriber and the destination web site, identifies the at least one subscriber's unique identification based on the accessed subscriber upstream traffic automatically provided by the subscriber, and provides the unique subscriber identification to the second device located at the provider of Internet services providing data services and management control to the first device, wherein the second device determines the subscriber associated with the unique subscriber identification, and if the specially-composed bulletin message for the subscriber is desired to be communicated: the second device sends policy information related to the data services and management control, to the first device, wherein the policy information includes an IP address of the subscriber's device, and at least one of: the specially-composed bulletin message, a modification of the message to be performed for the IP address, a reference to the message, and a redirection to the message, the first device examines the accessed upstream traffic to determine if it is possible to send a redirection, wherein the examining occurs without modifying the accessed upstream traffic, and the first device sends the redirection if it is possible to do so.
US08095661B2
In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a method for scaling an application. The method includes executing a first instance of the application on a first computer in a chassis, where the first instance of the application is associated with a first VNIC and a second VNIC executing on the first computer. The method further includes loading a second instance of the application on a second computer in the chassis, where the second instance of the application is associated with a third VNIC and a fourth VNIC executing on the second computer. The method further includes re-programming a network express manager in the chassis to direct a portion of network traffic directed to the first VNIC to the third VNIC and executing the second instance of the application after the re-programming.
US08095659B2
A service interface enables an application to be developed independently from a particular service. At execution of the application, the application is wrapped or bound to a service. Advantageously, a configuration file includes instructions that bind particular applications with a particular service. Therefore, if improved services are developed after the application is written, only the configuration file needs to be updated, not the application source code. Accordingly, significant time and expense is saved by allowing applications to be developed independently from particular services.
US08095658B2
A method, system, and computer program product is presented for providing access to a set of resources in a distributed data processing system. A reverse proxy server receives a resource request from a client and determines whether or not it is managing a session identifier that was previously associated with the client by the reverse proxy server; if so, it retrieves the session identifier, otherwise it obtains a session identifier and associates the session identifier with the client using information that is managed by the reverse proxy server. The reverse proxy server then modifies the resource request to include the session identifier and forwards the modified resource request to an application server.
US08095656B2
Methods, systems, and computer program products for implementing geo-positionally based data access security is provided. A method includes receiving a request at a computer to verify a geographic location of a segment of data stored in a storage device. The method further includes receiving, at the computer, an actual geographic location of the storage device from a geographic location device connected to the storage device. The method additionally includes accessing, at the computer, a location tag including an expected geographic location of the segment of data, and comparing, at the computer, the expected geographic location to the actual geographic location. The method also includes returning a value indicating that an error has occurred when the comparing indicates that the expected geographic location does not match the actual geographic location.
US08095655B2
A method and system for controlling a recipient's access to a user's information. The method includes receiving a plurality of contact information, registration information and access information from the user. Only person's knowing the user's registration information can update the contact and access information of the user. The contact information entered by a user is about that user. The access information defines accessible sets of contact information to be made accessible to recipients. A telephone exchange is associated with each recipient; and a local server is associated with each telephone exchange. The accessible set of information is stored in the local server for access by the recipient. The system handles updates to information on the local servers when a user updates their contact information. The system can automatically place calls for a recipient to a user that has granted the recipient access to a number for communicating with the user.
US08095654B2
An improved method and system for identifying individual users accessing a web site. A web site server is able to identify distinct users by using a unique identifier associated with each client computer system requesting access to the web site. The unique identifier comprises an Internet address, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address, and a time value associated with each client computer system requesting access to the web site. On starting up a web browser, an application program or browser plug-in may synchronize the internal clock included with the client computer system with a global time standard. The synchronized time value may be based on an event associated with the client computer system, such as the start of a web browser. A web site server may determine the uniqueness of the client computer system by comparing unique identifier records of users accessing the web site. A user may be identified as distinct if no matching record exists in the database. Multiple client computer systems having a common Internet address may be identified by using this method. Users privacy is also protected as the unique identifiers are erased when the client computer system's user exits the web browser or powers down the computer.
US08095642B1
A method and apparatus for automatically adjusting the frequency of content background-downloading. An apparatus such as a cell phone, personal digital assistant, or computer, will be set to perform background-downloads of content at a particular frequency. The apparatus will then determine the frequency with which a user accesses background-downloaded content on the device, and the apparatus will use the determined frequency as a basis to automatically adjust the background-download frequency. For instance, if the user-access frequency is greater than the background-download frequency, then the apparatus may increase the background-download frequency, whereas, if the user-access frequency is less than the background-download frequency, then the apparatus may decrease the background-download frequency.
US08095640B2
A virtual router network (VRN) for performing real-time flow measurements (RTFM) is provided. The VRN effectively reduces the number of traffic metering points required thereby simplifying the aggregation and exportation of flow records to a collector. The collector may be service manager in a network management system. The metering points, in a preferred embodiment, are at virtual interfaces (VI) which are edge nodes in VRN. One of the virtual interfaces is selected as a master virtual interface and act as a collector and distributor of flow related information. In one aspect of the invention the VRN is used to provide, non-invasively, per-flow delay monitoring in a communication system.
US08095637B2
A communication system includes a communication device and a communication network configured to communicate with the communication device. The communication network includes a storage unit configured to store first communication information related to a communication to the communication device that is generated when communications with the communication device are unattainable; and a notifying unit configured to send the first communication information stored in the storage unit to the communication device when communications with the communication device become attainable. The communication device is configured to receive the first communication information sent from the notifying unit, and includes a restraining unit configured to restrain function of a local device based on the first communication information.
