US08221224B2
Apparatus and methods for administering payouts in gaming machines are disclosed. More particularly, improved techniques for distributing large payouts with minimal interruption of a gaming session at a gaming apparatus are disclosed.
US08221221B2
Methods and systems for metrics-based gaming operations are provided. Information concerning game play for each play may be received and stored. Such information may be used to generate certain metrics. The generated metrics, in turn, may be used to determine how to customize a game operation. Such game operations may include providing training to a player, matching a player up with another player or with a team, adjusting a game event, etc.
US08221219B1
A wagering base game controlled by a processor in a gaming machine playing only one game symbol for game play in a display in response to a wager. The processor transforms the wagered-on only one game symbol to reveal only one random game result in the display. The revealed game result corresponds to a random one of a number of different game results for the wagered-on only one game symbol. The processor provides a credit in the wagering game when the revealed game result for the wagered-on only one game symbol provides an award other than a null award.
US08221203B1
A rotor chopper assembly including a chopper rotor having a mounting lug. A knife blade includes a body having an opening arrangement configured to receive a retention device securing the body to a member that is rotatably connected to the mounting lug of the chopper rotor. During unobstructed operation of the rotor chopper assembly, the body is centrifugally urged radially outward from the mounting lug. In response to the body striking an obstruction during operation of the rotor chopper assembly, the body is urged into rotational movement until the retention device abuts a stop formed in the mounting lug. An angle subtended between axes defining unobstructed operation and stop abutment is different for at least two openings of the arrangement of openings formed in the body.
US08221202B2
A threshing and separating mechanism for a combine includes an elongated rotor mounted for rotation about a rotor axis on the combine within a rotor housing. The rotor has a threshing portion and a separating portion. The rotor has a rotor tube that is tapered continuously in the threshing portion and has threshing elements extending from the rotor tube. The housing has a threshing section and a separating section corresponding to the threshing portion and the separating portion. The housing surrounds the rotor and is spaced from the rotor tube to form an annular space between the rotor tube and the housing for crop material to flow through in an axial crop flow direction from an inlet end of the housing to an outlet end of the housing. The housing includes a smooth transition section between the threshing section and the separating section of the housing.
US08221200B2
A roof assembly for a building which includes a roof, a roof space in heat exchange relationship with at least a section of the roof, and at least one opening for airflow from the roof space.
US08221199B2
A pocket abrasive sharpener having a housing formed with a pair of upper slots and a lower open compartment. A pair of abrasive ceramic stones is mounted in one of the slots to form a V-shaped sharpening slot. Each ceramic stone has at least one flat face to abut an adjacent reversed stone to form the V-shaped sharpening slot. The stone has an abrasive cutting edge formed with a radius for sharpening serrated edges and having abrasive surfaces on both sides of the radius. A pair of abrasive blades having V-shaped carbide cutting edges is mounted in the other of the slots to also form a V-shaped sharpening slot. A tapered abrasive rod is pivotally mounted on the housing and is moveable from the compartment to an extended position for sharpening knives and removing pins in certain military and civilian rifles.
US08221198B2
A polishing apparatus is configured to simultaneously polish both surfaces of a work, and includes a carrier having a hole configured to house the work, and a fixing member that contacts and fixes the work located in the hole.
US08221181B2
An electron multiplier can be fabricated by depositing an electron emissive material on a reticulated substrate, and forming the reticulated substrate into the electron multiplier.
US08221180B2
An organic light emitting device and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The organic light emitting device includes a first display substrate, a second display substrate, and a first adhesive force improving member. The first display substrate includes a first substrate, a first electrode, organic light emitting patterns, a first spacer, and a second electrode. The first electrode is formed on an entire surface of the first substrate, and the organic light emitting patterns are disposed on the first electrode. The first spacer corresponds to the organic light emitting pattern and is disposed on the first electrode. The second electrode covers the organic light emitting patterns and the first spacer. The second display substrate includes a second substrate, and a first driving signal delivery part. The first adhesive force improving member electrically/physically couples the second electrode to the first driving signal delivery part.
US08221176B2
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) device according to the present invention includes a first substrate; a first electrode on the first substrate in the pixel region, the first electrode formed of a metal; an organic light-emitting layer on the first electrode; a second electrode on the organic light-emitting layer, the second electrode formed of a transparent conductive material; and a transparent layer on the second electrode, the transparent layer including an inorganic material or a semiconductor material.
US08221162B2
An electrical connector includes a header connector and a socket connector configured to mate with the header connector. The header connector includes a plurality of signal pins and may include a plurality of shield blades. The socket connector includes a plurality of conductive paths, each conductive path being coupled to a signal contact, and may include a plurality of first shields. The plurality of signal pins and the plurality of conductive paths and signal contacts are configured to form a plurality of transmission lines. The plurality of shield blades or the plurality of first shields are configured to be electrically grounded and provide interrupted shielding of the plurality of transmission lines when the header connector and the socket connector are in a mated configuration.
US08221160B2
A connector assembly (100) includes an insulative cover (11, 12) defining an interior and an exterior, and the insulative cover having at least one platform (18) disposed outside of the interior thereof; a printed circuit board (3) located in the interior of the insulative cover; at least one connector (2) mounted to the printed circuit board; and a conductive member (4) fixed to the insulative cover, said conductive member (4) including a main body (41), an arm (42) extending forwardly from the main body and a spring finger (43) formed at a front edge of the arm, the main body supported by the platform, the spring finger contacting the printed circuit board.
US08221156B2
A connector includes a main body, a cable extending from a rear end of the main body, and a light guide post assembly with two spaced light guide posts formed on a top and fixed to the cable adjacent to the main body. A resilient latch is formed on a top of the main body. A back-end of each light guide post extends upward to form a protrusion capable of transmitting light to a top of the light guide post.
US08221153B2
An electrical connector housing system includes a plug housing, a receptacle housing, and a latching mechanism. The latching mechanism pivots on pivot posts on one housing and hooks to latching posts on the other housing, thereby securing the mated housings together. Catches on the latch mechanism engage with tabs near the latching posts when the latching mechanism is latched. The catches must be released using a screwdriver or similar tool before opening the latching mechanism and separating the mated housings. A protective barrier can be included to block direct access to the engaged catches and tabs. The housings include overlapping shells which exclude water and dirt, and the latching mechanism at least partially covers and further protects the shells when closed. In embodiments, a retaining mechanism automatically holds the latch open against gravity, facilitating connection and release of the housings with one hand and/or while wearing gloves.
US08221152B2
A cable management system comprises an electronic device having a display member movably coupled to a base member, and a printed circuit board (PCB) interconnect configured to electrically couple at least one cable received by the interconnect from a device in the display member with at least one cable received by the interconnect from a device in the base member.
US08221151B2
A connector-mounting construction has a bracket (10) with a mounting hole (12) and a to-be-locked plate (13) adjacent to the mounting hole (12). A connector (20) has an end configured for insertion through the mounting hole (12) and a flange (27) dimensioned contacting the rear surface of the bracket (10). An insertion groove (35) extends into the flange (27) parallel to a front surface of the flange (27). A metal lock (50) has an insertion portion (60) in the insertion groove (35) and a locking piece (51) projecting forward along a side of the connector (20). The locking piece (51) has at least one resiliently deformable locking projection (55) with a rearwardly facing locking surface (56) configured for locking edge forwardly facing edge (14) the to-be-locked plate (13) of the bracket (10) when the flange (27) of the connector (20) contacts the rear surface of the bracket (10).
US08221149B2
A card connector comprises an insulative housing, two side arms fitting into the two sides of the insulative housing and a positioning set buckled to the side arms. The insulative housing has a slot for adopting the electronic card, and the slot comprises a plurality of conducting terminals. The side arms respectively have a movable arm and a fixed arm. The movable arm and the fixed arm are formed in a single-piece structure. The movable arm is for buckling the electronic card. The positioning set comprises a welding portion, a first plane, a bent portion extending upwardly from the first plane and a second plane extending downwardly from the bent portion. Thus to enable the card connector to automatically adjust the angle between the conducting terminals and the circuit board, thus to maintain the welding end of the conducting terminals and the welding portion of the positioning set on the same plane, in order to steadily weld the conducting terminals to the circuit board and accordingly upgrade the quality of the electrical connection of the card connector.
US08221140B2
A spark plug socket has an elastic base member and a contact element secured in the base member. The base member has a spark plug receptacle for a spark plug and the contact element has a contact receptacle for a terminal of the spark plug. The spark plug socket is removable in a removing direction from the spark plug. In an unloaded state of the spark plug socket arranged on the spark plug, a section of the contact receptacle engages behind the terminal of the spark plug in the removing direction of the spark plug socket. A longitudinal center axis of the contact receptacle is slanted relative to a longitudinal center axis of the spark plug receptacle. The contact element is adjustable against an elasticity of the base member such that an angle between the longitudinal center axis of the contact receptacle and the longitudinal center axis of the spark plug receptacle is reduced.
US08221139B2
An electrical connector includes a housing having a front and a rear opposite the housing with a rear wall at the rear. The housing has a slot open through the front that receives a mating connector therein. The housing has contact openings through the rear wall and a ground clip channel in the rear wall open at the rear. Signal contacts are held in the housing and arranged in pairs. The signal contacts are received in corresponding contact openings and are arranged within the slot to mate with the mating connector. Ground contacts are held in the housing and are arranged between corresponding signal contacts. The ground contacts are received in corresponding contact openings and are arranged within the slot to mate with the mating connector. A ground clip is loaded into the ground clip channel. The ground clip engages the ground contacts to create a ground circuit between the ground contacts engaged by the ground clip.
US08221130B2
An improved chalkboard marking surface comprises a rollable, flexible sheet of polypropylene having two sides that are opposite one another, each having a generally flat surface. On one side, a layer of adhesive is applied to the polypropylene substrate. On the same side of the polypropylene substrate, a selectively removable release sheet is preferably applied to the layer of adhesive for the purpose of keeping foreign materials from attaching to the adhesive when the chalkboard surface is not in use. On the reverse side of the polypropylene substrate, a layer of ink is applied which forms an abrasive surface after it dries, and importantly, results in a chalkboard surface that is lighter in weight.
US08221129B2
A wearable wound simulant including a skin replica having the appearance of a particular region of the human body, examples including but not limited to a leg, arm, torso, or stomach, and a wound disposed along the skin replica is described. The skin replica includes a plurality of bendable layers arranged to replicate the visual and tactile properties of human tissues and at least one tear resistant layer comprised of a fabric material disposed between two bendable layers. The tear resistant layers are less stretchable than the bendable layers so as to prevent the bendable layers from stretching beyond their failure threshold. Design elements of the present invention facilitate the visual, tactile, and functional aspects of a battlefield wound so as to allow for the diagnosis of injuries associated therewith. Furthermore, the present invention allows for the insertion of a needle or the like, the probing and/or packing of wounds, the compression of vascular simulants to stop or limit blood loss, and the replacement of dislodged organs.
US08221116B2
Gas burner provided with a plurality of concentric flame crowns, and comprising a first central burner to supply a peripheral flame ring, a second annular burner surrounding the central burner at a defined distance and able of supplying at least a respective peripheral ring, a burner body apt to be mounted on the surface of a cooking hob, a first gas inlet in communication with the body, a first vertical gas injector, the central burner being provided with a first chamber for the diffusion of the air/gas mixture, a second gas inlet in communication with the body, wherein the second annular burner is provided with two separate chambers for the diffusion of the mixture, wherein the second gas inlet is in communication with the two separate chambers through suitable injection and conveying means, which comprise two distinct injectors in communication with the second gas inlet, and two respective horizontal Venturi pipes each of which being able of supplying with the air/gas mixture a respective of the two diffusion chambers; these are physically separate and not in communication to each other. The two horizontal and separate injectors are placed on the same end position of the second gas inlet.
US08221110B2
A device for expanding a tubular elastic body, the device comprises a rigid tube to be introduced into at least a part of the elastic body and keep the elastic body in an expanded state, and an expansion means adapted to expand the elastic body and arranged to be introduced into a first end of the rigid tube. The expansion means is adapted to be movable inside the rigid tube and when the expansion means is fully introduced in the rigid tube, the expansion means protrudes at a second end of the rigid tube and thereby forms a transition between the rigid tube and the expansion element. One end of the expansion means is provided with a radially resilient expansion element with a width decreasing in the introduction direction of the expansion means into the first end of the rigid tube.
US08221101B2
A scroll compressor includes a fluid guide having a flow path through which a fluid discharged to an inner space of a casing from a compression part flows, for guiding a flowing direction of the fluid to be changed along the flow path. Oil is effectively separated from a refrigerant discharged from the compression part, thereby being prevented from leaking outside the casing. Oil mixed with the refrigerant is moved to a lower space of the casing by the fluid guide thus to cool a lower winding coil. Accordingly, an efficiency of a driving motor is enhanced, and a performance of the scroll compressor is enhanced.
US08221097B2
An apparatus for delivering a fluid includes a housing, an inlet in the housing for receiving the fluid, and an outlet in the housing for discharging the fluid. A piston channel is provided within the housing through which the fluid flows from the inlet to the outlet. An actuator is positioned within the housing and is moveable between a retracted position and a forward position, the actuator defining a piston chamber for storing fluid received through the inlet when the actuator is in the retracted position and for driving the fluid stored in the piston chamber toward the outlet when the actuator transitions from the retracted position to the forward position. The actuator includes an armature and a piston coupled to the armature and moveable within the piston channel. The piston is provided with a groove in an outer surface for conducting fluid from the inlet to the outlet.
US08221093B2
A beverage system includes a pump that draws a set amount of a flavored concentrate into a mixing chamber for mixing with water to form a beverage. A locking ring attaches an adapter plate to a pump head. When the locking ring is in a locked position, a magnet of the locking ring is detected by a reed switch. If the locking ring rotates from the locked position, the reed switch does not detect the magnet, indicating that the locking ring, and therefore the pump head, is incorrectly or not completely installed. The controller then stops operation of the pump.
US08221092B2
An improved seal assembly for a downhole electrical submersible pump assembly.
US08221086B2
A propeller has a hub 1 with a pair of blades 3 extending therefrom. Each blade 3 has a root, a tip, a first blade portion 10a extending between the root and tip and a second blade portion 10b extending between the root and tip adjacent and substantially parallel to said first blade portion 10a. The first and second blade portions 10a, 10b each have an arcuate concave face 11a, 11b, the radius of curvature of the concave face 11a of said first blade section 10a being greater than the radius of curvature of the concave face 11b of the second blade section 10b. The concave faces of said first and second portions 10a, 10b facing in substantially opposite directions such that, in use, said concave face 11a of said first blade portion 10a faces rearwards and said concave face 11b of the second blade portion 10b faces forwards.
US08221081B2
A turbomachine having two unducted external fans mounted to contrarotate about a common axis, the fans constituting respectively an upstream fan and a downstream fan, is disclosed. At least some of the blades of the upstream fan carry an air guide device on their radially outer end portions, the air guide device being outwardly oriented on going from upstream to downstream and serving to deflect the vortices that are formed in the vicinity of the blade tips of the upstream fan radially to outside the blades of the downstream fan.
US08221073B2
An apparatus for extending the effective exhaust gas path in order to allow gradual diffusion of the exhaust gases in a turboshaft engine wherein the engine includes an annular engine case with at least an exhaust gas duct having an axial component communicating with an annular duct with a substantially radial component and traversing the engine case, the apparatus comprising a collector plenum having a convex annular shape and a diameter larger than that of the engine case with at least one exhaust outlet defined in the plenum and wherein the annular duct extends into the plenum beyond the diameter of the engine case to extend the exhaust gas path.
US08221071B2
An integrated outlet guide vane assembly for turbomachinery typically includes at least one outlet guide vane and at least one bifurcation having a leading edge and a trailing edge. The turbomachinery has a central axis of rotation and a defined direction of rotation about the axis. The guide vane comprises an airfoil having a leading edge and a trailing edge and has a non-zero angle of lean in the direction of rotation and a non-zero sweep angle relative to a line perpendicular to the central axis. The leading edge of the bifurcation has a non-zero angle of lean in the direction of rotation and a non-zero sweep angle relative to a line perpendicular to the central axis. The trailing edge of the vane is faired into the leading edge of the bifurcation.
US08221069B2
A multi-blade fan including a spirally-shaped casing having an inlet and an outlet; an electric motor disposed inside the casing; a main plate provided perpendicular to a rotation axis of the electric motor and having a ventilation hole; first blades disposed at a side of the inlet of the main plate; and second blades disposed at an opposite side of the inlet of the main plate. Herein, a diameter of the main plate is smaller than an outer diameter of the first and second blades and is larger than an inner diameter of them. Furthermore, an outlet angle of any one or both of the first blade and the second blade is sequentially changed in an axis direction.
US08221065B2
A blade of a turbomachine, especially of a steam turbine, is characterized in that the chord length (sm) in the middle region of the blade airfoil is shorter than the chord lengths (s0, S1) in the tip-side region or root-side region of the blade airfoil. As a result of this, a distribution of a Zweifel parameter over the longitudinal extent of the blade airfoil is achieved which minimizes the losses of a blade cascade of the blades.
US08221061B2
The present invention relates to a two-spool gas turbine engine including an HP turbine stator ring and an exterior wall of the transition channel between the HP and LP stages, a first enclosure for controlling the stator ring, and a second enclosure for distributing air for blowing the exterior wall of the transition channel. The engine is characterized in that the two enclosures are placed in communication via an orifice controlled by a valve adapted to be open when the pressure P1 in the first enclosure is greater than the pressure P2 in the second enclosure, and closed when P1
US08221055B1
A turbine stator vane with an ID endwall and an OD endwall and a vane airfoil extending between the two end walls. Each endwall has formed within a forward section a vortex tube arrangement of two separated vortex tubes that extend from one side of the endwall to the opposite side, and each of the separated vortex tubes are connected by a row of feed holes to supply cooling air and each is connected by a row of discharge slots to discharge a layer of film cooling air in front of the airfoil leading edge. The feed holes and the discharge slots are offset from the tube central axis in order to generate a vortex flow within the tubes. The vortex tubes are also connected with mate face cooling air holes to discharge some of the vortex flow cooling air onto the two mate faces of the enwalls to provide sealing and cooling for the spacing between adjacent endwall mate faces.
US08221053B2
An arrangement and method adapted for providing a stiffened lower exhaust hood for a steam turbine. Sidewalls of the lower exhaust hood may taper inward between a horizontal joint and an inlet to a condenser for the steam turbine, providing an enhanced flow path for the exhaust steam. Stiffening of the sidewalls may be provided by stiffening bends, stiffening curvature, and external stiffening beams on the wall plate of the sidewalls of the lower exhaust hood, permitting reduction or elimination of structural supports within the exhaust hood, which degrade exhaust steam flow.
US08221051B2
One example embodiment includes a system for extracting kinetic energy from moving fluid masses. The system includes an encapsulator, where a fluid enters the encapsulator. The system also includes decelerator, where the decelerator reduces the velocity of the encapsulated fluid to near zero velocity transferring the kinetic energy originally in the incoming fluid to the decelerator.
US08221043B2
In some embodiments, a fastening system includes two opposing plates, and a retainer material that is activated to increase the flexibility of the retainer material. The retainer material surrounds at least a portion of two opposing plates, the plates and the retainer material mounted to allow the plates to move apart and back together when the retainer material is flexible. A pin is insertable through an opening between the plates. The pin includes a first tapered portion configured to separate the plates as the pin is inserted in the opening via a pushing force. The retainer material becomes rigid when deactivated to lock the pin between the plates.
US08221035B2
In order to increase the fitness for use of a closing device (1) for continuously and gravimetrically dosing pourable material, particularly rough fuels, a flow of material is conveyed from a charging opening (5) to an emptying opening (7) in a housing (4) with a rotor (3), which is driven about a vertical rotation axis, while determining the instantaneous load over a measuring section, and with a force measuring device (10), which detects the instantaneous load of the flow of material guided via the rotor (3) and which is connected to the housing (4) mounted on a pivot axis (8). According to the invention, a vibrating funnel (50) with a vibration generator (52) is provided above the charging opening (5) of the rotor (3).
US08221033B2
Extensible shells and related methods for constructing a support pier are disclosed. A shell can define an interior for holding granular construction material and define an opening for receiving the granular construction material into the interior. The shell can be flexible such that the shell expands when granular construction material is compacted in the interior of the shell. A method may include positioning the shell in the ground and filling at least a portion of the interior of the shell with the granular construction material. The granular construction material may be compacted in the interior of the shell to form a support pier.
US08221032B2
A soil penetrating plate to position a flexible geothermal conduit loop in spoil is described. The soil penetrating plate has a leading soil penetrating formation which is provided with hook arrangements to hook an end loop portion of a conduit loop. The soil penetrating plate is securable to a force transmitting shaft or cable to displace the soil penetrating plate in soil whereby to position the conduit loop thereinto.
US08221027B2
A powered roller screed (366) is disclosed, that uses a dual-drive power unit (370) and a screed roller (368). A power source (372) of the dual-drive power unit (370) includes a first drive output (374) and a second drive output (376), which rotate in the same direction and at the same rate. Each of the first drive output (374) and the second drive output (376) may be used to rotate the screed roller (368). For instance, the first drive output (374) could be attached to a first end of the screed roller (368), or the second drive output (376) could be attached to the second end of the screed roller (368), all to rotate the screed roller (368) in the same direction as the screed roller (368) is being pulled over wet concrete (364).
US08221021B2
In an assembly including a tubular member made of steel and a structure made of aluminum, the tubular member has an end portion for engagement in a recess of the structure. At least one receptacle is provided between the end portion of the tubular member and the structure and filled with a welding filler containing aluminum as base material for effecting a connection between the tubular member and the structure.
US08221012B2
An instrument includes an instrument body having an opening at one end. A valve is mounted within the instrument body, the valve having an opening at one end. A lid is integrally molded with the valve and hingedly movable with respect to the valve opening. An actuating arm is operatively connected to the lid, the actuating arm transmitting forces from an instrument movement mechanism to the valve door under both tension and compression. As a result, the lid is opened and closed substantially solely by the actuating arm.
US08221011B2
To release a medium securely from a fixed roll without damaging the medium. A releasing roller is disposed between a roll and a transport roller for nipping a medium and transporting the medium to a printing position. The releasing roller is rotated by a releasing motor so as to release the medium from the roll in a tangential direction of the roll. In addition, a sag part obtained by sagging the medium is formed between the releasing roller and the transport roller. A tension roller is placed on the sag part so that a constant tension is exerted on the released medium. A sag amount of the sag part is detected by monitoring a lower end part of the sag part with a sensor utilizing infrared rays. A printing apparatus releases the medium by the releasing roller to supply the medium so that the sag amount is within a predetermined range. The medium on which the constant tension is exerted is delivered by the transport roller onto a platen and is printed by a head.
US08221010B2
A tape drive for use in for example a transfer printing apparatus to drive a printer ribbon. The printer ribbon is mounted on two spools each of which is driven by a respective stepper motor. A controller controls the energization of the motor such that the ribbon is transported in at least one direction between spools mounted on the spool support. The controller is operative to energize both motors to drive the spools of ribbon in the direction of ribbon transport to achieve push-pull operations. Ribbon tension is monitored to enable accurate control of ribbon supply and ribbon take-up, the ribbon tension being monitored, for example, by monitoring power supply to the two stepper motors.
US08221001B2
A bearing apparatus includes a rolling bearing (16) having an outer ring (16a), an inner ring (16b), and rolling elements (16c) disposed between the inner ring (16b) and the outer ring (16a), a temperature sensor (TS) for measuring an internal temperature of the rolling bearing and a lubrication unit (22). The lubrication unit supplies lubricating oil in a quantity corresponding to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, to the rolling bearing. With this configuration, it is feasible to provide the bearing apparatus capable of ensuring a sufficiently long life under the condition of high-speed rotations. The bearing apparatus is suitable for use in a spindle for a machine tool.
US08220999B2
Hydrodynamic bearing assemblies and apparatuses are disclosed. Such hydrodynamic bearing assemblies may be employed in bearing apparatuses for use in downhole motors of a subterranean drilling system or other mechanical systems. In one embodiment of the present invention, a hydrodynamic bearing assembly includes a plurality of bearing elements distributed circumferentially about an axis. Each bearing segment includes a superhard bearing surface. The plurality of bearing elements defines a plurality of seams. Each seam is formed between circumferentially-adjacent bearing elements of the plurality of bearing elements. Further embodiments of the present invention include hydrodynamic bearing apparatuses and downhole motors that may utilize any of the disclosed hydrodynamic bearing assemblies.
US08220995B2
A system for immobilizing tissue during upright radiotherapy including a first support element and a second support element tilted with respect to each other and operative to apply pressure on opposite sides of a patient positioned therebetween so as to generally immobilize a target located in the patient, the first and second support elements being mounted on mounting members that are connected to a turntable operative to rotate the patient about a vertical rotational axis.
US08220994B2
For detecting the relative location of a laser or laser fan beam relative to the x-ray geometry of an x-ray device, a method for calibrating the position of the laser fan beam generated by a laser in relation to the projection geometry of the x-ray device is proposed. The x-ray device comprises an x-ray imaging system featuring an x-ray source and an x-ray detector. The x-ray source, the x-ray detector, the laser, and an imaging facility are arranged on a support. An optical x-ray calibration phantom is used for the calibration. The position of the imaging facility relative to the projection geometry is determined. The position of the laser fan beam relative to the imaging facility is determined. The position of the laser fan beam relative to the projection geometry is reconstructed.
US08220981B2
An LED backlight unit and an LCD using a backlight unit may be provided. A liquid crystal display (LCD) may include a plurality of modules including a circuit board, a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) light sources arranged on the circuit board for emitting light, and a light guide plate having a light incidence part including an incident surface for receiving light emitted from the LED light source and a light emission part for emitting the light. The LCD may further include a frame having the plurality of the modules provided thereon, and at least one driving unit on one surface of the frame, wherein a connection hole is formed in the frame to connect the circuit board to the at least one driving unit.
US08220973B2
A housing includes a housing underpart, the housing underpart being provided with a housing cavity. The housing cavity comprises an opening on one housing side and, on the floor of the cavity, contains an electromagnetic radiation emitting semiconductor chip. A cover that is at least partially transparent to the electromagnetic radiation covers the housing cavity. A method for emitting electromagnetic radiation in a preferred direction is also disclosed.
US08220971B2
A light emitting diode module is produced using at least one light emitting diode (LED) and at least two selectable components that form or are part of a light mixing chamber that surrounds the LEDs and includes an output port. A first selectable component has a first type of wavelength converting material with a first wavelength converting characteristic and a second selectable component has a second type of wavelength converting material with a different wavelength converting characteristic. The first and second wavelength converting characteristics alter the spectral power distribution of the light produced by the LED to produce light through the output port that has a color point that is a predetermined tolerance from a predetermined color point. Moreover, a set of LED modules may be produced such that each LED module has the same color point within a predetermined tolerance. The LED module may be produced by pre-measuring the wavelength converting characteristics of the different components selecting components with wavelength converting characteristics that convert the spectral power distribution of the LED to a color point that is a predetermined tolerance from a predetermined color point.
US08220949B2
A floor assembly including a top having at least one transparent or translucent light emitting portion for emitting light is provided. At least one light source is provided for supplying light. The light source is optically connected to the light emitting portion. The assembly may include a light guide for guiding light therethrough. Also, a light refracting portion may be included for directing light emanating from the light source.
US08220948B2
A ceiling notification device has a housing; a reflector unit mounted to the housing; a lens positioned over the reflector unit; and a lamp in the center of the reflector unit along the central axis. The reflector unit has a base, a plurality of reflective fins, and a surface portion. The base has a curved surface that is symmetrical about a central axis. The plurality of reflective fins each has a first fin portion extending from the base and a second fin portion extending from the base and the first fin portion, the second fin portion having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the inner surface is exposed to the central axis. The surface portion extends from the base and positioned between the first fin portion and an edge of the base and is angled toward an inner surface of the second fin portion.
US08220943B2
An illumination device includes: a substrate; a first transparent electrode covering approximately an entire surface of a display region of the substrate; a second transparent electrode which overlaps with the first transparent electrode when seen in plan view and covers approximately the entire surface of the display region; and a plurality of island shaped light emitting elements disposed between the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode. The first and second transparent electrodes are formed as single continuous films.
US08220936B2
An image projection apparatus in which a measuring unit measures a distance from the image projection apparatus to a projection surface. A generating unit generates a first operation image if the measured distance is less than a threshold value and generates a second operation image if the measured distance is not less than the threshold value. The first operation image is an image by which an operation can be input by pointing on the first operation image that is being projected with a body part of a user. The second operation image is an image by which an operation can be input by operating a cursor displayed in the second operation image that is being projected using a predetermined operating unit. A projecting unit projects an operation image generated by the generating unit onto the projection surface.
US08220929B2
A three-dimensional image display apparatus includes a light source and an optical system including a light modulation unit having pixels for generating a two-dimensional image by modulating light from the light source by the respective pixels and emitting a spatial frequency in the generated two-dimensional image along a diffraction angle corresponding to diffraction orders generated from the respective pixels, a Fourier transform image formation unit for performing Fourier transform on the spatial frequency in the two-dimensional image to generate Fourier transform images corresponding to the diffraction orders, a Fourier transform image selection unit for selecting a Fourier transform image corresponding to a desired diffraction order among the Fourier transform images, and a conjugate image formation unit for forming a conjugate image of the selected Fourier transform image, and further includes a semi-transmissive mirror for changing a light ray travelling direction emitted from the optical system.
US08220921B2
An inkjet dyeing apparatus for dyeing a belt-shape textile includes a feeding section for feeding the textile, a front surface printing section for dyeing a front surface of the textile by ink ejected thereon, a front surface drying section for drying the front surface of the textile, an inverting section for inverting and feeding the textile to a rear surface printing line, a rear surface printing section for dyeing the rear surface of the textile by ink ejected thereon, and a rear surface drying section for drying the rear surface of the textile. A transporting section is provided to transport the textile for further processing. A control unit controls ink ejection at the front and rear surface printing sections.
US08220919B2
A printable media hold-down system including a vacuum transport belt, an air removal device configured to create a vacuum pressure, a plurality of air ducts, wherein each air duct is configured to direct the vacuum pressure to the vacuum transport belt and at least one rotational air valve positioned between the air removal device and the plurality of air ducts, wherein the at least one rotational air valve is configured to selectively direct the vacuum pressure into one or more of the plurality of air ducts.
US08220899B2
Pretreatment liquids, ink cartridge assemblies, pretreated recording media, and methods of recording
A pretreatment liquid for ink-jet recording by applying the pretreatment liquid to a recording medium, the pretreatment liquid including fine particles and a solvent. Specifically, a contact angle between the pretreatment liquid and a surface of the recording medium is greater than or equal to about 75 degrees.
