US08705125B2
A recommendation set content in a print setting item is proposed based on a print setting history of a print job in which a print instruction is given from an information processing apparatus and printing is performed in an image forming apparatus at time of print setting in the information processing apparatus. A printing system accumulates set contents of print setting items at time of print instruction in the information processing apparatus as a print setting history, for example, in a server, and at start of print setting or at time of print setting change in the information processing apparatus, searches recommendation setting candidates based on a predetermined recommendation basis from the set contents of print setting items at the start of the print setting or at the time of the print setting change, and displays the searched recommendation setting candidates on the information processing apparatus.
US08705124B2
An image forming apparatus includes recording heads for ejecting recording liquids of colors onto a recording medium. The apparatus includes a reference-patch forming unit that records a reference patch, the reference patch being formed by overlaying dot array patterns recorded with the recording liquids of different colors, the dot array patterns having no correlation therebetween; a detection-patch-group forming unit that records a detection patch group including detection patches, each of the detection patches being formed by overlaying dot array patterns recorded with the recording liquids of the different colors, the dot array patterns having a same cycle of regular dot array, the detection patches being allocated with different misregistration amounts of the dot array patterns; and a color-misregistration correcting unit that corrects color misregistration based on results of comparison between color tone of the reference patch and color tone of each of the detection patches.
US08705118B2
Disclosed is a system (700) for printing a page description comprising a set of instructions, conforming to an interface, to draw at least one object on a page. The system comprises a filter module (705) for simplifying the set of instructions to an output set of instructions that is a subset of the interface, and an output device (711) for printing said output set of instructions. The system also has a set of thresholds (915) and flags (913) controlling the method by which the filter module simplifies said set of instructions, the flags and thresholds being dependent on the capabilities of the output device.
US08705117B1
A hand-held printer is disclosed. The hand-held printer includes an image sensor configured to determine a color having plurality of color components associated with a print medium, an image processing module configured to process image data into a plurality of color layers; and a print module configured to receive information related to the plurality of color components from the image sensor and information related to the plurality of color layers from the image processing module. The print module being configured to enhance at least one of the plurality of color layers based on at least one of the corresponding plurality of color components associated with the print medium.
US08705114B2
The present invention provides a droplet jetting apparatus which jets fluid in a droplet shape. The apparatus includes a main body (100), which has a chamber (110) for containing fluid. The main body further has at least one nozzle (120) which communicates with the chamber and jets a droplet onto a printable matter, and a first electrode (130) which is formed on the inner surface of at least one selected from between the nozzle and the chamber by patterning treatment to make electrical contact with the fluid. The apparatus further includes a second electrode (140), which is provided between the nozzle and the printable matter and has a through hole, through which the droplet is jetted from the nozzle onto the printable matter, a power supply (200) which supplies a voltage applied between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a control unit (300) which controls the power supply.
US08705108B1
A non-transitory computer readable medium stores a program causing a computer to function as a determination unit and a controller. The determination unit determines an amount of hardware computational resources of the computer to determine the number of interpretation units capable of being implemented by the determined amount of hardware computational resources. The controller controls which of a first print data processing device and a second print data processing device the computer is caused to function as, in accordance with the number determined by the determination unit.
US08705105B2
An information processing apparatus outputs, when both bookbinding printing for outputting a book and a number of pages arranged on a surface of a sheet are set, a print product that a user can easily read by synchronizing an opening direction and an arrangement order.
US08705104B2
An image forming apparatus and a method of controlling the same which may prevent brokenness of data displayed on a display are provided. The image forming apparatus performs a read operation on data previously stored at a specific address of a storage unit of an LCD module or on data stored through a write operation. The image forming apparatus compares data acquired through the read operation and known data. If the data acquired through the read operation and the known data are different, the image forming apparatus adjusts a setup time of an enable signal to prevent brokenness of data due to incorrect timing of the enable signal.
US08705099B2
An information processing apparatus connectable to a server which manages print data, and a printer which prints based on the print data receives the print data from the server, and transfers the received print data to the printer by each first data size. When a disconnection between the server and the information processing apparatus is detected, the information processing apparatus transfers the print data to the printer by each second data size smaller than the first data size.
US08705097B2
Digital content rendering services provided over the Internet are disclosed. The service enables multiple concurrent users to log on and access server and applications in separate and protected sessions. The server may receive content objects and instructions for manipulating the content with an information apparatus operated by a user. The server may further receive job objects including at least one of authentication, payment, and subscription information. The server may generate output data related to the rendering job and the content, and send the output data to an output controller or media box, internally included or externally connected, to an output device for rendering, the output device may be a television, a display device, a sound device, or a printer. The service may send service confirmation to the information apparatus. The service may also store user's digital content at a node over the Internet for later access by the user.
US08705095B2
A print control apparatus includes plural conversion units each of which is capable of activating plural drawing processing units that generate print data, a memory that stores a print instruction in a print queue, a judging unit that judges whether or not the number of pages of the print instruction is larger than a set threshold, an assigning unit that assigns the print instruction that has been judged to have a number of pages equal to or smaller than the set threshold to one or more of the plural conversion units, and a selecting unit that selects, if the assigning unit has assigned the print instruction having a number of pages equal to or smaller than the set threshold to one or more of the plural conversion units, a print instruction having a number of pages equal to or smaller than the set threshold.
US08705093B2
An image forming apparatus is provided, which includes a communication interface (CI) to search at least one connectable control point (CP), an event management unit to set event notification information for the CP found by the search, and if an event occurs in the image forming apparatus, to select the CP to receive a notification of the event based on the event notification information, a storage unit to store the set event notification information, and a digital living network alliance (DLNA) stack to control the CI so that the event is notified to the selected CP.
US08705087B2
An image forming apparatus includes an image data conversion unit configured to convert print data into bitmap data, a sheet feeding unit configured to store and feed a sheet on which printing is to be performed, a detecting unit configured to detect an orientation of the sheet in the sheet feeding unit, a print unit configured to print the bitmap data onto the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit, a determination unit configured to determine whether or not a data orientation in which pieces of pixel data of the bitmap data are arranged matches the sheet orientation detected by the detecting unit, and an image rotating unit configured to rotate the bitmap data when the determination unit determines that the data orientation does not match the sheet orientation, whereby the data orientation matches with the sheet orientation.
US08705085B2
A printer includes a data receiving unit, a print mechanism, a print controlling module and a power management module. The data receiving unit is capable of receiving a file from a client. The print mechanism is used for printing out the file into hard copy. The print controlling module is connected to the print mechanism for processing the file. The power management module is capable of detecting activity of the data receiving unit and supplying power to the printing controlling module and the print mechanism. When no file is received by the data receiving unit for a predetermined time, the power management module is capable of cutting off the power to print management module and the print mechanism.
US08705080B2
A print shop management method or system is used for a print shop. The method or system uses a knowledge base containing device data elements and service data elements. Each device data element represents a device in the print shop, and each service data element represents a service that may be implemented by one or more of the devices. A workflow management system implements an automated reasoner that, when a new device is added or one or more parameters of a device in the print shop are modified, uses semantic reasoning to select a service that may be implemented by the modified device, updates the knowledge base to include a new device element for the new or modified device; and automatically associates the new device element and the selected service.
US08705076B2
A printing system includes a host which includes a storage having one or more folders, establishes one of the folders as a target folder, and generates path information of the target folder, and an image forming apparatus to acquire a list of image files stored in the target folder based on the path information, to request thumbnail images corresponding to the image files on the list from the host, and to display the thumbnail images on a predetermined display unit by downloading the thumbnail images from the host. The host converts the image files stored in the target folder into the thumbnail images and transmits the thumbnail images to the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus selects at least one among the thumbnail images and prints an image file corresponding to the selected thumbnail image by downloading the image file from the host.
US08705075B2
An image processing device comprises an image data input means 2, an image data storage means 12 for storing the image data being input, an image data processing means 6 having multiple processing modes for outputting the stored image data, and a image data erasing means for erasing the image data stored in the storage means 12. The device further comprises erase count control means 8, 14 for controlling the number of times for erasing image data capable of having the number of times of erase set arbitrarily according to the security level required for each mode, and capable of having the set number of times of erase changed in mid-flow. Confidentiality is protected by performing erase operations repeatedly to the region storing the unnecessary image data according to the security level.
US08705048B2
An optical coherence tomography device is disclosed for improved imaging. Reduced levels of speckle in the images generated by the device are obtained by forming a B-scan from a plurality of A-scans, wherein each resolution cell of the B-scan is generated through compounding of a subset of the A-scans and wherein at least some of the subset of A-scans are separated by at least half the diameter of a speckle cell both tangent to and orthogonal to the B-scan at that cell.
US08705042B2
A microscopy system and a microscopy method are provided for observing a fluorescent substance accumulated in a tissue. The microscopy system comprises a filter allowing to observe the tissue at a same time both with visible light and with fluorescent light. It is possible to observe a series of previously recorded fluorescent light images in superposition with the visible light images. An end of the series of images may be automatically determined. A thermal protective filter may be inserted into a beam path of an illuminating system at such automatically determined end of the series.
US08705041B2
An optical probe has optical components of an interferometer and includes an optical axis, at least one optical source for emitting light along an illumination path that is at least partially coaxial with the optical axis, a first beam splitter and a first lens. The first beam splitter intersects the optical axis and splits the light from the at least one optical source into a first beam for traveling along a reference path that is coaxial with the optical axis to a reference surface and a second beam for traveling along a test path that is coaxial with the optical axis to a specimen. The first lens is interposed along the reference path.
US08705034B2
In an evaluation device, an analyzer is rotated so that the azimuth of the transmission axis of the analyzer has an inclination angle of 90 degrees±3 degrees with respect to the transmission axis of a polarizer. An imaging camera captures a regularly reflected image of a wafer under each condition, and an image processing unit evaluates the shape of a repeating pattern and detects dose defects and focus defects on the basis of the two images of the wafer captured by the imaging camera.
US08705032B2
The present invention relates to ellipsometer and polarimeter systems, and more particularly is an ellipsometer or polarimeter or the like system which operates in a frequency range between 300 GHz or lower and extending to higher than at least 1 Tera-hertz (THz), and preferably through the Infra-red (IR) range up to, and higher than 100 THz, including: a source such as a backward wave oscillator; a Smith-Purcell cell; a free electron laser, or an FTIR source and a solid state device; and a detector such as a Golay cell; a bolometer or a solid state detector; and preferably including a polarization state generator comprising: an odd bounce image rotating system and a polarizer, or two polarizers; and optionally including least one compensator and/or modulator, in addition to an analyzer.
US08705027B2
A method for wafer defect inspection may include, but is not limited to: providing an inspection target; applying at least one defect inspection enhancement to the inspection target; illuminating the inspection target including the at least one inspection enhancement to generate one or more inspection signals associated with one or more features of the inspection target; detecting the inspection signals; and generating one or more inspection parameters from the inspection signals. An inspection target may include, but is not limited to: at least one inspection layer; and at least one inspection enhancement layer.
US08705021B2
A detector sequentially detects intensity distribution of transmitted light which is transmitted through a center portion of a preform. A determining section determines at least one of a position of a through hole and a size thereof on the basis of a time series of a feature value in the intensity distribution.
US08705018B2
An arrangement for, and a method of, accurately determining at least one optical property, such as coverage and/or symmetry, of a gemstone, employ an energizable, stationary light source for directing light rays at different orientations to an uncovered table of the gemstone, and an energizable, stationary backlight spaced away from a culet of the gemstone. A controller energizes the light source to generate return light from the gemstone for each light ray, and energizes the backlight to illuminate the gemstone from behind. An imager images the return light as a plurality of frontlit images, and images the backlit gemstone as a backlit image. The controller processes at least one of the images to determine the optical property of the gemstone.
US08705009B2
A lithographic apparatus is provided that includes a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate, and a heat pipe to maintain the substrate holder at a substantially uniform temperature. The heat pipe has a chamber containing a liquid reservoir and a vapor space, and a heating element at least partly in contact with liquid in the chamber.
US08705007B2
For angular resolved spectrometry a radiation beam is used having an illumination profile having four quadrants is used. The first and third quadrants are illuminated whereas the second and fourth quadrants aren't illuminated. The resulting pupil plane is thus also divided into four quadrants with only the zeroth order diffraction pattern appearing in the first and third quadrants and only the first order diffraction pattern appearing in the second and third quadrants.
US08705003B2
A photosensing device for digital stereo spliced picture projection imaging comprises a base (16), a front (43) and a back (25) wall plates located on the base (16), an light sensing platform (24) located slidably on the base (16), an exposure head (1) located above the front (43) and the back (25) wall plates, a longitudinal moving mechanism for moving the exposure head (1), a lateral moving mechanism for connecting the longitudinal moving mechanism with the front (43) and the back (25) wall plates, a pushing equipment located on the light sensing platform (24), a paper feeder located on a side of the light sensing platform (24), and a paper discharging mechanism located on the other side of the light sensing platform (24). The invention improves the resolution and the quality of the digital stereo image effectively. The device has an advantage of automatic process operation. After projection and photosensitization, the photosensitive material is conveyed automatically to the flushing device to be flushed and dried.
US08705000B2
An illumination optics illuminates an object field of a projection exposure apparatus for microlithography. The illumination optics include a condenser group of optical components which guide a bundle of useful light. An objective group of bundle-guiding components is arranged downstream of the condenser group. At least one component of the condenser group and at least one component of the objective group are displaceable for compensation of deviations of the object field, which is in an actual illumination state, from a desired illumination state.
US08704994B2
A liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of pixel areas, a plurality of spacers maintaining a distance between a first display panel and a second display panel, an insulating layer formed on the first display panel, and a plurality of contact holes formed in the insulating layer, and each contact hole connecting an upper conductive layer with a lower conductive layer, in which the pixel areas include a first pixel area group of pixel areas having the contact holes and a second pixel area group of pixel areas not including the contact holes, and the spacers are positioned in respective pixel areas of the second pixel area group and disposed at portions corresponding to where the contact holes are positioned in the pixel areas of the first pixel area group.
US08704991B2
Provided is an LCD capable of compensating for a resistance variation in a link unit. The resistance variations in the gate lines, data lines and common lines are reduced to minimize the signal distortion in the LCD. Accordingly, it is possible to enhance the image quality characteristics of the LCD. The resistance variation can be reduced by adjusting the number or the size of contact holes in the link unit.
US08704989B2
A liquid crystal display is provided including: a display section including a plurality of pixels, a first substrate and a second substrate which are disposed opposite to each other with liquid crystal therebetween in the display section, pixel electrodes which are provided over one of the first substrate and the second substrate on a pixel basis and which each do not have a slit or opening in plan view, and a common electrode which is formed over the pixel electrodes, with an organic interlayer film composed of an organic film therebetween, and which has a plurality of slits.
US08704982B2
Provided are a pressure-sensitive adhesive having excellent durability and reliability under high-temperature or high-humidity conditions, adhesion strength, workability, re-movability, and the ability to inhibit light leakage; a method for preparing the pressure-sensitive adhesive; a polarizer including the pressure-sensitive adhesive; and a liquid crystal display incorporating the polarizer.
US08704973B2
Provided are an optical sheet, a backlight unit and an LCD device having the same. The backlight unit includes a first layer, a second layer, and a refractive pattern. The first layer has a larger refractivity than an air layer, and the second layer has a larger refractivity than the first layer. The refractive pattern is disposed at a boundary surface between the first layer and the second layer and has ridges and furrows that change a traveling path of light. The optical sheet refracts light at least three times to condense the light in a direction perpendicular to a light-exiting surface.
US08704970B2
The present disclosure discloses a liquid crystal module and a liquid crystal display. The liquid crystal module includes a plastic frame, a front frame as well as a liquid crystal display panel positioned therebetween. The front frame is a square frame made of a sheet formed by vacuum molding. The front frame and the plastic frame are cooperated with each other in order to fix the liquid crystal display panel. The front frame includes an elastic buckling part/elastic clamping buckle, and the plastic frame includes a clamping buckle/buckling part being interference fit with the elastic buckling part/elastic clamping buckle for fixing the liquid crystal display panel. The front frame of the present disclosure, shortens the developing period so as to reduce the cost for opening module of the liquid crystal module and further reduce the manufacturing cost of the liquid crystal display.
US08704966B2
A pixel array including a pixel electrode and an active device is provided. The active device includes a gate, a channel layer, a source, a drain, a connection electrode, a first branch portion and a second branch portion. The gate is electrically connected with a scan line. The channel layer located at a side of the gate is electrically isolated from the gate. The source, the drain and the connection electrode are disposed on a part region of the channel layer. The first branch portion disposed on a part region of the channel layer is connected with an end of the connection electrode. The first branch portion surrounds the source located on the channel layer. The second branch portion disposed on a part region of the channel layer is connected with the other end of the connection electrode. The second branch portion surrounds the drain located on the channel layer.
US08704964B2
A liquid crystal display device includes: a bottom frame having a bent portion at an edge thereof; a light guide plate over the bottom frame, the light guide plate spaced apart from the bent portion by a gap; a light emitting diode (LED) assembly facing a side of the light guide plate, the LED assembly fixed to the bent portion; a main frame having a rectangular band shape over the bottom frame, the main frame having a rib corresponding to the gap; a liquid crystal panel over the light guide plate; and a top frame surrounding a front boundary portion of the liquid crystal panel, the top frame combined with the bottom frame and the main frame.
US08704961B2
A display element and electronic element module according to the present invention is described, in which a lens is formed as part of a translucent support substrate having a display disposed thereon, the lens being formed on a part other than where the display is disposed, where an electronic element is disposed for the lens.
US08704955B2
The present invention relates to a communication system, a transmission device, a reception device, a communication method, a program, and a communication cable, whereby high-speed communication can be executed while maintaining compatibility. In the event that an HDMI® source 71 and an HDMI® sink 72 execute two-way IP communication using a CEC line 84 and a signal line 141, a switching control unit 121 controls a switch 133 to select a partial signal making up the differential signal from a conversion unit 131 at the time of transmitting data, and controls the switch 133 to select a partial signal making up a differential signal from a receiver 82 at the time of transmitting data, and in the case of executing two-way communication using the CEC line 84 alone, the switching control unit 121 controls the switch 133 to select the CEC signal from the HDMI® source 71 or receiver 82 with the switch 133. The present invention may be applied to HDMI®, for example.
US08704941B2
An external AF focus detecting apparatus capable of achieving both good focus detection accuracy for a subject in a short distance and an appropriate amount of processing for a subject in a long distance is provided. In the case where the distance to the subject is less than a predetermined threshold value, with respect to accumulation pixels SA5 to SA25 selected in one of a pair of line sensors, pixels are selected in the other line sensor so as to include more pixels in the direction of shift of an optical image of a field of view, namely, pixels SB5 to SB29 are selected as accumulation pixels. Alternatively, pixels included in a range obtained by shifting by a predetermined number of pixels from the range of the accumulation pixels that have been selected in the one line sensor are selected as the accumulation pixels in the other line sensor.
US08704926B2
A CMOS image sensor allows for selectively outputting one of two vertical resolutions, e.g. 1080 to 720 lines. The scan conversion is implemented completely on the image sensor chip by using smaller sub-pixel cores, which can be electrically combined via switch transistors. A basic circuit of the CMOS image sensor has a number of pixel cells arranged in lines and columns. Each pixel cell has a photosensitive element that converts impinging light into electric charge and a first transfer element. The first transfer elements of m pixel cells arranged consecutively in the same column are arranged for transferring the charge generated in the respective m photosensitive elements during exposure to a single first charge storage element provided for the respective group of m pixel cells. In an exemplary embodiment the switching scheme allows for combining the signal information of either two or three vertically adjacent sub-pixel cores.
US08704923B2
A solid-state imager includes a pixel unit for converting incident light into an electrical signal, a substrate bearing the pixel unit formed thereon, an analog-to-digital converter, formed on the substrate, for converting a signal read from the pixel unit into a digital signal, an optical communication unit, arranged on the bottom surface of the substrate opposite the surface of the substrate bearing opposite the top surface of the substrate bearing the pixel unit receiving the incident light, for converting the digital signal converted by the analog-to-digital converter into a light signal and outputting the light signal, and a signal line for transferring the digital signal, converted by the analog-to-digital converter, to the optical communication unit arranged on the bottom surface of the substrate.
US08704922B2
A color imaging apparatus comprising: a single-plate color imaging element including color filters arranged on pixels arranged in horizontal and vertical directions where all colors are arranged in each line in the directions; weighted average filters with filter coefficients set in a local area extracted from a mosaic image acquired from the color imaging element corresponding to the weighted average filters so that proportions of sums of the filter coefficients of each color in the lines in the horizontal and vertical directions are equal; a weighted average calculation unit that calculates weighted average values of each color; a demosaicking processing unit that calculates a pixel value of another color at a pixel position of a target pixel of demosaicking processing and that interpolates a pixel value of the target pixel based on a color ratio or a color difference of the calculated weighted average values to calculate the pixel value.
US08704913B2
A map range determination unit determines a map range that includes all of the shooting locations of the image data items selected by the image selection unit. A map image creation unit creates a map image of a map range determined by the map range determination unit based on the map information. A superimposition unit superimposes symbols representing the shooting locations of the image data items selected by the image selection unit on a map image created by the map image creation unit. A index page insertion unit inserts a map image on which symbols have been superimposed by the superimposition unit into the electronic photo album in the form of an index page of the electronic photo album.
US08704910B2
An image classification apparatus and method for Automatic White Balance (AWB) are provided. An input image is divided into blocks including pluralities of pixels. A hue value and a chroma value are calculated for each of the blocks. A color-changed block is detected by calculating, for each one of the blocks, differences between the hue and chroma values calculated for all blocks adjacent to the one of the blocks and the hue and chroma values calculated for the one of the blocks. A hue variance and a chroma variance are calculated for the entire input image if a number of the detected color-changed blocks is greater than or equal to a first threshold. The input image is determined as a non-monochromatic image, if the hue variance is greater than or equal to a second threshold or the chroma variance is greater than or equal to a third threshold.
US08704908B1
Method and apparatus for multiple zone statistics collection for digital image/video capture systems
A system includes a block module, a zone module, a statistics module, and a control module. The block module is configured to associate pixel values generated by pixel sensors of an image sensor with M regions. The zone module is configured to define N zones in the M regions. Each of the N zones includes an adjustable number of the M regions. N and M are integers greater than one and N is less than or equal to M. The statistics module is configured to gather statistics corresponding to the N zones. The control module is configured to adjust pixel values generated by the pixel sensors based on the statistics.
US08704905B2
A camera body including a mirror controller configured to retract the reflecting mirror out of the optical path of the optical system when the reflecting mirror is in the first state of being in the optical path of the optical system and the moving picture photography mode is selected, in the still picture photography mode. The image recording controller is configured to perform the autofocusing operation by contrast method and make the recorder to record moving images depending on an instruction of the moving picture photography when the moving picture photography mode is selected and the mirror controller retracts the reflecting mirror out of the optical path of the optical system, in the still picture photography mode.
US08704903B2
This invention provides a system and method for synchronization of vision system inspection results produced by each of a plurality of processors that includes a first bank (that can be a “master” bank) containing a master vision system processor and at least one slave vision system processor. At least a second bank (that can be one of a plurality of “slave” banks) contains a master vision system processor and at least one slave vision system processor. Each vision system processor in each bank generates results from an image acquired and processed in a given inspection cycle. The inspection cycle can be based on an external trigger or other trigger signal, and it can enable some or all of the processors/banks to acquire and process images at a given time/cycle. In a given cycle. each of the multiple banks can be positioned to acquire an image of a respective region of a plurality of succeeding regions on a moving line. A synchronization process (a) generates a unique identifier and that passes a trigger signal with the unique identifier associated with the master processor in the first bank to each of the slave processor in the master bank and each of the master and slave processor and (b) receives consolidated results via the master processor of the second bank, having the unique identifier and consolidated results from the results from the first bank. The process then (c) consolidates the results for transmission to a destination if the results are complete and the unique identifier of each of the results is the same.
US08704899B2
A digital photographing apparatus includes an optical system, an optical image stabilization (OIS) unit adapted to move the optical system, and a digital signal processor in communication with the OIS unit. The digital signal processor sets an operating ratio of the OIS unit by reducing the operating ratio to a previously set value of 100% or below after a still image or a moving picture is captured, and the OIS unit moves the optical system while a live view mode is turned on.
US08704875B2
Disclosed is an apparatus and method for generating a real-time stereoscopic image from depth map. According to the depth information of the image, a depth-image-based rendering (DIBR) algorithm is used to shift (or move) the position of the object in the image to generate the stereoscopic image with parallax. When the object is shifted (or moved) away from its original position, a hole will occur in the original position. Therefore an image inpainting algorithm is developed to fill the hole. In order to achieve the real-time application, a hardware architecture and method have been developed to accomplish the DIBR and image inpainting algorithm.
US08704862B2
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor composite device, including steps of: preparing a substrate comprising circuit elements, which are part of a driving circuit; attaching an array of driven elements onto the substrate via a passivation layer, the array being formed of a semiconductor thin film having a crystal structure wherein the driven elements are arrayed to be driven by the driving circuit; and forming a metal wire by a photo-lithography method such that the circuit elements are electrically connected with the metal wire to form the driving circuit and the driving circuit is electrically connected to the driven elements with the metal wire.
US08704861B2
Disclosed are a display apparatus and a method of driving the same. An image signal receiver sequentially outputs frames for image display. A local illumination calculation unit displays an image on a display unit based on the frames and calculates light emission amount of a light source provided for each section of a backlight unit. A frame interpolator generates sub-frames based on the frames and outputs the sub-frames and the frames. A pixel adjuster adjusts light transmittance of each pixel according to the brightness of each pixel and the amount of the light emitted from each section which is calculated by the local illumination calculation unit when the image is displayed based on the frames and the sub-frames sequentially output from a frame interpolator. Local illumination is realized without increasing the number of memory devices while a frame frequency is increased.
US08704854B2
A method for interpreting messages, user-defined alert conditions, voice commands and performing an action in response is described. A method for annotating media content is described. A method for presenting additional content associated with media content identified based on a fingerprint is described. A method for identifying that an advertisement portion of media content is being played based on a fingerprint derived from the media content is described. A method of one media device recording particular media content automatically in response to another media device recording the particular media content is described. A method of concurrently playing media content on multiple devices is described. A method of publishing information associated with recording of media content is described. A method of deriving fingerprints by media devices that meet an idleness criteria is described. A method of loading, modifying, and displaying a high definition frame from a frame buffer is described. A method of recording or playing media content identified based on fingerprints is described.
US08704852B2
A method, computer readable medium, and system for generating a composite image map includes obtaining a plurality of sprites for an application page and determining coordinates of each of the obtained plurality of sprites. A composite image map is generated based on the obtained plurality of sprites and the determined coordinates.
US08704849B2
A display control apparatus displays image data pieces based on an array in which the image data pieces are sorted in accordance with a specified rule. The display control apparatus extracts, with use of one image data piece from the array as a reference, image data pieces at a set interval from the image data pieces arranged in the array, and arranges and displays the extracted image data pieces that include the reference image data piece on a screen of a display unit based on an order of the array. If the reference image data piece or the interval used in the extraction of the image data pieces has been changed based on an instruction from a user, the display on the display unit is changed with use of the new reference and interval.
US08704838B2
Methods and systems for allocating workloads in a pixel sequential rendering system comprising a plurality of processors are disclosed. Such workloads typically comprise a raster pixel image comprising a plurality of graphical objects. For each scan line (540) of the raster pixel image (510), edges of the plurality of graphical objects (520, 525) that intersect with a current scan line (540) of the raster pixel image (510) are identified in a predetermined order. Spans of pixel locations on the current scan line, each defined by an adjacent pair of edges of the identified edges, are divided into segments (503, 504), one of which comprises varying pixel values. The segments (503, 504) are allocated independently of existing workloads of the processors to respective ones of the processors or processor cores for rendering.
