US08648030B2
Oven deodorants and methods of cleaning ovens using an oven deodorant, for example, for use in self-cleaning ovens, are provided. The oven deodorant is made of clay, for example, an unfired clay, and a fragrance. The fragrance volatilizes during heating in the oven and at least partially masks any undesirable odors generated in the oven, for example, the volatilized fragrance may mask odors generated during a high-temperature self-cleaning process. The clay may be any commercially available clay, for example, a pottery clay. The fragrance may be any conventional fragrance, for example, a fragrant oil, such, as an herb-like fragrant oil.
US08648027B2
A cleaning composition for sanitizing and/or disinfecting hard surfaces, comprising: a cationic biocide, surfactant and low levels of VOC solvents. The cleaning composition is adapted to clean a variety of hard surfaces without leaving behind a visible residue and creates low levels of streaking and filming on the treated surface. The cleaning composition contains less than 5% by weight of VOCs. The cleaning composition may be used alone as a liquid or spray formulation or in combination with a substrate, for example, a pre-loaded cleaning wipe.
US08648013B2
An agrochemical formulation in the form of an oil suspension characterized in that it contains as essential elements of the formulation (percentages by weight related to the total weight of the formulation) at least; a herbicide of the sulphonylurea type at a concentration of 0.5-50%, preferably 2-30%, a paraffin mineral oil at a concentration of 10-75%, preferably without the existence of any other type of mineral or vegetable oil in the formulation and the concentration of mineral oil being 40-60%, an organomodified silane compound at a concentration of 5-40%, preferably 10-25%, with the existence of other coformulants until reaching 100% by weight of the formulation.
US08648011B2
The present invention provides a herbicidal composition comprising: (i) a compound of Formula (I): wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 and R7 are as defined herein; and (ii) a safener of Formula (II); or an agronomically acceptable salt of said compounds, wherein Ra, Rb and Rc are as defined herein.
US08648004B2
A method for preparing a metal-nanotube composite catalyst for an electro-chemical oxygen reduction reaction includes: debundling carbon nanotubes (CNTs); loading a carbon-containing polymeric material onto the surfaces of the nanotubes that have been debundled; carbonizing in situ the carbon-containing polymeric material on the carbon nanotubes to form carbon char layers surrounding the surfaces of the carbon nanotubes; and loading metal catalyst particles on the carbon nanotubes. The carbon char layers contain high amount of nitrogen and may be formed into a porous structure.
US08648001B2
A catalyst for polymerization of olefins formed from (A) a solid catalyst component containing magnesium, titanium, halogen, and an electron donor compound, (B) an organoaluminum compound shown by the formula, R6pAlQ3-p, and (C) an aminosilane compound shown by the formula, R3nSi(NR4R5)4-n; and a process for producing a catalyst for polymerization of olefins in the presence of the catalyst are provided. A novel aminosilane compound, a catalyst component for polymerization of olefins having a high catalytic activity, capable of producing polymers with high stereoregularity in a high yield, and exhibiting an excellent hydrogen response, a catalyst, and a process for producing olefin polymers using the catalyst are provided.
US08647999B2
A method for manufacturing a catalyst, which comprises regenerating a catalyst comprising a CHA zeolite as an active ingredient and having an ethylene conversion lowered through reaction of producing propylene by bringing into contact with ethylene in a vapor phase, by bringing the catalyst into contact with a gas which does not comprise oxygen and comprises hydrogen having a hydrogen partial pressure of 0.01 MPa or more as an absolute pressure thereof.
US08647994B2
An optical glass having ultrahigh refractive index and high dispersion characteristics in the form of a refractive index nd exceeding 2.05 and an Abbe number vd of 18.5 or lower and of permitting the stable production of high-quality glass from a glass melt; and a glass material for press molding and an optical element comprised of the optical glass. The optical glass is in the form of an oxide glass and comprises, denoted as cationic percentages: 16 to 35% of P5+, 14 to 35% of Bi3+, 10 to 33% of Nb5+, 0 to 18% of Ti4+, and 0 to 20% of W6+; the total content of Bi3+, Nb5+, Ti4+, and W6+ being 55% or higher; the refractive index and exceeding 2.05; and the Abbe number vd being 18.5 or lower.
US08647985B2
Semiconductor material substrates are polished by a method including at least one polishing step A by means of which the substrate is polished on a polishing pad containing an abrasive material bonded in the polishing pad and a polishing agent solution is introduced between the substrate and the polishing pad during the polishing step; and at least one polishing step B by means of which the substrate is polished on a polishing pad containing an abrasive material-containing polishing pad and wherein a polishing agent slurry containing unbonded abrasive material is introduced between the substrate and the polishing pad during the polishing step.
US08647982B2
A method of activating a metal structure on an intermediate semiconductor device structure toward metal plating. The method comprises providing an intermediate semiconductor device structure comprising at least one first metal structure and at least one second metal structure on a semiconductor substrate. The at least one first metal structure comprises at least one aluminum structure, at least one copper structure, or at least one structure comprising a mixture of aluminum and copper and the at least one second metal structure comprises at least one tungsten structure. One of the at least one first metal structure and the at least one second metal structure is activated toward metal plating without activating the other of the at least one first metal structure and the at least one second metal structure. An intermediate semiconductor device structure is also disclosed.
US08647969B1
A method of manufacturing a memory device includes forming a first dielectric layer over a substrate, forming a charge storage element over the first dielectric layer and forming an inter-gate dielectric over the charge storage element. The method also includes depositing a silicon control gate layer over the inter-gate dielectric using a reactant that contains chlorine.
US08647967B2
A method of obtaining a hexagonal würtzite type epitaxial layer with a low impurity concentration of alkali-metal by using a hexagonal würtzite substrate possessing a higher impurity concentration of alkali-metal, wherein a surface of the substrate upon which the epitaxial layer is grown has a crystal plane which is different from the c-plane.
US08647961B2
A method is described for filling cavities in wafers, the cavities being open to a predetermined surface of the wafer, including the following steps: applying a lacquer-like filling material to the predetermined surface of the wafer; heating the wafer at a first temperature; driving out gas bubbles enclosed in the filling material by heating the wafer under vacuum at a second temperature which is equal to or higher than the first temperature; and curing the filling material by heating the wafer at a third temperature which is higher than the second temperature. Furthermore, also described is a blind hole filled using such a method and general 3D cavities as well as a wafer having insulation trenches of a silicon via filled using such a method.
US08647960B2
A method for forming a DRAM MIM capacitor stack comprises forming a first electrode layer, annealing the first electrode layer, forming a dielectric layer on the first electrode layer, annealing the dielectric layer, forming a second electrode layer on the dielectric layer, annealing the second electrode layer, patterning the capacitor stack, and annealing the capacitor stack for times greater than about 10 minutes, and advantageously greater than about 1 hour, at low temperatures (less than about 300 C) in an atmosphere containing less than about 25% oxygen and preferably less than about 10% oxygen.
US08647959B2
A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a bottom electrode material layer containing aluminum and copper over the substrate. An insulating material layer and a top electrode material layer are sequentially formed on the surface of the bottom electrode material layer. A photoresist pattern is formed on the top electrode material layer, and then the top electrode material layer is patterned to form a top electrode by using the photoresist pattern as mask. The photoresist pattern is removed by plasma ash and then an alloy process is performed to the bottom electrode material layer. Thereafter, the insulating material layer, and the bottom electrode material layer are patterned to form a patterned insulating layer and a patterned bottom electrode layer.
US08647958B2
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming an isolation layer over a substrate, forming a plurality of open regions exposing the substrate by selectively etching the isolation layer, performing a surface treatment over the isolation layer, expanding the open regions by removing the surface-treated portion of the isolation layer, and forming a conductive layer in the expanded open regions.
US08647947B2
It is intended to provide a semiconductor device including a MOS transistor, comprising: a semiconductor pillar; a bottom doped region formed in contact with a lower part of the semiconductor pillar; a first gate formed around a sidewall of the semiconductor pillar through a first dielectric film therebetween; and a top doped region formed so as to at least partially overlap a top surface of the semiconductor pillar, wherein the top doped region has a top surface having an area greater than that of the top surface of the semiconductor pillar.
US08647946B2
A method for forming a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes providing a substrate prepared with a second gate structure. An inter-gate dielectric is formed on the substrate and over the second gate. A first gate is also formed. The first gate is adjacent to and separated from the second gate by the inter-gate dielectric. The substrate is patterned to form a split gate structure with the first and second adjacent gates. The split gate structure is provided with an e-field equalizer adjacent to the first gate. The e-field equalizer improves uniformity of e-field across the first gate during operation.
US08647941B2
A method of forming a semiconductor device includes the following steps. A semiconductor substrate having a first strained silicon layer is provided. Then, an insulating region such as a shallow trench isolation (STI) is formed, where a depth of the insulating region is substantially larger than a depth of the first strained silicon layer. Subsequently, the first strained silicon layer is removed, and a second strained silicon layer is formed to substitute the first strained silicon layer.
US08647939B2
A method of forming a field effect transistor (FET) device includes forming a patterned gate structure over a substrate; forming a solid source dopant material on the substrate, adjacent sidewall spacers of the gate structure; performing an anneal process at a temperature sufficient to cause dopants from the solid source dopant material to diffuse within the substrate beneath the gate structure and form source/drain extension regions; following formation of the source/drain extension regions, forming trenches in the substrate adjacent the sidewall spacers, corresponding to source/drain regions; and forming an embedded semiconductor material in the trenches so as to provide a stress on a channel region of the substrate defined beneath the gate structure.
US08647930B2
In one embodiment, a method of forming a plug includes providing a base layer, providing an intermediate oxide layer above an upper surface of the base layer, providing an upper layer above an upper surface of the intermediate oxide layer, etching a trench including a first trench portion extending through the upper layer, a second trench portion extending through the oxide layer, and a third trench portion extending into the base layer, depositing a first material portion within the third trench portion, depositing a second material portion within the second trench portion, and depositing a third material portion within the first trench portion.
US08647928B2
A thin film transistor substrate includes a base substrate, a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer, a surface treating layer, an active layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode. The gate electrode is formed on the base substrate. The gate insulating layer is formed on the base substrate to cover the gate electrode. The surface treating layer is formed on the gate insulating layer by treating the gate insulating layer with a nitrogen-containing gas to prevent leakage current. The active layer is formed on the surface treating layer to cover the gate electrode. The source electrode and the gate electrode that are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance are formed on the active layer.
US08647915B2
A hetero-junction device and fabrication method in which phase-separated n-type and p-type semiconductor pillars define vertically-oriented p-n junctions extending above a substrate. Semiconductor materials are selected for the p-type and n-type pillars that are thermodynamically stable and substantially insoluble in one another. An epitaxial deposition process is employed to form the pillars on a nucleation layer and the mutual insolubility drives phase separation of the materials. During the epitaxial deposition process, the orientation is such that the nucleation layer initiates propagation of vertical columns resulting in a substantially ordered, three-dimensional structure throughout the deposited material. An oxidation state of at least a portion of one of the p-type or the n-type semiconductor materials is altered relative to the other, such that the band-gap energy of the semiconductor materials differ with respect to stoichiometric compositions and the device preferentially absorbs particular selected bands of radiation.
US08647911B2
A solar cell includes abutting P-type and N-type doped regions in a contiguous portion of a polysilicon layer. The polysilicon layer may be formed on a thin dielectric layer, which is formed on a backside of a solar cell substrate (e.g., silicon wafer). The polysilicon layer has a relatively large average grain size to reduce or eliminate recombination in a space charge region between the P-type and N-type doped regions, thereby increasing efficiency.
US08647908B2
A semiconductor pressure sensor includes a first substrate having a concave portion and an alignment mark at a main surface thereof, and a second substrate formed on the main surface of the first substrate and having a diaphragm provided to cover a space inside the concave portion of the first substrate and a gauge resistor provided on the diaphragm. The alignment mark is provided to be exposed from the second substrate. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain a semiconductor pressure sensor and a method of manufacturing the same with reduced production costs and with improved pressure measuring accuracy.
US08647906B2
A method of manufacturing a light emitting device, the method including: disposing a semiconductor light emitting element including a semiconductor layer that emits a primary light on a mounting substrate; covering the semiconductor light emitting element with a transparent medium containing fluorescent material particles that absorb a part of the primary light and emits a secondary light having a wavelength longer than that of the primary light and scattering particles having a mean particle size D that satisfies the inequality 20 nm
US08647904B2
Provided is a method for manufacturing a nitride semiconductor device, including the steps of: forming an AlNO buffer layer containing at least aluminum, nitrogen, and oxygen on a substrate; and forming a nitride semiconductor layer on the AlNO buffer layer, wherein, in the step of forming the AlNO buffer layer, the AlNO buffer layer is formed by a reactive sputtering method using aluminum as a target in an atmosphere to and from which nitrogen gas and oxygen gas are continuously introduced and exhausted, and the atmosphere is an atmosphere in which a ratio of a flow rate of the oxygen gas to a sum of a flow rate of the nitrogen gas and the flow rate of the oxygen gas is not more than 0.5%.
US08647900B2
An optical emitter includes micro-structure phosphor coating on a light-emitting diode die mounted on a package substrate. The micro-structures are transferred onto a micro-structure phosphor coating precursor by patterning and curing the precursor or by curing the precursor through a mold. The micro-structures are half spheroids, three-sided pyramids, or six-sided pyramids.
US08647897B2
A method for producing and depositing air-stable, easily decomposable, vulcanized ink on any of a wide range of substrates is disclosed. The ink enables high-volume production of optoelectronic and/or electronic devices using scalable production methods, such as roll-to-roll transfer, fast rolling processes, and the like.
US08647895B1
A process of manufacturing a crystalline silicon solar cell includes forming a rough surface on a surface of the crystalline silicon wafer and an Al2O3 film is coated on a non-rough surface thereof. A single-sided n diffusion layer and phosphosilicate glass film are formed. An anti-reflection layer SiNx film is formed on a top surface of the phosphosilicate glass film. An Al metallic film is formed as a back ohmic electrode on the Al2O3 film. The local area of the anti-reflection layer SiNx film and the phosphosilicate glass film is melted and removed to form a local area of n+-Si layer. Then, an Al—Si back ohmic contact electrode is formed between the Al metallic film and the crystalline silicon wafer. A front ohmic contact electrode is formed on the molten and removed area of the antireflection layer SiNx film and the phosphosilicate film by light-induced plating.
US08647891B2
A sensor and fabrication process are provided for forming reference layers with substantially orthogonal magnetization directions having zero offset with a small compensation angle. An exemplary embodiment includes a sensor layer stack of a magnetoresistive thin-film based magnetic field sensor, the sensor layer stack comprising a pinning layer; a pinned layer including a layer of amorphous material over the pinning layer, and a first layer of crystalline material over the layer of amorphous material; a nonmagnetic coupling layer over the pinned layer; a fixed layer over the nonmagnetic coupling layer; a tunnel barrier over the fixed layer; and a sense layer over the nonmagnetic intermediate layer. Another embodiment includes a sensor layer stack where a pinned layer including two crystalline layers separated by a amorphous layer.
US08647882B2
Chiral selectors having α-unsubstituted β-amino acid derivatives of the structure: a stationary phase for separating substance mixtures containing the chiral selector, and processes for separating mixtures of chiral substances, including enantiomers, and especially enantiomers of substances selected from β-amino acids and derivatives thereof, α-amino acids and α-hydroxy acids are provided.
US08647877B2
Preparation and use of nucleated red blood cell simulating particles and hematology control mixtures
The present disclosure provides a nucleated red blood cell simulating particle, which may be leukocytes bound to a fluorescent-staining inhibitor capable of stably binding to the nucleus or a nucleic acid in a cell so as to reduce the binding capacity of the particles to a fluorescent dye during their detection. The present disclosure also provides a method for preparing nucleated red blood cell simulating particles, including the following steps: (a) obtaining purified leukocytes; (b) suspending the leukocytes in a cell treatment solution containing a fluorescent-staining inhibitor which stably binds to the nucleus or a nucleic acid in a cell, and (c) washing the obtained product. The present disclosure also provides a hematology control mixture containing the nucleated red blood cell simulating particles. In addition, the present disclosure describes the use of the nucleated red blood cell simulating particles and the hematology control mixtures comprising the same, for the quality control of a blood cell analyzer.
US08647876B2
An oxygen permeability measuring apparatus for measuring an oxygen permeation rate of oxygen barrier film in a dark room is provided. A container is charged with inert gas, and sealed hermetically by use of the oxygen barrier film at least partially. A chemiluminescent compound is contained in the container, for emitting light by oxidation with the oxygen. A photon detector detects photons emitted by the chemiluminescent compound so as to determine an amount of the oxygen permeated through the oxygen barrier film. Preferably, the container includes a container body. An opening is formed in the container body, and closed hermetically by the oxygen barrier film attached thereto. The photon detector is disposed inside or outside the container. The oxygen permeation rate is equal to or less than 10−2 cc/m2·day·atm. The chemiluminescent compound includes tetrakis(dimethylamino)ethylene.
US08647874B2
An isolated human cell and populations thereof is provided comprising at least one astrocytic phenotype and at least one mesenchymal stem cell phenotype, wherein the mesenchymal stem cell phenotype is not an astrocytic phenotype.
US08647873B2
Disclosed herein are cell cultures comprising PDX1-positive endoderm cells and methods of producing the same. Also disclosed herein are cell populations comprising substantially purified PDX1-positive endoderm cells as well as methods for enriching, isolating and purifying PDX1-positive endoderm cells from other cell types. Methods of identifying differentiation factors capable of promoting the differentiation of endoderm cells, such as PDX1-positive foregut endoderm cells and PDX1-negative definitive endoderm cells, are also disclosed.
US08647869B2
Oogonial stem cell (OSC)-derived compositions, such as nuclear free cytoplasm or isolated mitochondria, and uses of OSC-derived compositions in autologous fertility-enhancing procedures are described.
US08647865B2
The present invention relates to the discovery of novel T cell epitopes of the human prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) protein that is promiscuous for at least 15 different HLA-DR alleles. The invention also relates to compositions that contain one of the novel epitopes or a fusion peptide of such an epitope and a heterologous polypeptide. Further disclosed herein is the use of the epitopes or their fusion peptides, and compositions containing the epitopes or their fusion peptides.
US08647860B2
A method and apparatus for detecting pathogens and particles in a fluid in which particle size and intrinsic fluorescence of a simple particle is determined.
US08647859B2
An apparatus for analyzing bacteria is described that includes an analytic sample preparation section for preparing an analytic sample by treating a specimen so as to generate a morphological difference between Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria, a detector for detecting optical information from each particle contained in the analytic sample and an analyzing section for detecting Gram-positive bacteria contained on the basis of the detected optical information. A method for analyzing bacteria is also described.
US08647852B2
A method of stimulating ethanol production and growth of aquatic plants includes the steps of placing aquatic plants in a cell containing water and creating an oxygenated condition within the cell to initiate an aerobic process. The aquatic plants create and store carbohydrates during the aerobic process. The cell is then covered with a light blocking cover during the anoxic condition to inhibit light from entering the cell. An anoxic condition is created within the cell to initiate an anaerobic process by the aquatic plants. The aquatic plants increase in size and release ethanol into the water by metabolism of stored carbohydrates during the anaerobic process. The ethanol is then sequestered from the water.
US08647843B2
Provided is a method of producing succinic acid in which a microorganism having a succinic acid-producing ability is allowed to react with a sugar, the method being characterized in that the ratio of the oxygen transfer rate to the succinic acid production rate (mmol-O2/mol-SA) is 0.1 to 240 and that the doubling time of the microorganism during the reaction is not shorter than 40 hours.
US08647838B2
The present invention provides a method for producing L-arginine using a bacterium of the Enterobacteriaceae family, particularly a bacterium belonging to the genus Escherichia or Pantoea, which has been modified to attenuate expression of one or several genes encoding an L-arginine transporter.
US08647832B2
The disclosure relates to methods, medical profiles, kits and apparatus for use in determining the risk that a pregnant individual has for developing pre-eclampsia based on amounts of certain biochemical markers in a biological sample from the individual and biophysical markers. The disclosure also relates to methods, medical profiles, kits and apparatus for use in determining the risk that a pregnant individual is carrying a fetus having a chromosomal abnormality based on amounts of certain biochemical markers in a biological sample from the individual and biophysical markers.
US08647825B2
Methods and compositions according to embodiments of the present invention are provided that specifically and sensitively detect alcohol consumption and whether alcohol consumption is moderate or high in a subject. Aspects of the present invention relate to assays of panels of proteins for detecting non-consumption, moderate consumption and high consumption of ethanol by a subject.
US08647820B2
Circular dumbbell decoy oligodeoxynucleotides (CDODN) containing DNA bindings sites of transcription
The present invention provides a circular dumbbell oligodeoxynucleotide (CDODN) comprising two loop structures and a stem structure, wherein the stem structure comprises a nucleotide sequence capable of binding the DNA-binding domain of a transcriptional factor. The present invention further provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising said CDODN. The pharmaceutical composition can be used for treating and/or preventing a disease or disorder related to such a transcriptional factor. The present invention also provides a method for treating and/or preventing a disease or disorder related to such a transcriptional factor, comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a CDODN comprising two loop structures and a stem structure, wherein the stem structure comprises a nucleotide sequence capable of binding the DNA-binding domain of the transcriptional factor.
US08647817B2
A method for patterning a substrate is described. The method includes forming a layer of radiation-sensitive material on a substrate, and preparing a pattern in the layer of radiation-sensitive material using a lithographic process, wherein the pattern is characterized by a critical dimension (CD) and a roughness. Following the preparation of the pattern in the layer of radiation-sensitive material, the method further includes performing a CD slimming process to reduce the CD to a reduced CD, and performing a vapor smoothing process to reduce the roughness to a reduced roughness.
US08647816B2
A method of manufacturing an electronic device, comprises forming a material layer, forming an anti-halation layer on the material layer, forming a resist layer on the anti-halation layer, forming a resist pattern including a plurality of island patterns by patterning the resist layer through an exposure step and a development step, forming a mask layer having a plurality of moderate convex shape portions by annealing the resist pattern to change shapes of the island patterns to moderate convex shapes, and plasma-processing the mask layer, the anti-halation layer, and the material layer so as to remove the mask layer and the anti-halation layer and change the material layer to a microlens array including a plurality of microlenses, wherein the anti-halation layer reduces halation in the exposure step.
US08647812B2
A pattern forming method comprising (i) a step of forming a film from a chemical amplification resist composition, (ii) a step of exposing the film, and (iii) a step of developing the exposed film by using an organic solvent-containing developer, wherein the resist composition contains (A) a resin capable of increasing the polarity to decrease the solubility for an organic solvent-containing developer by the action of an acid, (B) at least one kind of a compound capable of generating a sulfonic acid represented by the specific formula upon irradiation with an actinic ray or radiation, and (C) a solvent.
US08647808B2
A fluorinated monomer has formula (1) wherein R1 is H, F, methyl or trifluoromethyl, R2 and R3 are H or a monovalent hydrocarbon group, R4 to R6 each are a monovalent fluorinated hydrocarbon group, A is a divalent hydrocarbon group, and k1 is 0, 1 or 2. A polymer derived from the fluorinated monomer may be endowed with appropriate water repellency, water slip, acid lability and hydrolysis and is useful as an additive polymer in formulating a resist composition.
US08647803B2
A method for producing colored resin particles including: dissolving or dispersing at least binder resin and colorant in organic solvent to prepare oil phase; dissolving resin A and basic compound in aqueous medium to prepare aqueous phase, the resin A having solubility <2.0 g/100 g water having temperature 25° C. and pH 3.0 and solubility ≧2.0 g/100 g water having temperature 25° C. and pH 10.0; dispersing the oil phase in the aqueous phase to prepare core particle dispersion liquid; dispersing resin particles in aqueous medium to prepare resin particle dispersion liquid, and adding the resin particle dispersion liquid to the core particle dispersion liquid so that the resin particles are attached onto the core particles, to prepare dispersion liquid containing particles each having the core particle and the resin particles attached thereonto; removing the organic solvent from the dispersion liquid; washing the particles; and drying the particles.
US08647799B2
An erasable toner is prepared by mixing colored particles containing at least a color former compound, a color developer agent and a binder resin with de-coloring particles having a melting point higher than the fixing temperature of the colored particles. By using this toner, a colored image is formed by electrostatically transferring a toner image onto a medium, and heating the toner image at a temperature lower than the melting point of the de-coloring particles to form a fixed toner image in a color developed state, and the color of the fixed image is erased by heating the image to a temperature not lower than the melting point of the de-coloring particles. In this toner, the color developing function and the color erasing function are assigned to different particles so that the functions are separated from each other, and therefore, the formation of an image in a color developed state and the erasure thereof can be reliably and promptly achieved.
US08647797B2
The present application describes a method and a device for keeping the mask dimensions of a mask (6) constant in the mask plane in lithography. The mask (6) is heated due to the exposure during lithography. By means of thermal and/or mechanical methods, the dimensions of the mask (6) are kept constant. It is possible to use additional methods or devices, e.g. an air cooler (17) or an air heater (17), in order to prevent a change in the mask dimensions in the mask plane.
US08647795B2
Provided is a silicon target material in which particles are not easily generated during a sputtering process and to form a low-defect (high quality) silicon-containing film. A silicon target material having a specific resistance of 20 Ω·cm or more at room temperature is used for forming a silicon-containing film. The silicon target material may be polycrystalline or noncrystalline. However, when the silicon target material is single-crystalline, a more stable discharge state can be obtained. Also, a single-crystal silicon in which crystals are grown by an FZ method is a preferable material as a highly-pure silicon target material because its content of oxygen is low. Further, a target material having n-type conductivity and containing donor impurities is preferable to obtain stable discharge characteristics. Only a single or a plurality of silicon target materials according to the present invention may be used for sputtering film formation of the silicon-containing film.
US08647772B2
A cathode active material has: a lithium composite oxide which contains the highest proportion of nickel among constituent metal elements except lithium; and a phosphorus compound which is contained near the surface of the lithium composite oxide, and a cathode including the cathode active material.
US08647771B2
The present invention provides electrode-electrolyte composite particles for a fuel cell, which have either electrode material particles uniformly dispersed around electrolyte material particles or electrolyte material particles uniformly dispersed around electrode material particles, to enhance the electrode performance characteristics and electrode/electrolyte bonding force, as well as thermal, mechanical and electrochemical properties of the fuel cell, in a simple method without using expensive starting materials and a high temperature process.
US08647767B2
An energy storage device includes a housing having an interior surface defining a volume and a plurality of solid electrolyte elements disposed in the volume. Each solid electrolyte element has a first surface that defines at least a portion of a first, cathodic chamber, and a second surface that defines a second, anodic chamber. A plurality of individual anode chambers are thus provided, a majority of which are in ionic communication with the cathode chamber through a majority of the solid electrolyte elements and which are also provided with a sodium level control mechanism.
US08647766B2
A battery having a plurality of cell pairs arranged in an array is disclosed. The cells pairs are coupled longitudinally. Sense leads are provided on the ends of cell pairs to obviate providing a sense lead proximate the junction of the cell pair.
US08647764B2
Disclosed herein is a battery pack including: a plurality of cylindrical battery cells arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of layers; a lower case for supporting the battery cells; a terminal case attached to the lower case and provided at one side surface thereof with connection terminals for connection to an external apparatus; a main circuit board attached to the terminal case and electrically connected to the battery cells; wherein the lower case is formed with a support protrusion which is passed through the main circuit board and operative to support the battery cell.
US08647753B2
Disclosed is an organic electroluminescent device comprising a structure having an anode, an emitting layer, and a cathode stacked therein, wherein a fluorescent compound represented by Formula 1 is used as a emitting material of the emitting layer or used as a dopant of the emitting layer: wherein A1 and A2 are independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C6 aliphatic group, a C6-C20 aromatic group and a C5-C19 heterocyclic group containing N, S or O, A3 is selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C6 aliphatic group, a C6-C20 aromatic group, a C5-C19 heterocyclic group containing N, S or O, and a hydrogen atom, and substituents of A1, A2 and A3 are respectively one or more and the substituent is selected from the group consisting of C1-C10 alkyl, C1-C1 alkoxy, C1-C10 alkylamino, C1-C10 alkylsilyl, a halogen atom, C6-C10 aryl, C6-C10 aryloxy, C6-C10 arylamino, C6-C10 arylsilyl and a hydrogen atom.
US08647750B2
Wood products, specifically wood commonly used in construction including dimension lumber, pressure treated pine, composite wood materials such as plywood, particle board, and wafer board, and samples of paper and fabric were variously treated with concentrations of sodium silicate (Na2O.SiO2) also known as water glass. Cellulosic materials including dimension lumber, plywood, particle board, wafer board, paper, and fabric were treated with sodium silicate (Na2O.SiO2) in concentrations ranging from 400-0.04 g Na2O.SiO2/kg water. To overcome the disadvantages of sodium silicate, sodium silicate treated samples were further treated to convert the water soluble sodium silicate to a water insoluble form, thereby overcoming the disadvantages of water solubility, and rendering the material effective for internal and external uses. Although treated sodium silicate samples are composed of the same elements in similar proportions, as the untreated sodium silicate samples, the water solubility of the treated and untreated substances is very different.
US08647749B2
The object of the present invention is to provide multi-ply platforms suitable for the manufacture of decorative panels and decorative panels incorporating such multi-ply platforms, which multi-ply platforms improve the resistance to deformation caused by changes in relative humidity and/or temperature of, or around, such decorative panels. This object is achieved by providing multi-ply platforms comprising a plurality of plies which are arranged so that the platform is substantially unbalanced around its central plane. The unbalanced platform is achieved by, arranging the plies such that at least two adjacent plies have substantially the same main grain direction and/or that two plies having substantially the same main grain direction are separated only by one or more neutral plies. These unbalanced platforms are intended to be bonded to a further ply to form a substantially balanced decorative panel.
US08647738B2
A film made of a resin composition which includes polylactic acid (component A) composed of poly(L-lactic acid) and poly(D-lactic acid) and acrylic resin (component B) and has a crystal melting peak at 190° C. or higher when measured by a scanning differential calorimeter (DSC). The film has a small change in birefringence caused by external force, excellent dimensional stability at the time of heating and a small change in birefringence caused by heat stress.
US08647736B2
A method for producing an optical article includes laminating on a plastic substrate a first layer using a first composition, the first composition including two or more kinds of polyurethane resins each having a different average particle diameter, metal oxide particulates, and an organosilicon compound.
US08647734B2
A drainage mat for use in building structures, particularly in exterior walls and roofing, to improve drainage and ventilation within such structures. The drainage mat includes a web of extruded polymer monofilaments that are heat welded at junctions to form a matrix of tangled monofilaments. The web has a uniform thickness and includes alternating rows of high filament density and low filament density.