US08220882B2
A piece of furniture and a device for locking a first furniture part in a closing position in relation to a second furniture part, wherein the lock can be overridden using a triggering process. Releasing means are provided that are operable to unlock the first furniture part from the closing position by an externally applied, predetermined triggering force on the first furniture part in the opening direction of the first furniture part relative to the second furniture part, if the triggering process does not override the lock.
US08220871B2
Child safety seat to be placed in a vehicle, comprising at least one movable section. The movable section is provided for displacement in the first direction and prevented from displacement in the second direction, when a predetermined weight is exerted on the child safety seat, preferably on the movable section.
US08220869B2
A temperature-controlled head-restraint system is provided. A head restraint includes various layers of material, such as a core, cushion, and trim cover. Moreover, the head restraint includes a temperature-controlling layer that provides heat, coolness, ventilation, or a combination thereof to a front portion of the head restraint. The temperature-controlling layer might include one or more of a heater mat or reticulate material that disperses treated air.
US08220868B2
A retractable panel assembly includes a cover panel slidingly engaged with a rail assembly and having an open position and a closed position, where the cover panel translates along the rail assembly as the cover panel translates between open and closed positions. The retractable panel assembly further includes a shade located between the rail assembly and the cover panel, the shade having an engagement member, and a retention assembly having a retention member engaged with the engagement member of the shade, where, when the cover panel translates between open and closed positions, the retention member works in conjunction with the engagement member of the shade to prevent the shade from translating and the retention assembly retrains at least a second portion of the shade in a vertical direction.
US08220854B2
Methods and apparatus for advertising, promoting, marketing and/or selling products and services. The inventions include a mobile vehicle for advertising, promotion, marketing and sales of products and services, wherein the vehicle is self-propelled and self-contained for transport to, and operation in, any locale. A showroom affixed to or carried by or in the moving vehicle, the vehicle acting as a moving showroom, mobile kiosk, or mobile store. Preferably, the showroom has side panels on three sides which can be raised, removed or retracted to allow customers to view the products within the showroom. Further preferably, the panels have advertising on both of their sides, providing billboards that are visible on all of the sides of the vehicle, such that three hundred and sixty degrees of billboard signage are present to promote particular products and services. Those products and services can include electronics and electrical devices, mechanical products, consumer products, and other objects. The products and services may be promoted for direct sale from the moving showroom, or for sale from other outlets, such as retail stores and Internet sales.
US08220851B1
The tire lifting apparatus may comprise an elongated shaft having a handle formed at a proximal end thereof and further having a generally C-shaped prong formed at a distal end of the shaft. An arm preferably traverses the distal end of the shaft and is juxtaposed adjacent to said prong for balancing the wheel/tire along a diametrical face thereof. Both the shaft and the arm preferably have planar top and bottom faces for supporting the wheel/tire thereon.
US08220850B2
The invention relates to an impact-absorbing element for a vehicle, in particular a car, comprising: a body comprising a thermoplastic polymer material; an elongate reinforcing structure provided in the body and comprising a number of metal reinforcing cords extending substantially parallel and a number of positioning elements arranged between the cords for holding the metal reinforcing cords substantially mutually parallel before and during the manufacturing process. The positioning elements ensure that the cords remain correctly positioned before, during and after the manufacturing process despite the forces occurring in the manufacturing process.
US08220849B2
A device, and a kit a parts for forming such a device, for removably attaching an accessory, such as a winch, to a motor vehicle comprises a brush guard in the shape of a frame that provides support for the vehicle accessory. The brush guard is formed by two upright members and at least one cross-member interconnecting and retaining the two upright members in rigid, spaced-apart relationship. Each of the upright members has two substantially horizontally extending mounting bars, one at each end, for its removable attachment to the motor vehicle.
US08220847B2
A closing seal and associated method include a closing body having a closing mechanism disposed therein, and receptacle retaining the closing body, and a first connecting member connected with one of the closing body and the receptacle. An insertion member is connected with the first connecting member and shaped for insertion into the closing member to retain the same in place. A second connecting member is connected with one of the closing body, the receptacle and the insertion member, and includes a through aperture through which the insertion member passes when the closing seal is closed.
US08220845B2
Embodiments include a clamp apparatus for use in facilitating repair of an exhaust manifold. Some exemplary embodiments of the clamp may include a frame that includes an aperture that is adapted to be secured around a protrusion of an exhaust manifold. Additionally, the clamp may include a fastener secured to the frame that is adapted to join with an exhaust pipe flange having mating holes for receiving the fastener or each clamp. Two clamps are used in one exemplary embodiment.
US08220841B2
A connection device for the plug connection of at least one media line includes a housing part with at least one reception orifice for plugging in a plug portion connected or connectable to the at least one media line. The housing part includes a basic part and an insert part. The basic part is releasably connected with a form fit to the insert part via a latching connection. The latching connection holds the insert part releasably and is formed by a C-shaped spring clip which is seated on the outside of the basic part and engages with at least one latching extension radially through an orifice of the basic part into a circumferential latching groove of the insert part.
US08220835B2
A document upon which a data sequence is placed, the data sequence comprising identification data (1) and verification data (3) in combination. The verification data (3) is physically distinguished from said identification data (1) within the data sequence in addition to any differences due to a difference in data between the identification data and verification data.
US08220829B2
A roof air bag mounting structure includes a frame having a plurality of vertically open spaces therein and bolt holes at opposite ends thereof and air bag cushions provided respectively inside the spaces of the frame. A door allowing the air bag cushion to deploy is provided at the bottom of the frame, and the top surface of the frame is closed to support a deploying force of the air bag cushion. The roof air bag mounting structure can be easily assembled and reduced in weight.
US08220818B1
A hitch for coupling a trailer to a towing vehicle includes a hitch assembly and a base assembly. The hitch assembly pivots between an aligned position and a turning position as the towing vehicle turns. A bearing assembly rides between the hitch assembly and the base assembly. The bearing assembly guides the hitch assembly between the turning and aligned positions. The base assembly has an anchor assembly which prevents the hitch assembly from sliding fore or aft when in the aligned position.
US08220812B2
An independent suspension for a rear wheel of an agricultural vehicle includes upper and lower longitudinal trailing members that are each secured at a chassis location for pivoting movement about respective upper and lower, horizontally extending axes. A planetary gear mount is secured between the trailing members at upper and lower attachments that are spaced from the chassis ends of the trailing members; and a spring attachment protrudes from the planetary gear mount.
US08220808B2
The rear suspension of a vehicle may include trailing arms connected by a torsion beam at both sides thereof, an in-wheel motor case attached to an outer lateral side of the trailing arm, a brake caliper fixed to the in-wheel motor case, a shock absorber having a lower end fixed to the in-wheel motor case, and a hub bearing fixed to an outer lateral side of the in-wheel motor case.
US08220804B2
An apparatus for releasably holding a tubular toolholder shank by axially reciprocating a lock rod between a locked and unlocked position. Compression balls following a helical path on a torque nut are used to retract a compression sleeve, which in turn compresses springs against the lock rod to move the lock rod into the locked position. As a result, a repeatable lock rod force is possible with a pre-determined and self limiting rotation of the torque nut. The same helical groove may be used to advance the compression sleeve against the lock rod to urge the toolholder from the base member.
US08220795B2
A printer having a sheet tray, a drive for advancing sheets past a marking mechanism, and a picker to remove sheets from an aligned tray includes a load position and a pick position. The trays are selectively moved between the load and pick positions. A transmission is engagable to connect the drive to the tray moving mechanism, whereby the tray is moved between the pick position and the load position by the media sheet advancing drive. The transmission is disengagable to enable advancement of the media sheets without movement of the tray. Starting with both trays in their load positions, one of the trays is moved to its pick position whereat a sheet can be picked; moving the other of the trays to its pick position whereat a sheet of media from each of the trays can be picked; and moving the tray remaining at its pick position from its pick position to its media load position.
US08220794B2
A finisher includes a bundle hook configured to push a sheet bundle in a first direction and convey the sheet bundle; a drive unit configured to drive the bundle hook in the first direction and a second direction; a discharge unit configured to discharge the sheet bundle conveyed by the bundle hook; a stacking unit configured to stack the sheet bundle discharged by the discharge unit; and a control unit configured to control the drive unit to drive the bundle hook in the second direction if the drive unit drives the bundle hook in the first direction and the discharge unit discharges the sheet bundle.
US08220792B2
For effective achievement of an increase in productivity, prolongation of the life cycle of a consumable part, a decrease in the running cost, a lighter burden on the operator's work, and a reduction in spending on plants and equipment, a sheet transport apparatus comprises: a folding cylinder (11) for transporting sheets one by one or as a stack of a plurality of the sheets; a jaw cylinder (12) or a reduction cylinder (13) for holding the sheets by alternate ones of holding means and transporting the sheets when the sheets are transported as the stack of the plurality of sheets; an upper transfer cylinder (14) opposing the jaw cylinder or the reduction cylinder; a lower transfer cylinder (15) opposing the jaw cylinder or the reduction cylinder; and switching means for transporting the sheets from the jaw cylinder or the reduction cylinder to the upper transfer cylinder and the lower transfer cylinder, while allocating the sheets to the upper transfer cylinder and the lower transfer cylinder, when the sheets are transported as the stack of the plurality of sheets.
US08220787B2
A part mounting apparatus of the invention comprises: a pickup head having a pickup tool for picking up a part; a pickup head supporting unit for supporting the pickup head; a pickup head supporting arm having one end portion where the pickup head is disposed and an other end portion rotatably mounted to the pickup head supporting unit; a pickup head inverting unit for vertically inverting the pickup head with respect to the pickup head supporting unit; and a pickup tool rotating unit for rotating the pickup tool about a rotational axis of the pickup tool, wherein the pickup tool rotating unit includes driving force generating unit and driving force transmitting unit for transmitting a driving force of the driving force generating unit as a rotational force of the pickup tool, and the driving force generating unit is disposed on the pickup head supporting unit.
US08220779B2
A wheel suspender includes a ramp. A lifting device is configured to apply a force onto a wheel so as to move the wheel up the ramp.
US08220778B2
A valve assembly preferably including a housing having a recess and a flange face and a valve sleeve disposed within the recess. The sleeve preferably includes an annulus having an outer surface and an inner surface that defines a passageway about a central axis, the outer and inner surfaces being radially spaced from one another to define a wall. The wall has a first end portion and a second end portion axially spaced from the first end portion, and homogenous material properties from the first end portion to the second end portion. Preferably, the first end portion defines a lip for supporting the annulus in the recess and further defines a first chamber that encases at least a portion of a first support member. The second end portion preferably defines a flange portion along the outer surface for engaging the flange and further defines a second chamber that encases at least a portion of a second support member.
US08220772B2
A locking device (20,21) for an anchor rod (2) of an anchor system of a concrete wall form, has a screw nut element for screwing the anchor rod through a screw thread of the screw nut element. A dome plate can be fastened to a back of a form element (5,6) of the concrete wall form by means of fastening elements (30) and has a spherically shaped plate section with an opening in which the screw nut element is arranged so as to have radial play. The screw nut element has a groove-type radial seat which accommodates the edges of the opening in the spherical plate sections.
US08220769B2
A transport system suited for transporting a turbine engine mounted to an engine docking unit is provided. The transport system is capable of adjusting the attitude of the docking unit in at least the lateral and longitudinal directions relative to the engine to facilitate the loading and unloading of the turbine engine to and from the transport system.
US08220749B2
Systems and methods provide for a flexible fuel bladder assembly disposed to store fuel and supply the fuel to a vehicle. The flexible fuel bladder assembly may include: a fuel bladder including a fuel-resistant film disposed to store the fuel and supply the fuel therefrom at a manifold assembly connected thereto; and a spiral tubing disposed within the fuel bladder and disposed to prevent collapsing of any two or more sides of the fuel bladder upon each other and permit a substantial portion of the fuel to be supplied from the fuel bladder to the manifold assembly in an uninterrupted fashion until the substantial portion of fuel is removed from the fuel bladder. The flexible fuel bladder may be used in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which may be any one of: an organic air vehicle (OAV), a micro air vehicle (MAV), an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) or an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV).
US08220737B2
An aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing is provided. The aircraft includes a fuselage having a forward portion and an aft portion. A lift fan extends though a duct, which extends through the fuselage. The aircraft further includes a pair of wing sets where each set of wings include first and second wings. Each set of wings has a first wing with a first wing root interconnected to the fuselage forward of a central axis of the lift fan and a second wing having a second wing root interconnected to the fuselage aft of the central axis of the lift fan. The tips of each set of wings are connected. The aircraft further includes a pusher fan.
US08220736B2
A tissue paper winding machine includes a first winding roller and a web separator arranged below the first winding roller. A tissue paper is fed into the winding machine to bear against a lower circumferential surface of the first winding roller and moves along a predetermined feeding direction for winding around a core. The web separator includes a pivot shaft, at least one pinch arm having a connecting end connected to the pivot shaft and a pressing end radially outward extended from the pivot shaft, and a driving mechanism for driving the pinch arm to turn about the pivot shaft reverse to the feeding direction of the tissue paper. When the pressing end of the pinch arm is turned to a separation position, it cooperates with the first winding roller to clamp the tissue paper therebetween, and applies a reverse pulling force to split the tissue paper.
US08220730B2
An interlock system for actuating a switch to interrupt a flow of electrical current to a component of a domestic electrical appliance is described. The current is interrupted unless a sensor indicates that the appliance is in a safe condition, and the system includes a rod-like member which is turned about its own axis through at least a predetermined angle, when the appliance is safe, to actuate the switch to permit current to flow. The safe condition is typified by the secure placement of a lid or cover on a receptacle in a manner intended for operation of the appliance. Moreover, the lid or cover for the receptacle may be formed with an upstanding, chimney-like feed-tube through which food items can be added for processing in the receptacle, and a “pusher” device, sized to fit closely within the feed tube, is further provided, by means of which a user can urge foodstuffs into the receptacle for processing. In such circumstances, and where a feed-tube is of relatively wide dimensions is employed to enable relatively bulky food items to be added to the receptacle, the system senses not only that the lid or cover is in place, but also that a pusher device has been inserted into the feed-tube, before the switch can be actuated.
US08220729B2
A process for industrial disposal for electro-waste. The process contains steps for separating material that are contained in such waste, for re-introducing material into a re-using process in order to save resources and to meet ecologic and economic interests.
US08220727B2
The present invention provides a pressure-compensation drip tape, which is used in drip irrigation to continuously and evenly supply a small amount of water to plants. The drip tape of the present invention includes an outer shell 10, and overlapping sheets 21, 23 and 25, which are expandable depending on an increase of water pressure. Furthermore, the drip tape has a main passage 11, which is defined by the outer shell and the innermost overlapping sheet, such that most water supplied from a water source flows through the main passage, pressure-reducing passages 31 and 33, which are defined between the overlapping sheets, and discharge holes 21H, 23H and 25H, which are formed in the border between the main passage and one of the pressure-reducing passages and the border between the pressure-reducing passages, such that the water sequentially flows via the main passage and the pressure-reducing passages and drips outside the drip tape.
US08220725B2
A system for dispensing liquid material with different configurations of air assisted fiberization or filament movement (e.g., meltblowing, controlled fiberization). In particular, front access for mounting a selected nozzle only requires adjustment of one lever and one fastener. Features of the lever and nozzle allow assisted ejection of the nozzle, even when the nozzle has become adhered to a die body through use. In addition, a nozzle mounting surface of the die body provides a universal interface to the various types of nozzles. An air cavity in the die body and air troughs in selected types of nozzles balance and adjust air flow.
US08220718B2
The present invention is directed towards authentication tokens that are completely embedded in a non-conductive enclosure. The invention is based on the insight that it would be advantageous to separate the electronic data personalization of such tokens from the visual device personalization. The present application concerns an authentication token that allows communication with an external unit after the production of the nonconductive enclosure, in order to transmit or receive device identification data. As this communication need only take place during the manufacturing process, a low-power close-range transmission technique such as inductive coupling, capacitive coupling, or RFID communication suffices for this purpose. Accordingly, the present application discloses a method for manufacturing authentication tokens, and a token manufactured according to said method.teh
US08220717B2
A tubular container enabling individual identification, suitable to store semen of a domestic animal or a small amount of an organism individual sample and to manage history information, excellent in reliability, workability, and communication characteristics, and incorporating an IC tag. The tubular container is composed of a resin tubular container, a sealing cap, an IC tag embedded in the sealing cap and composed of an IC chip and a first transmitting/receiving antenna, and a second transmitting/receiving antenna fixed to the tubular container.
US08220710B2
A method for transporting inventory items includes determining an assignment state of a mobile drive unit. The method also includes selecting a location for the mobile drive unit based on the assignment state of the mobile drive unit, in response to determining that the mobile drive unit is not currently completing a task. The method further includes transmitting information to the mobile drive unit identifying the selected location.
US08220707B1
An automated banking machine allows an authorized user to carry out transactions such as withdrawing cash, making a deposit, cashing a check, and transferring funds between accounts. The machine provides a transaction selection screen through a touch screen display. The transaction selection screen includes a plurality of visually different icons. Each icon represents a different transaction that is available to the current machine user. The user can select a particular transaction by dragging its representative icon with a contacting finger. Upon selection of the particular transaction, a display screen unique to that particular transaction is then provided through the touch screen display.
US08220697B2
A method of welding alloys having directionally-solidified grain structure. The methods improve the weldability of these alloys by creating a localized region of fine grain structure, wherein the welding occurs in these localized regions. The localized regions are formed by applying strain energy using a variety of different methods, such as by hammer peening, laser peening or sand blasting. Then, a heat treatment step may be used to create recrystallized grains having the fine grain structure. The region of fine grain structure provides better weldability.
US08220695B1
Disclosed is a method for bonding stainless steel to aluminum oxide. The method includes the steps of providing a first substrate of the stainless steel, filling solder in the first substrate, providing a second substrate of the aluminum oxide, filling solder in the second substrate, providing a net, pressing the net, locating the net between the first and second substrates to form a laminate and clamping the laminate, locating the laminate in a vacuum oven, increasing the temperature in the vacuum oven, retaining the temperature in the vacuum oven, and decreasing the temperature in the vacuum oven.
US08220683B2
A tool belt including an inner tool receiving chamber positioned inside of an outer accessory pocket and configured to releasably contain a tool, such as a handheld drill, in an easily accessible position proximate to a user's hip. The tool belt may be configured such that the outer accessory pocket is capable of maintaining an opening of the outer accessory pocket open to permit easy access to items, such as nails, screws, and other connectors, contained in the pocket. The tool belt may also include an orifice in a bottom wall in the inner tool receiving chamber enabling a portion of a tool, such as a drill bit and a portion of a chuck drive assembly of a drill.
US08220680B1
A display package convertible to a mobile device holder is provided. The display package includes a display package first part, a display package second part, a retaining member, and a connecting member. The display package first part and the display package second part are connected to each other and foldable onto each other between a flipped-open state and a flipped-closed state. The retaining member releasably retains a mobile device, wherein the retaining member is shaped to engage the mobile device so as to restrain the mobile device in at least one of up, down, right, left and forward directions when the display package is in at least one of the flipped-open state and the flipped-closed state. The connecting member connects the display package to a vehicle interior.
US08220679B2
A bicycle battery holder assembly includes a terminal support portion and a pair of seal members. The terminal support portion has a pair of electrical terminals extending therefrom. The pair of electrical terminals are configured to extend into corresponding terminal receiving portions of a battery. The seal members extend around respective ones of the electrical terminals.
US08220678B2
Method and apparatus for providing a load carrier arrangement for transporting a bicycle when secured thereupon. The load carrier arrangement including a frame assembly adapted to be mounted to the carrying vehicle. The frame assembly has at least one elongate arm configured to receive a bicycle cradle thereupon. The bicycle cradle is mounted upon the arm and is operator configurable between a bicycle transporting configuration and a non-transporting configuration. The cradle has a through-passage within which the elongate arm is received and the cradle is operator reciprocal on the elongate arm in the non-transporting configuration thereby facilitating variable longitudinal positioning of the cradle by the operator upon the arm. The cradle has an increased resistance to longitudinal reciprocation on the elongate arm in the bicycle transporting configuration in comparison to the non-transporting configuration. In this manner, the cradle is effectively longitudinally fixed on the elongate arm in the bicycle transporting configuration to an extent that a secured portion of a carried bicycle in the cradle is longitudinally fixed relative to the elongate arm during transport on the load carrier arrangement.
US08220672B2
A system for dispensing with a valve-less block including internal air passages coupled with an air source and internal dispensing passages coupled with a flow channel. The flow channel is disposed external to the block and couples with a fluid source. The dispensing passages are further configured in fluid communication with the air passages and place the flow channels in fluid communication with the air passages. A port is defined in the block to dispense fluid from the block. At least one sensor is coupled with each flow channel and indicates the presence of at least one of air and fluid in the flow channel. The detection of air or fluid ensures a location of a flow front of a fluid residing in the flow channel, and ensures the presence of an air gap that serves as a check valve to prevent mixing of fluids and to prevent backflow.
US08220652B2
An external power supply support system includes an enclosure with indentations spanning its top and side surfaces in a substantially horizontal fashion, and a caddy with a shell-like body configured to engage at least a portion of the indented power supply enclosure. The shell-like caddy body is provided with mounting apertures spaced according to standard rack rail aperture spacing. The mounting apertures emanate from a series of integral structures bulging from the bottom surface of the shell-like caddy body. The bulging aperture structures in combination with several integral structural ribs are configured collectively to provide a substantially flat and elevated interface suitable for secure mounting of the caddy to a support surface.
US08220648B2
A folded slatwall insert is provided. A slatwall cover is illustrated anchored to a typical slatwall and covering at least one slat of the slatwall. A folded slatwall insert as disclosed prevents surface damage to a typical slatwall, allows for rapid and cost effective customization of the aesthetics of the slatwall, and can be used to mount custom graphics to the slatwall.
US08220642B2
A polysulfone-based blood treatment membrane that exhibits excellent antioxidant properties, excellent long-term storage stability, and a practical strength, and ensures high productivity, a polysulfone-based blood treatment membrane that exhibits excellent antioxidant properties and long-term storage stability, rarely allows endotoxins to enter a treatment liquid, exhibits a practical strength, and ensures high productivity, and a method of producing the same. A polysulfone-based blood treatment membrane includes a polysulfone-based resin, a hydrophilic polymer, and a lipophilic antioxidant, the membrane containing the lipophilic antioxidant in an amount of 30 to 76 mg per gram of the membrane, and the total amount of the lipophilic antioxidant present on the surface of the membrane being 4 to 25 mg per gram of the membrane. Another polysulfone-based blood treatment membrane contains a lipophilic antioxidant in an amount of 30 to 76 mg per gram of the membrane, wherein the inner surface of the membrane has a TOF-SIMS normalized peak intensity of the lipophilic antioxidant of 1.8.times.10.sup.-4 or more, and the outer surface of the membrane has a TOF-SIMS normalized peak intensity of the lipophilic antioxidant of 2.4.times.10.sup.-4 or more. A method of producing a polysulfone-based blood treatment membrane that includes a polysulfone-based resin, a hydrophilic polymer, and a lipophilic antioxidant includes producing a membrane intermediate that contains the lipophilic antioxidant in an amount of 30 to 76 mg per gram of the membrane intermediate, and heating the membrane intermediate at 100 to 180.degree. C. for 0.1 to 360 minutes in a dry state.
US08220636B2
A child-resistant package includes a case and blister cards. The blister cards are mounted for movement between stored positions inside the case and exposed positions outside the case.
US08220624B2
A flexible package, such as a facial tissue pocket pack, is provided with a rigid mirror, affixed to the package with an overlying adhesive label, to enable a user to clearly see his/her reflection.
US08220618B2
A conveyor chain for gripping and conveying paper material has a plurality of links hingedly connected to each other. At least one of the links has a grip arm having a first grip surface. The grip arm is movable back and forth relative to a second grip surface of the chain between a grip position for holding paper material and a retracted position for insertion of the paper material between the first and second grip surfaces. The links are molded of plastic material. The or each grip arm is an integrally molded portion of one of the links. A conveyor including such a chain is also described.
US08220617B2
The invention provides a device (10) for feeding sample containers (18) with an analysis sample (P) to be treated, to a treating apparatus (12) for treating the analysis sample (P), in particular to a centrifuge. The device comprises a conveyer (26, 27) for conveying at least one sample container (14) or at least one carrier containing a sample container (14), wherein the conveyer (26, 27) is configured for receiving multiple sample containers (14) and/or carriers and forms a circulating endless conveyer track. The device further comprises an input station (18) for handing over a sample container (14) or a carrier to the conveyer (26, 27). The input station (18) is displaced (V1, V2), with respect to the conveyer (26, 27), obliquely to the conveying direction (26b, 27b) Hof the conveyer (26, 27). A removal station (20) is for removing the sample container (14) or the carrier out of the conveyer (26, 27), and a transfer device (44) serves for removing the sample container (14) or the carrier with the sample container (14) out of the conveyer (26, 27) for further transport to the treating apparatus (12) and for a hand over to the conveyer (26, 27) after the treatment of the analysis sample (P) of the sample container (14) in the treating apparatus. An identification unit (48) is provided for identifying a sample container (14).
US08220613B2
A stackable carrier assembly, carrier stacking system, and method of storing carrier assemblies is disclosed. The carrier assembly includes a base member presenting a load surface and opposite facing transfer surface. A plurality of carrier trolleys extend transversely from the load surface to engage conveyor tracks. A plurality of track sections are coupled to the load surface for receiving the carrier trolleys of another carrier assembly. The track sections are vertically aligned with the carrier trolleys. In a power and free or friction drive conveyor system, a lift device and telescoping arm can lift and stack the carrier assemblies so that track sections of one carrier assembly receive the carrier trolleys of another carrier assembly. In an overhead conveyor system, one carrier assembly can hang from the track sections of another carrier assembly.
US08220611B2
A system is disclosed for mounting currency mechanisms of various sizes and shapes in vending machines or the like. The system may allow for relatively simple installation and removal of currency mechanisms without the use of mounting screws. The system includes a mounting surface, a portion of which is adapted to mate with a first surface of a currency mechanism. A tab is extended from the mounting surface to engage an opening in the first surface of the currency mechanism. A retention device is coupled to the mounting surface and is manipulable to engage a second surface of the currency mechanism and to cooperate with the tab to grip the currency mechanism.
US08220607B2
A length of each pocket of a cage in a circumferential direction is smaller than the sum of an outer diameter of a roller and a free length of a coil spring. The cage can rotate relative to an inner ring having cam surfaces in accordance with revolution of the rollers in an overload-applied condition, and the cage can not rotate in a direction opposite to a direction of revolution of the rollers in the overload-applied condition.
US08220604B2
A damping force variable valve includes a retainer having a main body connected at a central portion thereof to a high pressure part or portion of a shock absorber and having an outer peripheral region enlarging outwardly, and a spool rod integrally extending from the central portion and formed at a center thereof with a hollow portion having a spool inserted therein. The variable valve further includes a main disc disposed adjacent the retainer, a solenoid unit provided adjacent the spool rod and including a push rod for moving the spool when electrical power is applied, and an operating block installed adjacent the solenoid unit and including an enlarged portion coupled to the outer peripheral region of the main body.
US08220596B2
A disc brake, particularly for a commercial vehicle, includes a brake caliper, which is provided with a brake disc and fixed to a brake carrier by two fastening elements such that it can be axially displaced in relation to the brake disc. The fastening elements each include a guide spar, which is connected to the brake carrier in a fixed manner. For the axial displacement of the brake caliper, one of the guide spars is guided in a plain bearing designed as a movable bearing and the other in a plain bearing designed as fixed bearing such that the guide spar of the fixed bearing includes an elastically deformable section in the radial direction on the outer circumference. The associated bearing rests against the deformable section at least in some sections.
US08220587B2
A silencer cover adapts to a heat expansion of a silencer even when, for example, the silencer cover has a large size and is attached to the silencer over an area from the front to the rear. A silencer cover is provided for a silencer connected to a downstream end of an exhaust pipe of an engine. The silencer cover is fixed to a fixing support provided to the silencer. The silencer is heat-expanded with the fixing support part fixed as a base. The fixing support part is provided at a front end portion, in a vehicle front-rear direction, of the silencer. With a tail pipe constituting a rear end portion of the silencer, the rear end portion of the silencer is provided with a slide structure in which the silencer cover is slidably supported.
US08220569B2
The present disclosure includes an electric vehicle without an internal combustion engine. The vehicle comprises at least one electric motor connected to a drive axle, and a plurality of rechargeable batteries to provide stored electrical energy to the motor. The batteries are recharged by multiple sources of energy. Wind energy is collected through a system including funnel-shape ducts and turbines. Solar energy is collected through a plurality of solar panels. Thermal energy radiated from a driving surface is collected with thermal receptors. The vehicle may also include a generator connected to an axle. The vehicle is provided with a management control system to regulate and combine electrical power from the wind, solar, thermal, and generator sources, and selectively direct power to the motor for driving, and the batteries for recharge.
US08220561B2
A clutch arrangement that includes a clutch member and a follower member. The clutch member is coupled to a member of the transmission assembly that is proximate the torsional input of the transmission assembly and which must be in a non-rotating position to permit the transmission assembly to perform a torque multiplication operation. The follower member is biased into engagement with the clutch member to inhibit relative rotation therebetween. As the clutch member and the transmission member are coupled to one another, the transmission assembly is able to perform a torque multiplication operation. When, however, the torsion that is exerted onto the clutch member is sufficient to overcome the frictional engagement between the follower and clutch members, the clutch member, and the transmission member, rotate, thereby inhibiting the capability of the transmission to continue to perform the torque multiplication operation.
US08220559B2
A plough assembly (10) to be fixed to a plough frame including a transverse beam (11). The assembly (10) includes a plough shank (13) with a leading surface (14) that is generally upwardly oriented. The lower end of the shank (13) is provided with a digging adapter (24) to which there is attached a digging blade (28). Located behind the adapter (24) is a fertilizer delivery tube (33), while behind the tube (33) is a seed delivery tube (42). A seed bed is formed by a tool (43) that is in front of the tube (42), while behind the tube (42) is a press wheel (39).
US08220555B1
A downhole shifting mechanism having an inner tubular member, an outer tubular member, a piston, a first set of teeth, a sliding block, a body lock ring, a first flow path, and a second flow path is described herein. A downhole assembly can include the downhole shifting mechanism with a downhole tool connected to a second end of the downhole shifting mechanism. Also described is a method for shifting a downhole tool disposed within a wellbore.
US08220545B2
In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a tool for a downhole operation. The tool includes a downhole power source to generate power. The tool also includes a cooler module to lower temperature based on the power.
US08220544B2
An open hole is drilled with coiled tubing that has an electric line. At the conclusion of drilling the drilling bottom hole assembly is removed and a liner running tool is connected between the coiled tubing and the liner. The electric line remains in the coiled tubing but spacers can be added to keep the lower end of the electric line away from the running tool. A wiper plug has a passage therethrough and a movable stinger that can hold open a pair of flapper valves. The liner is released from the running tool and cement is delivered through the stinger with a bit of excess that is above the running tool. The lifting of the stinger with the coiled tubing closes the flappers and allows circulation out of excess cement. Setting down on the coiled tubing allows a seal to re-engage in the deployment sleeve, allowing pressure to be placed against the wiper plug, such that it can be launched to displace the remaining cement within the liner into the annulus around the liner.