US08095636B2
A process, system and program product for executing a plurality of tests scripts or one or more test script sets against a plurality of systems to be tested. The process comprises providing an instance of a test script set on a server, writing an initial system value corresponding to an initial system to be tested on a web page file hosted on the server, retrieving the initial system value from the web page file and launching a URL using the initial system value retrieved to execute the test script set against the initial system to be tested. The process further includes overwriting the web page file to change the initial system value to a next system value corresponding to a next system to be tested, retrieving the next system value from the web page file and launching a next URL using the next system value retrieved to execute the test script set against the next system to be tested.
US08095635B2
Managing network traffic to improve availability of network services by classifying network traffic flows using flow-level statistical information and machine learning estimation, based on a measurement of at least one of relevance and goodness of network features. Also, determining a network traffic profile representing applications associated with the classified network traffic flows, and managing network traffic using the network traffic profile. The flow-level statistical information includes packet-trace information and is available from at least one of Cisco NetFlow, NetStream or cflowd records. The classification of network flows includes tagging packet-trace flow record data based on defined packet content information. The classifying of network flows can result in the identification of a plurality of clusters based on the measurement of the relevance of the network features. Also, the classification of network traffic can use a correlation-based measure to determine the goodness of the network features.
US08095633B2
Methods and systems are provided for delivering content from a website to a computer device. The website and computer device negotiate terms for use of a cache memory coupled to the computer device. The computer device requests content, such as web page objects, from the website. In addition to transmitting the requested content, the website transmits non-requested content to the computer device. The non-requested content is stored in the cache memory for later retrieval by the computer device.
US08095616B2
A multiple computer system is disclosed in which n computers (M1, M2 . . . Mn) each run a different portion of a single application program written to execute only on a single computer. The local memory of each computer is maintained substantially the same by updating all computers with every change made to addressed memory locations. Contention can arise when the same memory location is substantially simultaneously updated by two or more machines because of transmission delays and latency of the communications network interconnecting all the computers. In particular a method of detecting contention is disclosed which utilizes a count value indicative of the number of the sequence of occasions on which each memory location has been updated. Contention is indicated if the currently stored count value and the incoming updating count value are the same.
US08095610B2
Apparatus and methods for providing emergency alert system (EAS) data to subscribers of a content-based network for multiple locations including via mobile devices. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a server performing real-time receipt and encapsulation of the EAS data, transport of the EAS data to client devices over an IP or other packet-switched network, and use of applications running on the client devices to decode and display the EAS data. In one variant, a centralized EAS (CEAS) entity is used to aggregate and distribute EAS messages to video registration servers (VRS), which use stored client device data and user preferences to map delivery of relevant EAMs over the IP network. In another variant, instant messaging (IM) infrastructure is used to deliver and display at least portion of the EAS data via a separate transport process.
US08095608B2
An email wrong transmission preventing apparatus calculates memory ratios of addresses of emails in a transmission log by a model expression in which the memory ratios decline over time, compiles the memory ratios of the emails for each destination to set weights, and records the weights in a user weight list. When receiving a planned outgoing email, the apparatus compares the weight of the destination of the planned outgoing email obtained by referring to the user weight list with a predetermined threshold and determines that the destination is “reliable” only if the weight is over the threshold. If even one of the destinations of the planned outgoing email is not “reliable”, the apparatus causes a sender terminal to display an address check screen to prompt address checking. When “checked” is inputted, the apparatus transfers the planned outgoing email to an email transmission server.
US08095607B2
A method and system of optimizing content delivery at a processing element in a dynamic content delivery architecture, the method having the steps of: receiving a content and metadata envelope at the processing element; checking the content and metadata envelope to determine whether the content and metadata envelope includes metadata for the processing element; if the content envelope contains metadata for the processing element, extracting and caching the metadata; if the content envelope does not contain metadata for the processing element, retrieving metadata for a content provider associated with the content from a cache on the processing element; and applying the extracted or retrieved metadata to the content and metadata envelope.
US08095602B1
The present invention is directed to spam filters which consider browser-generated information, such as a browser log, in determining whether an electronic message, such as an e-mail, is or is not spam.
US08095592B2
Machine, method for use and method for making, and corresponding products produced thereby, as well as data structures, computer-readable media tangibly embodying program instructions, manufactures, and necessary intermediates of the foregoing, each pertaining to digital aspects of a computerized aggregation system. The system can include a user computer system interposed between a segment of a network allowing communication between the user computer system and at least one server system, and other segments allowing communication between the user computer system and a plurality of third party server systems. The one server system enables the user computer system to access the plurality of other servers. The access permits forming an aggregation of information obtained from the third party server systems.
US08095591B2
On-line health education includes displaying composites of personalized health content and patient-selected entertainment. Suitable sources of entertainment include generally available web pages and television programs. Composites are spatial (for page displays) or temporal (for image sequence displays). Health content is customized to health and personal situations of individual patients, and replaces advertisements. Composites are generated on a central server in communication with an entertainment server and a health server. Amenable diseases or behaviors include diabetes, asthma, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, eating disorders, HIV, mental health disorders, smoking, and alcohol and drug abuse.
US08095583B1
Faster methods for topological categorization and field line calculations are developed by using decomposition regions together with the self-winding techniques first developed in a prior patent application. A point iteration technique provides direct calculation of low order digits of winding counts without use of complex intervals. Easy to calculate derivatives define decomposition interval boundaries which substitute for methods using the slower complex interval processing of the prior patent. Methods common to this and the prior patent are developed for visualizing conformal mappings of iterated functions.