US08647722B2
A film forming cycle based on pulse CVD or ALD is repeated multiple times to form a single layer of insulation film, while a reforming cycle is implemented in the aforementioned process, either once or multiple times per each film forming cycle, by treating the surface of formed film using a treating gas that has been activated by a plasma.
US08647719B2
A curtain coating method including: ejecting at least one layer of a coating liquid from a slit, and making the ejected coating liquid fall freely from a curtain nozzle lip by using a curtain edge guide which guides the coating liquid in the form of a curtain liquid film, so as to apply the coating liquid onto a continuously running web, wherein the coating liquid is applied by moving the curtain edge guide toward the depth direction when the curtain liquid film is seen from the front.
US08647711B2
A method and coating used to prepare a photochromically-enabled bifocal ophthalmic lens. The coating is a high adhesive strength acrylate-based coating that contains a small quantity of a polycarbonate-based TPU. The coating is applied to produce an intermediate imbibable bifocal surface. A photochromic solution is subsequently imbibed by contact with the bifocal surface.
US08647700B2
Scaffold-supported metal or pseudometallic film covers suitable for use as medical devices are disclosed together with methods of fabricating the devices. Methods for making the medical devices consist of either providing or forming a scaffold, then depositing a metallic or pseudometallic film cover onto the scaffold in such a manner as to form an integral, substantially monolithic junction between the deposited cover material and the scaffold.
US08647699B2
The invention relates to a process for producing biomedical articles, in particular, silicone hydrogel contact lenses having durable hydrophilic chitosan coating. The chitosan coating is covalently attached to the medical device by performing a crosslinking reaction between chitosan and the carboxylic groups on the surface of a medical device directly in a sealed package during autoclave. The coated biomedical articles obtainable by the process of the invention have desirable characteristics regarding adherence to the substrate, durability, hydrophilicity, wettability, biocompatibility and permeability and are thus especially useful in the field of ophthalmic devices.
US08647692B2
The present invention refers to a combined process for generating steam in a steam-baking oven. The oven (2) comprises a baking chamber (3) containing at least one air heating element (10) and at least one fan (4) to keep the air moving inside the baking chamber (3); the oven (2) is associated with a steam generator (5) and is connected to a water supply (6). The combined process includes a saturation step, in which the steam generator (5) is activated until a substantial steam saturation is obtained in the baking chamber (3), and a spraying step in which the steam generator (5) is deactivated and the steam is produced by spraying water onto the heating elements (10); the steam generator (5) is temporarily and periodically activated during the spraying step to keep the steam quality substantially constant.
US08647689B2
The current invention relates to a composition of citrus fruit fibers and hydrophobic vitamin. The hydrophobic nutritional supplement is selected from the group consisting of vitamin A, D, E, K, and mixtures thereof. It further relates to a process for preparing liquid compositions comprising said citrus fruit fibers and hydrophobic vitamin. Furthermore it relates to beverages comprising said composition.
US08647686B1
A composition suitable for the preparation of insect diet formulations, containing proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, salts, and lambda carrageenan; the composition contains maltodextrin and no agar. An insect diet formulation, containing the composition described herein and water (room temperature). A method for rearing insects from eggs, involving providing the insect diet formulation described herein and culturing the insects with the insect diet formulation.
US08647685B1
A composite of herbal extracts comprises an extract of Eucheuma okamurai Yamada in a weight ratio of 33.4%-77.7%; an extract of Acanthopanax senticosus in a weight ratio of 11.14%-33.3%; and an extract of Dioscorea alata in a weight ratio of 11.14%-33.3%. Furthermore, a medication for lowering blood lipid, comprising the said composite of herbal extracts and a pharmaceutical acceptable carrier or excipient, is also disclosed.
US08647682B2
A combination comprising buffered glycolic acid, urea, and white tea extract for treating keratosis pilaris is provided. The improved composition provides a significant and unexpected reduction of KP symptoms when applied topically to an affected area.
US08647677B2
A cell culture growth substrate comprising submucosal tissue of a warm-blooded vertebrate and a method for culturing fastidious organisms is described. Submucosal tissue used in accordance with the present invention supports the proliferation of cells when said cells are contacted with submucosal tissue under conditions conducive to cell proliferation.
US08647670B2
This invention discloses a preparation method for biocompatible rapid-gelating hydrogel. Wherein, hydrogel is formed by rapid chemical-crosslinking using the mixing and chemical-crosslinking reaction under specified conditions between several active compound components. The preparation method comprises the following steps: (1) The solution containing biocompatible thiolated macromolecular derivatives (component A) and biocompatible thiol reactive crosslinking agents (component B) mutually mix to form reactive mixture with specified crosslinking conditions; (2) the reactive mixture forms the hydrogel. The invention also discloses a preparation method for novel rapid-gelating hydrogel spray and an application in medical field. This invention has the advantages of good biocompatibility, no by-products, good stability, convenient use, small amount of raw materials used, suitable for many medical application, etc.
US08647664B2
A patch preparation having a backing layer and a drug layer laminated on the backing layer; wherein the drug layer contains an adhesive containing at least one compound selected from the group consisting of fentanyl and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, polyisobutylene, and a silicon-containing polymer; and a mass ratio of the polyisobutylene and the silicon-containing polymer in the adhesive is 20:1 to 7:3.
US08647661B1
Dermal delivery is best suited for the various skin diseases or disorders. However, the stratum corneum limits the permeation of number of suitable pharmaceutical agents for dermal delivery. Certain embodiments of the present invention include surface modified multilayered nanostructures. The modification was completed by using fatty acids enabling delivery of a significant amount of one or more pharmaceutical agent(s) into deeper layers of the epidermis and dermis to treat skin diseases or disorders. Each active pharmaceutical agent can be encapsulated into the separate layers of the nanostructures.
US08647654B2
A method of forming a sculptured thin film on a surface includes rotating the surface and depositing a sculptured thin film comprised of a polymer on the surface to form submicron or nanoscale wires during the step of rotating. The submicron wires may be columnar, helically columnar, chevron shaped, chiral shaped, distinct or interwoven. The depositing step may involve pyrolizing the polymer into a vapor of monomers, directing the vapor of monomers towards the surface while rotating the surface, and polymerizing the monomers on the surface. The surface may be incorporated into biomedical device or other biological application where the sculptured thin film is biocompatible and bioactive and adapted for a biological use.
US08647652B2
Methods for preparing silver colloids and silica-coated silver colloids are disclosed. The silver colloids may be prepared by heating a silver-containing solution, combining the heated silver-containing solution with an acid solution, and cooling the combined solutions to form a silver colloid containing silver particles. The silver particles in the silver colloid can further be coated with silica. A method for preparing antimicrobial coatings is also disclosed.
US08647642B2
Gram-negative bacteria, and compositions containing the bacteria, resistant to one or more stress conditions, including, but not limited to, CO2, acid pH, and high osmolarity, having reduced TNF-αinduction having a mutation in one or more lipid biosynthesis genes, e.g., msbB, rendered stress-resistant by a mutation in the zwf gene are provided. Methods for prophylaxis or treatment of a virally induced disease in a subject comprising administering preferably attenuated stress-resistant gram-negative bacterial mutants. and for prophylaxis or treatment of a virally induced disease in a subject comprising administering one or more stress-resistant gram-negative bacterial mutants as vectors for the delivery of one or more therapeutic molecules are provided.
US08647628B2
The present invention relates to antibodies raised against fragments of apolipoprotein B, in particular defined peptides thereof, for immunization or therapeutic treatment of mammals, including humans, against ischemic cardiovascular diseases, using one or more of said antibodies.
US08647623B2
Disclosed is a therapeutic method comprising administering a TIM-3 antibody to a subject who is suspected to be suffering from blood tumor and in whom TIM-3 has been expressed in a Lin(−)CD34(+)CD38(−) cell fraction of bone marrow or peripheral blood or a subject who has been received any treatment for blood tumor. Also disclosed is a composition for preventing or treating blood tumor, which comprises a TIM-3 antibody as an active ingredient. Conceived diseases include those diseases which can be treated through the binding or targeting of the TIM-3 antibody to blood tumor cells (AML cells, CML cells, MDS cells, ALL cells, CLL cells, multiple myeloma cells, etc.), helper T cell (e.g., Th1 cells, Th17 cells), and antigen-presenting cells (e.g., dendritic cells, monocytes, macrophages, and cells resembling to the aforementioned cells (hepatic stellate cells, osteoclasts, microglial cells, intraepidermal macrophages, dust cells (alveolar macrophages), etc)), all of which are capable of expressing TIM-3. The diseases for which the therapeutic use is to be examined include blood diseases in which the expression of TIM-3 is observed in bone marrow or peripheral blood, particularly blood tumor.
US08647622B2
The present invention relates to humanized antibodies that specifically bind to CXCR5 and can, for example, inhibit CXCR5 function. The invention also includes uses of the antibodies to treat or prevent CXCR5 related diseases or disorders.
US08647621B2
This invention is directed to processes for reducing the level of free carbohydrate from a solution of protein-linked carbohydrate (conjugate) and non-linked carbohydrate. In this process, the conjugate is adsorbed to a hydrophobic membrane while the carbohydrate is not. The conjugate is then desorbed from the membrane, yielding a solution that is substantially reduced in free carbohydrate.
US08647615B1
A method for attracting honey bee parasitic mites to an object or area, involving treating the object or area with a composition containing a honey bee parasitic mites attracting effective amount of at least one compound selected from butyric acid, isobutyric acid, or mixtures thereof, and optionally a carrier or carrier material.
US08647606B1
A device that may be placed on a fingertip for treating an oral cavity. The device may be made from a material comprised of at least one ingredient for treating an oral cavity. Examples of ingredients for treating an oral cavity include abrasives, cavity prevention ingredients, medicinal ingredients (e.g., antiseptics, fungicides, and anesthetics), odor absorbing ingredients, tartar control ingredients, plaque control ingredients, tooth whitening ingredients, ingredients adapted to provide relief from hypersensitivity, and other cleaning ingredients and dentifrices. The device may be dissolvable and edible. Furthermore, some or all of the ingredients may be digestible. For example, the device may be primarily or entirely made of ingredients that are digestible.
US08647603B2
The invention relates to the treatment of cancer. In particular the invention relates to an internal therapeutic product comprising: (i) an anti-cancer component selected from one or both of: a radionucleotide, a cytotoxic drug; and (ii) a silicon component selected from one or more of: resorbable silicon, biocompatible silicon, bioactive silicon, porous silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, and bulk crystalline silicon, the internal therapeutic product being for the treatment of cancer.
US08647600B2
Methods for preparing a composition containing amorphous iron oxide hydroxide. Methods for regeneration of the amorphous iron oxide hydroxide after it has been used as desulfurizer. Regenerable desulfurizer with high sulfur capacity containing amorphous iron oxide hydroxide, not less than 88% w/w, and organic binder not less than 7% w/w. The organic binder is sodium carboxymethylcellulose, sesbania powder, cellulose powder, or a mixture thereof. A method for preparing the desulfurizer. A method for regenerating the waste agent produced after the desulfurizer and the composition containing the desulfurizer are used as desulfurizer. This method allows the desulfurizer and the composition containing the desulfurizer to be regenerated and reused avoiding the need for landfill disposal and environmental pollution.
US08647594B2
A plate handling system for a sampling device with a drawtube that includes a vertical actuation system that adjusts the vertical distance between the drawtube and a sample tray, a horizontal linkage system that positions a sample tray in a horizontal plane, and a drive system that drives the rotational motion of the horizontal linkage system. The horizontal linkage system includes a base arm that rotates about a base joint, and a sample arm that rotates about a sample arm joint on the base arm.
US08647583B2
Electricity is suppressed from flowing to a case (2) of an electric heating type catalyst (1). The electric heating type catalyst (1) is provided with a heat generation element (4) to be electrically energized to generate heat, the case (2) in which the heat generation element (4) is received, and a mat (3) inserted between the heat generation element (4) and the case (2) for insulating electricity, wherein the case (2) is formed into double pipes (24) at an upstream side and downstream side of the heat generation element (4), respectively, and an inner pipe (28) of each of the double pipes (24) is formed such that it is in contact at an upstream side or downstream side one end (25) thereof with an outer pipe (27) of each double pipe (24), with a gap being formed between the inner pipe (28) and the outer pipe (27) of each double pipe (24) at an upstream side or downstream side other end (26) of the inner pipe (28), and an insulating layer (6) for insulating electricity is provided on a surface of the case (2) from the mat (3) to the other end (26) including a range surrounded by the outer pipe (27) and the inner pipe (28) of each double pipe (24).
US08647568B2
An apparatus for treating containers, including a transport device which transports the containers along a specified transport path, the transport device including a plurality of holding elements for holding the containers, with the holding elements being transported along the specified transport path. The apparatus includes a cleaning device for sterilizing the holding elements at least in sections.
US08647567B2
Methods for introducing a substantially uniform concentration of a functional agent into a flowing stream of water using a shaped composition. The composition may be shaped and sized to be inserted into a device configured to be attached over the end of a faucet. The shaped composition comprises a dissolvable region including a functional agent (e.g., an anti-microbial sanitizing agent). A non-dissolvable region disposed adjacent to the dissolvable region may optionally be provided. The substantially non-dissolvable region remains substantially intact as the dissolving region is progressively dissolved, introducing the functional agent into a flowing stream of water.
US08647566B2
A deodorant for treating sediment in-situ, a deodorizing method and associated facilities. The deodorant is a calcium nitrate solution with a mass percentage of 14.32% to 52.49%. The deodorizing method comprises: (a) determining acid volatile sulfides content and total organic carbon content of sediments to be deodorized, and calculating the dosage of calcium nitrate solution required for deodorization: (b) ploughing the bed of the treatment area by injection tines of a bioremediator and at the same time injecting calcium nitrate solution into the sediment; after the bioremediator has navigated forward, the trench sides of the ploughed furrows will collapse, thus encapsulating the calcium nitrate solution within the sediment. The facilities for deodorizing sediment in-situ are comprise 4 systems, namely an injection system, a storage system, two supply systems and a navigation system.
US08647565B2
The multifunctional paint is based on a highly porous inorganic substance created by a reaction of at least two components. TiO2 nanoparticles are attached to the surface of this substance. The first component is a water insoluble calcium compound and the second component is a water soluble sulfate. The method of applying the multifunctional paint on the surface is that the first component containing the water suspension of the insoluble calcium compound is applied on the treated area first and subsequently a mixture of TiO2 nanoparticles suspended in the water solution of the second component is applied over the first layer. Another way is to apply a water suspension of the first component containing also TiO2 nanoparticles on the treated surface and then deposit the water solution of the second component on the layer. A mixture of all components can be also applied on the treated area at once.
US08647562B2
A process is presented which produces at least one block of dense material constituted by hard particles dispersed in a binder phase, it being possible for the dense material to be enriched locally with binder phase by imbibition. The process includes bringing at least one imbibition area of a surface of the block, preferably coated with a coating material, into contact with an imbibiting material which locally enriches the block with binder phase. The block in contact with the imbibiting material is then subjected to a suitable thermal cycle constituted by heating, temperature maintenance and cooling. This serves to bring some or all of the imbibiting material and the binder phase of the block into the liquid state in such a manner that the enrichment with binder phase takes place solely through the imbibition area. The block is used in connection with the building of a drill bit or tool.
US08647559B2
A method and apparatus for manufacture of a liner of a container is disclosed. The apparatus includes an elongate shaft having a first end and a second end, wherein at least one of the first end and the second end receives a container penetration element thereon.
US08647531B2
Disclosed is a phosphor having a formula of M(M′1-y-zEuyMnz)(M″1-xPrx)(PO4)2. M is a monovalent metal element selected from Li, Na, K, or combinations thereof. M′, Eu, and Mn are divalent metal elements, and M′ is selected from Ca, Sr, Ba, Mg, Zn, or combinations thereof. M″ and Pr are trivalent metal elements, and M″ is selected from Sc, Y, La, Lu, Al, Ga, In, or combinations thereof. 0≦x≦0.2, 0≦y≦0.1, 0≦z≦0.2, and x+y+z≠0.
US08647520B2
The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement for restoring strength and wear resistant of a metallic matrix ceramic (1) comprising a metallic binder (2) and ceramic filler (3) particles, which metallic matrix ceramic (1) has been exposed for long term high temperature and pressure cycling, for example in a gas exhaust nozzle (6), whereby micro cracks (4) are developed in the outer layer (5) of the metallic binder (2) According to the invention this is achieved by virtue of the fact that the outer layer (5) of the metallic binder (2), partly or fully, is removed from the MMC part (1) by a chemical operation, where after the outer layer (5) is compressed by a compression operation for achieving a dense outer layer (5), in which filler (3) particles are close to each other.
US08647512B2
A method for separating a liquid hydrocarbon material from a body of water. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of mixing a plurality of magnetic carbon-metal nanocomposites with a liquid hydrocarbon material dispersed in a body of water to allow the plurality of magnetic carbon-metal nanocomposites each to be adhered by an amount of the liquid hydrocarbon material to form a mixture, applying a magnetic force to the mixture to attract the plurality of magnetic carbon-metal nanocomposites each adhered by an amount of the liquid hydrocarbon material, and removing said plurality of magnetic carbon-metal nanocomposites each adhered by an amount of the liquid hydrocarbon material from said body of water while maintaining the applied magnetic force, wherein the plurality of magnetic carbon-metal nanocomposites is formed by subjecting one or more metal lignosulfonates or metal salts to microwave radiation, in presence of lignin/derivatives either in presence of alkali or a microwave absorbing material.
US08647506B2
A combination of acid zirconium phosphate and alkaline hydrous zirconium oxide are utilized as ion-exchange materials, for example, in sorbent dialysis. The combination provides for dialysate regeneration while maintaining constant and controlled levels of Na+, HCO3−, and pH.
US08647505B2
A screen clamp with integrated center feed is disclosed. The screen clamp may be rotatably mounted in a continuous centrifuge. The screen clamp may comprise: a feed cone having a base and sidewall, wherein a center of the base has a feed opening and the sidewall has one or more discharge openings; and an outer flange attached to and extending along a bottom edge of the feed cone, wherein the outer flange is configured to secure a basket filtering screen of a continuous centrifuge to a basket. The screen clamp may be configured to direct a massecuite feed entering the feed opening through the one or more discharge openings and onto the basket filtering screen. The screen clamp may also comprise a weir.
US08647501B2
An apparatus for a programmable self sanitizing water dispenser apparatus with a digital controller as well as a programmable method for generating ozone for cleaning the reservoir and the water contained within it. The apparatus includes an anti-spill receiver that houses the controller and that can contain a ozone generator.
US08647488B2
A biosensor includes a first working electrode that a biocatalyst, which has a property that reacts on a specified ground substance, is disposed, a second working electrode that the biocatalyst, which the property is lost, is disposed, and at least one counter electrode for respectively applying a voltage to the first working electrode and the second working electrode.
US08647486B2
An apparatus and method for controlling local deposition rate in a physical vapor deposition process is provided. A magnet bar assembly is disposed inside a sputtering target. The magnet bar assembly comprises a magnet bar, a support member aligned with the magnet bar, and one or more sliding brackets that couple the support member to the magnet bar. Each sliding bracket compresses the magnet bar to the support member, allowing the use of spacers between the support member and the magnet bar to adjust local proximity of the magnet bar to the plasma bombarding the target.
US08647469B2
The method, system and a withdrawal screen section are for the impregnation of chips during the manufacture of chemical pulp. Chips are both steamed and impregnated in a low pressure impregnation vessel, using pressurized hot spent cooking liquor BL as the main part of the impregnation liquid. The hot spent cooking liquor produces most of the steam BLST necessary for steaming the chips. At least two independent first and second screen rows, SC1 and SC1b respectively, are installed in order to improve the process in the impregnation vessel. The first screen row withdraws acidified treatment liquor for disposal which otherwise would be a parasitic acidified waste fluid in the system. The second screen row recirculates treatment fluid back to center of treatment vessel in order to even out the pH profile over the cross section of the vessel.
US08647457B2
Disclosed is a method for making a rubber liner of a composite pressure vessel. At first, rubber is located in a mold. The rubber and the mold are located in a vacuum bag, heated and pressed so that the rubber is vulcanized and molded into a semi-product of the rubber liner. Sand is filled in the semi-product. The sand is tamped and heated so that it is hardened and molded. A reinforcement element in the form of a wire or tape is wound around the semi-product. Two semi-products are brought into contact with each other. An un-vulcanized rubber band is provided around and attached to the semi-products. The rubber liners and the reinforcement elements are heated and vulcanized with composite resin. Finally, the water soluble sand mold is dissolved and removed so that the final product of the rubber liner is made, and so is the composite pressure vessel.
US08647455B2
Provided is a process of manufacturing a pneumatic tire, which prevents blisters from being raised on a cylindrical thermoplastic resin film due to an air pocket even in a case where the cylindrical thermoplastic resin film is used as an air permeation preventive layer. Provided is the manufacturing process suitable for a heavy-duty pneumatic tire in particular. The process of manufacturing a pneumatic tire includes: covering the making drum 20 with a cylindrical thermoplastic resin film 6; winding an uncured rubber sheet member 7 as a tie rubber around the thermoplastic resin film 6; and winding a carcass layer 5 around the rubber sheet member 7. The process is characterized in that the rubber sheet member 7 is wound in the circumferential direction of the tire at least twice.
US08647453B2
A method of manufacturing a fiber reinforced metal matrix composite article, the method comprises forming a first metal component, forming a second metal component and forming at least one fiber preform comprising at least one metal coated fiber. The metal at least one first portion of the at least one metal coated fiber of the at least one fiber preform is bonded to the metal at least one second portion of the at least one metal coated fiber of the at least one fiber preform to hold the at least one fiber in position. The at least one fiber preform is placed between the first metal component and the second metal component. The second metal component is sealed to the first metal component, and heat and pressure is applied such as to consolidate the at least one fiber preform and to diffusion bond the metal on the fiber of the at least one fiber preform, the first metal component and the second metal component to form a unitary composite article. The bonding comprises ultrasonic welding.
US08647451B2
A method of manufacturing an explosive testing agent is disclosed. The method includes synthesizing hydrogen bronze nanoparticles and placing the nanoparticles on a test platform.
US08647447B2
Filter Flosser is a tool designed for cleaning cartridge filters that are used in pools, spas and industrial filtration systems.There is an ergonomically designed handle with an on/off ball valve switch to turn water flow on or off. There is a nozzle portion that is curved to wrap partially around the shape of a cartridge filter. There are holes in the nozzle portion which are evenly spaced that spray water into the cartridge filter elements to get between the pleats and remove dirt deposits.
US08647438B2
A baffle assembly for an etching apparatus is disclosed. The baffle assembly comprises a ring and a lower baffle portion having a curved wall extending between a flange portion and a lower frame portion. A heating assembly may be present within the lower frame portion to control the temperature of the baffle. The baffle assembly may help confine the plasma within the processing space in the chamber. The ring may comprise silicon carbide and the lower baffle portion may comprise aluminum.
US08647430B2
The invention relates to a process for manufacturing cement clinker in a plant having a cyclone preheater, a precalcination reactor, a rotary furnace and a clinker cooler. In the process, the flue gases from the furnace are conducted to the precalcination reactor, or even to the cyclone preheater. According to the invention, the precalcination reactor is fed with an oxygen-rich gas, the nitrogen content of which is less than 30%, constituting the sole oxygen source for said reactor, and a portion leaving the cyclone preheater is recycled into the plant so as to obtain a suitable flux necessary for suspending matter in said preheater, while the other portion, rich in carbon dioxide, is adapted for the purpose of a treatment for limiting the amount of carbon dioxide discharged into the atmosphere, such as particularly sequestration.
US08647427B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a polyvinyl ester-based latex having polyvinyl ester-based particles with vinyl ester groups that have been partially hydrolyzed to a predetermined degree, and methods of modifying and forming the polyvinyl ester-based latex of the present disclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure also include coating compositions that include the polyvinyl ester-based latex of the present disclosure and an optical brightening agent (OBA), where the polyvinyl ester-based particles act as a carrier for the OBA in a coating composition for a print media substrate.
US08647423B2
A solid ink composition suitable for ink jet printing, including printing on coated paper substrates. In embodiments, the solid ink composition comprises both a crystalline compound and an amorphous compound, and a fatty acid, which provides for a robust ink wherein the phase change ink crystallizes faster from the liquid state than the same composition without the fatty acid.
US08647413B2
A method for recovering carbon dioxide (CO2) from a gas stream is disclosed. The method includes the step of reacting CO2 in the gas stream with fine droplets of a liquid absorbent, so as to form a solid material in which the CO2 is bound. The solid material is then transported to a desorption site, where it is heated, to release substantially pure CO2 gas. The CO2 gas can then be collected and used or transported in any desired way. A related apparatus for recovering carbon dioxide (CO2) from a gas stream is also described herein.
US08647408B2
An indicator device for a filter includes a filter replacement indicator that is actuatable by thermal expansion. The indicator device can be included in a filter. Also, a vacuum cleaner including a filter having the indicator device.
US08647396B2
When producing biodiesel from fats, oils or split fatty acids rich in steryl glycosides, the light phase rich in fatty acid alkyl esters, which is obtained from the transesterification or esterification, is washed with water in a washing column, wherein the suspension layer formed is treated by stirring. In this way, the steryl glycosides are transferred into the light phase of the wash. In a subsequent treatment of the light washer phase with water in an intensive mixer, compact steryl glycoside/fatty acid alkyl ester/water agglomerates are obtained, which can easily be separated by means of centrifugation. From the light phase of centrifugation, on-spec biodiesel is obtained upon further processing by drying and/or filtration.This process is suitable for processing fats, oils or split fatty acids with a high content of steryl glycosides and avoids the use of auxiliary substances foreign to the process. It is characterized by simplicity of equipment and a low demand for energy.
US08647394B2
Disclosed herein is a method of fabricating a CIS or CIGS thin film, comprising: forming, on a substrate, a seed particle layer comprising copper-indium-compound seed particles comprising copper (Cu); indium (In); and at least one selected from the group consisting of gallium (Ga), sulfur (S) and selenium (Se), applying, on the seed particle layer, a water-soluble precursor solution comprising: a water-soluble copper (Cu) precursor; a water-soluble indium (In) precursor; and at least one selected from the group consisting of a water-soluble gallium (Ga) precursor, a water-soluble sulfur (S) precursor and a water-soluble selenium (Se) precursor, and forming a thin film at high temperature.
US08647393B2
This disclosure provides implantable devices coated with microporous surface layers with macrotopographic features that improve bio-integration at the interface of the implantable devices and the surrounding tissue.
US08647391B2
A prosthesis and kit for replacing an ankle joint, and methods of applying the devices or systems. The prosthesis is an intramedullary device directed towards replacement of either of the tibia or fibula bone, wherein the prosthesis is a replacement for the lateral malleolus or the medial malleolus, respectively.
US08647389B2
Knee prostheses featuring components that more faithfully replicate the structure and function of the human knee joint in order to provide, among other benefits: greater flexion of the knee in a more natural way by promoting or at least accommodating internal tibial rotation in a controlled way, replication of the natural screw home mechanism, and controlled articulation of the tibia and femur respective to each other in a more natural way. In a preferred embodiment, such prostheses include an insert component disposed between a femoral component and a tibial component, the insert component preferably featuring among other things a reversely contoured posterolateral bearing surface that helps impart internal rotation to the tibia as the knee flexes. Other surfaces can also be specially shaped to achieve similar results, preferably using iterative automated techniques that allow testing and iterative design taking into account a manageable set of major forces acting on the knee during normal functioning, together with information that is known about natural knee joint kinetics and kinematics.
US08647384B2
An accommodating intraocular lens includes an adjustable optic, wherein the optic is capable of being moved between an accommodated state and an unaccommodated state. The optic includes an anterior portion, a posterior portion, and a sidewall between the anterior portion and the posterior portion. The lens further includes a ring disposed about the optic sidewall and a haptic coupled to the ring. The haptic is capable of being coupled to a patient's capsular bag. A method for implanting an accommodating intraocular lens is also provided.
US08647376B2
A balloon fold design for efficient expansion of a side branch assembly in a bifurcated stent. The design involves forming a cup arrangement by folding the radial end of the side branch balloon structure into the luminal end of the side branch balloon structure and then folding the cup down into an orderly discus arrangement. The folding pattern allows for the side branch balloon structure to inflate in a sweeping rotational manner efficiently pushing the side branch assembly petals out and away from the main body of the stent with a low risk of the balloon becoming entangled or damaged by its contact with the petals. The design also allows for the expansion force to be applied at the appropriate time in the optimally needed direction by initially being oriented in a predominantly circumferential direction which is gradually shifting to a predominantly radial direction. In addition, the fold design reduces the overall volume and profile of the side branch balloon structure.
US08647372B2
The present invention provides a composite light source apparatus for phototherapy of skin disease, in which a light beam having the wavelength and optical power suitable for light-beam treatment is provided to a region to be treated (also called a ‘to-be-treated region’) through a light guide by using a composite light source so as to improve efficiency of phototherapy of skin diseases of the body including acne, malignant tumors and the like. According to the composite light source apparatus, uniform optical power can be provided through a combination of a plurality of light sources, the optical power can be provided through selection of light of a wavelength range that a user wants, and light from the light sources can be utilized to the maximum with increased light intensity.
US08647367B2
A device, system and method for occlusion of the left atrial appendage. A device is described with respect to non-surgically occluding the left atrial appendage with minimal invasiveness. Additionally, a system and method are described for using the device to perform the left atrial appendage occlusion procedure.
US08647361B2
Implant devices for filtering blood flowing through the ostium of an atrial appendage have component structures one or more of which are expandable. Devices with component structures in their unexpanded state have a compact size suitable for intra-cutaneous delivery to an atrial appendage situs. The expandable component structures are expanded in situ to deploy the devices. A device may have sufficiently short axial length so that most or almost all of the device length may fit within the ostium region.
US08647358B2
Devices and methods for treating obesity are provided. More particularly, intragastric devices and methods of fabricating, deploying, inflating, monitoring, and retrieving the same are provided.
US08647357B2
The biological test kit is a device for drawing and, optionally, testing biological samples. The biological test kit is an array of Lancets set in wells in a rigid base. Each lancet well is covered by a protective cover which when deformed permits the lancet to puncture a user or other patient. In one embodiment the biological test kit employs distinct covers for each lancet and in another the covers are formed from sheet material formed into blisters which cover the lancet.
US08647349B2
Systems, methods, apparatus and devices for performing improved gynecologic and urologic procedures are disclosed. The system and devices provide simplified use and reduced risk of adverse events. Patient benefit is achieved through improved outcomes, reduced pain, especially peri-procedural pain, and reduced recovery times. The various embodiments enable procedures to be performed outside the hospital setting, such as in a doctor's office or clinic. An intrauterine access end procedure system includes a mechanical distension element, to eliminate the need for liquid distension media at pressure sufficient to create a risk of intravasation.