US08220539B2
An in situ heat treatment system for producing hydrocarbons from a subsurface formation includes a plurality of wellbores in the formation. At least one heater is positioned in at least two of the wellbores. A self-regulating nuclear reactor provides energy to at least one of the heaters to heat the temperature of the formation to temperatures that allow for hydrocarbon production from the formation. A temperature of the self-regulating nuclear reactor is controlled by controlling a pressure of hydrogen supplied to the self-regulating nuclear reactor, and wherein the pressure is regulated based upon formation conditions.
US08220532B2
A magnet fixing device in a cleaning tool (1) for use in a borehole where the cleaning tool (1) is externally provided with at least one projection (8) and at least two recesses (6) and where at least one magnet (12) is disposed in the projection (8), as the magnetic field from the at least one magnet (12) is active in that it is arranged to at least attract a magnet sensitive material (20) into a recess (6) or hold the material (20) in the recess (6), and where the magnet (12) runs through the projection (8), whereby the one magnet (12) pole is active in a first recess (6) while the other magnet (12) pole is active in a second recess (6).
US08220529B2
Disclosed is a heat exchanger for a condensing boiler supplying both heating water and hot water, which can use a double pipe as a sensible heat exchanger, instead of the use of an indirect heat exchanger. The heat exchanger includes: a sensible heat exchanger; and a latent heat exchanger made by connecting a plurality of unit heat exchangers to define exhaust gas pathway, each unit heat exchanger being manufactured in such a manner that three plates having a convexo-concave shape are stacked on one another to define a heating water pathway and a hot water pathway to be adjacent to each other in order to increase a heat transfer area.
US08220523B2
An investment casting system includes a computer controlled mold transfer device movable between at least three stations, including a mold receiving station. A mold transfer station includes a mold suspended from a first horizontally extending arm of the mold transfer device engaging an intermediate transfer device to transfer the mold to the intermediate transfer device. A storage station has a storage rack receiving the mold following a material coating phase. A robot in communication with the intermediate transfer device is programmed to position the mold in any of multiple material coating stations during the material coating phase. The mold is accessible for removal from the system at any stage of completion by direction of a computer control system.
US08220518B2
An expandable and contractable shade assembly includes a plurality of closed cell structures aligned vertically one above another with juncture lines defined between adjacent structures. A lift system is configured for vertically drawing the closed cell structures from the fully expanded configuration into a fully contracted configuration, and includes a plurality of lift cords that are attached to back faces of the closed cell structures and lie along a vertical line of action rearward of the closed cell structures. In the fully contracted configuration of the shade assembly, the closed cell structures collapse into a flat profile and hang from the lift cords in a vertical and adjacently disposed orientation whereby upper edges of the collapsed closed cell structures are adjacent and oriented in an upward vertical direction, and bottom edges of the collapsed closed cell structures are adjacent and oriented in a downward vertical direction.
US08220507B2
A dispenser is provided for the delivery of controlled, metered amounts of any of numerous different substances to humans or animals, such as medicaments, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food products, or to deliver materials that may react upon exposure to air, such as glue. Means are provided in the dispenser to effect controlled delivery of a pre-determined amount of the substance contained in the dispenser. A one-way valve is provided to hermetically seal the portion of the dispenser containing the substance to be dispensed.
US08220504B2
The present invention is directed to a syringe filling station that can fill a syringe with a specified volume of fluid. In one embodiment, the syringe filling station comprises a reservoir attachment, a fluid delivery system, a syringe retaining guide, and a pump to move fluid from a reservoir to a syringe. The fluid delivery system may comprise a sterile consumable cartridge that is insertable into the filling station and defines a fluid pathway from a reservoir to a syringe. The syringe filling station may also include a user interface. An operator can input commands into the user interface to specify the amount of fluid to dispense into the syringe. The user interface may be connected to a processor that controls the rate of pumping and thereby can fill a syringe with a desired amount of fluid. The filling station may also include sensors that detect air in the tubing, depletion of the reservoir, among other things.
US08220502B1
A pressure gauge may be coupled to a vessel into which a liquid chemical is to be dispensed. The volume of the vessel may be known and a control device may determine an initial pressure of the vessel using the pressure gauge. A volume of liquid chemical may be dispensed into the vessel which may cause the pressure within the vessel to increase to a second pressure. The control device may determine the second pressure using the pressure gauge may calculate the volume of liquid chemical dispensed into the vessel using the volume of the vessel, the initial pressure of the vessel, and the second pressure of the vessel.
US08220501B2
A method for the safe filling of a product in valve-controlled filling systems having, at individual filling stations, flow measuring devices for determining the amount of filling of the product being filled, a flow value D(ti) is determined for a number of time intervals at opened filling valve and checked for significant deviations brought about by air bubble formation in the product being filled. If significant deviations occur, then the pertinent filling valve is closed prematurely.
US08220495B2
There is provided a fluid control apparatus which can improve assembling operation efficiency. A screw insertion hole 29 extending in a front and rear direction have a stepped portion 29a which receives a head portion 18a of a male screw member 18, and the stepped portion 29a is positioned at a position closer to an inserted tip end side of a male screw member 28 in the front and rear direction than a position, in the front and rear direction, of male screw members 34 from above. By fastening the male screw member 18 in the front and rear direction at first and then fastening the male screw member 34 from above, it is possible to prevent the male screw member 18 in the front and rear direction and the male screw member 34 from above from interfering with each other.
US08220493B2
The present invention relates to microfluidic systems and methods for controlling the flow of fluid using passive components engineered into the microchannels. These passive flow components include fluidic diodes, fluidic capacitors, and fluidic inductors. Various fluidic circuits are provided to control fluid flow including fluid rectifiers, fluid band pass filters, and fluid timers.
US08220472B2
A dishwasher includes a treatment compartment, a storage container in the treatment compartment, and a drive for moving the storage container out of and/or into the treatment compartment.
US08220470B2
The Furniture Pad Folding Machine is a dry cleaning machine that is multi-faceted; it can clean and disinfect furniture pads and the machine has the ability to fold furniture pads. The machine is portable and can function on the moving truck and at the warehouse.
US08220468B2
A robotic surgical system includes a sterile surgical instrument, a robotic surgical manipulator, and a sterile drape covering at least a portion of the robotic surgical manipulator. The surgical instrument has a proximal interface and a distal end effector. The proximal interface includes a gimbal assembly with two intersecting rotational axes coupled to the distal end effector. The robotic surgical manipulator has a drive plate that bears against the gimbal assembly. The drive plate has two degrees of rotational freedom about a center of motion that is coincident with an intersection of the axes of the gimbal assembly. The sterile drape includes a sterile sheet covers at least a portion of the robotic surgical manipulator, a frame bonded to the sterile sheet, an instrument interface that covers the drive plate of the robotic surgical manipulator, and a diaphragm that connects the instrument interface to the frame.
US08220462B2
A cuffed silicone tracheostomy tube has two tapered recesses 17 and 18 on its outer surface in which opposite ends 7 and 8 of a resilient cuff 6 are bonded using an adhesive or solvent. Two shallow ribs 22 and 23 extend around the tube on the inner edge of each recess 17 and 18, projecting outwardly to prevent the adhesive or solvent spreading onto the inflatable portion 10 of the cuff 6. The cuff 6 has several shallow ribs 9 extending around the cuff and spaced along its inflatable portion 10 to promote even inflation.
US08220461B1
An oral airway for insertion into the mouth and pharynx of a patient is disclosed and adapted to connect to an anesthesia breathing connector, a suction tube, or a nasal cannula, interchangeably as needed, without necessitating the removal of the oral airway from the patient. A tubular member has a connector at a proximal end and includes a first portion that is adapted for fixing with the anesthesia breathing connector. A second portion of the connector is adapted for receiving the suction tube. At least one protuberance between the first and second portions receives and retains a portion of the nasal cannula, or alternately, at least one aperture is included in the second portion for receiving a portion of the nasal cannula. A mouth guard extends outwardly from the connector. Alternately, a suction tube guide within the tubular member may be slidably positionable between a retracted and extended position.
US08220449B2
An autonomous or battery powered foldable stove using dry biomass as combustion fuel is described herein. The device includes a base that contains an air flow generator having an inlet and an outlet. The outlet is in fluid communication trough a diffuser plate supporting the combustible to provide air thereto when the kit is functionally assembled and in operation. The stove defines a compact portable, stackable and autonomous device which can be stored for and then used in extreme situations, such as following a natural disaster.
US08220443B2
An EGR system includes a high-pressure EGR unit and a low-pressure EGR unit. During the steady operation of an internal combustion engine, the high-pressure EGR gas and the low-pressure EGR gas are mixed with each other at a mixture ratio, in which the ratio of the high-pressure EGR gas amount to the entire EGR gas amount is higher than that in a known mixture ratio, and then recirculated back to the internal combustion engine. In the engine speed-up transitional operation period, the opening amount of a high-pressure EGR valve is adjusted to the opening amount that is much smaller than the target opening amount corresponding to the target operation mode. Thus, it is possible to suppress occurrence of the situation where the entire EGR gas amount is excessive in the period in which the low-pressure EGR gas amount does not decrease by a sufficient amount.
US08220437B2
Secondary fuel filter (143) provided downstream of a fuel pump (92) has a smaller pore size than a primary fuel filter (141) provided upstream of the fuel pump. The secondary fuel filter is covered with a case member (171) and positioned along a center frame (23) of the vehicle. The secondary fuel filter is made of non-woven fabric and formed in a bag shape, and fuel is filtered by the secondary fuel filter as it passes from the interior to the outside of the filter.
US08220433B2
A piston for an internal combustion engine includes a piston base material and a film of lubrication coating composition. The coating composition has an inner coating layer formed on a surface of the piston base material and an outer coating layer formed on a surface of the inner coating layer. Each of the inner coating layer and the outer coating layer contains at least one of a polyamide-imide resin, a polyimide resin and an epoxy resin as a binder. The inner coating layer contains 0 to 50 wt % of at least one of graphite and molybdenum disulfide as a solid lubricant, whereas the outer coating layer contains 50 to 95 wt % of at least one of graphite and molybdenum disulfide as a solid lubricant.
US08220429B2
A single-cylinder, four-stroke cycle, internal combustion engine arranged in an overhead valve configuration includes a first valve train and a second valve train. The first valve train includes a first cam on a camshaft, a first pushrod driven by the first cam, a first rocker arm attached to the first pushrod, and an exhaust valve driven by the first rocker arm. The second valve train includes a second cam on the camshaft, a second pushrod driven by the second cam, a second rocker arm attached to the second pushrod, and an intake valve driven by the second rocker arm. The first rocker arm is longer than the second rocker arm.
US08220427B2
A spool valve 10 for a variable camshaft timing (VCT) phaser for an internal combustion engine comprises a spool 11 slidable in a bore 12 in a valve sleeve 13, the spool 11 having spaced apart lands 14-17 dividing the bore 12 into chambers 41, 42, 43 between adjacent lands. The valve sleeve 13 has fluid passages 22-27 including a lock passage 26 communicating with a lock pin 31, a vent passage 27 communicating with a fluid sump 35, and a lock pin oil feed passage 22, with the spool 11 being slidable in the bore 12 to interconnect select passages via particular chambers, wherein the vent passage 27 and the lock pin passage 26 are connectable with different chambers 43 and 42 respectively. The arrangement avoids unnecessary operation of the lock pin 31.
US08220422B2
The double-sided arrangement of a rack gear variable compression ratio engine improves the packaging, increases the rev limit, reduces the friction and the forces on the thrust rollers.
US08220417B2
An apparatus for washing an animal with a liquid, includes a container having an open upper end portion, opposite end walls, opposite side walls, and a bottom wall. At least one pair of ledges extends from the opposite side walls above the bottom wall. One or more platforms are each provided with widths that are shorter than the lengths of the platforms, wherein the platforms may be passed through the container to the bottom wall when the platforms are turned in one direction or supported by the pair of ledges when the platforms are turned ninety degrees. Multiple pairs of ledges may be provided for varied platform levels within the container.
US08220416B1
A confinement system and method for confining a pet to a passenger seat inside a vehicle. A first net is suspended in front of the seating surface of the passenger seat. A second net is suspended along the side of the passenger seat between the backrest of the seat and the first net. The first net and second net confine the front and inside edges of the passenger seat. The backrest of the seat and the door of the automobile confine the rear and outside edge of the passenger seat. The result is a confined space centered on the passenger seat. A pet is placed inside the confined space. The pet is prevented from falling off the passenger seat while the automobile is moving by the confinement features.
US08220415B2
An imaging system that allows for unhindered access to a sample to be imaged. A housing structure is configured with a drawer having a platform. The platform may be configured to hold a sample, such as an animal, and/or the platform may be configured to mate with a sample holding member, such as a removable carrying tray for holding the sample. The drawer presents the platform to an imaging device or system internal to the housing when in a closed, or imaging, state. When in an extended state, the drawer presents the platform external to the housing to allow unobstructed manipulation of a sample on the drawer platform (or on the sample holding member on the platform). When used, a sample holding member such as a removable carrying tray may be docked with the drawer platform, and various interconnects, such as gas ports and electrical connectors, on the sample holding member engage with corresponding elements on the platform when docked. The tray may be undocked and moved to a remote location having a compatible docking station to allow for preparation or processing of a sample elsewhere. The tray may be docked with a docking station located at a sample preparation station. In the case of a live animal sample, the preparation station may include a sterile hood or other laboratory location.
US08220414B2
The invention relates to a feeding apparatus (100) used for feeding animals, such as cattle, in an animal shelter (50). The apparatus is arranged in connection with a feeding aperture (110) in the wall of the animal shelter, and it includes an air-permeating first wall (104) and an air-restricting second wall (106) together with a trough (102) for the dispensed feed. The first and second wall can be moved in front of the feeding aperture, in which case the feeding aperture is closed, and away from the feeding aperture, in which case the feeding aperture is open. A feed cover (108) has been placed onto the lower edge of the first wall in such a way that it covers part of the feed in the trough. Preferably the feed cover is a flexible structure made out of rubber, the free edge of which is equipped with an edge reinforcement (116). The first wall is fastened from its upper edge to the upper edge of the feeding aperture with hinges (112). The second wall is a sheet-like structure, which is thermally insulated and at least partially transparent, and it is fastened onto a support bar (120), which rotates around its longitudinal axis, the support bar being positioned into the upper edge of the feeding aperture. The second wall can also be a pull curtain fastened onto the first wall. A refrigeration system can be arranged in connection with the trough for preventing the feed in the trough from warming up.
US08220411B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid applying apparatus that enables the viscosity of a liquid to be applied and the condition of supply of the liquid to be detected using conventional mechanisms and without the need for a viscometer or the like, thus allowing prevention of improper application of the liquid to a medium and mitigation of wear of an applying roller or the like, the apparatus having an inexpensive configuration. Thus, according to the present invention, a driving load on an applying roller driving motor is detected when an applying roller is driven. If the driving load is equal to or more than a preset threshold, an operation of re-supplying the liquid is performed by a pump, or an operation of the roller driving motor is stopped.
US08220401B2
In a sewing machine for covering chain stitch according to the present invention, a thread push member is mounted on a top cover shaft which drives a cover thread looper, and the thread push member is arranged on the cover thread guide. When swinging backward in association with a movement of the cover thread looper, the thread push member pushes the top cover thread passing through a guide hole of the cover thread guide, forcibly moves the top cover thread and keeps the top cover thread near a back end of the guide hole. The top cover thread is arranged at a predetermined position on a surface of a cloth without being affected by a force from the needle thread, and a covering chain stitch can stably be formed with the excellent appearance.
US08220395B1
A Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM) bomblet may be converted into a gun-launched grenade. The bomblet may include a fuze, a shaped-charge liner, a casing, and explosive material disposed between the shaped-charge liner and the casing. An ogive may be attached to an open end of the bomblet. A generally cup-shaped pusher may be placed over the fuze and attached to the bomblet casing. A conventional cartridge case assembly may be fixed to a fuze end of the bomblet. When the gun-launched grenade impacts a target, the casing may shatter to form shrapnel and a shaped-charge jet may be formed.
US08220390B2
Systems and methods for allowing existing rotary printing press units to produce smaller pages at a faster rate of speed without having to replace the press unit. Specifically, the systems and methods relate to retrofitting an existing press unit to produce three pages of material in each full rotation instead of the traditional two pages.
US08220389B2
An apparatus and method are disclosed in which printing material is printed upon a tray surface and transferred to a sheet supported by the tray surface. A cleaning device removes residual printing material from the tray surface.
US08220383B2
A food product slicer with a rotatable slicer knife includes a knife sharpener and a control for providing a timed sharpening operation. The control effects rotation of the slicer knife for a set knife sharpen time period when a knife sharpen input of the slicer is triggered.
US08220381B2
The invention concerns a combined piston-expander compressor comprising a plurality of pistons (3, 14) which are mechanically coupled together by a piston rod (4), as well as a main slide (6), an auxiliary slide (7) and a control valve (9) for control purposes, characterized in that the main slide (6) is formed from a plurality of slide elements that are not interconnected, two outer slide bodies (6a, 6b) being provided. Control pistons (6c) with control edges and simple slide elements (6d) are arranged in a row between the outer slide elements, in the form of a small piston (6a) and a large piston (6b), such that a differential pressure acting on the outer slide elements (6a, 6b) automatically and mechanically holds together the main slide (6).
US08220374B2
A retaining device for a wood sawing machine contains an index table fixed on a cutting deck of the wood sawing machine to displace straightly and reciprocately along the cutting deck; a guiding plate fixed on the cutting deck, connected with the index table, and including a slot disposed thereon; a vertically moving set including at least one sliding block, at least one screw rod, a longitudinally displacing holder, at least one first adjusting nuts, and at least one first second adjusting nuts; wherein the sliding block is slidably connected with the slot of the guiding plate and displaces along the slot reciprocately, the screw rod is coupled on the sliding block respectively; a retaining and pressing assembly including a handle, two arms, two connecting posts, two stems, and a pressing panel.
US08220371B2
A pipe tool, useful for cutting, removing a weld, and/or truing a pipe, comprises a housing; a drive interface; a gripper selectively insertable into an inner annulus of a pipe and movable independently of the housing, the gripper comprising a selectively expandable grip; a radially disposed cutter adapted to selectively engage a predetermined portion of an outer surface of the pipe, the cutter movable independently of the housing and the gripper; and a motor operatively in communication with the drive interface. In embodiments, a pipe is cut by maneuvering the pipe tool proximate an open end of a pipe, moving the gripper into the pipe; extending the grip to engage an interior wall of the pipe and secure the pipe tool from movement relative to the pipe; advancing the exposed face to a predetermined position relative to the pipe; axially advancing the cutter to engage an outer wall of the pipe; and rotating the housing until the cutters perform the desired cutting operation on the pipe.
US08220364B1
A method and apparatus for sharpening/honing safety razors comprising a mini-strop having a body with a rough side and a smooth side made of double shoulder premium cowhide, a handle and a swivel trigger snap and extension strap with hook and loop fastener elements for suspending from an anchoring article.
US08220363B2
A conical gear drive comprising an input element that interacts with a truncated conical gear via which an output element can be driven. A number of different output elements or variably selectable output elements should be able to be connected to the truncated conical gear drive.
US08220356B2
An anti-separation device for use with an isolator that couples a steering input shaft and a steering gear connector includes a retaining plate and a retaining formation. The retaining plate is coupled to the steering gear connector and is configured to displace with and torque with the steering gear connector. The retaining formation is coupled to the steering input shaft and is configured to displace with and torque with the steering input shaft. When the isolator fails and the steering input shaft displaces or rotates relative to the steering gear connector, the retaining plate limits the relative displacement or rotation of the retaining formation and couples the steering input shaft to the steering gear connector.
US08220345B2
An apparatus for inspection of a gap between two surfaces, at least one of which is ferromagnetic, for example in a generator, includes a sensor platform (26) for one or more sensors (26a) and an elongated mount (23), which can be moved out, for the sensor platform (26). The mount (23) can be moved in and out of the gap through an access opening, can be moved out over the length of the gap and can be rolled up outside the gap by a drive (24). In its moved-out state, the mount (23) has a curvature in a lateral cross section. In addition, the mount (23) has a plurality of magnets (27) by which the mount (23) is brought into contact with a ferromagnetic surface. The magnets (27) are attached to the side of the mount (23) facing away from the ferromagnetic surface, ensuring that the mount (23) slides along a ferromagnetic surface. The apparatus allows inspection of gaps from a height of 4 mm and is distinguished by a simple and physically small design.
US08220343B2
The force sensing device includes a deformable member having portions arranged to make a pair with respect to the Z-axis. Three sets of strain detecting elements are formed on the deformable member for detecting deformations of the deformable member caused by a linear force in the X-axis, a linear force in the Y-axis and a rotational force about the Z-axis. The force sensing device includes a connecting member which connects between the pair of portions of the deformable member, and between the deformable member and a shaft of a manipulatable member. The force sensing device can be manufactured with easy wiring work and can detect the applied force in three degrees of freedom, including the linear force in the X-axis, the linear force in the Y-axis and the rotational force about the Z-axis.
US08220339B1
A mobile turf instrument apparatus has a wheeled frame that may be propelled over the ground by a motive device, such as by a separate vehicle or by its own engine and drive train. A driven arm is carried on the frame and revolves in circles to periodically insert the probe(s) of a probe assembly into the ground during motion of the frame. The drive to the arm is momentarily disengaged when the probe(s) of the probe assembly are inserted into the ground. The probe assembly comprises two parts that rock relative to one another. Two soil measurement devices are connected to the probe assembly. A soil moisture sensor is coupled to the probe assembly for measuring soil moisture when the probe(s) are inserted into the ground. A load cell is responsive to the amount of rocking of the two parts of the probe assembly to measure soil compaction.
US08220332B1
A conduit toner and detector to identify an unknown conduit route or direction in combination with a pull box or junction box from one end to another end using a sound generator and a sound detector, comprising: an enclosure and a sound generator for generating a detectible sound pressure; an electrical power source powering the sound generator through a power button; the sound generator operates in a detectable sound range, thus a sound detector is used to notify the presence of sound waves inside the conduit that is being tested with or without existing cables in place. Other embodiments are described and shown.
US08220330B2
A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor device (184) includes a sensor portion (180) and a sensor portion (182) that are coupled together to form a vertically integrated configuration having a hermetically sealed chamber (270). The sensor portions (180, 182) can be formed utilizing different micromachining techniques, and are subsequently coupled utilizing a wafer bonding technique to form the sensor device (184). The sensor portion (180) includes one or more sensors (186, 188), and the sensor portion (182) includes one or more sensors (236, 238). The sensors (186, 188) are located inside the chamber (270) facing the sensors (236, 238) also located inside the chamber (270). The sensors (186, 188, 236, 238) are configured to sense different physical stimuli, such as motion, pressure, and magnetic field.
US08220322B2
An engine control system comprises a model pressure determination module and a sensor diagnostic module. The model pressure determination module determines a modeled fuel rail pressure based on a fuel pump flow rate and an engine fuel flow rate. The sensor diagnostic module generates a status of a fuel rail pressure sensor based on a comparison of the modeled fuel rail pressure and a sensed fuel rail pressure sensed by the fuel rail pressure sensor.
US08220320B2
A distance measuring device and a method for determining a distance are provided. The distance measuring device includes a reflective member, evaluation electronics and a sensor device having at least one coupling probe for feeding a transmission signal into a line structure with the reflective member. The reflective member includes a base plate with an attached collar for forming a cup-shaped element.
US08220319B2
A communication system is provided and includes a sensor to measure a condition at a point of measurement interest defined on a rotor of a turbine at a radial distance from a centerline about which the rotor is rotatable, wiring disposed on the rotor at a radial distance from the centerline, the wiring including a first wiring section coupled to the sensor, a second wiring section and a first connection by which the first and second wiring sections are connectable, a second connection by which the second wiring section transmits a signal reflective of the detected condition to a non-rotating recording element and a temperature compensation module disposed on the second wiring section to adjust the signal.
US08220311B2
In one embodiment, a device for measuring concentration of a paramagnetic gas is provided. The device comprises a measuring cell having a closed cavity therein, a reference gas conduit extending into the cavity for supplying a reference gas to the measuring cell, the reference gas comprising a predetermined concentration of the paramagnetic gas, a measurable gas conduit extending into the cavity for supplying a measurable gas to the measuring cell, the measurable gas comprising a measurable concentration of the paramagnetic gas, a first microphone differentially coupled to the measurable gas conduit and the reference gas conduit, and a second microphone located at a predetermined distance from the reference gas conduit.
US08220303B2
The invention relates to an apparatus for winding and unwinding rolled strip (WB) discharging from a mill train (WS), in which apparatus the rolled strip (WB) discharging from the mill train (WS) is introduced by a set of bending rolls (BR) into a winding chamber (WK) having a rotationally driven roller pair (RP) and is wound into a coil (WB), and the coil is then put onto a roller table (GR) and unwound from these rollers with the direction of rotation being reversed and the start of the strip is fed to a driver device (RT). The apparatus is improved by a supporting slide (TS) which can be pushed into the winding chamber (WK) and in whose side walls a pivoted lever (SH) is mounted, the free end of which carries a pressure roller (AR) which can be put onto the rolled strip coil and pushes the latter out of the winding chamber (WK) onto the adjoining roller table (GR).
US08220288B2
A refrigerator including a body unit and a pair of doors which are attached on opposite sides of the body unit and which jointly delimit a first internal space, wherein a first door of said pair supports a bar that extends into the internal space when the first door is in a closed position, said bar having a locating face, against which a rear side of the second door fits closely when both doors are in a closed position, and containing an electrical heating device, the refrigerator including a control circuit for the electrical heating device including at least one electric contact through which a current supply circuit of the electrical heating device is routed, the at least one electrical contact being attached to the body unit and conductively connected to a complementary contact disposed on the first door when the first door is closed.
US08220286B2
The invention concerns a storage unit that is adapted to be located in a refrigeration appliance. The storage unit includes a holding compartment for holding articles the temperature of which is to be controlled. The holding compartment is adapted to be placed in air flow communication with a source of cold air whereby the cold air may be delivered to the holding compartment. An air-flow passageway for recirculating air discharged from the holding compartment back to the holding compartment is provided along with a mixing area where the cold air and the recirculated air may be mixed in selected quantities. A user interface providing for the selection of a temperature-control procedure from a group of available temperature-control procedures for application to the interior of the holding compartment is included. The storage unit can include a controller for controlling the implementation of the temperature-control procedure selected by the user.
US08220277B2
Recuperation systems and methods are applied to vapor compression cycles in dehumidification, such as in air conditioning. In some embodiments, a method for dehumidification includes introducing a refrigerant from a heating unit to a cooling unit along a first path; introducing the refrigerant from the cooling unit to the heating unit along a second path different from the first path; introducing the refrigerant from the heating unit to the cooling unit along a third path different from the first path; and contacting the cooling unit and the heating unit with a first gas stream.
US08220275B2
A system to mitigate thermal lag of start-up operations of a gas turbine is provided and includes a housing which is disposed upstream from and which is fluidly coupled to a compressor of the gas turbine, a first system coupled to an aft portion of the compressor and to the housing which, when activated, receives a first air supply from the compressor and delivers the first air supply to the housing, and a second system, coupled to the first system, which removes a second air supply from an intermediate portion of the compressor and delivers the second air supply to the first system prior to the activation of the first system.
US08220273B2
A gas turbine combustor having an improved cooling structure effective to efficiently suppress a possible occurrence of buckling in the combustion liner while exhibiting a convection cooling effect to the combustion liner, the gas turbine combustor includes a combustion liner having a combustion chamber defined therein and an outer peripheral surface forming a path of a compressed air, and a heat transfer enhancement structure provided on the outer peripheral surface of the combustion liner. The heat transfer enhancement structure referred to above is of a honeycomb construction defined by ribs protruding outwardly from the outer surface of the combustion liner. The honeycomb construction may be of a geometry in which hexagonal shapes, rhombic shapes, parallelogrammic shapes, bent rectangular shapes or triangular shapes are deployed next to each other.
US08220271B2
A fuel lance (7) for introducing fuel into a gas flow in a combustor (1) of a gas turbine engine includes a region of the lance (7) through which the fuel is introduced into the gas flow having a generally helical formation (12).
US08220268B2
A turbine engine is disclosed. The turbine engine may have a first compressor configured to pressurize inlet air, and a second compressor configured to further pressurize the inlet air. The turbine engine may also have a cooling circuit fluidly located to cool the inlet air after the inlet air is pressurized by the first compressor and before the inlet air is further pressurized by the second compressor. The cooling circuit may have a first heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the inlet air to a fuel of the engine, and a second heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from exhaust of the engine to the fuel of the engine.
US08220263B2
A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, which can generate exhaust pressure pulsation at an early period while suppressing the degradation of volumetric efficiency, when a request to enhance the exhaust pressure pulsation is made in the internal combustion engine which includes a variable valve mechanism that makes variable a valve overlap period, and a variable nozzle type turbocharger.
US08220250B2
Cylinders of an internal combustion engine are divided into at least two cylinder groups. First air-fuel ratio sensors are disposed in each exhaust branch pipe connected to the cylinder groups, and a second air-fuel ratio sensor is disposed in a common exhaust pipe upstream from the catalyst. When a vapor amount introduced into an intake passage during purge control is determined, the vapor amount is determined during normal operation using output values from the first air-fuel ratio sensors and the vapor amount value learned during normal operation. During rich-lean operation, the vapor amount is determined using the output value from the second air-fuel ratio sensor and the vapor amount value learned during rich-lean operation. Thereby, the vapor amount introduced into the intake passage when a switch is made from normal to rich-lean operation of the internal combustion engine is accurately determined.
US08220246B2
A crossfire tube assembly is configured for connecting adjacent combustion cans in a gas turbine, and includes a first tube segment having a first end and an opposite female end. A second tube segment has a first end and an opposite male end fitted concentrically within the female end with an overlap region between the female and male ends. Each of the first ends of the tube segments is configured for securing to a liner of a respective combustion can. Oppositely oriented first and second impingement sleeves extend from the female end of the first tube segment to the respective first ends of the tube segments. Combustion cooling air is directed through metering holes in the impingement sleeves and flows axially along concentric cavities defined between the impingement sleeves and the first and second tube segments. The combustion cooling air vents from the cavities into an axial combustion air flow stream between the respective combustion can liners and sleeves.
US08220234B2
The conditioning rolls of a crop harvester have intermeshing metal ribs arranged in a herringbone pattern, each rib comprising a pair of end-to-end segments that converge spirally from opposite ends of the roll to a centermost apex. Alternative embodiments provide a single pair of metal herringbone rolls, two pairs of metal herringbone rolls, or a front pair of metal herringbone rolls and a rear pair of compressible surface herringbone rolls.