US08704830B2
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for improving path rendering on computer systems by efficiently representing and computing sub-pixel coverage for path objects. A stencil buffer is configured to store multiple stencil samples per pixel stored in an image buffer. The stencil samples undergo stencil testing to produce a set of Boolean values per pixel, which collectively define a geometric coverage percentage for the pixel. The coverage percentage is used to modulate a color value for the pixel. The modulated color value is then blended into the image buffer as an anti-aliased pixel. This technique advantageously enables efficient anti-aliasing for path rendering.
US08704827B2
The description relates to surgical computer systems, including computer program products, and methods for cumulative buffering for surface imaging. A display image is buffered that has been saved from a previous update. A model representing a tool is subtracted from the buffered display image. The subtracted display image is displayed using a CSG technique at a fixed angle. The subtracted display image is saved. This process is repeated so that the displayed image is cumulatively changed with each change in location of the model representing the tool.
US08704824B2
A system, method, and computer readable medium. A method includes receiving a model tree that defines a three-dimensional (3D) model. The model tree includes a history-free parent node that defines a complex 3D model and a plurality of history-based child nodes that define additional features that modify the complex 3D model. The method includes computing the 3D model, where the computed 3D model combines the parent node and the child nodes. The method includes displaying the computed 3D model as the complex 3D model modified by the additional features defined by the child nodes.
US08704822B2
A volumetric display system which enables user interaction is described. In an embodiment, the system consists of a volumetric display and an optical system. The volumetric display creates a 3D light field of an object to be displayed and the optical system creates a copy of the 3D light field in a position away from the volumetric display and where a user can interact with the image of the object displayed. In an embodiment, the optical system involves a pair of parabolic mirror portions.
US08704820B2
The present invention discloses a method for displaying a picture comprising: calculating a static quality score S of a picture to be displayed based on static parameters of the picture and static parameters of a display module displaying the picture; calculating a dynamic quality score D of the picture based on dynamic parameters of the picture; calculating a quality score Score of the picture based on the static quality score S of the picture and the dynamic quality score D of the picture; calculating a display time T for displaying the picture based on the quality score Score of the picture; and the display module displaying the picture according to the display time T. The present invention further discloses a device for displaying a picture.
US08704813B2
An integrated circuit device generates drive waveforms which can be adapted to a plurality of panels by a function of setting a repetition period, the function setting which of periods in a drive waveform pattern is to be repeated, and a function of setting the number of times, the function setting what number of times the set period is to be repeated.
US08704800B2
A photo element includes a capacitor, a switch thin film transistor (TFT), a charge thin film transistor, and a photo thin film transistor. A voltage is charged to the capacitor through the charge TFT, and the output voltage of the capacitor is read through the readout line. The photo-induced current will affect the output voltage of the capacitor; therefore it is employed to determine whether the photo element is touched. Later, a reverse-biased voltage is applied to the photo TFT, such that the threshold voltage and sensitivity of the photo TFT can be maintained.
US08704798B2
A detecting device and method for a capacitive touch screen is proposed. The present invention employs a multiple-electrode driving mode, which sequentially drives sets of driving electrodes among driving electrodes. A reduced image is generated from the signals of a plurality of detecting electrodes. In addition, a single-electrode driving mode is employed to drive the first and the last driving electrodes, respectively, thereby obtaining first- and second-side 1D sensing information for single-electrode driving from the signals of the detecting electrodes, respectively. An expanded image can be generated based on the first-side 1D sensing information for single-electrode driving, the reduced image and the second-side 1D sensing information for single-electrode driving in order to detect approaches or touches made by external conductive objects to the capacitive touch screen.
US08704789B2
An information input apparatus including a user interface that detects a first input operation and a processor that assigns information to each of a plurality of directions from a position centered at the first input operation detected by the user interface. The user interface detects a second input operation corresponding to one of the plurality of directions, and the processor selects information assigned to the one of the plurality of directions as an input.
US08704787B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus including a contact detection unit capable of detecting a plurality of contact coordinates on an operation surface, and outputting a contact detection signal as a detection result, a load detection unit for detecting a load applied to the operation surface, and a coordinate estimation unit, wherein when a load detection result provided by the load detection unit satisfies a pressed coordinate retrieval condition, the coordinate estimation unit estimates a pressed coordinate from among the plurality of contact coordinates on the operation surface, on the basis of at least the contact detection signal.
US08704783B2
The described embodiments allow for the selection of content in a touch screen display. The method includes detecting a single tap on a word of text in a text editing field in a touch screen, and responsive to the single tap selecting the word of text in whole. In another embodiment additional content can be selected. Contact with selected content displayed in a touch screen can be detected. The contact with the touch screen can be detected moving in a direction along the selected content. Additional content is selected by selecting a word of text adjacent to the selected content being contacted.
US08704774B2
A control method for providing a partial lock function in a portable device having a touch input unit and a lock key is provided. The control method includes entering a first lock state; determining whether an input of the lock key is received; determining, if an input of the lock key is received, which one of a second lock state and a third lock state is selected; and setting a lock state of the portable device to the selected lock state. Each of the first, second and third lock states is different from the other two lock states and is one of an entire lock state, a partial lock state and an entire unlock state. The input means may be a touchpad, a touchscreen and an optical jog, and at least one input manner is a touch or a sweep. The partial lock state may be a state in which a lock and an unlock function are provided according to the types or input manners of the touch input unit.
US08704767B2
A data-holding subsystem. The data-holding subsystem includes instructions stored thereon that when executed by a logic subsystem in communication with the data-holding subsystem: receive one or more signals, determine a sensor type for each signal of the one or more signals, identify a sensor type specific pattern corresponding to a motion gesture in at least one of the signals, and generate a gesture message based on the motion gesture. The gesture message may be usable by an operating system of a computing device that includes the data-holding subsystem to provide a system-wide function usable by one or more application programs of the computing device to provide an application specific function.
US08704753B2
An electrophoresis display device includes electrophoresis display elements, corresponding to pixels of a display unit, each having a structure where a dispersion medium containing electrophoresis particles is interposed between a common electrode and a pixel electrode, a driving unit that applies a voltage between the common electrode and the pixel electrodes and drives the electrophoresis display elements, and a control unit that controls the driving unit. An image rewrite period, during which a rewrite display operation is performed on the electrophoresis display elements, includes a reset period and an image signal introducing period. During the image signal introducing period, the electrophoresis display elements are driven with a first data input pulse and a second data input pulse.
US08704745B2
A driving device and a driving method for a liquid crystal display are provided. The driving device includes a memory unit, a comparator, a compensation unit, and a selector. The memory unit provides a storage image and a previous comparison result. The comparator compares a present image with the storage image and outputs a present comparison result. The compensation unit processes the present image according to the storage image to generate a plurality of processed present images. The selector selects and outputs one of the present image and the processed present images according to the previous comparison result and the present comparison result. Thereby, the space required in the memory unit is reduced and the image display quality is improved.
US08704737B1
A method of driving a pixel element an active matrix display. The method inducing a change of the bias voltage of the first transistor towards the threshold voltage thereof with a current passing through a resistive element in the pixel element to cause the bias voltage of the first transistor at time t linearly depend upon an exponential decaying function exp(−t/τ) with a predetermined time constant τ. The method also includes terminating light emitted from the light-emitting element after the bias voltage of the first transistor becomes substantially close to the threshold voltage of the first transistor.
US08704735B2
A display method of a plasma display apparatus to which primary color video signals are inputted and which carries out color display by letting phosphors for primary colors emit light is provided. The display method displays the primary color video signals by changing a gray level of an output primary color video signal in accordance with a gray level of an input primary color video signal. When each gray level of the inputted primary color video signals changes from a first value to a second value which is larger than the first value, a gray level of a primary color video signal for a phosphor having the largest influence of luminance saturation properties among the phosphors is increased relative to a gray level of the other primary color video signal.
US08704727B2
The invention relates to a multibeam antenna for emitting/receiving a radiofrequency signal in a plurality of directions in at least one frequency band, the antenna including: a floorplan (P); a dielectric substrate (11) having a permittivity (∈1), the substrate (11) being arranged on the floorplan (P); and a plurality of assemblies (Ei) of antenna elements arranged on the substrate (11), each assembly (Ei) corresponding to a direction of the antenna. The antenna according to the invention is characterized in that said antenna also includes a dielectric superstate (12), having a higher permittivity (∈2) than the permittivity (∈1) of the substrate (11), arranged on the assemblies (Ei) of antenna elements, and in that the assemblies (Ei) are interleaved one under the other so as to form a column, the assemblies (Ei) corresponding to a single antenna direction being separated by a number of assemblies equal to the number of antenna directions.
US08704726B2
Two types of array antennas having different down tilt angles are used separately between the outside and inside of the cell in consideration of the transmission mode. A base station apparatus is a base station apparatus that performs wireless communications with a mobile station apparatus, and has a first array antenna 201 having a down tilt angle of θ1 to perform MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output), and a second array antenna 202 having a down tilt angle of θ2 smaller than that of the first array antenna 201 to perform beam forming.
US08704725B2
The present invention provides a capacitive grounded RF coaxial cable to airstrip transition which comprises a conductive ground plane, an insulating gasket, a reflector plate and an insulating fixing component. The conductive ground plane, the insulating gasket and the reflector plate are attached uniformly and tightly in sequence and fixed together by the insulating fixing component. The outer surface of the conductive ground plane is connected conductively with the outer conductor of the RF coaxial cable. Preferably, the conductive ground plane is a metal plate and the insulating gasket is a plastic gasket. The capacitive grounded RF coaxial cable to airstrip transition further comprises at least one perforation penetrating the conductive ground plane, the insulating gasket and the reflector plate in sequence. The insulating fixing component includes at least one insulating rivet and at least one conductive supporting piece is arranged on the outer surface of the conductive ground plane. The present invention further provides an antenna comprising this transition. Therefore the present invention is designed skillfully, simple in structure, simple and convenient to assemble, has a low cost, avoids metals' direct contact to obviate the difficulty of maintaining the constant surface pressure, and realizes the grounding without producing third-order intermodulation, to completely eliminate unstable factors, and therefore is suitable for large-scale popularization.
US08704724B2
A low-radar cross section antenna structure for an active electrically scanned antenna including an active electrically scanned antenna enclosure and at least two antenna elements. The antenna elements are arranged to be mounted on a front surface of the active electrically scanned antenna enclosure and embedded in a lightweight structure. The front surface and side surfaces of the active electrically scanned antenna enclosure and the antenna elements are arranged to be covered with the lightweight structure. A thin laminate is arranged to cover an outer top surface and an outer side surface of the lightweight structure. Parts of the lightweight structure are arranged to be doped with a lossy material having dielectric, magnetic and/or resistive losses, thus making these parts of the lightweight structure absorbing for electromagnetic radiation.
US08704717B2
The satellite dish snow shield is an add-on device that is designed to fit most commercially produced satellite dish sizes and shapes, and self-aligns as it is installed. This snow shield is a solid curved hood-shaped barrier that attaches at the top of the satellite dish and extends out at a relatively perpendicular angle from the face of the satellite dish. In this way, the snow shield prevents snow build-up and signal disruption by catching and diverting failing snow before it reaches the face of the satellite dish. This satellite snow shield does not, in any way, shroud the actual face of the satellite dish (antenna). Snow falling on these shroud type devices can themselves collect snow in a way that will eventually cause signal loss. However, no matter how much snow accumulates on the snow shield, my device continues to allow for a clear and unobstructed satellite signal to reach the dish (antenna). Due to the unique tab and clip system, my snow shield is a true snap-on device that requires no screws, nuts, bolts or tools of any kind to install and secure into place.
US08704714B2
An apparatus includes a dielectric sheet, and an antenna structure. The antenna structure comprises a first conductive portion located on an exterior surface of the dielectric sheet and a second conductive portion buried in the dielectric sheet and configured for coupling to a return portion of the wireless communication circuit. The second conductive portion includes a plane area adjacent to the first conductive portion in a region proximal to the feed portion and separated from the first conductive portion by a portion of the dielectric sheet, a curved transition portion, the transition portion including a lateral width that tapers along the length of the second conductive portion, and a distal portion comprising two parallel conductive strips, the distal portion electrically coupled to the plane area via the curved transition portion, wherein the parallel conductive strips are thinner in lateral width than the plane area.
US08704711B2
The present invention is directed to systems and methods for enhancing link integrity between two wireless cable devices through automatic link acquisition and tracking. Embodiments of the invention utilize inexpensive motors and control components to automatically enhancing signal strength between a first wireless cable device and a second wireless cable device. Either the first wireless cable device, the second wireless cable device, or both may include an omnidirectional wireless antenna. Alternatively, the first wireless cable device, the second wireless cable device, or both may include a directional antenna. In another embodiment, the first wireless cable device, the second wireless cable device, or both may include both an omnidirectional antenna and a directional antenna.
US08704704B2
Presented is a method for determining speeds (vr14, vr16) and distances (r14, r16) of objects (14, 16) relative to a radar system (12) of a motor vehicle (10), wherein a coverage area (EB) of the radar system (12) is divided into at least two part-areas (TB1, TB2, TB3), the coverage area (EB) is examined for reflecting objects (14, 16) in successive measuring cycles (MZ1, MZ2; MZi, MZi+1), wherein radar signals received in a measuring cycle (MZ1, MZ2; MZi, MZi+1) are processed separated in accordance with part-areas (TB1, TB2, TB3) and processed signals are assembled to form a total result differentiated in accordance with spatial directions. The method is characterized in that from signals received in a first measuring cycle (MZ1; MZi), hypotheses for the distance (r14, r16) and speed (vr14, vr16) of reflecting objects (14, 16) are formed and the hypotheses are validated in dependence on signals received in at least one further measuring cycle (MZ2; MZi+2). Furthermore, a radar system (12) is presented which carries out such a method.
US08704702B2
The invention relates to a method for estimating an object motion characteristic from a radar signal. The method comprises the step of receiving radar data of an object from a multiple beam radar system. Further, the method comprises the steps of associating radar data with estimated height and/or cross-range information of object parts causing the corresponding radar data and fitting an object model with radar data being associated with a selected estimated height and/or cross-range information interval. The method also comprises the step of determining an object motion characteristic from the fitted object model.
US08704700B2
Systems and methods for providing passive bird-strike avoidance. A passive L-band receiver system is located on an aircraft. The system includes a processor and an antenna having an array of four or more elements. The antenna configured to receive L-band signals. The processor receives the L-band signals from the antenna, determines if the received L-band signals indicate a target, determines distance, direction of travel and speed of any determined targets, determines if the target is a flock of birds based on the determined speed and determines if a hazard condition exists based on the distance, direction and speed.
US08704698B2
Disclosed are a universal remote control apparatus, a system for controlling a universal remote control, and a method for the same based on a batch instruction, in which at least one device is selected using a pointing scheme performed by a user, and a standard control command is acquired from the selected device, thereby automatically generating the batch instruction. The universal remote control apparatus, which includes a device selection unit for receiving, from a user, a selection input with respect to a first device and a second device; a pointer providing unit for providing a pointer for selecting the first device and the second device; and a batch instruction-generation unit for generating a batch instruction for controlling the first device and the second device based on device information with respect to the first device and the second device.
US08704693B1
A signal interface system and method of interfacing signal input sources with user output destination devices are provided. The signal interface system is configurable to accept one of a plurality of types of inputs. The signal interface system includes a common section, and a module section including two or more monitor modules. The two or more monitor modules condition a received signal for consumption by a user output destination device. The common input section allows monitor modules to be removed without impacting the function of other monitor modules in the system. The signal interface accepts either discrete inputs or process variable current inputs.
US08704692B2
N upper-side resistors and N lower-side resistors are severally associated with respective bits of a digital input code. Each resistance value is weighted in an essentially binary manner according to the corresponding bit. N upper-side switches are each arranged in parallel with a corresponding upper-side resistor, and each is configured such that its on/off state is controlled according to the corresponding bit. N lower-side switches are each arranged in parallel with a corresponding lower-side resistor, and each is configured such that its on/off state is controlled according to logical inversion of the corresponding bit.
US08704687B2
A management module registers a request to convert code from a first code set to a second code set, identifies a code set converter (CSC), determines whether a most recently used CSC is the identified CSC and, in response to determining that the most recently used CSC is not the identified CSC, locates a user-preferred CSC pool comprising a subset of locally stored CSCs each corresponding to a preference index. The management module, in response to determining that the identified CSC is located within the user-preferred CSC pool, searches the user-preferred CSC pool for the identified CSC, loads the identified CSC, initiates the identified CSC that converts the code from the first code set to the second code set, modifies usage data for the identified CSC, and orders the user-preferred CSC pool based on a preference index for each CSC stored in the CSC pool.
US08704682B1
Embodiments relate to road priority and driving directions. In one embodiment, a system includes an object detector module configured: (i) to detect objects of a type in photographic images associated with first and second tracks, and (ii) to determine a first number of times objects of the type appear in photographic images geocoded along the first track, and a second number of times objects of the type appear in photographic images geocoded along the second track. The system also includes a priority score module configured: (i) to generate a first priority score associated with the first track based at least on the first number, and (ii) to generate a second priority score associated with the second track based at least on the second number. The system further includes a driving direction module configured: (i) to select a driving route that includes the track associated with a greater priority score.
US08704677B2
A downhole signal transmission system provides electric radiofrequency signals that are coupled to electrically conductive or non-conductive fluids through electrical insulators. A plurality of signal repeaters are tuned to the frequencies of the radiofrequency signals, and a plurality of transmission lines terminated by resonance circuits are also provided such that the terminating resonance circuits resonate on the frequencies of the electric radiofrequency signals. The plurality of signal repeaters and plurality of transmission elements are arranged to be redundant such that a failure of one or more of the signal repeaters or a failure of one or more of the transmission elements does not substantially affect the operation of the data transmission system. The signal repeaters and transmission elements also are arranged such that a failure of any of the signal repeaters or a failure of any of the transmission elements is communicated to the surface.
US08704675B2
An apparatus, device, method, computer program product, and system that detects a first electronic device in a proximity to a second electronic device; and obtains an end user assistance corresponding to an at least substantially common aspect of the first electronic device and the second electronic device.
US08704650B1
To test whether a trailer is coupled to a tractor when the tractor ignition switch is off, a test switch in the trailer connects a high-impedance power source in a trailer to a line carrying energy from the tractor ignition switch to the trailer's electrical load, and measures the voltage at the line. A high voltage indicates a connection only to the electrical load in the trailer and thus a decouple. A low voltage indicates a measurement of the electrical loads in both trailer and tractor and hence a coupling.
US08704649B2
Disclosed herein is a vibrotactile device intuitively providing information by inducing a tactile sense to a user, and a method using the same. The device according to an embodiment includes a vibrating contact panel contacting with a user's hand; a plurality of vibratory modules that are attached to the lower part of the vibrating contact panel and vibrate with different intensities according to the amount of supplied power; and a plurality of vibration isolating links that are coupled, respectively, to an end of each of the modules to support the modules and to isolate the vibration from the modules.
US08704641B2
A method and RF SIM card communication system using a tag recognition to control the RF communication range, a tag for providing data information is installed on a mobile communication terminal equipped with an RF SIM card, a tag reader module for reading out and transmitting the data information is installed on an RF card reader device, setting a card reading condition for the card reader device as: under the condition that the tag reader module reads out the tag data information, the RF card reader module, based on the data information of the tag, establishes wireless communication link with and transfers data to the RF SIM card in the mobile terminal. The present invention is not affected by the shielding effect of the mobile communication terminal, thereby avoids the cumbersome calibration process for the RF SIM card transceiver power and receiver sensitivity in existing technologies, this both brings convenience to the users, and further facilitates of widespread use of RF SIM cards.
US08704639B2
A method and system for communicating with an associated home appliance having a micro-controller includes providing a master device that emits a signal in response to data indicative of energy operational costs. One or more RFID tags receive the master device signal. The RFID tag(s) are connected to the associated home appliance micro-controller to control the operational mode of the home appliance. Preferably, four RFID tags are responsive to four distinct frequency signal emitted by the master device and are representative of different modes of operation for the associated home appliance.
US08704626B2
An improved system and method for moving an object includes a first correlated magnetic structure associated with a first object and a second correlated magnetic structure associated with a second object. The first and second correlated magnetic structures are complementary coded to achieve a peak attractive tensile force and a peak shear force when their code modulos are aligned thereby enabling magnetic attachment of the two objects whereby movement of one object causes movement of the other object as if the two objects were one object. Applying an amount of torque to one correlated magnetic structures greater than a torque threshold causes misalignment and decorrelation of the code modulos enabling detachment of the two objects. The number, location, and coding of the correlated magnetic structures can be selected to achieve specific torque characteristics, tensile force characteristics, and shear force characteristics.
US08704623B2
An apparatus including a harness board and a clamp removably connected to the harness board with a magnetic field. The magnetic field permits the clamp to be removed from the harness board. Also, a post is removably connected to the harness board using a magnetic field, and the magnetic field permits the post to be removed from the harness board.
US08704607B2
The pulse modulated RF power control method includes an output amplitude control step for controlling amplitude of a pulse output, and a duty control step for controlling a duty ratio of the pulse output. The output amplitude control step performs a constant amplitude control to control an amplitude value of the pulse output so that the amplitude value becomes equal to a set amplitude value. The constant amplitude control according to the output amplitude control, for instance, gives a feedback of the amplitude value of the pulse output outputted by the power control, obtains a difference value between the feedback value and the set amplitude value, and controls the amplitude value of the pulse output so that the difference value becomes zero.
US08704602B2
A modulation section including a feedback circuit configured to conduct feedback control of an output signal from a voltage controlled oscillator based on an inputted modulation signal, and a feed-forward circuit configured to calibrate the modulation signal and outputting the calibrated modulation signal to the voltage controlled oscillator; a signal output section configured to output, to the modulation section, a predetermined reference signal instead of the modulation signal when a calibration is conducted; and a gain correction section configured to, in a state where the feedback circuit is forming an open loop, calculate a frequency transition amount of the reference signal outputted by the voltage controlled oscillator, and correct a gain used for calibrating the modulation signal at the feed-forward circuit based on the calculated frequency transition amount.
US08704601B2
The present invention includes a class-E power amplifier, comprising a driver stage (DS) including a first power amplifier with transistors, to which an input signal is inputted; a main stage (MS), including a second power amplifier with transistors, whose input is connected to the output of the DS; and a first LC resonator whose one end is connected to the output of the DS and the other end to the ground as an AC equivalent circuit and a second LC resonator whose one end is connected to the input of the MS and the other end to the ground as an AC equivalent circuit. In accordance with the present invention, as the voltage stress is reduced on the CMOS class-E power amplifier, the application of the high power supply voltage may be allowed and therefore the load impedance may be high while the same efficiency is maintained.
US08704600B2
A power amplifier includes an input terminal into which an input signal is input; a first amplification element amplifying the input signal; a second amplification element amplifying an output signal of the first amplification element; an output terminal from which an output signal of the second amplification element is output; a first matching circuit connected between an output of the second amplification element and the output terminal; a first switch connected between an output of the first amplification element and an input of the second amplification element; a second switch having a first end connected to the output of the first amplification element, and a second end; and a second matching circuit having a first end connected to the second end of the second switch, and a second end directly connected to the output of the second amplification element.
US08704589B2
A reference voltage circuit corrects for bandgap voltage shifts induced during fabrication. The reference voltage circuit generates a reference voltage using first and second base-emitter pairs. The reference voltage circuit sums the voltage across the first base-emitter pair with a difference voltage. During a first time period, the difference voltage is the voltage across the first base-emitter pair minus the voltage across the second base-emitter pair, and during a second time period, the difference voltage is the voltage across the second base-emitter pair minus the voltage across the first base-emitter pair.
US08704582B2
A mixer circuit is disclosed. The mixer circuit comprises a plurality of mixer elements, wherein there are non-overlapping clock signals provided to the plurality of mixer elements which have a duty cycle of 33⅓ percent. Outputs signals of the mixer elements do not contain third order harmonic content of the non-overlapping clock signals. The third-order harmonic of the mixer is eliminated by using mixer which uses voltage sampling on non-overlapping clocks and thereby achieves high linearity. The mixer circuit is further expanded to remove the I-Q image and even order harmonics.
US08704553B2
Circuits that operate with power supplies of less than 1 Volt are presented. More particularly, circuits that operate with supply voltages near or lower than the threshold voltage of the transistors in those circuits are presented. Various circuits and embodiments such as operational transconductance amplifiers, biasing circuits, integrators, continuous-time sigma delta modulators, track-and-bold circuits, and others are presented. The techniques and circuits can be used in a wide range of applications and various transistors from metal-oxide-semiconductor to bipolar junction transistors may implement the techniques presented herein.
US08704551B2
A standard cell used for the logic synthesis and the routing of layout is configured by a logic circuit on an output side and a logic circuit on an input side, and a driving capacity of the logic circuit on the output side is made large while gate input capacitance of the logic circuit on the input side is made small.
US08704536B2
A position measuring sensor formed from opposing sets of capacitor plates measures both rotational displacement and lateral displacement from the changes in capacitances as overlapping areas of capacitors change. Capacitances are measured by a measuring circuit. The measured capacitances are provided to a calculating circuit that performs calculations to obtain angular and lateral displacement from the capacitances measured by the measuring circuit.
US08704533B2
A testing method or apparatus utilizes multiple frequencies applied to a device under test for measuring newly discovered frequency modulation effects. An embodiment may include a lower frequency signal with a smaller amplitude higher frequency signal to test a dynamic change in frequency response, gain, and or phase. This dynamic test can reveal frequency modulation effects. Another embodiment may include the use of a multiple frequency signal to dynamically induce a time varying phase or frequency distortion for the device that has differential phase distortion. The device's output is then measured with an FM detector or spectrum analysis system to measure a shift in one of the frequencies used in the test signal or to measure frequency modulation effects of any signals, including distortion products, from the device. Yet another embodiment of the invention may include biasing a device with a voltage to span the output voltage range of the device while measuring harmonic or intermodulation distortion or phase or frequency response at the various operating points.
US08704521B2
The clinical analyzers automatically electronically monitor selected parameters and automatically electronically adjust parameters to maintain the analyzer within desired operational ranges. The clinical NMR analyzers can be configured as a networked system with a plurality of clinical NMR analyzers located at different use sites.
US08704520B2
A radio frequency (RF) coil for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system includes a first end ring, a second end ring, and a plurality of rungs electrically coupled between the first and second end rings, each rung including a first rung portion formed from a plurality of conductors and a second rung portion formed from a single solid conductor. A resonance assembly for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system and an MRI imaging system are also described herein.
US08704515B2
Using pulsed-field-gradient (PFG) sequences, the sizes of the pores in ordered porous media can be estimated from the “diffraction” pattern that the signal attenuation curves exhibit. A different diffraction pattern is observed when the experiment is extended to a larger number (N) of diffusion gradient pulse pairs. Differences in the characteristics of attenuation curves also permit distinguishing different pore shapes and distributions using the N-PFG technique. Using an even number of PFG pairs, an approximation to the average pore size can be obtained even when the sample contains pores with a broad distribution of sizes. Multi-PFG sequences can also be used to differentiate free and multi-compartment diffusion, and to estimate compartment sizes and orientations, and to distinguish microscopic and ensemble anisotropy.
US08704514B2
An integrated circuit includes a semiconductor die including a first magnetic field sensor. The integrated circuit includes an isolation material layer over the first magnetic field sensor and a sintered metal layer over the isolation material layer. The first magnetic field sensor is configured to sense a magnetic field generated by a current passing through the sintered metal layer.