US08647332B2
A system and method for treating a skin target area includes one or more RF electrodes adapted to provide RF energy for heating the skin target area. A quasi-fractional light unit is adapted to provide optical spots of energy having a wavelength not greater than 1200 nm for heating the skin target area. The RF electrodes and the quasi-fractional light unit are configured to provide energy essentially simultaneously to the skin target area to heat the entire target in non-uniform manner by way of a matrix of spots each having a predetermined diameter.
US08647330B2
A manipulator joint displacement detection mechanism includes a manipulator which has a actuating unit and a joint. A first transmission member is connected to the joint, and provided movably to displace the joint. A second transmission member moves corresponding to movement of the first transmission member. A guide guides movement of the second transmission member. A guide fixing part fixes one end and the other end of the guide. A sensor detects a moving distance of the second transmission member in the proximal end portion of the manipulator.
US08647327B2
The invention relates to a test unit for wound drainage coverings comprising: a base body with at least one cavity; at least one supply line that runs through the base body and which connects an outer side of the base body to the cavity; a surface of the base body that is embodied as a support surface for supporting wound coverings and the wound drainage coverings thereof and several channels that run through the base body, the channels connecting the cavities to the support surface. Low pressure can be produced in the cavity and the channels when the support surface is covered in an air-tight manner. As a result, wound drainage applications are tested in different ways using simple and economical means.
US08647326B2
One or more caps can be used to cover and sterilize one or more separated medical connectors. A pair of caps can be connected to each other and sealed when in a pre-use state. The paired caps can be unsealed so as to permit connection to the medical connectors.
US08647324B2
The present application discloses a handle configured to receive a catheter. The handle comprises a port that communicates with a lumen of the catheter and a mechanism is provided that moves the end of the catheter for positioning. The guide wire traverses a reservoir located in the handle. In particular, the handle comprises an enclosure with a conduit and a reservoir, where the conduit extends through the enclosure from the left side to the right side and the reservoir space has a curved or concave base. The bottom side and top side of the handle converge into a tapered point on the left side.
US08647322B2
The disclosed devices and methods provide for the minimization of fluid extravasation during use of infusion catheters such as peripherally inserted central catheters and central venous catheters. The anti-extravasation catheter allows a surgeon to drain fluids from soft tissue surrounding an infusion site while also providing fluid inflow to a patient.
US08647321B2
Glucose sensor signals and medication delivery control signals are monitored and these signals are modified for compatibility and safety purposes. In one application, output control signals from a controller directed to a delivery device are modified as a function of an actual amount of insulin delivered to the user. The safety layer method allows for an increased level of safety in an integrated delivery management (“IDM”) system and permits the development of separate hardware and software upgrades for components of the IDM system while assuring that compatibility between components will continue and safety is increased.
US08647319B2
An absorbent article such as a diaper, an incontinence pad, a sanitary towel or the like includes at least one elasticated area. The elasticated area includes a patterned area having a visible pattern.
US08647297B2
Deflectable catheter systems, apparatuses and methods utilizing thermal expansion to influence catheter deflection. A representative embodiment includes a catheter having one or more pull wires or other tensioning elements. One end of the tensioning element(s) is connected at a distal portion of the catheter to facilitate shaft deflection upon pulling the tensioning element(s). A heat-sensitive control member(s) is coupled to a proximal portion of the tensioning element(s). The elongate tensioning element(s) is pulled in a proximal direction to deflect the distal portion of the catheter in response to a temperature change applied to the heat-sensitive control member.
US08647290B2
In a hemodiafiltration apparatus, a control and command unit (11) halts a replacement fluid supply pump (8) and contemporaneously modifies the control mode of a blood pump (1) passing from a control based on the pump velocity to a control based on the blood pressure measured by a sensor (12) arranged downstream of a hemodiafilter (3). The aim is to prevent risks due to excessive hemoconcentration in the blood circuit between the ultrafiltration zone and the infusion zone.
US08647285B2
A sample collection container adapted to be connected to, and disconnected from, a sample collection adapter and a sample collection container cap. The sample collection adapter has a downward sloping interior surface that provides a free-flowing path for samples provided by a subject to the sample collection container. The sample collection adapter may have a three-dimensional rim that is curved in two different non-parallel planes.
US08647270B2
A monitoring apparatus includes a housing that is configured to be attached to a body of a subject. The housing includes a sensor region that is configured to contact a selected area of the body of the subject when the housing is attached to the body of the subject. The sensor region is contoured to matingly engage the selected body area. The apparatus includes at least one physiological sensor that is associated with the sensor region and that detects and/or measures physiological information from the subject and/or at least one environmental sensor associated with the sensor region that is configured to detect and/or measure environmental information. The sensor region contour stabilizes the physiological and/or environmental sensor(s) relative to the selected body area such that subject motion does not impact detection and/or measurement efforts of the sensor(s).
US08647258B2
The present disclosure provides for a surgical device. The surgical device includes a jaw assembly and a camera assembly coupled to the jaw assembly. The camera assembly includes a camera housing defining an interior space having at least one opening on a side thereof, first and second support arms pivotally coupled within the camera housing and deployable therefrom, and a camera body coupled to the first and second support arms and moveable between a first position, in which the camera body is positioned within the interior space of the camera housing, and a second position, in which the camera body extends from the at least one opening of the camera assembly.
US08647255B2
Sexual stimulation devices and methods that provide highly varied and dynamically controllable sensations, both directly under manual control of the user and indirect electronic control, and in such a way as to provide sensations to specific regions of the sexual organs.
US08647253B2
A drowsiness level detection section detects a drowsiness level of an individual person. A sleep depth level control section controls the sleep depth of the individual person based on the detected drowsiness level. The sleep depth level control section executes a first sleep control, in which the sleep depth level of the individual person is maintained at a predetermined sleep depth level below a maximum sleep depth level, if the detected drowsiness level is equal to or below a predetermined threshold.
US08647240B2
An exercise device is provided which includes a surface for supporting a body of a user and a frame(s) for supporting the surface(s) above a floor. Resistance device(s) are connected to the device for providing resistance to movement of the user. Device(s) for adjusting the surface(s) relative in distance to the resistance device(s) during an exercise routine. Device(s) may be provided for adjusting the surface(s) relative in distance to the resistance device(s) during an exercise routine and or relative to the floor. Device(s) may be provided for adjusting the surface(s) closer in relative distance to the resistance device(s) while the orientation of the surface changes from vertical thru horizontal and for adjusting the surface(s) further in relative distance to the resistance device(s) while the orientation of the surface changes from horizontal thru vertical during an exercise routine and or relative to the floor.
US08647239B1
A swim trainer comprising: a base; an upright member extending from the base; two arms each carried by the upright member and terminating with an end pulley; two pull cords each having one end connected to a hand pull, extending from the hand pull over the end pulley, a second pulley positioned adjacent to the upright member, and then along the upright member; a rotatable shaft positioned adjacent to the base; a loading mechanism, connected to the shaft, to resist rotation and unwinding of the cord around the shaft; a clutch assembly positioned on the shaft arranged to rotate the shaft when the handle is pulled down and otherwise spin freely; a rewind bias means to rewind the cord around the shaft; and, a tipping and/or rotating balance platform assembly, seated on the base, for the swimmer to stand on, when pulling the hand pull.
US08647235B2
A system and method is employed to regulate a minimum transmission input speed based on automatic fluid temperature. The system includes a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the automatic transmission fluid and a controller for setting a minimum engine speed of the engine based on the temperature of the automatic transmission fluid. The size of a transmission pump may be reduced while the pump is still able to supply enough automatic transmission fluid to friction elements and gear ratios to provide lubrication and enable friction element actuators to engage and disengage the friction elements in a timely and effective manner. In a preferred form of the invention, when the temperature of the automatic transmission fluid is below 210° F., the minimum engine speed is set to no greater than 900 rpm; and when the temperature of the automatic transmission fluid is above 210° F., the minimum engine speed is set to no less than 1000 rpm.
US08647234B2
A vehicle driving apparatus configured with a drive power source, a fluid coupling, a transmission apparatus; and a control apparatus. A rotation of a drive input member driven by the drive power source is transmitted to a shift input member via the fluid coupling and a rotation of the shift input member is shifted by the transmission apparatus and then transmitted to an output member. When a state shift command for shifting from a non-transmission state to a transmission state is input into a control apparatus in a state in which the drive power source does not generate a driving force, the control apparatus performs a shift input rotation operation before engaging a frictional engagement element and shifting to the transmission state by causing the drive power source to generate the driving force and rotating the shift input member via the fluid coupling while maintaining the non-transmission state.
US08647230B2
A moving apparatus that is capable of properly driving an accessory while preventing driven parts from being driven when the accessory is driven in a state where the driven parts are at rest. In the moving apparatus VE1, out of first to third elements S, C, and R configured such that they rotate during transmission of motive power therebetween while maintaining a collinear relationship in rotational speed, the first element S is mechanically connected to a first rotor 13 of a first rotating machine 11, one of the second and third elements C and R is mechanically connected to an output portion 3a of a prime mover 3 and an input portion 32 of an accessory 31, and the other of the second and third elements C and R is mechanically connected to driven parts DW and DW.
US08647221B1
A collapsible and easily portable soccer trainer having a pair of spaced apart, X-shaped side frames. The rear legs of the X-shaped side frames are connected to cross members which receive an upright net panel connected to the frame by a plurality of tensioning cords. The forward legs of the X-shaped side frames receive a curvilinear net panel connected to the forward legs by a plurality of tensioning cords. Brace members interconnect the forward legs to maintain uniform separation but are offset from the plane defined by the curvilinear net panel so as to prevent inadvertent deflection of a soccer ball by contact with the rigid frame elements.
US08647218B2
A golf club including a club head having a club head main body including a hitting face and a face support, and a support extension. The support extension extends between the face support and a back flange to define a lower cavity.
US08647215B2
A golf accessory for determining a gimme status of a golf putt in the form of a device that includes areas and/or indicia relating to at least two preselected conditions and by which a gimme status of a golf putt may be determined. A method of using the device is disclosed in which the device permits the user to determine whether or not a golf ball is close enough to a hole to warrant a concession of a golf putt under at least one of the at least two preselected conditions.
US08647208B2
Disclosed are systems and methods for managing Internet Protocol (“IP”) addresses in a network gaming environment. The systems and methods comprise a plurality of electronic gaming machines, having one or more in-game network devices. In particular, an in-game switch is provided, which is configured to receiving an external IP address from a centrals DHCP server and to determine a scope of internal IP addresses associated with the one or more in-game network devices. Once the scope is determined, the in-game switch is configured to lease IP addresses from the address scope block to the associated in-game network devices.
US08647203B2
A transaction product includes an electrical assembly, a housing, a button, and an account identifier. The electrical assembly includes a light. The housing substantially encloses the electrical assembly including the light, wherein the housing defines an exterior surface and an aperture extending through the exterior surface. The button has a rounded extremity and extends from within the housing to outside the housing through the aperture and beyond the exterior surface. The button aligns with and surrounds the light such that when the light is lit the button is illuminated. The account identifier is coupled to the housing and links the transaction product to a financial account having an associated monetary value available toward a price of a purchase, wherein the account identifier is machine readable.
US08647195B2
An electronic sports book wagering system provides a bettor with an opportunity to purchase a sports book ticket sell back option when placing a bet on the outcome of an event. An option may be purchased by a bettor to be exercised at will by the bettor during a break in play or during an indicated period of the event for the bettor to potentially receive compensation to cancel the wager (e.g., at half time during a football game on which the wager was placed). The amount of compensation or refund provided to the bettor upon exercise of the option may be determined based on a current probability at the break in play or indicated period of whether the bettor will win the bet for which the wager was made. The bettor may be guaranteed a minimum refund amount of the original wager upon exercising the option.
US08647194B2
The present invention includes an apparatus and method for a bonus game, and particularly a free spin bonus with an incrementing multiplier. The bonus game includes a plurality of reels having a plurality of symbols and multipliers. The gaming device provides a number of free spins to the player at the beginning of the bonus game. The multiplier preferably starts at “1×” and increases by one after each free spin. Initially, the player spins the reels attempting to obtain a winning symbol combination on the reels. If the player obtains a winning combination, the gaming device provides an award. The award is multiplied by the multiplier and the player receives the multiplied award for that free spin. The player continues to spin the reels until there are no free spins remaining in the bonus game.
US08647192B2
A gaming system comprises a wager input device for receiving a primary wager and at least one display for displaying a selected primary wagering game, the selected primary wagering game having a primary payback percentage. The system includes a control interface displayed on the at least one display, the control interface comprising a plurality of available supplemental features. At least one controller is operative to (i) receive an operator activation selection of a supplemental feature selected from the plurality of available supplemental features; (ii) receive an operator configuration selection of at least one parameter of the selected supplement feature, the at least one parameter including a feature payback percentage of the selected supplemental feature; (iii) active availability of the selected supplemental feature for the play by a player of the selected primary wagering game; and (iv) display an overall payback percentage on the control interface.
US08647188B2
A system provides a player tracking system and system gaming apparatus for playing non-base games by funding the credit side of a gaming cycle. The system further includes at least one gaming device having a base game. The player tracking system and system gaming apparatus includes a player tracking user interface. The player tracking user interface provides a player with an opportunity to select and play a non-base game that may be promotional-funded or player-funded.
US08647181B2
A slaughtering installation for processing poultry is adapted to be used in combination with a conveying assembly for conveying poultry which is suspended from their legs in a transport direction. The slaughtering installation comprising a killing device with poultry positioning device for positioning the neck region of the poultry suspended from the conveying assembly, the killing device further comprising cutting device for cutting into the neck and thereby opening at least one blood vessel in the neck region of the poultry. The positioning device comprises a back neck guide along which the back side of the neck of the poultry is guided, and a breast neck guide along which the breast side of the neck of the poultry is guided.
US08647171B2
A method and apparatus for robotic devices that can be used to load and remove workpieces and abrasive disks for an abrading system having a floating, rotatable abrading platen that is three-point supported by annular, flat abrading-surface of the floating platen. The rotary spindles are mounted on the flat horizontal surface of a machine base and the spindle-top flat surfaces are aligned to be precisely co-planar with each other where the rotational-centers of each of the spindles fixed-position rotary flat-surfaced spindles. The flexible abrasive disks are releasably attached to the are positioned at the center of the annular radial-width of the platen abrading-surface. Flat-surfaced workpieces are attached to the spindle-top flat surfaces and the abrasive surface of the abrasive disk that is attached to the rotating floating-platen abrading surface contacts the workpieces to perform single-sided abrading on the workpieces. Workpieces can be flat-lapped to provide precision-flat and smoothly-polished surfaces.
US08647169B2
A bra cup or breast form including an interior surface facing toward a user's breast and having at least one thin ridge of pressure sensitive adhesive, for securing the bra cup or breast form to the user's breast, and at least one ventilation pathway on the interior surface. The bra cup or breast form may be used in a backless, strapless bra or breast form system.
US08647162B2
The invention relates to a machinery arrangement for a marine vessel (1), which machinery arrangement (2) comprises a combustion unit (3), an exhaust gas duct assembly (4), which includes a first branch pipe (41) and a second branch pipe (42) and is connected to the combustion unit for receiving an exhaust gas flow and for leading the exhaust gas flow to the atmosphere, and an exhaust gas cleaning system (5) arranged in a flow direction of exhaust gas. In order to achieve an improved cleaning of the exhaust gas, a fan unit (6) and a first valve means (7) is provided in flow connection with the first branch pipe (41), which is connect to the exhaust gas cleaning system (5).
US08647161B2
A personal watercraft comprises at least one seat including a driver seating portion and at least one passenger seating portion. At least one sensor is disposed on the watercraft for detecting at least one of a presence and an absence of a passenger on the watercraft. A control unit is electrically connected to the at least one sensor. The control unit enters a first control mode in response to a signal received from the at least one sensor indicative of the presence of a passenger on the watercraft. The control unit prevents at least one performance characteristic of the watercraft from exceeding a predetermined value when in the first control mode.
US08647148B2
A connecting device for connecting a high-frequency (HF) cable, in particular a coaxial cable, to an HF interface, in particular a coaxial plug-in connector or hollow conductor, wherein the connecting device has a sleeve, which is formed at a first axial end for plugging with a connection part of the HF interface and at a second end axially opposite the first end for connecting to the HF cable, wherein a surface of the sleeve, which faces the connection part of the HF interface in the plugged state of the sleeve and the connection part of the HF interface, is provided with at least one first groove in the axial direction, wherein at least one cylindrical pin is provided for engaging in at least one first groove.
US08647145B2
A communication connector for connecting with a communication plug is disclosed. The communication connector includes a base, a set of conductive terminals, a case, and a cover, wherein the set of conductive terminals is situated on the base, and the case is used for accommodating the base and the set of conductive terminals. The case has a first incline with an opening. The cover has a second incline and a notch. The shape of the second incline matches the first incline to allow the cover to move upward or downward relative to the case. The shape of the notch matches the communication plug. When the cover moves upward, the communication plug passes the notch, enters the opening, and electrically connects to the set of conductive terminals.
US08647143B2
A terminal module includes a housing having slits and a plurality of contact terminals mounted in the slits. A slit width in an arrangement direction of the slit is greater on an insertion position side than that at a mounting position. The housing has a guide portion which is formed along the insertion direction of the slits, has a guide surface inclined toward the mounting position side from the insertion position, and guides the contact terminal toward a mounting completion position as a tip end of an insertion side of the contact terminal reaches the guide surface.
US08647133B2
In an electrical plug device, which has at least one projection which projects at least regionally in the radial direction and is developed along at least a portion of the periphery, at least parts of the at least one projection have an asymmetrical design.
US08647124B2
Method and apparatus to provide simulation of a human casualty. In one embodiment an autonomous casualty simulator includes a processing module having a scenario progression controller and a physiological modeling system to receive sensor input and to control effectors. The autonomous casualty simulator can be contained in a nominal human mannequin form.
US08647123B1
The present invention is a first aid emergency supply kit capable of providing audio and/or video instructions to the user as to how to use the medical supplies contained in the kit. The case is organized so that the medical supplies for different traumas are packaged into individual bags. The user can activate the audio and/or video instructions by pushing a button on the unit's console that corresponds to the particular trauma. Alternatively, the instructions can be activated by removing a bag from the case which automatically begins the instructions. If a victim has sustained multiple injuries, and the user has depressed multiple buttons or removed multiple bags, then the device automatically prioritizes the traumas and provides instructions on the multiple traumas in the proper order.
US08647102B2
A print head assembly that includes a print head carriage and multiple, replaceable print heads that are configured to be removably retained in receptacles of the print head carriage. The print heads each include a cartridge assembly and a liquefier pump assembly retained by the cartridge assembly.
US08647097B2
An intermittent film forming system is provided, comprising a mold having a fine projections and depressions shape formed on the surface, a press for pressing a film to the surface of the mold, a transportation for carrying the film, and a releasing device for releasing the film from the mold surface. The releasing device is provided with a stripper roll for stripping the film, a means for rotary driving the stripper roll, an auxiliary roll arranged substantially in parallel with the stripper roll across a film path line, a means for moving the auxiliary roll on the periphery of the stripper roll such that the film embraces the stripper roll, and a guide for moving the stripper roll and the auxiliary roll in the vicinity of the surface of the mold in parallel therewith, while maintaining the relative positional relationship that the film embraces the stripper roll.
US08647080B2
The motor-driven compressor is mounted on a first mounting of a vehicle. The motor-driven compressor includes a compressor body, a second mounting, a first spacer, a flexible conductor and a fastener. The compressor body is electrically powered to draw in fluid for compression and to discharge the compressed fluid. The second mounting is formed on the compressor body and has a mounting hole. The first spacer is made of a resin and interposed between the first mounting and the second mounting. The conductor is formed integrally with the first spacer for electrically connecting the first mounting and the second mounting. The fastener is made of a resin and inserted through the mounting hole of the second mounting for joining the first mounting and the second mounting.
US08647074B2
An improved pump, reservoir and reservoir piston are provided for controlled delivery of fluids. A motor is operably coupled to a drive member, such as a drive screw, which is adapted to advance a plunger slide in response to operation of the motor. The plunger slide is removably coupled to the piston. A method, system, and an article of manufacture for automatically detecting an occlusion in a medication infusion pump is provided. The electrical current to an infusion pump is measured. Based on a series of measurements of one or more variables, the infusion pump detects whether there is an occlusion in the system.
US08647072B2
A composite material comprises plies 2, 4, 6, 8, which may be prepregs. Film elements 10 are provided between at least two adjacent ones of the plies 2, 4, 6, 8. The film elements are made from a release material which inhibits adhesion between regions of the resin on opposite sides of the respective film elements, and are randomly distributed. The film elements 10 provide delamination sites within the component. The component may be a test piece for assessing the delamination behavior of the material. Alternatively, the delamination behavior caused by the film elements 10 may have a useful purpose, for example to control regions of a component in which delamination occurs following events such as a bird strike on a fan blade of a gas turbine engine.
US08647062B2
A device for improving performance of an aircraft with a propeller includes a constant torque blade setting device that slaves, automatically and independently, blade setting angles, respectively associated with blades of the propeller, to a constant reference control moment predetermined, for a desired propeller thrust value. The blade setting angles are intended to be applied on each blade such that torsion aerodynamic moments applied on blades stay roughly equal to the reference control moment regardless of the angular position of blades in the propeller plane. A corresponding method for improving performance of an aircraft includes the use of the constant torque blade setting device to slave blade setting angles to a constant reference control moment.
US08647060B2
This horizontal axis wind turbine comprises a plurality of yaw motors that are provided on one of either a nacelle or a tower, and a gear 2 that is provided on the other of either the nacelle or the tower and that engages with the drive gears 4m, 4n of the plurality of yaw motors, such that when the plurality of yaw motors stop the rotation of the nacelle, some of the yaw motors are stopped and held by yaw motor brakes, then after a delay, the other yaw motors are stopped and held by yaw motor brakes. When the other yaw motors are stopped, the drive gears 4m of the some yaw motors and the drive gears 4n of the other yaw motors hold the gear 2 by pressing against the gear 2 in opposite directions of rotation.
US08647055B2
Shroud assembly for use in a turbine, having an outer shroud having a side proximate to flow of operative fluid of the turbine, the side having a boss and an outer shroud aperture extending through the boss. An inner shroud is located between the side of the outer shroud proximate to the flow of operative fluid and the operative fluid flow of the turbine, the inner shroud having an inner shroud aperture which is dimensioned to fit over the boss.
US08647054B2
An axial turbomachine including a rotor blade cascade is provided. The rotor blade cascade includes rotor blades each including front edge, a radially outer free blade tip and an annular enclosure enclosing the rotor blade cascade with an annulus inner side by means of which the annular enclosure is arranged directly adjacent to the blade tips to give a radial gap between the enveloping ends of the blade tips and the annulus inner side. The rotor blades include a radial projection in the region of the front edge on the blade tip and the annular enclosure has an annular radial recess in the annulus inner side, arranged at a radial distance from the ends of the blade tips, such that in the main flow direction of the axial turbomachine the line of the radial projections on the side facing the radial gap matches the line of the radial recess.
US08647050B2
A wind power system including a wind turbine affixed to a support tower, and a wind deflector deployable relative to a direction of air flow and configured to control the movement of at least a portion of air flow passing through rotor blades of the wind turbine to reduce wind loads on the components of the wind turbine while maintaining the air flow in an operating power production range.
US08647045B1
A bucket attachment for skid loaders and the like that provides a forward hinge material bucket that effectively extends the usable load height for the bucket. The bucket attachment affords loading material into higher trucks using the same skid loader by a uniquely positioned bucket dual pivot system.
US08647041B2
To collect refuse, a portable material container gripper is mounted to lift arms of a refuse collection truck. The portable material container gripper is easily mounted to the lift arms by inserting a tube around the lift arms and locking it in place with a bar passing through an opening in the tube. The portable material container gripper includes a clamp that clamps around a horizontal bar on a refuse or material container to hold the refuse or material container in place while it is dumped into the bed of the refuse collection truck by the lift arms.
US08647028B2
A cutting tool for grooving, parting and turning machining operations is capable of grooving to unlimited depths of cut. The cutting tool includes an indexable double-ended cutting insert having a downwardly extending insert clamping portion resiliently clamped in a self-retaining manner in an insert pocket so that chip formation is not hindered during such machining operations.
US08647026B2
A cutting tool includes a tool body having a plurality of pockets for receiving cutting inserts. Each pocket includes a bottom support surface, an axial support surface, a radial support surface and a corner relief between the bottom support surface and the axial support surface. A pocket feature is at least partially located proximate the pocket, and more specifically, at least partially located on a wall between the axial support surface and the radial support surface for reducing a tensile stress of the cutting tool during a machining operation.
US08647018B2
A frame rail assembly for a boat dock structure includes a first frame rail member, a second frame rail member and a corner bumper member. The first frame rail member is secured to a first side of the boat dock structure and includes a first channel and a second channel The second frame rail member is secured to a second side of the boat dock structure and includes a first channel and a second channel. The corner bumper is positioned at a corner between a first end of the first frame rail member and a first end of the second frame rail member. The corner bumper member includes a first section and a second section. The first section includes coupling members engaged with the channels of the first frame rail member, and the second section includes coupling members engaged with the channels of the second frame rail member.
US08647017B2
Embodiments of gravity base structures are disclosed that comprise first and second elongated base sections separated by an open region and configured to support the on-bottom weight of the structure on a seabed, and an upper section positioned above the open region and configured to extend at least partially above the water surface to support topside structures. Some embodiments further comprise first and second inclined sections coupling the base sections to the upper section. Some embodiments comprise a skirt structure below the base sections for facilitating engagement with the seabed. Some embodiments comprise selectively fillable internal fluid chambers to facilitate raising and lowering the structure in a sea and relocating the structure.
US08647014B2
A buoy for use in reducing the amplitude of waves in water and a system making use of plural buoys to create a floating breakwater. Each buoy is arranged to be constrained, e.g., connected to an anchor, and comprising a body e.g., a cylindrical member having at least one outwardly projecting fin, that is configured to be resonant and impedance matched. The buoy and anchoring approach allows for self-tuning to the changes in the wave spectrum due to the tidal or storm surge induced changes in the water depth. The body of the floating buoy is not limited to circular cylinder, and could be square, hexagonal, triangular, etc. but must have at least one exterior mounted fin.
US08647010B2
A joint assembly (1) with a joint ball (4) through which an axle body (12; 112; 212; 312) extends. The joint ball (4) is mounted in and able to rotate relative to a housing (5) that at least partially surrounds the joint ball (4) and/or one or more support rings (6) with a rubber-elastic intermediate layer (7). The joint assembly (1) is designed so that the axle body (12; 112; 212; 312) can rotate within the joint ball (4).
US08647001B2
A recording apparatus includes: a record head which forms an image on a recording medium; a conveyance mechanism which has an outer circumferential surface opposing the record head and conveys the recording medium placed on the outer circumferential surface; and a media attracting unit which causes the recording medium to be attracted onto the outer circumferential surface and includes a first electrode which is provided to oppose an inner circumferential surface of the conveyance belt which surface is opposite to the outer circumferential surface of the conveyance belt, a second electrode which opposes the outer circumferential surface of the conveyance belt and is detached from the outer circumferential surface, and a voltage supply unit which applies a voltage across the first electrode and the second electrode.
US08646978B2
A decoupling system for a rotary shaft of an aircraft turbojet, the decoupling system including: a rolling bearing including rolling elements inserted between a first ring fastened to a stationary bearing support and a second ring mounted in a mounting chamber fastened to a rotary shaft; a transmission mechanism transmitting rotary torque from the rotary shaft to the second ring; a mechanism allowing the second ring to move radially relative to the mounting chamber when a static force associated with an unbalance affecting the rotary shaft exceeds a predetermined threshold; and a plurality of leaktight flexible bags interposed between the second ring and the mounting chamber and each including a heterogeneous structure including a porous capillary solid matrix and an associated liquid relative to which the matrix is lyophobic.
US08646971B2
A portable bag having a first layer of fabric and a second layer of fabric that are attached at outer edges to form a first hollow chamber. The layers of fabric are folded to form a first pocket and a second pocket. The first pocket is folded to form a flap. Magnets are inserted within the first pocket and the flap such that the magnets align when the flap is folded over the first pocket.
US08646962B2
Provided is a light guide plate that is suited for a compact illumination device emitting high-grade light and that allows the orientation thereof to be recognized with ease, an illumination device equipped with the light guide plate, and a display device equipped with the illumination device. Two protrusions (12A, 12B) are formed on a light-receiving face (11r) of a light guide plate (11), and these protrusions (12A, 12B) serve as a recognition member that allows the orientation of a top surface (11u) of the light guide plate (11) to be recognized.
US08646954B2
An adaptive projection system for the headlights of motor vehicles consists of a reflector (6) with light source (11), a lens (10), and a diaphragm system with a fixed screening diaphragm in the shape of a cradle and with a movable optical diaphragm (1) in the shape of a hyperboloid, cylindrical or conical sector (17, 18), which rotates at the same time as the shaft of the motor (3), on which it is firmly fastened at both sides by means of stanchions (2), and by its controlled stopping in certain positions it produces the required light beams.
US08646951B2
The present disclosure relates to an illuminating apparatus which is received at the back of an outer surface and which includes: a lighting part having a front surface, through which the light is irradiated, and a rear surface, which is the back side of the front surface; an electric connector electrically connected to the lighting part and coupled to a power supply at the back of the outer surface; and a length-adjustable shaft provided between the lighting part and the electric connector and bringing the rear surface of the lighting part into contact with the outer surface.
US08646949B2
An optical emitter enabling conversion of light from a light source. The optical emitter includes a first conic reflector defining an aperture for receiving the light source, a second conic reflector opposite the first conic reflector for collimating light emitted by the light source, and a volumetric light conversion element between at least a portion of the first reflector and at least a portion of the second reflector. The optical emitter can also include a convex mirror adjacent the vertex of the second conic reflector, and an elliptical element adjacent the first conic reflector. The light conversion element can include phosphor dispersed in a resin to convert light from a first wavelength to light of a second, longer, wavelength, wherein converted light is emitted from the light conversion element.
US08646947B2
A multicolor illumination device uses a blue or UV light source to excite wavelength conversion materials and a red light source as a direct illumination light. The lights from the two light sources are combined onto a moving wavelength conversion element. The moving wavelength conversion element includes multiple segments alternatingly disposed in the paths of the incident lights, including a first segment with no wavelength conversion material, and other segments which may carry blue, green and/or yellow wavelength conversion materials. A control system controls the on/off of the two light sources so that when the first segment is in the light path, the red light source is on and the blue/UV light source is off, and vice versa when the other segments are in the light path. Alternatively, dichroic filters may be fixedly provided on the segments of the wavelength conversion element to block the blue/UV or red light.