US08220233B2
An agricultural machine including a carrying vehicle and plural work units configured to cut a standing product. The agricultural machine includes four steering and driving wheels that support the carrying vehicle, at least two front work units arranged, during work and viewed in a direction of forward travel of the carrying vehicle, at the front of the carrying vehicle, and at least two lateral work units arranged, during work, on either side of a work area of the front work units. The front work units and the lateral work units can be moved with respect to the carrying vehicle and can pivot in mutually opposite directions with respect to each other, to occupy a transport position or a work position. In the work position, a work area of a first front work unit partially overlaps a work area of a second front work unit.
US08220227B2
The present invention provides a method of transporting parts constituting a product in a product assembly plant, the method including placing the parts in a returnable container, the returnable container being carried by a worker within the plant, wherein the returnable container is formed by expansion molding of expanded particles of a polyolefin-based resin, the relationship between the weight and volume of the returnable container satisfies Formula (1) below, and the relationship between the flexural modulus and density of the returnable container satisfies Formula (2) below: 650≦(a−W)/W×V≦4,000 (1) (where W is the weight (kg) of the returnable container, V is the volume (L) of the returnable container, and a represents 23 kg, i.e., the maximum weight that can be carried by a worker within the plant, which is recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH)); 0.10≦F/D≦0.60 (2) (where D is the density (g/L) of the returnable container, and F is the flexural modulus (MPa) measured according to ISO 1209).
US08220221B2
Connectors for joining adjacent modular floor covering units. Embodiments of the connectors include a film and an adhesive layer coated on one side of the film. The connectors can have a conductive component that allows electrical continuity to be maintained between adjacent tiles. In yet another embodiment, the connectors can be equipped as radio frequency identification tags by including radio frequency transponders. To install tiles using the connectors, a first tile is placed on the floor and a connector is positioned so that the adhesive layer faces upward and does not contact the floor. The connector is typically positioned so that only a portion of the adhesive layer adheres to the underside of the tile, leaving the remainder of the connector extending from the underside of the tile. One or more tiles are then positioned adjacent the first tile so that a portion of the connector adheres to the adjacent tiles. In this way, the connectors span adjacent tile edges. The tiles are assembled on an underlying flooring surface without the need to attach them to the floor surface. Rather, the tiles are linked to each other with the connectors, so that the tiles create a floor covering that “floats” on the underlying floor surface. Additionally, the tiles need not be installed directly on the floor surface. Rather, an underlayment, such as a film or cushion or cushion composite, may be positioned on the floor surface prior to the installation of tiles.
US08220216B2
A louvered housing for an air conditioning unit includes a base structure with a plurality of openings and elongated bodies with a V-cross-sectional shapes and being connected to the base structure at their ends. The louvers are formed in a two-step process including first a stamping and then a forming process, with neither step resulting in scrap material.
US08220215B2
Systems, apparatuses, and methods configured for installing a decorative feature having a wave-like appearance. For example, a system for installing the decorative feature can include one or more mounts configured to attach to a support structure and support one or more decorative panels. The system can also include a plurality of decorative panels configured to be disposed within or supported by the mounts. Each decorative panel can have a concave or convex configuration to produce a wave-like appearance.
US08220212B2
A concrete tower is provided. The concrete tower may be a concrete tower for a wind turbine. The compressive strength of the concrete is changed in dependency of the height of the tower. The concrete tower includes a number of tendons that are arranged to pre-stress the concrete tower. Each tendon is anchored with the concrete tower at a first end of the tendon and at a second end of the tendon.
US08220210B2
A photovoltaic (PV) module including a PV device and a frame. The PV device has a PV laminate defining a perimeter and a major plane. The frame is assembled to and encases the laminate perimeter, and includes leading, trailing, and side frame members, and an arm that forms a support face opposite the laminate. The support face is adapted for placement against a horizontal installation surface, to support and orient the laminate in a non-parallel or tilted arrangement. Upon final assembly, the laminate and the frame combine to define a unitary structure. The frame can orient the laminate at an angle in the range of 3°-7° from horizontal, and can be entirely formed of a polymeric material. Optionally, the arm incorporates integral feature(s) that facilitate interconnection with corresponding features of a second, identically formed PV module.
US08220196B1
A fish line having a red color defined by a hue value of a LCH measurement of a colorimeter of between −11.5 and −13.5 is shown to get more strikes than fish line of other colors, thereby providing the user with an opportunity to catch more fish. The red fish line includes a red colorant which provides increased abrasion resistance compared to fish line comprised of the same synthetic or natural materials but a different or no colorant.
US08220184B2
Footwear, namely a shoe or sandal for a human foot fabricated from multiple interchangeable components which can be easily manufactured, assembled and manually replaced and interchanged by the user for purposes of design, repair or changing color and aesthetic coordination and/or component design combinations of the footwear.
US08220181B2
A method and apparatus for enhancing the ability of a human to run and jump with comfort comparable to running barefoot on a trampoline and with control comparable to that of the unaided human form, yet with freedom from ankle-turning roll moments associated with substantial ground contact member (GCM) extension downwardly away from the sole of the foot including, a resiliently urged GCM constrained to two degrees of freedom: translation away from the sole of the user's foot and rotation about a longitudinal axis at ground level. The apparatus relates flexure of a GCM toe pressure member to comparable flexure of user's toes at the metatarsal joints. The apparatus also incorporates lower leg to ankle pivot bracing, and extends the GCM in downward direction parallel to the lower leg while mimicking user ankle articulation with parallelism-maintaining rotation about a downwardly resiliently urged transverse pivot axis similar to the user's own ankle joint for extended travel.
US08220170B1
A first down indicator system adapted for removable attachment to a first down marker post of markers of the type used in football games for marking a distance of ten yards to determine first down measurement.
US08220168B2
A spectacle lens frame shape measuring apparatus includes a holding device including upper pins and lower pins respectively holding upper rims and lower rims of frames for a spectacle lens, the upper pins holding the frames at different positions in a right-left direction from the positions at which the lower pins hold the frames and being placed at a same height as the lower pins in a vertical direction, a probe brought into contact with lens fitting grooves of the frames held by the holding device, a swinging mechanism swinging the holding device around a predetermined virtual axis, and a calculation controller calculating an axial shift amount or angle of the frames held by the holding device on the basis of a carved angle of the frames and an inclination angle of any one of the upper and lower rims, and correcting a shape of the frames obtained by the probe in accordance with the calculated axial shift amount or angle.
US08220164B2
A cutting tool includes a metal plate including a blade that forms a cutting jaw with an anvil, the metal plate being connected in an articulated manner to an anvil part at a first pivot point and connected operationally to a first elongated element having a first tooth gear part for opening and closing the cutting jaw in response to the relative turning movement of the first elongated element and a second elongated element, having a second tooth gear part, about the second and the third pivot points respectively.
US08220162B2
A manually operable cutter device for cutting flexible sheet material, the cutter device comprising a cutter body and a cutting blade assembly operatively mounted to the cutter body and including a rotatable cutter blade having a peripheral edge portion and a fixed cutter blade adapted to cooperate together to provide a cutting zone in which sheet material can be cut. The rotatable cutting blade is mounted for rotation about an axis which extends generally laterally with respect to a normal feed direction of the sheet material to the cutting zone and the direction of rotation of the peripheral edge portion through the cutting zone is in the normal feed direction. The tangential peripheral speed of the rotating cutter blade in the cutting zone is not less than the speed of the feed of sheet material to the cutting zone.teh
US08220159B2
A metallic food serving device with a magnetically detachable stabilizing leg comprising of a metallic food serving body having a blade member, a raised angular member and a handle member, and a magnetically detachable stabilizing leg removably attached to the handle member, whereby the magnetically detachable stabilizing leg is coplanar to the blade member. By magnetically attaching the magnetically detachable stabilizing leg to the metallic food serving body, the device is stabilized and can stand upright with or without the presence of a food product on the device. Moreover, if a user chooses to clean the device or use the device as food serving device only, the magnetically detachable stabilizing leg may be removed from the food serving body and then replaced as desired.
US08220158B2
A cable end preparation tool is for a coaxial cable and has a C-shaped body with an opening therein to receive the coaxial cable and a side defining a saw guide to receive a saw blade thereagainst. The C-shaped body includes a gripping rib to fit in a valley of a corrugated outer conductor when the coaxial cable is in the opening. At least one stabilizing rib is adjacent the gripping rib to receive a crest of the corrugated outer conductor thereagainst when the coaxial cable is in the opening. The C-shaped body also includes a rotation guide feature receives the inner conductor. A cutting blade extends outwardly from the C-shaped body for removing a portion of a dielectric between the inner conductor and the corrugated outer conductor as the C-shaped body is rotated about the rotation guide feature.
US08220151B2
A heat pipe includes an evaporation section, a condensation section and a connecting section connecting with the evaporation section and the condensation section. The evaporation section defines a plurality of dents at an outer wall thereof to increase rough degree of the outer wall of the evaporation section. The dents are provided to prevent solder from separation from the evaporation section during soldering process soldering the evaporation section to a heat sink.
US08220149B2
A printed circuit board and a method of manufacturing the printed circuit board are disclosed. The printed circuit board can include a first insulation layer, a second insulation layer stacked over the first insulation layer, a circuit pattern and a via land buried in the second insulation layer, and a via made of a conductive material penetrating the first insulation layer and integrated with the via land. The circuit pattern and via land can be buried in the insulation material, and the circuit pattern, via land, and via can be formed simultaneously as an integrated structure. Thus, the electrical reliability between the wiring pattern and the via can be increased, the heat-releasing effect of the via can be improved, and the procedure for forming the circuit patterns, via lands, and vias can be simplified, allowing greater productivity in manufacturing the substrate.
US08220148B2
A method for producing a first flexible conductor carrier includes applying at least one conductor track to a base insulating film. A covering layer is applied to the conductor track and the base insulating film in such a way that, in at least one conduction region of the first flexible conductor carrier, the conductor track is completely enclosed by the covering layer and the base insulating film. The base insulating film is free of the conductor track and the covering layer in at least one insulating region. The conductor track is free of the covering layer in at least one contact region of the first flexible conductor carrier.
US08220144B2
A method for improving EBG (electromagnetic bandgap) structures is provided. First, a multi-layer board having at least one EBG unit is provided. Then, a maximum input impedance of the EBG unit under a predetermined frequency band is measured, in which a frequency corresponding to the maximum input impedance is a resonance frequency, and a capacitance is determined based on the resonance frequency. Besides, a minimum input impedance of the EBG unit is measured, and a logarithmic value corresponding to the maximum input impedance and a logarithmic value corresponding to the minimum input impedance are obtained so as to determine a resistance. Finally, an electronic device having the capacitance and the resistance is coupled to the EBG unit in parallel.
US08220139B2
A slider tester includes a disk, movable table, table drive mechanism, guide member, etc. A plurality of suspensions are mounted on the movable table. A slider is mounted on each suspension. A guide member can support respective lift tabs of the suspensions. The guide member includes a first guide surface, second guide surface, and opening arranged in a track width direction of the disk. When any of the lift tabs gets into the opening as the movable table moves in the track width direction of the disk, the slider is dropped toward a recording surface of the disk.
US08220134B2
A flexible fastening machine tool having first and second facing pedestals is mounted on first and second pairs of rails. The pedestals are movable along the rails in a Y-axis direction. A rail base is provided and the second pair of rails is mounted on the rail base. A third pair of rails that extend in an X-axis direction are mounted to the floor, and the rail base is positioned on the third pair of rails, such that the second pedestal is movable along the third pair of rails in the X-axis direction toward and away from the first pedestal. A first movable carriage is mounted on the first pedestal and a second movable carriage is mounted on the second pedestal. A frame member is supported by the first and second carriages and the frame member holds a workpiece. The first and second carriages are independently movable toward and away from the first and second pairs of rails such that the fixture frame is capable of being raised, lowered and tilted. A C-frame is mounted on the third pair of rails and the C-frame is capable of performing tooling operations on the workpiece.
US08220130B2
A method for manufacturing a tank for storing flammable and combustible liquids underground includes fabricating a cylindrical tank core. Structurally, the core encloses a chamber and has an outer surface. Further, the core includes at least one opening for monitoring the integrity of the chamber positioned on the core's bottom centerline. Also, the tank includes a screen attached to the outer surface of the core along the bottom centerline to cover the opening. Moreover, a foil is affixed to the screen and to the outer surface of the tank core. Sprayed or applied on the foil is a seamless jacket formed from polyurea, thermoplastic, polyurethane or polyamine epoxy to encapsulate the tank core.
US08220128B2
The present invention is directed to a method of assembling a container including an inner tube contained within an outer tube. The method includes providing an outer tube, providing a spacing element adjacent the open top of the outer tube and inserting an inner tube within the outer tube. The spacing element provides for venting of air from between the inner and outer tubes through the top of the container during assembly thereof.
US08220127B2
A replacement stretch type boot is applied to the tie rod shaft of a steering rack assembly using an application aid consisting of a sleeve of flexible sheet material which is applied over the tie rod end to provide a smooth surface for passage of the boot over the tie rod end.
US08220121B2
An assembly comprising: a protective sheath and a loading device for loading a self-expandable prosthesis into said sheath, the loading device having a conical distal section, which radially compresses the prosthesis and an annular lip that engages with the interior of the distal end of said sheath to guide the prosthesis into the sheath while protecting the sheath from damage.
US08220118B2
Latch assemblies for releasably engaging anchor members and other attachment points in vehicles are disclosed herein. A multi-pivot latch assembly configured in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure includes a latch and an ejector movably coupled to a frame. In some embodiments, a biasing member holds the latch in a first or open position prior to attachment to an anchor member. When the anchor member presses against the ejector, the latch pivots from the first or open position to a second position about a first pivot point, and then from the second position to a third or fully closed position about a second pivot point.
US08220106B2
A wiper blade assembly for a windshield wiper. In one embodiment, the wiper blade assembly includes a connector mounted on a blade support element. The connector has a receiving portion shaped to receive a first part of the end portion of a wiper arm and further has a securing portion shaped to secure a second part of the end portion of the wiper arm.
US08220103B1
A pad for use with a rigid base plate is in a rectangular configuration. The pad has long front and back edges and short left and right side edges. The pad has upper and lower surfaces. The pad has an exterior lower sheet of pile-type microfiber material. The pad has an exterior upper sheet. In this manner a pocket is formed between the lower and upper sheets. The pad further has shammy material in the pocket. Mechanisms removably couple the upper surface of the pad to the lower surface of the base plate.
US08220090B2
An air distribution support surface product includes a vapor permeable material such as a sheet of breathable material, a fluid resistant material, such as a sheet of waterproof material and an intermediate fluid passing material interposed between the vapor permeable material and the fluid resistant material to form a plurality of chambers. One of the chambers serves as a type of fluid retention chamber and another chamber serves as a type of fluid loss chamber. A fluid intake opening may be provided to allow fluid, such as air, to inflate the chambers. In one example, both of the chambers share the intermediate fluid passing material. As such, the fluid retention chamber is formed by the fluid resistant material and the intermediate fluid passing material. The fluid loss chamber is formed by the vapor permeable material and the intermediate fluid passing material.
US08220082B2
A far-infrared hydrotherapy device has a bath unit, an oxygen supplier, a booster pump, a pressure modulator and an acupressure jet. The bath unit has a tub, an outlet pipe and a heat pump. The tub is for accommodating a liquid. The outlet pipe is connected to the tub to allow the liquid to flowing through. The heat pump is connected to the tub and has a temperature controller. The oxygen supplier is connected to the outlet pipe and provides oxygen to the liquid. The booster pump is connected to the outlet pipe to elevate pressure of the liquid. The pressure modulator is connected to an outlet of the booster pump and has a pressure-equalizing device, a water pressure modulating valve, a pressure-stabilizer and a hose sequentially connected. The acupressure jet is connected to the hose and has an outlet. The far-infrared hydrotherapy device is useful for hydrotherapy.
US08220078B2
This specification discloses an integrally formed safety helmet. A pre-cast hard outer shell is directly filled with Styrofoam particles followed by heating and pressing to form a soft inner shell. The two shells are integrally formed and tightly connected with no space in between. The production procedure includes the steps of: putting a pre-cast hard outer shell in an upper mold; combining the upper mold and a lower mold; heating the molds to soften a compound material outer shell; pressing to squeeze out extra resin in the compound material outer shell; cooling down the molds and injecting Styrofoam particles into the cavity in the molds, foaming, pressing, and lowering the temperature; and removing the molds. The soft inner shell is then integrally formed inside the hard outer shell.
US08225418B2
Incident light 19 emitted from a laser light source 18 is reflected on an upper surface of a cantilever 13, so that reflected light 19a enters light detection means 20. Since the incident light 19 and the reflected light 19a are in a plane not including a long axis of the cantilever 13, movements of the reflected light 19a due to change in a deflection amount θ of the cantilever 13 and due to change in a fine vertical movement amount z thereof are different in direction on the light detection means 20. This enables the change in the deflection amount θ of the cantilever 13 and the change in the fine vertical movement amount z thereof to be separated from output of the light detection means 20.
US08225417B2
A circuit for controlling a signal line transmitting data. The circuit includes a data level controller that, when the level of the data transmitted through the signal line is changed, controls the level of the data to be lower than an external power supply voltage level and higher than a ground voltage level after a predetermined time.
US08225407B1
Providing adaptive response recommendations for a network security incident comprising at least one underlying security event is disclosed. A first set of data associated with the event is received. An initial group of one or more recommended responsive actions to be taken in response to the event is identified based at least in part on the first set of data. A second set of data associated with the event is received. The initial group of one or more recommended responsive actions is updated based at least in part on the second set of data associated with the event.
US08225403B2
A security element is displayed that provides information to a user to help ensure that they are not confused or misled into believing that content originates from a trusted source when in fact it does not. The security element shows the user the source of the content and is displayed in such a manner that the source of the content is easily viewable. For example, according to one embodiment, the security element is shown within the title bar of a window. The security element may also be temporarily shown. Providing the user with more information about the site being accessed helps them to make an intelligent decision about their browsing experience. The security element includes at least part of a domain name that identifies the source of the content. The security element may also include the entire domain name. For example, the security element may overlay the screen.
US08225401B2
A computer-implemented method for detecting man-in-the-browser attacks may include identifying a transaction fingerprint associated with a web site. The method may also include tracking a user's input to the web site. The user's input may be received through a web browser. The method may further include intercepting an outgoing submission to the web site. The method may additionally include determining whether, in light of the transaction fingerprint, the user's input generated the outgoing submission. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08225396B1
Computer-implemented methods, systems, and computer-readable media for detecting and warning users about hidden sensitive information contained in webpages are disclosed. In one example, an exemplary method for performing such a task may comprise: 1) identifying a webpage accessed by a web browser on a computing device, 2) detecting, within the webpage, hidden sensitive information that is not visually displayed by the web browser, and then 3) warning a user of the computing device that the webpage contains the hidden sensitive information.
US08225394B2
The present disclosure is directed to a method and system for detecting malware using a secure operating system mode. In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present disclosure a file is received. The file is stored in a secure directory. At least one operation is prevented on the file. A secure operating system mode is started to detect whether the file comprises malware.
US08225385B2
Embodiments of multiple security token transactions are described herein. One or more of the described techniques may be utilized to provide, in a single request and response, an authentication token and a plurality security tokens for proof of identity at respective service providers.
US08225381B2
The present invention relates to a method for protecting the security of a computer network which is accessed through the use of wireless devices, among other means. Specifically, the present invention pertains to a method of using user-specific biometric data to identify users of wireless devices such as PDAs and yet prevent use by unauthorized persons and prevent changing of the biometric data by unauthorized persons. The method also prevents unauthorized access, and facilitates authorized access, to computer networks. Control of access to the biometric data and control of access to the network can be maintained in the network administrator or other responsible body and thereby also offers security against theft.
US08225380B2
Methods for authenticating access and proving positional awareness using mobile phones. Embodiments for authenticating access include receiving identification indicia from a person seeking access, sending a message to a person having authority for access, and receiving either a second message indicating that the person has taken an affirmative action to indicate authorization, or a password that was provided in the first message. Access may be computer access or physical access, as examples. Methods of providing positional awareness include obtaining or storing location coordinates, monitoring the location of a mobile phone, and providing an alarm, for example, through a second mobile phone. In a number of embodiments, location coordinates are automatically obtained from Internet websites. In some embodiments, parents can monitor the location of their children to make sure they do not get too close to a reported residence of a registered sex offender, for instance.
US08225377B2
A system for handling transactions in a communication network, wherein the transactions include at least one technology-dependent request for a given content made by a requester to at least one server. The system operates based on an access content list including permit/deny access clauses regulating access of the requesters to the contents by the server. A processing module, configured for detecting the technology-dependent request, and extracting therefrom information identifying the requester making the request and the content requested, is provided. A corresponding technology independent access content entry, adapted to be checked against the access content list to derive permit/deny information concerning the request detected, can thus be generated. The request is handled as a function of the permit/deny information derived and thus, e.g., forwarded toward the server or either dropped or forwarded to an alternative destination. Access to the various contents delivered is thus controlled in a manner that is independent of the specific technologies used for delivering the media contents.
US08225361B2
Techniques to remotely monitor and control operations performed by one or more head-ends (or servers) in an information distribution system. In one implementation, a monitor and control unit communicates with various elements (e.g., an IPG service manager and a session manager) within each head-end to receive information relating to the operations of the head-end. This information may include status and/or indications of possible error conditions relating to (1) various operations (e.g., encoding, multiplexing, and so on) performed by the head-end, and (2) the transport streams being transmitted from the head-end. The received information may then be forwarded to one or more remote devices (e.g., pagers, cellular phones, PDAs) designated to receive the information. Response messages may also be received from the remote devices and forwarded to the appropriate head-end, which may adjust its operation as indicated by commands included in the messages.
US08225355B2
An object of the present invention is to propose viewer-desired search words in searching for related programs. A view determining unit identifies viewed programs based on a view history including channel information and time information about the viewed programs, and based on program supplement data held in a program information holding unit. A search word extracting unit 13 extracts search words from the program supplement data about the programs identified by the view determining unit. A program search unit searches for related programs related to the search words by using the extracted search words and the program supplement data held in the program information holding unit.
US08225347B1
An advertisement storage and filtering system for selectively identifying targeted advertisements to be stored in the memory of the STB. This storing of the selected advertisements can be accomplished in a number of ways. In one embodiment, the advertisements, in real-time and as they are received at the STB, are processed by the STB and only those advertisements with the appropriate characteristics are stored on the hard drive (HD). This may require some buffering of the advertisements in the STB memory as the STB processes and determines whether or not to store the advertisement. The information required to determine whether or not to store the advertisement could also be sent in advance, e.g., as a data service in an advertisement channel. Alternatively, the STB may store incoming advertisements in a memory temporarily and subsequently determine whether or not to retain the stored advertisements.
US08225343B2
Methods and apparatus for cataloging and recognizing gestures are disclosed. A gesture may be detected using sample motion data. An energy value and a baseline value may be computed. The baseline value may be updated if the energy value is below a calm energy threshold. The sample motion data may be adjusted based on the updated baseline value. A local variance may be calculated over a predetermined number of samples. Sample motion data values may be recorded if the local variance exceeds a threshold. Sample motion data recording may stop if a local variance scalar value falls below a drop threshold. Input Gestures may be recognized by computing a total variance for sample values in an Input Gesture; calculating a figure of merit using sample values from the Input Gesture and one or more Catalog Gestures; and determining whether the Input Gesture matches a Catalog Gesture from the figure of merit.
US08225341B2
Apparatus in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention includes a data storage cartridge and/or a receiver configured to receive the cartridge in facilitation of data transfer to and/or from the cartridge. The cartridge and the receiver each include respective connector portions configured to connect when the cartridge is inserted into the receiver. The cartridge and/or the receiver also include guide features configured to facilitate alignment of the connector portions for connection as the cartridge is inserted into the receiver.
US08225340B2
An optical disc drive for an electronic device is provided. The optical disc drive includes a rotating member, a spindle, a reading member and a controlling module. The rotating member includes a connecting member, and a first end fixed to a housing of the electronic device. The spindle is connected to a second end of the connecting member for rotating an optical disc arranged on the spindle. The reading member is fixed to the connecting member to read the optical disc. When a switch of the electronic device is actuated, a processing unit of the electronic device outputs a signal to the controlling module. The controlling module controls the rotating member to rotate. The connecting member moves the spindle and the reading member out of the housing, further controls the spindle to rotate the optical disc, and the reading member to read the optical disc.
US08225335B2
The presently described subject matter allows the user to interactively browse a collection of electronic files, such as a digital photo collection, remotely using a mobile telephone. Files from the collection of electronic files can be directed from the mobile telephone to be sent to a remote display device, where the file can be displayed. Also, a user can record voice and text annotations from the mobile phone to preserve with an electronic file, and which is transported along with the file when it is displayed on a remote display device.
US08225325B2
A method and an apparatus that determine a total number of threads to concurrently execute executable codes compiled from a single source for target processing units in response to an API (Application Programming Interface) request from an application running in a host processing unit are described. The target processing units include GPUs (Graphics Processing Unit) and CPUs (Central Processing Unit). Thread group sizes for the target processing units are determined to partition the total number of threads according to a multi-dimensional global thread number included in the API request. The executable codes are loaded to be executed in thread groups with the determined thread group sizes concurrently in the target processing units.
US08225324B2
A method for resource management on a computer system utilizing hardware and environmental information. A caller interacts with an application program interface to handle information requests with a persistent data storage device to combine information involving hardware resource information, environmental data and other system information, all both historical, present and predicted values. Application execution decisions may then made regarding hardware for the calling entity. The method may be implemented as a computer process.
US08225318B1
A method and apparatus are disclosed for providing a rate transition block in a graphical modeling environment that is programmable by a user to specify data integrity during a data transfer operation between two operations operating in an asynchronous manner or between an operation operating in an asynchronous manner having a first priority and an operation operating in a synchronous manner having a second priority. The rate transition block is a multi-rate transition block generating code that is portable. The multi-rate transition block has more than one operation operating at more than one operating rate.
US08225317B1
A method for inserting an agent of a virtual appliance into a virtual machine. The method may include inserting, into an exception handler memory location of a virtual machine, one or more computer-executable instructions configured to facilitate transfer of control from the virtual machine to an agent-insertion module. The method may also include triggering an exception during execution of the virtual machine to cause the one or more computer-executable instructions in the exception handler memory location to be executed. The method may further include obtaining control from the virtual machine after the at least one computer-executable instruction executes. The method may include inserting the agent of the virtual appliance into the virtual machine. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08225315B1
A virtual core management system including a physical core and a first virtual core including a collection of logical states associated with execution of a first program. The first virtual core is mapped to the physical core. The virtual core management system further includes a second virtual core including a collection of logical states associated with execution of a second program, and a virtual core management component configured to unmap the first virtual core from the physical core and map the second virtual core to the physical core in response to the virtual core management component detecting that the physical core is idle.
US08225312B2
In accordance with the present invention, a method and apparatus that provides software products for installation on a user terminal is provided. The method begins by receiving over a communications network a user selection that includes a choice of a plurality of user-selected software products to be downloaded. In response to receipt of the user selection, an installation guide is assembled that includes installation instructions associated with each of the user-selected software products. A single user command is received over the communications network that includes a request to begin downloading the user-selected software products. In response to the request, the user-selected software products and the installation instructions are sequentially downloaded over the communications network to the user terminal.
US08225299B2
Program converting methods, apparatus and systems including a code analysis unit for performing lexical and syntactic analyses of a source code of an execution program, an optimization unit for transforming this execution program, and an output code generation unit for converting the transformed execution program into a machine language code. In addition, this optimization unit detects a calling procedure and a called procedure in a procedure call of this execution program analyzed by the code analysis unit, guards an evaluation of an argument described in the called procedure under a predetermined evaluation condition, and transforms the execution program so that the evaluation is performed when referring to this argument.
US08225298B2
A method, system and computer program product for enabling automated analysis of an extracted eScript to identify one or more problems within a configuration and script. The eScript is extracted from a Siebel repository and received in a DAVID (Development Application Verification Information on Demand for Siebel application where the VB.NET application, called SiebelParser, is utilized to conduct the analysis of the eScript. Occurrences of issues within an eScript are detected by SiebelParser. Issues within the eScript may include one or more of: empty event handlers, explicit object release, setting field values utilizing hard coded values, unnecessarily activated fields, call to next record after a call to delete record, and functions containing unnecessary code. Results from the analysis are reported to one log file document. The results of SiebelParser's log file are later incorporated to a spreadsheet by DAVID, to provide a more readable output format.
US08225297B2
Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for providing software accessible metadata on a cache of a central processing unit. A multiprocessor has at least one central processing unit. The central processing unit has a cache with cache lines that are augmented by cache metadata. The cache metadata includes software-controlled metadata identifiers that allow multiple logical processors to share the cache metadata. The metadata identifiers and cache metadata can then be used to accelerate various operations. For example, parallel computations can be accelerated using cache metadata and metadata identifiers. As another example, nested computations can be accelerated using metadata identifiers and cache metadata. As yet another example, transactional memory applications that include parallelism within transactions or that include nested transactions can be also accelerated using cache metadata and metadata identifiers.
US08225294B2
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for generating executable code. During operation, the system receives source code, wherein the source code can include declarations for types and operations, wherein the type declarations may be parameterized, and wherein the source code may specify subtyping relationships between declared types. Next, the system compiles or interprets the source code to produce executable code, wherein the type parameters may be instantiated by different types during execution, and wherein the result of executing operations may depend upon the instantiations of the type parameters. While compiling or interpreting the source code, the system checks the types and operations in the source code to ensure that the executable code generated is type-safe, and hence will not generate type errors during execution.
US08225291B2
Detecting performance bottlenecks in a target application is provided. In response to receiving hotspot selections from a user interface, bottleneck rules are extracted from a database. A hotspot is a region of source code that exceeds a time threshold to execute in the target application. Metrics needed to evaluate the bottleneck rules extracted from the database are identified. The identified metrics are computed. It is determined whether each bottleneck rule extracted from the database is evaluated to true using the computed metrics for hotspots in the target application. In response to determining that a bottleneck rule is evaluated to true using an appropriate computed metric corresponding to the bottleneck rule, a bottleneck description is created for the bottleneck rule. Then, the bottleneck description is sent to the user interface.
US08225290B2
A method for regulating execution of an application program includes a process for preparing the application and a process for executing the application. The preparation process divides the application program into related segments and encrypts instructions of at least one segment, positions encrypted instructions in at least two discontiguous regions within an executable file, and associates header information with at least one discontiguous region. The execution process initiates execution of the protected application when at least a portion of the application instructions are available to the computer only in encrypted form. Also provided are systems and methods to allow debugging of code extensions to protected applications without sacrificing protection of the application. A Secure Debugger allows extension developers to examine memory and set breakpoints in their own extensions, without permitting them to view information in the rest of the protected application.