US08704506B2
An improved start-up (soft-start) circuit for use with voltage regulators, and an improved regulator start-up methodology. For example, an apparatus includes a voltage regulator circuit and a start-up circuit operatively coupled to the voltage regulator circuit. The start-up circuit is configured to provide a current signal, during a start-up period, that generates a reference voltage at a reference input of the voltage regulator circuit such that the reference voltage ramps up at a rate substantially equal to a ramp-up rate of a supply voltage coupled to the start-up circuit and the voltage regulator circuit.
US08704502B2
The invention relates to a switching mode power supply device comprising at least one MOS power transistor made on an integrated circuit and operating in switching mode, the drain and the source of said at least one MOS power transistor being connected, via connecting members having a non-null inductance, to one or several external circuits to said integrated circuit. According to the invention, the device further comprises a limiter circuit able to limit the current variations in at least one of said connecting members during the switching of said MOS power transistor. This limiter circuit enables to maintain the drain-source voltage of the MOS power transistor below a predetermined threshold value when it commutes.
US08704501B2
A current regulating circuit includes a transistor and an operational amplifier. The transistor receives a load current and generates a feedback voltage corresponding to the load current. The operational amplifier receives a reference voltage and the feedback voltage to control the transistor. The operational amplifier further includes an input stage and an output stage. The input stage includes amplifier inputs each for alternately receiving the reference voltage and the feedback voltage so that the input stage generates operating voltages corresponding to the reference voltage and the feedback voltage. The output stage receives the operating voltages alternately to control the transistor. A driver and a method of current regulation are also disclosed herein.
US08704499B2
A method and apparatus of tracking the maximum power point of a photovoltaic module. The method includes measuring an output voltage of the photovoltaic module, determining an output voltage of the inverter connected to the photovoltaic module, and measuring output current of the inverter connected to the photovoltaic module. A variable relating to energy of the capacitor is defined using the measured PV module output voltage, and a second harmonic component is extracted from the defined variable. A second harmonic component of the module output power is estimated using the defined variable, measured output current of the inverter, and the determined output voltage of the inverter. The estimated and extracted second harmonic components are multiplied, and a DC component is extracted from the product. A control signal for controlling the inverter connected to the photovoltaic module is formed by using the extracted DC component in a PI algorithm.
US08704496B2
A charge control system (10) includes an electric power storage device (102), a variation suppression coefficient setting section (214) which sets a variation suppression coefficient, a variation suppression operation processing section which operates a charged state estimation operation value, and a charged state estimation section which estimates a charged state of the electric power storage device. The variation suppression coefficient setting section (214), when the charged state estimation operation value drops within a predetermined period during charging of the electric power storage device (102), changes the variation suppression coefficient such that, of the voltage across the electric power storage device detected by a voltage sensor (105) and a charged state estimation operation value which is obtained by the previous operation, a ratio of the voltage across the electric power storage device which is detected by the voltage detection section is smaller, for operating the charged state estimation operation value after the predetermined period.
US08704494B2
An energy harvesting circuit harvests energy from a voltage source and charges a storage element with the harvested energy. The energy harvesting circuit includes an energy source, a storage capacitor to store energy output from the energy source, a power converter circuit, an energy storage element, and an enabling circuit. The enabling circuit turns the boost converter circuit on and off according to a monitored capacitance voltage of the storage capacitor. When the boost converter circuit is turned off, the storage capacitor accumulates energy output from the energy source until a reference voltage is reached, whereupon the boost converter circuit is turned on, enabling current flow from the storage capacitor to the storage element. When the storage capacitor discharges to a minimum voltage level, the boost converter circuit is turned off. The enabling circuit and a reference voltage supply are powered by the energy source.
US08704487B2
A power supply support system comprises a battery pack comprising a variably positionable support arm configured to support an electronic device in a plurality of different viewing orientations.
US08704483B2
A method that includes affixing a radio frequency identification tag on a storage battery at a battery manufacturing plant. The method also includes storing battery manufacturing information into the radio frequency identification tag at the battery manufacturing plant. The battery manufacturing information includes a battery algorithm suitable for use in testing the storage battery.
US08704470B2
A first calculation unit subtracts third digital data which indicates the minimum value of the duty ratio from first digital data which indicates the duty ratio of the PWM driving operation. A slope calculation unit generates slope data which is dependent on the temperature based upon second digital data which indicates the temperature. A second calculation unit multiplies the slope data by the output data of the first calculation unit. A third calculation unit sums the output data of the second calculation unit and the third digital data. A selector receives the output data of the third calculation unit and the third digital data, selects one data that corresponds to the sign of the output data of the first calculation unit, and outputs the data thus selected as a duty ratio control signal.
US08704469B2
A periodic disturbance observer determines real part I^An and imaginary part I^Bn of an estimated current including a periodic disturbance, from value of identification identifying a system transfer function of an nth order torque ripple frequency component from a command torque to a detected torque value, with a one-dimensional complex vector having a real part P^An and an imaginary part P^Bn, a cosine coefficient TAn, a sine coefficient TBn, and the real part P^An and imaginary part P^Bn of the system transfer function; subtracts command compensating current IAn* and IBn* obtained through pulsation extracting filter GF, respectively, from the real part I^An and imaginary part I^Bn of the estimated current, and thereby determines estimated periodic disturbance current real part dI^An and imaginary part dI^Bn to cancel the periodic disturbance current.
US08704466B2
The method is capable of equalizing time lengths of stopping a motor at load-holding stop positions of respective phases so as to average amounts of heat generation of phase coils. The method for drive-controlling electric machinery, in which a multiphase motor is used as a driving source of an assist mechanism, is performed by a control unit including a driving circuit for driving the multiphase motor. The method is characterized in that the control unit controls to stop a rotor at a load-holding stop position, at which rotation of the rotor is stopped in a state where a motor coil is energized and the rotor is in a load-holding state, and that the load-holding stop position is angularly shifted an electric angle of 180/n (n is number of phases and an integer two or more) degrees, in a prescribed rotational direction, with respect to a previous load-holding stop position of the rotor.
US08704465B2
A motor control of a motor has a DC circuit with a back-up capacitor and a switching device that can connect a motor to the back-up capacitor. A spring device applies a restoring force to the rotor of the motor when deflected from an idle position. When the DC Circuit feeds energy into the back-up capacitor from a power supply network, a control device activates switching elements of the switching device to adjust an actual deflection of the rotor to a required deflection. When the rotor is deflected from the idle position and the back-up capacitor receives no energy from the power supply network, the control device, supplied with energy by the back-up capacitor, sets the required deflection to the idle position and activates the switching elements such that the motor, upon being restored by the spring device, feeds energy into the back-up capacitor via the switching elements.
US08704462B2
Representative embodiments provide an apparatus, system, and method for power conversion to provide power to solid state lighting, and which may be coupled to a first switch, such as a dimmer switch. A representative system for power conversion comprises: a switching power supply comprising a second, power switch; solid state lighting coupled to the switching power supply; a voltage sensor; a current sensor; a memory; a first adaptive interface circuit to provide a resistive impedance to the first switch and conduct current from the first switch in a default mode; a second adaptive interface circuit to create a resonant process when the first switch turns on; and a controller to modulate the second adaptive interface circuit when the first switch turns on to provide a current path during the resonant process of the switching power supply.
US08704456B2
Representative embodiments of the invention provide a system, apparatus, and method of controlling an intensity and spectrum of light emitted from a solid state lighting system. The solid state lighting system has a first emitted spectrum at a full intensity level and at a selected temperature, with a first electrical biasing for the solid state lighting system producing a first wavelength shift, and a second electrical biasing for the solid state lighting system producing a second, opposing wavelength shift. Representative embodiments provide for receiving information designating a selected intensity level or a selected temperature; and providing a combined first electrical biasing and second electrical biasing to the solid state lighting system to generate emitted light having the selected intensity level and having a second emitted spectrum within a predetermined variance of the first emitted spectrum over a predetermined range of temperatures.
US08704443B2
An organic EL device includes a first substrate including a cathode layer and a smoothing layer, an organic layer formed on the cathode layer, an anode layer formed on the organic layer, and a second substrate joined to the anode layer. In a region of a peripheral portion of the first substrate, the organic layer is not formed. The anode layer is provided on the cathode layer through an insulating layer in a portion of the region so as to extend to an outer peripheral side, the extended anode layer is folded back to a side opposite to the second substrate to constitute an anode taking-out portion, and a portion of the cathode layer of the first substrate is folded back to constitute a cathode taking-out portion.
US08704434B2
A spark plug includes an insulator extending along an axis and a metal shell provided on the outer periphery of the insulator. The metal shell includes a thread portion for threadedly engaging with a mounting hole of an internal combustion engine and a seat portion having a tapered surface whose outer diameter decreases gradually toward a leading end side. The tapered surface contacts with a bearing surface of the internal combustion engine when the thread portion is engaged with the mounting hole. Annular protruding portions or a helical protruding portion are formed within a range on the tapered surface from an outermost peripheral portion to a part forming an outer diameter occupying 95% of the diameter of the outermost peripheral portion. The arithmetic mean roughness of a surface of the tapered surface within the range is set to 1-5 μm on a section including the axis.
US08704430B2
A piezoceramic multilayer actuator has a first sub-stack (12, 14, 16) with a plurality of piezoceramic layers (22) and at least one internal electrode (24, 26), the piezoceramic layers (22) and the at least one internal electrode (24, 26) being laminated in an alternating manner, a second sub-stack (12, 14, 16) has a plurality of piezoceramic layers (22) and at least one internal electrode (24, 26), the piezoceramic layers (22) and the at least one internal electrode (24, 26) being laminated in an alternating manner, and a connection layer (40) arranged between the first sub-stack (12, 14, 16) and the second sub-stack (12, 14, 16), wherein the connection layer (40) is set up by a multitude of single connection points or connection lines (44) or other connection regions.
US08704428B2
This disclosure provides systems, apparatus and techniques by which electromechanical resonators are implemented. In one aspect, by mechanically loading the resonator body in specific ways, multiple resonance modes are created within the resonator body resulting in wider bandwidths.
US08704426B2
A vibration-type driving device according to the present invention includes a plurality of vibrators in which contact portions perform an elliptical motion using a combination of vibrations in different vibration modes; and a driven object having contact regions that come into contact with the contact portions and move relative to the plurality of vibrators, wherein the contact regions for the individual vibrators differ in position so as not to overlap.
US08704420B2
Disclosed is a stator for an electric machine. The stator is provided with a stator core, and first and second series of coils each formed into a predetermined shape. Each of the coils in the first series is provided with a pair of first coil ends which respectively protrude from both end faces of the stator core. Each of the first coil ends is provided with a pair of bent portions which extend outward in the radial direction of the stator, and a bridge portion which connects the bent portions. Each second coil end is provided with a pair of upright portions and a bridge portion which connects the upright portions. The bridge portions of the coils in the first series are disposed outside the bridge portions of the coils in the second series in the radial direction of the stator. The bridge portion of each of the coils in the second series extends across the bent portions of two adjacent coils in the first series. The coils in the first series and the coils in the second series are configured so that each series includes a mixture of coils of at least two phases among a U-phase, a V-phase, and a W-phase. Each of the coils in the first series is connected to a coil of the same phase in the second series.
US08704417B2
A motor control unit includes two circuit boards accommodated in a board housing, and a connection holder placed on an outer face of the board housing. The connection holder includes external connection terminals and connection pins. Each one of the circuit boards is provided with multiple through-holes for receiving the connection pins, each of which is formed of an external connection pin and an internal connection pin. The connection holder and the circuit boards are placed such that the connection pins penetrate the through-holes of the circuit boards respectively.
US08704413B2
An electromagnetic step-by-step wobbling micromotor comprises an inner component and an annular component being external to the inner one. The outer component may be a stator and the inner component a rotor, or vice versa. The inner component has three or more poles with a winding on each pole, and an external surface facing an internal surface of the outer component. During the operation of the micromotor each winding is powered. The external and internal surfaces have toothed surfaces. Each tooth has a peak radius which is different from the valley radius.
US08704411B2
A spring-less buried magnet linear-resonant motor is provided. The motor includes a buried magnet system and a stator operable to produce an alternating magnetic field exerting alternating axial forces on the buried magnet system that has a self-centering force and a required stiffness to reciprocate at a frequency near an alternating current (AC) supply frequency.
US08704389B2
A device that controls a power generator driven by power from an engine includes: a brake operation amount detection unit that detects a brake operation amount; and a power generation amount setting unit that sets a power generation amount of the power generator to be lower when a vehicle is predicted to accelerate in accordance with the brake operation amount.
US08704381B2
A package and method of making thereof. The package includes a first plated area, a second plated area, a die, a bond, and a molding. The die is attached to the first plated area, and the bond couples the die to the first and/or the second plated areas. The molding encapsulates the die, the bonding wire, and the top surfaces of the first and second plated areas, such that the bottom surfaces of the first and second plated areas are exposed exterior to the package.
US08704376B2
A layout structure includes a substrate, a well, a first dopant area, a second dopant area, a first poly region, a third dopant area, a fourth dopant area, and a second poly region. The well is in the substrate. The first poly region is in between the first dopant area and the second dopant area. The second poly region is in between the third dopant area and the fourth dopant area. The first dopant area, the second dopant area, the third dopant area, and the fourth dopant area are in the well. The first dopant area is configured to serve as a source of a transistor and to receive a first voltage value from a first power supply source. The well is configured to serve as a bulk of the transistor and to receive a second voltage value from a second power supply source.
US08704372B2
Integrated circuits, a process for recessing an embedded copper feature within a substrate, and a process for recessing an embedded copper interconnect within an interlayer dielectric substrate of an integrated circuit are provided. In an embodiment, a process for recessing an embedded copper feature, such as an embedded copper interconnect, within a substrate, such as an interlayer dielectric substrate, includes providing a substrate having an embedded copper feature disposed therein. The embedded copper feature has an exposed surface and the substrate has a substrate surface adjacent to the exposed surface of the embedded copper feature. The exposed surface of the embedded copper feature is nitrided to form a layer of copper nitride in the embedded copper feature. Copper nitride is selectively etched from the embedded copper feature to recess the embedded copper feature within the substrate.
US08704367B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor substrate, a metal film, a surface modifying layer, and a redistribution trace are provided. On the semiconductor substrate, a wire and a pad electrode are formed. The metal film is formed over the semiconductor substrate. The surface modifying layer is formed on a surface layer of the metal film and improves the adhesion with a resist pattern. The redistribution trace is formed on the metal film via the surface modifying layer.
US08704362B2
A composite structure 10 of a resin-diamagnetic material, including a diamagnetic material layer 12 and a resin layer 14 is obtained by a method including disposing particles of a diamagnetic material 22 and a resin 24 in a mold 30, applying a magnetic field to the diamagnetic material 22 disposed in the mold 30, and moving the diamagnetic material 22 in a direction away from at least a part of an inner surface of the mold 30, and then curing the resin 24 in the mold 30 thereby to produce a resin-diamagnetic material composite structure.
US08704357B2
A semiconductor device has pluralities of grid array terminals forming a grid array structure, e.g. a BGA structure, in which the output end of a built-in switch circuit is connected to multiple terminals of the grid array structure, thereby reducing the current that flows through each of the multiple terminals below a permissible level and minimizing the heat due to contact resistances of the multiple terminals in contact with the IC socket of the semiconductor device. Each pair of nearest neighbors of the multiple terminals is interposed by at least one further array terminal. The multiple terminals are all located at the outermost peripheral terminal positions of the grid array structure. Thus, the heat generated in the respective multiple terminals connected to the switch circuit is reduced, thereby minimizing the possibility of hazardous melting of the terminals.
US08704354B2
The described embodiments of forming bonding structures for package on package involves removing a portion of connectors and molding compound of the lower package. The described bonding mechanisms enable easier placement and alignment of connectors of an upper package to with connector of a lower package. As a result, the process window of the bonding process is wider. In addition, the bonding structures have smoother join profile and planar joint plane. As a result, the bonding structures are less likely to crack and also are less likely to crack. Both the yield and the form factor of the package on package structure are improved.
US08704352B2
A semiconductor device comprises a mounting substrate, a semiconductor element provided above said mounting substrate, a package substrate provided above said mounting substrate with said semiconductor element therebetween and electrically connected to said semiconductor element via a primary connecting bump, a liquid cooling module cooling said semiconductor element by a liquid refrigerant, in which a heat receiving section of the liquid cooling module is disposed between said semiconductor element and said mounting substrate, and a plurality of secondary connecting bumps provided between said package substrate and said mounting substrate.
US08704347B2
A chip-sized wafer level packaged device including a portion of a semiconductor wafer including a device, a packaging layer formed over the portion of the semiconductor wafer, the packaging layer including a material having thermal expansion characteristics similar to those of the semiconductor wafer and a ball grid array formed over a surface of the packaging layer and being electrically connected to the device.
US08704342B2
The invention is directed to firm bonding between semiconductor dies etc bonded to a lead frame and wire-bonding portions of the lead frame by ultrasonic Al wire bonding, and the prevention of shortcircuit between the semiconductor dies etc due to a remaining portion of the outer frame of the lead frame after the outer frame is cut. By extending the wire-bonding portion etc on the lead frame in a wire-bonding direction and connecting the wire-bonding portion etc to the outer frame of the lead frame through a connection lead etc, the ultrasonic vibration force in the ultrasonic Al wire bonding is prevented from dispersing and the Al wire and the wire-bonding portion etc are firmly bonded. The outer frame is cut after a resin sealing process is completed. Even when a portion of the outer frame remains on the side surface of the resin package, connection between the connection lead etc and other hanging lead etc are prevented by providing a notch etc in the outer frame between the connection lead etc and the hanging lead etc.
US08704337B2
In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes following steps. An aperture is formed in an interlayer insulating film formed on a semiconductor wafer apart from an integrated circuit portion by etching process. The interlayer insulating film has a dielectric constant smaller than a silicon oxide film (SiO2), and the width of the aperture is larger than a dicing region. A resin layer is embedded in the aperture. An adhesive layer is formed on the interlayer insulating film and the resin layer. The semiconductor wafer is attached to a glass substrate using the adhesive layer by Face Down method. The semiconductor wafer, the resin layer, and the adhesive layer on a dicing region are cut by blade dicing. The semiconductor wafer and the glass substrate adhered to the semiconductor wafer are cut into pieces by the blade dicing of the glass substrate under the dicing region.
US08704336B2
Selective removal of on-die redistribution interconnect material from a scribe-line region is generally described. In one example, an apparatus includes a first semiconductor die having a redistribution layer comprising redistribution dielectric and one or more redistribution metal interconnects, a second semiconductor die coupled with the first semiconductor die, the second semiconductor die having a redistribution layer comprising redistribution dielectric and one or more redistribution metal interconnects, and a scribe-line region disposed between the first semiconductor die and second semiconductor die, the scribe-line region having a majority or substantially all of redistribution dielectric or redistribution metal, or suitable combinations thereof, selectively removed to enable die singulation through the scribe-line region.
US08704322B2
The present invention is intended to provide a compact and simple optical semiconductor device that reduces crosstalk (leakage current) between light receiving elements. According to the present invention, since a back surface electrode is a mirror-like thin film, crosstalk to an adjacent light receiving element can be suppressed, thereby reducing a detection error of a light intensity. By disposing a patterned back surface electrode or by disposing an ohmic electrode at the bottom of an insulating film over the whole back surface, contact resistance on the back surface can be reduced. By using the optical semiconductor elements with a two-dimensional arrangement and by using a mirror-like thin film as the back surface electrode, crosstalk can be reduced. By accommodating the optical semiconductor elements in the housing in a highly hermetic condition, the optical semiconductor elements can be protected from an external environment.
US08704312B2
A high voltage (HV) device includes a well region of a first dopant type disposed in a substrate. A first well region of a second dopant type is disposed in the well region of the first dopant type. An isolation structure is at least partially disposed in the well region of the first dopant type. A first gate electrode is disposed over the isolation structure and the first well region of the second dopant type. A second well region of the second dopant type is disposed in the well region of the first dopant type. The second well region of the second dopant type is spaced from the first well region of the second dopant type. A second gate electrode is disposed between and over the first well region of the second dopant type and the second well region of the second dopant type.
US08704311B2
The semiconductor device includes a first transistor including a first impurity layer of a first conductivity type formed in a first region of a semiconductor substrate, a first epitaxial semiconductor layer formed above the first impurity layer, a first gate insulating film formed above the first epitaxial semiconductor layer, and a first gate electrode formed above the first gate insulating film, and a second transistor including a second impurity layer of the second conductivity type formed in a second region of the semiconductor substrate, a second epitaxial semiconductor layer formed above the second impurity layer and having a thickness different from that of the first epitaxial semiconductor layer, a second gate insulating film formed above the second epitaxial semiconductor layer and having a film thickness equal to that of the first gate insulating film and a second gate electrode formed above the second gate insulating film.
US08704309B2
Drive units arranged on a transistor array substrate include faulty drive units. The pixel electrodes include first pixel electrodes and second pixel electrodes, the first pixel electrodes corresponding one-to-one to the faulty drive units, and the second pixel electrodes corresponding one-to-one to the non-faulty drive units, a portion of each second pixel electrode is embedded in the contact hole corresponding thereto, and is in contact with a power supply pad of the non-faulty drive unit corresponding thereto, so that the second pixel electrode is electrically connected to the non-faulty drive unit. Each first pixel electrode is electrically insulated from the faulty drive unit corresponding thereto, and is connected by a connector to any of the second pixel electrodes adjacent thereto. A surface of each connector facing the interlayer insulation film is entirely in contact with the interlayer insulation film.
US08704302B2
The present inventors have realized that manufacturability plays into optimization of power semiconductor devices in some surprising new ways. If the process window is too narrow, the maximum breakdown voltage will not be achieved due to doping variations and the like normally seen in device fabrication. Thus, among other teachings, the present application describes some ways to improve the process margin, for a given breakdown voltage specification, by actually reducing the maximum breakdown voltage. In one class of embodiments, this is done by introducing a vertical gradation in the density of fixed electrostatic charge, or in the background doping of the drift region, or both. Several techniques are disclosed for achieving this.
US08704301B2
A DMOS transistor is fabricated with its source/body/deep body regions formed on the walls of a first set of trenches, and its drain regions formed on the walls of a different set of trenches. A gate region that is formed in a yet another set of trenches can be biased to allow carriers to flow from the source to the drain. Lateral current low from source/body regions on trench walls increases the active channel perimeter to a value well above the amount that would be present if the device was fabricated on just the surface of the wafer. Masking is avoided while open trenches are present. A transistor with a very low on-resistance per unit area is obtained.
US08704300B1
A semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type and an epitaxial structure of the first conductivity type disposed thereon is disclosed. A well region of a second conductivity type is formed in the epitaxial structure and the semiconductor substrate. A drain region and a source region are respectively formed in the epitaxial structure inside and outside of the well region. At least one set of the first and second heavily doped regions is formed in the well region between the drain region and the source region, wherein the first and second heavily doped regions of the first and second conductivity type, respectively, are stacked vertically from bottom to top and have a doping concentration which is larger than that of the well region. A gate structure is disposed on the epitaxial structure. A method for fabricating a semiconductor device is also disclosed.
US08704299B2
A semiconductor device capable of increasing ON current while reducing channel resistance and allowing transistors to operate independently and stably, having a fin formed to protrude from the bottom of a gate electrode trench, a gate insulating film covering the surfaces of the gate electrode trench and the fin, a gate electrode embedded in a lower part of the gate electrode trench and formed to stride over the fin via the gate insulating film, a first impurity diffusion region arranged on a first side face, and a second impurity diffusion region arranged on a second side face.
US08704297B1
A trench MOSFET with multiple trenched source-body contacts is disclosed for reducing gate charge by applying multiple trenched source-body contacts in unit cell. Furthermore, source regions are only formed along channel regions near the gate trenches, not between adjacent trenched source-body contacts for UIS (Unclamped Inductance Switching) current enhancement.
US08704295B1
Power devices which include trench Schottky barrier diodes and also (preferably) trench-gate transistors. Isolation trenches flank both the gate regions and the diode mesas, and have an additional diffusion below the bottom of the isolation trenches. The additional diffusion helps to reduce the electric field (and leakage), when the device is in the OFF state, at both the Schottky barrier and at the body diode.
US08704289B2
According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory includes a gate insulating film, a floating gate, first and second silicon oxide films, an insulating film and a control gate. The floating gate is formed on the gate insulating film. The first silicon oxide film is formed on an upper surface of the floating gate. The insulating film is formed on the first silicon oxide film on the upper surface of the floating gate and has a dielectric constant higher than that of the silicon oxide film. The second silicon oxide film is formed on the insulating film on the upper surface of the floating gate and on a side surface of the floating gate. The control gate is formed on the second silicon oxide film formed on the upper and side surfaces of the floating gate.
US08704283B2
A semiconductor device includes a lower electrode, a supporting member enclosing at least an upper portion of the lower electrode, a dielectric layer on the lower electrode and the supporting member, and an upper electrode disposed on the dielectric layer. The supporting member may have a first portion that extends over an upper part of the sidewall of the lower electrode, and a second portion covering the upper surface of the lower electrode. The first portion of the supporting member protrudes above the lower electrode.
US08704282B2
A method for forming a back-side illuminated image sensor from a semiconductor substrate, including the steps of: a) thinning the substrate from its rear surface; b) depositing, on the rear surface of the thinned substrate, an amorphous silicon layer of same conductivity type as the substrate but of higher doping level; and c) annealing at a temperature enabling to recrystallized the amorphous silicon to stabilize it.
US08704280B2
A semiconductor device with a metal gate is disclosed. The device includes a semiconductor substrate including a plurality of source and drain features to form a p-channel and an n-channel. The device also includes a gate stack over the semiconductor substrate and disposed between the source and drain features. The gate stack includes a high-k (HK) dielectric layer formed over the semiconductor substrate. A tensile stress HK capping layer is formed on top of the HK dielectric layer in close proximity to the p-channel, and a compressive stress HK N-work function (N-WF) metal layer is formed on top of the HK dielectric layer in close proximity to the n-channel. A stack of metal gate layers is deposited over the capping layers.
US08704263B2
Provided are a light emitting apparatus and a light unit. The light emitting apparatus comprises a first substrate, a second substrate, and a light emitting device. The first substrate has a plurality of lead frames, and the second substrate has an opening part on the first substrate. The light emitting device is mounted on a portion of the first substrate that is below the opening part. The light unit comprises at least one light emitting apparatus and an optical member on a light emitting path of the light emitting apparatus.
US08704251B1
Disclosed is a light-emitting device. The light-emitting device comprises: a first conductivity type semiconductor layer; a second conductivity type semiconductor layer; and an active region comprising a material having a composition of AlxInyGa(1-x-y)N (0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, 0≦x+y≦1) between the first conductivity type semiconductor layer and the second conductivity type semiconductor layer, wherein the active region comprising: a plurality of barriers and one well disposed between any two of adjacent barriers, wherein the barriers comprises a composite barrier and a single barrier while the composite barrier is composed of a gradient layer having an element with a gradient concentration therein and a first non-gradient layer having a non-gradient composition, and the single barrier is composed of a second non-gradient layer adjacent to the first conductivity type semiconductor layer or the second conductivity type semiconductor layer.
US08704242B2
An object is to provide an aromatic amine compound with excellent heat resistance. Another object is to provide a light emitting element, a light emitting device, and an electronic device with excellent heat resistance. An aromatic amine compound represented by General Formula (1) is provided. The aromatic amine compound represented by General Formula (1) has a high glass transition point and excellent heat resistance. By using the aromatic amine compound represented by General Formula (1) for a light emitting element, a light emitting device, and an electronic device, a light emitting element, a light emitting device, and an electronic device with excellent heat resistance can be obtained.