US08646942B2
A luminaire includes an electrical base, an optic, and a heat sink disposed between the base and the optic. The lens has a first curved portion, a second curved portion and a third portion. An LED light source is coupled to the heat sink with LED modules arranged to direct light in the same direction. A frustoconical member having a reflective outer surface is disposed between the lens and the LED light source wherein the LED light source has LED modules disposed to emit at least a portion of light toward the reflective outer surface such that light is emitted with a substantially even luminous intensity in a 0°-135° zone.
US08646923B2
A rear view mirror (1) for a motor vehicle comprising a metal-coated substrate (2) which forms a main mirror surface (4) and is provided in a subarea with an additional blind spot mirror (6) is to provide a particularly high reproduction quality of the reflected image, while production costs are kept down. For this purpose, according to the invention, the additional blind spot mirror (6) is bonded onto the side of the substrate (2) remote from the direction of light incidence on the substrate (2) by a transparent, light-resistant adhesive.
US08646922B2
A mirror mounting assembly for mounting a mirror on a vehicle bulkhead. The assembly includes a mirror element and a main support arm having a first end and a second end. The mirror element is connected to the first end of the main support arm. The second end of the main support arm is mountable to the vehicle. A pair of brackets are configured to conform to an engine bay side wall of the vehicle. Each bracket has a center portion and two laterally extending flanges that extend at an angle from the center portion in opposite directions. One of the flanges of each bracket is connectable to the bulkhead of the vehicle in the engine bay. A first additional support arm has a first end connected to a first one of the brackets and a second end connected to the main support arm. A second additional support arm has a first end connected to the main support arm and a second end connectable to the vehicle. Finally, a third additional support arm has a first end connected to the main support arm and a second end connectable to the vehicle.
US08646913B2
A low-coherence light is split into a signal light and a reference light. The optical path length of the reference light is switched to optical path lengths that correspond to a first depth zone and a second depth zone. When forming a tomographic image of the second depth zone, in an optical system that condenses the signal light to the first depth zone when a measured object and an objective lens are located at a predetermined working distance, while being positioned at the working distance, a depth zone switching lens that transitions the depth at which the signal light is condensed to the second depth zone is inserted.
US08646904B2
A sheet feeding device, including: a sheet cassette configured to accommodate sheets; a conveyance path through which each of the sheets accommodated in the sheet cassette is conveyed; a rotation roller provided at one of a start point and a vicinity thereof in the conveyance path; a motor configured to rotatably drive the rotation roller; a pressure body configured to come into pressing contact with the rotation roller via the sheet; and a moving mechanism configured to separate the rotation roller and the pressure body, which are in pressing contact with each other, away from each other in dependence on drive stop of the motor.
US08646903B2
A printing apparatus includes a media input tray including a surface for holding media; and a media output tray including a first edge and a second edge opposite the first edge, the media output tray includes a first position such that the first edge is located at a first distance h1 from the surface of the media input tray and the second edge is located at a second distance h2 from the surface of the media input tray; and a second position such that the first edge is at a third distance h3 from the surface of the media input tray and the second edge is located at a fourth distance h4 from the surface of the media input tray, wherein h4>h2, h4>h3, and h3>h1.
US08646902B2
An inkjet recording apparatus includes a platen configured to support a recording medium at a position facing a recording head, a suction portion arranged at the platen and configured to suck the recording medium, an ink receiving portion arranged at the platen and configured to receive ink discharged on a region beyond an end of the recording medium, a negative pressure producing portion configured to produce a negative pressure to be applied to the suction portion and the ink receiving portion, and a communication portion causing the suction portion to communicate with the ink receiving portion at the outside of a conveyance region of the recording medium.
US08646900B2
A printing device includes a head having a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink that hardens under emission of light are arranged, the head being adapted for ejecting the ink from the nozzle row onto a medium that undergoes a relative movement, thereby forming a plurality of dot lines; a light source for emitting light; an adjusting part for adjusting a distance between the head and the light source; a detecting part for detecting a dot width of a given dot line; correction data in which a concentration correction value is defined for every dot line; and a memory part for storing a dot width of the given dot line in relation to when the correction data was created; wherein the distance between the head and the light source is adjusted.
US08646894B2
Disclosed herein is a liquid ejecting head in which a liquid introducing portion includes a liquid introducing flow passage which introduces a liquid from a liquid storage member having the liquid stored therein, a bubble chamber which accommodates a bubble entrained into the liquid introducing flow passage and a filter that is provided at a bottom of the bubble chamber, and a liquid ejecting head main body which introduces the liquid from the liquid introducing portion to a pressure chamber through a liquid flow passage and is able to discharge the liquid in the pressure chamber from nozzles as liquid droplets, wherein a lyophobic region having a lyophobic property is provided on a surface of the filter facing the bubble chamber side.
US08646893B2
A printer includes an image drum temperature regulation system that helps reduce thermal gradients on the image drum surface. The image drum temperature regulation system includes a feedback controller and a feed-forward controller. The image drum temperature regulation system operates the heaters and fan of the image drum with reference to a temperature difference between actual temperature of the image drum and a temperature setpoint and to the thermal effect of ejecting an ink image onto the image drum.
US08646887B2
The liquid cartridge includes a housing configured to accommodate the liquid container for storing liquid, a groove portion formed on an outer surface of the housing, a liquid lead-out opening, formed on a bottom surface of the groove portion communicating with the liquid container and configured such that the liquid lead-out path for guiding the liquid inside the liquid container to the outside is connected to or disconnected from the liquid lead-out path, a flow path extending toward the inside of the housing from an end of the groove portion in a liquid dripping direction, and a liquid absorbing member provided at an end opposite to the groove portion of the flow path.
US08646883B2
Drop formation devices are provided with a sequence of drop formation waveforms to modulate the liquid jets to selectively cause portions of the liquid jets to break off into print drops having a print drop volume Vp and non-print drops having a non-print drop volume Vnp. The print and non-print drop volumes are distinct from each other. A timing delay device shifts the timing of drop formation waveforms supplied to drop formation devices of first and second nozzle groups so that print drops from the first and second nozzle groups are not aligned relative to each other. A charging device includes a charge electrode that is positioned in the vicinity of break off of liquid jets to produce a print drop charge state on drops of volume Vp and to produce a non-print drop charge state on drops of volume Vnp.
US08646878B2
Disclosed is an ink-jet head that can suppress occurrence of the crosstalk and facilitate a smooth ink circulation in pressure chambers. The ink jet head includes two or more pressure chambers 110 configured to be supplied with ink and each having a nozzle; ink supply channel 101 communicating with each of pressure chambers 110 and configured to allow the ink to flow to each of pressure chambers 110; ink discharge channel 102 communicating with each of pressure chambers 110 and configured to allow the ink discharged from each of pressure chambers 110 to flow; ink inlet channel 107 connecting each of pressure chambers 110 to ink supply channel 102; ink outlet channel 108 connecting each of pressure chambers 110 to ink discharge channel 102. An inner surface of ink outlet channel 108 includes unevenness 109.
US08646867B2
A first discharge inspection part is configured to inspect and judge a first target nozzle regarding whether or not the first target nozzle discharges the liquid, and is configured to again inspect the first target nozzle if noise is detected. A second discharge inspection part is configured to inspect and judge a second target nozzle regarding whether or not the second target nozzle discharges the liquid, and is configured to again inspect the second target nozzle if noise is detected. The first discharge inspection part and the second discharge inspection part inspect the first target nozzle and the second target nozzle in parallel. The first target nozzle and the second target nozzle shift, if the first target nozzle has been judged, regardless of or not the noise is detected during the first target nozzle being again inspected.
US08646866B2
A recording apparatus can be prevented from becoming dirty, for example, due to incorrectly loading a recording medium. If a width of the recording medium that has been detected by the detection means is shorter than a width, in the direction that intersects the carrying direction of the recording medium, over which the recording information is to be recorded, then a portion of the recording information, of the entire recording information, corresponding to the width, or to less than the width, of the recording medium that has been detected by the detection means is recorded onto the recording medium by the recording head. A notice is made when the width of the recording medium that has been detected by the detection means is different from a width of the size of the recording medium that has been set with the setting means. The ON/OFF of an operation through which the detection means detects the width of the recording medium is settable.
US08646865B2
A printing apparatus includes a printing unit printing an image on a print sheet with a print agent; a discharging unit; a conveying unit including a conveying path; a measuring unit provided on the conveying path of the conveying unit to measure each colored area formed by the printing unit that deposits the print agent on the print sheet from at least one of a first face and a second face; and a conveyance control unit performing a first conveying process in which the colored area passes through a measurement point after a certain time from the formation of the colored area in the measurement of the colored area and a second conveying process in which the colored area passes through the measurement point before the certain time from the formation of the colored area in non-measurement of the colored area.
US08646862B2
In an inkjet printer, a method for of compensating for defects in printed images identifies a cross-process direction location of a defect in a printed image and a candidate inkjet corresponding to the location of the defect. The method modifies the operation of the candidate inkjet to form a second ink image. The method identifies a second inkjet that actually formed the first image defect in response to identifying a second defect in the second ink image located proximate to the first defect. The method enables identification and compensation of inoperable inkjets when image data do not correspond perfectly to inkjets in the printer.
US08646858B2
A printer (10) for groups of products (101) supported on a table structure (100) comprising at least one opening (11) for supplying the tables (100) and a plane (14) for advancing a single table (100) towards a printing head (15), in which the printing head (15) is mobile only in a direction parallel to the advancing plane (14) and that, at the printing head (15), means are provided for moving the table (100) with respect to the printing head (15) mobile between a first position, in which the table (100) is at a distal position with respect to the printing head (15), and a second position in which the table (100) is at a proximal position with respect to the printing head (15), in the second position the table (100) being at contact with an abutment (41) arranged at a predetermined distance with respect to the printing head (15).
US08646851B2
A vehicle wheel having a rim and a disk. A disk flange of the disk may have a non-contact portion non-contacting a radially inner surface of the rim, at a radially outer extension of a width center line of a spoke. As a result, the rigidity of a portion of the disk in the circumferential direction of the wheel where the spoke is provided may be decreased compared with a wheel (conventional) where such non-contact portion is not provided. A difference in rigidity of the disk in the circumferential direction of the wheel between a portion where the vent window is provided and a portion where the spoke is provided may be smaller than that in the case of the conventional wheel, whereby a durability of the wheel and a run-out accuracy of the wheel may be improved.
US08646849B2
A support assembly for a surface treating appliance includes a roller having one or more tires, wherein the one or more tires are fused to the roller. The roller can include a polymer such as polypropylene and may also include a glass filled impact modified copolymer such as a 20% glass filed impact modified copolymer. The tires can include a thermoplastic elastomer such as a modified polymer including a mixture of polypropylene and an ethylene propylene diene monomer. The thermoplastic elastomer may have a hardness of from 55 to 95 Duro measured on the A scale, more specifically from 70 to 79 Duro on the A scale or from 80 to 95 Duro on the A scale.
US08646841B2
An ergonomic pedestal seat that interacts with the sitter's musculoskeletal system in a way that optimizes their use of gravitational forces is provided. This seat orients a sitter toward an alignment that encourages a balance between gravity's descending force and its ascending counterforce, the ground reaction force. The seat comprises a four-tier seat base, a non-vertical central supporting column and a contoured seat pan. The base has a surface that allows the sitter to sustain a stable alignment and to rock forward or sideward or both, as well as a Lazy Susan mechanism that permits turning. This seat supports the sitter through a range of seated activities, including quiet activities such as meditation and complex tasks requiring reaching, bending and turning. When on this seat sitting becomes a source of pleasure rather than an activity of drudgery.
US08646838B2
A child booster seat includes a seat body having a cavity wall that confines a receiving cavity and that is formed with an opening. The child booster seat further includes a strap including a first end segment and a second end segment, and a coupling member attached to the second end segment. The strap is configured to couple with the seat body in a manner that the first end segment is retained in the receiving cavity and the second end segment is disposed to be extended through the opening in the seat body to dispose the first coupling member outwardly of the receiving cavity. The coupling member is connected releasably to the seat body so that the strap is operable to bind the seat body to the chair.
US08646833B2
A vehicle body includes hollow left and right side sills. Front ends of the side sills are formed into closed cross sections and substantially inverted-L shapes. The front end of the right side sill is bilaterally symmetrical to the front end of the left side sill. Rear ends of the left and right side sills are formed into substantially square-shaped cross sections. Portions from the front ends to the rear ends of the side sills are formed into closed cross sections which change smoothly from the inverted-L shaped cross sections to the square-shaped cross sections.
US08646829B2
A lift gate having a deformable section which allows the lift gate to deform rather than break during a low speed impact event. The lift gate has a deformable section located between an inner panel and an outer panel. The deformable section is able to deform during a low speed impact event against the outer panel, thereby preventing the inner panel from receiving any of the impact. This allows the inner panel to be significantly more rigid than the outer panel and the deformable section, and, therefore, provides the necessary structural support for the lift gate while withstanding collisions on the Impact Zone.
US08646815B2
A gate latch system including a button assembly, a latch assembly, and a keeper assembly. The gate latch assembly can be opened from the side of the gate opposite the latch through the use of a spindle extending from a button assembly on one side of the gate to a latch assembly located on the opposite side of the gate and which includes a latch retention member. The latch assembly and button assembly are configured so that the spindle extends from the button assembly to the latch assembly through the gate opening such that there is no need to make a hole through the gate and/or covering to accommodate the spindle.
US08646814B2
Coupling devices for joining pipe ends include annular gaskets. Example gaskets include pipe interface profiles for sealing performance and manufacturability.
US08646812B2
A connector assembly has a hollow first connector and a hollow second connector. The first connector has an engaging block. The second connector has an opened connecting end, a guiding groove, a resilient tab cavity, an escaping segment and a resilient tab. The resilient tab cavity is defined in the second connector at a side of the guiding groove opposite to the connecting end and communicates with the guiding groove. The escaping segment is formed on and protrudes from an outer surface of the second connector at a position between the guiding groove and the connecting end of the second connector and is hollow to define an escaping space communicating with the guiding groove. The resilient tab is formed on and protrudes from an inner surface of the resilient tab space and has a free end extending into the guiding groove.
US08646809B2
Disclosed herein is a length adjustable skate blade guard. The blade guard includes a first guard surrounding at least portion of a lower surface of a skate blade and a front end of the skate blade. A second guard surrounds a remaining portion of the lower surface of the skate blade and a rear end of the skate blade. At least one extension block is coupled between the first guard and the second guard, and extends a length of the guard to correspond to a length of the skate blade. At least one elastic body is secured at opposite ends thereof to the first guard and the second guard, respectively, the elastic body elastically putting the facing first and second guards in close contact with each other.
US08646802B2
A baby stroller for receiving a car seat is disclosed. The stroller has a frame structure including a car seat receiving frame and a push handle. The car seat receiving frame has four sides including a front bar and a back bar. One or more support straps are attached to the car seat receiving frame and located below the car seat receiving frame, where each support strap has one end attached to the front bar and another end attached to the back bar of the car seat receiving frame. The support straps are adjustable in length. When a car seat is rested on the car seat receiving frame, the bottom of the car seat is supported by the support straps. A safety strap is provided to secure the car seat to the frame structure. The stroller does not have a seat for seating a child.
US08646801B2
The teachings provided herein are generally directed to compact vehicle drive mechanisms that can be used in the design of a foldable, carry-on vehicle. The compact drive mechanisms presented herein, for example, have contributed to the advent of the compact, carry-on bicycles set-forth in the teachings which include drive-and-steering units and drive-and-chassis units.
US08646800B2
A braking device for a board for gliding, includes a brake movable between a first, braking position, in which the brake occupies a low position wherein the brake is in frictional contact with the ground, and a second, non-braking position, in which the brake occupies a raised position, and a brake control device connecting the brake with a strap of a boot binding on the board for gliding, such that the brake control device causes the brake to move to the non-braking position upon closing and/or tightening of a strap of the boot binding.
US08646799B2
Hitch guide assemblies having a displaceable guide member are described. In certain embodiments, the hitch guide assembly comprises a guide a guide member and a guide mechanism that is adapted to displace the guide member upon the application of an external force to at least a portion of the guide mechanism.
US08646793B1
A vehicle front suspension includes a lower suspension support structure, an upper suspension support structure, a steering knuckle and a strut. The steering knuckle has a lower end pivotally coupled to the lower suspension support structure and an upper end. The strut has an upper end connected to the upper suspension support structure, and a lower end fixedly attached to the upper end of the steering knuckle by an upper knuckle breakaway structure. The upper knuckle breakaway structure has a predetermined frangible part that releases the upper end of the steering knuckle from the strut upon application of a prescribed rearward directed force on at least one of the lower suspension support structure and the steering knuckle.
US08646788B2
A saddle riding type vehicle includes a vehicle body frame 4 constituting the vehicle, a front wheel disposed steerably on the vehicle body frame 4, a steering shaft 27 transmitting a steering input from a rider to the front wheel, and a steering damper 36 giving a steering mechanism 57 an attenuation force relative to rotation of the steering shaft 27. The steering damper 36 includes a damper case 72, a vane rotatable in the damper case 72, and an arm 73 directly connected to the vane and extending to an outside of the damper case 72. The damper case 72 is disposed between an upper steering shaft 27a and a lower steering shaft 27b to form part of the steering shaft 27, and the arm 73 is directly connected to the vehicle body frame 4.
US08646774B2
A sheet transport device includes a registration section, a first sheet transport path and a second sheet transport path the two transport directions of which are substantially perpendicular to the sheet transport direction of the registration section, a confluence transport path, and a first guide member. The confluence transport path merges the first sheet transport path and the second sheet transport path. The first guide member may rotate toward the first sheet transport path when the sheet is fed from the first sheet transport path to the confluence transport path. The first guide member may rotate toward the second sheet transport path when the sheet is fed from the second sheet transport path to the confluence transport path.
US08646773B2
A device (1) for conveying sheet documents between upstream and downstream sheet document processors is disclosed. The device (1) is independent from the upstream and downstream sheet document processors and comprises a receiving section (4) adapted to receive, in use, sheet documents discharged by the upstream sheet document processor into an output pocket of the upstream sheet document processor, and a transport (7, 8) extending from the receiving section (4) to an output section (26). The transport (7, 8) is adapted to convey sheet documents received at the receiving section (4) to the output section (26). The sheet documents are then discharged from the output section (26), in use, to the downstream sheet document processor. A corresponding method is also disclosed.
US08646766B2
A clamping device includes a body having a first guiding feature and a slider component positioned within the body that is moveable between a first position and a second position. A pair of jaw members is coupled to a slider assembly, wherein the jaw members are moveable between a first state and a second state based on a direction of travel of the slider component. At least one of the jaw members includes a second guiding feature operably coupled to the first guiding feature of the body. The first and second guiding features cause the jaw members to automatically pivot from the first state to the second state when the slider component travels from the first position to the second position and pivot from the second state to the first state when the slider component travels from the second position to the first position.
US08646756B2
The gate (10) comprises a pair of opposite side frame members (20, 22) wherein each said side frame member has a respective aperture (32), the apertures being disposed opposite to one another. The gate also includes a pair of opposite end frame members (24, 26) and infill typically in the form of an infill panel (12) for restricting egress through the gate (10). The pair of end frame members (24, 26) span from one of the side frame members (20, 22) to the other of the side frame members (20, 22), and opposite ends of one of the end frame members are received in the apertures (32) of the side frame members. The end frame members and the side frame members form a peripheral frame about the infill panel (12), and at least one of the apertures (32) in the side frame members is dimensioned to form a space for permitting relative movement of the end frame members (24, 26) toward each other to fixedly hold the infill panel in position within the frame during assembly of the gate.
US08646753B2
A system for transporting shipping containers using a tractor with a first support assembly attached to its fifth wheel, and a wheeled, second support assembly. Both the front and rear assemblies include cargo-container-engaging vertical frames that are raised and lowered by pivoting main cylinders. As the main cylinders raise the vertical frames and the container to which the vertical frames are secured to, two locking arms telescope with the vertical arm to hold the raised container in position. The second support assembly may be self-propelled for maneuvering into position with respect to the container or may be manually pulling short distances with by hand.
US08646751B2
A metal seal for valves of the ball type, the metal seal including a rigid annular body including a thickness in the longitudinal direction, and an annular lip having a front surface for relative contact with a surface of the ball, wherein said front surface for making relative contact comprises inset radial grooves.
US08646750B1
A ceramic water control valve with ceramic chips having pressing leak-proof functions is provided with a pressing ceramic chip and a pressing seal ring. The sliding ceramic chip is in a directional positioning state and can be pressed to be abutted with the fixed ceramic chip more tightly and durably, so as to enhance the leak-proof effect on top of the shell. The ceramic water control valve has a lateral outgoing path pattern, which can improve its durability and applicability.
US08646738B2
The invention relates to a device comprising a base plate and a support for adjusting the height of an assembly, in particular of a galley module in an aircraft, without using tools.According to the invention, two opposing wedge bodies are arranged such that they can be displaced horizontally between the base plate and the support, the oppositely directed manual displacement of the two wedge bodies, when the lock levers have been raised, causes in the “adjusting position” a raising or lowering of the support for the height adjustment. The assembly is connected to the support, for example by a conventional screw connection through the attachment hole in the support.The device according to the invention allows a user to perform a simple and rapid height adjustment of an assembly arranged thereon, thereby greatly reducing the assembly effort required for prefabricated assemblies or modules in aircraft.
US08646737B1
A holding device for use when mixing materials in a bucket. The holding device has a support base with a flat bucket placement area. At least one vertical guide extends upwardly from the support base, along a periphery of the bucket placement area. A locking cam is provided that is connected to the support base with a pivot connection. The pivot connection enables the locking cam to rotate in a plane parallel to the support base from a first position that is outside the bucket placement area to a second position that is at least in part within the bucket placement area. When a bucket is placed upon the flat bucket support base, the locking cam is out of the way. Once the bucket is positioned, the locking cam is rotated until the locking cam engages the exterior of the bucket and prevents the bucket from spinning.
US08646735B2
Described in certain embodiments are mounting systems that employ one or more T-posts to support useful implements such as birdhouses, signs, fencing, banners, and the like. Additional disclosed embodiments relate to unique post- or wall-mount systems for such implements.
US08646732B2
A mechanical elbow clamp, a system using the clamp, and a method of supporting a pipe with the clamp are disclosed. The elbow clamp includes a first clamp and a second clamp. One end of the first clamp is attached to one end of the second clamp. The elbow clamp also includes an upper link, which attaches another end of the first clamp to another end of the second clamp, and a load bearing element attached to the upper link.
US08646726B2
This invention provides an improvement in a no-back device having a ball screw connected to a variable load of reversible polarity (±L) and having a portion penetrating a housing. The device includes a braking mechanism acting between the housing and the ball screw for producing a force that resists movement of the ball screw in the direction of an “aiding” load, but does not substantially resist movement of the ball screw in the direction of an “opposing” load. The improvement broadly includes: a first spring acting between the housing and the braking mechanism for exerting a first preload force (F1) on the braking mechanism for simulating the application of an external load on the ball screw in one of the directions; whereby the apparent operational integrity of the no-back device may be checked when no external load is applied to the ball screw. In use, the apparatus performs the steps of: providing a first spring; causing the first spring to exert a first preload force (F1) on the braking mechanism; determining the actual torque (Ta) required to move the ball screw while the aircraft is on the ground; comparing the actual torque with a theoretical torque (Tt) required to move the ball screw; and inferring that the no-back device is not operating correctly if the actual torque is less than the theoretical torque; thereby to test the apparent operational integrity of the no-back device when the aircraft is on the ground.
US08646716B2
A carousel for the storage of flexible product, and a method of loading flexible product thereon, wherein said carousel comprises an open drum mounted to rotate around a vertical axis, an elevatable floor, preferably internal to said drum and lifting means for lifting and lowering said elevatable floor. Said lifting means possibly being located between a base of said carousel and said elevatable floor. Said carousel may be of the type designed for location under deck on a marine pipelaying vessel, said flexible product being flexible conduit for the transport of hydrocarbons.
US08646707B2
A food waste disposer has a food conveying section that receives food waste and water; a grind section including a grind mechanism, and a motor section including a motor. The grind mechanism includes a rotating shredder plate assembly that is rotated in a grind ring to grind food waste to form a slurry of ground food waste and water. The upper end bell has a circumferentially sloped floor and the upper end bell also includes a turbulence imparting feature that imparts turbulence in the slurry as it flows through a discharge channel of the upper end bell.
US08646706B2
Disclosed is a method for protecting aluminum nitride from moisture. At first, a mixing apparatus is provided. Aluminum nitride powder, calcium silicate, dodecylamine, a binding agent and an anhydrous solvent are mixed with one another by the mixing apparatus. The mixture is made into grains in a granulating process. The hydrophilism, thermal stability and thermal conductivity of the dodecylamine are used to make the grains moisture-proof and not vulnerable to deterioration. Thus, the stability of the aluminum nitride is improved.
US08646696B2
A chip card (1) comprises a chip card controller (3), a display (6), a display driver (5) operatively coupled to the chip card controller (3) and to the display (6), a user input device (12), and a user input interface (13) operatively coupled to the user input device (12). The user input device (12) is configured to turn on and/or turn off at least parts of the chip card (1) and is an integral part of the display driver (5).
US08646695B2
A wearable RFID device is configured with a geometry and materials that allow an HF RFID system and a UHF RFID system to operate in close proximity to a human body and to each other with minimal impact on performance. An RFID device may have a three-dimensional, multi-planar UHF antenna incorporated into a dielectric core with an HF antenna, or a single-plane UHF antenna separated from an HF antenna by a rigid spacer. A conductive metal backplane is disposed adjacent the wearable RFID device to improve antenna performance when disposed in close proximity to an absorbing body, such as a human being.
US08646694B2
There is described an indicia reading terminal that can be operative to process a frame of image data for attempting to decode a decodable indicia. A frame can be a frame that is among a succession of frames for subjecting to processing subsequent to and during a time a trigger signal is active. Such a succession of frames can include zero or more binned frames, zero or more unbinned frames, zero or more windowed frames, and zero or more unwindowed full frames. An indicia reading terminal can also include a variable focus imaging lens.
US08646691B2
A method of using a machine-readable code to extract information includes using an image-capture device to capture a digital image of a machine-readable code encoding information wherein the image-capture device is positioned at any of a plurality of angles relative to the machine-readable code; using a processor to extract the information encoded in the machine-readable code; using the processor to analyze the captured digital image of the machine-readable code and calculate the relative positioned angle at which the image-capture device was positioned when the image-capture device captured the digital image of the machine-readable code; and using the processor and the calculated relative positioned angle to determine information.
US08646689B2
A method and apparatus for use with a camera that includes a field of view (FOV), the apparatus for indicating at least a first portion of a field of view for analysis and comprising a light source for generating a first light pattern that is directed onto an object surface within the FOV while the light source remains stationary with respect to the object, an adjuster for, while the first light pattern subtends a surface of the object and without moving the light source with respect to the object, modifying the first light pattern to generate a first deformed light pattern that is directed onto the object surface in the FOV and a manual input device for controlling the adjuster to indicate how the first light pattern is to be modified.
US08646686B2
An identification card (ID card) creation and validation system where the ID card includes at least one unambiguous digital identifier together with additional information stored in predetermined data fields. Upon creation, the ID card is scanned to create and store a composite digital image in a central database on a secured server. On presentation by a user to a human operator-gatekeeper, the ID card is scanned and encoded and the encoded data sent to a central database where it is compared with the stored image information of that ID card to positively identify the user using the unambiguous digital information. If the user is positively identified, the encoded data is compared with the stored data to generate to identify and transmit any anomalies to the gatekeeper, thereby allowing the gatekeeper to exercise independent judgment in allowing or denying admission privileges to the presenter.
US08646670B2
A lockable glovebox cover unit is configured for mating engagement with a frame mounted on a motorcycle. The unit includes a rigid cover element presenting a front and back. Portions of the back extend outward. A locking apparatus is received through the cover and includes a rotatable latch on the back of the cover element. When the latch is placed in the locked position access to the interior of the glovebox is not possible. A keyhole is formed on the front of the cover element for access to the interior of the glovebox. Additionally, the cover unit may also be removed from the frame when unlocked. The cover element is preferably made of a synthetic resin. In particularly preferred embodiments the cover unit includes a metal flange affixed to lower portions on the back of the cover. The flange is adapted for mating, gripping engagement to the frame.
US08646665B2
A pistol holster is disclosed that permits a pistol to be loaded while within the holster. To effect this, the holster body containing the lower portion of a pistol, slides downward relative to a slide bar component that holds the breach block of the pistol, allowing a live round of ammunition to be loaded into the pistol's firing chamber with a single hand action, to make the pistol ready for firing. The holster also contains one or more locks to prevent unintentional removal of the pistol from the holster.
US08646662B2
An apparatus for the injection of a fluid filler material includes a static mixer (1), with the static mixer including a housing (2) which includes a first hollow space (47), with at least one mixer element (3) being arranged in the first hollow space. The housing (2) has an outlet element (45). The outlet element (45) has a second hollow space (48), with the second hollow space (48) being connected to the first hollow space (47) such that the fluid filler material can be conducted from the first hollow space (47) into the second hollow space (48). A tubular element (60) is held in the second hollow space (48).
US08646656B2
A system for providing power to a plurality of soap or disinfectant dispensers through a power over ethernet (PoE) network and for sensing various operational parameters of the dispensers and communicating those parameters through the network connection to a central computing device. The system includes a Data/Power controller associated with the dispensers for providing power to the dispenser and for sending and receiving data between one or more sensors in the dispensers and a central computer device.
US08646655B2
Various methods are disclosed for resetting a stalled pump in a fluid dispensing system. In one embodiment, it is determined whether a refill container is received in the dispensing system and then a pump actuator is moved to a loading position when the refill container is removed. Another method sets a run timer, starts a pump actuator, determines whether the pump actuator is still dispensing fluid from the fluid dispensing system upon lapsing of the run timer and then moves the pump actuator if the pump actuator is still dispensing upon the expiration of the run timer. And another method detects opening of a cover, energizes a motor to move an actuator to a loading position, determines when the actuator is at the loading position and then turns the motor off.
US08646641B2
The invention relates to a tank for storing fluid. In one embodiment, a tank (10) for storing fluids is disclosed, the tank comprising a vessel (12) for receiving and storing fluid, and a reinforcing structure (14) for the vessel. The reinforcing structure is located externally of the vessel. The vessel has a generally quadrilateral shape in plan view, and a base (16) which is generally dish-shaped, with an outlet (18) located in a position which facilitates discharge of the fluid from the vessel. In providing a tank having a vessel which is generally quadrilateral shape in plan view, the tank offers benefits over prior cylindrical tanks in terms of maximizing the use of available storage space on a ship, or on a vehicle used to transport the tank. Additionally, in providing a tank having a vessel which has a base that is generally dish-shaped, the tank offers improvements over prior quadrilateral shape tanks. In particular, the tank may be cheaper and easier to construct; may be capable of supporting higher pressures; and/or makes better use of available storage space, due to the curved nature of the base.