US08225281B1
An automated baseline deployment system is provided. The system comprises an at least one computer system and an automated baseline deployment application that, when executed on the computer system, extracts software source code from a source code repository in response to an application build request. The system also inserts the source code using an automated process into a secure build process to produce baseline code, places the baseline code into an application product depot, and extracts a copy of the baseline code from the application product depot in response to a deployment request. The system also creates metadata to associate a destination deployment environment with the copy of the baseline code deployed into the deployment environment and installs the copy of the baseline code into the deployment environment, wherein the application prevents the insertion of source software code from sources outside the source code repository into the secure build process.
US08225280B2
A computer program product for incorporating state machine controls into existing non-state machine environments 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 determining a state machine representation for an existing environment, assigning state indicators to each state of the state machine, transcoding existing software flags of the environment into modifier values associated with the state indicators, assigning state values based on the modifier values and the state indicators, assigning event identifiers for transitions from the state values, and creating a tabular representation of the determined state machine, the tabular representation providing next state information based on the event identifiers and the state values.
US08225277B2
A method and a system for non-locally constraining a plurality of related but separated program entities (e.g., a loop operation and a related accumulation operation within the loop's scope) such that any broad program transformation affecting both will have the machinery to assure that the changes to both entities will preserve the invariant properties of and dependencies among them. For example, if a program transform alters one entity (e.g., re-expresses an accumulation operation as a vector operation incorporating some or all of the loop's iteration) the constraint will provide the machinery to assure a compensating alteration of the other entities (e.g., the loop operation is reduced to reflect the vectorization of the accumulation operation). One realization of this method comprises specialized instances of the related entities that while retaining their roles as program entities (i.e., operators), also contain data and machinery to define the non-local constraint relationship.
US08225234B2
A method for rendering a graphical user interface (GUI), comprising providing for the representation of the GUI as a set of objects wherein the objects are organized in a logical hierarchy, associating a theme with a first object in the set of objects, rendering the first object according to the theme, rendering any descendents of the first object according to the theme, wherein any descendents of the first object can override the theme, and wherein one of the set of objects can communicate with another of the set of objects.
US08225233B2
A computer facilitates multiple parameters data analysis by special visualization and navigation methods. Data to be analyzed is loaded from an external source the computer displays the data in response to user input using a variety of methods including data tables, slices of data spaces, hierarchically navigated data spaces, dynamic slice tables, filters, sorting, color-mapping, numerical operations, and other methods.
US08225229B2
A device may determine an area at which a user gazes on the display screen. The device may identify on the display screen a screen region which does not overlap the area, may darken the identified screen region, and/or may refresh the display screen by updating a screen region that overlaps the area and not updating the identified screen region.
US08225226B2
A system that enables a user to interact with a virtual control panel using a user controlled pointing object. The system includes a portable identification element, a tracking unit adapted to capture data representing the position of the pointing object and the position of the identification element, a storage unit, storing at least one pre-defined graphical interface representing a control panel of a device, a graphics unit, generating a graphical representation of the control panel, a registering unit, registering the graphical representation of the control panel in a fixed relation to the portable identification element to produce a virtual control panel and a display unit, showing the user a view including the real world and the virtual control panel.
US08225224B1
The present invention relates to facilitating multi-tasking in a computing environment. A focus area component defines a focus area within a display space—the focus area occupying a subset area of the display space area. A sealing component scales display objects as a function of proximity to the focus area, and a behavior modification component modifies respective behavior of the display objects as a function of their location of the display space. The subject invention provides for interaction technique(s) and other interface(s) in connection with managing display objects on a display surface. One aspect defines a central focus area, such that the display objects are displayed and behave as usual. Also included as a periphery outside the focus area where the display objects are reduced in size based on their location, getting smaller as the display objects near an edge of the display surface with many more objects visible.
US08225219B2
Unique content in interrelated email messages is identified and duplicate content filtered out for user friendly display of a flow of exchange within the interrelated messages. Follow-on messages such as replies or forwards are compared to the original message to determine which part of a follow-on message is not present in the original message and is a unique part of the follow-on message. The comparison includes parsing of the messages to extract user viewable parts determination of which extracted part is the last message part containing unique information. Once the unique message part is determined, message body that excludes everything after the unique part including the headers is be displayed.
US08225215B2
A single integrated software project deployment platform is provided that allows administrators to easily and effectively deploy software projects to remote computers. This allows business users with no Information Technology background or capabilities to develop and deploy sophisticated applications for execution on remote systems, such as mobile computers. Mobile workers can connect to backend enterprise systems in real-time to capture rich data types such as digital signatures, photos, speech recognition, bar code scans, etc. while in the field.
US08225213B2
Methods and apparatus involve attestation of items, such as user profiles, roles, assets, etc. In a computing environment, a compliance administrator initiates an attestation process, including specifying particular attributes of a user that require attestation. A workflow is launched to present the user with a workflow form in a browser page of his computing device. As part of the launch, a UI control makes calls to an attestation service to determine which attributes of the user were specified by the compliance administrator and to query an association between each of the specified attributes and a particular UI control and field value therefor. Upon obtaining the results, the particular UI control for the specified attributes are presented to the user in the workflow form, along with an attestation question UI control, and an option for the user to update at least one of their field values.
US08225210B2
An image processing apparatus includes: a display unit capable of displaying image data in a one-image display mode, in which images are displayed one by one, and a multi-screen display mode, in which a plurality of images is displayed at the same time; a selection unit configured to select between the one-screen display mode and the multi-screen display mode; an editing unit configured to edit the image data; and a control unit configured to control the display unit so that when the one-screen display mode is selected by the selection unit, the image data edited by the editing unit is displayed and when the multi-screen display mode is selected by the selection unit, information indicating that the image data is edited is displayed together with the edited image data.
US08225197B1
Methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for rendering an approximate webpage screenshot client-side are disclosed. A system may receive an indication to render a screenshot of a webpage presented on the client device, and create a canvas at the client device. The system may traverse a document object model (DOM) of the webpage, whereby for each of one or more nodes in the DOM, the system may identify a property of a respective node and render data in the respective node on the canvas based on the property.
US08225196B2
In some embodiments, code can be encapsulated in an external behavior component for affecting the behavior of an element inserted into an HTML document. A reference can be attached to the element in the document to associate the element with the external behavior component. A renderer can parse the element in the HTML document and access the external component to modify a behavior of a page image. For example, the properties or location of a displayed element associated with the external behavior component may be changed on an event, the external behavior component can control user data input, or the external behavior component can draw on the page image. Multiple documents can reuse external behavior components, and an element can be associated with multiple external behavior components. The associations between elements and external behavior components may be maintained in cascading style sheets, inline with the elements, and in various formats.
US08225193B1
A computer-implemented method for providing workspace navigation with a tag cloud. The computer-implemented method may include identifying a set of launch items within a workspace. The computer-implemented method may also include displaying the tag cloud in a graphical user interface. Each tag in the tag cloud may be associated with one or more launch items from the set of launch items. The computer-implemented method may further include receiving, from the graphical user interface, a selection of a tag from the tag cloud. The computer-implemented method may include using the selected tag to identify a subset of launch items within the set of launch items. The computer-implemented method may also include identifying a request to launch at least one launch item in the subset of launch items and launching the at least one launch item. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08225192B2
Linking content and functionality files in a cached client-side web page to a corresponding server-side web page is provided so that a client-side browsing application is notified of changes made to the server-side web page to allow the client-side browsing application to retrieve a server-side web page or server-side web page items only when changes are made to the server-side web page or corresponding server-side web page items.
US08225191B1
Systems and methods for synchronizing web browsers using synchronization windows are disclosed. A user action performed in a synchronization window, such as a popup window or tab of a web browser, may cause synchronization data to be generated. The synchronization data may be provided to one or more other devices having web browsers and cause the user action to be replicated on the one or more other devices. A synchronization server may be used to coordinate the synchronization process.
US08225185B1
A Reed-Solomon (RS) coding system is provided that can employ an RS code of varying correction power, and which can maintain a small area requirement. The Reed-Solomon coding system can include an RS encoder and an RS decoder. Both of these components can be implemented using primarily constant multipliers rather than more area-consuming general multipliers. For example, the programmable encoder can be realized by implementing polynomials with constant coefficients rather than variable coefficients, and a Berlekamp-Massey algorithm performed by the decoder can be realized using a serial implementation. To further reduce the area of the coding system, hardware sharing can be utilized between the RS encoder and the RS decoder.
US08225184B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for receiving a user-level instruction for a checksum operation in a processor, where the user-level instruction specifies a source operand of a first size and a destination operand of a second size, receiving the source operand and the destination operand in the processor, and performing the checksum operation using the source operand and the destination operand in the processor responsive to the instruction. In an embodiment, the processor has multiple hardware engines that each can perform the checksum operation for one of multiple data sizes. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08225181B2
A method for data storage includes storing data, which is encoded with an Error Correction Code (ECC), in a group of analog memory cells by writing respective first storage values to the memory cells in the group. After storing the data, respective second storage values are read from the memory cells in the group, and the read second storage values are processed so as to decode the ECC. Responsively to a failure in decoding the ECC, one or more of the second storage values that potentially caused the failure are identified as suspect storage values. Respective third storage values are re-read from a subset of the memory cells that includes the memory cells holding the suspect storage values. The ECC is re-decoded using the third storage values so as to reconstruct the stored data.
US08225176B2
A packet is received from a network. The packet includes a field. The content of the field is compared to each element of a list. If the content of the field fails to match any element in the list, the packet is accepted and the content of the field is added to the list as an additional element of the list.
US08225169B2
A wireless communication device is provided to make it possible to detect errors with high accuracy while to suppress reduction in throughput in the case that an LDPC (Low-Density Parity-Check) code is used for an error correcting code. In the wireless communication device, a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) coding unit (101) for carrying out a CRC coding of a part of a transmitting bit sequence in accordance with a row weight of an examination matrix of the LDPC code, an LDPC coding unit (102) for carrying out the LDPC coding and generating LDPC coding data by using the same examination matrix as used for the LDPC coding carried out in the CRC coding unit (101).
US08225158B2
The disclosure describes a novel method and apparatus for providing expected data, mask data, and control signals to scan test architectures within a device using the falling edge of a test/scan clock. The signals are provided on device leads that are also used to provide signals to scan test architectures using the rising edge of the test/scan clock. According to the disclosure, device test leads serve to input different test signals on the rising and falling edge of the test/scan clock which reduces the number of interconnects between a tester and the device under test.
US08225155B2
An electronic device comprises a processing stage, a JTAG port including a test data input pin (TDI), a test data output pin (TDO), a test mode select pin (TMS), a test clock pin (TCK), and a test access port (TAP) controller having a data register (DR) shift state and an instruction register shift (IR) state. The electronic device operates in a scan event mode automatically mapped an incoming event to the TDO pin.
US08225152B2
A hierarchical test executive system comprising and including Procedure, Test, Measurement and Datapoint levels. A Procedure is an ordered list of Tests; a Test is a group of Measurements in a Procedure that share the same test algorithm, and thus the same software code; a Measurement is a configuration or setup for a Test, and provides parameters to a Test; and a Datapoint is a subset of a Measurement containing additional parameters that select a result when one Measurement generates multiple results. When initiated, the test executive system presents a list of models and the user selects a model to be tested. The program then uploads the test software corresponding to the selected model and presents a list and descriptions of Procedures to the user. The user selects one of the Procedures, and the program retrieves the selected procedure from the test software and expands it into Tests, Measurements and Datapoints as determined by the Procedure. The test executive system then loops through the Tests, Measurements and Datapoints, generating the results and a corresponding data structure on the fly.
US08225150B2
Semiconductor memory device includes a cell array including a plurality of unit cells; and a test circuit configured to perform a built-in self-stress (BISS) test for detecting a defect by performing a plurality of internal operations including a write operation through an access to the unit cells using a plurality of patterns during a test procedure carried out at a wafer-level.
US08225148B2
The disclosed technology provides systems and methods for encoding data based on a run-length-limited code and an error correction code to provide codewords. The codewords include RLL-encoded data that are produced based on the RLL code, and parity information that are produced based on the error correction code. The parity information is interleaved among the RLL-encoded data. In one embodiment, the codeword is produced by separately producing the RLL-encoded data and the parity information, and interleaving the parity information among the RLL-encoded data. In one embodiment, the codeword is produced by producing the RLL-encoded data, and using erasure decoding to compute the parity information.
US08225133B1
A system, method and computer program product for migrating a server include creating an image of a storage device of a first server; during execution of a boot loader on a second server, starting an initialization application that at least partially restores, to a storage device of the second server, operating system data from the image; analyzing a hardware configuration of the second server; modifying at least one driver of an operating system based on the analyzed hardware to enable the operating system of the second server to interface to the storage device of the second server; rebooting the second server using the at least partially restored operating system data; and restoring unaltered portions of remaining data from the image. The second server identification and/or authentication data stored on the image is updated before the rebooting. Identification data of the second server is at least partially replaced with corresponding data stored on the image. The image is unchanged until completion of the restoring step. The restoration step uses an incremental image of the storage device. A boot loader is started in case of failure of the first server.
US08225131B2
Today, data networks are ever increasing in size and complexity. For example, a datacenter may comprise hundreds of thousands of service endpoints configured to perform work. To reduce network wide degradation, a load balancer may send work requests to healthy service endpoints, as opposed to unhealthy and/or inoperative service endpoints. Accordingly, among other things, one or more systems and/or techniques for monitoring service endpoints, which may be scalable for large scale networks, are provided. In particular, a consistent hash function may be performed to generate a monitoring scheme comprising assignments of service endpoints to monitoring groups. In this way, multiple monitoring components may monitor a subset of endpoints to ascertain health status. Additionally, the monitoring components may communicate between one another so that a monitoring component may know heath statuses of service endpoints both assigned and not assigned to the monitoring component.
US08225128B2
An electronic timer system includes a counter-based time generator (10) for continuously generating raw base time, and a translator (20) for translating between raw base time and local precise time using configurable parameter values. The timer system can be used for generating local precise time by capturing a raw base time value from the counter-based time generator (10) in response to an external event such as a trigger pulse, and using the translator (20) to calculate local precise time from the raw base time value and the parameter values. The timer system can also be used for generating a precisely timed output signal using the translator (20) for translation from precise time of a desired timing event to raw base time. This novel design enables simple and cost-effective practical implementations, and may also support power effective operation of the timer system.
US08225118B2
A server system comprises a plurality of servers, and a management unit. Each of the servers has virtual machines which can move among the servers. The management unit moves all the virtual machines on one server to another server(s) based on information showing an electric power value so as to reduce the number of servers in operation as much as possible. The management unit stops supplying the electric power to the server on which no virtual machine has run as a result of the movement of the virtual machines.
US08225112B2
A technique is provided for use in a handheld multimedia device that uses the historical load profile statistics of a particular multimedia stream to dynamically scale the computational power of a computing engine, depending upon the complexity of the multimedia content and thereby reduce the power consumption for computationally less intensive content and consequently reduce the power consumption by a significant amount over a duration of time.
US08225111B2
A power supply that can be authenticated is disclosed. An apparatus according to aspects of the present invention includes an external power supply of an electronic product that modulates an output of the power supply with information encoded to identify the power supply to the product.
US08225106B2
Systems and methods are provided for data protection across connected, disconnected, attended, and unattended environments. Embodiments of the inventions may include differential encryption based on network connectivity, attended/unattended status, or a combination thereof. Additional embodiments of the invention incorporate “trust windows” that provide granular and flexible data access as function of the parameters under which sensitive data is accessed. Further embodiments refine the trust windows concept by incorporating dynamic intrusion detection techniques.
US08225105B2
Vital data components of a computer system are protected by a mechanism for detecting unauthorized alteration, preferably in the form of digital signatures to detect unauthorized alteration. A vital data validation mechanism is provided to verify that vital data modules have not been tampered with. The vital data validation mechanism verifies the current state of each vital data module, preferably by decrypting the digital signature. The validation mechanism also checks an alteration log to verify that no alterations have been made to the corresponding memory locations. The second verification is intended to detect whether a vital data module has been altered temporarily, and then restored to its initial state.
US08225104B1
An execution environment of a computer computes an initial effective permissions set for managed code based on user identity evidence, code evidence and/or a security policy and executes the code with this permissions set. If the managed code requests a data access, the execution environment considers data evidence that indicates the trustworthiness of the requested data. The data evidence can be based on the source of the data, the location of the data, the content of the data itself, or other factors. The execution environment computes a new effective permissions set for the managed code based on the data evidence and the security policy. This new effective permissions set is applied to the managed code while the code accesses the data. The execution environment restores the initial permissions set once the managed code completes the data access.
US08225099B2
Z-transform calculations may be used to encode (and/or decode) carrier signal independent data (e.g., digital watermarks) to a digital sample stream. Deterministic and non-deterministic components of a digital sample stream signal may be analyzed for the purposes of encoding carrier signal independent data to the digital sample stream. The carrier signal independent data may be encoded in a manner such that it is restricted or concentrated primarily in the non-deterministic signal components of the carrier signal. The signal components can include a discrete series of digital samples and/or a discreet series of carrier frequency sub-bands of the carrier signal. Z-transform calculations may be used to measure a desirability of particular locations and a sample stream in which to encode the carrier signal independent data.
US08225094B2
A method for establishing a link key between correspondents in a public key cryptographic scheme, one of the correspondents being an authenticating device and the other being an authenticated device. The method also provides a means for mutual authentication of the devices. The authenticating device may be a personalized device, such as a mobile phone, and the authenticated device may be a headset. The method for establishing the link key includes the step of introducing the first correspondent and the second correspondent within a predetermined distance, establishing a key agreement and implementing challenge-response routine for authentication. Advantageously, main-in-the middle attacks are minimized.
US08225087B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for using cryptographic techniques to configure data processing systems. A configuration manager cryptographically controls the configuration of a system by ensuring that only authorized users or applications can change the configuration. For example, requests to change configuration information may include authenticated and/or encrypted data. These cryptographic techniques are employed to enable and/or disable functions, features and capabilities of a system. For example, a system may be reconfigured to provide strong or weak encryption based on parameters in the configuration information.
US08225084B2
Before content transmission, the content transmitting device and the content receiving device mutually authenticate each other to verify that the other device respects copyright and rightfully handles content, and then content is encrypted by shared key data and transmitted. It is arranged that in an authentication process, a time from transmission of an authentication request or a time from transmission of an authentication response until arrival of receipt acknowledgement data is measured and only when a measured time is less than a fixed upper-limit value, content is transmitted.
US08225081B2
Updating programmable logic devices (‘PLDs’) in a symmetric multiprocessing (‘SMP’) computer, each compute node of the SMP computer including a PLD coupled for data communications through a bus adapter, the bus adapter adapted for data communications through a set of one or more input/output (‘I/O’) memory addresses, including configuring the primary compute node with an update of the configuration instructions for the PLDs; assigning, by the PLDs at boot time in an SMP boot, a unique, separate set of one or more I/O addresses to each bus adapter on each compute node; and providing, by the primary compute node during the SMP boot, the update to all compute nodes, writing the update as a data transfer to each of the PLDs through each bus adapter at the unique, separate set of one or more I/O addresses for each bus adapter.
US08225079B2
A method for accelerating an operating system boot process is disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, during a first operating system boot, information regarding the physical locations of disk access performed by the operating system to complete the boot are recorded and stored in a control data file. The control data file is used during a second operating system boot to predict which data will be required during the second operating system, and to populate a cache with that data. The cache can then be used to improve the second operating system boot to improve the boot time. In one embodiment, the information is independent of a file system of the operating system. In another embodiment, the cache can be populated by copying data from a mass storage device to a cache, and when the data is used, it can be moved from the cache to another cache.
US08225078B2
Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to document viewing within a battery powered computing device and provide a method, system and computer program product for the power optimized use of a battery powered computing device for selective document viewing. In one embodiment, a battery powered computing device configured for power optimized selective document viewing can be provided. The device can include a central processing unit (CPU) and a microcontroller, both coupled to a battery, static memory, and a display within a single computing case. The device further can include a boot read only memory (ROM) programmed to selectively bootstrap into either a personal computing mode powering the CPU and display, or a document viewing mode powering the microcontroller and display.
US08225072B2
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.
US08225070B2
An information processing apparatus including a main memory and a processor, the processor includes: a cache memory that stores data fetched to the cache memory; an instruction processing unit that accesses a part of the data in the cache memory sub block by sub block; an entry holding unit that holds a plurality of entries including a plurality of block addresses and access history information; and a controller that controls fetching of data from the main memory to the cache memory, while the access by the instruction processing unit to sub blocks of data in a block indicated by another of the entries immediately preceding the one of the entries, in accordance with order of the access from the instruction processing unit to sub blocks in the block indicated by the another of the entries and access history information associated with the one of the entries.
US08225068B2
A computer implemented method, apparatus, and program product for extending virtual memory associated with logical partitions. A hosting partition receives a paging request from a logical partition on a logically partitioned data processing. The hosting partition identifies a location of the physical memory space on a remote computing device assigned to the logical partition and sends an extended virtual memory paging request to an extended virtual memory manager located on the remote computing device using a network connection. The extended virtual memory paging request comprises the instructions for the memory page-in or the memory page-out and the location of the physical memory space on the remote computing device that is being paged-in or paged-out. The extended virtual memory manager performs a page-in operation or a page-out operation in accordance with the instructions for the memory page-in or memory page-out.
US08225058B2
A memory system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a log overflow control unit configured, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, to prohibit a recording operation of a log and to cause a log recording unit only to perform an updating operation of a management table, and when a commit condition is satisfied after the predetermined condition has been satisfied, to prohibit a commit operation by a log reflecting unit and to cause a snapshot storing unit to perform a snapshot storing operation.
US08225056B2
A method for protecting data, adapted for a computer system, is provided. The computer system includes a storage device. The method includes: when the computer system executes a power-off procedure, inspecting whether a preset external storage device is connected to the computer system; if it is determined that the preset external storage device is connected to the computer system, when the computer system executes the power-off procedure, backing up data of a predetermined segment of the storage device to the preset external storage device, and generating a back-up data, and then writing a specific data template to the predetermined segment for covering original data of the predetermined segment.
US08225053B1
A method and apparatus for mitigating the performance impact of background or idle time processing during interactive computing sessions. One embodiment of the present invention is a method for mitigating performance impact of background or idle time processing on interactive applications comprising identifying executable and data pages in physical memory that are associated with an interactive application that is temporarily unused and preventing any of the identified executable and data pages from paging out.
US08225052B2
The present disclosure includes methods for controlling host memory access with a memory device, systems, host controllers and memory devices. One embodiment for controlling host memory access with a memory device includes receiving at least one command from a host and controlling execution of the at least one command with the memory device.
US08225051B2
In an access control method for a memory including a first memory block and a second memory block, first flag is read from the first memory block, and second flag is read from the second memory block. A comparison between the first flag and the second flag is done, and then, the comparison result is outputted as a first calculation value. One of the first memory block and the second memory block is selected in response to the first calculation value to decide a valid memory block. In the access control method for the memory executed in the above-mentioned manner, even when the first flag and the second flag employed in order to determine the valid memory block are brought into any statuses, the valid memory block does not become indefinite, and a single memory block can be determined as the valid memory block.
US08225029B2
A data storage processing method, a data searching method, and devices thereof are provided. The data storage processing method includes: sequentially writing data to a data recording area in a flash; generating log information according to a physical address of the data in the data recording area and an identifier (ID) of the data, and sequentially writing the log information to a log area in the flash; and constructing a Bloom filter data for the log information in the log area, and sequentially writing the Bloom filter data to a log digest area in the flash. A flash storage structure including the data recording area, the log area, and the log digest area is adopted, thereby reducing the occupied storage space of the flash. In addition, since all the areas adopt a sequential storage mode, the data maintenance is quite simple.
US08225020B2
Certain aspects of a method and system for a hardware-based implementation of USB 1.1 over a high-speed link may comprise translating at a client side of a client server communication system, USB protocol messages comprising a first USB standard to corresponding encapsulated USB protocol messages, wherein the USB protocol messages comprising the first USB standard are received from a client device at the client side of the client server communication system. The translated corresponding encapsulated USB protocol messages may be communicated from the client side to a server at a server side of the client server communication system.
US08225019B2
A mass storage device, system, and method for operating a mass storage device are disclosed. In one such mass storage device, a host bus adaptor emulates a SATA mass storage device over a PCIe interface with a host system. The host system generates commands with the PCIe mass storage device in the same format as if communicating with a SATA mass storage device. The PCIe mass storage device responds in the same SATA format.
US08225012B2
A method may include distributing ranges of addresses in a memory among a first set of functions in a first pipeline. The first set of the functions in the first pipeline may operate on data using the ranges of addresses. Different ranges of addresses in the memory may be redistributed among a second set of functions in a second pipeline without waiting for the first set of functions to be flushed of data.
US08225009B1
A computer-implemented method for selectively discovering storage devices connected to a host computing device may include: 1) identifying at least one storage device connected to the host computing device that provides storage for at least one resource managed by the host computing device, 2) identifying a discovery classification assigned to the storage device that is based at least in part on an availability requirement associated with the resource, and then 3) discovering the storage device in accordance with the discovery classification assigned to the storage device. Various other methods, systems, and configured computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08225002B2
A network of PCs includes an I/O channel adapter and network adapter, and is configured for management of a distributed cache memory stored in the plurality of PCs interconnected by the network. The use of standard PCs reduces the cost of the data storage system. The use of the network of PCs permits building large, high-performance, data storage systems.
US08224994B1
A Domain Name System (DNS) server of a conventional DNS includes a DNS query having a highest level domain (HLD), a root zone having at least one root resource record adapted to resolve said DNS query when it is determined that said HLD is a top level domain alias (TLDA).
US08224987B2
A system and method for a hierarchical interconnect network. Some illustrative embodiments comprise a network switch comprising a plurality of ports each adapted to couple to other devices external to the network switch as part of an interconnect network (the interconnect network comprises an inverted tree structure that originates with a root bus), a controller coupled to the plurality of ports (the controller defines an active path through the network switch, the active path follows the inverted tree structure), and a memory coupled to the controller (the memory comprising routing information). The controller uses the routing information to identify an alternate path through the network switch. At least part of the alternate path does not follow the inverted tree structure.
US08224977B2
Described herein are techniques for global synchronization that under various scenarios eliminate or defer the acquisition of global locks. In many cases, the need to acquire global locks is eliminated, thereby saving the overhead attendant to processing global locks.
US08224969B2
In an information processor connected with an external apparatus by wireless to transmit and receive data, a connection with a plurality of external apparatuses can be easily changed. The information processor includes a wireless USB (WUSB) communication unit configured to connect to each of a plurality of external apparatuses by wireless to transmit and receive data to and from each external apparatus. A CPU acquires information about at least one external apparatus among a plurality of external apparatuses via the WUSB communication unit. The acquired information is displayed on a display unit before the communication is started to perform image processing between the information processor and one of a plurality of external apparatuses via the WUSB communication unit.
US08224960B2
In the method of flexible frequency allocation, at least a portion of a frequency spectrum for a lower priority class of applications is allocated to a higher priority class of applications if overload of frequency spectrum for the higher priority class of applications is detected, an emergency situation occurs, etc.
US08224954B2
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for ensuring data integrity during data synchronization are provided. According to one method, a number of originating requests from a plurality of user endpoints are monitored across a network. A determination is made whether the number of originating requests is below a first threshold. Responsive to determining that the number of originating requests is below the first threshold, probe messages are transmitted to at least a portion of the plurality of user endpoints across the network. A number of the user endpoints that return probe replies in response to the probe messages are monitored. A determination is made whether the number of the user endpoints is below a second threshold. Responsive to determining that the number of the user endpoints is below the second threshold, a report is made to a database that the network is unavailable, thereby causing the database to stop updating time stamps.
US08224951B2
To determine the operational status of a wireless communication device capable of executing server-side applications, a message is sent to the device requesting operational status of the device. The message may be may be triggered by a system administrator at a middleware server. The wireless communication device may receive the message, compose a response message indicative of the operational status of the device, and send the response message back to the middleware server. The messages may be extensible markup language (XML) messages. Composition of the response message may entail verifying that a textual operational status description forming part of the response message omits illegal XML characters, e.g., by passing the description through an XML formatter for removal of any illegal XML characters.
US08224947B2
A method and system for managing stored data on a computer network organizes data into logical volumes, and each logical volume has a friendly name associated with it. A domain controller keeps track of the friendly names of the logical volumes and associates those friendly names with the actual physical paths of the logical volumes. When a client computer on the network wishes to access a logical volume, it sends a look-up request having the friendly name to the domain controller. The domain controller may fulfill the request by sending the path of the logical volume to the client computer.
US08224935B1
A method for efficiently synchronizing configuration data within distributed computing systems may include: 1) maintaining a hash tree that is based on the hierarchical relationship of each object within a distributed computing system that is relevant to the computing device, 2) determining, during a reconciliation process with an additional computing device, that a hash of a top-level node of the hash tree differs from a hash of a corresponding node of the additional computing device's hash tree, 3) identifying, by iterating through the hash levels of the computing device's hash tree, at least one leaf node within the computing device's hash tree whose hash differs from a hash of a corresponding leaf node within the additional computing device's hash tree, 4) receiving the changed leaf node's value from the additional computing device, and then 5) updating the identified leaf node's value to match the changed leaf node's value.
US08224933B2
An apparatus for creating composite services includes a processing unit which identifies at least one constituent component for a composite service by a processor unit. The constituent component has a runtime state. The apparatus includes a data-store having past composition decisions and corresponding runtime states. The processing unit locates a past composition decision regarding the constituent component that has essentially the equivalent runtime state in the data-store, and reuses the past composition decision for the constituent component for the composite service. A method for creating composite services includes the steps of identifying at least one constituent component for a composite service by a processor unit, the constituent component having a runtime state. There is the step of locating a past composition decision regarding the constituent component that has essentially the equivalent runtime state in a data-store by the processing unit. There is the step of reusing the past composition decision for the constituent component for the composite service by the processor unit.
US08224912B2
A method to use dynamically prioritized email communications to establish and analyze organization social network maps includes selecting a dynamically prioritized email dataset based on network boundaries and contextual framework, establishing a one-way trusted relationship score between an email recipient and sender, establishing a one-way trusted relationship score between an email sender and recipient, establishing a two-way trusted relationship score between two communicating entities, establishing an atomic unit of entities based on a decreasing order of at least one of the one-way trusted relationship score and the two-way trusted relationship score, and establishing a social network based on arranging atomic units and entities based on one or more of an email prioritization score, a trusted relationship score, and an email productivity and collaboration metric, wherein the entities are email senders and email recipients.