US08704239B2
Disclosed is a novel method for group III polarity growth on a sapphire substrate. Specifically disclosed is a method for producing a laminate wherein a group III nitride single crystal layer is laminated on a sapphire substrate by an MOCVD method. The method for producing a laminate comprises: a pretreatment step in which an oxygen source gas is supplied onto the sapphire substrate; a first growth step in which an initial single crystal layer that contains oxygen at a concentration of 5×1020 cm−3 or more but 5×1021 cm−3 or less is grown with a thickness of 3 nm or more but less than 15 nm by supplying the oxygen source gas onto the sapphire substrate together with a starting material gas for the growth of the group III nitride; and a second growth step in which a group III nitride single crystal layer that is reduced in the oxygen concentration in comparison to the initial single crystal layer is grown by supplying the starting material gas onto the initial single crystal layer without supplying the oxygen source thereto, or alternatively by supplying the oxygen source, together with the starting material gas, at a lower supply rate than that in the first growth step.
US08704236B2
A thin film transistor (TFT) and a flat panel display device including the same. The TFT includes a substrate, a gate electrode formed over the substrate, the gate electrode formed with silicon doped with impurities, a gate wiring connected to the gate electrode, an active layer formed over the gate electrode, and source and drain electrodes connected to the active layer. According to such a structure, since heat flow to the gate electrode during crystallization of the active layer may be prevented, stable crystallization of the active layer may be performed, and thus an error rate of a product may be decreased.
US08704216B2
An object is to reduce to reduce variation in threshold voltage to stabilize electric characteristics of thin film transistors each using an oxide semiconductor layer. An object is to reduce an off current. The thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor layer is formed by stacking an oxide semiconductor layer containing insulating oxide over the oxide semiconductor layer so that the oxide semiconductor layer and source and drain electrode layers are in contact with each other with the oxide semiconductor layer containing insulating oxide interposed therebetween; whereby, variation in threshold voltage of the thin film transistors can be reduced and thus the electric characteristics can be stabilized. Further, an off current can be reduced.
US08704209B2
An infrared photodetector comprising: a thin contact layer substantially transparent to infrared light; an absorption layer positioned such that light admitted through the substantially transparent thin contact area passes through the absorption layer; the absorption layer being configured to utilize resonance to increase absorption efficiency; at least one reflective side wall adjacent to the absorption layer being substantially non-parallel to the incident light operating to reflect light into the absorption layer for absorption of infrared radiation; and a top contact layer positioned adjacent to the active layer. A method of designing a photodetector comprising selecting a type of material based upon the wavelength range to be detected; determining a configuration geometry; calculating the electromagnetic field distributions using a computer simulated design of the configuration geometry, and determining a quantum efficiency spectrum at the desired wavelength or wavelength range; whereby the effectiveness of the photodetector is simulated prior to fabrication.
US08704207B2
A semiconductor device includes a silicon substrate, an aluminum nitride layer which is arranged on the silicon substrate and has a region where silicon is doped thereof as an impurity, a buffer layer which is arranged on the aluminum nitride layer and has a structure where a plurality of nitride semiconductor films are laminated, and a semiconductor functional layer which is arranged on the buffer layer and made of nitride semiconductor.
US08704200B2
An EUV light source is disclosed which may comprise a plurality of targets, e.g., tin droplets, and a system generating pre-pulses and main-pulses with the pre-pulses for irradiating targets to produce expanded targets. The system may further comprise a continuously pumped laser device generating the main pulses with the main pulses for irradiating expanded targets to produce a burst of EUV light pulses. The system may also have a controller varying at least one pre-pulse parameter during the burst of EUV light pulses. In addition, the EUV light source may also include an instrument measuring an intensity of at least one EUV light pulse within a burst of EUV light pulses and providing a feedback signal to the controller to vary at least one pre-pulse parameter during the burst of EUV light pulses to produce a burst of EUV pulses having a pre-selected dose.
US08704193B1
An RF transformer for supplying power as part of a tank circuit, comprising: a primary side, having at least one main winding and at least one shorting winding, the at least one main winding being configured to receive an RF input; a secondary side, having a first winding inductively coupled to the at least one main winding of the primary side and a second winding inductively coupled to the at least one shorting winding of the primary side; and a switching arrangement, adjustable between a first state in which the at least one shorting winding of the primary side is shorted and a second state in which the at least one shorting winding of the primary side is not shorted, such that the resonant frequency of the tank circuit is changed by adjusting between the first and second states.
US08704190B2
A radiation detection signal processing method and a radiation detection signal processing system using the method are provided, which combine trigger signals and time mark information. The method includes: providing a radiation detection signal processing system having a plurality of front-end detectors, where each front-end detector detects a radiation event to generate a corresponding energy signal; generating a corresponding trigger signal according to the corresponding energy signal; generating a first signal and a second signal according to all trigger signals; and obtaining time differences among the trigger signals according to the first signal and the second signal, converting the time differences into a set of time marks, merging all of the trigger signals and the set of time marks into a hybrid time signal, and transmitting the hybrid time signal to a hybrid event coincidence detection circuit.
US08704187B2
The present invention provides a radiographic imaging including, provided at an insulating substrate, sensor portions for radiation detection that generate charges due to receive radiation or light converted from radiation, first signal lines that are connected to the sensor portions for radiation detection and through which flow electric signals that correspond to the charges generated at the sensor portions for radiation detection, and second signal lines having a substantially same wiring pattern as the first signal lines. Detection of radiation is carried out on the basis of a difference between an electric signal flowing through the first signal line and an electric signal flowing through the second signal line, or a difference between values of digital data obtained by digitally converting an electric signal flowing through the first signal line and an electric signal flowing through the second signal line, respectively.
US08704186B2
A microphonics noise cancellation system and method for improving the energy resolution for mechanically cooled high-purity Germanium (HPGe) detector systems. A classical adaptive noise canceling digital processing system using an adaptive predictor is used in an MCA to attenuate the microphonics noise source making the system more deployable.
US08704178B1
A container, system, method, and computer readable storage medium, for monitoring at least one of surgical object and fluid placed into the container are provided. The container includes a rigid top member including at least one port opening therein, having a recessed portion of the underside of the top member along an outer perimeter, a rigid retaining ring sized and shaped to match the size and shape of the recessed portion along the outer perimeter, and a flexible bag body having an open top portion and a sealed bottom portion, an outer perimeter of the open top portion being folded over the rigid retaining ring, the rigid retaining ring with the folded over perimeter of the open top portion of the flexible bag body being mated and locked in the recessed portion of the underside of the rigid top member along the outer perimeter in a fluid-tight seal arrangement.
US08704177B2
There is provided an image-reconstruction system capable of implementing a multi-axes reconstruction technique for lessening a burden on the part of a user, and precluding artifacts high in contrast, contamination of a sample, and restrictions imposed on a sample for use, occurring due to use of markings.A plurality of tilt-images photographed by tilting a sample at sample-tilt axes, differing from each other; are acquired, misregistration is corrected by a rotation step-angle, a rotated object under observation is tilted in angle-steps, differing from each other, to pick up images thereof, two reconstruction images obtained by correcting respective misregistrations of two reconstruction images created from respective tilt-image groups are created, and one reconstruction image is created by superimposing one of the two reconstruction images on the other.
US08704171B2
A system and methods are described for generating reagent ions and product ions for use in a mass spectrometry system. Applications for the system and method are also disclosed for detecting volatile organic compounds in trace concentrations. A microwave or high-frequency RF energy source ionizes particles of a reagent vapor to form reagent ions. The reagent ions enter a chamber, such as a drift chamber, to interact with a fluid sample. An electric field directs the reagent ions and facilitates an interaction with the fluid sample to form product ions. The reagent ions and product ions then exit the chamber under the influence of an electric field for detection by a mass spectrometer module. The system includes various control modules for setting values of system parameters and analysis modules for detection of mass and peak intensity values for ion species during spectrometry and faults within the system.
US08704151B2
A proximity sensor assembly including a light source, a first detector, and a first light focusing device. The light source is operative to emit light toward a first target area. The first detector is operative to detect light, including light emitted by the light source and reflected from the first target area. The first light focusing device is in a first optical path between the light source and the first detector. The first optical path includes an optical path from the light source and reflected from the first target area.
US08704145B2
A light-sensing pixel for detecting at least a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum includes a first detector element having a micro-structured surface for detecting an infrared range of wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. The light-sensing pixel further includes a second detector element for detecting a second range of wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, wherein the second range of wavelengths is shorter than the first range of wavelengths and the first and second detector element are formed monolithically on a silicon substrate.
US08704141B2
An induction cooking heater having at least one inductor and ferrite bars as magnetic field concentrators located beneath the inductor comprises a sensing circuit associated to the ferrite bars and adapted to monitor at least one electric parameter of the sensing circuit in order to prevent the ferrite bars from reaching the Curie point temperature.
US08704139B2
The invention relates to a heating device comprising at least one tube housing in which at least one PTC heating element is arranged, and heat exchangers which are secured on the tube housing. According to the invention, it is provided that the heat exchangers are secured on the tube housing by stamping.
US08704137B2
This invention introduces the welding technology of an electrical connector and its welding device. The welding device comprises of a base frame, IR lamp that can emit infrared rays, and convex lens used to collect infrared rays. The lamp and lens are set in the base frame, with the convex lens in front, which collects all infrared rays from the lamp and irradiates them to the solder paste, allowing for fast heating. The melted solder paste forms defect-free welding spots with sound electrics performance and low energy consumption, thus saving energy. This invention of welding device is used for the welding when electrical connector is assembled, solder paste is put and the connector is fixed in the conveying belt. The electrical connector goes through the heating zone in welding device, which enables the automatic welding of each cored wire in the electrical connector and wire connecting terminal. The welding is fast and the production can be continuous free of any tack welding. The process has low energy consumption and saves energy.
US08704136B2
The invention relates to a filler material for a thermal production of a joint or of a material layer metallically connected to the base material of or on objects of light metal and/or zinc alloys with a thermal conductivity of more than 110 W/mK, and to a method for producing the same with means for the preparation thereof in situ and/or storage. To improve the quality of the connection, it is provided according to the invention that the filler material is formed as unwindable filler wire, built up of a sheath optionally provided with a surface layer formed from polymer(s) and graphite and comprising aluminum and/or magnesium and/or zinc or a deformable alloy of these metals with a thermal conductivity of more than 110 W/mK and a core of compacted powder, whereby the core material comprises a metal powder and/or a powder of at least one metal compound and/or a non-metallic compound and/or an agent giving off gas at increased temperature and/or at least one component forming slag. The production is characterized by a filler wire production known per se, but with an optionally coated sheath of a ductile light metal or the like alloy, with a correctly positioned winding on coils and providing the same with a protection against moisture.
US08704126B2
A laser beam machining apparatus includes laser beam irradiation unit for irradiating a wafer held on a chuck table with a laser beam, and control unit. The laser beam irradiation unit includes a laser beam oscillator for oscillating a laser beam with such a wavelength as to be transmitted through said wafer, repetition frequency setting section for setting a repetition frequency of pulses in the laser beam oscillated from the laser beam oscillator. The control unit includes a memory for storing coordinates of an arcuate chamfer part formed at the outer periphery of the wafer and coordinates of a flat surface part surrounded by the chamfer part, and controls the repetition frequency setting section so as to set the repetition frequency of the pulses in the laser beam with which to irradiate the flat surface part to a value suitable for machining of the wafer and as to set the repetition frequency of the pulses in the laser beam with which to irradiate the chamfer part to a value higher than the repetition frequency in the pulses of the laser beam with which to irradiate the flat surface part.
US08704119B2
Rotational switch assemblies having a thin operational profile are provided for use in electronic devices. Rotational switch assemblies in accordance with embodiments of the invention can include a button, an engagement member, and switch housing. The switch housing includes a radial spring, a post, and at least two contact spring arms. The engagement member includes at least two contact pads and at least two position notches and is mounted to and operable to rotate about the post to one of at least two positions. When the button is moved from one position to another, this movement is translated to the engagement member, which rotates from one position to another, and as the engagement member rotates, the radial spring engages the position notch corresponding to the position of the engagement member, and one of the contact pads engages a corresponding one of the contact spring members for that position.
US08704118B2
A switch device includes a rockable operating body held in a case, a driving body held within the case and made rockable by the operating body, and a switch element pressed by the driving body. The rockable operating body is held with respect to the case by a first rotating portion apart by a predetermined distance from a position where the operating body is operated. The rockable driving body is held with respect to the case by a second rotating portion apart by predetermined distance from a position where the driving body presses the switch element. A rocking portion that makes the operating body and the driving body rockable relative to each other between the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion is constituted by the operating body and the driving body.
US08704117B2
An RF MEMS switch using a fine liquid metal droplet is provided. The RF MEMS switch using a fine liquid metal droplet includes: a first layer member having a signal transmission line; a second layer member disposed on the first layer member, and having a chamber formed corresponding to the signal transmission line so as to induce a change in the shape of the fine liquid metal droplet and a through hole formed at one side of the chamber so as to bring the fine liquid metal droplet, whose shape is to be changed in the chamber, into contact or non-contact with the signal transmission line; an operating member disposed on the second layer member, and provided at an open side of the chamber so as to provide deformability to the fine liquid metal droplet through the open side of the chamber; and a third layer member for defining the position of the operating member, and coupled to the first layer member and the second layer member.
US08704116B2
There is provided a contact switch including: a plurality of first contact points arranged in parallel on a substrate; a movable member including a plurality of beams facing the plurality of first contact points, and formed to be slidable along an alignment direction of the first contact points within a face of the substrate; and a plurality of second contact points provided on faces of the beams, opposing the first contact points, respectively.
US08704113B2
Disclosed herein is a keyboard, including: a membrane switch having contacts disposed at positions thereof corresponding to keys; a spacer member provided on the membrane switch and having openings at least at portions thereof corresponding to the keys; a resilient member provided on the spacer member and spaced from and opposed to the membrane switch through the openings; and a key member provided at a portion of the resilient member which corresponds to each of the keys.
US08704102B2
A twisted-pair cable and methods are disclosed. The twisted-pair cable comprises a first layer comprising a first non-conductive. A second layer is coupled to the first layer, and comprises a printed circuit patterned with first diagonal conductor segments. A third layer is coupled to the second layer, and comprises a non-conductive strip. A fourth layer is coupled to the third layer, and comprises a printed circuit patterned with second diagonal conductor segments. The first diagonal conductor segments and the second diagonal conductor segments are coupled at respective segment ends such that at least two wires are formed around the non-conductive strip. A fifth layer is coupled to the fourth layer, and comprises a second non-conductive.
US08704099B2
A grommet includes a small diameter tubular portion to which a wire harness is tightly fitted and inserted therethrough, and a large diameter tubular portion continuous to one end of the small diameter tubular portion. A silencer made of rubber is fitted within the large diameter tubular portion. The silencer includes a flat circular piece blocking a central cavity of the large diameter tubular portion. A wire harness insertion hole is provided on the flat circular piece communicating with the small diameter tubular portion of the grommet. A slit is provided from the wire harness insertion hole to an outer peripheral surface of the flat circular piece in order to insert the wire harness into the wire harness insertion hole with sideways insertion. The slit is provided with an irregularly shaped line portion to inhibit separation, configured with a keyhole-shaped or a dovetail groove-shaped line between both ends.
US08704093B2
Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a duct for a shielded wireway system. The duct includes a bottom wall, two sidewalls extending from the bottom wall, and a plurality of fingers extending from each of the sidewalls. Adjacent fingers are connected by at least one bridging component. The bottom wall, the sidewalls, and a portion of the fingers, including the bridging component, are shielded.
US08704090B2
An in-floor electrical floor-box assembly includes a rectangular or nearly square metallic housing and a non-metallic riser with integral flange assembly having a rectangular flange that mates with the rectangular housing and an integral cylindrical riser for providing access to the electrical components through a round cover and finish flange. A low-voltage divider assembly separates cables carrying different voltages within the riser to reduce interference between the cables and any one of a variety of sub-plates having different configurations for accommodating a variety of multi-service or single service electrical functionality can be incorporated with the box.
US08704084B2
A multiple-junction photoelectric device includes a substrate on which a first conducting layer is deposited, at least two elementary photoelectric devices of n-i-p or n-p configuration, on which a second conducting layer is deposited, and at least one intermediate layer between two adjacent elementary photoelectric devices. The intermediate layer has, on the incoming light side, top and bottom faces, the latter having a peak-valley roughness >150 nm, the top and bottom faces having respectively a surface morphology including inclined elementary surfaces so α90bottom<α90top by at least 3; where α90top is the angle for which 90% of the elementary surfaces of the top face of the intermediate layer have an inclination ≦this angle, and α90bottom is the angle for which 90% of the elementary surfaces of the surface of the bottom face of the intermediate layer have an inclination ≦this angle.
US08704082B2
A solar energy collection system comprising a solar tracker characterised by comprising a main horizontal load-bearing tube able to rotate about its axis; a plurality of secondary tubes fixed in a manner movable perpendicularly to said main tube and able to rotate about their axis; to each of said secondary tubes there being fixed a panel able to capture solar energy; a support structure comprising a first post and a second post positioned vertically; said first post and said second post each comprising a connection element positioned at their top, for securing said main tube at its ends; said connection element comprising a first lateral portion for fixing said main tube and a second lateral portion for fixing a possible further main tube; said main tube comprising a slidable joint enabling it to expand, said slidable joint being fixed at one end to said main tube and at the other end to said first lateral portion; said first post and said second post comprising a coupling point at their base; said coupling point being fixed to the ground by a screw shaft; each of said first post and said second post being maintained in a vertical position by at least two cables fixed to the ground; said at least two cables being fixed to the ground by screw shafts.
US08704079B2
The object of the present invention is a photovoltaic windable composite comprising at least one photovoltaic cell, a textile panel and a bond layer providing a bonding between said at least one photovoltaic cell and said textile panel. Typically, the exterior side of the textile panel comprises at least two electrically conductive areas separated by a non electrically conductive area, and the bond layer comprises at least two electrically conductive areas emerging on the exterior and interior sides of said bond layer and separated by a non conductive area. Both conductive areas of the bond layer are arranged between the photovoltaic cell and the superior side of the textile panel in order that the positive and negative poles of said photovoltaic cell are in electrically conductive connection with both conductive areas of the textile panel.
US08704072B2
A media application for providing outputs (e.g., audio outputs) in response to inputs received from an input device is provided. The media application may connect input mechanisms of an input device with parameters of channel strips (e.g., which may define output sounds) using an intermediate screen object. The media application may first assign an input mechanism to a screen object, and separately map a screen object to a channel strip parameter. The media application may map a screen object to several channel strips simultaneously such that, based on the value of the screen object, the volume of each of the several channel strips changes. The media application may provide a graphical representation of available channel strips using layers. As the media application accesses a channel strip, the appearance of the portion of the layer associated with the channel strip may change. The media application may also allow the patches, which may include several channel strips, to survive after a new patch is selected instead.
US08704065B2
The invention relates to a shoulder support (30) for a bowed instrument having a support element (32) for placing on the shoulder and/or chest of the player. To that end, there is provision according to the invention for the support element (32) of the shoulder support (30) to be produced from a thermoplastic material.
US08704063B1
A novel maize variety designated PH13C0 and seed, plants and plant parts thereof. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprise crossing maize variety PH13C0 with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PH13C0 through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. Hybrid maize seed, plant or plant part produced by crossing the variety PH13C0 or a locus conversion of PH13C0 with another maize variety.
US08704049B2
The invention provides seed and plants of the bean line designated RS 08071160. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of bean line RS 08071160, and to methods for producing a bean plant produced by crossing a plant of bean line RS 08071160 with itself or with another bean plant, such as a plant of another line. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of a plant of bean line RS 08071160, including the pods and gametes of such plants.
US08704047B2
The invention relates to the soybean variety designated A1035441. Provided by the invention are the seeds, plants and derivatives of the soybean variety A1035441. Also provided by the invention are tissue cultures of the soybean variety A1035441 and the plants regenerated therefrom. Still further provided by the invention are methods for producing soybean plants by crossing the soybean variety A1035441 with itself or another soybean variety and plants produced by such methods.
US08704045B2
Long-day onion plants, capable of producing onion bulbs comprising ‘high soluble solids’ combined with a ‘sweet taste’ as a result of low pungency, are provided, as are methods for producing such plants, bulbs and seeds. Such onions can be stored for long periods without a loss in quality and without an increase in pungency.
US08704034B2
A limb wound treatment device is described having a first end, a second end and an interior therebetween for accommodating a treatment gas. The device can include a flexible housing that can be inflated or a rigid housing. The first end can include an inflatable cuff seal for hermetically sealing against the limb being treated. The second end can include a closed end or an access port that is releasably sealed with a clamping mechanism. Further, the device can include a controller that can inflate that housing, inflate the cuff seal and provide treatment gas to the interior, in response to pressures within the cuff seal and the housing. Further, the device can accommodate different types of wound treatments, such as hyperbaric therapy, compression therapy or negative pressure therapy.
US08704028B2
Processes for the conversion, under conditions and with a catalyst system effective for olefin metathesis, of hydrocarbon feedstocks comprising an acyclic symmetrical olefin (e.g., butene-2) are described. Olefin products of lower and higher carbon numbers (e.g., propylene and pentene) are formed in the presence of a catalyst comprising a solid support and a tungsten hydride bonded to alumina present in the support. This occurs despite the olefin metathesis reaction mechanism leading to a degenerative result, without any expected production of different carbon number products from acyclic symmetrical olefins.
US08704027B2
The present invention provides a process for preparing ethylene and/or propylene, comprising the steps of contacting a stream comprising C4+ olefins with a zeolite-comprising catalyst to retrieve an olefinic product stream comprising ethylene and/or propylene, and a C4+ hydrocarbon fraction, comprising paraffins, normal olefins and iso-olefins. The C4+ hydrocarbon fraction is subjected to an etherification process with wherein at least part of the iso-olefins are converted with methanol and/or ethanol to an tert-alkyl ether and an etherification product stream is retrieved and separated into an ether-enriched stream and an iso-olefin-depleted C4+ hydrocarbon stream. Part of the iso-olefin-depleted C4+ hydrocarbon stream from the process to purge part of the paraffinic C4+ hydrocarbons while another part of the iso-olefin-depleted C4+ hydrocarbon stream is recycled. The tert-alkyl ether in the ether-enriched stream is converted to ethylene and/or propylene by contacting at least part of the ether-enriched stream with a molecular sieve-comprising catalyst.
US08704023B2
This disclosure relates to a molecular sieve comprising a framework of tetrahedral atoms bridged by oxygen atoms, the tetrahedral atom framework being defined by a unit cell with atomic coordinates in nanometers shown in Table 3.
US08704019B2
Biomass based feeds are processed under hydrothermal treatment conditions to produce a hydrocarbon liquid product and a solids portion. The hydrothermal treatment is performed in the presence of catalyst particles. The presence of the heterogeneous catalyst can modify the nature of the hydrocarbon products produced from the hydrothermal treatment. After the hydrothermal treatment, the catalyst particles can be separated from the algae-based solids, to allow for recycle of the catalyst particles.
US08704017B2
Disclosed is process for the production of (E) 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HCFO-1233zd(E)) by conducting a continuous reaction without the use of a catalyst. Also disclosed is an integrated system for producing hydrofluoro olefins, particularly 1233zd(E). The manufacturing process includes six major unit operations: (1) a fluorination reaction of HCC-240fa (in continuous or semi-batch mode) using HF with simultaneous removal of by-product HCl and the product 1233zd(E); (2) recycle of unreacted HCC-240fa and HF together with under-fluorinated by-products back to (1); (3) separation and purification of by-product HCl; (4) separation of excess HF back to (1); (5) purification of final product, 1233zd(E); and (6) isomerization of by-product 1233zd(Z) to 1233zd(E) to maximize the process yield.
US08704011B2
A crude ethanol product obtained from the hydrogenation of acetic acid comprises ethanol and ethyl acetate. Using a distillation column operated at a pressure of from 0.1 to 100 kPa, the ethyl acetate and ethanol may be effectively separated. In addition, maintaining the amount of water that is fed to the distillation column to an amount less than 10 wt. %, based on the weight of all components fed to the distillation column, provides an energy benefit.
US08704005B2
Methods are provided for making polyglycerol. The methods include heating glycerol at reduced pressure in the absence of a glyceride and in the presence of a catalytic amount of an acid selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid, triflic acid, hydrochloric acid, hexafluorophosphoric acid, tetrafluoroboric acid and mixtures thereof.
US08703998B2
A process comprising polymerizing in an aqueous medium at least one fluorinated olefin monomer other than vinylidene fluoride in the presence of a compound of formula (1): Rf(CH2CF2)m—(CH2)nSO3M (1) wherein Rf is a C1 to C4 linear or branched perfluoroalkyl group, m is an integer of from 1 to 6, n is from 0 to 4, M is H, NH4, Li, Na or K, and a method of altering the surface behavior of a liquid comprising adding to the liquid the composition of a compound of formula (1).
US08703993B2
A process for preparing an alpha, omega-dicarboxylic acid or an ester thereof, which includes (a) subjecting at least one unsaturated fatty acid or fatty acid derivative to ozonolysis to obtain an ozonolysis reaction mixture; and (b) oxidizing the ozonolysis reaction mixture with an oxidizing agent in the presence of an acid catalyst to obtain an oxidized reaction mixture comprising at least one alpha, omega-dicarboxylic acid or ester; wherein the process is performed using a solvent and the acid catalyst has a pKa of less than or equal to zero, as measured at 25° C.
US08703986B1
Provided is a process for preparing 10-chloro-9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO-C) compound, the process having steps of: reacting a liquid chlorinating agent and 9,10-dihydro-10-hydroxy-9-oxa 10-phosphaphenanthrene 10-oxide compound represented by formula (B) to form a mixture, the mixture comprises DOPO-C compound represented by formula (A) and an unreacted liquid chlorinating agent, separating the DOPO-C compound and the unreacted liquid chlorinating agent from the mixture to obtain the DOPO-C compound; wherein X1, X2, and X3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen atom, hydroxyl group, cyano group, sulfonic acid group, sulfonate ester group represented by —SO3R1, halogen atom, alkoxy group represented by —OR2, acyclic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 8 carbon atoms, aryl group, heteroaryl group, and arylalkyl group, wherein R1 and R2 are each an acyclic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms.
US08703983B2
A process for preparing propylene oxide by epoxidizing propylene with an oxidant in the presence of a pretreated catalyst; wherein the catalyst comprises an activated titanium silicalite with MFI structure (TS-1) catalyst; and wherein the catalyst has been activated by pretreatment with methanol to form the pretreated catalyst. The pretreated TS-1 catalyst may be used in the epoxidizing propylene reaction with no additional methanol added; and the pretreated catalyst has equivalent activity to TS-1 catalyst used with large excesses of methanol.
US08703982B2
Disclosed is a method of crystallizing a taxane comprising combining the taxane and methylene chloride to obtain a solution and adding an anti-solvent to the solution to obtain a crystalline taxane, wherein the anti-solvent is selected from the group consisting of hexane and heptane.
US08703980B2
A process for the preparation of Darunavir comprises the reacting of 4-amino-N-(2R, 3S) (3-amino-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyl)-N-isobutyl-benzenesulfonamide with (3R, 3aS,6aR)-hexahydrofuro[2,3-b]furan-3-ol derivative in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone and isolating the resulting Darunavir. The process yields Darunavir with a very low level of the difuranyl impurity.