US08646637B2
A housing for an electronic device as well as methods for forming the housing are disclosed. The housing can be formed from a substrate having perforations to assist in adhering components internal to the housing. The substrate is typically a multi-layer substrate having at least two layers. In one embodiment, an inner layer of the multi-layer substrate can be provided with perforations. The perforations can them be used to adhere internal features to the multi-layer substrate. The internal features can be used for attaching parts or components to the multi-layer substrate, thereby securing the parts or components to the multi-layer substrate and thus the housing.
US08646630B2
A bridge crane or gantry crane is provided for transferring standard cargo holders, especially ISO containers and swap bodies, between roads and railways. The crane includes a crane trolley that can be moved along a crane carrier in the direction of travel of the crane trolley, and on which a rigid mast is guided that extends in a raising and lowering direction. The mast can be moved in the raising and lowering direction using at least one lifting gear and cables, the lifting gear being disposed on the crane trolley. A load accepting means for standard cargo holders is rigidly fastened to the lower end of the mast. At least two cables are provided which are in contact with opposite ends of a double arm that is mounted on the load accepting means about a substantially horizontal swivel pin.
US08646616B2
Composite membranes including a coating comprising a combination of polyalkylene oxide and imidazol compounds along with various methods for making and using the same. In one embodiment, the composite membrane comprises a thin film polyamide layer including a coating of a reaction product of a polyalkylene oxide compound and an imidazol compound. In another embodiment, the coating comprises a polymer including alkylene oxide repeating units and one or more imidazol functional groups.
US08646609B1
An oil collection tray includes a flange and a tray body which is inclined inward. The tray body has an inner wall which is inclined inward. The tray body has a plurality of spaced vertical recesses formed on an outer wall thereof and a plurality of protruding ribs formed on the inner wall thereof corresponding in position to the vertical recesses. When a number of oil collection trays are piled up, the tray body of the upper oil collection tray is placed into the tray body of the lower oil collection tray. The tray body of the upper oil collection tray extrudes the air O inside the tray body of the lower oil collection tray.
US08646595B2
Snap-on rollers for a conveyor belt. The snap-on roller may be snapped onto an axle or into a cavity of a conveyor belt module. Multi-piece snap-on rollers can be installed radially onto an axle on a conveyor belt and joined together in a puzzle pattern to form a complete roller that can rotate on the axle.
US08646585B2
A non contact electric power transfer device includes: a self resonant coil; an induction coil capable of transmitting and receiving electric power to and from an induction coil capable of the self resonance coil through electromagnetic induction; and a bobbin that has at least one of the self resonant coil and the induction coil attached thereto, and has an accommodation chamber defined therein and capable of accommodating a device therein.
US08646578B2
An extendable mast structure for a fork-lift truck, including an outer mast fixed to the carriage, the spaced columns being interconnected via upper and lower traverses, an extendable inner mast guided by said outer mast on which a load-carrying means is guided to be movable up and down and the columns of which are interconnected via upper or lower traverses or a cross-beam, one mast lift cylinder for each column of said inner mast supported on said outer mast, piston rods of which are adapted to be connected to said cross-beam, and setting means between said piston rods and cross-beam for an equalization of the lift, wherein a male-threaded setting component is attached to the upper end of said piston rod of one of said two mast lift cylinders and a female-threaded bushing is screwed onto the male thread of said setting component and has supporting surfaces for said cross-beam.
US08646574B2
The invention relates to an acoustic skin (22) for an aircraft nacelle acoustic panel, said skin including a plurality of layers (105, 106) stacked with composite planar bands (102) that are each directed by the direction-defining longitudinal axis (107) thereof, the longitudinal axes (107) of the bands (102) of a single layer (105, 106) being parallel therebetween, said bands (102) of said single layer (105, 106) being spaced from each other so as to have acoustic openings within the acoustic skin. The invention relates to a panel including such a skin, to a method for manufacturing said skin, and to a drape-forming head for implementing the method.
US08646573B2
The present invention relates to an exhaust gas treatment device for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine, more preferably of a road vehicle with a housing, in which at least one exhaust gas treatment element is arranged and mounted by means of a bearing mat and with an outlet pipe which is fluidically connected to an outlet chamber formed in the housing. The risk of a contamination of the bearing mat with water can be reduced with a separating bottom which is arranged in the housing and separates the outlet chamber from a collecting chamber. The separating bottom includes several passage openings through which the outlet chamber is fluidically connected to the collecting chamber and which are each enclosed by a collar protruding into the outlet chamber.
US08646572B2
An exhaust muffler for silencing exhaust gases, introduced from a first side, and then discharging them to a second side opposite to the first side, includes a silencing chamber forming structure having first, second and third chambers disposed sequentially from the second side to the first side, an inlet tube to communicate the outside on the first side with the first chamber after having sequentially passed through the third and second chambers, an outlet tube to communicate the second chamber with the outside on the second side after having passed through the first chamber, a first communicating passage communicating between the first and second chambers, and a second communicating passage communicating between the second and third chambers. A peripheral wall portion of the inlet tube, positioned in the third chamber, is formed with a vent hole to communicate a space within the inlet tube with the third chamber.
US08646570B2
In a diaphragm of an electric sound converter which converts vibration such as sound into an electrical signal, a center dome is reinforced while suppressing variations in the sensitivity and frequency response to the minimum, whereby reduction in a high-pass reproduction limit is suppressed, and occurrence of anomalous resonance is prevented. In a diaphragm 1 of an electric sound converter having a center dome 2, a reinforcing film 7 made of the same material as that of the center dome and formed into the same shape as that of the center dome is applied to the center dome with a hot-melt adhesive 6 of the same nature as that of the center dome, a groove 7a formed in a polygonal reticulate pattern is provided on one surface of the reinforcing film adhered with the adhesive, and a convex rib 8 corresponding to the groove is formed on the other surface.
US08646560B2
A motor unit comprises a housing for containing a motor, a motor shaft for receiving a motor provided driving force, a torque sensor mechanism for detecting torque, and a controller for controlling power to the motor in response to a detected amount of torque. An actuator couples the torque sensor to a sensor of the controller. The actuator is configured to move relative to the controller sensor thereby causing the sensor to produce a signal indicative of the detected level of torque. The controller is contained within the housing of the motor. The motor unit may also have an auxiliary shaft for receiving an externally provided driving force with a first torque transmission path for transferring the externally provided driving force to a drive mechanism and a second torque transmission path for transferring the motor provided driving force to said drive mechanism. A first one way drive means is provided in the first torque transmission path between the auxiliary shaft and the drive mechanism such that when the drive mechanism is being driven by the motor provided driving force through the second torque transmission path, the auxiliary shaft is able to freewheel. The motor unit can drive any apparatus, but may be used in a pedal driven apparatus such as a bicycle where an externally provided driving force is provided by manually operable pedals of said apparatus which are fixed for rotation with the auxiliary shaft. In this case, the auxiliary shaft comprises a pedal spindle of the bicycle and the drive mechanism comprises a sprocket or belt drive.
US08646545B1
A plow pivot assembly includes a base adapted to be coupled to a frame member and rotationally fixed relative thereto. A pivot assembly is coupled to the base and includes a motor mounted to a first ring gear, a planetary gear assembly driven by the motor and including a planetary carrier assembly having a plurality of split planetary gears engaging with both the first ring gear and a second ring gear which is fixed to the base for causing rotation of the first ring. A plow blade is attached to the first ring gear by a pivot base that incorporates a force absorbing system therein to protect the planetary gear assembly from damage.
US08646543B2
A farm implement has a frame that is foldable between an extended, working position and a folded, for-transport position has a hydraulic system that controls the flow of hydraulic fluid to a series of actuators that raise and lower the implement. The hydraulic system is controlled by a control lever or arm that rotates a rockshaft to open and close hydraulic valves to change the flow of hydraulic fluid to the actuators. To prevent the unintentional lowering of the implement frame when the implement is in transport, a lockout arrangement engages the rockshaft to prevent rotation of the rockshaft when the frame is in the folded position. The lockout arrangement locks out the rockshaft automatically when the frame is raised to the folded position.
US08646540B2
Methods and apparatus for passive non-electrical dual stage fire suppression according to various aspects of the present invention include detecting a fire with a first active fire suppressant unit and changing the status of a second fire suppressant unit from “stand-by” to “active” when the first fire suppressant unit releases a fire suppressant agent. After the first fire suppressant unit has released its fire suppressant agent, the second fire suppressant unit may detect a continued and/or a new fire and release a second fire suppressant agent in response to the detection.
US08646538B2
The methods disclosed herein relate to sequestering carbon dioxide in an aquifer by trapping the CO2 in interstitial pores of the aquifer. Trapping the CO2 in the interstitial pores of the aquifer prevents the sequestered CO2 from escaping back to the surface and allows a much larger percentage of a CO2 to be stably sequestered compared to techniques that rely on dissolving the CO2 to achieve stable sequestration.
US08646535B2
An inflow control device may include flow control elements along a flow path. The flow control elements may change the inertial direction of the fluid flowing in the flow path. The change in inertial direction occurs at junctures along the flow path. The flow control elements may also be configured to form segmented pressure drops across the flow path. The segmented pressure drops may include a first pressure drop segment and a second pressure drop segment that is different from the first pressure drop segment. The pressure drop segments may be generated by a passage, an orifice or a slot. In embodiments, the plurality of flow control elements may separate the fluid into at least two flow paths. The flow control elements may also be configured to cause an increase in a pressure drop in the flow path as a concentration of water increases in the fluid.
US08646533B2
A mechanical sliding sleeve (101) includes a sleeve housing (105) defining a fluid communication port, a first sub (103) affixed to the sleeve housing, and a second sub (107) affixed to the sleeve housing. An isolation sleeve (201) is disposed in an internal bore defined by the sleeve housing, the first sub, and the second sub, and defines a fluid communication port (113). The isolation sleeve is slidable along interfaces between the first sub, the second sub, and the sleeve housing between an open position, wherein fluid is allowed through the ports, and a closed position, wherein fluid passage through the ports is inhibited. A sealing element is operably associated with the sleeve housing, the first sub, the second sub, and the isolation sleeve to inhibit fluid flow through the ports unless the isolation sleeve is in the open position, and to seal at least a portion of the interfaces from contact with downhole fluids.
US08646513B2
A metal delivery apparatus for casting metal strip includes at least one elongated segment having a main portion extending longitudinally through the main portion with end walls at opposite ends thereof, the main portion communicating with outlets along opposite sides of each segment adapted to upwardly discharge flow of molten metal into a casting pool.
US08646512B2
A die brace and method of use thereof for securing the relationship of one or more die tie bars and an associated back plate of a movable die core, such as a die core of a metal casting die. Embodiments of such a die brace generally include a collar that is adapted to fit over the die tie bar(s), a back plate bracket element that is adapted for affixation to a die core back plate, and a bracing leg that connects the collar to the bracket element.
US08646504B2
An adhesive tape affixing equipment for pulling out a tape from a supply reel on which the tape constructed by laminating an adhesive tape on a separator tape is wound, and then affixing the adhesive tape onto predetermined locations of a substrate by pushing the tape using a press-fitting tool. A radial direction of the supply reel is arranged to intersect substantially orthogonally with a longitudinal direction of the press-fitting tool during the affixing of the adhesive tape by the press-fitting tool. Also included is a tape running route setting device for causing the tape pulled out from the supply reel to run through an area between the press-fitting tool and the substrate along the longitudinal direction of the press-fitting tool via a tape running direction changing portion being provided to at least one location.
US08646500B2
A puncture-resistant multilayer laminate that is impermeable to inflation gases, comprising: a gastight first elastomer layer comprising a polystyrene/polyisobutylene block copolymer thermoplastic elastomer, and optionally an extender oil with a content within a range of 0 to less than 100 phr; and a self-sealing second elastomer layer comprising a thermoplastic styrene elastomer, identical to or different from the first elastomer, and an extender oil with a content greater than 200 phr.
US08646489B2
Provided are a connection structure for connecting corrugated synthetic resin pipes and a corrugated synthetic resin pipe used in the connection structure. The pipe is lightweight, low cost, and simply structured with a small number of components, having sufficient resistance to water and pressure, and excellent sealing performance without the use of robust material or requiring high precision, and capable of being easily connected and manufactured. A first corrugated synthetic resin pipe 1A is provided at an end 10 with a cylindrical insert end 3 formed by adhering a synthetic resin layer 5 to the outer surface of the end 10 so as to fill at least corrugated recesses 2a. A second corrugated synthetic resin pipe 1B is provided at an end 11 with a socket 4 formed by adhering synthetic resin to the outer surface of the end 11 and cylindrically extending the resin outwardly in the axial direction.
US08646484B2
A device for fluid power recuperation with increased efficiency and safety may be used in both stationary and mobile applications including hydraulic hybrid vehicles.The device includes a hydropneumatic accumulator communicating via its gas port with a gas receiver. The receiver is made in the form of an aggregate of cells separated by partitions. The ratio of the receiver volume to the area of the cells internal surfaces does not exceed 0.01 m. Thermal capacity of the partitions exceed that of the gas at maximal pressure.This improves heat exchange between the gas and the cells walls at gas compression or expansion, which increases recuperation efficiency.A honeycomb structure where the partitions between the cells are connected with one another and the outer shell of the receiver allows making it less massive and facilitating integration of the device into the existing systems, including vehicles.
US08646478B2
A fluid flow controlling system for controlling the flow of fluid from a tank having an exterior surface is provided. The system includes an angle valve and a check valve. The angle valve is coupled to the tank and located substantially on an outer side of the exterior surface. The angle valve includes a spindle, a valve seat and a valve seal. The spindle, valve seat and valve seal are located on an inner side of the exterior surface. The check valve is coupled to the tank and located substantially on the inner side of the exterior surface. The check valve is movable between a closed state and an open state by the spindle.
US08646469B2
A substrate processing apparatus which holds and rotates a substrate substantially horizontally; having a control unit which controls a rinsing liquid supply mechanism for supplying a rinsing liquid onto the substrate; a gas knife mechanism that sprays gas onto the substrate to form a gas spraying zone and scans the entire substrate without rotating the substrate; a rinsing liquid mechanism for supplying a rinsing liquid onto the substrate at its area downstream from the gas spraying zone; and a drying unit for drying the substrate by rotating the substrate.
US08646466B2
The Interchangeable Headband Cover is an easily applied and removed material covering that sit on a C Shaped or Horse Shoe Shaped headband. A C Shaped or Horse Shoes Shaped headband typically is used to pull a wearers hair out of their eyes. The exposed area of the design is undecorated. The unexposed outer area of The Interchangeable Headband Cover has two insertion points with overlapping flaps positioned laterally of a fused center. The flaps open wide and enable the user to easily manipulate and apply the covering to a headband without any special tools. As you exam the insertion point closest to the internally fused center the design does not overlap but as you look laterally there is a gradual increase where the materials overlap more and more until there is one portion of the fabric completely covers the other at the internally fused tips.
US08646457B2
A medical hand and arm protection apparatus and method of protection comprising a protective shell which is capable of receiving a patient's hand and arm. A sheet is attached to the protective shell, which is tucked under the patient to anchor the hand and arm protector in place. The protective shell also has one or more perforations that allow the medical professional access to the interior of the surgical arm protector to view the patient's IV sites and other medical equipment attached to the patient's hand or arm.
US08646456B2
Antibacterial agents comprise as an active ingredient a hemostatic contact cloth having an acidic pH combined with povidone iodine. Also disclosed are surgical dressings. Also disclosed are devices for active protection of incision margins.
US08646448B2
A ventilator provides breathing support to a patient in an EMG controlled mode, and has an input that receives an EMG signal representative of breathing activity from the patient and a control unit for controlling the ventilation in dependence of said EMG signal. The ventilator has a registration unit that registers the actual breathing support provided from the ventilator to the patient, and the control unit determines if there is asynchrony between the EMG signal and the breathing activity and, in case of asynchrony, causes a switch from EMG controlled ventilation to a second ventilation mode not dependent on the EMG signal. If synchrony is detected the ventilator can return to EMG controlled ventilation.
US08646426B2
A valve lash setting method for setting a predetermined lash in a valve assembly for internal combustion engines. The method includes generating a torque curve and using a linear regression calculation to define a zero crossing point from which a predetermined final lash position of an adjusting screw can be set and secured.
US08646410B2
A device for milking an animal, such as a cow, includes an animal standing area to be occupied by the animal to be milked in a particular milking position and a robot device with a robot arm assembly for applying to and/or removing teat cups from the respective teats of the udder of the animal. The robot arm assembly has a holder for teat cups at a distal end. At a proximal end, the robot arm assembly is suspended from a support so as to extend downwards therefrom and is rotatable with respect thereto about a first center line which has a vertical direction component, wherein, in use, the first center line intersects the floor of the animal standing area.
US08646405B2
A deposition mask capable of forming layers with different thicknesses and a method of fabricating the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the deposition mask includes i) a plurality of regions spaced apart from each other, wherein the plurality of regions comprise at least a first region and a second region and ii) first and second surfaces opposing each other, wherein the first surface is configured to receive a deposition material. Also, a through-hole is defined in each of the plurality of regions, and wherein at least one of the through-holes in the first surface of the mask is divided into a plurality of sub-regions. Further, the number of a sub-region or sub-regions of the first region is different from that of the second region.
US08646399B2
Disclosed are apparatuses and methods for the adaptation of a subsea vehicle, such as an ROV, and in particular a hydraulically powered construction or maintenance work ROV. In one embodiment the vehicle is provided with a module or modules which provide further propulsion means that have reduced noise at high speed in comparison to the vehicle's main propulsion means. The module or modules also optionally provide greater performance and decreased drag. An ROV adapted in such a way is therefore suitable for high speed survey work. In another embodiment a hydraulic ROV is adapted to enable it to be able to directly drive electrically powered tools.
US08646395B2
An opener for depositing fertilizer and seed in a single pass, double-shoot manner includes a rotating disc that cuts a furrow in a planting surface, a fertilizer tube that drops fertilizer into the furrow, and a trailing seed tube assembly, having a cutting edge, that cuts a vertically and horizontally offset trench in the furrow to form a seed bed in the planting surface onto which seed is deposited. The seed trench provides a seed bed that is offset from the bottom of the furrow to provide horizontal and vertical stratification of the seed and fertilizer.
US08646392B2
A crash module for a rail vehicle includes at least one crash element, which is arranged in front of the vehicle structure. At least one transverse profiled element is provided, which is connected to the at least one crash element and which has a substantially lower compressive strength in the longitudinal direction of the rail vehicle than in the transverse direction.
US08646391B2
The invention relates to a rail vehicle for driving operation on track systems with ballast permanent way. The invention is to effectively avoid or at least significantly reduce an agglomeration of snow and ice in cavities of the vehicle underfloor.For this purpose it is provided that the rail vehicle in the region of its underfloor comprises at least one flexible membrane which spans hollow spaces which are positioned open towards the track systems or support frame structures of the underfloor of the rail vehicle.
US08646390B2
A device for using technical equipment underwater includes at least one guide rail configured to extend vertically underwater on an edifice from above a waterline. At least one device carriage is provided and includes a basic unit having a reception flange configured to couple the technical equipment thereto, and at least one running unit that abuts against the guide rail via guide rollers. A press-on unit is disposed on a first side of the device carriage and includes a lever pivotable on an axis of the device carriage so as to generate a pressing force of the device carriage against the guide rail. The lever includes a support roller at a first end and a weight packet at a second end so as to exert a downward drifting force underwater that is greater than a buoyancy of the device carriage. At least two spacers are each disposed at a first end on the at least one device carriage and abutting the edifice at a second end. A veering and hoisting device is detachably connectable with the device carriage via a coupling device, and is configured to control deployment and retrieval of the device carriage.
US08646389B2
A jacketed bullet comprising a dense core of a first material substantially surrounded by and bonded to a jacket of a second material, wherein the thickness of the jacket varies.
US08646386B2
Methods and devices for differentiating an actual air drop of a gravity dropped weapon from an accidental drop of the weapon onto a surface. The method including: connecting a first end of at least one lanyard to an airframe; releasably connecting a second end of the at least one lanyard to a power generation device such that release of the second end with the power generation device initiates power generation by the power generation device; and releasably connecting a third end of the at least one lanyard to at least a portion of an air velocity sensor such that release of the third end one of activates or exposes the air velocity sensor to an air stream; and differentiating the actual air drop from the accidental drop based at least on a detection of an air velocity by the air velocity sensor.
US08646378B2
A brewing device (1) for a coffee machine comprises a brewing cylinder (2) with a cylindrical bore (3), an upper piston (5) and a lower piston (4), by means of which the brewing cylinder (2) is able to be closed off to form a brewing chamber (6). The surface of the upper piston (5) and of the lower piston (4) facing the brewing chamber (6) is provided in each case with a sieve (11, 12), through which hot water is able to be conducted into the brewing chamber (6) or coffee is able to be discharged from the brewing chamber (6) in each case via a connecting channel (7, 8) provided in the respective piston (4, 5). At least one of the sieves (11, 12) is installed on a supporting structure (9, 10) that is placeable on one of the pistons (4, 5) and is lockable therewith. The respective supporting structure (9, 10) is provided with a connecting element (13, 14), which is connectable in a sealed way to the connecting channel (7, 8) of the respective piston (4, 5). By means of this arrangement the sieve can be easily taken out of the respective piston and put back in again.
US08646376B2
A plurality of ring-shaped sealing members are spaced from each other on the outer periphery of each of first and second end caps that seal openings of first and second cylinder holes. Ring-shaped flow paths are formed between adjacent ring-shaped sealing members. Parts of air flow paths that supply and discharge compressed air to and from pressure chambers of the cylinder holes are formed by the ring-shaped flow paths.
US08646370B2
A machine for modifying a workpiece oriented lengthwise along an X-axis, including a support frame having aligned tracks arcuate about the X-axis, and rails supported on the arcuate tracks for selective rotation together about the X-axis. A pressing mechanism is adapted to press a workpiece tool and an associated support block together along a pressing axis to modify a portion of a workpiece located therebetween, with the pressing mechanism being supported on linear tracks on the rails for selective linear motion along the rails substantially transverse to the X-axis. A drive is adapted to selectively position the rails and the pressing mechanism on the tracks.
US08646368B1
A jig for supporting a crown molding segment during a cutting operation comprises a base and a support having a crown molding support surface. The support is attached to the base at an adjustable angle. The jig further comprises an extendable brace attached between the base and the support. The extendable brace adapted to hold the support and the crown molding support surface at a predetermined angle relative to the base. The extendable brace is adjustable to facilitate adjustment of the jig corresponding to multiple crown molding spring angles.
US08646364B2
A tool for assembling and disassembling the front and the rear wheel axle of a motorcycle includes a nut holding base having one side formed with a ratchet recessed groove provided therein with a projecting member having a hexagonal recessed groove formed in the interior. The nut holding base has another side provided with an extension projecting post having an interior bored with a square hole communicating with the hexagonal recessed groove. A connecting holder to be assembled on the nut holding base has one side formed with a hexagonal projecting connector matching with the hexagonal recessed groove of the nut holding base and having an interior disposed with a square insert hole. The connecting holder has another side formed with a hexagonal recessed groove provided with a projecting member bored in therein with an insert hole that communicates with the square insert hole.
US08646339B2
The present device relates to a thread clamping device including a plurality of movable segments with threaded inner surfaces suitable for engaging a threaded rod and including a strain gauge therein for measuring the actual strain on the device, in contrast to conventional thread clamping devices restricted to measuring the torque applied during installation, not the actual strain experienced during service. In addition to measuring the actual strain experienced by the thread clamping device, some embodiments of the present invention also relate to a transmitter for transmitting to a remote receiving station the actual strain measured, typically including a suitable identification code for determining which device is transmitting.
US08646338B2
Hydraulic section (1) including: a main spool (2);a pressure compensator (40;4) able to maintain a substantially constant pressure drop through a metering orifice (3) of the main spool (2); a first chamber (7) interposed between the main spool (2) and a first end (16a) of the compensator (40;4) and a second chamber (6) situated at a second end (16b) of the compensator (40;4), the second chamber (6) being connectable to a feed line (Pal) from a pump (100) by a predefined channel (Pp) in such a way that said hydraulic section (1) operates as a priority section, and being connectable to a line (LS) for detecting the highest load pressure in such a way that the hydraulic section (1) operates as a flow-sharing section.
US08646336B2
The method is for testing load equipment. A trolley is provided that has a housing with an upwardly sloping front segment and an upwardly sloping rear segment. Upwardly directed weights are stacked side-by-side on the front and rear segments so that the weights lean towards each other. The trolley is stopped by engaging the brake support against the ground so that the front segment is substantially parallel to the ground. Weights are added or removed from the trolley by downwardly inserting or upwardly pulling, respectively, the weights without removing any of the wheels. The trolley is connected to lifting equipment. The lifting equipment lifts the trolley from the ground.
US08646333B2
The invention relates to measuring devices to be used in the measuring of angular velocity and, more precisely, to vibrating micromechanical sensors of angular velocity. In a sensor of angular velocity according to the invention, a mass is supported to the frame of the sensor component by means of an asymmetrical spring structure (1), (2), (3), (4), (22), (24) in such a way, that the coupling from one mode of motion to another, conveyed by the spring (1), (2), (3), (4), (22), (24), cancels or alleviates the coupling caused by the non-ideality due to the skewness in the springs or in their support. The structure of the sensor of angular velocity according to the invention enables reliable measuring with good performance, particularly in small vibrating micromechanical solutions for sensors of angular velocity.
US08646326B2
A paint swatch test device includes a transparent or translucent substrate, such as a sheet of polymeric material, and a plurality of different primer coating patches on the substrate. The patches preferably form a grayscale series of neutral white and gray primer patches having stepwise increments in light reflectance values. The patches can also be provided on an opaque substrate. The color suitability and/or hiding power of a topcoat paint desired to be applied to a surface to be painted can be determined by coating the topcoat paint on at least a portion of a surface of the transparent or translucent substrate, providing a grayscale series of patches between the paint coating and the surface to be painted, and observing the appearance of the paint coating where patches are beneath the coating and where patches are not beneath the coating.
US08646319B2
Dynamic IR radiation power control for use in a nanoscale IR spectroscopy system based on an Atomic Force Microscope. During illumination from an IR source, an AFM probe tip interaction with a sample due to local IR sample absorption is monitored. The power of the illumination at the sample is dynamically decreased to minimize sample overheating in locations/wavelengths where absorption is high and increased in locations/wavelengths where absorption is low to maintain signal to noise.
US08646317B2
To provide a sensing device having a high processing power and capable of high-accuracy measurement. It is determined whether or not an oscillation frequency is stabilized while a buffer solution is supplied to a quartz-crystal resonator 4. from a syringe pump 10. When it is determined that the frequency is stabilized, a second valve 14. is switched to a sample solution supply mode to supply a sample solution in an injection loop 14a. to the quartz-crystal resonator 4. An instant at which the sample solution reaches the quartz-crystal resonator 4. and an instant at which the sample solution finishes passing through the quartz-crystal resonator 4. are automatically found based on a supply flow rate of the buffer solution, a volume of the injection loop 14a, a volume of a supply channel supplying the sample solution to the quartz-crystal resonator 4, and an instant at which the second valve 14. is switched to the sample solution supply mode. An oscillation frequency before the sample solution reaches the quartz-crystal resonator 4. and an oscillation frequency after the sample solution passes through the quartz-crystal resonator 4. are found, and a difference between the oscillation frequencies is obtained.
US08646309B2
Air bubbles may be characterized by an air bubble detector by choosing an optimum set of frequencies and then comparing a return signal from a sensor receiving those frequencies against an internal reference. The number of pulses that exceed the internal reference represents a width and may be counted. The width, as counted, may be correlated to bubble characteristics including volume.
US08646308B2
A method for self-testing a dual-mass linear accelerometer in which a self-test voltage is applied to urge the two masses to move in opposite directions. Self-test signals are then applied to obtain a differential mode signal to detect masses repositioned in opposing directions. During testing, common disturbances to the two masses are rejected as common mode signals.
US08646305B2
An assembly for testing of smoke detectors, installed to detect the presence of smoke in ductwork or through a smoke protected opening, and includes a plenum rated hose assembly having a duct end and a smoke end. The hose assembly smoke end is extendable to within the duct and is terminated with a nozzle directable at an inlet tube of a smoke detector associated with the duct, or to the detector protecting a smoke protected opening. A duct mounting plate is adapted to be sealingly installed to cover an aperture formed within the duct and to retain the hose assembly duct end. Smoke is directed into the hose smoke end. The smoke exits the hose through the nozzle and towards the inlet tube of the duct-mounted smoke detector, or towards the detector for a smoke protected opening, for testing of the smoke detector.
US08646297B2
A disc brake lock used principally with motorcycles has a body (10) with a U-shaped slot (13) to receive an edge of the disc. A locking pin can be moved to extend through a hole in the disc to fix the lock to the disc. A limb (11) of the U-shaped body (10) that is on the outside when the lock is clamped to the disc contains an alarm system (14) housed in a chamber (28) that cannot be accessed through that limb. The other limb (12), which is between the disc and the wheel, contains a removable cover (34) that, for extra security, can only be opened when the locking pin (16) is retracted. The alarm system (14) is inserted into the chamber (28) through the other limb (12).
US08646296B2
A steering locking device (1, 1A, 1B, 1C) includes: a locking member (6) including a first face (B) parallel to an axial direction of a steering shaft, a second face (C) perpendicular to the first face (B), and a protrusion (62) protruding from the second face (B); and a sliding plate (91) extending from the first face (B) in a plate thickness direction (D) of the locking member (6), arranged outside the first face (B), and engageable with the protrusion (62).
US08646293B2
A drum type washing machine is provided. The drum type washing machine may include a cabinet, a tub fixed to an inner side of the cabinet, a drum rotatably arranged in the tub, and a driving motor positioned at a rear side of the drum for generating a driving force that rotates the drum. The washing machine may also include a supporting plate to rotatably support a rotational shaft extending between the motor and the drum, and a plurality of supporters connected between the supporting plate and the cabinet. Such an arrangement may increase washing capacity by increasing a diameter of the drum without increasing an external size of the cabinet.
US08646288B2
A refrigerator including a dispenser to extract water is disclosed. The refrigerator includes a main body having a storage chamber, a door opening and closing the storage chamber, and a dispenser disposed to discharge water, the dispenser including a button installed to be movable in a backward and forward moving direction, a switch pressed to cause water to be discharged, and a lever rotatably installed sideward with respect to the forward/backward moving direction of the button having one end disposed at a rear side of the button and an other end disposed on the switch and performing a seesaw movement sideward as the button moves in the forward/backward moving direction to press the switch. Thus, the dispenser can be formed to have a small thickness in a forward/backward direction.