US08224906B2
The invention discloses a method, computer system and computer program of interacting with a user of a messaging client. In the method a transactive engine engages via an agent, a natural language interaction with a user of a messaging client in order to initiate a transaction and determines, based on an adaptive script of the agent, the semantics of natural language input from the user. The existing form of the script is adapted to take into account historical interaction between the agent and the user and historical interaction between other users and the agent. The transactive engine constructs at least one command necessary to execute the transaction and transmitting the at least one command to at least one information system in order to execute the transaction. Furthermore, the transactive engine receives information about the executed transaction from the at least one information system, processes the received information relating to the executed transaction to form a natural language response to the user of the messaging client, and sends the natural language response to the messaging client.
US08224903B1
An end to end email monitoring system which monitors and verifies the ability of a client mail system to send and receive email messages to and from local and remote networks. The monitor tests inbound email flow, internal email services, database availability, and outbound email flow. It uses checksums for precise identification and allows emails from multiple client environments to arrive in a single, shared Internet test account. The use of multiple targets for email verification eliminates false positives due to a single email destination being unavailable. Moreover, SNMP alerting is used in addition to email alerting to provide an out of band notification method. The SNMP alerting has been enhanced to send the identification of the tested email server as the source. The monitor stores historical information for 45 days and can produce detailed reports summarizing outage events and delay occurrences in addition to providing real-time alerts.
US08224897B2
Described techniques enable a particular user to automatically share a piece of content with a group of users. To share the content, the particular user navigates to a Website or the like to identify the desired piece of content. The particular user then chooses to share the piece of content by actuating a button, an icon, or the like displayed within the content (e.g., Web content) or displayed within the browser's toolbar. In some embodiments, the users with whom the piece of content is then shared each include the particular user within a contact list. This document also describes techniques capable of enabling the particular user to allow a third party to select and share a piece of content. In some instances, the piece of content comprises an advertisement. This piece of content may be shared with a group of users that include the particular user as a contact.
US08224887B2
A system, method and computer program product are provided for authenticating a user. The method includes receiving, such as from an authenticator, a set of at least one label identifying at least one element of an authentication matrix. The authentication matrix includes a plurality of elements, each element capable of being identified by a label. Then, a passcode is formulated, such as by the client, based upon the element(s) identified by the received set of label(s). Thereafter, the client is authenticated based upon the formulated passcode, such as by the authenticator. The set of label(s) can be received, the passcode can be formulated, and the client can be authenticated a plurality of times. In such instances, to permit the passcode to dynamically change, each set of label(s) received can differ from each previously received set of label(s).
US08224882B2
A first arithmetic operator (11) includes a first modular arithmetic coding encoder (11b) for encoding a numeric data transmitted by a command from a central controller (31) into a modular arithmetic code, a first arithmetic operation processor (11a) using the numeric data as modular arithmetic coded as an input operand, for executing an arithmetic operation based on a command from the central controller (13), to provide an output in the form of a modular arithmetic code, and a first modular arithmetic code decoder (11c) for determining presence or absence of a bit error in the numeric data output from the first arithmetic operation processor, correcting the bit error, if detected any, to output a decoded numeric data.
US08224877B2
A hardware-based file system includes multiple linked sub-modules that perform functions ancillary to client data handling. Each sub-module is associated with a metadata cache. A doubly-rooted structure is used to store each file system object at successive checkpoints. Metadata is stored within an object and/or as a separate object. Provisions are made for allocating sparse objects. A delayed write feature is used for writing certain objects into non-volatile storage. Checkpoints can be retained as read-only versions of the file system. Modifications to the file system are accomplished without affecting the contents of retained checkpoints. The file system can be reverted to a retained checkpoint. Multiple file servers can be interconnected as a cluster, and each file server stores requests from another file server. Interconnections between file servers can be dynamically modified. A distributed locking mechanism is used to control access to file system objects stored by the file servers.
US08224865B2
A device is in communication with a server over a wireless network. Items are stored locally in the device. The device receives, from a user of the device, a request to search for items matching a search parameter. The device finds items among the locally-stored items that match the parameter. The device sends a request to the server for the server to search among items stored remotely on the server for items matching the parameter. The device receives, from the server, a list of the remotely-stored items that match the parameter without receiving the items themselves. The device displays, to the user, a composite list of both the locally-stored items and remotely-stored items matching the parameter.
US08224858B2
Methods and apparatus for judicially storing information to enable fast information retrieval are disclosed. The information is organized in information fields each field having a respective set of information elements. Cells of information elements are defined and corresponding information records are cached. The cells may be user defined or formed based on affinity coefficients of pairs of information elements. With a large number of fields, each having a large number of information elements, cells are generated recursively. Each cell is associated with at least one pre-defined query.
US08224854B2
A system for identifying one or more events, each event being characterized by information relating to one or more parameters, the system comprising a means for holding or accessing a table having a plurality of columns and rows, each of one or more columns representing one of the parameters, each of one or more of the rows comprising an identification of one or more of the events for each of the parameters in relation to which information characterizes the one or more of the event(s), pertaining information provided in the pertaining column, means for identifying one or more events characterized by one or more predetermined values and/or intervals of one or more predetermined parameters by identifying one or more rows in which the information of the column(s) representing the predetermined parameter(s) corresponds to the predetermined value(s)/interval(s) and identifying the one or more events from the identification in the identified row(s).
US08224844B1
A computer-implemented method includes searching resources related to an application in response to receiving a query, identifying an operation in the application that satisfies the query, and exposing an object that provides access to the identified operation, within the application.
US08224835B2
A method and system for expanding attribute profiles are presented in which primary attributes from one or more attribute profiles are used to derive secondary attributes which are added to the respective attribute profiles to generate expanded attribute profiles. The expanded attribute profiles are generated to increase the strength of association of a query attribute with one or more attribute profiles associated with query-attribute-positive individuals.
US08224832B2
A system and method are provided to examine a changeable monitored document and to provide alerts relating to changes of interest. The logical entities of a monitored document are compared, when changed, to the logical entities of an updatable reference of the monitored document which comprises material from the monitored document at a given time. The system distinguishes between logical entities which have moved within a document and logical entities which have been changed in a document. A user or users are alerted to any change in the monitored document according to the user's preferences. The system also allows the user to specify one or more search terms, thereby allowing a user to receive alerts only when a specified search term or terms appear in a newly changed portion of the monitored document. After examination, an extracted copy of the monitored document is retained as the editable reference.
US08224828B2
Access to a networked application can be provided to multiple users while allowing user-specific extension fields to be created and maintained for exclusive access by the user creating the extension field. A user-customized data object that includes a standard field value of a standard field of a standard data object defined by the networked application and a user-specific extension field value of a user-specific extension field that modifies operation of the networked application for the user and that is not available to other users of the plurality of users can be received from a user for writing to memory. The user-specific extension field value can be separated from the standard field value. The standard field value and the user-specific extension field value can be persisted in a first database table and a second database table, respectively. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also provided.
US08224823B1
Systems and methods are presented for restoring and/or utilizing browsing history for dynamically-generated or modified content is described. In one embodiment, the method includes: in response to a user request to display a page of information including a navigational element on a computing device, obtaining a content identifier for content associated with the navigational element, identifying a stored content identifier associated with the content and corresponding to a prior navigational element that was previously viewed on the computing device, verifying the prior navigational element associated with the stored content identifier, and setting at least one property of the navigational element to indicate, when displayed, that the content associated with the navigational element was previously viewed on the computing device.
US08224820B2
The present invention provides a technique for supporting accurate and smooth creation of a report. Information in which elements belonging to items included in a plurality of items of elements constructing a report are associated with each other between the items is stored in an input support database. Partial information corresponding to an extraction condition designated by an input from an input client by the user is extracted from the input support database and visually output (displayed) in a view in a report creating area.
US08224817B2
A tailored intergenerational historic snapshot message informs a younger person about the world an older person lived in when they were young. The older person's age and the younger person's age are used to identify a historic time period in which the older person was the same age as the younger person. A circumstance which occurred in the historic time period is selected from a database or web search result. The message is tailored to the ages of the people involved. The message may also be tailored to recite circumstances specific to a topic area or a geographic location.
US08224814B2
The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for managing how merchandise listings satisfying a search query are processed and presented to a user of a computer-based trading or e-commerce application when the listings are of heterogeneous types. Consistent with some embodiments, in response to a user-initiated search query, item listings and product listings are displayed intermingled in a set of search results pages. The item listings and product listings are positioned relative to one another, in part, based on a level of demand associated with the product listings and the item listings, where demand is measured by monitoring user-initiated activities in connection with the item and product listings.
US08224801B1
An improved information retrieval system. In response to detecting that the user has interacted with a display element in a first web page within a web browser window, retrieving information from a second web page before the user requests that the second web page be displayed within the web browser window. Other enhanced information retrieval techniques.
US08224796B1
A computer-implemented method for data loss prevention may include: 1) indentifying an external device, 2) intercepting a write attempt to a file on the external device, 3) creating a sandbox version of the file, 4) performing the write attempt on the sandbox version of the file, and then 5) analyzing the sandbox version of the file for potential data-loss violations. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08224793B2
A method, system and computer program product for registration in a de-coupled environment or system may include providing an identity of a spawned component to a manager. The method, system and computer program product may also include taking a predetermined action in response to the spawned component failing to report its status to the manager after a preset time period.
US08224787B2
Horizontal partitioning can handle a transaction by accessing a single node only if the transaction is restricted along the single partitioned dimension. Composite partitioning allows for partitioning along more than one dimension, but can only handle a transaction by accessing a single node if the transaction is limited along all partitioned dimensions. A partitioning method partitions a tuple space along more than one dimension and, by storing tuples redundantly, allows transactions restricted along one or more of the partitioned dimensions to be handled by accessing a single node. Other embodiments include a computer program product and a system for partitioning a tuple space.
US08224784B2
Computer tools and methods novelly combine periodic backup and restore features with migration features to transfer the components of a failed system to a new system. As well as backing up and transferring critical data files during the disaster recovery operation, an aspect of the present invention also transfers, inter alia, applications, user states, hardware settings, software settings, user preferences and other user settings, menus, and directories. In another aspect of the present invention, a network of shared end-user computers periodically backs up each individual end-user computer to a central instrumentality, in a novel manner to reduce storage and time requirements. That is, redundancies for the end-user computer backup files are eliminated or greatly reduced by only making reference to but not storing components that are generic to the system, and further for each previously stored component, only storing differential or incremental information, unless predefined conditions are met.
US08224780B2
Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to checkpoints for a file system. In aspects, updates to the file system are organized into checkpoint buckets. When a checkpoint is desired, subsequent updates are directed to another checkpoint bucket. After global tables have been updated for updates in the current checkpoint bucket, a logical copy of the global tables is created. This logical copy is stored as part of the checkpoint data. To assist in recovery, a checkpoint manager may wait until all updates of the current checkpoint bucket have been written to storage before writing final checkpoint data to storage. This final checkpoint data may refer to the logical copy of the global tables and include a validation code to verify that the checkpoint data is correct.
US08224772B2
Disclosed is a data management apparatus comprising a message transfer/analysis unit that receives an object data access request from a client and returns a response; an object metadata storage unit that stores, as metadata, a set of ancillary information on data for an object and a data area corresponding to the ancillary information; an object metadata management unit that performs reading, updating, and registration processing for the metadata; a data conversion unit that sends the data access request to a data access unit, extracts object data; and a data access unit that sends a data access command, specified by the data conversion unit, to a file server or a database server and sends response data, received from the file server or the database server, to the data conversion unit.
US08224770B2
According to some embodiments, a method includes running a first application program on a computer system, running a second application program on the computer system, and running a data availability manager (DAM) program on the computer system. The first application program is operative to indicate to the DAM program that a first data item processed by the first application program is available for further processing. The DAM program is operative to determine a second data item that is dependent for processing upon availability of the first data item and to indicate to the second application program that the second data item is ready for processing.
US08224769B2
Techniques for enterprise data as office content are described. An apparatus may comprise a client device having an application program, an insertion component and an update component. The insertion component may be arranged to insert source data elements from a data source into a document for the application program. The update component may be arranged to update the inserted data elements as the source data elements are modified. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08224765B2
A method for determining relative likelihood of a failure mode is provided. The method comprises receiving evidence observations of a monitored system from monitors connected in a many-to-many relationship to the failure modes, generating a fault condition including states of all failure modes that are connected to the monitors, and computing a relative probability of failure for each failure mode. The fault condition is generated for a reference model of the monitored system and is based on the received evidence observations. The relative probability of failure for each failure mode is based on a false alarm probability, a detection probability, and a ratio of prior probabilities of a candidate hypothesis to a null hypothesis of no active failure mode.
US08224764B1
A method and an apparatus utilizing a digital computer programmed for the purpose to perform a virtual combination of potential source chemicals, found in a raid or a chemical cache, for the manufacture of Homemade Explosives (HMEs), so as to transform the raw inventory of found chemicals quickly and accurately into a readily understandable output predicting the various HME formulations whose manufacture was contemplated by a would-be bomb maker, along with an assessment of the relative likelihoods of each such possible HME outcome.
US08224762B2
An information processing method for a business process analysis includes identifying a processing target field in a record generated in an analysis target system and stored in a data storage; identifying data representing probability that the processing target field corresponds to a time stamp of an event by using definition data for each field in the record; and presenting a user with the identified data so as to correspond to each said field.
US08224761B1
A method for generating correlation rules for events comprises receiving event data for each of a plurality of events, the event data of a particular event comprising at least one attribute associated with that event. The method continues by displaying the event data for each of the plurality of events to an operator. The method continues by receiving a selection of at least a portion of the events. The method continues by generating at least one rule that correlates the selected events based at least in part upon the attributes associated with the selected events. The method concludes by displaying the event data to the operator in accordance with the at least one rule.
US08224759B2
A simulated neural element includes a cell body and one or more simulated branches. Simulated branches are configured to receive input signals and to activate when a combination of the signals received during a specified window of time exceeds a branch activation threshold level. The simulated cell body is configured to activate when a combination of activity in the simulated branches during another specified window of time exceeds a cell body activation threshold level. The branch and cell body activation threshold levels may be automatically and locally regulated so that the actual branch activation rates for the simulated branches approximate desired branch activation rates and the actual cell body activation rate for the simulated cell body approximates a desired cell body activation rate. Such “homeostatic” regulation of branch and cell firing thresholds, done locally (i.e. individually for each branch and cell), may enhance the performance of artificial neural circuitry.
US08224754B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus for generation, distribution and verification of tokens are described. In an implementation, a method is described in which a value of an offer is determined and a token for representing the offer is generated. The token has a number of characters based on the determination of the value of the offer.
US08224753B2
A system for verifying the identity of a user includes an identification score assignment module configured to receive at least one source of identification of the user and to assign an identification score to each of the at least one source of identification. The system includes a total identification score generation module, in communication with the identification score assignment module, configured to generate a total identification score of the user from the identification scores of each of the at least one source of identification and a predetermined function. The total identification score of the user is associated with a level of verification of the identity of the user, and compared to a minimum identification score associated with a transaction. The transaction is performed when the total identification score of the user is greater than or equal to the minimum identification score.
US08224752B2
A method of playing back content based on digital rights management (DRM) between a portable storage and a device and a portable storage for the same are provided. The method of playing back content using a portable storage includes requesting the portable storage to transmit a right to play back content protected through digital rights management (DRM), receiving the right to play back the content protected through DRM from the portable storage, and informing the portable storage of completion of the playback when a playback of the content protected through DRM using the right is completed.
US08224747B2
In a software suite for enabling viewing and manipulation of data through a single portal accessible from a data-packet-network, a software interface for enabling proxy transfer of funds from one financial account to another is provided. The software interface comprises, an interactive main window for configuring transfer funds orders, viewing pending transfers, viewing transaction history, and viewing active account balances related to registered financial accounts, an interactive selection window accessible through the main interface, the selection window for enabling selection of individual accounts for grouping into a list of activated accounts and an automated confirmation window enabling confirmation of data parameters of a requested funds transfer. A user operating the main interface may initiate funds transfer orders to be performed between accounts at requested times by proxy in a fashion transparent at the time of execution to the requesting user.
US08224743B2
This invention defines a computer system for conducting an auction of a plurality of items including receiving bids and determining an allocation of at least one of the items, the auction including a dynamic auction phase followed by a later phase.
US08224741B2
A system is provided for trading complex orders for financial instruments, including complex orders that include legs that are to be executed on different markets. The legs of the order are optionally specified to be executed in a particular ratio, at net price, and/or at a range of net prices. The system halts trading for all legs in one market, determines a quantity and price to execute a second leg of the order on the other market to achieve a specified ratio or net price and then submits the second leg for execution on the other market if the second leg remains marketable on the other market. If an execution is received from the other market, then the legs in the first market are executed and the series unfrozen. If the other market has not responded after a predetermined time, then the legs in the first market are unfrozen and trading continues.
US08224738B2
Methods, software, and hardware are disclosed for providing verified real time price quotes in an over-the-counter financial market. Systems are described that can comprise methods, software, and/or hardware to provide verified real time price information for securities traded over-the-counter. Verification methods of the invention include identifying suspect source data, wherein the suspect source data includes information about the price of a security, verifying the suspect source data, and displaying to a user a verified price quote of a security traded in an over-the-counter market to a user. The verification methods of the invention include using hash functions and hash tables to process suspect source data, wherein the hashing allows for confidential processing while at the same time maintaining the ability to match a price quote to the source of the price quote.
US08224734B2
An automatic Financial Risk Cover configuration which receives returns behaviors connecting statistical behavior of each potential allocation of a submanager to a resultant statistical behavior of a Financial Risk Cover associated with a client portfolio, creates a total set of Financial Risk Cover configurations using genetic optimization processes to produce unpredictable variations of configurations, simulates and models each configuration in the total set against a set of potential or expected transient market events representative of a plurality of combinations of transient events, removes from the total set each configuration which fails to meet performance objectives during the modelling from said total set of configurations; and outputs each remaining configuration in the total set, wherein each configuration represents a plurality of investment instruments, each investment instrument being associated with an initial cash position.
US08224733B2
According to one embodiment, a method of managing trading is provided. In a market for a particular type of instrument, buy orders and sell orders are received from a plurality of traders. Each buy order has an associated bid price and each sell order has an associated offer price. A determination is made of whether the particular trading order is an outlying trading order by determining whether the particular trading order differs from at least one comparison price by more than a threshold value. If it is determined that the particular trading is an outlying trading order, a restrictive action is taken regarding the outlying trading order. For example, if a trader subsequently submits another trading order that would trade with the outlying trading order, an alert message may be sent to the trader and the subsequent trading order may be prevented from trading with the outlying trading order at least temporarily.
US08224729B2
Comparison values are calculated for evaluating a commercial transaction. A request for quote received from a buyer agent includes a product specification data set that identifies items that differ in accordance with at least one parameter. Price data sets received from seller agents identify items and prices in response to the product specification data set. At least one of the price data sets identifies an item having a different parameter value as compared to the item in another price data set. A comparison value for each price data set is generated by determining a price total from the price data set and calculating a summed market price total by summing market price totals for each of the items. Calculating market price totals includes obtaining metric data indicative of market prices. The summed market price total is compared to the price total for the price data set to generate the comparison value.
US08224723B2
A system that facilitates opening of a bank account by banking personnel for a customer. The account opening system includes an automatic rate determination feature that uses customer information, account information and other criteria to determine an account interest rate. The rate determination system may also mediate rate negotiation between a personal banker and the customer by limiting the increase in rate awarded by the personal banker. An auditing system assigns numbers to a series of profiles, each describing a request to open an account. Profiles to be audited are determined by generating random numbers that fall within the range of assigned profile numbers. Random number generation is repeated until a threshold percentage of profiles have been selected for auditing. The account opening system includes a system for tracking the progress of the account application and for organizing information recorded by the personal banker during interactions with the customer.
US08224719B2
The present invention provides a dunnage platform bag that is light weight, strong, made of a fire retardant material and which forms an ultra violet light, weather and dust particle barrier to protect the integrity of the dunnage platforms when not in use. A system and method for supplying, dispensing, positioning, tracking, transporting, forwarding and storing dunnage platforms based on the dunnage platforms bag is disclosed. In an embodiment of the invention, a modified dunnage platform made up of a dunnage platform base and attached legs can be stored in the dunnage platform bag.
US08224715B2
A performance analysis system analyzes the performance of affiliate sites that provide links to specific items in an electronic catalog, and identifies catalog items that can be listed by such affiliate web sites to improve performance. An association mining component analyzes transaction data attributable to specific categories or types of affiliate web sites to identify items that are frequently purchased in combination by users of such sites. The detected item associations are used to evaluate, for a given affiliate site, whether significant disparities exist between the expected and actual sales quantities of specific items. The results of the analysis are incorporated into affiliate-specific performance reports, which may include specific recommendations for improving performance. The disclosed methods may also be used to analyze the performance of, and provide recommendations to, online sellers within an online mall, online marketplace, or online auction system.
US08224705B2
Disclosed herein are methods and systems for transmitting streams of data. The present invention also relates to generating packet watermarks and packet watermark keys. The present invention also relates to a computerized system for packaging data for transmission to a user. The system may utilize computer code to generate a bandwidth rights certificate that may include: at least one cryptographic credential; routing information for the transmission; and, optionally, a digital signature of a certificate owner; a unique identification code of a certificate owner; a certificate validity period; and pricing information for use of bandwidth. The present invention also relates to an electronic method and system for purchasing good and services by establishing an account whereby a customer is credited with a predetermined amount of bandwidth usage, and then charges are assessed against the account in an amount of bandwidth usage which corresponds to the agreed upon purchase value for the selected item.
US08224702B2
Systems and methods for facilitating financial transactions over a network include a merchant device, a client device and a payment processing device. The merchant device is adapted to allow a merchant to provide items for purchase via the network. The client device is adapted to allow a user to access the merchant device via the network and view the items for purchase. The client device is adapted to provide a payment mechanism to the user. The user generates a purchase request for an item by selecting the one item, dragging the item to the payment mechanism, and dropping the item over the payment mechanism. The payment processing device is adapted to receive the purchase request from the client device via the network and authorize the user to purchase the item from the merchant based on information passed with the purchase request.
US08224690B2
A system and method provides analysis of pre- and post-project effects on frequency and severity of operational loss. The method includes the computation of the frequency of incidents and the severity of incidents for equipment based on recorded incident data. Risk, a function of frequency and severity, is calculated before and after a project to determine if the project has changed the risk of an incident in a piece of equipment or facility and if the project has changed the nature of risk (i.e. increasing severity while decreasing frequency). The method may be used to compute forecast estimates of future operational losses, assess goals for improving current performance relative to demonstrated industry performance, and determine statistical confidence intervals of forecast such that risk, and changes in risk, may be visually quantified and communicated.
US08224684B2
An analysis tool guides the selection of an external agent who will interact with a selected organizational actor. The analysis tool helps to minimize mismatches in personality and behavior between the external agents and actors in the business. As a result, there are fewer misunderstandings about project scope and requirements, there is better communication between individuals, and valuable deals are more frequently closed.
US08224682B2
Methods, systems, and computer program products for calendar-based coverage monitoring are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method includes receiving a coverage rule defining at least one covering entity for performing an activity for a covered entity and at least one period of time during which the multiple covering entities is to perform the activity. Individual calendars for the at least one covering entity are monitored and a change in one of the calendars is detected. It is then determined whether the change causes the coverage rule to be violated, and in response to determining that the change causes the coverage rule to be violated, a notification indicating violation of the coverage rule is automatically generated.
US08224675B2
A system and method for insurance companies contracting with and paying medical image reading professionals in a medical image reading professionals network. The network may be independent of a medical facility and be arranged to have each of the medical image reading professionals may be an expert in reading medical images of particular anatomical regions. The insurance companies may have lower overall costs by contracting with the medical image reading professionals who are experts in reading medical images of anatomical regions, modalities, and medical conditions as misdiagnoses are reduced due to proficiency of the medical image reading professionals.
US08224673B2
A computer-implemented method for administering an annuity product includes storing by a processor in memory an amount of an initial funding payment, an interest rate formula and a term for an accumulation annuity, and storing terms including a deferral term for a guaranteed income annuity. If the processor determines that the current time is during the term, the processor calculates an amount of interest earned on the fixed rate annuity and storing in memory a credit of the calculated interest amount to a guaranteed income annuity. After the accumulation period, the processor provides an output signal indicative of instructions to provide a notice of expiration. After the deferral period, the processor calculates an income annuity payment amount from the guaranteed income annuity; and provides an output signal indicative of instructions for a payment to be made to an annuitant based on the income annuity payment amount.
US08224663B2
A system and method are provided for applying guidelines to data and providing self-assessment ability. Guideline data is stored in a data storage component, along with user data. The user data represents both quantitative data and qualitative self-assessment data. In a self-assessment system and method, a graphical user interface is provided along with a target image and factor icons. The icons are adapted to be moved onto a position on the target image representative of an entity's self assessment of performance relative to the corresponding factor. A subset of actionable alternatives are selected and displayed based on the self-assessment data and the guidelines.
US08224661B2
According to one embodiment, an improved audio coding technique encodes audio having a low frequency transient signal, using a long block, but with a set of adapted masking thresholds. Upon identifying an audio window that contains a low frequency transient signal, masking thresholds for the long block may be calculated as usual. A set of masking thresholds calculated for the 8 short blocks corresponding to the long block are calculated. The masking thresholds for low frequency critical bands are adapted based on the thresholds calculated for the short blocks, and the resulting adapted masking thresholds are used to encode the long block of audio data. The result is encoded audio with rich harmonic content and negligible coder noise resulting from the low frequency transient signal.
US08224656B2
A method, program storage device and mobile device provide speech disambiguation. Audio for speech recognition processing is transmitted by the mobile device. Results representing alternates identified to match the transmitted audio are received. The alternates are displayed in a disambiguation dialog screen for making corrections to the alternates. Corrections are made to the alternates using the disambiguation dialog screen until a correct result is displayed. The correct result is selected. Content associated with the selected correct result is received in parallel with the receiving of the results representing alternates identified to match the transmitted audio.
US08224654B1
A computer-implemented method of generating a voice command to perform an action includes receiving a voice request to perform the action, wherein the voice request comprises first audio information for one or more first data fields associated with the action; generating a GUI that when rendered on a display device comprises a prompt message prompting a user to speak second audio information for one or more second data fields associated with the action; and inserting into the one or more second data fields data indicative of one or more of (i) the first audio information, and (ii) the second audio information.
US08224646B2
The speech synthesizing device acquires numerical data at regular time intervals, each piece of the numerical data representing a value having a plurality of digits, detects a change between two values represented by the numerical data that is acquired at two consecutive times, determines which digit of the value represented by the numerical data is used to generate speech data depending on the detected change, generates numerical information that indicates the determined digit of the value represented by the numerical data, and generates speech data from the digit indicated by the numerical information.
US08224645B2
A system and method for improving the response time of text-to-speech synthesis using triphone contexts. The method includes receiving input text, selecting a plurality of N phoneme units from a triphone unit selection database as candidate phonemes for synthesized speech based on the input text, wherein the triphone unit selection database comprises triphone units each comprising three phones and if the candidate phonemes are available in the triphone unit selection database, applying a cost process to select a set of phonemes from the candidate phonemes. If no candidate phonemes are available in the triphone unit selection database, the method includes applying a single phoneme approach to select single phonemes for synthesis, which single phonemes are used in synthesis independent of a triphone structure. The method also includes synthesizing speech using at least one of the set of phonemes from the candidate phonemes and the selected single phonemes for synthesis from the single phoneme approach.
US08224633B2
Simulating a physical process includes storing, in a computer-accessible memory, state vectors for voxels, where the state vectors correspond to a model and include entries that correspond to particular momentum states of possible momentum states at a voxel. Interaction operations are performed on the state vectors. The interaction operations model interactions between elements of different momentum states according to the model. Move operations performed on the state vectors reflect movement of elements to new voxels according to the model. The model is adapted to simulate a high-Knudsen number flow that has a Knudsen number greater than 0.1.
US08224628B2
The present invention is directed to methods, systems, and apparatuses for automatically placing flexible drops in a computer automated design application, and more particularly to automatically placing and drawing flexible connections between sprinkler heads and sprinkler system pipes within a CAD drawing. The present invention allows a user to automatically place and draw flexible drops from numerous sprinkler heads to sprinkler system piping simultaneously based upon a set of user-chosen flex drop parameters. The present invention may also be utilized in other applications, such as automatically placing and drawing flexible electrical connections or flexible piping connections in non-sprinkler applications.
US08224627B2
A technique for determination of the signal subspace dimension K in direction of arrival estimation and in exponentially damped sinusoids modeling (where K represents respectively the number of detected objects and the model order) by using the ratios between the squared singular values of the processed data matrix and of its sum with an auxiliary matrix composed of random entries from a normal distribution. The disclosed noise addition technique (NAT) is computationally effective and thoroughly tuned for use in each one of the designated tasks, causes very few false alarms, operates accurately within or below the SNR limits attained by others techniques and downwards determines a steadily decreasing to zero dimension K of the signal subspace.
US08224624B2
One embodiment is a method that determines application performance signatures occurring at an application server in a multi-tier architecture. The method then analyzes the application performance signatures to determine whether a change in transaction performance at the application server results from a modification to an application.
US08224623B2
A method is provided to determine a quality acceptance criterion using force signatures measured on a first and a second set of elements. The first set has no quality defect and the second set has a deliberate quality defect. Selection of an initial subset of time points is based on statistical analysis of the force data on the force signatures in the two sets. The quality acceptance criterion includes a quality threshold established using Mahalanobis Distance (MD) values and the MD values are produced from force data at a selected initial subset of time points for each element in the two sets. An output of the determined quality acceptance criterion is using the defined quality threshold to separate an element having a force signature into a group of elements having no quality defect or into a group of elements having a quality defect like the deliberate quality defect.
US08224616B2
In a sensor network system comprising a sensor terminal and a management server, the sensor terminal transmits observation data acquired using the sensor, the management server has a latest data storage manager which manages the latest observation data among observation data received from the sensor terminal, a history data storage manager which manages the history of the observation data from any time when data was received from the sensor terminal to the latest observation data, and a missing data manager which manages missing history data, and compensates the missing history data based on a predetermined rule, and when a request for such observation data is received, at least one of the latest observation data managed by the latest data storage manager, and history data wherein the missing data has been compensated and managed by the history data storage manager, is output according to the type of request.
US08224602B2
A system and method for synchronizing otherwise independent oscillators private to I2C Bus slave devices. An I2C Bus master device can issue two new general call commands, CALIBRATE and ZERO COUNTERS. The I2C Bus slave devices respond to the CALIBRATE command by counting the number of cycles its local, private oscillator makes through during the communication transfer period of the CALIBRATE command on the I2C Bus. All such I2C Bus slave devices measure the same communication transfer period on the I2C Bus, so the differences in the digital measurements obtained by each of them are proportional to their respective oscillator frequencies. The digital measurements are privately used by each I2C Bus slave device to calculate appropriate oscillator prescale factors, and to automatically load the values that will harmonize the final product frequencies of all of the local oscillators on all of the I2C Bus slave devices in the system.