US08703979B2
The present invention is directed to provide a novel preparation of anticancer-active tricyclic compounds via alkyne coupling reaction. The present invention provides a process for preparing a compound of formula (Ia) or (Ib): wherein R1 is optionally substituted C1-6 alkyl, etc.; W is O, S or NR2; R2 is hydrogen atom, etc., which comprises Step (a) in which a compound of formula (II): wherein R1 is the same as defined above, and a compound of formula (III) or (IV): wherein R2 is the same as defined above; R3 is hydrogen atom, etc.; X is halogen atom, etc., are reacted in the presence of a base, a copper catalyst and a palladium catalyst in an aprotic polar solvent.
US08703975B2
The present invention designs and synthesizes the ascorbyl ester derivatives of the aryl (ethanoic) propanoic acid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicaments, such as ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen, and addition salt of the derivatives with pharmaceutical acid or pharmaceutical alkaline. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicament which takes the ibuprofen as the representative is a common antipyretic analgesic medicament. The invention has remarkable antipyretic and analgesic effects and good safety except for anti-inflammatory effect, thus being not only suitable for adults, but also suitable for the elderly people, infants and children. The aryl (ethanoic) propanoic acid ascorbyl ester can be converted into ascorbyl ester derivatives and the addition salts of the derivatives with pharmaceutical acid or pharmaceutical alkaline, which can improve the water solubility thereof, facilitate intravenously administration, reduce the onset time, improve the bioavailability, reduce the stimulation effect to gastrointestinal tract, and enhance the penetrating capacity to hemato encephalic barrier, and can be used as a novel medicament to be applied for antiphlogistic, antipyresis, analgesia, treatment of arthritis, dysmenorrheal, multiple sclerosis, pneumonia cystic fibrosis and patent ductus arteriosus of premature infants, and prevention and treatment of cerebral apoplexy, hypoxic-ischemic brain damage, senile dementia and certain cancers.
US08703973B2
The present invention relates to a compound of formula (I) including any stereochemically isomeric form thereof, wherein the substituents are as defined in the specification and the claims; a N-oxide thereof, a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof or a solvate thereof; provided that the compound is other than or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The claimed compounds are useful for the treatment of a disease, the treatment of which is affected, mediated or facilitated by activating the GHS1A-r receptor. The invention also relates to pharmaceutical compositions thereof and processes for the preparation thereof.
US08703971B2
Provided are thiophene-containing organic photoelectric materials represented by structural formula (1). The materials are thiophene compounds having multiple thiophene rings and cyano groups, useful in solar cell applications. One primary compound, for example, derivative of dicyanoethenyl quinquethiophene is well suited for application as electron donor material. Preparation methods of these thiophene-containing organic photoelectric materials and solar cell devices containing the above thiophene-containing organic photoelectric materials also are provided. Due to the fact that thiophene rings and cyano groups are included, the above thiophene-containing organic photoelectric materials have broader spectra respondence, better thermal stability and environmental stability.
US08703969B2
A trifluoromethylthiophenium derivative salt useful as synthetic intermediates for pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, a method for producing the same, and a method for producing trifluoromethyl-containing compounds using the same are provided. An S-(trifluoromethyl)-benzo[b]thiophenium derivative salt is represented by the following general formula (1): wherein R1, R2, R3, and R4 are each independently a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, an ethyl group, a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 10 carbon atoms, a methoxy group, an ethoxy group, a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyloxy group having 3 to 10 carbon atoms, a fluorine atom, a chlorine atom, a bromine atom, a nitro group, or a cyano group, R5 is a methyl group, an ethyl group, a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 10 carbon atoms, a phenyl group, or a substituted phenyl group, and X− represents an anion. Various trifluoromethyl-containing compounds are produced using a method for producing the S-(trifluoromethyl)-benzo[b]thiophenium derivative salt, and using the S-(trifluoromethyl)-benzo[b]thiophenium derivative salt as a trifluoromethylating agent.
US08703966B2
A method of catalytic oxidative coupling for the formation of hetero-coupled bis-arenes. The method includes placing a solvent, an arene compound, and a catalyst in a reactor having a oxidant atmosphere such that hetero-coupled bis-arenes are formed.
US08703960B2
A composition having the structure comprising: wherein Z is a halogen; wherein X is selected from the group consisting of N, O, P, S, and Se; wherein Y is selected from the group consisting of N, O, P, S and Se; and wherein R is an n-alkane chain.
US08703949B2
The present invention provides processes for the preparation of N-alkyl morphinans without the isolation of nor-morphinan intermediates. In particular, the invention provides tandem hydrolysis/alkylation reactions for the synthesis of N-alkyl morphinans.
US08703947B2
Described herein are compounds, and pharmaceutical compositions, methods, and uses thereof for treating Alzheimer's disease.
US08703935B2
A method of producing a metal phthalocyanine compound, which contains: conducting a reaction between at least two compounds selected from among Compounds A to F of formula (I), and a metal compound, in a buffer solution of an organic base or an inorganic base and an acid, in the presence of a dehydrating agent: wherein R is a hydrogen atom or a substituent; 1 is an integer of 0 to 4; a plurality of Rs may be the same or different from each other when 1 is 2 to 4; and G is a group of atoms necessary for forming at least one of a 5- or 6-membered aromatic ring and a 5- or 6-membered hetero ring.
US08703930B2
Cancer cell-specific apoptosis-inducing agents that target chromosome stabilization-associated genes
The present inventors discovered that inhibition of the expression of various genes associated with chromosome stabilization induces cancer cell-specific apoptosis and inhibits cell proliferation. Compounds that inhibit expression of a gene associated with chromosome stabilization or inhibit the function of a protein encoded by such a gene are thought to have cancer cell-specific apoptosis-inducing effects.
US08703918B2
An isolated monoclonal antibody or fragment thereof binding prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) preferably in its native form on the surface of tumour cells. A conjugate of the antibody with an active ingredient and modified forms of the antigen-binding antibody fragment are also provided. The complete antibody and the antigen-recognising fragment thereof are used alone or conjugated for the treatment and the diagnosis of tumours or tissues associated to the tumour overexpressing the PSMA antigen, preferably prostatic neoplastic diseases.
US08703906B2
The present invention is directed to an inventive polymeric carrier molecule according to generic formula (I) and variations thereof, which allows for efficient transfection of nucleic acids into cells in vivo and in vitro, a polymeric carrier cargo complex formed by a nucleic acid and the inventive polymeric carrier molecule, but also to methods of preparation of this inventive polymeric carrier molecule and of the inventive polymeric carrier cargo complex. The present invention also provides methods of application and use of this inventive polymeric carrier molecule and the inventive polymeric carrier cargo complex as a medicament, for the treatment of various diseases, and in the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of such diseases.
US08703897B2
A composition of dental filling materials comprising a urethane oligomer obtained from a reaction between natural oil-derived polyols and a diisocyanate in excess to create terminals of isocyanate groups, the oligomer being grafted with an unsaturated acrylic monomer having hydroxyl groups which could react with the isocyanate terminals, and the resulting dental material being curable by free radical initiation.
US08703894B2
The present invention relates to fluorocarbon polymer-free preparations (Z) based on water and/or organic solvents and their use as a finish on flat materials, containing (1) 10-90% of a reaction product (S) prepared by reacting a component (A) with a partially blocked or non-blocked di-, tri- or polyisocyanate (IC) and (2) 10-90% of a C8-C28-alkyl groups containing organopolysiloxane, (3) 0-45% of a blocked or non-blocked di-, tri- or polyisocyanate, and (4) if appropriate customary emulsifiers. When used as a finish on flat materials, the preparations endow the treated flat materials with durable hydrophobic properties.
US08703889B2
A method for making a fluoropolymer comprising an aqueous emulsion polymerization of one or more fluorinated monomers wherein the aqueous emulsion polymerization is carried out in the presence of at least one cyclic fluorocompound of the following formula (I): wherein X1, X2, X3, equal to or different from each other are independently selected among H, F, and C1-6 (per)fluoroalkyl groups, optionally comprising one or more catenary or non-catenary oxygen atoms; L represents a bond or a divalent group; RF is a divalent fluorinated C1-3 bridging group; Y is a hydrophilic function selected among anionic functionalities, cationic functionalities and non-ionic functionalities.
US08703881B2
A curable composition of ionic silicones includes a silicone having the formula M1aM2bM3cD1dD2eD3fT1gT2hT3iQj having ionic groups and crosslinking functional groups. The composition can further include polyorganosiloxane having the average compositional formula R26nR27o(OH)pSiO(4-n-o-p)/2, organohydrogenoligosiloxane or organohydrogenpolysiloxane that has the average compositional formula HqR28rSiO(4-q-r)/2 a transition metal catalyst and other components such as UV stabilizer, cure accelerator, pigment, dye, antimicrobial agent, biocide, surfactant, functional or non-functional filler, conductive filler, finely divided surface treated/untreated metal oxides, clay, plasticizers, tackifiers, mold release agents, adhesion promoters, compatibilizers, pharmaceutical excipients, surfactants or antistatic agents.
US08703880B2
A curable composition that includes (A) a silane compound copolymer that includes a specific repeating unit, (B) a silane coupling agent having a reactive cyclic ether structure, and (C) a curing agent so that the mass ratio “(A):((B)+(C))” of the silane compound copolymer (A) to the silane coupling agent (B) and the curing agent (C) in total is 95:5 to 70:30, a cured product obtained by curing the curable composition, and method for using of the curable composition as an optical device-securing adhesive or an optical device sealing material, are disclosed. The curable composition produces a cured product that does not show coloration (i.e., does not show a deterioration in transparency) even when exposed to high-energy light or subjected to a high temperature, exhibits excellent transparency for a long time, and has high adhesion even at a high temperature. The curable composition may be used to form an optical device-securing material, and may suitably be used as an optical device-securing adhesive or an optical device sealing material.
US08703876B2
A process for producing water-absorbing polymer particles, wherein at least one inorganic phosphoric acid and/or salt thereof and at least one organic 2-hydroxy acid and/or salt thereof is added, where the phosphorus in the inorganic phosphoric acid has an oxidation number of less than +V and the organic 2-hydroxy acid does not have any ethylenically unsaturated groups, and also the water-absorbing polymer particles obtainable by the process according to the invention.
US08703873B2
The composition and preparation of multifunctional graft polymers useful as dispersants are described. The dispersants described are suitable for controlling sludge and varnish as well as soot, friction and wear. The product is useful as a lubricant additive.
US08703865B2
The invention relates to a method for production of an aqueous dispersion of polymer-encapsulated pigments characterized in that (a) an aqueous pigment dispersion, containing at least one organic pigment (P) at least one surfactant (T), and water is prepared,(b) a monomer miniemulsion stabilized by a hydrophobic organic compound with a water solubility at 20° C. of not more than 5×10−5 g/l, is prepared from a polymerizable monomer (M) and at least one surfactant (T), in water, (c) a monomer pigment emulsion is prepared, whereby the aqueous pigment dispersion from (a) and the monomer miniemulsion from (b) are mixed and homogenized, and (d) the pigment-containing monomer miniemulsion from (c) is polymerized in the presence of a polymerization initiator and/or by heat, whereupon an encapsulation of the pigment with the polymer thus formed occurs.
US08703863B2
There is provided a polyimide precursor which can alter the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the surface of a cured film formed readily even by a low level of ultraviolet ray irradiation; and a polyimide produced from the polyimide precursor. The polyimide precursor having a structure represented by the following formula (1): (where A represents a tetravalent organic group; B represents a bivalent organic group having a thiol ester bond in its main chain; R1 and R2 independently represent a hydrogen atom or a univalent organic group; and n represents a natural number).
US08703861B2
A tire dressing composition is provided that includes at least one silicone fluid having a viscosity of between 40 and 500,000 centiStokes at room temperature. A fluorinated acrylate polymer is provided in the composition to limit the amount of streaking in a coating formed from the composition upon application to a tire surface. The coating is formed through the evaporation of a solvent in the composition containing the at least one silicone fluid and the fluorinated acrylate polymer. A process is provided for dressing a tire having a previous silicone coating thereon, the process including applying the tire dressing composition and allowing the solvent to evaporate from the composition to form a tire dressing coating. The coating producing an initial gloss of greater than 110 units. A gloss of greater than 110 units is maintained for at least two weeks subsequent to the application under normal vehicle operation conditions.
US08703860B2
The present invention comprises an uncrosslinked composition of a styrenic block copolymer and PMS-I/B-PMS (paramethylstyrene-isoprene/butadiene-paramethylestyrene) block copolymer, optionally with one or more antioxidants and a carbon radical scavenger. The mid-block IB is a random mixture of isoprene and butadiene. Further, a process is disclosed for making the uncrosslinked composition. The present invention also includes an uncrosslinked composition of homo polystyrene, and PMS-I/B-PMS block copolymer, optionally with one or more antioxidants and a carbon radical scavenger. The present invention also comprises a crosslinked polyolefin-free composition of PMS-I/B-PMS block copolymer, optionally with a styrenic block copolymer and one or more antioxidants, a carbon radical scavenger, and free radical initiator. The present invention also includes an article incorporating an uncrosslinked composition of a styrenic block copolymer and homo polystyrene, and PMS-I/B-PMS block copolymer, optionally with one or more antioxidants and a carbon radical scavenger.
US08703858B2
The present invention provides an agricultural fluororesin film having good optical transparency and good durability to repeated contact with other members and to repeated bending. The present invention relates to an agricultural fluororesin film, in which synthetic mica particles having an average particle size of 3 μm to 15 μm are dispersed in a film containing a fluororesin, in which the content of the synthetic mica particles is from 0.5 to 5 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the fluororesin.
US08703856B2
This disclosure relates to polycarbonate compositions, methods, and articles of manufacture that at least meets certain electrical tracking resistance requirements. The compositions, methods, and articles of manufacture that meet these requirements contain at least a polycarbonate; a polysiloxane block co-polycarbonate; and a transition metal oxide, e.g. titanium dioxide.
US08703854B2
A densification aid for use in rotomolding or slush molding can include a major component and a minor component. The major component can include a polyetherester. The minor component can include a fluoropolymer, a thermoplastic polyurethane, a polyether block copolyamide or a polyethylene glycol. Articles can be formed using the densification aid, such as by rotomolding or slush molding a particulate olefin polymer composition with the densification aid.
US08703851B2
A composition includes specific amounts of a poly(phenylene ether), a radial block copolymer, a polystyrene-poly(ethylene-butylene)polystyrene triblock copolymer, an organophosphate ester, a hydrocarbon resin, and benzoin. The composition exhibits a desirable balance of multiaxial impact strength, light transmittance, and optical clarity, and it can be used to mold a variety of articles including animal cages, ink cartridges, tubes, pipes, and pipe fittings.
US08703845B2
A high degree of resistance to moisture and solder and high flame retardancy are realized without incorporating a halogen in view of environmental friendliness. A phenolic resin has structural moieties which are a naphthylmethyloxy group- or anthrylmethyloxy group-containing aromatic hydrocarbon group (ph1), a phenolic hydroxyl group-containing aromatic hydrocarbon group (ph2), and a divalent aralkyl group (X) represented by general formula (1) below: (where Ar represents a phenylene group or a biphenylene group and Rs each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a methyl group) and has a structure in which plural aromatic hydrocarbon groups selected from the group consisting of the naphthylmethyloxy group- or anthrylmethyloxy group-containing aromatic hydrocarbon group (ph1) and the phenolic hydroxyl group-containing aromatic hydrocarbon group (ph2) are bonded through the divalent aralkyl group (X). This phenolic resin is used as a curing agent for an epoxy resin.
US08703843B2
The present disclosure relates to processes for preparing microparticles using a solvent extraction technique, including controlled addition and/or removal of the extraction phase.
US08703835B2
A blowing agent blend for making thermoplastic polymer foams includes methyl formate. The blowing agent blend can further comprise at least one co-blowing agent. The co-blowing agent is either a physical co-blowing agent (e.g. an inorganic agent, a hydrocarbon, a halogenated hydrocarbon, a hydrocarbon with polar, functional group(s), water or any combination thereof), or a chemical co-blowing agent, or combinations thereof. The thermoplastic polymer foam can be an alkenyl aromatic polymer foam, e.g. a polystyrene foam. The blowing agent blend includes methyl formate and one or more co-blowing agents. The methyl formate-based blowing agent blends produce dimensionally stable foams that have improved resistance to flame spread. A process for the preparation of such foams is also provided.
US08703832B2
Interpenetrating polymer networks comprising a first network of polymer A formed from monomers, at least one of which contains an aromatic group functionalized with a cation-exchange group, and a second network of polymer B formed from monomers, at least one of which contains a fluorinated group (RF). Use of these interpenetrating polymer networks for manufacturing fuel cell membranes.
US08703829B2
The invention provides compounds of Formula (I): R1≡R2 (I) wherein R1 and R2 have any of the values or specific values defined herein, as well as compositions comprising such compounds and therapeutic methods comprising the administration of such compounds.
US08703820B2
Dermatological disorders having an inflammatory or proliferative component are treated with pharmaceutical compositions containing on the order of 0.3% by weight of 6-[3-(1-adamantyl)-4-methoxyphenyl]-2-naphthanoic acid (adapalene) or salt thereof, formulated into pharmaceutically acceptable media therefor, advantageously topically applicable gels, creams or lotions.
US08703807B2
The invention provides novel compounds having the general formula (I) wherein R1 and R2 are as described herein, compositions including the compounds, their pharmaceutically acceptable salts and esters and methods of using the compounds.
US08703791B2
The invention provides 3-carboxypropyl-aminotetralin compounds of formula (I): wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6 are defined in the specification, or a pharmaceutically-acceptable salt thereof, that are antagonists at the mu opioid receptor. The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds, methods of using such compounds to treat conditions associated with mu opioid receptor activity, and processes and intermediates useful for preparing such compounds.
US08703789B2
A composition incorporating at least one sesamin-class compound is enhanced in the anti-fatigue action of sesamin class compounds by additionally incorporating at least one vitamin B1 class compound. Also provided is an anti-fatigue agent containing at least one sesamin-class compound and at least one vitamin B1 class compound as the active ingredients.
US08703779B2
The instant invention relates to crystalline forms of MK-1775, an inhibitor of Weel kinase. Specifically, the instant invention relates to hemihydrates of MK-1775.
US08703773B2
The present invention provides low hygroscopic forms of aripiprazole and processes for the preparation thereof which will not convert to a hydrate or lose their original solubility even when a medicinal preparation containing the anhydrous Aripiprazole crystals is stored for an extended period.
US08703771B2
The invention provides a new kind of dihydroindene amide compounds of general formula I or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts or prodrug thereof which can be used as protein kinase inhibitor. The invention provides a preparation method of the kind of compounds, the pharmaceutical compositions containing the compounds, the method for preventing or curing the diseases related to the abnormity of activities of protein kinases, especially Abl, Bcr-Abl, c-Kit and PDGFR, using them as protein kinase inhibitor, and their preparation use of drug used for preventing or curing the diseases related to the abnormity of activities of protein kinases, especially Abl, Bcr-Abl, c-Kit and PDGFR.
US08703767B2
In one aspect, the invention relates to substituted N-(3-(pyrimidin-4-yl)phenyl)acrylamide analogs, derivatives thereof, and related compounds, which are useful as inhibitors of the BTK kinase; synthetic methods for making the compounds; pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds; and methods of using the compounds and compositions to treat disorders associated with dysfunction of the BTK kinase. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.
US08703762B2
A method for treating organophosphorous poisoning (OP) comprising administering to a mammal at risk for OP poisoning an OP poisoning-inhibiting amount of galantamine.
US08703760B2
The present invention relates to a novel antiplatelet agent and a novel compound which is an active ingredient for the agent. The present invention provides the antiplatelet agent comprising a compound represented by the formula I: wherein, X is N, or CR1d, Xb1-Xb5 are the same or different, and are nitrogen or carbon, R1a-R1d are the same or different, and are hydrogen, an optionally substituted alkyl, an optionally substituted alkoxy, an optionally substituted alkylthio, an alkenyl, a cycloalkyl, a halogen, cyano, or hydroxyl or optionally substituted by 1 or 2 alkylamino, R2 is an optionally substituted aryl or an optionally substituted heteroaryl, R3 is an optionally substituted aryl or an optionally substituted heteroaryl, or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof as an active ingredient.
US08703758B2
The present invention provides to a compound having an ACC inhibitory action, which is useful as an agent for the prophylaxis or treatment of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cardiac failure, diabetic complications, metabolic syndrome, sarcopenia, cancer and the like, and has superior efficacy.The present invention relates to a compound represented by the formula (I): wherein each symbol is as defined in the specification.
US08703755B2
The present invention provides analogs of benzoquinone-containing ansamycins and uses thereof for treating and modulating disorders associated with hyperproliferation, such as cancer. The present invention provides analogs of benzoquinone-containing ansamycins where the benzoquinone is reduced to a hydroquinone and trapped by reaction with a suitable acid, preferably ones that increase the solubility and air stability of the resulting 17-ammonium hydroquinone ansamycin analog.
US08703752B2
The invention relates to a novel use of compounds having formula (I), including mifepristone (RU 486 or RU 38 486) and the derivative salts thereof, for the preparation of a medicament that can modulate (activate or inhibit) the Hedgehog protein signalling pathway, which is intended for the treatment of pathologies involving a tissue dysfunction linked to deregulation of said pathway.
US08703747B2
The present invention relates to a compound of the following general formula (I): R1—NH—CH(R2)—P(═O)(OR3)—CH2—C(R4)(R5)—CONH—CH(R6)—COOR7 (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the latter, an isomer or a mixture of isomers in any proportions, especially a mixture of enantiomers, and in particular a racemic mixture, for which R1 represents a —C(═O)—O—C(R8)(R9)—OC(═O)—R10 group; R2 represents an optionally substituted hydrocarbon-based chain, an aryl or heteroaryl group or a methylene group substituted by a heterocycle; R3 represents a hydrogen atom or a —C(R12)(R13)—OC(═O)—R14 group; R4 and R5 form, together with the carbon that bears them, a saturated hydrocarbon-based ring or an optionally substituted piperidine ring or R4 represents a hydrogen atom and R5 represents a phenyl or a benzyl that is optionally substituted, a heteroaromatic ring or a methylene group substituted by a heterocycle; R6 represents an optionally substituted hydrocarbon-based chain or a phenyl or a benzyl that is optionally substituted; and R7 represents a hydrogen atom or a benzyl, alkyl, heteroaryl, alkylheteroaryl, —CHMe—COOR18, —CHR19—OC(═O)OR20 and —CHR19—OC(═O)OR20 group. The present invention also relates to the use of these compounds as a medicinal product, and in particular for the treatment of pain, more advantageously neuropathic and neuroinflammatory pain, to their method of synthesis and also to the compositions containing them.
US08703735B2
The present invention provides antisense antiviral compounds, compositions, and methods of their use and production, mainly for inhibiting the replication of viruses of the Filoviridae family, including Ebola and Marburg viruses. The compounds, compositions, and methods also relate to the treatment of viral infections in mammals including primates by Ebola and Marburg viruses. The antisense antiviral compounds include phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligonucleotides (PMOplus) having a nuclease resistant backbone, about 15-40 nucleotide bases, at least two but typically no more than half piperazine-containing intersubunit linkages, and a targeting sequence that is targeted against the AUG start site region of Ebola virus VP35, Ebola virus VP24, Marburg virus VP24, or Marburg virus NP, including combinations and mixtures thereof.
US08703730B2
Disclosed are antagonists designed to inhibit or block expression of a mammalian complement such as complement component 6 (C6). The invention has a wide range of uses including use in the preparation of a medicament for the enhancement of nerve regeneration following acute or chronic nerve damage in a mammal. Additional applications include use in the treatment of multiple sclerosis either alone or in combination with another drug.
US08703722B2
The present invention relates to blood group A/B/H determinant on Type 1 Core glycosphingolipids chains as recognition point for the FedF protein of F18-fimbriated Enterotoxigenic and verotoxinogenic Escherichia coli and the use of compounds comprising such determinants for the treatment of F18+ E. coli infections in pigs and in screening methods.
US08703713B2
Described herein is a combination therapy suited to the treatment of pancreatic cancer and the like. Also described is a method of potentiating the therapeutic effect of chemotherapeutic agents such as gemcitabine.
US08703702B2
The invention describes peptide analogues of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), which possess an increased efficacy compared to the native α-MSH peptide. The α-MSH analogues exhibit increased anti-inflammatory effects and increased capability to prevent ischemic conditions compared to α-MSH. The invention further discloses use of the peptides for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment or prophylaxis of a condition in the tissue of one or more organs of a mammal, and moreover pharmaceutical compositions.
US08703695B2
Novel peptides are disclosed with their use as a pharmaceutical composition. A method is also disclosed for making pharmaceutical compositions and treatment of an individual.
US08703690B2
This invention relates to the use of chloro-trifluoropropenes as refrigerants in negative-pressure liquid chillers and methods of replacing an existing refrigerant in a chiller with chloro-trifluoropropenes. The chloro-trifluoropropenes, particularly 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene, have high efficiency and unexpectedly high capacity in liquid chiller applications and are useful as more environmentally sustainable refrigerants for such applications, including the replacement of R-123 and R-11.
US08703686B2
It has been found that transparency and water-white appearance of soap bars is improved by adding a fluorescer at selective levels. Disclosed is a transparent soap bar comprising: (i) 20 to 78 wt % total fatty matter; and (ii) 0.003 to 0.5 wt % fluorescer, wherein (i) CIELAB b* value of said bar at 0° viewing and 75° illumination is less than 0; and (ii) color of said bar expressed as Y+5R on LOVIBOND® scale is 0 to 3 and wherein the soap bar includes 0.05 to 10 wt % C2 to C3 alcohol. Also disclosed is a process for making transparent soap bar comprising the steps of: (i) saponification of oils or fatty acids in presence of polyols to get a molten mass, where after complete neutralization, the free alkali content measured as sodium hydroxide is not greater than 0.1%; and (ii) molding said molten mass to get the bar, wherein 0.003 to 0.5 parts fluorescer and 0.05 to 10 parts C2 to C3 alcohol is mixed with said molten mass.
US08703678B2
A grease which comprises a base oil containing at least 50% by mass of a diester compound having a total carbon number of 28 to 40 and represented by the general formula (I): R1OOC—(R2)n—COOR3 (I) wherein R1 and R3 each independently represent a C4 to C20 monovalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group, R2 represents a C1 to C20 divalent hydrocarbon group and n is 0 or 1. The grease is excellent in both low-temperature performance and high-temperature performance and has low oil separation tendency even under high centrifugal force (acceleration). In particular, when the grease is used in a rotational transmission device having a built-in one-way clutch, the grease can provide satisfactory clutch engagement property (intermeshing ability) at low temperatures and a prolonged bearing life at high temperatures and is less apt to cause oil separation under high centrifugal force.
US08703674B2
Provided is a lubricating oil composition, including a base oil and a specific condensed phosphate blended with various additives.
US08703672B2
A lubricant composition comprising an oil of lubricating viscosity and an oil-soluble branched-chain hydrocarbyl-substituted arenesulfonic acid salt, wherein the arenesulfonic moiety has at least one hydrocarbyl substituent which is a highly branched group as defined by having a Chi(0)/Shadow XY ratio greater than about 0.180, exhibits good dynamic frictional performance.