US08646280B2
The invention discloses a heat-power conversion magnetism device. The heat-power conversion magnetism device includes a magneto caloric effect material so that the magnetic field thereof can be changed according to the temperature difference. The heat-power conversion magnetism device rotates by changing the magnetic field of the magneto caloric effect material.
US08646279B2
The present invention relates to a segment component in high-temperature casting material for an annular combustion chamber of an aircraft engine, characterized by a combustion-chamber wall which in operation shields a fuel flame extending along a burner axis from the environment, with the combustion-chamber wall having a bulge which points in a direction facing away from the burner axis. The invention furthermore relates to an annular combustion chamber, an aircraft engine with an annular combustion chamber as well as a method for the manufacture of an annular combustion chamber.
US08646277B2
A combustor liner for a combustor of a turbine engine includes a single-walled generally cylindrical liner that extends from a head end to an aft end. A venturi is formed on the combustor liner at a location between the head and aft ends. The venturi is formed by first and second straight portions of the combustor liner that angle inward to form a reduced diameter portion. The combustor liner may also include an air deflector to deflect air down onto the exterior of the reduced diameter portion of the single-walled combustor liner. The combustor liner may also include dilution holes, and turbulator rings.
US08646275B2
A gas-turbine lean combustor includes a combustion chamber (2) and a fuel nozzle (1) which includes a pilot fuel injection (17) and a main fuel injection (18). The main fuel injection (18) includes central recesses (23) for a controlled inhomogeneous fuel injection, the number of said recesses on the circumference ranging from 8 to 40 and said recesses having an angle of inclination δ2 in circumferential direction of 10°≦δ2≦60° and an axial angle of inclination δ1 relative to the combustor axis (4) between −10°≦δ1≦90°.
US08646269B2
A cup seal includes a base portion disposed on a cylinder bore opening portion side of a seal groove, an inner circumferential lip portion extended from an inner circumferential side of the base portion toward a cylinder bore bottom portion and having an inner circumferential surface slidably abutting against an outer circumferential surface of a piston (plunger), and an outer circumferential lip portion extended from an outer circumferential side of the base portion toward the cylinder bore bottom portion and having an outer circumferential surface abutting against a seal groove bottom surface. The cup seal also includes an abutment surface and contact pressure adjustment surface.
US08646266B2
The invention relates to a mobile machine having a traction drive and working hydraulics. The drive unit has a radial piston pump which is driven by a drive set and supplies working hydraulics. The radial piston pump is arranged on the axis of the output drive shaft of the drive set, between the drive set and a gearbox which is connected thereto via the output drive shaft. The drive set, the radial piston pump and the gearbox in this case form a compact drive unit.
US08646259B2
An exhaust gas treatment system is provided having an internal combustion engine, an exhaust gas conduit, a passive selective catalyst reduction (SCR) device, a heated SCR device, and a control module. The exhaust gas conduit is in fluid communication with and is configured to receive an exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine. The passive SCR device is in fluid communication with the exhaust gas conduit and is configured to receive the exhaust gas. The passive SCR includes a passive SCR temperature profile. The heated SCR device is in fluid communication with the exhaust gas conduit and is configured to receive the exhaust gas. The heated SCR device is located upstream of the passive SCR. The heated SCR is selectively activated to produce heat. The control module is in communication with the heated SCR and the engine and includes a control logic for determining the passive SCR temperature profile.
US08646257B2
A method for estimating soot loading of a diesel particulate filter includes establishing a soot loading model for estimating soot loading of a nominal diesel particulate filter, adjusting the soot loading model for a subject filter to account for differences between the nominal filter and the subject filter, and estimating soot loading of the subject filter using the adjusted soot loading model. An engine with a diesel particulate filter is also provided.
US08646256B2
An object is to provide a diesel engine (2) capable of reliably preventing an excessive rise in temperature inside a particulate filter (10) and capable of rapidly enabling driving in a low-rotation and low-load area when there is no possibility of excessive rise in temperature. A diesel engine (2) includes a diesel engine (2) exhaust emission purifier (1). The diesel engine (2) exhaust emission purifier (1) includes a particulate filter (10) and a controller (21) for forcibly removing a particulate accumulable in the particulate filter (10). The controller (21) is configured to prohibit the diesel engine (2) from entering a predetermined low-rotation and low-load area if a load rotation changes when the particulate filter (10) has a temperature that is equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature T1 and when the particulate is accumulated in an amount that is equal to or more than a predetermined amount.
US08646254B2
Forced regeneration start timing of a diesel particulate filter for purifying particulate matter in exhaust gas is judged based on a comparison of a differential pressure across the diesel particulate filter with a predetermined differential pressure threshold across the filter. The predetermined differential pressure threshold is set by multiplying a reference differential pressure threshold by a coefficient which varies stepwise or continuously depending on a mileage of a vehicle after previous forced regeneration. Consequently, particulate matter can be removed by burning while the amount of particulate matter accumulated unevenly in the filter is still small, and excessive temperature rise in the filter resulting from excessive accumulation of particulate matter during forced regeneration and melting-loss of the filter due to excessive temperature rise can be prevented.
US08646249B1
A row unit for a cotton harvester. The cotton harvester is adapted for forward movement through a field to harvest cotton planted in rows in the field. The row unit includes a unit housing defining a row receiving area and a cotton exiting area. A moistener column door is pivotally coupled to the unit housing. An adjustable compression structure is coupled to the unit housing and configured to exert an adjustable pre-load on the moistener column door, placing the moistener column door in a closed position. The adjustable compression structure is configured to yield to a cotton plug pressure that exceeds the adjustable pre-load, which pivots the moistener column door to an open position. When the adjustable pre-load exceeds the cotton plug pressure, the adjustable compression structure is configured to return the moistener column door to the closed position.
US08646246B2
The present invention provides methods for preparing compositions in blister packages using complex aluminum substrate materials, wherein said complex aluminum substrate materials comprise an intermediate aluminum layer, and first and second outer layers, wherein the material of the first outer layer differs from that of the second outer layer, and the flexural rigidity of the first outer layer differs from that of the second outer layer by 0-30%.
US08646238B2
Ceiling panels for use in a grid-type suspended ceiling (10) each comprise a thin flexible scrim (40) that is of insufficient rigidity to consistently maintain a substantially planar form when installed in the grid-type suspended ceiling. These embodiments also present a rigidizing and engagement member (60, 122, 161) that attaches to only a relatively minor portion of the thin flexible scrim and that is configured and arranged to substantially increase and maintain rigidity of the thin flexible scrim such that the thin flexible scrim will consistently maintain a substantially planar form when installed in the grid-type suspended ceiling and that will also serve to engage at least one grid runner of the grid-type suspended ceiling to thereby maintain the thin flexible scrim in an installed position within the grid-type suspended ceiling.
US08646236B2
An interlocking web for use in insulated concrete form construction configured to engage with a like interlocking web to prevent horizontal and vertical relative movement between webs, the web including a pair of pillars adapted to be embedded within foam insulation panels, each pillar having a male connector at a first end and a female connector at a second end, the male and female connectors having complementary shapes to engage with respective female and male connectors of like vertically-aligned interlocking webs and a pair of bridges interconnecting the pillars.
US08646232B2
The installation of a foundation enables a superstructure to be installed and supported in a desired attitude such as a vertical attitude at the foundation. An installation template is placed at the selected location and support sites on the installation template can be adjusted so that the installation template will support the foundation subassembly in a manner such that the superstructure can be supported in said desired attitude. The foundation subassembly is placed onto the installation template using a lifting subassembly that is secured to the foundation subassembly. The foundation subassembly is fixed in place by concrete or the like into which the foundation assembly is inserted. The superstructure can then be secured to the foundation subassembly. The superstructure can comprise a post adapted to hold a panel for deflecting road noise.
US08646226B2
An exemplary vehicle service pit includes a first section and a second section abutting each other. A support structure supports the service pit and a joint plate helps hold the first section and the second section in the abutting relationship. Substantially parallel runners are located in the service pit and are secured to the support structure. A glider moveably mounts on the runners. Lights may be included as part of the service pit. An exemplary method for assembling a service pit includes abutting a head section and a foot section and securing a gasket in place over the joint between the head section and the foot section using a joint plate. Optionally, lights are added to the head section, the foot section, or both. Runners of elongate metal with support feet integrally formed are attached to the service pit by bolts, or other suitable fastener.
US08646222B2
A building construction has a foundation, walls and a roof structure, the walls being wrapped by a reinforcement fabric, with the reinforcement fabric being connected to the foundation and the roof structure to tie the roof structure to the foundation for increased resistance to natural disasters. The connection of the reinforcement fabric to the roof structure includes a top rail having a connector plate attached to the roof structure and having an upwardly oriented opening, and a wrapping member about which the reinforcement fabric can be wrapped, the wrapping member having a geometry corresponding with the geometry of the upwardly oriented opening in such a manner that the wrapping member is prevented from rotating in the opening.
US08646219B2
A fixture is provided for locating wind turbine equipment on a foundation within an inner envelope for a wind turbine tower, prior to erecting the wind turbine tower. The fixture includes a mounting section, adapted to mate with guidepoints at predesignated locations on the wind turbine foundation; and a locating section, extending inward from the mounting section, adapted to locate the position for wind turbine equipment on the foundation for the wind turbine tower and within the inner envelope of the wind turbine tower.
US08646216B2
An example of the disclosed seating system includes a plurality of seating risers configured to telescope relative to one another, and at least one of the seating risers is a powered seating riser configured to deploy and retract the seating risers. Further included is a controller operable to drive the powered seating riser to correct a misalignment condition.
US08646212B2
There is provided a seal structure for vehicle that includes a weather strip member 8 installed to a retainer member 9 provided to a circumference edge of a body aperture 7 and having a substantially “U” shape in section. The weather strip member 8 includes a primary seal lip 10 installed to an outer-cabin side surface part 9a of the retainer member 9 and makes a contact with an outer-cabin side surface 6b of a glass panel member 6, and a secondary seal lip 11 installed to an inner-cabin side surface part 9b and makes a contact with an inner-cabin side surface 6c of the glass panel member 6. The weather strip member 8 further includes a hollow seal part 12 installed near a bottom surface part 9c of the retainer member 9 and makes an elastic contact with an periphery end 6a of the glass panel member 6.
US08646204B2
A capture cage includes a cage structure with a cage door, a pedal pivotally connected in the cage structure, a rotation member moving with the pedal, a suppression member located adjacent to an operation rod, and an induction lever pivotally connected to a top face of the cage structure. When the cage door is open, an inducible member of the cage door is confined by the inductive lever; the induction lever is restrained by the suppression member and is located adjacent to a head portion of the operation rod; and the pedal is suspended when the rotation member is supported by the operation rod. When the pedal is tilted, the rotation member separates from the operation rod; the head portion of the operation rod pushes the induction lever away from the suppression member and the operation rod moves downwardly; and the inducible member is released and the cage door closes.
US08646197B2
A system is provided for hanging an overhead sign from a ceiling. The system includes an elongated member, a connector member, and a fastening mechanism. The elongated member includes an elongated portion and a set of two nodes formed on opposing ends of the elongated portion. A first node is configured to be coupled to the overhead sign. The connector member includes a hook, an extended portion, and a disk. The extended portion defines a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The hook extends from the first end of the extended portion and is coupled to the second node. The disk extends radially outwardly from the second end of the extended portion for rotatable attachment to the ceiling. The fastening mechanism is inserted through the second node and the hook of the connector member.
US08646196B2
A sign assembly includes a base, a pair of spring members, and a panel. The spring members include a resilient portion that includes attachment means at a first end to enable attachment of the spring member to the base. The spring members also include a generally straight rod that extends from a second end of the resilient portion. The panel defines a pair of openings at a lower edge configured to slidably receive the rod of the spring members. The amount by which the rod slides into the panel is configured to secure the panel in an upright position.
US08646192B2
The present invention discloses a composite tooth for working the ground or rocks, said tooth comprising a ferrous alloy at least partially reinforced with titanium carbide according to a defined geometry, in which said reinforced portion comprises an alternating macro-microstructure of millimetric areas concentrated with micrometric globular particles of titanium carbide separated by millimetric areas essentially free of micrometric globular particles of titanium carbide, said areas concentrated with micrometric globular particles of titanium carbide forming a microstructure in which the micrometric interstices between said globular particles are also filled by said ferrous alloy.
US08646191B2
An article of footwear includes an upper and a sole assembly. The sole assembly includes a first member that is coupled to the upper and a second member that is moveably coupled to the first member. The first member moves relative to the second member in response to a first input load directed along a first vector, and the first member engages the second member in response to a second input load directed along a second vector.
US08646186B2
Multi-angle levels and plumbing methods are described. In one aspect, a multi-angle level has a body made up of a base section and a rotating section rotatably secured to the base section. A leveling mechanism is disposed on the rotating section.
US08646185B2
A hand tool having a reciprocally driving mechanism includes a driver, a body and a blade assembly. The driver has a driving shaft and a trigger. The driving shaft is controlled by the trigger and has a gear portion. The body has a driving gear having a teeth portion disposed on a top of the driving gear for engaging the gear portion. The driving gear has a stub eccentrically disposed on a bottom of the driving gear for driving a driving unit to move and to relatively drive a driven rod. The driven rod is connected with the blade assembly. The driving shaft is able to drive the blade assembly to reciprocally move for providing a higher torsion, a higher driving force, and a higher cutting speed, such that the hand tool is suitable for cutting a thicker workpiece.
US08646179B2
A method for producing an inkjet printhead that includes aligning and stacking together an aperture plate and a plurality of jetstack plates; bonding together the aperture plate and plurality of jetstack plates; after the bonding step, depositing a layer of coating material to a surface of the aperture plate by inkjet printing to form a coating on at least a portion of the surface of an outlet surface of the aperture plate; and curing the layer of coating material to form a cured coating. The method may also include forming a second cured coating.
US08646174B2
An object is to provide an electronic component mounting method in which an adequate component mounting work to which a check result is correctly reflected is enabled and it is possible to satisfy both reduction of the failure occurrence rate and improvement of the working efficiency. An electronic component mounting apparatus in which an appearance checking section which checks a board to detect existence or non-existence of a failure item, and a component mounting section which transfers and mounts an allocated mounting object component to the board in which the check is ended are integrally disposed includes a mounting availability determination processing section 28d which determines an availability of an execution of an operation of mounting the mounting object component, based on a result of detection of a failure item. In a mounting availability determining process, an availability of an execution of a mounting operation for the mounting object component is automatically determined based on preset failure patterns of the detection result.
US08646171B2
A component mounting apparatus includes: a conveyor device for sucking and holding a substrate in a substantially vertical posture and conveying the substrate in a direction extending along its flat plate surface; a plurality of working devices for performing a working process for mounting areas in edge portions of the substantially vertical-postured substrate received from the conveyor device. In the component mounting apparatus, each of the working devices includes: a substrate holder for sucking and holding the substrate in a substantially vertical posture; a holder up/down device for moving the sucked and held substrate to a downward working position; a receiving member for supporting an edge portion of the substrate positioned in the working position from its back face side; and a working unit for performing the working process on the mounting areas of the edge portions of the substrate positioned in the working position from its front face side.
US08646168B2
A method for manufacturing a magnetic write pole of a magnetic write head for perpendicular magnetic recording. A magnetic write pole material is deposited, followed by union milling hard mask, a polymer mask under-layer followed by a dielectric hard mask material, followed by a photoresist. The photoresist is patterned to define a write pole shape and the shape of the patterned photoresist is transferred onto the underlying dielectric hard mask by a novel reactive ion etching that is performed in a chemistry that includes one or more fluorine containing gases and He. The presence of He in the reactive ion etching tool helps to improve the profile of the patterned dielectric hard mask. In addition, RIE parameters such a gas ratio (e.g. CF4 to CHF3 gas ratio) and power ratio (e.g. source power to bias power) are adjusted to optimize the profile of the patterned dielectric mask.
US08646162B2
A retrofit system for providing a load indicator on a foundation bolt. The system includes a fastener having a fastener head, gauge length and central fastener bore in the gauge length and head. A datum rod is anchored in the central bore with a free datum rod being moveable longitudinally relative to the fastener head during elongation of the fastener gauge length. An internally threaded fastener portion below the central fastener bore is configured to thread over a foundation bolt. A compression sleeve positioned over the foundation bolt is configured to receive the load indicating fastener therein and to bear the compressive forces of the fastening. Elongation of the gauge length as the fastener is tightened onto the stud is manifest as displacement of the datum rod end, which displacement is measured to provide an indication of fastener loading.
US08646161B2
A clamping device is provided for an assembly of a stringer coupling in a region of a lateral butt joint between a first and a second fuselage section of an aircraft for coaxially connecting a respective first and second stringer of the first and the second fuselage sections, the stringer coupling intersecting a frame element profile in the region of the lateral butt joint. A supporting yoke is configured to bridge the frame element profile in an arc-shaped manner and includes a first end foot supported by the stringer coupling on the first side of the frame element profile and a second end foot supported by the stringer coupling on the second side of the frame element profile. The supporting yoke includes a middle tensioning hook configured to interact with the frame element profile. The first and the second end feet are tensionable against the stringer coupling.
US08646158B2
Latch assemblies for releasably engaging anchor members and other attachment points in vehicles are disclosed herein. A 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 urges the ejector toward a position that 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 biasing member causes the ejector to rotate latch 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.
US08646146B2
A surface cleaning apparatus comprises an air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet and a flexible suction hose. The surface cleaning apparatus may comprise a main body comprising a suction motor provided in the air flow path. A cyclone bin assembly may be provided on the main body. The surface cleaning apparatus may comprise a suction hose wrap. The suction hose wrap having an accessory tool holder.
US08646143B2
The invention presents a power transmission device comprising a cable, and a duct at least partially surrounding the cable, a reel, into which the cable with its duct can be reeled, a guide for feeding the cable onto and/or off the reel, and a crank in connection with the head end of the cable for rotating the cable. The power transmission device is mainly characterized in that the crank is a hydraulic crank.
US08646138B2
A utility bar includes a shank portion for providing a grip, the shank portion including a first end and a second end, a substantially arch-shaped head portion extending from the first end of the shank portion, and a pry bar portion extending from the second end of the shank portion. Each of the head portion and the pry bar portion define a free end of the utility bar. The utility bar also includes a first facet including the free end of the head portion, a second facet extending from the first facet at an angle with respect to the first facet and positioned between the free end of the head portion and the shank portion, and a first fulcrum edge between the first and second facets for providing a first pivot point about which the utility bar is pivoted to provide leverage.
US08646137B2
Bottle opening device, particularly for cutting the capsule covering the stopper of a bottle, comprising a shaft provided with a threaded portion and, above, with a widened portion that has a hole in it.The widened portion comprises two plates which are provided internally with mutually aligned openings for the transversal insertion of a stopper.The plates are spaced apart so as to define a space for accommodating a supporting body which is provided with at least one cutting element.
US08646132B2
A bed with linen changing means comprises features that allow the mattress linen to be changed without requiring an occupant to leave the bed. The bed frame provides a matrix of parallel slats which support the occupant while the mattress is lowered and extended for linen changing. The mattress comprises a plurality of parallel horizontal mattress sections spaced apart allowing corresponding insertion between the slats until said slats are recessed within the mattress and a user is able to lie comfortably upon raised portions of the mattress. The mattress is supported by a mobile frame apparatus being vertically adjustable via a manually-operated crank and gear assembly such that a caretaker may lower the mattress while the bed occupant rests upon the slats, providing easy access to the mattress for purposes of changing bed linens. The mattress is then raised back into place to support the occupant.
US08646128B2
A crib bumper is provided for a crib that includes a plurality of spaced support elements and four corner posts. The bumper includes at least one panel that is configured to at least seat against the inner surfaces of the spaced support elements and a corner post attachment member that is coupled to the panel. The corner post attachment member defines a pocket that receives one corner post and permits the corner post attachment member to surround and be securely attached to the one corner post. The corner post attachment member has free edges that are attached to one another by means of a first fastener and includes a means for adjusting and changing at least one dimension of the corner post attachment member to provide a secure attachment of the corner post attachment member to the corner post.
US08646126B2
One aspect of the present invention relates to an infant bed. The infant bed includes a chassis. A carriage moves relative to the chassis and includes a mattress support upon which a mattress can rest. A motorized control assembly enables a user to controllably move the carriage relative to the chassis. In one embodiment, the carriage includes a pair of end panels and a rear panel extending vertically upward from the mattress support. A front panel may be slidably mounted to the chassis to thereby contain the infant in the infant bed.
US08646124B2
A transport apparatus includes a movable base, a sling, and a support frame mounted to the base. The frame extends over the base and is configured to move from a position spaced above the base at a first height wherein the frame may be extended over and proximate a support surface for engaging the sling when placed on the surface to another position spaced at a height greater than the first height after engagement with the sling. The sling is adapted to be engaged by the frame, which provides lateral support to the sling, wherein when the frame and sling are raised to the greater height the sling is raised above the surface so that a person supported on the sling may be lifted off the surface with the sling and the frame and supported in a stabilized sitting position so that the person can moved away from the surface.
US08646119B1
A chair lift apparatus adapted to transport an individual into and out of a water pool, the chair lift apparatus that includes a frame, a chair, a lift arm, having a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion of the lift arm is rotatably attached to the frame and the second end portion of the lift arm is operatively attached to the chair, a linkage, and a linear actuator, having a first actuator portion and a second actuator portion located within a frame, the linear actuator is operable to move the linear actuator between a first actuator position and a second actuator position. There is a protective cover to provide protection from environmental damage and the space between the frame and the linear actuator does not constitute a pinch point when the chair is above the edge of the water pool.
US08646116B2
A ballistic resistant groin protector is provided. The groin protector includes a groin panel and a deployable groin wrap. The groin panel can be suspended from clothing or equipment to protect a wearer's anterior pelvic region from ballistic impact. The groin wrap is moveable from a stowed position adjacent the anterior pelvic region to a deployed position between the wearer's legs and adjacent a posterior pelvic region. One or more fasteners secure the groin wrap to the wearer's clothing or equipment to maintain the groin wrap in the deployed position. Optional left and right femoral protective portions extend downwardly from the groin wrap to protect the wearer's medial thigh regions against ballistic injury in the deployed position.
US08650661B2
A method and apparatus are provided of characterizing a re-entrant SPM probe tip (30) through a single scan of a characterizer, thus dramatically increasing throughput, accuracy, and repeatability when compared to prior known tip characterization techniques. The characterizer also preferably is one whose dimensions can be known with a high level of certainty in order to maximize characterization accuracy. These dimensions are also preferably very stable or, if unstable, change catastrophically rather than in a manner that is difficult or impossible to detect. A carbon nanotube (CNT), preferably a single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT), has been found to be well-suited for this purpose. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) (130) and other structures may also suffice for this purpose. Also provided are a method and apparatus for monitoring the integrity of a CNT.
US08650660B2
An improved mode of AFM imaging (Peak Force Tapping (PFT) Mode) uses force as the feedback variable to reduce tip-sample interaction forces while maintaining scan speeds achievable by all existing AFM operating modes. Sample imaging and mechanical property mapping are achieved with improved resolution and high sample throughput, with the mode being workable across varying environments, including gaseous, fluidic and vacuum. Ease of use is facilitated by eliminating the need for an expert user to monitor imaging.
US08650657B1
A resource in unencrypted form and a wrapped key are received in a request from an application server system and at a key server system. The wrapped key includes a resource encryption key and a user identifier that have been encrypted using a master key. The user identifier identifies a user that is permitted to use the resource encryption key to decrypt the resource. The request does not include the user identifier. The wrapped key is decrypted to access the resource encryption key. The resource in unencrypted form is encrypted into an encrypted resource with the resource encryption key. The encrypted resource is sent to the application server system.
US08650652B2
Rendering subject information for a protected message received and stored at an electronic communications device, wherein the message is initially received by the electronic communications device without subject information. Selected information is extracted from the protected message and stored on the electronic communications device as subject information for the protected message.
US08650648B2
In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for detecting restricted content associated with retrieved content. The method and system may include receiving a client request for content, saving contextual information from the client request, presenting retrieved content in response to the client request, and presenting the contextual information from the client request, and retrieved content, to a scanning facility. The scanning facility may utilize the contextual information from the client request to aid in the detection of restricted content associated with retrieved content.
US08650647B1
A reputation server is coupled to multiple clients via a network. Each client has a security module that detects malware at the client. The security module computes a hygiene score based on detected malware. The security module provides the hygiene score and an identifier of a visited web site to a reputation server. The security module also provides identifiers of files encountered at specified web sites to the reputation server. The reputation server computes secondary hygiene scores for web sites based on the hygiene scores of the clients that visit the web sites. The reputation server further computes reputation scores for files based on the secondary hygiene scores of sites that host the files. The reputation server provides the reputation scores to the clients. A reputation score represents an assessment of whether the associated file is malicious.
US08650645B1
Systems and methods for protecting proprietary data are provided. A file of computer-executable code that facilitates the processing of proprietary information when executed may be identified. At least one hashing operation may be performed on the file to generate a first representative value associated with the file. At least one approval associated with validation of the file may be received by the computing system. The at least one approval may be stored in association with the generated representative value. Prior to the execution of the file, the at least one hashing operation may be utilized to determine a second representative value associated with the file. Execution of the file may be selectively permitted based at least in part upon a determination of whether the second representative value matches the stored first representative value and whether the at least one approval is available.
US08650635B2
A method of authenticating a user of a computing device is proposed, together with a computer readable medium and a computing device on which the method is implemented. In the method a modified base image is overlaid with a modified overlay image on a display and either the modified base image or modified overlay image is moved by the user. Positive authentication is indicated in response to alignment of a base image reference point and an overlay image reference point and an indication of a correct level of pressure applied to a pressure sensitive input device.
US08650632B2
A facility for proxying network traffic between a pair of nodes is described. The facility receives packets traveling between the pair of nodes that together constitute a network connection. For each packet of the connection that is part of a transport protocol setup process, the facility updates a representation of the status of the setup process to reflect the packet, and forwards the packet to its destination without proxying the packet. For each packet of the connection that is subsequent to the setup process, the facility proxies the contents of the packet to the packet's destination.
US08650630B2
Malicious sources within networks are identified using bait traffic, including mobile IP messages, transmitted between a collaborating network device and a collaborating mobile client that has a fixed connection to the network. The bait traffic entices a malicious source to transmit malicious packets towards the collaborating mobile client and/or the network device. Upon receiving a malicious packet, the collaborating mobile client or the network device is able to identify the source of the packet as a malicious source and report the presence of the malicious source within the network.
US08650626B2
In one example embodiment, the communication system disclosed herein includes an information processing apparatus that acquires address information from a memory device having a free area including the address information and a secure area including account information. The information processing apparatus connects to a resource of a server using the acquired address information. The information processing apparatus causes a security server to acquire the account information from the memory device and transmit the acquired account information to the server such that the server enables a user to access the resource of the server using the account information.
US08650621B2
A method of verifying the age of a prospective Internet user comprises establishing an age check account; receiving information about a user, the information including an alleged age of the user; sending the information to be verified; and receiving a notification that the information has been verified.
US08650617B2
A method and apparatus for real-time insertion of services into an IP telephony call session are disclosed. A client initiates a service request message to a second server. The service request message includes the client identity and a requested service available from a second server. The first server determines if the client is authorized to use the requested service. If the client is authorized to use the requested service, the second server delivers the requested service to the client.
US08650613B2
A first wireless device is paired with a second wireless device for communication over a wireless connection. The first wireless device receives an input that indicates a device identifier of the second wireless device, and then matches the device identifier with one of the data entries in a data repository to obtain a code of the second wireless device without user interactions. The data repository contains a plurality of data entries associating a plurality of wireless devices with their corresponding codes. Based on the code of the second wireless device, the first wireless device authenticates the second wireless device and establishes the wireless connection.
US08650612B2
A method and system for locking down a local machine zone associated with a network browser is provided. Placing the local machine zone in a lockdown mode provides stricter security settings that are applied to active content attempting to publish within a local page open in the network browser. The stricter setting are provided in a new set of registry keys that correspond to the lockdown mode of the local machine zone. The original security settings remain unchanged so that other systems and applications functionality that depends on the original security settings remains unaffected for the local machine zone. A user may also selectively allow active content to render despite the local machine zone being locked down.
US08650607B2
Method and system for providing interactive look-and-feel in a digital broadcast via an X-Y protocol
A system for providing an interactive look-and-feel in a digital video broadcast via an X-Y protocol is provided. At a head-end, video information is digitized and associated with private data, such as event identifications, X-Y coordinates, link event identification and synchronization data. This information is then transmitted to a receiving end and is input into a set-top box. The set-top box receives the broadcast digital signal and includes a member for receiving the broadcast digital signal and generating a playable signal including indicia of the link data. The playable signal is then played on a playing device. The user is provided with a remote control or similar input device for selecting from the indicia. Upon selection of a desired indicia, the user may exercise the predetermined link associated with the selected indicia in order to obtain the desired playable signal.
US08650604B2
A protocol for wireless transmission of audio/video (A/V) information is provided. The protocol includes sending a request message from a requester to a responder for changing A/V format of an A/V stream transmission between the requester and the responder over a wireless communication medium. In reply to the request message, sending a response message from the responder to the requester for synchronizing the A/V format change. The requester and the responder changing the A/V format of the A/V stream in synchrony.
US08650601B2
A video on demand (VOD) asset management system (100). Content is moved within the VOD system in accordance with predetermined variables such that certain content, such as that which is in high demand, is located on a server (120, 125) which is nearer to a subscriber (130), and content which is in lesser demand is located on a server (110, 115) which is more remote from the subscriber. Content may also be duplicated or moved within the system based upon other variables such as demographics of the subscriber, whether there is an advertising campaign for the content, and the age of the content.
US08650594B2
According to an aspect, there is provided a digital television (DTV) data stream including program and system information protocol (PSIP) data associated with content of the DTV data stream, the PSIP data including a virtual channel table (VCT) and an event information table (EIT), the EIT comprising: a source identification field identifying a source of an associated event in a DTV data stream; an event identification field indicating an identification of the event; a start time field indicating a star time of the event; a title field indicating a title of the event; and a descriptor comprising: a descriptor tag identifying the descriptor as a genre descriptor, a descriptor length indicating a total length of the descriptor; and at least one category code for an associated event in a DTV data stream, each category code specifying genre, program type, or category information of the associated event, wherein the at least one category code specifies at least one of a set of basic categories.