US08224593B2
Startup and operational techniques for a digital flowmeter are described. The techniques select an optimal mode of operation for the digital flowmeter, depending on a current environment of the flowmeter. For example, during a startup operation of the flowmeter, the mode of operation might include a random sequence mode, in which filtered, random frequencies are applied as a drive signal to a flowtube associated with the digital flowmeter. Once the flowtube reaches a resonant mode of vibration, the digital flowmeter may transition to a positive feedback mode, in which a sensor signal representing a motion of the flowtube is fed back to the flowtube as a drive signal, as part of a feedback loop. Once an oscillation of the flowtube is achieved and analyzed, a digital synthesis mode of operation may be implemented, in which the analyzed sensor signals are used to synthesize the drive signal. In either the positive feedback mode or the digital synthesis mode, the digital flowmeter may revert to a previous mode to regain stable and desired oscillation of the flowtube, such as might be required during a recovery operation associated with a disturbance to an operation of the digital flowmeter.
US08224592B2
A method is described for estimating the intake air flow rate in an internal combustion engine provided with an air intake system, wherein said system comprises valve means for controlling an intake air flow rate, characterized in that it comprises the phases of implementing a first and a second algorithm, suitable to determine respectively a first and a second engine intake air flow rate; and of selecting the first or the second flow rate, on the basis of a previously defined selection criterion.
US08224590B2
A mask inspecting apparatus and method of inspecting a mask having a plurality of openings used in deposition in a desired pattern, the mask inspecting apparatus capable of detecting a defect of the mask through the openings of the mask. The mask inspecting apparatus includes: a detection unit detecting boundary line of each of the openings of the mask; a storage unit storing information about a member on which deposition is to be performed using the mask; a setting unit setting a first boundary line, a second boundary line, and a safety area for each of the openings using the stored information about the member on which deposition is to be performed, wherein the first boundary line forms an outline of a deposition area, the second boundary line surrounds the first boundary, and the safety area is interposed between the first boundary line and the second boundary line; and a control unit determining whether the boundary line of the mask detected by the detection unit does not contact the first boundary line and the second boundary line and whether it is present in the safety area.
US08224586B2
In one embodiment, a method for analyzing data generated by probe arrays is described that comprises receiving user selections of two or more data files and an identification of one or more subsets of intensity values acquired from a biological probe array. The method includes iteratively opening each data file, identifying the selected subset of intensity values associated with each open data file, determining parameters for processing, storing the parameters and the identified intensity values, and closing the open data file prior to the subsequent iteration. The method then includes processing the stored intensity values using the parameters to identify one or more biological events.
US08224572B2
A navigation system written in J2ME MIDP for a client device includes a plurality of media players each respectively comprising a buffer. A navigation program manages the state of the plurality of media players. The plurality of media players are in either one of an acquiring resources state, and a playing and de-allocating state. The use of a plurality of media players each respectively comprising a buffer overcomes the prior art in which navigation system can cut off a voice prompt because of the time-consuming tasks associated with playing a voice prompt.
US08224567B2
A map is presented by a browser, and breaking news content such as still photos, videos, etc. is placed on areas of the map to which the news pertains. A user can click on an area of the map for additional information, and can zoom in to a finer granularity. Personal content can also be displayed over map areas related to the personal content. The browser discovers locations to which content pertains in several ways, including by recognizing the name of a place in a story, through metadata, etc.
US08224563B2
The latitude/longitude and time acquired at prescribed sampling time intervals by a touring bus 1 which runs a predetermined running route are wireless-transmitted. A user 6 specifies a getting-on/off point on the basis of the latitude/longitude and time provided by the touring bus and acquires a running route inclusive of the getting-on/off point. Therefore, the user can acquire the running route inclusive of the getting-on/off point easily and instantaneously. The user can specify the getting-on/off point using the speed computed from the latitude/longitude and time acquired. Thus, the user can set his desired notifying point on the running route thus acquired. In such a configuration, there are provided a system for permitting a user of a touring bus to acquire a running route of the touring bus inclusive of a getting-on/off point easily and instantaneously and a system for notifying the arrival of the touring bus which permits the user to set his desired notifying point easily.
US08224562B2
A method for the automatic, computer-assisted determination of a route travelable by motor vehicles from a starting point to a destination point based on digitalized map data, wherein a computer acquires a starting point and destination point and determines the route based on possible road segments in such a way that the automatically generated route has a high recreational value. To this end, it is proposed that the computer determining the route preferably incorporate those road segments into the route that exhibit a high number of curves.
US08224558B2
An internal combustion engine control apparatus includes a fuel supplying mechanism supplying fuel to the internal combustion engine; an exhaust gas recirculating mechanism recirculating exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine to an intake side of the internal combustion engine; a flow adjuster selectively increasing and decreasing a strength of flow of the supplied fuel and the recirculated exhaust gas in a cylinder of the internal combustion engine; a stop controller controlling the fuel supplying mechanism to stop the supply of fuel and controlling the exhaust gas recirculating mechanism to stop the recirculation of exhaust gas, when the internal combustion engine is operated in a predetermined deceleration mode; and in-cylinder flow controller controlling the flow adjuster to increase the strength of the flow when the control to stop the supply of fuel is cancelled.
US08224556B2
In an internal combustion engine, at a first operating point using no exhaust gas recirculation, a first measured value of a load variable is detected. As a function of a further operating variable, a first model value of the load variable is determined using a suction pipe model. At least one parameter of the suction pipe model is adapted such that the first model value approaches or corresponds to the first measured value. A first value of the parameter adjustment is stored. At a second operating point, using exhaust gas recirculation a second value corresponding to the first value of the parameter adjustment, is determined and stored. The first and second values of the parameter adjustment are compared and a parameter value of an exhaust gas recirculation model is adapted such that the first and the second values of the parameter adjustment approach each other or correspond to each other.
US08224550B2
A steering assist system includes traffic-line detecting means for detecting right and left traffic lines marked on a road, preceding-vehicle detecting means for detecting a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of a subject vehicle, traveling-target-point setting means for setting a traveling target point for traveling of the subject vehicle at a predetermined position in the preceding vehicle when the preceding vehicle is not within predetermined ranges from the right and left traffic lines, and for setting the traveling target point at a position offset from the predetermined position in the preceding vehicle toward the center of a traveling lane of the subject vehicle when the preceding vehicle is within the predetermined range of any one of the right and left traffic lines, and steering control means for controlling steering so that the subject vehicle passes over the traveling target point.
US08224547B2
The present invention relates to a device for preventing sudden acceleration of an automobile that is installed in a power transmission structure disposed between a throttle valve and a motor for the throttle valve in the automobile, such that if the motor is activated by an electrical error at a state where an accelerator pedal is not depressed by a driver, the power generated from the motor is not transmitted to the throttle valve. The device for preventing sudden acceleration of an automobile fitted with an automatic transmission according to the present invention is configured wherein even though a motor opening and closing a throttle valve is activated by an electrical error at a state where an accelerator pedal is not depressed by a driver, the power generated from the motor is not transmitted mechanically to the throttle valve, thereby preventing casualty caused by sudden acceleration.
US08224546B2
A second threshold value which is smaller than a first threshold value is set as a threshold value for starting pressure decrease control of a wheel on a high μ road surface side when a select low control is employed. Then, if a slip ratio of the wheel on the high μ road surface side exceeds the second threshold value, a pressure decrease control in ABS control is started even if the slip ratio of a wheel on a low μ road surface side does not exceed the first threshold value. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the vehicle running state from becoming unstable due to the wheel speed of the wheel on the high μ road surface side from decreasing with respect to the vehicle speed.
US08224543B2
A shift position detecting device comprises a shift position sensor that continuously issues an output data that represents a shift position of the gear selection mechanism; and a control unit. The control unit includes a first shifting load instruction section that controls the shift actuator to shift the gear selection mechanism to the shift gear-in establishing position with a first shifting load; a second shifting load instruction section that, after completion of shifting of the gear selection mechanism to the shift gear-in establishing position by the first shifting load instruction section, controls the shift actuator to reduce the shifting load from the first shifting load to a second shifting load which is lower than the first shifting load; and a shift gear-in establishing position memory section that stores an output data issued from the shift position sensor when the shift actuator is controlled by the second shifting load instruction section, as an information data that represents completion of shifting of the gear selection mechanism to the shift gear-in establishing position.
US08224529B2
A steering wheel angle detection system having a steering wheel angle sensor, a generator and a controller memory such that when a vehicle ignition is powered off, movement of a steering wheel generates electricity and allows a steering wheel angle sensor to detect the change in steering wheel angle. The change, or an indicator, is stored in non-volatile RAM until a time in which the ignition is powered-on. The generator may be a generator dedicated to the steering wheel angle sensor or it may be an electric motor that is part of an electrically assisted power steering system.
US08224526B2
A vehicle stabilization control device includes: an actual turning state quantity acquisition unit that acquires an actual turning state quantity indicating an actual turning state of a vehicle; a curve information acquisition unit that acquires the shape of a curve ahead of the vehicle; a vehicle speed acquisition unit that acquires speed of the vehicle; and a curve traverse possibility determination unit that determines a possibility that the vehicle can stably traverse the curve, based on the curve shape and speed of the vehicle; a control quantity computation unit that, to control braking force on each wheel and suppress understeering, computes a target control quantity for each wheel, based on the actual turning state quantity and on the possibility that the vehicle can stably traverse the curve; and a control unit controlling the braking force for each wheel, based on the target control quantity for each wheel.
US08224518B2
In a method for creating a record of crane inspection activity, a wireless inspection communication between a component monitor and a component information unit is initiated in response to a crane inspection activity. The component information unit is mechanically coupled with a crane component. An inspection record related to the crane component is automatically storing within the component monitor. The inspection record includes a geostamp and a timestamp associated with the inspection communication. The geostamp and timestamp are stored in the inspection record in conjunction with a component identification that is associated the crane component and that is received from the component information unit as part of the wireless inspection communication.
US08224512B1
A control system is provided which allows the operator of a marine vessel to select a transmission position (e.g. forward, neutral, or reverse) and an engine speed in the event that a throttle lever malfunctions. By providing messages to the operator on an annunciator and receiving selections from the operator on a plurality of push button switches, a microprocessor selects gear positions and engine operating speed in response to commands received from the operator.
US08224503B2
A method of inspecting the integrity of an avionics system (1) installed in an aircraft, by inspecting the integrity in terms of electrical installation and data acquisition and transmission, wherein the method includes: using an Ethernet network (4) connecting the avionics system (1) to an inspection computer (3); using the computer (3) to generate first inspection signals transmitted to the component and/or to acquire second inspection signals coming from the component; using data read and write elements of a controller of the avionics system (1) to generate reference data relating to the component and transmitted to the inspection computer (3) via the Ethernet network (4); and displaying the reference data and the inspection signals and where appropriate recording the reference data and the inspection signals.
US08224495B2
A thermal source provides heat to a heat engine and or one or more thermal demands, including space and water heating and heat storage. Additionally the output of the heat engine may be used for local in situ electricity needs, or directed out over the grid. A system controller monitors conditions of the components of the system, and operates that system in modes that maximize a particular benefit, such as a total accrued desired benefit obtained such as reduced electricity cost, reduced fossil fuel use, maximized return on investment and other factors. The controller may use past history of use of the system to optimize the next mode of operation, or both past and future events such as predicted solar insolation.
US08224484B2
In one implementation, a method is disclosed in which a lock sensing mode is entered for a robotic surgical instrument. In the lock sensing mode, the degrees of freedom of movement in the robotic surgical instrument are switchably reduced. Further in the lock sensing mode, one or more end effectors of the robotic surgical instrument are switchably clamped together in the robotic surgical instrument. An increased level of torque may also be applied to the end effectors to increase a gripping force applied by the one or more end effectors in response to the reduced degrees of freedom of movement in the robotic surgical instrument.
US08224470B2
A plurality of amplifiers and PCs each having installed therein remote controlling software for controlling the amplifiers are connected to a network. Data stored in a memory of each of the amplifiers include a device ID, operation data and an area ID. Memory of each of the PCs stores therein a project file each including area IDs, device information and device IDs. On the basis of the area IDs and device IDs stored in the amplifiers and the area IDs and device IDs stored in the project file, a CPU of the PC performs association between the amplifiers and virtual devices indicated by the device information and overwrites the operation data of a particular amplifier, having been associated with any one of the virtual devices, onto the project file, to thereby display, on a display, the operation data of the associated amplifier as operation data of the corresponding virtual device.
US08224465B2
Coordinating tasks of performance management and application placement management in a dynamic fashion by: estimating capacity needs for various service classes of service requests; computing desired capacities of at least one application for said service requests; deciding whether the desired capacities are satisfied by a current application placement; making no change to current application placement if the desired capacities are satisfied; determining a new application placement based on the desired capacities and a projected load if the desired capacities are not satisfied; computing corresponding capacity constraints for all pairs of service classes and servers; and computing an optimal allocation of capacities among the service classes so as to optimize a quality of service.
US08224464B2
A method and apparatus for treating self treating internal muscle and trigger point related pelvic pain in women and men. The apparatus includes a rod having a handle attached to a straight portion at a first end of the rod and a pressure applicator attached to a second end of the rod, where a first curved portion is disposed between the straight portion of the rod and the second end of the rod. A microcurrent electrical stimulation unit electrically connected to the pressure applicator for supplying an electrical current to the pressure applicator. In the method of the present invention, a trigger point is located in the patient's pelvic floor, the patient inserts the apparatus either vaginally or rectally to allow contact of the pressure applicator of the apparatus with the pelvic floor, pressure is applied to the trigger point using the apparatus, and microcurrent electrical stimulation is applied to the trigger point using a microcurrent electrical stimulation unit that is electrically connected to the pressure applicator.
US08224462B2
Medical lead systems utilizing electromagnetic bandstop filters are provide which can be utilized in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment for patients who have implanted medical devices. The medical lead system includes an implanted lead having at least one bandstop filter associated therewith, for attenuating current flow through the lead over a range of frequencies. The bandstop filter has an overall circuit Q wherein the resultant 3 dB bandwidth is at least 10 kHz. The values of capacitance and inductance of the bandstop filter are selected such that the bandstop filter is resonant at a selected center frequency. Preferably, the bandstop filter has an overall circuit Q wherein the resultant 10 dB bandwidth is at least 10 kHz. Such bandstop filters are backwards compatible with known implantable deployment systems and extraction systems.
US08224450B2
A stimulation system includes an implantable pulse generator having a sealed chamber and an electronic subassembly disposed in the sealed chamber. Feed through pins are coupled to the electronic subassembly and extend out of the sealed chamber. Feed through interconnects are coupled to the electronic subassembly via the feed through pins. At least one tab is disposed on at least one feed through interconnect. The tab(s) are configured and arranged to flex away from the feed through interconnect and against a side of the feed through pin.A feed through interconnect assembly includes an assembly frame; feed through interconnects extending from the assembly frame; a first contact pad and a second contact pad disposed on at least one of the feed through interconnects; and a tab formed on a first contact pad of at least one of the feed through interconnects.
US08224448B2
A feedthrough assembly is disposable in an aperture of, for example, a power source encasement. In various examples, the feedthrough assembly comprises a ferrule, an insulator, a terminal conductor, and a sleeve. A portion of the terminal conductor extends through the ferrule thereby creating a portion internal to and a portion external to the encasement. The insulator is disposed within the ferrule and is sealably engaged with the terminal conductor portion extending through the ferrule. The sleeve is disposed over the internal portion of the terminal conductor and coupled thereto. In one example, the sleeve includes at least one notch on a sleeve first end or a sleeve second end, which may be used to weld or solder the sleeve to the terminal conductor. In another example, the sleeve includes a longitudinally extending void, which may be used to crimp the sleeve to the terminal conductor.
US08224436B2
An embodiment relates to a method for delivering a unidirectional afferent nerve stimulation treatment. A test neural stimulation is delivered, and a physiologic response to the test neural stimulation is monitored. At least one neural stimulation parameter for the test neural stimulation is adjusted if the test neural stimulation does not elicit a desired physiologic response. If the test neural stimulation does elicit the desired physiologic response, at least one treatment parameter for a unidirectional afferent nerve stimulation is determined using the at least one neural stimulation parameter for the test neural stimulation that provided the desired physiologic response. The unidirectional afferent nerve stimulation is delivered using the at least one treatment parameter.
US08224431B2
Methods and apparatus for storing data records associated with a medical monitoring event in a data structure. An implanted device obtains data and stores the data in the data record in a first data structure that is age-based. Before an oldest data record is lost, the oldest data record may be stored in a second data structure that is priority index-based. The priority index may be determined by a severity level and may be further determined by associated factors. The implanted device may organize, off-load, report, and/or display a plurality of data records based on an associated priority index. Additionally, the implanted device may select a subset or composite of physiologic channels from the available physiologic channels based on a selection criterion.
US08224428B2
A rotation transmitting mechanism comprises: a three-layered coil that has an innermost layer coil portion, a middle layer coil portion and an outermost layer coil portion with alternating winding directions; and at least one elastic band that is fit to an outer peripheral area of said three-layered coil to press said outermost layer coil portion toward an inner peripheral side.
US08224425B2
The invention is directed to methods and systems of hyperspectral and multispectral imaging of medical tissues. In particular, the invention is directed to new devices, tools and processes for the detection and evaluation of diseases and disorders such as, but not limited to diabetes and peripheral vascular disease, that incorporate hyperspectral or multispectral imaging.
US08224423B2
During preprogrammed medical treatment and remote controlled surgery tracking the movements of the body being treated and integrating those tracked movements with the preprogrammed/remote controlled treatment to arrive at an integrated modified treatment track and following that modified track during the treatment. The treating instrument may be a solid scalpel or high-energy radiation, such as X-rays, ultra sound, laser beams or the like.
US08224416B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a catheter that comprises an elongated catheter body (16) and an electrode assembly (10) at the distal end of the catheter body. The electrode assembly comprises a plurality of spines (11), each of the spines having a proximal end connected to the distal end of the catheter and a distal end, the distal ends of the spines being connected at a spine tip junction (13). Each spine includes an elbow (20) having at least one discontinuity in stiffness at an intermediate position between the distal end and the proximal end thereof. The spines include a plurality of electrodes (12). The electrode assembly is collapsible to a collapsed arrangement to fit within a lumen of the elongated catheter body and expandable to an expanded arrangement with the elbows of the spines bending outwardly relative to the proximal and distal ends of the spines.
US08224412B2
A memory in a sensor is used to store multiple coefficients for a physiological parameter. In one embodiment, not only are the sensor's specific calibration coefficients stored in a memory in the sensor for the formula to determine oxygen saturation, but multiple sets of coefficients are stored. The multiple sets apply to different ranges of saturation values to provide a better fit to occur by breaking the R to SpO2 relationship up into different pieces, each described by a different function. The different functions can also be according to different formulas for determining oxygen saturation.
US08224409B2
A three-dimensional filter includes a pair of superconductor films opposed to each other, and a three-dimensional resonator made of dielectric and situated between the superconductor films, wherein one of the superconductor films is movable relative to the three-dimensional resonator.
US08224408B2
The invention relates to a cradle for a mobile phone, comprising a rear bearing surface; left and right side walls; two guide rails being located on the front side of said left and right side walls and protruding laterally from said side walls; a bottom part comprising a connector element for mechanically and electrically engaging a bottom connector of said mobile phone, said rear bearing surface, said side walls and said guide rails define left and right slots extending parallel to said side walls for receiving left and right side sections of a mobile phone; guiding a phone being inserted into said cradle to said bottom part; and retaining a mobile phone received in said cradle against forces acting in a direction substantially perpendicular to said slots; and said connector element comprises means for locking onto a bottom connector of a mobile phone received in said cradle for retaining said mobile phone inside said cradle.
US08224404B2
An accessory strap securing mechanism positioned on a portable electronic device to assemble an accessory strap thereon, the accessory strap securing mechanism includes an assembling portion and a securing member. The assembling portion is formed in the portable electronic device. The securing member includes a holding portion. The holding portion is received in the assembling portion. The holding portion includes a hook and a projection. The securing member is rotatable to allow the accessory strap to be coiled around the holding portion and a distal end of the accessory strap attached to the projection.
US08224403B2
A method of performing actions related to handover by a mobile station (MS) in a wireless mobile communication system is disclosed. More specifically, the MS receives information from a base station (BS), wherein the information includes at least one action for performing handover and at least one condition corresponding to the at least one action. Furthermore, the MS transmits a request message to perform the at least one action based on the received information from the BS and receives a response message in response to the request message. Lastly, the MS performs the at least one action according to the received response message.
US08224396B2
An apparatus includes first and second rod-shaped bodies and a first hinge unit configured to rotatably couple the first and second rod-shaped bodies. Each of the first and second rod shaped bodies includes a speaker positioned on a longitudinal side thereof and is structured to include at least one curved portion proximate to a first end thereof. The first hinge unit is configured to rotatably couple the first and second rod-shaped bodies, such that an end of the at least one curved portion of the first rod-shaped body faces an end of the at least one curved portion of the second rod-shaped body to form a continuous body having an axis therethrough. The first hinge unit permits relative rotational movement between the first and second rod-shaped bodies.
US08224392B2
A method of controlling a mobile terminal, and which includes displaying, on a touch screen display of the mobile terminal, an operation screen corresponding to a current operating mode executing on the mobile terminal; detecting, via a detecting device, a touch input on the touch screen display of the mobile terminal; determining, via a controller on the mobile terminal, a first finger characteristic describing a finger touching the touch screen display and a second finger characteristic describing the finger touching the touch screen display that is different than the first finger characteristic; performing, via the controller, a first operation relevant to the current operating mode based on the determined first finger characteristic; and performing, via the controller, a second operation relevant to the current operating mode based on the determined second finger characteristic.
US08224381B1
Video signals for a mobile terminal are converted to accommodate reproduction by an alternative display terminal. The video signal is processed to provide a converted video signal appropriate for an alternative display terminal that is separate from the mobile terminal. This converted video signal is then provided for the alternative display terminal to accommodate the corresponding video display on a screen provided by the alternative (e.g., external) display terminal.
US08224378B2
A system and method for protecting a wireless device including co-located network transceivers from uplink starvation are disclosed herein. A wireless device includes a first wireless transceiver and a second wireless transceiver respectively configured for communication via a first wireless network and a second wireless network. The wireless device further includes logic that determines which of the first and second transceivers is enabled to transmit at a given time. The logic determines a duration of a pending transmission via the first transceiver, and determines a predicted start time of a predicted transmission via the second transceiver. Based on the duration and the predicted start time, the logic transmits a notification signal indicating that a receiving device should refrain from transmitting on the first network for a reserved time ending after the pending transmission starts. The pending transmission starts following completion of the predicted transmission.
US08224374B2
A first switching circuit (21) outputs a first radio signal representing a plurality of time-division multiplexed programs and a second radio signal other than the first radio signal, one at a time according to a switching signal. A voltage control oscillator (27) outputs a local signal at a frequency suitable for whichever signal outputted. Using the local signal generated, a frequency converter (24) frequency converts the first and second radio signals to first and second baseband signals, respectively. Via a second switching circuit (31), a first baseband unit (40) and a second baseband unit (50) are supplied with the first and second baseband signals, respectively, and demodulate them to first and second data signals. A switching unit (60) supplies the switching signal indicating periods during which the first radio signal represents a user-selected program, to a tuner unit (20) where the first and second radio signals are processed by time-sharing.
US08224355B2
A personalized format webpage is generated to monitor location information. A graphical mapping module is disclosed to provide mapping tiles from multiple mapping service providers in response to user request for location information of a tracking device associated with an object or an individual. A wizard menu enables the user to reorient an initial request for mapping tiles in a different layout or view format without requiring additional access to a mapping service provider website. Alert messages associated with the tracking device are generated in accordance with selected alert zones. Dashboard management tools may be included or associated with a software file readily accessible and functionally equipped to interpret user requests for mapping reorientation and zoom capabilities.
US08224349B2
Systems and techniques for determining the location of user equipment (UE) in a wireless network are disclosed. These techniques leverage geometric calculations for an overlaid bin grid framework mapping the wireless network area to store differential values for each frame of the bin grid framework for each pair of relevant NodeBs. A timing offset can be determined, such that when a time value from a target UE is accessed, the location can be quickly determined with minimal real time computation. In an aspect, the target UE time value can be search for in the pre-computed differential value data set indexed by a relevant NodeB site pair to return a set of frames (forming a hyperbola between the site pair) that can be intersected with a second set of frames for a second NodeB site pair for the same UE. The intersecting frames can represent the location of the UE in the wireless network. Further, the data can be leveraged to correct timing in the network.
US08224339B2
The invention relates to a mobile network, especially according to that of GSM- and/or UMTS-standards for the communication of mobile stations. The network consists of at least two base stations with antennas for sending and/or receiving communication signals, wherein the covered area of the base stations forms a radio cell which is divided into a close-up range and a far range, wherein different transmission sources are provided for the radio traffic.
US08224338B2
A computerized method and system for integrated access network business planning for a telecommunications carrier. The invention enables a user to input a set of network business planning parameters that are utilized by a linear programming model to jointly optimize a carrier's dedicated and radio access network by executing a plurality of network optimization models and determine network configuration changes for the dedicated and radio access networks as a constrained optimization based on the set of business planning parameters.
US08224337B2
The subject matter described herein includes methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing foreign routing address information to a telecommunications network gateway. According to one aspect, the method includes, at a call signaling message routing node in a first telecommunications network, intercepting a call setup message that includes a called party number identifier and is directed towards a network gateway connected to at least one foreign telecommunications network. The method also includes accessing a foreign routing information database using an ENUM formatted query message to obtain foreign routing address information associated with the at least one foreign telecommunications network, modifying the call setup message to include the address information, and routing the modified call setup message towards the network gateway.
US08224330B2
Systems and methods for interworking between two different networks are presented. In one embodiment, a method for wireless communication includes requesting a network access from an access point of a first network, and transmitting an EAP authentication request from the access point to a user end. An EAP authentication request response is sent from the user end to the access point. The EAP authentication request response includes an attach type indicator that indicates to a gateway associated with the access point whether the attach request is an initial attachment or a handover from a second network.
US08224318B2
A location service providing system and method the system includes target SUPL (Secure User Plane for Location) Enabled Terminal (SET) determines and stores a positioning method in an initialization stage of a location service according to a triggered location service request, determines in a location calculation process whether the stored positioning method is available, provides the stored positioning method if it is determined that the stored positioning method is available, and requests for re-determination of a positioning method if it is determined that the stored positioning method is unavailable: and a home-SUPL location platform (H-SLP) which provides the location service using the stored positioning method if the stored positioning method is provided from the target SET or provides the location service by re-determining a positioning method with the target SET if the re-determination of a positioning method is requested.
US08224316B2
A control device that shields a room from incoming signals includes an interference device which is adapted for querying an interference signal for rendering a signal that enters a room unrecognizable by superposition with the interference signal.
US08224307B2
A multimode handset and method that includes a first communications path adapted to communicate using a mobile telephone communications protocol, a second communications path adapted to communicate using a local, cordless communications protocol, and a processing unit in communication with the first and second communications paths and configured to switch between the first and second communications path during a telephone call.
US08224303B2
A method, device and system for providing communication session mobility of multimedia content delivered to a mobile communication device, such as a Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H) mobile video device. For example, multimedia content delivered to a mobile communication device via a DVB-H network can be transferred seamlessly to a cellular data network. Session mobility is provided using a control server or session controller configured to manage and facilitate the transfer of the content delivery. The control server manages the transfer in response to receiving appropriate communication session control information from the mobile communication device. The control server can be a network element coupled to or contained within the network that couples a multimedia content source to one or more wireless control points that communicate with the end user mobile communication device. Alternatively, the control server can be partially or completely included or contained within the multimedia content provider.
US08224299B2
A data transmission system for minimizing the number of errors during Tx/Rx times of mobile service data under mobile environments, and a data processing method for the same are disclosed. The system additionally codes the mobile service data, and transmits the resultant coded mobile service data. As a result, the mobile service data has a strong resistance to noise and channel variation, and can quickly cope with the rapid channel variation.
US08224295B2
A system and method for facilitating communications between a mobile device and a network application are provided. A mobile device transmits a request for data change information that includes a time out interval. The network application receives the request and measures a time elapsed since the receipt of the data change request. The network application will only transmit a notification to the mobile device client if new data is received or the time out interval has elapsed. As notifications are received, the mobile client device tunes the time out interval based upon network and device parameters.
US08224288B1
A method and apparatus for allowing a telephone service subscriber to receive an email notification, e.g., a SMS notification, at an endpoint device that a new voice mail message has been received. The SMS notification comprises a voice mailbox access phone number, selected from a pool of unassigned access phone numbers, which can be used to provide direct access to the new voice mail message in the telephone service subscriber's voice mailbox. Thus, a different voice mailbox access phone number is sent in each SMS notification to the telephone service subscriber for each new voice mail message, thereby providing direct access to specific voice mail messages via different voice mailbox access phone numbers.
US08224285B2
Systems and methods for identifying a geographical area in a commercial mobile alert service message
Geographical locations can be encoded in alert messages and the encoded geographical locations can be processed are disclosed. Emergency alerts can be received from an emergency provider or governmental agency comprising a geographical code. The code can be evaluated to determine a geographical location by determining a primary location, such as a state or region, and a secondary location such as a county. This information can be used to determine the devices within a wireless network that should receive the alert message.
US08224280B2
A wireless communication unit (200) comprises a radio frequency (RF) receiver for receiving an RF signal and providing the received RF signal to an off-channel signal detector (218) and a quadrature down conversion mixer circuit comprising at least one dynamic matching mixer stage (226, 228, 250, 252). The off-channel signal detector (218) is arranged to detect whether an off-channel signal level of the received RF signal exceeds a threshold and, in response to determining that the received off-channel RF signal exceeds the threshold, the off-channel signal detector (218) deactivates the at least one dynamic matching mixer stage. Also described is a semiconductor that comprises a receiver, and a method of operation therefor.
US08224274B2
A frequency translation module for a broadband multi-channel communication system may include an analog signal converter, a digital channel selection device, and a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter. The analog signal converter is configured to receive a plurality of analog signals, to select analog signals residing in a predefined frequency band, and to convert each of the selected analog signals into a digital signal. The digital channel selection device is configured to process digital signals corresponding to the selected analog signals and to generate a composite output of digital signals representative of the selected analog signals. The D/A converter is configured to translate the composite output to an analog signal output decodable by a receiver. Further, the frequency translation module may include a mixer configured to upconvert the analog signal output to a frequency decodable by the receiver.