US08703671B2
The invention provides for a process for preparing a urea grease including: (a) introducing a first feed component to a first feeding zone; (b) introducing a second feed component to a second feeding zone; (c) first reacting-mixing in a first reacting-mixing zone; and (d) cooling-mixing in a cooling-mixing zone. The invention also provides for a process for preparing a urea grease including: (a) introducing a first feed component to a first feeding zone; (b) introducing a second feed component to a second feeding zone; (c) first reacting-mixing in a first reacting-mixing zone; (d) introducing a third feed component to a third feeding zone; (e) second reacting-mixing in a second reacting-mixing zone; and (f) cooling-mixing in a cooling-mixing zone. The invention also provides for an apparatus for preparing a urea grease comprising: (a) a first feeding zone; (b) a second feeding zone; (c) a first reacting-mixing zone; and (d) a cooling-mixing zone. The invention also provides for an apparatus for preparing a urea grease comprising: (a) a first feeding zone; (b) a second feeding zone; (c) a first reacting-mixing zone; (d) a third feeding zone; (e) a second reacting-mixing zone; and (f) a cooling-mixing zone.
US08703670B2
Method of adjusting the viscosity of a salt having a melting point of less than 100° C. at atmospheric pressure (referred to as ionic liquid for short), wherein an oligomeric or polymeric compound which has a content of at least 0.01 mol of covalently bound acid groups/100 g of compound with at least 1% of the acid groups being present as a salt with an organic cation comprising at least one heteroatom selected from among nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and phosphorus is added to the ionic liquid.
US08703665B2
Heat-transfer fluids and lubricating fluids comprising deaggregated diamond nanoparticles are described herein. Also described are composites comprising deaggregated diamond nanoparticles, and methods of making such composites. Method of using deaggregated diamond nanoparticles, for example, to improve the properties of materials such as thermal conductivity and lubricity are also disclosed.
US08703657B2
A sealant composition comprising an inverse emulsion polymer and methods of servicing a wellbore using the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of servicing a wellbore that penetrates a subterranean formation is disclosed. The method comprises placing a sealant composition comprising an inverse emulsion polymer into the wellbore to reduce a loss of fluid to the subterranean formation during placement of the fluid in the wellbore.
US08703654B2
Method, system and an article of manufacture for clustering and thereby identifying predefined antigens reactive with undetermined immunoglobulins of sera derived from patient subjects in need of diagnosis of disease or monitoring of treatment.
US08703653B2
This invention provides methods of detecting and quantifying target nucleic acids in samples in multiplexed single chamber reactions. Consumables incorporating chambers optimized to reduce signal background proximal to high efficiency arrays are provided, as well as methods of use. Devices and systems configured to use the consumables to practice the methods are a feature of the invention.
US08703637B2
An improved process to make a slurry catalyst for the upgrade of heavy oil feedstock is provided. In the process, at least a metal precursor feedstock is portioned and fed in any of the stages: the promotion stage; the sulfidation stage; or the transformation stage of a water-based catalyst precursor to a slurry catalyst. In one embodiment, the promoter metal precursor feedstock is split into portions, the first portion is for the sulfiding step, the second portion is for the promotion step; and optionally the third portion is to be added to the transformation step in the mixing of the sulfided promoted catalyst precursor with a hydrocarbon diluent to form the slurry catalyst. In another embodiment, the Primary metal precursor feedstock is split into portions.
US08703633B2
A high-intensity and high-modulus glass fiber is provided. Said fiber is produced by improving the processes, components and proportion of conventional E-glass production process and apparatus. The fiber contains 13% CaO at most, no boron and fluorine, meanwhile ZrO2 and Li2O is first added, B2O3 is first removed, and SO3 is added. The intensity and the modulus of the fiber are slightly lower than those of S-glass or T-glass, but obviously higher than those of E-glass and ECR-glass which are highly produced and widely used or other boron-free glass such as Advantex glass. Besides the intensity, modulus and fatigue resistance, said fiber has obvious advantages over E-glass in heat, acid and alkali resistance. The glass fiber roving made from said fiber has 22% higher tensile strength and 11˜15.7% higher modulus than those of E-glass, and has 16% higher tensile strength and 5˜6% higher modulus than those of ECR-glass.
US08703632B2
Building board for use as a carrier for a surface cladding of ceramic tiles, a stucco, or a thin-layer trowel mortar, on or in buildings, in which on a moisture-resistant and moisture-sealed foam-material core layer, there is glued on both sides a water-resistant paper web or thin plastic web, onto which webs in each case a web of nonwoven fabric or of a knitted or loom-knitted woven fabric is glued.
US08703630B2
A resin-soluble thermoplastic polymer veil toughening element for a curable composition wherein the polymer element is a non-woven veil in solid phase adapted to undergo at least partial phase transition to fluid phase on contact with a component of the curable resin matrix composition in which it is soluble at a temperature which is less than the temperature for substantial onset of gelling and/or curing of the curable composition and which temperature is less than the polymer elements melt temperature; a method for the preparation thereof, a preform support structure for a curable composition comprising the at least one thermoplastic veil element together with structural reinforcement fibers, methods for preparation thereof, a curable composition comprising the at least one thermoplastic veil element or the support structure and a curable resin matrix composition, a method for preparation and curing thereof, and a cured composite or resin body obtained thereby, and known and novel uses thereof.
US08703629B2
The present invention generally relates to an integrally woven three-dimensional preform with at least one sidewall in at least one direction constructed from a woven base fabric comprising two or more layers, and a method of forming thereof. A plurality of fibers in a first direction is interwoven between at least the top layer and a second layer, such that top layer is foldable relative to the other layers and form, upon folding, an integral sidewall. A plurality of fibers may also be interwoven between the second-from-the-top layer and a second layer, such that the second-from-the-top layer is foldable relative to the other layers, upon folding, form a second integral sidewall perpendicular to the first integral sidewall. The preform may optionally comprise a plurality of non-integral sidewalls formed by folding portions of the topmost layer.
US08703627B2
An antiadhesive material that is excellent in biocompatibility and bioabsorbability, as well as excellent strength in suturing and bonding, is provided. A reinforcing material 12 made of a biodegradable polymer is placed in a gelatin solution so that the reinforcing material 12 is impregnated with the solution, and the gelatin is caused to gelate and dried. By so doing, an antiadhesive material in which a gelatin film 11 and the reinforcing material 12 are integrated is obtained. The reinforcing material 12 preferably is arranged in a portion of the gelatin film 11 to be subjected to suturing, and preferably is arranged along a periphery of the gelatin film 11. The gelatin film 11 preferably is a cross-linked gelatin film, and the reinforcing material 12 preferably is a nonwoven fabric.
US08703614B2
A metal organic chemical vapor deposition apparatus includes reaction chambers in which nitride layers is deposited on a substrate using a group III-V material, a buffer chamber connected to the reaction chambers and in which a transfer robot is disposed to transfer the substrate into the reaction chambers, a gas supply device configured to selectively supply one or more of hydrogen, nitrogen, and ammonia gases into the buffer chamber so that when the buffer chamber communicates with one of the reaction chambers, the buffer chamber has the same atmosphere as an atmosphere of the reaction chamber, and a heater disposed in the buffer chamber. Nitride layers are deposited on a substrate in the reaction chambers, and the temperature and gas atmosphere of the buffer chamber are adjusted such that when the substrate is transferred, epitaxial layers formed on the substrate can be stably maintained.
US08703602B2
Conventional metallization processes fail at high density or small feature size patterns. For example, during patterning dry films may collapse or lift-off resulting in short circuits or open circuits in the metallization pattern. An exemplary method for metallization of integrated circuits includes forming features such as trenches, pads, and planes in a dielectric layer and depositing and selectively treating a seed layer in desired features of the dielectric layer. The treated regions of the seed layer may be used as a seed for electroless deposition of conductive material, such as copper, into the features. When the seed layer is a catalytic ink, the seed layer may be treated by curing the catalytic ink with a laser.
US08703597B1
A method for fabricating a device, the method including: providing a first layer including first transistors, where the first transistors include a mono-crystalline semiconductor; overlaying a second semiconductor layer over the first layer; fabricating a plurality of memory cell control lines where the control lines include a portion of the second layer; where the second layer includes second transistors, where the second transistors include a mono-crystalline semiconductor, and where the second transistors are configured to be memory cells.
US08703595B2
The present disclosure provides a method of fabricating a semiconductor device. The method includes forming a plurality of dummy gates over a substrate. The dummy gates extend along a first axis. The method includes forming a masking layer over the dummy gates. The masking layer defines an elongate opening extending along a second axis different from the first axis. The opening exposes first portions of the dummy gates and protects second portions of the dummy gates. A tip portion of the opening has a width greater than a width of a non-tip portion of the opening. The masking layer is formed using an optical proximity correction (OPC) process. The method includes replacing the first portions of the dummy gates with a plurality of first metal gates. The method includes replacing the second portions of the dummy gates with a plurality of second metal gates different from the first metal gates.
US08703592B2
Provided are methods of forming semiconductor devices. A method may include preparing a semiconductor substrate including a first region and a second region adjacent the first region. The method may also include forming sacrificial pattern covering the second region and exposing the first region. The method may further include forming a capping layer including a faceted sidewall on the first region using selective epitaxial growth (SEG). The faceted sidewall may be separate from the sacrificial pattern. The sacrificial pattern may be removed. Impurity ions may be implanted into the semiconductor substrate.
US08703590B2
A process for supplying a mixed material gas that includes a chlorosilane gas and a carrier gas to a surface of a substrate heated at 1200 to 1400° C. from a direction perpendicular to the surface is provided. A supply rate of the chlorosilane gas is equal to or more than 200 μmol per minute per 1 cm2 of the surface of the substrate. The carrier gas includes a hydrogen gas and at least one or more gases selected from argon, xenon, krypton and neon.
US08703586B2
In order to form a high quality film without causing in-plane nonuniformity in film quality, an apparatus for forming deposited film according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a chamber; a first electrode located in the chamber; a second electrode that is located in the chamber with a predetermined spacing from the first electrode and includes a plurality of supply parts configured to supply material gases; an introduction path connected to the supply parts, through which the material gases are introduced; a heater located in the introduction path; and a cooling mechanism configured to cool the second electrode.
US08703578B2
A HKMG device with PMOS eSiGe source/drain regions is provided. Embodiments include forming first and second HKMG gate stacks on a substrate, each including a SiO2 cap, forming extension regions at opposite sides of the first HKMG gate stack, forming a nitride liner and oxide spacers on each side of HKMG gate stack; forming a hardmask over the second HKMG gate stack; forming eSiGe at opposite sides of the first HKMG gate stack, removing the hardmask, forming a conformal liner and nitride spacers on the oxide spacers of each of the first and second HKMG gate stacks, and forming deep source/drain regions at opposite sides of the second HKMG gate stack.
US08703573B2
A method of manufacturing the semiconductor device includes sequentially forming first to third mold layer patterns on a substrate and spaced apart from each other, forming a first semiconductor pattern between the first mold layer pattern and the second mold layer pattern, and a second semiconductor pattern between the second mold layer pattern and the third mold layer pattern, forming a first trench between the first mold layer pattern and the third mold layer pattern by removing a portion of the second mold layer pattern and portions of the first and second semiconductor patterns, depositing a material for a lower electrode conformally along side and bottom surfaces of the first trench, and forming first and second lower electrodes separated from each other on the first and second semiconductor patterns, respectively, by removing a portion of the material for a lower electrode positioned on the second mold layer pattern.
US08703569B2
A MOS transistor has a first stress layer formed over a silicon substrate on a first side of a channel region defined by a gate electrode, and a second stress layer formed over the silicon substrate on a second side of the channel region, the first and second stress layers accumulating a tensile stress or a compressive stress depending on a conductivity type of the MOS transistor. The first stress layer has a first extending part rising upward from the silicon substrate near the channel region along a first sidewall of the gate electrode but separated from the first sidewall of the gate electrode, and the second stress layer has a second extending part rising upward from the silicon substrate near the channel region along a second sidewall of the gate electrode but separated from the second sidewall of the gate electrode.
US08703564B2
A transistor for preventing or reducing short channel effect includes a substrate; a gate stack disposed over the substrate; a first junction region disposed on the substrate at a first side surface of the gate stack, said first junction layer being formed of an epitaxial layer; a trench formed within the substrate at a second side surface of the gate stack; and a second junction region disposed below the trench, said second junction layer being lower than the first junction region.
US08703561B2
Substrates of GaN over silicon suitable for forming electronics devices such as heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs), and methods of making the substrates, are disclosed. Voids in a crystalline Al2O3 film on a top surface of a silicon wafer are formed. The top surface of the silicon wafer is along the <111> silicon crystal orientation. A plurality of laminate layers is deposited over the voids and the Al2O3 film. Each laminate layer includes an AN film and a GaN film. A transistor or other device may be formed in the top GaN film.
US08703560B2
The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a highly reliable semiconductor device with a small amount of leakage current. In a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor, etching is conducted using a resist mask to form a back channel portion in the thin film transistor, the resist mask is removed, a part of the back channel is etched to remove etching residue and the like left over the back channel portion, whereby leakage current caused by the residue and the like can be reduced. The etching step of the back channel portion can be conducted by dry etching using non-bias.
US08703558B2
The invention provides a graphene device structure and a method for manufacturing the same, the device structure comprising a graphene layer; a gate region in contact with the graphene layer; semiconductor doped regions formed in the two opposite sides of the gate region and in contact with the graphene layer, wherein the semiconductor doped regions are isolated from the gate region; a contact formed on the gate region and contacts formed on the semiconductor doped regions. The on-off ratio of the graphene device is increased through the semiconductor doped regions without increasing the band gap of the graphene material, i.e., without affecting the mobility of the material or the speed of the device, thereby increasing the applicability of the graphene material in CMOS devices.
US08703553B2
Methods for capacitor fabrication include doping a capacitor region of a semiconductor layer in a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate; partially etching the semiconductor layer to produce a first terminal layer comprising doped semiconductor fins on a remaining base of doped semiconductor; forming a dielectric layer over the first terminal layer; and forming a second terminal layer over the dielectric layer in a finFET process.
US08703551B2
Disclosed herein is a method of forming a semiconductor device. In one example, the method comprises performing at least one etching process to reduce a thickness of a P-active region of a semiconducting substrate to thereby define a recessed P-active region, performing a process in a process chamber to selectively form an as-deposited layer of a semiconductor material on the recessed P-active region, wherein the step of performing the at least one etching process is performed outside of the process chamber, and performing an etching process in the process chamber to reduce a thickness of the as-deposited layer of semiconductor material.
US08703548B2
Method of forming top electrode for capacitor and interconnection in integrated passive device (IPD)
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes providing a substrate having a first conductive layer disposed on a top surface of the substrate. A high resistivity layer is formed over the substrate and the first conductive layer. A dielectric layer is deposited over the substrate, first conductive layer and high resistivity layer. A portion of the dielectric layer, high resistivity layer, and first conductive layer forms a capacitor stack. A first passivation layer is formed over the dielectric layer. A second conductive layer is formed over the capacitor stack and a portion of the first passivation layer. A first opening is etched in the dielectric layer to expose a surface of the high resistivity layer. A third and fourth conductive layer is deposited over the first opening in the dielectric layer and a portion of the first passivation layer.
US08703546B2
A method of forming a device includes performing a first plating process to form a first metallic feature, and performing an activation treatment to a surface of the first metallic feature in an activation treatment solution, wherein the activation treatment solution includes a treatment agent in de-ionized (DI) water. After the step of performing the activation treatment, performing a second plating process to form a second metallic feature and contacting the surface of the first metallic feature.
US08703537B2
The method of the preferred embodiments includes the steps of providing a base having a frame portion and a center portion; building a preliminary structure coupled to the base; removing a portion of the preliminary structure to define a series of devices and a plurality of bridges; removing the center portion of the base such that the frame portion defines an open region, wherein the plurality of bridges suspend the series of devices in the open region defined by the frame; and encapsulating the series of devices. The method is preferably designed for the manufacture of semiconductor devices, and more specifically for the manufacture of encapsulated implantable electrodes. The method, however, may be alternatively used in any suitable environment and for any suitable reason.
US08703533B2
A semiconductor package includes a substrate having a connection terminal with a groove on its surface. Nanopowder may be disposed on a bottom of the groove. A semiconductor chip may be flip-chip bonded to the substrate by the nanopowder. A filler member may be interposed between the substrate and the semiconductor chip.
US08703527B2
A copper indium gallium selenide photovoltaic cell can include a substrate having a transparent conductive oxide layer. The copper indium gallium selenide can be deposited using sputtering and vapor transport deposition.
US08703522B2
A stratified photodiode for high resolution CMOS image sensors implemented with STI technology is provided. The photodiode includes a semi-conductive layer of a first conductivity type, multiple doping regions of a second conductivity type, multiple doping regions of the first conductivity type, and a pinning layer. The multiple doping regions of the second conductivity type are formed to different depths in the semi-conductive layer. The multiple doping regions of the first conductivity type are disposed between the multiple doping regions of the second conductivity type and form multiple junction capacitances without full depletion. In particular, the stratified doping arrangement allows the photodiode to have a small size, high charge storage capacity, low dark current, and low operation voltages.
US08703517B2
In a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, a substrate including single crystalline silicon is prepared, a reformed layer that continuously extends is formed in the substrate, and the reformed layer is removed by etching. The forming the reformed layer includes polycrystallizing a portion of the single crystalline silicon by irradiating the substrate with a pulsed laser beam while moving a focal point of the laser beam in the substrate.
US08703515B2
Methods for controlling current flow in semiconductor devices, such as LEDs are provided. For some embodiments, a current-guiding structure may be provided including adjacent high and low contact areas. For some embodiments, a second current path (in addition to a current path between an n-contact pad and a substrate) may be provided. For some embodiments, both a current-guiding structure and second current path may be provided.
US08703509B2
A method for manufacturing a substrate for liquid-ejecting heads includes etching a surface of a silicon substrate using a first etchant, with a silicon oxide layer as a mask, to form a depression as a part of a liquid supply port, and subsequently etching at least the silicon oxide layer and the thickness sandwiched between the depression and the etched surface of the silicon substrate with a second etchant to form the liquid supply port.
US08703508B2
Disclosed is a method for wafer-level testing a plurality of diced multi-chip stacked packages. Each package includes a plurality of chips with vertically electrical connections such as TSVs. Next, according to a die-on-wafer array arrangement, the multi-chip stacked packages are fixed on a transparent reconstructed wafer by a photo-sensitive adhesive, and the packages are located within the component-bonding area of the wafer. Then, the transparent reconstructed wafer carrying the multi-chip stacked packages can be loaded into a wafer tester for probing. Accordingly, the wafer testing probers in the wafer tester can be utilized to probe the testing electrodes of the stacked packages so that it is easy to integrate this wafer-level testing method especially into TSV packaging processes.
US08703506B2
A solar cell module manufacturing device is disclosed. The device includes a wire supply portion, a correction portion, and a cutting portion. The supply portion includes a bobbin and wiring material on the bobbin. The correction portion corrects curvature of the wiring material. The correction portion comprises a first pulley that comes in contact with the wiring material which is drawn from the bobbin. The first pulley comprises at a periphery thereof a first groove. The first groove comprises a first basal surface and a pair of first inclined surfaces which are arranged on both sides of the first basal surface. An inclination angle θ1 of the first inclined surface relative to the first basal surface being less than or equal to an inclination angle θ2 of the wiring material which is drawn from the supply portion relative to the first basal surface.
US08703503B2
Provided are peptides or mimetics that block corepressor binding to a BCL6 lateral groove. Also provided are methods or blocking corepressor binding to the BCL6 lateral groove. Additionally, methods of inhibiting BCL6 repression in a mammalian cell, and methods of treating a mammal with cancer are provided.
US08703492B2
An automated sample processing system having a sample input adapted to simultaneously receive a number of sample containers, a reagent input adapted to receive one or more new reagent supplies, a consumable input adapted to receive one or more new consumable supplies, a solid waste output adapted to receive used consumable supplies, a liquid waste output adapted to receive one or more used reagent supplies, and a processing center. The processing center includes a decapper adapted to remove a lid from at least one sample container, an aspirator adapted to remove a specimen from the at least one sample container and transfer the specimen to an output vessel, and a capper adapted to replace the lid on the at least one sample container. The system also includes a sample output adapted to receive the output vessel, and a user interface adapted to receive an input from the user to indicate the identity of the at least one sample container, and control at least one operation based on a physical property of the at least one sample container.
US08703488B2
The invention relates to a method for culturing human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and/or induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells on a lectin. The invention relates also to the use of a lectin in a method for culturing human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and/or induced pluripotent stem (iPS) celts and a culture medium composition containing a lectin attached on the culturing plates.
US08703485B2
The invention relates to transgenic animals lacking endogenous Ig and capable of producing transgenic antibodies, as well as methods of making the same. The invention further relates to methods for producing transgenic antibodies in such animals, and transgenic antibodies so produced.
US08703482B2
The present invention relates to a human artificial chromosome (HAC) vector and a method for producing the same. The present invention further relates to a method for introducing foreign DNA using a human artificial chromosome vector and a method for producing a cell which expresses foreign DNA. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for producing a protein.
US08703475B2
The chemical oxygen demand of unprocessed, spent metal working fluids, can be reduced to levels of 2000 mg l−1 by using a consortium of micro-organisms capable of growth in untreated semi-synthetic metal working fluids, wherein the consortium has at least four members which are selected from at least one each of Agrobacterium spp., Comamonas spp., Methylobacterium spp., and Microbacterium spp.
US08703474B2
Disclosed are a novel flavor compound-producing yeast strain and methods of using the strain to produce flavor compounds.
US08703462B2
An enzyme preparation is described that includes a non-specific nuclease and a T7 Endo I mutant in a unit ratio of less than 1:200. This enzyme preparation may be used to generate double-stranded DNA fragments of a size suitable for DNA sequencing. The ends of the fragments can be readily modified as necessary to ligate adaptors or individual nucleotides to one strand of the double-stranded DNA fragments.
US08703458B2
A polymer matrix that may coated on an electrode is created by co-crosslinking (1) an adduct of a polyaniline formed by templated oxidative polymerization on a polymer acid; (2) a water-soluble crosslinker; and (3) a redox enzyme. The polymer matrix may be hydrated, and the absorbed water may make it permeable to, for example, glucose. The polyaniline may be polyaniline itself or a substituted polyaniline; the water-soluble crosslinker may be poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether, and the redox enzyme may be glucose oxidase. The polymer matrix may be produced by co-crosslinking (1) an adduct of an electrically conductive polymer and a polymer acid; (2) a water-soluble crosslinker; and (3) a redox enzyme in a single step at an about neutral pH, curing by drying. After hydration, the crosslinked polymer matrix may form a 3-dimensional glucose-permeable bioelectrocatalyst, catalyzing the electrooxidation of glucose.
US08703452B2
The present disclosure relates to hydrolysis of hexose-δ-lactones by use of an S. thermophile extracellular aldonolactonase. In particular the present disclosure relates to compositions including a S. thermophile extracellular aldonolactonase and methods of use thereof.
US08703450B2
The present invention relates to a process for the production of polymers, such as water-absorbing polymer structures, by radical polymerization of acrylic acid, whereby the acrylic acid has been obtained by a synthesis process which comprises as a process step the splitting of an organic material by means of an enzyme or at least one component of an enzyme. The invention also relates to the water-absorbing polymers obtainable by this process, water-absorbing polymers which are based to at least about 25 wt % upon partially neutralized acrylic acid, a composite, a process for the production of a composite, the composite obtainable by this production, the use of acrylic acid in the production of polymers, preferably in the production of water-absorbing polymer structures, a device for the production of acrylic acid, and a process for the production of acrylic acid.
US08703449B2
Genetically engineered organisms for production of PHA copolymers containing 2-hydroxyacid monomers and the methods of making and using thereof have been developed. The copolymers containing 2-hydroxyacid monomers can be synthesized via biosynthesis by the action of a PHA polymerase in a living cell. By changing the genetic background of the cells, one can control specific metabolic pathways allowing control of the level of glycolic acid co-monomer in the PHA polymer.
US08703441B2
The present invention provides and includes monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs or mAbs) specific or preferentially selective for PCBP-1 antigens, hybridoma lines that secrete these PCBP-1 antibodies or antibody fragments, and the use of such antibodies and antibody fragments to detect PCBP-1 antigens, particularly those expressed by cancer cells. The present invention also includes antibodies that are specific for or show preferential binding to a soluble form of PCBP-1. The present invention further includes chimeric and humanized antibodies, processes for producing monoclonal, chimeric, and humanized antibodies using recombinant DNA technology, and their therapeutic uses, particularly in the treatment or diagnosis of cancer progression. The present invention further includes methods and kits for the immunodetection and immunotherapy of cells for samples which express PCBP-1 antigens.
US08703437B2
The present invention provides fluorogenic substrates and methods of use in detecting and analyzing phospholipase C isozyme (PLC) activity.
US08703436B2
The invention provides compositions and methods for the detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis and for the treatment and prevention of diseases and infections caused by P. gingivalis.
US08703432B2
The present invention relates to proteins and/or fragments and derivatives thereof and their use as vaccines and in biotechnological methods. The vaccines particularly include immunogenic proteins in Treponema spp. isolated from digital dermatitis in cattle. The present invention further relates to antibodies raised against said proteins or fragments thereof, and the use of said proteins in diagnostic methods in which antibodies are detected as a sign of digital dermatitis in cattle.
US08703416B2
The present disclosure describes the isolation, identification and purification of aptamers having sufficiently high affinity and specificity to capture and immobilize intact sperm cells in the presence of female epithelial cells and other non-sperm semen components. The present disclosure also describes affinity-based methods for the detection of sperm cells in samples, including from forensic sample surrogates consisting of swab eluates containing a mixture of HeLa cells and sperm cells. The present disclosure describes methods for eluting sperm cell samples from swabs; methods for purifying sperm cells and methods for amplification and analysis of male DNA. The affinity-based system described herein is inexpensive, simple to use and easily implemented in forensic laboratories.
US08703414B2
The method according to the invention concerns in particular a method for the quantification of methylated DNA. For this purpose, the DNA to be examined is first transformed such that unmethylated cytosine is converted to uracil while 5-methylcytosine remains unchanged. Subsequently, the transformed DNA is amplified in the presence of a pair of real-time probes. For this, a probe is constructed, which is specific for the methylated or for the unmethylated state of the DNA, and a probe, which binds methylation-unspecifically to the amplificate. The ratio of the signal intensities of the probes or the CT values allows for the calculation of the degree of methylation of the examined DNA. The method according to the invention is suited particularly for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer and other diseases associated with a change in the methylation status, as well as, prediction of adverse for side-effects of pharmaceuticals.
US08703404B2
A negative pattern is formed by coating a resist composition onto a substrate, exposure, bake, and development in alkaline water. The resist composition comprises a polymer comprising acid labile group-containing recurring units, adapted to turn soluble in alkaline developer under the action of acid, an acid generator and/or an acid, a photobase generator capable of generating an amino-containing compound, a quencher for neutralizing acid for inactivation, and an organic solvent.
US08703400B2
In the coating treatment apparatus, in a first treatment chamber, the front and rear surfaces of the substrate held by a transfer arm are inverted by a turning mechanism, and a coating solution is applied from a coating nozzle to the rear surface of the substrate. The substrate is transferred into a second treatment chamber, in which the coating solution on the rear surface is heated by a heating unit to cure, thereby forming a coating film on the rear surface of the substrate. The formation of the coating film by the coating treatment apparatus is performed before exposure processing, whereby the rear surface of the substrate can be flat for the exposure processing.
US08703393B1
A method for fabricating a circuit, by defining a first set of resist features on a substrate and corresponding to a first mask layout, followed by defining a second set of resist features on the substrate corresponding to a second mask layout, wherein the second set adds to the first set for rectifying an error in either mask layout. In another aspect, the method is by defining a first set of resist features on a substrate and corresponding to a first mask layout that has an error, etching the substrate while the first set protects selected regions, defining a second set of resist features on the substrate and corresponding to a second mask layout, followed by etching the substrate to selectively remove portions of the selected regions for rectifying the error.