US08650590B2
Embodiments of the disclosed invention include a system and a method for bypassing an emergency alert break-in for a recorded event. For example, in one embodiment, a set top box is disclosed that includes a memory component for storing computer executable instructions; a communication interface for receiving media content data from a cable service provider; a decoder module for decoding the received media content data; an emergency alert break-in monitoring module for identifying an emergency alert break-in from the received data; a digital video recorder controller module for determining whether the identified emergency alert break-in affects a recording of a program on a recorded channel; and an emergency alert break-in bypass module for bypassing the identified emergency alert break-in for enabling the digital video recorder controller module to record the program without the identified emergency alert break-in.
US08650574B2
The present invention replaces the prior art Systems Management Flow execution environments with a new Order Processing Environment. The Order Processing Environment consists of an Order Processing Container (“Container” in short), a Relationship Registry, and a Factory Registry. The Factory Registry supports creation of new resource instances. The Relationship Registry stores relationships between resources. The Container gets as input an Order and a start point address for the first resource. The Order is a document (e.g., XML) which includes a number of Tasks for each involved resource without arranging those tasks in a sequence. This differentiates Orders from workflow descriptions used by standard workflow engines. Each Task includes at least all input parameters for executing the Task. The sequence of the Task execution is derived by the Container by using the Relationship Registry which reflects all current Resource Topologies.
US08650568B2
The invention is based on Orders specifically developed for and processed by an Order Processing Environment for creation or modification of resource topologies. The Order Processing Environment is partly replaced by a combination of an Order Transformation Environment and standard Workflow Engines in order to execute the Order by standard Workflow Engines. The Order Transformation Environment needs to get two inputs. The first input is the resource topology which is retrieved by using the Relationship Registry of the Order Processing Environment. The second input is the Order. Orders are resource topology independent and include resource specific tasks without arranging those in a sequence. Tasks provide actions for creating and/or modifying resource topologies. The transformation is based on above two inputs resulting in a static standard based workflow. The static, standards-based workflow (e.g. BPEL-based) can then be executed by standards-based process/workflow engines. This enables users to exploit the flexibility of orders while still being able to leverage the broad set of tooling and runtime products available across the IT industry.
US08650566B2
The storage system exports logical storage volumes that are provisioned as storage objects. These storage objects are accessed on demand by connected computer systems using standard protocols, such as SCSI and NFS, through logical endpoints for the protocol traffic that are configured in the storage system. When a virtual machine is provisioned, logical storage volumes include a logical metadata storage volume and logical data storage volumes. The logical metadata storage volume stores metadata for the virtual machine such as configuration and log files, swap file, and disk descriptor files. Each disk descriptor file is provided for one logical data storage volume and stores metadata about the logical data storage volume such as size and unique identifying data.
US08650552B1
An operating system emulator determines energy consumption by hardware components being simulated during testing of mobile applications. The operating system emulator can be configured to track and determine the energy consumption of hardware components by using predefined energy utilization specifications. As the operating system emulator executes an application, the operating system emulator can track the utilization of the hardware components by the application being tested. To determine energy consumption, the operating system emulator can utilize energy consumption specifications of the hardware components and the utilization of the hardware components by the application.
US08650550B2
Methods and devices for controlling access to resources are disclosed herein. In one example embodiment, the method comprises: executing an application at a first computing device, wherein an attempt to access a computing resource on the computing device is made by the application; determining that the application is not configured to access the computing resource, in response to the attempt; displaying, in a user interface of the computing device, a permission request to allow the application to access the computing resource; and transmitting data from the computing device to the application server, the data notifying the application server that the attempt to access the computing resource was made by the application when the application was not configured to access the computing resource, and the data being usable by the application server to determine whether a corresponding computing resource on at least one different computing device is likely to be accessed when the application is executed on the at least one different computing device.
US08650547B2
A method for debugging the program of operational software of an onboard system, including flagging the program by positioning flags along an execution path for dividing the aforementioned execution path into adjacent functional intervals; normal execution of the program; acquiring an execution condition of the program by flag condition vectors; when an error is detected, searching a faulty functional interval based on the flag condition vectors, reverse execution of the program in the aforementioned faulty functional interval, and determination and correction of the error.
US08650545B2
A method, system, and computer program product for facilitating deduplication product testing in a computing environment is provided. At least one deduplication test file is generated. The at least one deduplication test file is adapted for, when processed through the deduplication product testing, exhibiting a predefined deduplication factor. A definition file is initialized. The definition file defines at least one file characteristic addressed during the generating the at least one deduplication test file to obtain the predefined deduplication factor. The file characteristic may include a file pattern, a file/pattern ratio, and a pattern across multiple files.
US08650544B2
Embodiments of methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer-readable may relate to interactive testing of source code. The method may include executing at least a part of the source code at the processing device and presenting the execution to a user. One or more gestures of the user may be captured while executing the part, where the user provides the gestures based on the execution presented to the user. The gestures may then be associated with the executing part, and a report may be generated that comprises information for the executing part associated with the captured gestures.
US08650542B1
A self-describing function object may be dynamically created based on a set of user provided parameters. In an implementation, a device may receive a request to create the function object based on one or more parameters and determine a number of ordered and hierarchical operations that correspond to the function object. The device may determine textual descriptions corresponding to what is performed by at least one of the ordered and hierarchical operations. The device may output documentation of the ordered and hierarchical operations included in the function object, the documentation including the textual descriptions arranged based on the determined order of the plurality of ordered and hierarchical operations.
US08650541B2
A method and data structure for improving the utility of graphics compositions is disclosed. In one embodiment, composition files are created through the connection of patches in a composition editor. Automatically included with the created composition file is protocol information. Preferably such protocol information is included as metadata in the header of the composition file, and can be constructed in any suitable fashion. So constructed, composition files can be grouped together in a physical or virtual repository accessible to other application programs. Another user can then pick an appropriate composition for a new project based on review and filtering of the protocols as contained in the header information of the repositoried composition files. Such review and filtering can be accomplished using a composition picker user interface in the user's application program. The repository can then be queried for composition files matching or otherwise compatible with the specified protocol.
US08650532B2
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are disclosed to provide change notification based on updates to an uncompiled software development project. A particular method includes detecting a project switch to a first software development project from an uncompiled second software development project. A metadata representation of one or more software entities associated with the second software development project is created. The method also includes updating a file including one or more proxy classes of the first software development project, where the proxy classes are updated based on the metadata representation. One or more clients of the first software development project are notified that the file has been updated.
US08650531B2
A method to shape one or more features of Web 2.0 in the form of Web 2.0 solutions, using Web 2.0 realization framework, to the plurality of enterprises is disclosed. The method includes identifying the respective enterprises computing infrastructure and a business application needs of the respective enterprises. The respective enterprises current support system is also measured to find the feasibility of implementing the features of the Web 2.0. The method further comprises offering one or more Web 2.0 features to the respective enterprises based on the business activity. The method includes providing the Web Realization Cycle (WRC) for controlled implementation of Web 2.0 features to the respective enterprises.
US08650529B2
An automated system, and method of operating the same, for assisting the layout of components and the routing of conductors in a layout of an integrated circuit. An asymmetric zoom command is provided, by way of which the user can magnify the current view of a portion of the layout in one dimension while maintaining the original magnification in the orthogonal dimension. The commands can be conveyed by keystrokes, or by a command in combination with a drawn rectangle indicating the extent of the asymmetric zoom magnification. Both asymmetric zoom-in and asymmetric zoom-out are supported.
US08650524B1
A method and apparatus to apply compressed test patterns using a very pin-limited test apparatus to a chip design for use in semiconductor manufacturing test is disclosed. Compression circuitry is inserted into the circuit design and the compressed signals manipulated for communication over a serial interface. On a test apparatus, ATPG may be run, assuming a parallel test interface, resulting in test patterns that may be compressed into a parallel format and then converted into a serial signal. On chip, the serial signal is parallelized, decompressed, and then shifted into the scan chains. An inserted controller generates clocks and various control signals. Conventional test patterns from ATPG may be generated and applied during testing without the need to modify the ATPG program saving time and resources. Hierarchical testing of integrated circuits built with a multiplicity of cores, each having its own embedded compression logic, is also supported.
US08650517B1
Within a system comprising a processor and a memory, a method of automatically documenting a circuit design can include determining an assignment of a user comment entity (UCE) of a high level modeling system (HLMS) circuit design to an HLMS block of the HLMS circuit design, translating each HLMS block of the HLMS circuit design into a hardware description language (HDL) representation of the HLMS block, and for each HLMS block assigned a UCE, inserting within the HDL representation, by the processor, content of the UCE that is assigned to the HLMS block in the form of a comment. The HDL representations can be stored within the memory.
US08650512B1
Computer-implemented methods are disclosed for providing an elastic modulus map of an integrated circuit (IC) chip of a chip/device package, for identifying a probable failure site of the chip/device package from the elastic modulus map of the IC chip, for modifying a connector footprint of the chip/device package based on identifying a probable failure site from the elastic modulus map of the IC chip, and for modifying the IC chip based on identifying a probable failure from the elastic modulus map of the IC chip. Each layer of the IC chip may be mapped, and each grid shape of the mapped layers may comprise a metal area and a dielectric area. Grid shapes from each layer of the IC are vertically aligned to provide a combined spring constant for each grid shape, which are then mapped onto the elastic modulus map to identify possible failure sites in the chip/device package.
US08650506B2
A method, system and computer-usable medium for generating a manufacturing-usable easily modifiable product order document is presented. An object collection of objects that describe features of components of a product is created. A view database that describes a logical relationship among components in the object collection is also created. A single document that includes the object collection and the view database is then generated. This single document can be updated according to technical requirements for a product being manufactured according to a product description created from the single document.
US08650493B2
A method and system is provided for testing and analyzing websites via a test-enabled web browser. When requested, a representative embodiment can provide for deep recording of user interactions as they relate to a specific web page currently on display in the browser view area, for extracting key information from the current web page sufficient to validate that a future playback does or does not produce the same effects on the chosen website page, for playing back a prior recording to confirm that a website page continues to pass the user-defined tests, and/or for providing detailed analyzes based on the specific contents of the current website page. The general result of systematic use of the test-enabled browser on websites is improved content quality, demonstrated website server behavior for deep tests, quicker delivery by the website server, and better serviceability for e-business.
US08650492B1
Systems and methods for generating a navigation flow visualization of network traffic. The system and method configured to receive user input that identifies a node that is a grouping of network resources. Generating a visualization data of network traffic flowing into the identified node from the incoming nodes and displaying the network traffic flowing out of the identified node to the outgoing nodes. The method includes connecting the incoming nodes with the identified node using the connectors, the connectors having a width dimension that indicates a number of visits from the incoming nodes to the identified node. The method includes connecting the identified node with the outgoing nodes using the connectors that has a width dimension that indicates a number of visits from the identified node to the outgoing nodes.
US08650489B1
A content manager an indication that a branch event is to be included in a video presentation. In conjunction with the branch event, the content manager also receives a selection of a plurality of video segments to be associated with the branch event. Each video segment defines video content to be rendered during playback (e.g., by a rendering application) of the video presentation upon selection of a branch choice corresponding to that video segment. Additionally, the content manager encodes the plurality of video segments and the corresponding branch choices as a branch event in the video presentation.
US08650485B2
A method for integrating Really Simple Syndication (RSS) documents includes extracting a data element set from an item of an RSS document and data elements contained in the data element set through a tag processing procedure; establishing a menu pool for displaying the content of the data element set and the content of the data elements; executing an editor to compose and edit the selected data element set and data elements, so as to combine the selected data element set and data elements into a new item; and outputting the new item as a target output document. Through the method, the content of various RSS documents is integrated into a customized Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or RSS document meeting the requirements of a user.
US08650484B1
The disclosed methods and systems provide a computer content creation application that allows movement and use of components between editing contexts. Different editing contexts may result where the content utilizes instances of one or more components that are defined outside the outer context in which the instances are used. In another example, different editing contexts result where components are, for one reason or another, stored in separate locations. Embodiments disclosed herein further facilitate developing and using of multi-editing context computer content by providing techniques for organizing parts of content according to content editing context. Other embodiments organize such parts based on the particular editing and use functionality available in a current editing context. Certain embodiments simplify and facilitate a user's ability to move components from an outer or general context into another context, such as into a particular component's instance definition.
US08650482B2
Alignment and positioning of tabs in text-based applications is provided by dynamically positioning the tabs based on content, margins, page size, and indents. Tab positions are aligned relative to a size, at least one margin, or content of a document or text-containing object such as a text box. Tab positions may also be aligned relative to an indent of a paragraph or of multiple columns on the same page. Alignment properties of tab positions are carried over when text is moved to table columns or other text-containing objects. Column-like grouping of text of varying size and alignments is enabled by using multiple tabs in a single line.
US08650481B1
A rendering engine may be configured to execute, within a first execution environment, a page script of a page to be rendered within a browser interface, the page script configured to interact with a page model to implement the rendering. An extension manager may be configured to execute an extension file which modifies a functionality of a browser application in association with the rendering of the page, including detecting a content script associated with the extension file which, during execution, interacts with the page model. An environment manager may be configured to create a second execution environment for execution of the content script file therein by the rendering engine.
US08650478B2
A system and method for context management which addresses the above problems while isolating the context management functions from the other functional code found on the server system. The context management system includes a context manager component which stores and retrieves name-value pairs describing the context in which the current request is being processed. In doing so, three types of context data are distinguished: static, dynamic, and transient. The context manager stores context data regarding each of a user's sessions and page flows, and returns context data in response to requests from the server system. Using this context data, the server system can then interact with the user in a manner appropriate to the user's context.
US08650477B2
A multimedia processing device implements a script having a data structure that is formed of a drawing information describing portion where media data is chronologically described, and a user navigation information describing portion where correspondence between events and actions and implementation conditions are chronologically described. The multimedia processing device implements this script, and thereby, media data is chronologically reproduced, and at the same time, a user interface showing operations that can be chronologically carried out is outputted. Then, a predetermined process, such as an insertion of media data, can be implemented by carrying out the operations following the user interface according to predetermined timing.
US08650476B1
Techniques for use with an electronic book reader include receiving localized evaluative feedback from users, pertaining to different locations within electronic content. The localized feedback is collected at a server and reported to content creators in reports that are formatted to indicate characteristics of the feedback at different locations within the electronic content.
US08650474B2
A method, computer readable medium and system for web content optimization in single page display environment includes receiving in a system with a single page display environment an engagement of an activator for a data picker for at least one form field in a form page. The form page is replaced with a data picker web page associated with the engaged activator in the single page display environment. A selection for the at least one form field from the data picker web page is received. The data picker web page is replaced with the form page in the single page display environment. The form page is filled with any previously entered data and the at least one form field with the received selection.
US08650455B2
A digital transmitting apparatus may include a first coder which codes a first layer data to add a first parity, a multiplexer which adds a second layer data to the first layer data to which the first parity is added, a second coder which codes the data outputted from the multiplexer to add a second parity, and a modulator which modulates the data to which the second parity is added and outputs the resultant data.
US08650442B2
A system, method, and product are disclosed for testing multiple threads simultaneously. The threads share a real memory space. A first portion of the real memory space is designated as exclusive memory such that the first portion appears to be reserved for use by only one of the threads. The threads are simultaneously executed. The threads access the first portion during execution. Apparent exclusive use of the first portion of the real memory space is permitted by a first one of the threads. Simultaneously with permitting apparent exclusive use of the first portion by the first one of the threads, apparent exclusive use of the first portion of the real memory space is also permitted by a second one of the threads. The threads simultaneously appear to have exclusive use of the first portion and may simultaneously access the first portion.
US08650425B2
A computer system for processing data in a non-operational state and processing method thereof are provided. The computer system includes a data output unit, a data source, a data processing module and a state monitor unit. The data processing module accesses and processes data from the data source, and transmits the processed data to the data output unit. The state monitor unit monitors a power supply state of the computer system to generate a state switch signal, which indicates whether the computer system is in an operational state or a non-operational state. When the state switch signal indicates that the computer system is in a non-operational state, the data source and the data processing module receives operating voltages to access and process data.
US08650421B2
The present invention discloses a network interface apparatus comprising two power regulators, one of which is a system power regulator for supplying a first supply voltage to a physical layer and a medium access control layer in the network interface apparatus, and the other one is an uninterrupted power regulator for supplying a second supply voltage to a power management module. When the network interface apparatus operates in a disconnection status, the system power regulator is disabled so as not to supply the first supply voltage, and the uninterrupted power regulator still provides the second supply voltage to the power management module.
US08650420B2
In an information processing system comprising an information processing equipment group and a facility equipment group, both an increase in performance and a reduction in power consumption are obtained, thereby achieving an efficient and flexible operational management. The plurality of information processing equipments are divided into a plurality of groups, each of which includes power feed equipments and cooling equipments. The operation management method for the information processing system includes: a procedure for acquiring, from each of the groups, operating information indicating the performances and the power consumptions of the information processing equipments, the power feed equipments, and the cooling equipments included in each of the groups; and another procedure for controlling, based on the operating information, the information processing equipments, the power feed equipments, and the cooling equipments included in each of the groups so that the performances with respect to the power consumptions become large.
US08650419B2
The charge capacity of a battery for supplying electric power to a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory is increased without increasing the power source capacity.A control unit for controlling data input/output processing on a storage device is configured by combining a plurality of units which become load on a power source; and at the time of power interruption of a power source, the control unit saves data and information, which are stored in a volatile memory, to a nonvolatile memory. A battery charged by the power source supplies electric power to the volatile memory and the nonvolatile memory at the time of the power interruption. When the electric power is supplied from the power source to the control unit at the time of power recovery after the power interruption, a main controller selects an activation target unit, which is to be activated, from among the plurality of units belonging to the control unit and controls activation of the selected activation target unit. A battery controller controls a charging current supplied to the battery based on surplus power indicating a difference between total power consumption by the selected activation target unit and a capacity of the power source.
US08650418B2
A power-saving management method for a computer peripheral device and a system thereof are described, which are applicable to stop the operation of at least one functional electronic element of the computer peripheral device, when the computer peripheral device enters a power-saving mode. The method includes the following steps. A sensor is activated to detect an environmental parameter value of the computer peripheral device. If the environmental parameter value is changed, the functional electronic element is activated to enter an operating mode, and an operation state of the functional electronic element is detected within a counting time. If the functional electronic element does not perform any operation, the sensor is reset and records the finally changed environmental parameter value, and the functional electronic element is made to enter the power-saving mode once again.
US08650400B2
A data processor is configured to perform wireless communication with a relay transmitter, store a first physical address for the relay transmitter on a storage unit, receive a second physical address for the relay transmitter from the relay transmitter after the data processor being turned on, determine whether the second physical address for the relay transmitter is identical to the first physical address for the relay transmitter, and, when one or more authentication requirements is satisfied, establish wireless connection with the relay transmitter so as to achieve the data communication with an external device via the wireless communication with the relay transmitter. The authentication requirement includes the determination that the second physical address for the relay transmitter is identical to the first physical address for the relay transmitter.
US08650399B2
Systems, devices and/or methods that facilitate mutual authentication for processor and memory pairing are presented. A processor and a suitably equipped memory can be provided with a shared secret to facilitate mutual authentication. In addition, the memory can be configured to verify that the system operating instructions have not been subjected to unauthorized alterations. System integrity can be ensured according to the disclosed subject matter by mutual authentication of the processor and memory and verification of the authenticity of system operating instructions at or near each system power up. As a result, the disclosed subject matter can facilitate relatively low complexity assurance of system integrity as a replacement or supplement to conventional techniques.
US08650393B2
According to one embodiment, a method for authenticating a device, wherein the device holds secret identification information, encrypted secret identification information, and key management information, and an authenticator holds an identification key, the method includes reading, by the authenticator, the encrypted secret identification information and the key management information from the device, and obtaining, by the authenticator, a family key by using the key management information, the family key being capable of being decrypted with the identification key. The method further includes obtaining, by the authenticator, the secret identification information by decrypting the encrypted secret identification information with the family key.
US08650390B2
Methods and systems for a flexible, scalable hardware and software platform that allows a managed security service provider to easily provide security services to multiple customers is provided. According to one embodiment, a request to establish an IP connection between two locations of a subscriber is received at a service management system (SMS) of the service provider. A tunnel is established between service processing switches coupled in communication through a public network. First and second packet routing nodes within the service processing switches are associated with the first and second locations, respectively. An encryption configuration decision is bound with a routing configuration of the packet routing nodes, by, when the request is to establish a secure IP connection, configuring, the packet routing nodes to cause all packets transmitted to the other location to be encrypted and to cause all packets received from the other location to be decrypted.
US08650385B2
An instruction fetch apparatus is disclosed which includes: a program counter configured to manage the address of an instruction targeted to be executed in a program in which instructions belonging to a plurality of instruction sequences are placed sequentially; a change designation register configured to designate a change of an increment value on the program counter; an increment value register configured to hold the changed increment value; and an addition control section configured such that if the change designation register designates the change of the increment value on the program counter, then the addition control section increments the program counter based on the changed increment value held in the increment value register, the addition control section further incrementing the program counter by an instruction word length if the change designation register does not designate any change of the increment value on the program counter.
US08650384B2
Provided is a method and system for dynamically parallelizing an application program. Specifically, provided is a method and system having multi-core control that may verify a number of available threads according to an application program and dynamically parallelize data based on the verified number of available threads. The method and system for dynamically parallelizing the application program may divide a data block to be processed according to the application program based on a relevant data characteristic and dynamically map the threads to division blocks, and thereby enhance a system performance.
US08650378B2
A determination is made as to whether a first indicator is configured to allow borrowing of storage space to a first type of storage pool from a second type of storage pool. In response to determining that the first indicator is configured to allow borrowing of storage space from the second type of storage pool, a logical unit is created in the second type of storage pool and a listener application is initiated. The listener application determines that free space that is adequate to store the logical unit has become available in the first type of storage pool. The logical unit is moved from the second type of storage pool to the first type of storage pool, in response to determining, via the listener application, that free space that is adequate to store the logical unit has become available in the first type of storage pool.
US08650373B2
According to one embodiment, a memory system includes a nonvolatile first memory, a nonvolatile second memory, a data-copy processing unit and a data invalidation processing unit. The first memory has a storage capacity for n (n≧2) pages per word line. The nonvolatile second memory temporarily stores user data write-requested from a host apparatus. The data-copy processing unit executes data copy processing including reading out, in page units, the user data stored in the second memory and sequentially writing the read-out user data in page units in the first memory. The data invalidation processing unit selects, after the execution of the data copy processing, based on whether the memory cell group per word line stores user data for n pages, user data requiring backup out of the user data subjected to the data copy processing and leaves the selected user data in the second memory as backup data.
US08650370B2
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an data storing program executed by an archive device including a first storage unit for storing data and a second storage unit for storing hash value determined from the data, the program causing the archive device to execute a process includes receiving hash value determined from data to be stored from an external device which requests storage of the data, comparing the received hash value with the hash value stored in the second storage unit, and transmitting request information for transmitting the data corresponding to the received hash value to the external device which transmits the hash value when the received hash value has not been stored in the second storage unit.
US08650368B2
This application concerns determining whether a particular subblock of data is present in a reduced-redundancy storage system. One embodiment achieves this by hashing subblocks in the storage system into a bitfilter that contains ‘1’ bit for each position to which at least one subblock hashes. This bitfilter provides a fast way to determine whether a subblock is in the storage system. In another embodiment, index entries for new subblocks may be buffered in a subblock index write buffer to convert a large number of random access read and write operations into a single sequential read and a single sequential write operation. The combination of the bitfilter and the write buffer yields a reduced-redundancy storage system that uses significantly less high speed random access memory than other systems that store the entire subblock index in memory.
US08650367B2
An apparatus for providing system memory usage throttling within a data processing system having multiple chiplets is disclosed. The apparatus includes a system memory, a memory access collection module, a memory credit accounting module and a memory throttle counter. The memory access collection module receives a first set of signals from a first cache memory within a chiplet and a second set of signals from a second cache memory within the chiplet. The memory credit accounting module tracks the usage of the system memory on a per user virtual partition basis according to the results of cache accesses extracted from the first and second set of signals from the first and second cache memories within the chiplet. The memory throttle counter for provides a throttle control signal to prevent any access to the system memory when the system memory usage has exceeded a predetermined value.
US08650365B2
A method and device for maintaining data in a data storage system, comprising a plurality of data storage nodes, the method being employed in a storage node in the data storage system and comprising: monitoring and detecting, conditions in the data storage system that imply the need for replication of data between the nodes in the data storage system; initiating replication processes in case such a condition is detected, wherein the replication processes include sending multicast and unicast requests to other storage nodes, said requests including priority flags, receiving multicast and unicast requests from other storage nodes, wherein the received requests include priority flags, ordering the received requests in different queues depending on their priority flags, and dealing with requests in higher priority queues with higher frequency than requests in lower priority queues.
US08650359B2
The storage system exports logical storage volumes that are provisioned as storage objects. These storage objects are accessed on demand by connected computer systems using standard protocols, such as SCSI and NFS, through logical endpoints for the protocol traffic that are configured in the storage system. Prior to issuing input-output commands to a logical storage volume, the computer system sends a request to bind the logical storage volume to a protocol endpoint. In response a first identifier for the protocol endpoint and a second identifier for the logical storage volume is returned. Different second identifiers may be generated for different logical storage volumes even though the same protocol endpoint is being used. Therefore, a single protocol endpoint may serve as a gateway for multiple logical storage volumes.
US08650357B2
Example apparatus and methods concern controlling a computer to prevent read while writing occurrences in direct output. One example method includes identifying a non-conformance between a block of data intended to be output using direct output and a desired direct output block. Conventionally, the non-conformance would cause the computer to perform a read operation to provide additional data suitable for conforming the block of data to the desired direct output block. Once the method has identified the non-conformance, the method may prevent the computer from performing the read operation. The method may also control the computer to perform an additional output operation to make the block of data appear to conform to the desired direct output block. The additional output operation will be performed without performing a read operation. In one embodiment, the method is performed in the kernel of an operating system running on the computer.
US08650354B2
Provided are a computer program product, sequential access storage device, and method for managing data in a sequential access storage device receiving read requests and write requests from a system with respect to tracks stored in a sequential access storage medium. A prefetch request indicates prefetch tracks in the sequential access storage medium to read from the sequential access storage medium. The accessed prefetch tracks are cached in a non-volatile storage device integrated with the sequential access storage device, wherein the non-volatile storage device is a faster access device than the sequential access storage medium. A read request is received for the prefetch tracks following the caching of the prefetch tracks, wherein the prefetch request is designated to be processed at a lower priority than the read request with respect to the sequential access storage medium. The prefetch tracks are returned from the non-volatile storage device to the read request.
US08650352B2
Systems and methods for determining program levels useful for reading cells of a flash memory, such as but not limited to detecting charge levels for the cells, obtaining joint conditional probability densities for a plurality of combinations of program levels of the cells; and determining program levels for the cells respectively such that an aggregated joint probability value of the joint conditional probability densities is maximized.
US08650348B2
A daughter circuit board of an electronically commutated motor for interface signal conversion, having circuit units integrated on the daughter circuit and eight ports for communicating with a control system of a user terminal, the daughter circuit board being plugged into a motor controller for signal conversion so that the motor controller communicates with the control system of the user terminal. The eight ports include an input port of power supply, a port of mode selection, a signal port of PWM, a R/T port for data transmission between the daughter circuit board and the control system of the user terminal, a port of COM, a port for fault signal output, a port of power indication, and a port of speed feedback. The daughter circuit board is simple, easy to correspond with various control systems of user terminals, and accords to the latest electric standard thereby facilitating management and popularization.
US08650339B2
A system for managing data transfer using an operating system address space, the address space comprising a user space and a kernel space, the system comprising a data buffer in the kernel space and a control module for the data buffer in the user space, the system further comprising a network protocol handling module that receives an I/O request in the kernel space for performing an I/O operation on the data buffer. The network protocol handling module notifies the control module of the I/O request via an upper level protocol handling module. The control module maintains address pointers in the data buffer and informs the network protocol handling module of the buffer address at which the I/O operation is to be performed.
US08650334B2
A source device such as a mobile phone terminal can provide more surely a user with a notification of a status of the source device. A mobile phone terminal (2) serving as the source device includes a command processing section (304) which issues a command which (A) has an event ID which designates a status of the source device and (B) causes a TV (1) to display the status of the source device.
US08650330B2
A method, system, and computer usable program product for a self-tuning I/O device are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A change is detected in an adapter communicating with the I/O device, the I/O device being a consolidator configured to communicate with the adapter in a data network. A type of the adapter is determined. Values for each parameter in a set of parameters corresponding to the type of the adapter are determined. The values of a first subset of the parameters are applied to the consolidator, applying the values of the first subset causing the consolidator to be configured to operate in a preferred configuration with the adapter.
US08650324B2
A computer-implemented system and method are described for exchanging messages between nodes and servers in accordance with specified service level guarantees, while at the same time retaining compatibility with other nodes and servers not subject to the same service level guarantees. For example, a system according to one embodiment of the invention comprises: a first cluster of servers having messaging applications executed thereon for enabling message passing between a first plurality of nodes, a first message database maintained by the first cluster of servers for storing an archive of messages passed between the first plurality of nodes; a second cluster of servers having the same messaging applications executed thereon for enabling message passing between a second plurality of nodes; and a second message database maintained by the second cluster of servers for storing an archive of messages passed between the second plurality of nodes; wherein the first cluster of servers implement a first set of protocols for ensuring latency and/or data retention requirements above a first specified threshold when exchanging messages between the first plurality of nodes. The first set of protocols may ensure various other characteristics of communication including, by way of example and not limitation, message delivery receipts and guaranteed call quality for voice calls.
US08650323B2
In an embodiment, a server computer comprises service processing logic that implements a Multi Step Retry Reinitialization Protocol Flow, and a protocol-aware rate limiting unit configured to cause one or more processors to perform receiving a message from a client; determining whether the received client message is a start type of message that requests starting the Flow; in response to determining that the received client message is a start type of message, determining whether to provide the received client message to the service processing logic using a discriminating rate limiting process. As a result, service unavailability may be prevented by rate limiting start types of messages, thereby allowing services to finish processing in-process protocol flows, when large numbers of clients concurrently attempt to obtain the services.
US08650317B2
A comprehensive platform for merchandising intellectual property (IP) and conducting IP transactions is disclosed. A standardized data collection method enables IP assets to be characterized, rated and valuated in a consistent manner. Project management, workflow and data security functionality enable consistent, efficient and secure interactions between the IP Marketplace participants throughout the IP transaction process. Business rules, workflows, valuation models and rating methods may be user defined or based upon marketplace, industry or technology standards.
US08650315B2
A comprehensive platform for merchandising intellectual property (IP) and conducting IP transactions is disclosed. A standardized data collection method enables IP assets to be characterized, rated and valuated in a consistent manner. Project management, workflow and data security functionality enable consistent, efficient and secure interactions between the IP Marketplace participants throughout the IP transaction process. Business rules, workflows, valuation models and rating methods may be user defined or based upon marketplace, industry or technology standards.