US08224272B1
A wireless networking receiver with digital antenna switching selects an antenna with an 802.11b signal based on a signal metric, such as the highest signal quality or highest peak amplitude. In one embodiment, the receiver comprises a plurality of antennas that may each receive one of a plurality of RF signals conforming to the IEEE 802.11b standard. The receiver may have multiple antennas for use with the IEEE 802.11n standard, but may receive signals conforming to the 802.11b standard. The receiver also comprises a carrier sense circuit configured to calculate a signal metric for each of the signals and further configured to generate a selection signal signifying one of the signals, based on the signal metric. The receiver further comprises a multiplexer configured to output one of the signals, based on the selection signal. In another embodiment, a wireless networking receiver comprises signal receiving means, carrier sensing means for calculating and selecting a signal based on a signal metric, and multiplexer means to output the signal. A related method is also disclosed. Other embodiments are provided, and each of the embodiments described herein can be used alone or in combination with one another.
US08224264B1
A power supply stage includes a digital signal generation means to generate n bit digital signal, a selection means for power supply voltages in dependence on n bit digital signal and an adjusting means for receiving the selected power supply voltage and the envelope signal and adapted to generate an adjusted selected power supply voltage tracking the envelope signal.
US08224260B2
A radio frequency (RF) signal transmission/reception apparatus and an RF signal transmission/reception method are disclosed. The RF signal transmission/reception apparatus is adapted to perform a transmission/reception duplex function using a bi-directional mixer at the IF band or baseband, not at the RF band. When a reception signal of the RF band is passed through the bi-directional mixer, it is converted into a signal in any one of the IF band and the baseband. Also, when a transmission signal in any one of the IF band and the baseband is passed through the bi-directional mixer, it is converted into a signal of the RF band.
US08224255B2
A system for managing radio frequency windows including a wireless router in communication with the wireless device for transmitting and receiving RF signals between the wireless router and the wireless device, the wireless router configured to determine network performance information of the wireless network; concatenate the network performance information into data packets; a packet network switch in communication with the wireless router for communicating the data packets between the wireless router and the packet network switch; and a network management device in communication with the packet network switch for instructing wireless router to adjust RF modulation between the wireless router and the wireless device based on the network performance information to optimize the network performance to the wireless device. A method for managing radio frequency windows is also included.
US08224248B2
A backup device comprising a secondary user-carried device for backing up data from a primary portable data storage device is described. The backup device includes a short-range wireless communication link, a communication interface for communicating with the primary portable data storage device over the communication link to receive data to back up and to check for removal of the primary portable data storage device and storage for storing data received over the communication link from the primary portable data storage device. A triggering device is also provided for triggering an alert procedure when the primary portable data storage device is out of range for a predetermined period.
US08224244B2
The present invention provides a communication apparatus being in directly contact with a human body and using the human body as a transmission channel for data communication. The communication apparatus attached to the human body transmits a signal in the form of a current, receives a signal transmitted from another communication apparatus attached to the human body therethrough, and eliminates noise included in the received signal. In addition, the communication apparatus compares the noise-eliminated signal and a reference signal and recovers an original signal. Further, the communication apparatus generates a base-band signal and transmits the same through the human body.
US08224234B1
A system for generation of jamming signals and related and techniques are described.
US08224233B2
System(s) and method(s) are provided to regulate telecommunication service in a confined area in which telecommunication is restricted. Regulation includes control of wireless resources and access thereto, and monitoring wireless activity and locating sources thereof within the confined area. Regulation can be accomplished through networked femtocell access points and distributed antenna systems. Control of wireless resources is accomplished through selective jamming within the confined area; selective jamming can be updated based on performance metrics of telecommunication service. Configurable lists that authorize mobile device(s) to consume wireless service within the confined area control access to wireless resources. Access can be granted or denied statically or dynamically. Monitoring of wireless activity within the confined area includes tracking and recordation of signaling or traffic activity. The monitoring of signaling activity can enable location of a source of wireless activity, while monitoring of traffic can lead to identification of a user thereof.
US08224232B2
A bookbinding apparatus includes a glue coating device that coats glue on a back of a sheet bundle, a sheet bundle supporting device that supports the sheet bundle on which glue is coated a cover sheet supporting device that supports a cover sheet, a moving device that moves at least one of the sheet bundle supporting device and the cover sheet supporting device, and thereby changes a distance between the back of the sheet bundle and the cover sheet, and a control device that controls the moving device, wherein the control device controls the moving device so that a distance between the back of the sheet bundle on which the glue are coated and the cover sheet is set to a distance D1, then the distance is set to a distance D2 that is greater than the distance D1.
US08224222B2
A fixing device is provided. In a fixing device, a heating member that heats a fixing belt includes a heat generating member that has a heat generating layer that generates heat due to being energized, and a heat radiating member. In the heat radiating member, a heat receiving piece of a first heat radiating section and a heat receiving piece of a second heat radiating section are combined with each other to form a heat receiving section, and a heat transfer piece of the first heat radiating section and a heat transfer piece of the second heat radiating section are combined with each other to form a heat transfer section. Heat pipes that are meandering capillary tube heat pipes are formed inside the first heat radiating section and the second heat radiating section.
US08224221B2
The endless belt is provided with: a metal layer that includes at least one layer, that is cylindrically formed, and that has not more than 10 degrees as a half width of a diffraction peak in X-ray diffraction; and a release layer that is stacked on the metal layer.
US08224220B2
A fixing device includes a rotatable fixing member, a pressing member, a motor, and an oil applier. The pressing member contacts the fixing member. The oil applier includes an application roller and an oil supply mechanism. The application roller applies oil to one of the fixing member and the pressing member. The oil supply mechanism supplies oil to the application roller. The motor is provided independent of other drivers, and supplies a driving force to the application roller to rotate the application roller at an arbitrary speed.
US08224216B2
A developing apparatus is described. The developing apparatus includes a transport member including a plurality of electrodes forming a traveling wave electric field by successively applied voltages and a casing storing a toner transported by the transport member, wherein the activity of the toner based on the following measuring method shown in (1) to (3) is not more than 2.0×10−6 mol/g: (1) dipping the toner in an aqueous solution containing an excess equivalent of benzethonium chloride with respect to electrostatically active polar groups present on the surface of the toner to electrostatically react the polar groups and the benzethonium chloride with each other; (2) adding sodium lauryl sulfate dropwise to the aqueous solution to react the same with the residual benzethonium chloride, thereby measuring the quantity of the sodium lauryl sulfate reacting with the residual benzethonium chloride; and (3) calculating the activity on the surface of the toner from the quantity of the reacting sodium lauryl sulfate.
US08224209B2
A method for reducing high-frequency banding in an electrophotographic development station having a rotating shell and a rotating magnetic core is disclosed. A rotating angular velocity of the rotating shell is adjusted relative to a angular velocity of a photoconductor such that a ratio of these angular velocities is not a ratio of whole numbers.
US08224202B2
A fixing device including: an endless belt that is driven to perform a circulating motion; a pressing member and a fixing roller that face each other with the endless belt therebetween, the pressing member being caused to press the fixing roller, which is preliminarily heated, via the belt to form a fixing nip in which a toner image is thermally fixed onto a recording sheet S passing through therein; a cooler that cools at least a paper-contact range of the belt within which the recording sheet S passing through the fixing nip contacts; and a temperature-decrease controller that causes the cooler to cool at least the paper-contact range of the belt before the toner image is thermally fixed onto the recording sheet S.
US08224199B2
In an image forming apparatus, a control portion forms a restoring toner image (restoring toner band) at a position, in which the refreshing toner image overlaps with a control image with respect to a longitudinal direction of a secondary transfer roller, during post-rotation after image formation in an image forming job is completed. The restoring toner band is formed in a length corresponding to 3 full circumferences of the secondary transfer roller for one-sheet image forming job, 2 full circumferences of the secondary transfer roller for 5-sheet image forming job, and one full circumference of the secondary transfer roller for 10-sheet image forming is job. In the case of an image forming job on 50 sheets or more, a lowering in cleaning performance of a secondary transfer member cleaning device for the secondary transfer roller is not caused to occur, so that the restoring toner band is not formed.
US08224198B2
A humidity detecting device includes a humidity sensor, which detects humidity using a change in an impedance by humidity, and which generates a humidity detection signal according to application of an AC voltage, a detecting unit that detects the impedance of the humidity sensor based on the humidity detection signal, a switching unit that switches a frequency of the AC voltage to at least a first frequency and a second frequency, the humidity sensor being a first impedance at the first frequency and a second impedance at the second frequency, a temperature sensor that detects ambient temperature of the humidity sensor, a calculating unit that calculates a difference and/or a change rate between the first impedance and the second impedance, a discriminating unit that discriminates the humidity sensor based on the difference and/or the change rate, and a control unit that performs processing corresponding to the discriminated humidity sensor.
US08224194B2
An image forming apparatus calculates the amount of staying toner based on the amount of drive of the developer roller and the amount of toner consumed for a print job performed. When the amount of staying toner exceeds a threshold, the toner is discharged. The threshold used upon completion of image stabilization is larger than that used upon completion of a print job. Even when performing image stabilization temporarily increases the amount of staying toner in the developing device, immediate toner discharge based on that condition is prevented. Thus, toner consumption can be minimized.
US08224188B2
A method and system for processing analog optical signals to produce a single RF output free from even-order harmonic distortion. Two analog optical signals of different wavelengths λ1, λ2 are input into a dual-output Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM), where one wavelength input is high-biased and one wavelength is low-biased. The complementary high- and low-biased wavelengths are output from each arm of the MZM to a multiplexer, which filters out the unwanted high- or low-biased wavelengths from each MZM arm so that both wavelengths are low-biased or high-biased. The signals are passed to a pair of photodiodes, and the photocurrents from the photodiodes are differenced to produce the final RF output. Because of the complementary phase differences between the two low- or high-biased signals generating the photocurrent, all components of the photocurrent except the fundamental and odd-order harmonics cancel each other, resulting in a high-quality RF output free from harmonic distortion.
US08224183B1
A method and apparatus for implementing a hybrid SOA-Raman amplifier in a central office in order to enable multiple passive optical networks to share one or more enhancement service sources, e.g., to share a source for a broadcast service are disclosed.
US08224181B2
The invention relates to a protection device for removing signal interference in a passive optical network and to a corresponding passive optical network and to a method for removing signal interference in a passive optical network.
US08224170B2
A control system for use with preconfigured photographic equipment that includes a controllable photographic device controlled by a controlling photographic device is disclosed. The controllable photographic device has a housing, and a device circuit having an upstream portion and a downstream portion coupled by control lines within the housing. An internal module may be located within the housing and includes a signal detecting arrangement configured to be coupled with the control lines between the upstream and downstream portions. The system may also include an external module configured to be located outside of the housing, and coupled with the internal module. The external module may include a signal receiving device capable of receiving a wireless control signal from the controlling photographic device, and to cause a module generated signal to be sent by the internal module to the downstream portion upon receipt of the wireless control signal.
US08224167B2
An adjustment device including an enhanced underwater viewfinder having, in use, a substantially watertight body and including a plurality of prisms within the body, at least one of the prisms being moveable by element of a control mechanism operable from a position exterior of the body.
US08224146B2
The present invention is directed to a device that protects a fiber optic adapter from contamination, damage or misuse. The fiber optic adapter includes latches that extend from inner sides of the adapter. The device includes a front, a back and sides. The sides extend from the front to the back. Each side includes a slot molded along the sides of the device. The slots receive the latches of the fiber optic adapter when the device is installed in the fiber optic adapter. Once the latches are installed in the slots, the device is secured to the fiber optic adapter.
US08224144B2
A fiber optic connector storage apparatus for storing a fiber optic connector having an exposed ferrule includes a housing and a dust cap portion. The housing defines a socket to receive and hold the fiber optic connector. The dust cap portion is integral with the housing and is configured to receive and protect the exposed ferrule when the fiber optic connector is inserted into the socket.
US08224136B2
An optical multiplexer/demultiplexer module comprises: a plurality of prisms, each having an inclined surface that is formed by one of the four orthogonal corners of a transparent rectangular solid glass plate being cut and removed at a 45° angle with respect to the end surface; a frame for housing said plurality of prisms; and a plurality of collimator units that convert light having a different wavelength for each prism to collimated light, and inputs the light to the respective prism. When light a having different wavelength is input to a respective prism, the input light is reflected two times, by the inclined surface and a second end surface, after which the light is output from the respective prism. The light that is output from a previous stage prism of the plurality of prisms advances along the same optical path as the light that is output from a later stage prism, so the light that is output from each respective prism is sequentially multiplexed and wavelength multiplexed light is output from the third end surface of the final stage prism.
US08224124B2
An image processing device includes: a rescaling unit configured to obtain an image subjected to scaling, and subject the image to rescaling with the scaling rate of the image; a block border information detecting unit configured to detect a block size and block border position from the image after rescaling; and a detected information correcting unit configured to correct the block size and the block border position detected by the block border information detecting unit based on the scaling rate.
US08224116B2
An image processing method for reducing noise of an image to be filtered; the method includes a step of creating shrunken image of shrinking ratio r×r (where r is a natural number) by averaging the pixel values for each pixel in a block for every r pixels, a step of obtaining the pixel value in the shrunken image that correspond to the focus pixel in the source image by performing linear interpolation from the shrunken image pixels, a step of determining the noise reduction filter from the focus pixel and reference pixel in the shrunken image, and a step of computing the compensated pixel value of the focus pixel in the source image by weighted sum of each pixel value applying the filter to the focus pixel in the source image and the corresponding shrunken pixel.
US08224115B2
Provided are devices, systems and methods that improve image quality by identifying and addressing image noise caused by electrical noise. Electrical noise emanating from a plurality of components of an image apparatus is identified, producing an electrical noise detection calculation based on the detected electrical noise, and inputting the electrical noise detection calculation into an image noise correction calculation apparatus, calculating an image noise correction calculation.
US08224097B2
A method for extracting a 3D terrain model for identifying at least buildings and terrain from LIDAR data is disclosed, comprising the steps of generating a point cloud representing terrain and buildings mapped by LIDAR; classifying points in the point cloud, the point cloud having ground and non-ground points, the non-ground points representing buildings and clutter; segmenting the non-ground points into buildings and clutter; and calculating a fit between at least one building segment and at least one rectilinear structure, wherein the fit yields the rectilinear structure with the fewest number of vertices. The step of calculating further comprises the steps of (a) calculating a fit of a rectilinear structure to the at least one building segment, wherein each of the vertices has an angle that is a multiple of 90 degrees; (b) counting the number of vertices; (c) rotating the at least one building segment about an axis by a predetermined increment; and (d) repeating steps (a)-(c) until a rectilinear structure with the least number of vertices is found.
US08224093B2
A method for segmenting a digital image includes initializing object and background seed nodes in an image, where the image is represented as a graph G=(V, E) whose nodes iεV correspond to image points and whose edges eεE connect adjacent points, where set M⊂V contains locations of nodes marked as seeds, set U⊂V contains locations of unmarked nodes, set O⊂M contains locations of object seed nodes, and set B⊂M contains locations of background seed nodes, assigning to each seed node a membership value such that ∀iεO,xi=1 and ∀iεB,xi=0, where each node iεV is associated with a membership xiε[0,1], and finding a membership vector xε, whose ith entry is given by xi that minimizes E p ( x ) = ∑ eij ∈ E w ij x i - x j pij , where each edge eijεE connecting nodes i and j in V is associated with a weight wij and an exponent pij, and ∀eijεE,1≦pij<∞, such that xi=1 if iεO and xi=0 if iεB.
US08224091B2
Input image data is converted into vector data. The type of the input image data is determined. If it is determined that the input image data is of a first data type, information usable for a search is extracted from the input image data in processing of converting the input image data into the vector data, and information usable for a search is further extracted from the vector data later in the idle time of the image processing apparatus. If it is determined that the input image data is of a second data type, information usable for a search is extracted by performing region segmentation of the input image data. The extracted information is held in association with the vector data as additional information.
US08224084B2
When a monochrome image is converted into a color image, following criteria are applied. a) Black, white, and a color having lightness according to a pixel value are assigned to minimum and maximum pixel values, and a pixel value therebetween, respectively. b) For the pixel value near but excluding the minimum value, a color in a blue color region is assigned. c) For the pixel value near but excluding the maximum value, a color in a yellow color region is assigned. For the pixel value in a range above those near the minimum value but below near the maximum value, a color in a range of hue from the blue color region to the yellow color region by way of a red color region or a color in the range of hue from the blue color region to the yellow color region by way of a green color region is assigned.
US08224081B2
In a first input step from outside to an image processor, a signal input unit inputs to a pre-filter a first part of first luminance signals inputted from outside, which is a part to be processed by the pre-filter in the first input step, and stores a remaining second part of the first luminance signals in the memory unit. In a second input step following the first input step, the signal input unit inputs to the pre-filter the second part of the first luminance signals read from the memory unit and a first part of second luminance signals inputted from outside, which is a part to be processed by the pre-filter in the second input step, and stores a remaining second part of the second luminance signals in the memory unit.
US08224078B2
A digital image of the object is captured and the object is recognized from plurality of objects in a database. An information address corresponding to the object is then used to access information and initiate communication pertinent to the object.
US08224077B2
An identification method and process for objects from digitally captured images thereof that uses data characteristics to identify an object from a plurality of objects in a database. The data is broken down into parameters such as a Shape Comparison, Grayscale Comparison, Wavelet Comparison, and Color Cube Comparison with object data in one or more databases to identify the actual object of a digital image.
US08224070B2
A three-dimensional measuring device includes an irradiation device configured to irradiate and switch among a multiplicity of light patterns having different periods and having a striped light intensity distribution on at least a measurement object, a camera having an imaging element capable of imaging reflected light from the measurement object irradiated by the light pattern, a rack configured to cause relative change in positional relationship between the imaging element and the measurement object, and a control device configured to perform three-dimensional measurements based on image data imaged by the camera. The control device performs the three-dimensional measurements by performing a phase shift method calculation of height data as a first height data for each pixel unit of image data based on a multiply phase-shifted image data obtained by irradiating on a first position a multiply phase-shifted first light pattern having a first period.
US08224064B1
A biometrics system captures and processes a handprint image using a structured light illumination to create a 2D representation equivalent of a rolled inked handprint. The biometrics system includes an enclosure with a scan volume for placement of the hand. A reference plane with a backdrop pattern forms one side of the scan volume. The backdrop pattern is preferably a random noise pattern and the coordinates of the backdrop pattern are predetermined at system provisioning. The biometrics system further includes at least one projection unit for projecting a structured light pattern onto a hand positioned in the scan volume on or in front of the backdrop pattern and at least two cameras for capturing a plurality of images of the hand, wherein each of the plurality of images includes at least a portion of the hand and the backdrop pattern. A processing unit calculates 3D coordinates of the hand from the plurality of images using the predetermined coordinates of the backdrop pattern to align the plurality of images and mapping the 3D coordinates to a 2D flat surface to create a 2D representation equivalent of a rolled inked handprint. The processing unit can also adjust calibration parameters for each hand scan from calculating coordinates of the portion of backdrop pattern in the at least one image and comparing with the predetermined coordinates of the backdrop pattern.
US08224056B2
A method and system for motion estimation and compensation are disclosed. Initially, a set of one or more initial images is reconstructed using acquired imaging data. Further, one or more regions of interest are identified in this set of reconstructed initial images. At least a set of filters is applied to the identified regions of interest to generate a sequence of filtered images. Particularly, each of the filtered images in the generated sequence of filtered images includes data acquired near a different reference point. Subsequently, a motion path corresponding to each region of interest is determined based on one or more correspondences in the sequence of filtered images.
US08224049B2
A contour specifying part receives volume data representing a subject acquired by transmission of ultrasonic waves to the subject, and specifies a 3-dimensional contour of a myocardium based on the volume data. A forming part sets a reference point on the contour of the myocardium, and forms an image generation plane including a plane substantially orthogonal to the contour of the myocardium at the reference point. An image generator generates image data on the image generation plane based on the volume data. A display controller controls a display to display an image based on the image data.
US08224048B2
A method of correcting magnetic resonance images is provided. Seed points having a same expected true intensity are selected from the image points in an image. An intensity correction function If(X) is determined by fitting measured intensities Im(Xs) of the seed points to Im(Xs)=If(Xs), where x denotes the coordinate of the image points. If(X) is a polynomial function and the values of its coefficients are determined by the fitting. Corrected intensities Ic(Xc) for corrected image points are calculated according to Ic(Xc)=Im(Xc)/If(Xc). A corrected image includes the corrected image points.
US08224042B2
Automatic face recognition. In a first example embodiment, a method for automatic face recognition includes several acts. First, a face pattern and two eye patterns are detected. Then, the face pattern is normalized. Next, the normalized face pattern is transformed into a normalized face feature vector of Gabor feature representations. Then, a difference image vector is calculated. Next, the difference image vector is projected to a lower-dimensional intra-subject subspace extracted from a pre-collected training face database. Then, a square function is applied to each component of the projection. Next, a weighted summation of the squared projection is calculated. Then, the previous four acts are repeated for each normalized gallery image feature vector. Finally, the face pattern in the probe digital image is classified as belonging to the gallery image with the highest calculated weighted summation where the highest calculated weighted summation is above a predefined threshold.
US08224038B2
When groups of coordinates of face areas respectively contained in mutually different frames are within a predetermined error range, a face attribute assigning unit assigns mutually the same face attribute value to each of the face areas. In the case where a difference in the feature amounts between the frames is within a predetermined error range, a similar shot detecting unit detects that the shots from which the frames have respectively been extracted are similar shots to each of which mutually the same shot attribute value is assigned. In the case where it is judged that face areas that respectively appear in the frames contained in the similar shots and to which mutually different face attribute values have respectively been assigned represent the face of mutually the same person, the face attribute re-assigning unit assigns mutually the same face attribute value to each of the face areas.
US08224033B2
The invention provides a movement detector for a composite signal, comprising a frame delay unit, a first combiner, a second combiner and a third combiner. The frame delay unit receives the composite signal to generate a one-frame delayed signal, a two-frame delayed signal, and a three-frame delayed signal. The first combiner generates a first difference from a first pair of the composite signal, the one-frame delayed signal, the two-frame delayed signal, and the three-frame delayed signal. The second mean generates a second difference from a second pair of the composite signal, the one-frame delayed signal, the two-frame delayed signal, and the three-frame delayed signal. The first pair is different from the second pair. The third combiner generates a third difference for detecting motion based on the first difference and the second difference.
US08224031B2
A road line recognition apparatus, including: an imaging section imaging a progress path of a own vehicle including a road to output a couple of images; an image processing section calculating a distance in a real space in a set region of at least an image on one side based on the imaged couple of images; and a detection section detecting a road line; wherein the detection section includes: a road line candidate point detection and conversion processing unit detecting a pixel on a road surface as a road line candidate point based on luminance and the distance with regard to the image on one side, and performing Hough conversion of the road line candidate point; a road line straight line detection processing unit detecting one straight line proper to the road line on each of a right side and a left side of the own vehicle based on at least a position or a behavior of the own vehicle between straight lines obtained by the Hough conversion; and a road line detection processing unit detecting the road line of a shape of a straight line or a curved line by recording a road line position which is a road line candidate point indicating a road line among the road line candidate points based on the detected straight line.
US08224027B2
A method for managing video data including selecting a target object from a monitored area monitored by at least one image capturing device, extracting feature data of the selected target object, detecting motion of an object occurring in video data corresponding to the monitored area, comparing feature data the object causing the detected motion with the extracted feature data of the target object, and outputting information related to the object causing the motion when the comparing step determines the object causing the motion is the target object.
US08224023B2
A method of tracking an object such as a face in a video stream comprises running an object detector at a plurality of locations on a first frame, defining a coarse grid. This is repeated for second and subsequent frames, with the grid slightly offset each time so that, ultimately, all of the points on a fine grid are covered but in several passes. When an object such as a face is located on one frame, positional and/or scale information is propagated to the next frame to assist in the tracking of that object onto the next frame.
US08224020B2
An appearance inspection apparatus, wherein an image inspection result based on a result of image-taking and image-analyzing a product to be inspected can be displayed with superposed on a visual field of an inspector inspecting the product to be inspected with an eye and in a position corresponding to an image in which the inspector is observing the product to be inspected is provided. An appearance inspection method includes: performing image inspection of a product to be inspected by image-taking the product to be inspected and image-analyzing the product to be inspected in an image-treating section. An inspector is capable of inspecting the product to be inspected with an eye in the state that a result of the image inspection is displayed with superposed on a visual field of an inspector inspecting the product to be inspected with an eye and in a position corresponding to an image in which the inspector is observing the product to be inspected.
US08224012B2
A microphone assembly includes one or more transducers positioned in a housing. Circuitry is coupled to the transducer for outputting an electrical signal such that the microphone has a main lobe directed forwardly and attenuates signals originating from the sides and/or rear. The transducers can advantageously include multiple transducers, which, with the circuit, produce a desired sensitivity pattern. The microphone assembly can be employed in a vehicle accessory.
US08224010B2
There is provided an apparatus for sound reproduction which is able to vary transmission of sound. The apparatus includes a plurality of speaker casings, with each of the plurality of speaker casings including at least one speaker driver; and a plurality of bases for each of the plurality of speaker casings, with a top portion of each base being for securable placement of a foot of one of the plurality of speaker casings, and a bottom face of each base being for securable attachment to the bottom face of another of the plurality of bases. In a first configuration of the apparatus, the plurality of speaker casings is securely placed on the top portion of each of the plurality of bases, and independently rests on the bottom face of each base. In a second configuration of the apparatus, the plurality of speaker casings is securely placed on the top portion of each of the plurality of bases, and is attached to one another at the bottom face of each base. A corresponding method of using a sound reproduction apparatus for varying sound transmission is also provided.
US08223997B2
Disclosed herein is a waterproof case for protecting electronic devices. The waterproof case includes a flexible waterproof bag attached to a rigid lid that can be opened to allow electronic devices to pass into the bag. When closed, the lid forms a watertight seal that protects the inside of the bag from ingress of water. The lid can include a pass-through jack which allows a user to connect an electronic device, such as an audio device, to an output through the lid. The case may also be incorporated into a flexible attachment system, such as an armband or swimbelt. Methods of connecting an electronic device to an electronic output, such as an audio output, through a waterproof case are also provided.
US08223991B2
An amplification circuit for driving an audio signal diffuser that includes a generation circuit of a first pre-charging signal, the generation circuit including an amplifier provided with an input terminal for receiving the first pre-charging signal and provided with an output terminal for providing a second pre-charging signal as a function of the first pre-charging signal, and a decoupling capacitor of the amplifier from the diffuser, the capacitor connected to the output terminal for charging by the second pre-charging signal.
US08223984B2
A system for forming hearing protectors, an ear cup of such a system and a hearing protector formed from such a system. The system includes a number of first ear cups and a number of second ear cups, the first and second ear cups having noise-reducing spaces of different size, and at least one electronic unit with at least one speaker. This system allows the same type of electronic unit to be used for ear cups with different degrees of noise attenuation.
US08223973B2
Each participant apparatus (103) encrypts a plaintext by using a secret key of secret key cryptography, encrypts the encryption key by a public key, and sends the plaintext and public key to a substitution/decryption apparatus (112). With this processing, the limitation on the length of a ciphertext to be processed can be eliminated. In this invention, a verifiable proof text using a public key by each substitution/decryption apparatus is verified by a verification apparatus (109) by using the public key. If one of a plurality of organizations to decrypt and shuffle ciphertexts has not correctly executed the operation, a third party can specify it and prove that the specified organization is unauthorized.
US08223971B2
Provided is an apparatus and method for storing a security key in a mobile communication terminal. In the method, the security key is generated randomly. The generated security key is encrypted in a predetermined encryption scheme. The encrypted security key is stored in the mobile communication terminal. Therefore, even if the stored security keys are read by hacking or memory dump, it is impossible to detect the accurate security keys.
US08223968B2
An image data verification system for verifying image data using a computer and method are provided. The method includes registering image data of an original and extracting information regarding a part of information forming the original image data. The method also includes generating a feature value of the partial information and generating signature information.
US08223966B2
A system for decrypting multiple transport streams is disclosed. The system includes: a Multiple Transport stream Multiplexer (M-Mux), for receiving at least a first transport stream and a second transport stream, and outputting a resultant transport stream; a multiple transport stream decryption card for decrypting the resultant transport stream to output a decrypted transport stream; a Source Multiplexer (S-Mux) for receiving the decrypted transport stream from the multiple transport stream decryption card and the resultant transport stream, and outputting a final resultant transport stream; and a Multiple Transport Stream Processor (M-Processor) for receiving the final resultant transport stream, and sending the final resultant transport stream to a corresponding framer.
US08223960B2
A method and apparatus for removing an echo signal in a signal transmission/reception apparatus of a communication system are provided. A signal transmission/reception apparatus determines an echo channel impulse response using a reception signal, generates an echo signal removing coefficient using the echo channel impulse response, removes an echo signal from the reception signal using the echo signal removing coefficient, and transmits a signal in which the echo signal is removed.
US08223959B2
A system includes microphone devices, echo cancellation mechanism, and speaker devices. Each echo cancellation mechanism corresponds to one of the microphone devices. Each speaker device corresponds to a sound source signal. Each sound source signal is spatially distributed to all the speaker devices, and each echo cancellation mechanism receives as a reference signal a combination of all the sound source signals.
US08223954B2
A system and method are disclosed for automating network performance to a customer support department that includes a passive listening device configured to monitor portions of a communication network. A performance database may be coupled to the passive listening device and configured to store network performance data. A customer relations module may be included and configured to receive a subscriber inquiry and to identify at least one monitored component of a communication network that affects the subscriber. The module may retrieve performance data on one or more components of the communication network to provide customer-specific communication performance data to the subscriber and/or the agent assisting the subscriber.
US08223934B2
A fax-only MIB stores a value that is used as a counter of a timer. Upon initiating or receiving a call at an endpoint with which the fax-only MIB value is associated, a user device that provides the endpoint begins a timer based on the MIB value. During the timer period processing circuitry and/or software of the user device associated with the endpoint determines whether a tone generated/received by a call being initiated/received is a fax or modem tone. If the device determines that such a tone has been generated/received, a call corresponding to the tone is processed. If the device does not determine that a fax/modem tone has been generated/received, the call being initiated or received at the endpoint is dropped.
US08223932B2
An interactive information distribution system that facilitates automatic transmission of a variety of information packets to the communication devices of a calling party and parties called during a call. The information packets are comprised of actual files and or links to files or websites, and are automatically transmitted following the initiation of a call. Upon initiating a call, an indicator that may include metadata linked to information packets is processed to identify at least one database for locating information packets to which the metadata is linked. The interactive information distribution system also includes a verbal communication conversion engine that allows verbal telephone communications to be converted to text and filtered to generate keywords which are used in additional database searching to identify additional information packets. The information packets automatically identified are retrieved from a database and are transmitted to the communication devices of parties participating in a call during the call.
US08223923B2
An X-ray source with a cathode (2) that includes a first wire (4) having optionally thermal loops (12, 14) between an emission loop (10) and first and second ends (6, 8). A spiral second wire (30) is wound around the wire (4) and a low work function coating (32) is provided on both wires. The first and second wires may be of refractory material, such as tungsten, and the low work function coating may include barium oxide.