US08703392B2
The present disclosure involves a method of fabricating a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a substrate having a material layer formed thereon; depositing a photoresist layer on the material layer, the photoresist layer having a vertical dimension; exposing a region of the photoresist layer to radiation, the exposed region having a horizontal dimension, wherein a first ratio of the vertical dimension to the horizontal dimension exceeds a predetermined ratio; and developing the photoresist layer to remove the exposed region at least in part through applying a developer solution containing a first chemical and a second chemical, wherein: the first chemical is configured to dissolve the exposed region of the photoresist layer through a chemical reaction; the second chemical is configured to enhance flow of the first chemical that comes into contact with the photoresist layer; and an optimized second ratio exists between the first chemical and the second chemical.
US08703378B2
A method of manufacturing toner including mixing mother toner particles containing a binder resin and a coloring agent and first particles having an average primary particle diameter of from 100 nm to 1 μm to using a mixer including a rotary shaft member, multiple stirring members provided to the surface of the shaft member, and a casing to cover the multiple stirring members, wherein the cross section of the inner periphery of the casing relative to a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the shaft member is circular around the rotation axis with a substantially constant distance between the inner periphery and the rotation axis. The casing covers the multiple stirring members and a cooling jacket is provided to at least part of the outer periphery of the casing. The weight ratio of the particles to the mother toner particles is from 1.5% to 10%.
US08703373B2
An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a conductive substrate; and a photosensitive layer on the conductive substrate, wherein a layer having an outermost surface of the photoreceptor contains a polymer that is formed by polymerizing a crosslinkable charge transport material having an aromatic group and a —CH2OH group, and the layer having the outermost surface satisfies the following Formula (1): (Peak 2)/(Peak 1)≦0.05 (1) wherein Peak 1 represents a peak area of an absorption peak (from about 1550 cm−1 to about 1650 cm−1) of stretching vibration of an aromatic group, which is obtained when an infrared absorption spectrum of the layer having the outermost surface is measured, and Peak 2 represents a peak area of an absorption peak (from about 1670 cm−1 to about 1710 cm−1) of an aromatic aldehyde, which is obtained when the infrared absorption spectrum of the layer having the outermost surface is measured.
US08703371B2
A charge generating layer of an electrophotographic photosensitive member contains a charge generating substance, polyvinyl acetal, and a fluorenone derivative.
US08703366B2
Provided is a photopolymerizable composition that is highly sensitive to light having wavelengths of 365 nm and 405 nm, and is capable of forming a curable film that can suppress deterioration in physical properties of the film due to heat-aging. The photopolymerizable composition include: (A) an oxime polymerization initiator which includes a condensed ring formed by containing two or more rings selected from an aromatic ring and a heterocyclic ring, and a cyclic structure which is connected to the condensed ring, the cyclic structure containing a carbonyl group and having an oxime group directly connected to the carbonyl group; and (B) a polymerizable compound.
US08703360B2
In an electrode-membrane-frame assembly production method, a principal part is formed by an electrolyte membrane, first and second catalyst layers and first and second gas diffusion layers, with the first and second gas diffusion layers arranged with their outer circumferences at different positions. The principal part is arranged in a molding die with a circumferential region of the principal part disposed on a flat region of a primary molded body. A circumferential portion of one of the gas diffusion layers is arranged to oppose a flat region of the primary molded body so that the membrane is interposed between the circumferential portion and the flat region. Subsequently, a secondary molded body is formed to integrate with the primary molded body and the principal part.
US08703357B2
A fuel cell stack is disclosed. In one embodiment, the fuel cell stack includes a main body that is constructed with an assembly of a plurality of generators, and at least one heat pipe that is disposed in the main body to provide heat to the generators corresponding to heat-generating temperature differences according to positions of the generators.
US08703356B2
In a separator member to be joined to an adjacent member adjacent thereto with an adhesive in a cell stacking direction, guide paths are provided to guide, in a specific direction, the adhesive applied to a joint surface of the separator member to be joined to the adjacent member. Thus, excessive adhesive is guided to the guide path, and associated disadvantages during joining can be eliminated.
US08703354B2
Disclosed is a membrane electrode assembly with enhanced hydrophobicity and a method for manufacturing the same. In particular, a nano pattern with a high aspect ratio is formed in a catalyst support on the surface of a catalyst layer constituting the membrane electrode assembly using plasma etching. A hydrophobic thin film is then formed on the nano pattern formed in the catalyst support.
US08703351B2
A fuel cell component includes a first fluid distribution layer, a second fluid distribution layer, a cap layer, a third fluid distribution layer, and a pair of fluid diffusion medium layers. The individual layers are polymeric, mechanically integrated, and formed from a radiation-sensitive material. The first fluid distribution layer, the second fluid distribution layer, the cap layer, the third fluid distribution layer, and the pair of fluid diffusion medium layers are coated with an electrically conductive material. A pair of the fuel cell components may be arranged in a stack with a membrane electrode assembly therebetween to form a fuel cell.
US08703346B2
An electrolyte sheet for solid oxide fuel batteries with mechanical strength characteristics is proposed. These characteristics may include a high and stable average value of strength, Weibull coefficient, and a high adhesion to an electrode formed on a surface thereof and hence inhibits the electrode from interfacial separation from the electrolyte sheet. The electrolyte sheet for solid oxide fuel batteries is characterized by having a plurality of concaves and/or convexes on at least one surface thereof, the concaves and convexes having base faces which are circular or elliptic or are a rounded polygon in which the vertexes have a curved shape with a curvature radius of 0.1 μm or larger and/or the concaves and convexes having a three-dimensional shape which is semispherical or semiellipsoidal or is a polyhedron in which the vertexes and the edges have a curved cross-sectional shape having a curvature radius of 0.1 μm or larger.
US08703342B2
An electrode assembly, a rechargeable battery including the same, and a method of manufacturing an electrode thereof, the electrode assembly including a first electrode, the first electrode including a mesh-type first electrode current collector having a plurality of pores, and a first electrode active material layer adhered to the first electrode current collector, wherein an edge active material layer protrudes from a side of the first current collector; a second electrode including a second electrode current collector, and a second electrode active material layer adhered to the second electrode current collector; and a separator interposed between the first and second electrodes.
US08703340B2
Provided is a lithium secondary battery with enhanced energy density including a cathode using a cathode active material containing lithium mixed transition metal oxide absorbing and discharging lithium ions, wherein a final discharge voltage is in the range of about 1.5 V to about 2.75 V. A final discharge voltage can be reduced to 1.5 V to 2.75 V from 3.0 V by using various lithium mixed transition metal oxides as a cathode active material, or by using the various lithium mixed transition metal oxides with the LCO-based cathode material mixed. Compared to typical LCO-based cathode materials of which capacity and energy density do not change even if a final discharge voltage is decreased, a cathode material of the present invention results in further improving capacity by 10-20% as the final discharge voltage is decreased.
US08703329B2
A redox shuttle is provided to prevent overcharge of batteries and/or shuttle current in batteries including high voltage batteries, such as high voltage lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries. An exemplary redox shuttle includes a methylated closo-monocarborate anion.
US08703321B2
A secondary battery pack includes at least two secondary batteries, each secondary battery having a first long side surface, a second opposing long side surface opposite to the first long side surface, and a peripheral wall extending between and connecting the first and second long side surfaces, a spacer interposed between the at least two secondary batteries, the spacer including at least two elastomeric members, a centrally positioned thermal conductor between the at least two elastomeric members, and a support plate under the at least two elastomeric members and contacting the thermal conductor.
US08703316B2
A battery module is provided with a battery cell and a case. The case houses the battery cell. The case includes a first main face, a second main face, a first battery module coupling structure and a first elastically deforming structure. The first battery module coupling structure is arranged and configured to retain a first additional battery module over the first main face. The first elastically deforming structure is arranged and configured with respect to the first main face to elastically deform inward towards the second main face upon stacking the first additional battery module onto the first main face while the first additional battery module is retained to the first main face of the case by the first battery module coupling structure.
US08703314B2
A prismatic battery includes an electrode assembly including: a positive electrode including a belt-shaped positive electrode core member and a positive electrode active material layer formed on both surfaces thereof; a negative electrode including a belt-shaped negative electrode core member and a negative electrode active material layer formed on both surfaces thereof; and a belt-shaped separator. The electrode assembly is formed by winding the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator in the longitudinal directions thereof. The negative electrode has, in an end portion thereof from which winding is started, a one-sided active material layer portion in which the negative electrode active material layer is provided only on one surface of the negative core member. The one-sided active material layer portion terminates at a predetermined position between positions at which the negative electrode is folded for the second time and for the third time.
US08703311B2
[Task] It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle battery cooling device even if a situation that cannot be compensated by ordinary cooling means occurs, the efficient cooling is performed and a battery temperature can be stabilized.[Means for Solving] A cooling system of a heat exchanger 18 and a cooling system of a sub radiator 12 are provided to perform the cooling of high-power battery 6. A battery controller 31 which processes the information such as a temperature sensor 33 and so forth switches the device to perform the cooling of high-power battery 6 from the cooling system of heat exchanger 18 to the cooling system of sub radiator 12.
US08703302B2
Disclosed is an organic electroluminescent device (organic EL device) that is improved in the luminous efficiency, fully secured of the driving stability, and of a simple structure and disclosed also is a compound useful therefor. The organic EL device comprises a light-emitting layer disposed between an anode and a cathode piled one upon another on a substrate and the said light-emitting layer comprises a phosphorescent dopant and an indolocarbazole derivative as a host material. The indolocarbazole derivative is represented by the following formula (3) wherein Ar is an aromatic group and L is a direct bond or an aromatic group.
US08703299B2
A plywood flooring including a plywood as a substrate, where the plywood is heat-compressive treated in a density of 0.6 to 1.0 g/cm3 and is impregnated with a synthetic resin having a viscosity of 100 to 20,000 cp, which has both of the advantages of reinforced floorboards and the advantages of plywood floorboards.
US08703296B2
A functioning optical lens includes a molded polyamide layer, and an optical sheet including a polyamide sheet layer and an optical film layer. Such a functioning optical lens may be prepared by bending an optical sheet including an optical film layer and a polyamide sheet layer, and injection molding a polyamide composition onto the bent polyamide sheet layer so as to thermally fuse the polyamide composition and the polyamide sheet layer with each other.
US08703295B2
A glass material for mold pressing, comprised of a core portion and a covering portion. In one embodiment, the core portion comprises a multicomponent optical glass containing at least one readily reducible component selected from among W, Ti, Bi, and Nb and the covering portion comprises a multicomponent glass containing none or a lower quantity of the readily reducible component than is contained in the core portion. In another embodiment, the core portion comprises a fluorine-containing multicomponent optical glass, and the covering portion comprises a multicomponent glass containing none or a lower quantity of fluorine than is contained in the core portion. A method for manufacturing an optical glass element employing the above glass material that comprises heat softening a glass material that has been preformed into a prescribed shape, and conducting press molding with a pressing mold.
US08703294B2
The present invention provides a functionally graded bioactive glass/ceramic composite structure or bioactive glass/ceramic/bioactive glass sandwich structure for use in such applications as damage resistant, ceramic dental implants, immediate tooth replacement, endodontic posts, orthopedic prostheses, orthopedic stems, bone substitutes, bone screws, plates, and anchors, nonunion defects repair, alveolar ridge augmentation, missing small bone parts (e.g. fingers, toes, etc), maxilla facial reconstruction, spinal fusion, and scaffolds for bone regeneration, comprising a residual bioactive glass or glass-ceramic layer at all accessible surfaces, followed by an underlying graded glass-ceramic layer, and then an dense interior ceramic. Further, the invention provides methods for making the same structure.
US08703286B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide various polymeric matrices that may be used as a binder matrix for polymer solder hybrid thermal interface materials. In alternative embodiments the binder matrix material may be phophozene, perfluoro ether, polyether, or urethane. For one embodiment, the binder matrix is selected to provide improved adhesion to a variety of interfaces. For an alternative embodiment the binder matrix is selected to provide low contact resistance. In alternative embodiments, polymeric materials containing fusible and non-fusible particles may be used in application where heat removal is desired and is not restricted to thermal interface materials for microelectronic devices.
US08703280B2
Provided is a high-shielding reflective film, and its manufacturing method. This film is fabricated from an optical reflective film and a polarizer. The optical reflective film and the polarizer are combined by a means of a specific scheme. The optical reflective film is formed by stacking multiple layers of dielectric optical interference films with different materials. The optical reflective film particularly applies a principle of optical interference to reflect the most of the incident light, and allow some transmission. The polarizer is to absorb half of the incident light, and allow the other half to pass through. Since the characteristics of reflection between the reflective film and the polarizer are different, the reflectance difference therefor may increase. By which, the high-shielding reflective film achieves a one-way mirror with anti-peep effect since it substantially increases the reflectance difference among the incident lights from the various directions.
US08703278B2
A light weight printed wiring board that is particularly well suited for high-G and/or other weight sensitive applications is provided. In one illustrative embodiment, a light weight PWB is provided that includes a substrate having one or more layers extending generally parallel to a plane. To help reduce the weight of the PWB, the substrate may have or define one or more lighter weight regions. In some cases, the one or more lighter weight regions may consume greater than 25%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 75% or more of the overall volume of the substrate, and thus the weight of the substrate may be reduced by greater than 25%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 75% or more.
US08703275B2
A decorative floor tile including at least one decorative layer and a backing layer having an array of resilient annular projections. Each annular projection includes a concave top surface, an outside wall surface, and an inside wall surface. The inside wall surface defines a central, blind passageway area. When the decorative floor tile is installed over an underlying surface, and pressure is applied to the decorative floor tile, a vacuum is created within the blind passageway and the underlying surface. The vacuum increases the amount of frictional drag between the surface covering and the underlying surface, and thus allows the surface covering to remain in place without the need for an adhesive.
US08703274B2
A microcavity structure is provided. The structure comprises a cavity layout that enables centering of reflowed solder at each of one or more interconnect locations and protrusion of the reflowed solder sufficiently from the cavity to facilitate wetting. Techniques are also provided for producing a microcavity structure, for using injection molded solder (IMS) for micro bumping, as well as for using injection molded solder (IMS) for three-dimensional (3D) packaging.
US08703270B2
A napkin having a basic quadratic shape. Two or three slits are provided that are disposed parallel to one another. The slits are spaced from at least one outer edge of the napkin, and each slit has a length configured to receive at least a portion of a piece of cutlery or an eating utensil therethrough.
US08703264B2
Provided is an optical disc in which at least a light reflecting layer and a light transmitting layer that includes a cured film of an ultraviolet curable composition are stacked on a substrate, and information is reproduced by making a blue laser beam be incident on the optical disc from a side of the light transmitting layer, wherein an elastic modulus (25° C.) measured by indenting a Vickers indenter having a vertex angle of 136° under a load of 100 mN into a surface of the cured film of the ultraviolet curable composition is 1,500 MPa or less; and a loss modulus (E″) at 60° C. in a dynamic viscoelastic spectrum of the cured film measured at a frequency of 3.5 Hz is 10 MPa or less. Thus, warpage is reduced during curing and plastic deformation is less likely even under a load for a long period of time.
US08703262B2
A polyolefin composition for pipes comprising (percent by weight): A) from 1% to 9.5%; of a copolymer of propylene and hexene-1 wherein said copolymer comprises from 0.1 to 5% of recurring units derived from hexene-1; B) from 80.5% to 99% of a heterophasic polypropylene composition comprising: B1) from 50% to 85% of a propylene homopolymer, said propylene polymer being insoluble in xylene at ambient temperature in an amount over 85% having a polydispersity Index ranging from 3 to 10; and a Melt Index from 0.5 to 10 dg/min; B2) from 5% to 50% of a copolymer of ethylene and propylene having an ethylene derived units content ranging from 30% to 70%; said polymeric composition having a Melt Index from 0.05 to 10 dg/min.
US08703259B2
In one embodiment, a multi-layer insulation (MLI) composite material includes a first thermally-reflective layer and a second thermally-reflective layer spaced from the first thermally-reflective layer. At least one of the first or second thermally-reflective layers includes bandgap material that is reflective to infrared electromagnetic radiation. A region between the first and second thermally-reflective layers impedes heat conduction between the first and second thermally-reflective layers. Other embodiments include a storage container including a container structure that may be at least partially formed from such MLI composite materials, and methods of using such MLI composite materials.
US08703257B2
A water storage structure includes a water-repellent layer having a water-repellent surface and a water storage section above the water-repellent layer. The water-repellent layer is composed of a collection of small objects having water repellency in surfaces thereof, and the small objects contact each other at multiple points to form a configuration that prevents water from passing through the water-repellent layer.
US08703249B2
A clamping ring configured to be coupled to a chamber structure of a plasma processing chamber is disclosed. The clamping ring has a plurality of holes for accommodating a plurality of fasteners. The clamping ring includes a plurality of flanges disposed around an outer periphery of the clamping ring, adjacent flanges of the plurality of flanges being disposed such that a hole of the plurality of holes that is disposed in between the adjacent flanges is about equidistant from the adjacent flanges. The plurality of flanges are configured to mate with the chamber structure. The clamping ring and the flanges are dimensioned such that when the plurality of flanges mate with the chamber structure, recesses between adjacent ones of the plurality of flanges form gaps between the clamping ring and the chamber structure.
US08703243B2
A method is disclosed for enhancing the corrosion resistance of a surface of a copper or copper alloy substrate. The method comprises depositing a metallic surface layer comprising a precious metal on a surface of the copper or copper alloy substrate by immersion displacement plating and exposing the electronic device to an aqueous composition comprising a first organic molecule comprising at least one functional group that interacts with and protects precious metal surfaces and a second organic molecule comprising at least one functional group that interacts with and protects copper surfaces.
US08703242B2
The invention relates to a method for hot-dip coating hot-rolled steel strip, during which the steel strip passes through a pickling station, a rinsing station, a drying station, a heating furnace and then through a molten bath. The final thickness and the thickness tolerance of the hot-dip coated steel strip are achieved by a controlled thickness reduction in a roll stand in the process line. The achievement of the finished thickness is controlled by at least one thickness measuring unit at the outlet of the roll stand, and deviations upward or downward therefrom are fed back in the form of an actuating signal for actuating the roll stand in order to appropriately increase or decrease the thickness reduction. The invention also relates to an installation for producing a steel strip of the aforementioned type.
US08703241B2
This innovation is relevant to a surface preparation of pre-fabricated steel parts, able to guarantee an excellent contact between the surface to be coated, and the molten bath, based on a Zinc-alloy containing Aluminum between 0.01 and 0.1 wt %. In a greater detail this invention is related to a procedure for hot-dip coat steel parts with a Zn—Al-alloy, according to which the parts are properly pickled and then immersed into an aqueous flux solution containing ZnCl2, NH4Cl, Bi2O3, and KCl, at a pH between 0.1 and 1.5 and a temperature in the range 4 and 50° C., for an immersion time between 10 s and 10 minutes. Using the flux solution according to the present innovation, it is possible to coat discontinuously with a Zn—Al-alloy, parts fabricated either with plain Carbon steels either high-strength steels. Furthermore, steels known commercially as Sandelin or Iper-sandelin, may be also coated without surface defects and with a glossy appearance.
US08703237B2
Provided are methods of forming a material layer by chemically adsorbing metal atoms to a substrate having anions formed on the surface thereof, and a method of fabricating a memory device by using the material layer forming method. Accordingly, a via hole with a small diameter can be filled with a material layer without forming voids or seams. Thus, a reliable memory device can be obtained.
US08703233B2
In various embodiments, a joined sputtering target is formed by filling at least a portion of a gap between two discrete sputtering-target tiles with a gap-fill material, spray-depositing a spray material to form a partial joint, removing at least a portion of the gap-fill material, and, thereafter, spray-depositing the spray material to join the tiles.
US08703223B2
The present invention pertains to the use of certain flavor enhancing compounds obtainable from an Allium species. In one embodiment, seeds from chives, leeks, ramson and other onions are used for conveying strong kokumi flavor enhancing effects on food products without imparting an onion or garlic-like off taste. These flavor enhancing compounds are also useful for the preparation of Amadori products, which are also used as kokumi flavor enhancing compounds.
US08703212B2
This is the process for preparation of a novel base material for manufacturing cream, comprising of cooling and soothing agent on the skin Ghee 12%, Coconut oil (Cocos nucifera) 12%, Water 65%, and mixture of Cetyl alcohol, Laxemul (Glyceryl stearate+PEG 100 stearate) and vegetable Glycerol in ratio of 4:5:1 respectively totaling 10%. Freeze dried water extracts of herbs, Cassia tora 0.005%, Centratherum anthelminticum 0.005% and Melia azadirachta 0.005%, Neem kernel oil 0.48%, Rose oil 0.02%. To investigate the effect of herbal compositions suspended in a cream based on novel vehicle Ghee (clarified butter) and develop natural cream useful for treatment of any sort of itchy and or infected skin, impetigo, children eczema, psoriasis, acne, and athlete's foot. The base of the cream is useful to those individuals who react to conventional creams containing chemicals. Theme chemicals are proven skin sensitizers such as Chlorocresol, cetosteryl alcohol, Parabens etc.
US08703210B1
A human consumable chemical compound of calcium carbonate which is coated with an impervious coating that will not allow the compound to dissolve from stomach acid but does allow it to dissolve in the aqueous environment of the intestine. The chemical compound is time released, and is positionally sensitive to reach the intestines of the human body where it is absorbed into the blood. Carbonic acid in the blood reacts upon the gradual dissolution of the compound and this reaction converts the calcium carbonate to calcium bicarbonate. Calcium bicarbonate in the blood neutralizes the body's harmful acidic wastes and is a substitute for drinking about fifty ounces of alkaline drinking water daily.
US08703202B2
Disclosed is a pharmaceutically acceptable oral dosage form comprising fenofibrate, phospholipid, a buffer salt, a water-soluble bulking agent selected from maltodextrin, mannitol, and combinations thereof, a cellulosic additive, beads or crystals of a pharmaceutically acceptable water-soluble excipient support material, a polyvinylpyrrolidone or crospovidone, croscarmellose sodium, granular mannitol, sodium dodecyl sulfate, silicon dioxide, and a stearate, wherein the fenofibrate is in the form of microparticles, and wherein at least a portion of the phospholipid is coated on the surfaces of the fenofibrate microparticles, the phospholipid coated microparticles are embedded in a matrix comprising the water-soluble bulking agent, phospholipid that is not coated on the microparticles, the buffer salt and the cellulosic additive, and the matrix is coated on up to 100% of the surfaces of the beads or crystals of the excipient support material.
US08703199B2
Pharmaceutical compositions comprise a low-solubility drug adsorbed onto a high surface area substrate to form an adsorbate. The compositions in some embodiments include a concentration-enhancing polymer.
US08703196B2
A pharmaceutical composition comprises a dispersion comprising a low-solubility drug and a matrix combined with a concentration-enhancing polymer. At least a major portion of the drug is amorphous in the dispersion. The compositions improve the stability of the drug in the dispersion, and/or the concentration of drug in a use environment.
US08703186B2
An opioid-antagonist oral dosage form which does not release a therapeutically effective amount of the opioid antagonist when the oral dosage form is orally administered to a human being, but whereby a physical alteration of the oral dosage form results in a release of the therapeutically effective amount of the opioid antagonist. An embodiment of the oral dosage form includes an opioid-antagonist layer coated onto a biologically inert pellet, and a non-releasing membrane coated onto the opioid-antagonist layer. Optionally, the oral dosage form can also include an opioid agonist, such that a method of preventing the abuse of an oral dosage form of an opioid agonist is provided by forming the oral dosage form including an opioid agonist and an opioid antagonist.
US08703183B2
The present invention relates to metformin glycinate salt and pharmaceutical compositions thereof for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The method includes administration of the metformin glycinate salt by various routes selected from oral, intravenous injectable, intramuscular injectable, nasal, intraperitoneal, or sublingual, in order to achieve a reduction in blood glucose levels. The invention further relates to the synthesis of a new 1,1-dimethylbiguanide glycinate salt, called Metformin Glycinate. The resulting salt exhibits advantages over other metformin salts. These advantages are due, in the first place, to the fact that the glycine counterion exhibits hypoglycemic effects by itself. Moreover, the salt exhibits more rapid absorption, reaching higher plasma concentrations than those produced with metformin hydrochloride.
US08703179B2
A mucosal formulation for administration to mucosal membranes, such as in the mouth, nasal passage, stomach, vagina, etc., is disclosed. The mucosal formulation contains a lipid-pharmaceutical agent complex formed from phospholipids possessing a hydrophobic moiety that orients into a hydrophobic phase and a polar head moiety that orients towards the aqueous phase (i.e., “amphipathic” lipids). When placed in an aqueous medium (e.g., vaginal fluid), the phospholipids form liposomes or other small lipid vesicles (e.g., micelles) that may then be used to deliver pharmaceutical agents into a living organism.
US08703176B2
This invention relates to deployable hemostatic materials comprising chitosan fibers. The hemostatic materials are suitable for use in sealing or controlling active bleeding from artery and vein lacerations and punctures, and for controlling oozing from tissue.
US08703172B2
The present invention relates to a method for improving the composition of the intestinal flora, to a food comprising a sphingolipid for use in such a method, to methods for the preparation of such a food and to the use of sphingolipids for the preparation of a medicine for improving the composition of the intestinal flora. More in particular, the present invention relates to a method and food in which a sphingolipid chosen from the group consisting of phytosphingosine, sphingosine, lysosphingomyelin and sphinganine, or a precursor, a derivative, or suitable salt thereof is used.
US08703170B2
The present invention provides a hemostatic porous composite sponge comprising i) a matrix of a biomaterial and ii) one hydrophilic polymeric component comprising reactive groups wherein i) and ii) are associated with each other so that the reactivity of the polymeric component is retained, wherein associated means that said polymeric component is coated onto a surface of said matrix of a biomaterial, or said matrix is impregnated with said polymeric material, or both.
US08703167B2
Provided herein is a coating that includes cRGD for endothelial cells and methods of making and using the same.
US08703155B2
The present invention provides a stabilization method, a preservation method and the like method of reduced coenzyme Q10, which is useful as functional nutritive foods, specific health foods and the like. Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for efficiently obtaining reduced coenzyme Q10 of high quality and by a method suitable for a commercial production. It is possible to handle and stably preserve reduced coenzyme Q10 under a condition that oxidation by a molecular oxygen is inhibited by contacting reduced coenzyme Q10 with an ascorbic acid and citric acid or a related compound thereof, and thus a stabilized composition is obtained. Moreover, reduced coenzyme Q10 is converted into a crystalline state in such a condition that the formation of oxidized coenzyme Q10 as a byproduct is minimized by crystallizing reduced coenzyme Q10 in the presence of ascorbic acid or a related compound thereof, etc., and thus a reduced coenzyme Q10 crystal of high quality is produced. Furthermore, by successively crystallizing the generated reduced coenzyme Q10, in the presence of ascorbic acid or related compound thereof after reducing oxidized coenzyme Q10 to reduced coenzyme Q10 using ascorbic acid or a related compound thereof, operations are simplified and minimized, and thus reduced coenzyme Q10 of high quality is produced.
US08703152B2
Methods and products are disclosed for treating an inflammatory intestinal disease in a mammalian subject in need thereof, or preventing or reducing a symptom of inflammatory intestinal disease. These method include administering to the subject a therapeutically effective dose of (i) an isolated AvrA protein or polypeptide fragment thereof or (ii) a nucleic acid molecule encoding the isolated AvrA protein or polypeptide fragment. Preferred inflammatory intestinal diseases include Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Celiac Disease, and gastroenteritis.