US08650312B2
Connection establishing management methods for traversing network address translation (NAT) routers and firewalls between network terminal devices to establish a connection channel therebetween for use in a network system including at least first, second and third network terminal devices and a traversal server are disclosed. First, when traversal server receives a call request of first and second network terminal devices, network topology levels of first and second network terminal devices are detected to detect whether first and second network terminal devices are located behind NAT router and/or firewall. Then, one of first and second network terminal devices or third network terminal device is selected according to the detection result such that selected network terminal device acted as proxy server for the traversal server to establish a connection channel corresponding to call request between first and second network terminal devices.
US08650297B2
A network management system. In particular implementations, a method includes establishing a persistent session with one or more network management servers, where each persistent session is identified relative to a session identifier; authenticating one or more clients requesting access; receiving, from a client, a request to access a selected network management server of the one or more network management servers; generating a ticket for the client; and transmitting a redirection message to the client, where the redirection message identifies the selected network management server and includes the ticket and the session identifier corresponding to the selected network management server.
US08650285B1
A first multicast data packet can be received by a particular edge node, forwarded from another network element in a network, the first packet including data received from a particular device interfacing with the network through a first edge node. The first packet is multicast by the first edge node. The particular edge node is included in a redundancy group including at least one other edge node. The first multicast data packet is examined to identify a first hint corresponding to the particular device. In response to identifying the particular device, it is determined that the particular edge node does not interface with the particular device. It is further determined that the particular edge node is designated as a forwarding node for the redundancy group. Based on these determinations, the first packet is forwarded by the particular edge node while preventing looping and duplicate packet delivery.
US08650284B2
Embodiments of the present invention include systems and methods for monitoring user activity. In embodiments, a front-end component collections data that may be useful to an administrator or others in determining or inferring what a user was doing or trying to do when interacting with an application, and the front-end component communicates at least some of this data to a back-end component. In embodiments, the communication of data related to the user activity is piggy-backed with typical transmissions, such as requests and responses, to reduce the overhead of the user activity monitoring.
US08650282B2
A system includes an analyzer module, a content request data collection module, and a domain name server. The content request data collection module is configured to receive a content request sent to a tracking address, collect content request information about the content request, and provide the content request information to the analyzer module. The domain name server is configured to receive an address request from a local domain name server for a cache server address, provide a tracking address to the local domain name server, collect address request information about the address request, and provide the address request information to the analyzer module. The analyzer module is configured to receive the address request information and the content request information, and determine properties of clients served by the local domain name server based on the address request information and the content request information.
US08650274B2
An information management device for performing an information update process from a virtual integrated management device that manages a plurality of device configuration information management devices to the device configuration information management devices, comprises a meta information management unit and an update processing unit. The meta information management unit, which is used to store meta information, indicates from which device configuration information management devices managed information comes. The update processing unit is used to narrow down the device configuration information management devices having information. The information is the basis of information on an update process such as registration, update and deletion based on the meta information, and giving a request for the update process, such as registration, update and deletion only to the device configuration information management devices narrowed down.
US08650266B2
In accordance with aspects of the invention, “low-level” caches can utilize source selection while non-authoritative sources can take advantage of rejuvenation to alleviate what the inventor refers to as “age penalty” and thereby reduce validation traffic.
US08650265B2
The World Wide Web portion of the Internet is largely supported by advertising. To deliver the most effective advertising, a system for dynamically creating customized advertisements is introduced. The behavior and any demographic information known about web viewers is used to select an advertising template that will be used to create an advertisement. The advertisement template comprises an incomplete advertisement with certain missing information along with identifiers for functions that may be used to complete the advertisement. In one embodiment, the functions may specify how the advertiser associated with the advertisement template may be contacted with the demographic information known about the user in order to fill in the missing portions of advertisement template. For example, the advertisement may concern flights to Hawaii and the advertiser may fill in the price of a flight to Hawaii based upon being provided with the user's location. The complete advertisement may then be displayed to the user.
US08650261B2
A system and method for automatically updating reference values includes a processing device configured to execute a software application. The software application employs one or more dynamic data items which change as a function of time. A memory device is configured to store at least one table including the one or more dynamic data items which change as a function of time. An update mechanism is configured to check one or more external information sources for current values of the one or more dynamic data items and update the one or more dynamic data items in the at least one table such that upon execution of the software application a most recently updated value is employed for the one or more dynamic data items.
US08650257B2
A method for processing a short message is provided in the present invention, which includes that a sending party editing short message text and sending a short message including the short message text and a template identifier (ID) to a short message service center; and a receiving party receiving the short message sent from the short message service center, analyzing to obtain the template ID included in the short message, then finding a template with a same template ID, and combining the template that is found with the short message text to be displayed. With the scheme of the present invention, directly sending the short message between the sending party and the receiving party can just achieve the effect of enhancing the interestingness of the short messages without increasing the processing burden of the short message service center and the occupation of the network resources.
US08650241B2
Embodiments of methods and systems comprise identifying failing media and/or drives for a media library. Error data can be collected from media libraries. For each tape exhibiting an error rate of interest, a determination can be made whether the tape would still have been of interest had it not been loaded in certain drives. This information can be analyzed to identify failing drives or tapes.
US08650240B2
Mechanisms for performing a complex matrix multiplication operation are provided. A vector load operation is performed to load a first vector operand of the complex matrix multiplication operation to a first target vector register. The first vector operand comprises a real and imaginary part of a first complex vector value. A complex load and splat operation is performed to load a second complex vector value of a second vector operand and replicate the second complex vector value within a second target vector register. The second complex vector value has a real and imaginary part. A cross multiply add operation is performed on elements of the first target vector register and elements of the second target vector register to generate a partial product of the complex matrix multiplication operation. The partial product is accumulated with other partial products and a resulting accumulated partial product is stored in a result vector register.
US08650238B2
In a digital system with more than one clock source, lack of synchronization between the clock sources may cause overflow or underflow in sample buffers, also called sample slipping. Sample slipping may lead to undesirable artifacts in the processed signal due to discontinuities introduced by the addition or removal of extra samples. To smooth out discontinuities caused by sample slipping, samples are filtered to when a buffer overflow condition occurs, and the samples are interpolated to produce additional samples when a buffer underflow condition occurs. The interpolated samples may also be filtered. The filtering and interpolation operations can be readily implemented without adding significant burden to the computational complexity of a real-time digital system.
US08650236B1
On a device having a maximum data rate, an interpolation filter can be configured in stages, with each stage may be broken into subfilters, which divides the output into phases. The ratio of the number of subfilters or phases in the final stage to the number of subfilters or phases in the initial stage is equal to the factor by which the data rate would otherwise increase. Thus for an interpolation factor of M, the output data rate can be kept the same as the input data rate by providing M subfilters, yielding M output phases each having an output rate equal to the input rate. The effective, or synthesized, output rate is M times the input rate. A decimation filter can be provided in the same way, with the effective input rate M times the output rate, even where the effective input rate would exceed the maximum data rate.
US08650231B1
A programmable device is programmed to perform arithmetic operations in an internal format that, unlike known standard formats that store numbers in normalized form and require normalization after each computational step, stores numbers in unnormalized form and does not require normalization after each step. Numbers are converted into unnormalized form at the beginning of an operation and converted back to normalized form at the end of the operation. If necessary to avoid data loss, a number may be normalized after an intermediate step. To conserve resources, rather than configuring the every intermediate operation to have the same mantissa size, in the internal format the mantissa size may start out smaller and grow after each operation.
US08650230B1
Circuitry for adding together three long numbers may include the formation of redundant form sum bit signals and redundant form carry bit signals. These signals may be finally combined in a ripple carry adder chain that produces sum bit output signals and ripple carry bit signals. Both a ripple carry bit signal and a redundant form carry bit signal must be passed from the circuitry performing each place of the addition to the circuitry performing the next-more-significant place of the addition. Various techniques are disclosed for facilitating subdividing long chains of such circuitry, as well as possibly including (between such subdivisions) “pipeline” registers for both ripple and redundant form carry bit signals.
US08650228B2
The present invention is directed toward methods and systems for data de-duplication. More particularly, in various embodiments, the present invention provides systems and methods for data de-duplication that may utilize storage reclamation. In various embodiments, data de-duplication may be performed using data storage reclamation by reconciling a list of all active tags against a list of all tags present within the object store itself. Any tags found to be in the object store that have no corresponding active usage may then be deleted. In some embodiments additional steps may be taken to avoid race conditions in deleting tags that are needed by incoming data. In some embodiments the object store may request the lists. In other embodiments, a runtime list, in which each new tag is entered as they are returned from the object store. In another embodiment the object store may maintain this list directly.
US08650212B2
Methods, devices, and products are disclosed for recommending a social community. A “social community” may be any individual(s), clubs, and/or organizations that have expressed some affinity to terms or subject matter, such as a media identifier. The media identifier identifies some media that is scheduled for recording. A community database is queried for the media identifier, and the community database associates social communities to media identifiers. The social community associated with the media identifier is retrieved. The social community is then sent to a user.
US08650210B1
In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products for invoking a non-search action based on a search query. A server system receives a search query from a remote computing device. The server system determines whether the search query includes reserved text that indicates an intent by a user that provided the search query to the remote computing device to perform a non-search messaging action instead of or in addition to obtaining search results. The server system provides to the computing device, in response to determining that the search query includes the reserved text, code for causing the remote computing device to display a draft communication that includes at least the search query without the reserved text, and for allowing the user to edit the draft communication before transmitting the draft communication for receipt by recipient users.
US08650205B2
Techniques are disclosed for invoking an analysis routine running on a parallel computer system to analyze query results. A query generated using a query builder application for execution against a database to produce query results. Embodiments receive a selection of one of a plurality of analysis routines to apply to the query results. A command and the query results are transmitted to a compute node of a parallel computer system using an established network connection. Embodiments invoke the selected analysis routine on the parallel computing system using the translated command and the query results to produce analysis routine results. The analysis routine results are merged with the query results to produce merged results, and the merged results are output for display.
US08650189B2
An apparatus comprises a visibility module configured to derive a hit visibility score for one or more hits from an information source, wherein the one or more hits are directed to a target entity, and wherein the hit visibility score indicates a likelihood that a corresponding hit is found by a searcher after the searcher searches for the target entity in the information source; a sentiment module configured to derive a hit sentiment score for at least one of the one or more hits, wherein the hit sentiment score indicates a sentiment about the target entity conveyed by the at least one of the one or more hits; and a reputation module configured to derive a reputation for the target entity based on the hit visibility score and the hit sentiment score.
US08650188B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for retargeting content in a search environment. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a request for a content item to be provided with a search results page and determining that one or more retargeted content items are eligible for presentation with the search results page. Each of the retargeted content items is a content item that is eligible for presentation with the search results page based on: (1) the search query matching a targeting keyword for the retargeted content item, and (2) the user identifier matching a retargeted identifier that is included in a retargeting set for the retargeted content item. A responsive content item to be presented with the search results page is selected, based at least in part on bids that are associated with the retargeted content items, and data specifying the responsive content item are provided.
US08650185B1
Systems and methods are provided for facilitating interaction with a database using a multi-dimensional graphical user input interface. According to certain aspects, the graphical user input interface may include a graphical control element manipulable to positions in a construct defined by the dimensions of the graphical user input interface. Quantifiable factors may correspond to each of the dimensions. The position of the graphical control element may be received and simultaneously define values for each of the factors. A database action may be executed based on the values. A database result may be generated and transmitted, based on the database action. The systems and methods may be utilized to simultaneously define multiple measureable factors to generate database results. Applications for the graphical user input interface include creating job descriptions, sorting and filtering datasets, searching product inventory, human resources, and survey answer collection.
US08650180B2
The subject disclosure is directed towards using fingerprints, comprising lists of simulation results corresponding to partial (random sampled) simulation results, to determine whether a full simulation may be avoided by reusing simulation results from a previous full simulation. Before running a full simulation, a current fingerprint is obtained via a partial simulation. If a previous fingerprint matches (is identical or similar to) the current fingerprint, the associated previous results are reused. Also described is indexing fingerprint data to facilitate efficient lookup-based fingerprint matching.
US08650169B1
A method and mechanism for identifying one or more transactions that have modified or created an object in a database system. Also disclosed is a method and mechanism to compensate for the effects of a transaction in a database system is disclosed. The disclosed approach can be applied to perform auditing for changes and/or transactions in a database system and for identifying the scope of changes and data accesses made by a transaction in the system.
US08650166B1
A computer-implemented method for classifying files may include identifying data to be written to a file on a storage system. The method may also include, before the data is written to the storage system, 1) identifying a characteristic of the data, 2) determining, based on the characteristic of the data, a classification for the file, and 3) using the classification of the file to select a location within the storage system where the file should be stored. The method may further include writing the data to the file at the selected location within the storage system. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed herein.
US08650161B1
Based on a probability of summary metadata associated with an entity of a media hosting service being inaccurate, a determination is made as to whether to verify the accuracy of the summary metadata. In response to determining to verify the accuracy of the summary metadata, a determination is made as to whether the summary metadata is inaccurate with respect to master metadata associated with the entity of the media hosting service. The summary metadata is updated with a correct value determined from the master metadata, in response to determining the summary metadata is inaccurate.
US08650159B1
A computer-implemented method for managing data in cloud storage using deduplication techniques is described. At least one unique segment of data is received from at least one backup source. The at least one unique segment of data is written to at least one container file associated with the at least one back up source. An index file is created for the at least one container file. The index file includes information regarding the unique segments of data. A plurality of the unique segments of data is transmitted from the at least one container file as an object to a virtual container on cloud storage. A virtual container is composed of an index file and one or more container files, and the index file and each container file are stored as individual cloud storage objects. Spatial locality of the plurality of unique segments of data is maintained in cloud storage.
US08650158B2
Embodiments include a computer program product and an apparatus for cloning files across different filesets and maintaining the clone files. After a clone file is created from a file, a write request targeting the clone file can be handled. It is determined that the write request indicates the clone file that was cloned from a file in a first fileset. The clone file is of a second fileset and a clustered file system comprises the first fileset and the second fileset. A data block of the clone file affected by the write request is determined. It is then determined that the data block at a current location cannot be modified. The write request is implemented with respect to the data block at a different location. It is indicated that the data block at the different location can be modified for subsequent write requests that indicate the clone file.
US08650154B2
A method for synchronizing a database with displayed data, includes providing a data feed to receive data from the database to provide displayed document data, detecting a database change to the data within the database by a database synchronizer to provide a change event, polling the database synchronizer using an HTTP message to detect the change event, and pushing the database change to the displayed document data to update the displayed document data in accordance with the database change and the polling. The polling includes long polling and short polling. A polling servlet within the database synchronizer performs the polling by the database synchronizer. The database synchronizer updates the displayed document data by way of a data structure. The data structure is a queue.
US08650152B2
Methods, articles of manufacture and systems for managing execution of workflows. One embodiment provides a computer-implemented method for managing execution of a data driven multi-step workflow. The method includes receiving input data for a step of the workflow and performing the step of the workflow on the input data to obtain a result set. Then, at least one rule is applied to the result set for determining whether one or more associated conditions are satisfied. The at least one rule defines the one or more associated conditions and an associated process. If the one or more associated conditions are satisfied, the associated process is performed on the result set.
US08650143B2
A plurality of topics encompassed in a document are determined and, for each such topic, a sentiment for that topic is likewise determined. Thereafter, credibility of the document is determined based on the resulting plurality of sentiments. In one embodiment, credibility of at least one target document is established by first determining, for each of a plurality of portions of the at least one target document, at least one topic encompassed in the portion to provide a plurality of target topics. Likewise, sentiment scores are determined for each portion. Thereafter, for each prior topic of a plurality of prior topics, a topic-sentiment score is determined based on sentiment scores corresponding to those portions of the plurality of portions having a target topic corresponding to the prior topic. A credibility index is determined based on the resulting plurality of topic-sentiment scores.
US08650141B2
A system and method of profile matching using a multi-media survey is described. The method is capable to capturing the emotional reflex of a user. The method is generalized to categorizing an entity (a user or an object) to specific segment with similar emotional profiles. Each entity can be assigned to an emotional code. Such code can be used as a universal vocabulary in the emotional space for both commerce and consumers to adopt in facilitating communication among different parties.
US08650136B2
A computer implemented method and system is provided for classifying a document. A classifier is trained using training documents. A list of first words is obtained from the training documents. A prior probability is determined for each class of multiple classes. Conditional probabilities are calculated for the first words for each class. Confidence thresholds are determined. Confidence grades are defined for the classes using the confidence thresholds. A list of second words is obtained from the document. Conditional probabilities for the list of second words are determined from the calculated conditional probabilities for the list of first words. A posterior probability is calculated for each of the classes and compared with the determined confidence thresholds. Each class is assigned to one of the defined confidence grades based on the comparison. The document is assigned to one of the classes based on the posterior probability and the assigned confidence grades.
US08650121B2
A hybrid credit card transaction system that processes transactions as either virtual standard transactions directed through a clearinghouse or as virtual closed loop transactions bypassing the clearinghouse, is disclosed. The system includes a logic enabled merchant that detects virtual closed loop transactions and directs them to an affiliated acquiring entity which acquires the virtual closed loop transactions and routes them directly to an affiliated card issuing entity so as to bypass the clearinghouse. The affiliated card issuing entity debits virtual standard transactions to a credit card account and virtual closed loop transactions to a private label account. The logic enabled merchant, associated acquiring entity and the associated card entity may be affiliated by participation in an Internet site that promotes transactions between small businesses and merchants selling wholesale goods. A reduction in processing fees accrued when bypassing the clearinghouse promotes issuance and use of the hybrid credit cards.
US08650116B2
First business process data obtained from a first trading participant includes a set of transaction messages having a first data format in accordance with a first protocol for conducting business transactions used by the first trading participant. A virtual trading participant receives fictitious business process data from the first trading participant and acknowledging the fictitious business process data and replying to the first trading participant that the fictitious business process data has been acknowledged. Operational characteristics and a connectivity of a currently trading participant connected to a process management platform accessible via an interconnection fabric are tested, by utilizing the virtual trading participant to determine if the data defining individual business processes is in a uniform format understood by a process management platform. The virtual trading participant is utilized to ensure compatibility with an identified version of the uniform format.
US08650103B2
A_system and method for verification of a person identifier received online is described. The method includes receiving a request for verifying a person identifier (PI1); and estimating whether (a) PI1 identifies the same person as another person identifier (PI2), (b) sender of PI1 is the same person as sender of PI2, and (c) PI2 identifies the sender of PI2.
US08650099B2
A consumables stock subtraction processing unit in a management apparatus calculates a counter value used in the determination of stock subtraction for a consumable product by using the value of a counter included in a residual amount notification acquired from an image formation apparatus. When the difference of the determination counter value calculated upon receipt of a previous residual amount notification and a determination counter value calculated upon receipt of a new residual amount notification is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, stock subtraction processing for the consumable is performed.
US08650098B2
Systems and methods of tracking an installer's inventory of vehicle tracking devices performed by the supplier of the devices are provided. Inventory levels of the devices are checked based on activation and/or registration of a tracking device and a subsequent stock-out notification is sent to the installer based on the checked inventory level.
US08650091B1
Consumers who are interested in various rental properties can create a list of those properties, and notifications of that interest can be sent to the property managers associated with those properties. A system could be implemented to send multiple notifications (e.g., to each manager of a property on the list) with a single request by the consumer. Such notifications can be used to provide property managers with information used to screen applicants, and/or can allow property managers to seek to access additional information about the consumer. Whether any additional information has been accessed can be tracked to verify that access is only provided in compliance with relevant regulation. This type of functionality can be integrated with a system that allows regulatory investigations to be allocated to, and performed by, compliance representatives using mobile devices, and can also be integrated with functionality that allows consumers to present themselves as pre-qualified applicants.
US08650087B2
A system and a method for delivering information related to the evaluation values of products. The system includes an evaluation database (DB) for storing evaluation information; a user terminal for reading the product codes of products; and an inventory information DB for storing inventory information. The evaluation information is read, based on a product barcode obtained by the user terminal, from the evaluation DB, and a retail store within a predetermined distance from the user is searched based of the positional information (GPS) of the user terminal. Then, the inventory information DB, which is connected to the POS server of the retail store, is searched to acquire and display the inventory status of the product on the user terminal. Additionally, when the product is purchased, the evaluator who provided the evaluation information of the product is given points and paid a reward.
US08650084B2
A tool for off-line experimentation with auction parameters for auctions for an ad space. The tool computes, using historical bid information, values per click to advertisers competing for the ad space. The tool applies a homotopy algorithm, using these values, to predict equilibrium bids based on the values to the advertisers. In computing the equilibrium bids, the bid of each advertiser is assumed to stay fixed over multiple auction cycles, but each advertiser is assumed to face uncertainty about quality scores used by the advertising platform in selecting bids and the rank of their bid with respect to others. The quality scores also are assumed to vary between auctions.
US08650081B2
Predictive modeling, in which a first simulation model that simulates a first policy for managing a set of data is determined based on a pattern representative of the set of data and first operating variables for the first policy. The first simulation model is optimized and first prediction data that estimates performance of the first policy is computed using the optimized first simulation model. A second simulation model that simulates a second policy for managing the set of data is determined based on the pattern and second operating variables for the second policy. The second simulation model is optimized and second prediction data that estimates performance of the second policy is computed using the optimized second simulation model. The first prediction data is compared with the second prediction data, and a determination of whether the first policy is better than the second policy is made.
US08650079B2
A method and system for using individualized customer models when operating a retail establishment is provided. The individualized customer models may be generated using statistical analysis of transaction data for the customer, thereby generating sub-models and attributes tailored to customer. The individualized customer models may be used in any aspect of a retail establishment's operations, ranging from supply chain management issues, inventory control, promotion planning (such as selecting parameters for a promotion or simulating results of a promotion), to customer interaction (such as providing a shopping list or providing individualized promotions).
US08650067B1
Methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media are described for generating a credible market value that is utilized to produce a listing price for a property with reduced risk of a substantial reduction in the listing price before selling the property and for assessing risk of incorrectly pricing a property. A subject property, selected comparables, and selected comparables having multiple sales are imported from one or more databases for analysis. Information that is imported may include, for example, property features, original listing prices, record of days on the market, and a final listing price and sales price for each property that was sold. A market analysis process is run to produce relative market assessments and a residential value process is run including appreciation calculations based on the comparable properties having multiple sales to produce the credible market value. Graphs are plotted and other computer outputs are provided to identify the risk of incorrectly pricing a property and to illustrate that risk to a potential seller. Additionally, tools are provided to readily illustrate how changes in underlying assumptions affect the analysis.
US08650061B2
A computerized method for natural gas distribution compliance management is provided. The method includes maintaining a database identifying a plurality of compliance events and a plurality of resources. A computer system is provided including a main computer and a remote computer adapted to communicate with the main computer. The main computer retains at least a portion of a main program and the database. The remote computer retains a remote program operative to display and modify a remote portion of the compliance events and a remote portion of the resources of the database. The database is periodically scanned to identify at least one of the compliance events requiring a response and to identify at least one of the resources to respond to the compliance event requiring the response. Compliance events are matched and scheduled with the resource to respond to the compliance event.
US08650059B2
An approach is provided for utilizing role-based presentation interfaces. A role of a user among a plurality of roles is determined. The user is among a plurality of users that are grouped based on the roles. A presentation interface is populated with sales related information based on the determined role.
US08650048B1
A method of providing an insurance policy for a home includes providing a computer having a processor and deploying a plurality of sensors in a vicinity of the home. The method also includes receiving data from the plurality of sensors. The data includes information related to environmental factors associated with the home. The method further includes transmitting the information related to the environmental factors to the computer, computing, by the processor, a fire risk associated with the home using the information, and computing, by the processor, an insurance premium for the insurance policy using the computed fire risk.
US08650044B2
A computer system to communicate healthcare data between healthcare participants includes a computer configured to display a personal healthcare record associated with a patient; wherein the personal healthcare record includes normalized data related to the patient and received from a payor computer and provider healthcare data related to the patient received from a provider computer; wherein the normalized data and the provider healthcare data are of a type that are displayed in separate fields; and wherein the normalized data is in a normalized format of a type that displays healthcare data from one or more sources such that any healthcare data associated with a patient which has the same meaning will be expressed in the same format despite any prior formatting.
US08650039B2
A medical service support system includes: a first input unit that inputs first patient information on a patient in carrying out a medical examination of the patient; a second input unit that inputs second patient information on the patient in executing, to the patient, a pretreatment of an inspection being ordered according to a medical examination result of the patient; a memory that stores the first patient information inputted by the first input unit and the second patient information inputted by the second input unit; a consistency judging unit that judges match or mismatch of respective common items contained in both of the first patient information and the second patient information stored in the memory, by comparing the first patient information with the second patient information for each common item; and a display unit that displays a consistency judgment result by the consistency judging unit.
US08650034B2
According to one embodiment, a speech processing device includes an utterance error occurrence determination information storage unit that stores utterance error occurrence determination information; a related word information storage unit that stores related word information including words; an utterance error occurrence determining unit that compares each of the divided words with the condition, gives the error pattern to the word corresponding to the condition, and determines that the word which does not correspond to the condition does not cause the utterance error; and a phoneme string generating unit that generates a phoneme string of the utterance error. The one of the error patterns associated with one of the conditions is the speech error, the utterance error occurrence determining unit further gives an incorrectly spoken word from the related word information, and the phoneme string generating unit generates a phoneme string of the incorrectly spoken word.
US08650030B2
A method for receiving processed information at a remote device is described. The method includes transmitting from the remote device a verbal request to a first information provider and receiving a digital message from the first information provider in response to the transmitted verbal request. The digital message includes a symbolic representation indicator associated with a symbolic representation of the verbal request and data used to control an application. The method also includes transmitting, using the application, the symbolic representation indicator to a second information provider for generating results to be displayed on the remote device.
US08650021B2
A computer aided design system determines the acceptable timing for a flip-flop cell. The system generates a search window having a pass edge and a fail edge and divides the search window into four sections using three quadsection values. For each of the quadsection values, the system simulates a timing analysis of the flip-flop and determines if each of the quadsection values pass or fail the analysis. The analysis may be done in parallel. If at least one of the quadsection values passes the analysis, the system causes one of the passed quadsection values to be a new pass edge for the search window. If at least one of the quadsection values fails the analysis, the system causes one of the failed quadsection values to be a new fail edge for the search window. If the search window is less than a predetermined window width, the system assigns the new pass edge as the determined timing. If the search window is not less than the predetermined window width, the system repeats the above, starting with dividing the new search window into four sections using three quadsection values.
US08650020B1
Modeling and simulating behavior of a transistor are described. At least one sub-circuit model for modeling at least one second order effect associated with the transistor is obtained. At least one instance parameter for the at least one second order effect is obtained. Operation of a transistor behavior simulator is augmented with the at least one sub-circuit model populated with the at least one instance parameter such that the simulating of the behavior of the transistor produces data that takes into account the at least one second order effect. The at least one second order effect may be an LOD/eSiGe effect, a poly pitch effect, or a DSL boundary effect. Also described is a method for generation of a sub-circuit model.
US08650019B1
Approaches for creating a timed hybrid simulation model for a circuit design specification. An untimed, high-level language (HLL) data-path model is input, along with an HLL data-path interface specification that specifies input ports of the HLL data-path model. A hardware description language (HDL) control-path model that specifies port attributes and associated stitching directives is generated. Each stitching directive specifies a control port and an associated one of the input ports of the HLL data-path model. The HLL data-path and HDL control-path models are linked (314) to create the timed hybrid simulation model, and the timed hybrid simulation model is stored in a processor-readable storage medium.
US08650018B2
A system and method for predicting the onset of glaucoma uses a Finite Element Model (FEM) to obtain a response profile of the Optical Nerve Head (ONH) inside an eye. To do this, the FEM is programmed with data from first and second images of the ONH that are respectively taken at the beginning and the end of an imposed pressure differential (e.g. over a range of about 8kPa). The FEM is then subjected to a sequence of pressure increments and the resultant profile is compared with empirical data to predict an onset of glaucoma.
US08650016B2
A Multiscale Finite Volume (MSFV) method is provided to efficiently solve large heterogeneous problems; it is usually employed for pressure equations and delivers conservative flux fields to be used in transport problems. It relies on the hypothesis that the fine-scale problem can be described by a set of local solutions coupled by a conservative coarse-scale problem. In numerically challenging cases, a more accurate localization approximation is used to obtain a good approximation of the fine-scale solution. According to an embodiment, a method is provided to iteratively improve the boundary conditions of the local problems, and is responsive to the data structure of the underlying MSFV method and employs a Krylov-subspace projection method to obtain an unconditionally stable scheme and accelerate convergence. In one embodiment the MSFV operator is used. Alternately, the MSFV operator is combined with an operator derived from the problem solved to construct the conservative flux field.
US08650013B2
A method of designing or optimizing a column for a separation process includes the computer implemented steps of, in a digital processor, providing vapor-side and liquid-side mass transfer coefficient expressions and a mass transfer area expression relevant for a subject column, the vapor-side and liquid-side mass transfer coefficient expressions and the mass transfer area expression having been derived from defining a column average height equivalent to a theoretical plate HETP) as a mathematical relationship in which HETP is proportional to a vapor flow rate, is inversely proportional to effective packing area participating in mass transfer, has a first correction factor with respect to liquid-side mass transfer, and has a second correction factor with respect to vapor-side mass transfer. The expressions are further derived from reducing error of curve fitting HETP empirical data of various columns by using the defined HETP to obtain expressions for the vapor-side and liquid-side mass transfer coefficients and mass transfer area. The method also includes using the provided expressions to determine column height and column width configurations of the subject column, and outputting the determined column height and column width configurations of the subject column.
US08650003B2
A process for validating the fault detection of a device under test includes carrying out a series of basic tests of the device under test. Each basic test leads to a positive or negative result indicating normal or abnormal functioning of the device under test. The process also includes, after each realization of a basic test, updating an event counter (CRT) and updating a result counter (FCRT). Validation is performed depending on test result once the event counter has reached a first maximal value (CTRmax) or once the realization counter has reached a second maximal value (FCTRmax). The process can be performed by a diagnostic device. The process and device can monitor the electric or functional performance of more or less complex systems installed in an automobile.
US08649997B2
A system for a meter configured to determine an analyte concentration of a fluid sample includes a housing and a temperature sensor disposed within the housing. The system also includes a processor configured to receive temperature data from the temperature sensor upon the meter entering one of a charge state and a discharge state. The processor is further configured to predict a temperature value that approximates the ambient temperature outside of the housing. The predicted temperature value is based on historical temperature data received from the temperature sensor such that the predicted temperature value remains constant if a recently received temperature value remains within predetermined upper and lower temperature thresholds and the recently received temperature value exceeds the at least one predicted temperature value.