US08703150B2
The invention relates to improved methods of producing and recovering B. anthracis protective antigen (PA), especially modified PA which is protease resistant, and to methods of using of these PAs or nucleic acids encoding these PAs for eliciting an immunogenic response in humans, including responses which provide protection against, or reduce the severity of, B. anthracis bacterial infections and which are useful to prevent and/or treat illnesses caused by B. anthracis, such as inhalation anthrax, cutaneous anthrax and gastrointestinal anthrax.
US08703149B2
The invention relates to the discovery that the Claudin-1 protein functions as a co-receptor for entry of HCV into cells. Methods of inhibiting, preventing or mitigating HCV infections by inhibiting HCV interactions with Claudin-1 are provided. Methods of identifying agents or compounds that interfere with HCV interactions with Claudin-1 are also provided. Finally, useful kits, cell culture compositions, agents, and compounds related to the inhibition of HCV interactions with Claudin-1 are also disclosed.
US08703141B2
Isolated anti-IL-12 antibodies, nucleic acids encoding antibodies or antibody portions, vectors, host cells, and methods of making are useful for production of antibody or portions for treating and/or diagnosing IL-12 related conditions, diseases, and disorders, such as Crohn's disease.
US08703128B2
The present invention provides methods of identifying the presence of or quantifying the amount of one or more of T helper (Th) cells and iTreg cells present in a sample by identifying the presence of an ADAM or the amount of an ADAM, such as ADAM12, present in a sample. The present invention also provides methods for increasing or decreasing signaling of a TGF such as TGFβ by increasing or decreasing the biological activity or expression of an ADAM. Further, the present invention provides methods for inhibiting or stimulating, downregulating or upregulating, an immune response, and for treating diseases associated with an immune response such as cancer, viral, bacterial and fungal infections, autoimmune diseases and graft versus host diseases. Still further, the invention provides screening methods effective for identifying therapeutic agents, pharmaceutical compositions containing therapeutic agents, and vaccines.
US08703124B2
The present application provides a pharmaceutical composition for administration to a patient suffering from at least one symptom of a cardiovascular condition, the composition comprising a) an activated-potentiated form of an antibody to angiotensin II AT1 receptor, and b) an activated-potentiated form of an antibody to endothelial NO-synthase.
US08703113B2
Side-chain crystallizable (SCC) polymers are useful in various medical applications. In certain applications, heavy atom containing side-chain crystallizable polymers (HACSCCP's) are particularly useful. An example of a HACSCCP is a polymer that comprises a main chain, a plurality of crystallizable side chains, and a plurality of heavy atoms attached to the polymer. In certain configurations, the heavy atoms are present in an amount that is effective to render the polymer radiopaque. A polymeric material that includes an HACSCCP may be fabricated into a medical device useful for at least partially occluding a body cavity. For example, such a medical device may be an embolotherapy product. A polymeric material that includes a SCC polymer may also be fabricated into other medical devices, such as stents.
US08703112B2
This invention provides low odor stable coating compositions, and methods of their production. The stable aqueous coating compositions and paints comprise one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymer and one or more carboxylesterase enzyme having an ester hydrolysis activity in the composition of less than 0.03 micromole/minute, wherein the aqueous coating composition has a headspace volatile organic compound (VOC) content, as measured by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) at 33° C., of less than 10 ppm of the one or more organic carboxylester with a normal boiling point of less than 150° C. and more than 50 ppm of the one or more mono-alcohol with a formula molecular weight of less than 76.
US08703104B2
A system and method for treating hoof related diseases, particularly hairy heel warts (papillomatus digital dermatitis), includes an aqueous solution having a metal astringent at a therapeutically effective concentration. The metal astringent includes aluminum, iron, and mixtures thereof. In preferred embodiments, the metal may include a mixture of monomeric and polymeric species. The polymeric species may be in the form of a polymeric concentrate, such as, for example, polyaluminum chloride or polyferric sulfate. Alternatively, the polymeric species may be formed by partially neutralizing a metal salt. The aqueous solution of the metal astringent is applied to a lower leg and hoof area of an animal using any known application technique, including, but not limited to, foot baths, foams and spray applications. In preferred embodiments, the aqueous solution is applied using an automated dispensing system. The aqueous solution may include additional components, such as surfactants and thickeners, to enhance the performance of the metal astringent or contribute additional functionality.
US08703100B2
Provided herein are compounds, preparations and formulations comprising pyrazine derivatives having multiple poly(ethylene glycol) containing substituents. Many of the compounds disclosed herein are excretable by the renal system of a subject or patient and are useful for visualizing the renal system of a subject or patient. Upon excitation by electromagnetic radiation, a number of the compounds disclosed herein exhibit luminescence and are externally detectable when present in the body fluid of a patient or subject. Also provided herein are methods for visualizing the renal system of a subject or patient.
US08703094B2
The invention is directed to a process to prepare a hydrogen rich gas mixture from a solid sulphur- and halogen-containing carbonaceous feedstock. The process involves the following steps. Step (a): gasification of the solid carbonaceous feedstock with an oxygen-containing gas to obtain a gas mixture comprising halogen compounds, sulphur compounds, hydrogen and at least 50 vol. % carbon monoxide, on a dry basis. Step (b): contacting the gas mixture with a quench gas or quench liquid to reduce the temperature of the gas mixture to below 900° C. Step (c) contacting the gas mixture with water having a temperature of between 150 and 250° C. to obtain a gas mixture comprising between 50 and 1000 ppm halogen and having a steam to carbon monoxide molar ratio of between 0.2:1 and 0.9:1. Step (d): subjecting the gas mixture obtained in step (c) to a water gas shift reaction wherein part or all of the carbon monoxide is converted with the steam to hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the presence of a catalyst as present in one fixed bed reactor or in a series of more than one fixed bed reactors and wherein the temperature of the gas mixture as it enters the reactor or reactors is between 190 and 230° C. Step (e): carbon dioxide and sulphur compounds are separated from the shifted gas mixture obtained in step (d) by contacting the shifted gas mixture with a solvent comprising dialkyl ethers of polyethylene glycol.
US08703092B2
The subject invention provides a two-phase liquid-liquid extraction process that enables sorting and separation of single-walled carbon nanotubes based on (n, m) type and/or diameter. The two-phase liquid extraction method of the invention is based upon the selective reaction of certain types of nanotubes with electron withdrawing functional groups as well as the interaction between a phase transfer agent and ionic moieties on the functionalized nanotubes when combined in a two-phase liquid solution. Preferably, the subject invention enables efficient, bulk separation of metallic/semi-metallic nanotubes from semi-conducting nanotubes. More preferably, the subject invention enables efficient, bulk separation of specific (n, m) types of nanotubes.
US08703080B2
The present invention provides a method for removing mercury in exhaust gas, in which mercury in exhaust gas discharged from combustion equipment is removed, characterized by including a mercury oxidation process in which mercury in the exhaust gas is converted to mercury chloride in the presence of a catalyst; a contact process in which the exhaust gas is brought into contact with an absorbing solution in a scrubber to absorb and remove mercury components from the exhaust gas; and a control process in which blowing of air or addition of an oxidizing agent into the scrubber is accomplished, and the amount of blown air or the added amount of oxidizing agent is regulated to control the oxidation-reduction potential of the absorbing agent, and a system for removing mercury in exhaust gas. According to the mercury removing method in accordance with the present invention, a phenomenon that mercury chloride is reduced into metallic mercury by SO2 etc. and the metallic mercury scatters in the exhaust gas can be prevented, and mercury in the exhaust gas can be decreased effectively.
US08703077B2
A process for the extraction of uranium compounds from wet-process phosphoric acid includes lowering the iron concentration of the wet-process phosphoric acid and reducing the valency of any remaining ferric iron in the wet-process phosphoric acid to ferrous iron, and then extracting uranium compounds from the wet-process phosphoric acid. The process can include separating a side stream from a feed stream of wet-process phosphoric acid, wherein the side stream has a greater concentration of the uranium compounds than the feed stream by filtration. Extracting uranium compounds from the wet-process phosphoric acid can be by ion exchange process or by solvent extraction.
US08703075B2
A method of making acetic acid includes: (a) catalytically reacting methanol or a reactive derivative thereof with carbon monoxide in the presence of a homogeneous Group VIII metal catalyst and a methyl iodide promoter in a reactor vessel in a liquid reaction mixture including acetic acid, water, methyl acetate, methyl iodide and homogeneous catalyst, the reactor vessel being operated at a reactor pressure; (b) withdrawing reaction mixture from the reaction vessel and feeding the withdrawn reaction mixture along with additional carbon monoxide to a pre-flasher/post reactor vessel operated at a pressure below the reactor vessel pressure; (c) venting light ends in the pre-flasher vessel and concurrently consuming methyl acetate in the pre-flasher/post reactor vessel. Reaction conditions, residence time and composition are controlled in the pre-flasher/post reactor vessel such that a pre-flash mixture is enriched in acetic acid and diminished in methyl iodide and methyl acetate in the pre-flasher/post reactor vessel. From the pre-flasher/post reaction vessel the acetic acid enriched mixture is (d) withdrawn and fed to a flash vessel.
US08703073B2
A lithographically structured device has an actuation layer and a control layer operatively connected to the actuation layer. The actuation layer includes a stress layer and a neutral layer that is constructed of materials and with a structure such that it stores torsional energy upon being constructed. The control layer is constructed to maintain the actuation layer substantially in a first configuration in a local environmental condition and is responsive to a change in the local environmental condition such that it permits a release of stored torsional energy to cause a change in a structural configuration of the lithographically structured device to a second configuration, the control layer thereby providing a trigger mechanism. The lithographically structured device has a maximum dimension that is less than about 10 mm when it is in the second configuration.
US08703071B2
Syringe mounting apparatus includes a body (25,300), and a coupling mechanism (20) on the body having a housing (22) to receive a barrel of a syringe component and means (28) to detachably engage the barrel and thereby interchangeably retain the syringe component. A plunger connector (60) is positioned with respect to the housing for operably coupling a plunger driver to a plunger element in the barrel of a syringe component when it is interchangeably retained by the coupling mechanism. The plunger connector includes means (74) for detachably engaging the plunger element in a manner allowing the plunger driver to effect reciprocatory movement of the plunger element longitudinally of the barrel for drawing fluid into or expelling fluid from the syringe component. Also disclosed are a syringe system, a disposable syringe component, and a syringe component with engagement features.
US08703069B2
This disclosure provides systems, methods, and devices for processing samples on a microfluidic device. One method includes moving a sample from an upstream channel of a microfluidic device into a DNA manipulation module located downstream of the upstream channel. The DNA manipulation module includes a DNA manipulation zone configured to perform amplification of the sample, a first valve disposed upstream of the DNA manipulation zone, and a second valve disposed downstream of the DNA manipulation zone. The method also includes receiving the sample in the DNA manipulation zone; closing the first valve and the second valve such that as and liquid are prevented from flowing into or out of the DNA manipulation zone; and thermal cycling the sample in the DNA manipulation zone.
US08703067B2
A device for evaporating a volatile air treatment agent from a replaceable refill is described herein, the device comprises: a housing with at least one exit orifice for evaporated air treatment agent to exit the device; receiving means within said housing to releasably receive and secure the refill to the device; electrical heating means within said housing;control means; and chimney means within said housing having a lower orifice and an upper orifice to define a first airflow channel therebetween; an airborne agent detector means operable to detect airborne agents in the air, wherein said means are provided with at least one aperture to the exterior of the device to permit, in use, air from outside of the device to enter said airborne agent detector means; wherein the refill for use with the device comprises: a reservoir portion for holding a quantity of volatile air treatment agent; and a wick having a proximal end within the reservoir portion substantially adjacent a base of said reservoir portion and having a distal end extending above the reservoir portion; and wherein the device is configured such that, in use, the securing means are adapted to hold the refill such that the distal end of the wick is located within the chimney means; characterized in that a second airflow channel is provided between said at least one aperture of the airborne agent detector means and said exit orifice.
US08703064B2
An apparatus and method is presented for reducing mono nitrogen oxide emissions in a hydrocarbon processing furnace. A preferred embodiment hydrocarbon cracking furnace includes a firebox with a set of wall burners and a set of floor burners, the floor burners comprising secondary burner tips burning a fuel-rich mixture and positioned below primary burner tips burning a fuel-lean mixture. A portion of flue gases are recirculated from the primary burner combustion area to the secondary burner combustion area and back to the primary burner combustion area. The floor burners further comprise a set of steam injection ports that inject steam into a conical flow to contact flames at the primary burner tips, reducing flame temperature and thereby reducing thermal NOx. The steam injection ports are positioned in the firebox above the primary burner tips.
US08703062B2
The present disclosure relates to purification and/or sterilization techniques and devices. Methods and systems are provided herein for removing contaminants from air using a combination of an ionic liquid and a reactive oxygen species.
US08703058B1
Microfluidic devices and methods including porous polymer monoliths are described. Polymerization techniques may be used to generate porous polymer monoliths having pores defined by a liquid component of a fluid mixture. The fluid mixture may contain iniferters and the resulting porous polymer monolith may include surfaces terminated with iniferter species. Capture molecules may then be grafted to the monolith pores.
US08703049B2
An apparatus and a method for purifying and heating air using photocatalytic oxidation. The apparatus includes a housing, a heater, and a photocatalytic oxidation unit disposed within the housing. The housing defines a flow path for air to move through the apparatus such that air from the environment is drawn into the apparatus and passes over the photocatalytic oxidation unit. A pollutant in the air from the environment adsorbs to a surface of the photocatalytic material coating the plates, and the surface of the photocatalytic material is exposed to ultraviolet light generated by the ultraviolet light source. The energy of the ultraviolet light activates the photocatalytic material, which then breaks down the pollutant leaving non-toxic components and purified air. The air then passes over the heater and back into the environment. A fan is also included to move air through the flow path.
US08703043B2
A non-ferrous metal melting furnace includes a non-ferrous metal melt pump, a vortex chamber body, and a magnetic field device formed of permanent magnets. The vortex chamber body makes a non-ferrous metal melt flow into a vortex chamber from an inlet, makes the non-ferrous metal melt flow in a spiral shape by applying a driving force to the non-ferrous metal melt in the vortex chamber, and discharges the non-ferrous metal melt from the vortex chamber to an outlet. The magnetic field device formed of permanent magnets is disposed outside the vortex chamber and below a bottom plate of the vortex chamber, and applies the driving force that is generated by current flowing in the non-ferrous metal melt and magnetic lines of force from the magnetic field device formed of permanent magnets.
US08703041B2
[Problems] To provide a method of producing, easily and in a high yield, a reformed aluminum nitride sintered body having very excellent light transmission property which can be favorably used as a light-transmitting cover particularly for light sources having high luminous efficiencies. [Means for Solution] An aluminum nitride sintered body having a concentration of metal impurities excluding aluminum of not more than 150 ppm, an oxygen concentration of not more than 0.5% by weight and a relative density of not less than 95% is used as a starting material. The aluminum nitride sintered body is heat-treated in an oxidizing atmosphere in a temperature region of 1400 to 2000° C. to increase the oxygen concentration by not less than 0.03% by weight.
US08703028B2
A method for compression molding of poly(arylene ether) powder comprises introducing a powder comprising unheated poly(arylene ether) powder to compaction equipment comprising a compression mold and subjecting the powder in the compression mold to a pressure sufficient to produce an article having a density greater than the unheated poly(arylene ether) powder wherein the pressure is applied at a temperature less than the glass transition temperature of the poly(arylene ether) powder.
US08703027B2
Methods and compositions relate to manufacturing a carbonaceous article from particles that have pitch coatings. Heating the particles that are formed into a shape of the article carbonizes the pitch coatings. The particles interconnect with one another due to being formed into the shape of the article and are fixed together where the pitch coatings along adjoined ones of the particles contact one another and are carbonized to create the article.
US08703024B2
Disclosed are new compound semiconductors which may be used for solar cells or as thermoelectric materials, and their application. The compound semiconductor may be represented by a chemical formula: InxCo4-aSb12-z-bQz, where Q is at least one selected from the group consisting of O, S, Se and Te; 0
US08703021B1
The disclosure provides methods of operating a slagging gasifier using a carbon feedstock having a relatively high V2O5 to SiO2 ratio, such as petcoke. The disclosure generates a combined chemical composition in the feed mixture having less than 25 wt. % SiO2, greater than 20 wt. % V2O5, and greater than 20 wt. % CaO. The method takes advantage of a novel recognition that increased levels of SiO2 tend to decrease dissolution of the V2O3 which forms under the reducing conditions of the gasifier, and utilizes the CaO additive to establish a chemical phase equilibria comprised of lower melting compounds. The method further provides for control based on the presence of Al2O3 and FeO, and provides for a total combined chemical composition of greater than about 5 wt. % MgO for use with refractory linings comprised of MgO based refractory brick.
US08703016B2
A phosphor material is presented that includes a blend of a first phosphor, a second phosphor and a third phosphor. The first phosphor includes a composition having a general formula of ((Sr1−zMz)1−(x+w)AwCex)3(Al1−ySiy)O4+y+3(x−w)F1−y−3(x−w), wherein 0
US08703013B2
The invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium based on a mixture of polar compounds having negative dielectric anisotropy, which contains at least one compound of the formula I and at least one compound of the formula II in which R1, R2, R3, R4, ring A, Z1, Z2 and m are as defined in Claim 1, and to the use thereof for an active-matrix display based on the ECB, VA, PS-VA, FFS, PALC or IPS effect.
US08702987B2
Methods for enhancing an activated sludge process including at least one biological reactor. A weighting agent impregnation subsystem is coupled to the biological reactor for mixing biological flocs and weighting agent to impregnate the weighting agent into the biological flocs to form weighted biological flocs. A weighting agent recovery subsystem is configured to recover the weighting agent from the weighted biological flocs and reintroducing the recovered weighting agent to the weighting agent impregnation subsystem.
US08702984B2
In an embodiment, a method for manufacturing a thin layer chromatography (“TLC”) plate is disclosed. The method includes forming a layer of elongated nanostructures (e.g., carbon nanotubes), priming the elongated nanostructures with one or more adhesion priming layers, and at least partially coating the elongated nanostructures with a coating. The coating includes a stationary phase and/or precursor of a stationary phase for use in chromatography. The stationary phase may be functionalized with hydroxyl groups by exposure to a base or acid. The stationary phase may further be treated with a silane (e.g., an amino silane) to improve the performance of the TLC plate. Embodiments for TLC plates and related methods are also disclosed.
US08702981B2
Disclosed herein are wedge-shaped filter cartridges having a maximized upstream surface area. The filter cartridges are modular and may be stacked in a filter cartridge system.
US08702978B2
According to one embodiment, a apparatus includes a controller configured to obtain values measured by a first sensor and a second sensor, receive pH target values at the entrance of a first reverse osmosis membrane and at the entrance of a second reverse osmosis membrane, and use a transfer function from the acid injection to pH at the entrance of the first reverse osmosis membrane, a transfer function from the alkaline injection to pH at the entrance of the first reverse osmosis membrane, a transfer function from the acid injection to pH at the entrance of the second reverse osmosis membrane, and a transfer function from the alkaline injection to pH at the entrance of the second reverse osmosis membrane, to control an injection rate of the acid injected from a first injection device and an injection rate of the alkali injected from a second injection device.
US08702973B2
One exemplary embodiment can be a process for upgrading one or more hydrocarbons boiling in a naphtha range including less than about 5%, by weight, one or more alkenes and about 2,000-about 5,000 wppm, S, comprised in one or more sulfur-containing compounds, based on the weight of the one or more hydrocarbons. The process can include contacting the one or more hydrocarbons with a catalyst. The catalyst may include about 0.1-about 10%, by weight, NiO, about 5-about 50%, by weight, MoO3, and about 0.1-about 10%, by weight, P, with the balance of the catalyst comprising Al2O3. The process can obtain an upgraded one or more hydrocarbons having a thiol concentration of no more than about 20 wppm, S, based on the sulfur comprised in one or more thiol compounds divided by the weight of the upgraded one or more hydrocarbons.
US08702970B2
A method for hydroprocessing a hydrocarbon feedstock is provided. The method comprises contacting the feedstock with a catalyst under hydroprocessing conditions, wherein the catalyst is formed by sulfiding an unsupported catalyst precursor of the general formula Av[(MP) (OH)x (L)ny]z (MVIBO4), wherein MP is selected from Group VIII, Group IIB, Group IIA, Group IVA and combinations thereof; L is one or more oxygen-containing ligands, and L has a neutral or negative charge n<=0, MVIB is at least a Group VIB metal having an oxidation state of +6; MP:MVIB has an atomic ratio between 100:1 and 1:100; v−2+P*z−x*z+n*y*z=0; and 0≦y≦−P/n; 0≦x≦P; 0≦v≦2; 0≦z. In one embodiment, the catalyst precursor further comprises a cellulose-containing material. In another embodiment, the catalyst precursor further comprises at least a diluent (binder). In one embodiment, the diluent is a magnesium aluminosilicate clay.
US08702967B2
A test meter system for testing a characteristic of a fluid, the test meter system including a test meter having a housing with an opening adapted to accept a test strip, an interrogation coil within the housing, a pick-up coil within the housing, and a test strip including at least one magneto-elastic-resonance sensor. When the test strip is within the opening, the interrogation coil may utilize magneto-elastic-resonance technology to interrogate the magneto elastic-resonance sensor and the pick-up coil may be used to sense a resultant oscillation frequency of the magneto elastic-resonance sensor, the resultant oscillation frequency associated with the characteristic. The test strip may include a plurality of sensors. The sensors may be coated with a coating sensitive to a characteristic of the fluid, where the interrogation reveals information about the fluid characteristic.
US08702966B2
The present invention provides a biosensor having a code electrode, a method for manufacturing the same, and a method for obtaining sensor information on the same, in which a code electrode for providing sensor information such as correction information, the type of biosensor, etc. is provided in each biosensor such that a measuring device can obtain necessary information on each biosensor from the code electrode, thus solving a variety of conventional problems.
US08702964B2
The present invention relates to the synthesis of lipophilic or immobilized monobasic phosphate (H2PO4) ionophores (7, 8a, 8b and 11) to be used as ion recognition molecules for monobasic phosphate (H2PO4″) in the cocktail preparation of hydrophobic polymer membranes in ion selective electrode (ISE) or ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) chemical sensors for detection of monobasic phosphate (H2PO4) ionic species in soil, synthetic media, hydrophonic liquid, tree sap, ground water and rivers.
US08702954B2
The object of the present invention is to provide a process for producing a metal substrate of superior corrosion resistance and finish, and a surface-treated metal substrate obtained by the process; and a surface treatment process that is capable of providing a metal substrate of superior corrosion resistance and finish, and a surface-treated metal substrate obtained by the process. Specifically, the present invention provides a process for producing a surface-treated metal substrate, comprising the steps of immersing a metal substrate for use as a cathode in a treatment composition (I) comprising water and metal component (A), and applying electric current thereto for 10 to 600 seconds by superposing an AC voltage (Va) with a frequency of 0.1 to 1,000 Hz and a peak-to-peak voltage of 1 to 40 V onto a 1 to 50 V DC voltage (Vd).
US08702945B2
Methods, devices, and systems for separating a time-varying flow of disparate liquid-suspended particles through a channel using dielectrophoresis and field-flow fractionation.
US08702944B2
A method for wetting a nanopore device includes filling a first cavity of the nanopore device with a first buffer solution having a first potential hydrogen (pH) value, filling a second cavity of the nanopore device with a second buffer solution having a second pH value, wherein the nanopore device includes a transistor portion having a first surface, an opposing second surface, and an orifice communicative with the first surface and the second surface, the first surface partially defining the first cavity, the second surface partially defining the second cavity, applying a voltage in the nanopore device, and measuring a current in the nanopore device, the current having a current path partially defined by the first cavity, the second cavity, and the orifice.
US08702928B2
A modular analyte measurement system having a removable strip port module. In one embodiment, the analyte measurement system includes: an analyte meter; a removable strip port module; and a connector linking the removable strip port module to the analyte meter. The analyte meter includes: a meter housing; a receptacle formed in the meter housing; a processing circuit disposed within the housing; and an input interface within the receptacle and electrically coupled to the processing circuit. The removable strip port module includes: a module housing sized to at least partially fit within the receptacle of the analyte meter; an analyte test strip port disposed within the module housing to receive an analyte test strip via an aperture formed in the module housing; and an output interface coupled to the analyte test strip port. The connector links the output interface with the input interface.
US08702925B2
A system for measuring hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) including a sample system, a signal processing and system control device, at least one polarograph device and a computing device equipped with software for environmental and biological data analysis incorporating both user-defined and environmental data acquired by the signal processing and system control device. The system measures gas level or exchange (production and/or consumption) in the field or laboratory. In some embodiments, the system uses two Clark-type polarograph devices oppositely polarized with gas-specific polarographic circuits, wherein one polarograph device measures H2 gas and the other measures O2 gas. In some embodiments, the sample system includes an environmentally-controlled sample housing for accepting the polarograph devices and holding a test sample in a reservoir. The system measures H2 or O2 exchange in microbial samples, including microbial phototrophs which couple light harvesting to H2 and/or O2 exchange.
US08702916B2
A hydrogen supplementation fuel apparatus and method having a power source, a hydrogen generator and an accumulator for supplementing hydrogen gas to improve the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines. The hydrogen generator uses electrodes that are helically wound about a separator to increase the hydrogen generation output.
US08702909B2
The feed system is for a continuous digester where at least two pumps are arranged in parallel at the bottom of a pre-treatment vessel. Each pump has its own independent transfer line extending to the top of the digester. The system makes it possible to provide a feed system with an improved accessibility and operational reliability, and to operate the main part of the pumps at optimal efficiency even if the production capacity is reduced.
US08702906B2
The present invention relates to a dewatering screen for manufacturing paper having multi-level watermarks, having a carrier mold (54) that exhibits, in a fractional region, a multi-level relief (30) in the form of the watermark to be produced. According to the present invention, it is provided that the multi-level relief is formed by an injection-molded, perforated (40) watermark insert (30).
US08702885B2
A method of manufacturing ceramics includes: placing, on a base material, a first slurry in which a metal oxide powder is dispersed; applying a magnetic field to the first slurry to solidify the first slurry, thereby forming an under coat layer made of a first compact; placing, on the under coat layer, a second slurry containing a metal oxide powder constituting the ceramics; applying a magnetic field to the second slurry to solidify the second slurry, thereby forming a second compact to obtain a laminated body of the second compact and the under coat layer; and obtaining the ceramics made of the second compact by removing the under coat layer from the laminated body of the second compact and the under coat layer and then sintering the second compact, or sintering the laminated body of the second compact and the under coat layer and then removing the under coat layer.
US08702882B2
A method for monitoring and controlling a vibration welding system includes collecting sensory data during formation of a welded joint using sensors positioned with respect to welding interfaces of a work piece. A host machine extracts a feature set from a welding signature collectively defined by the sensory data, compares and correlates the feature set with validated information in a library, and executes a control action(s) when the present feature set insufficiently matches the information. A welding system includes a sonotrode, sensors, and the host machine. The host machine is configured to execute the method noted above.
US08702877B2
A cathodic member for electrochemical cells used in hypochlorite production comprises a zirconium plate coated with a zirconium oxide layer, which is particularly suitable for minimising the decomposition of the hypochlorite product while ensuring a prolonged lifetime. The coated zirconium plate can be used as the cathodic plate in a monopolar cell, or can be welded to a titanium plate for use in a bipolar configuration.
US08702872B2
In order to provide a device for generating a pulsed jet of a liquid fluid comprising a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet and a blocking element arranged between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, which cyclically closes and opens a fluid passage between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, which device enables an improved mechanical action on an object subjected to the pulsed jet, it is proposed that the device comprises at least one bypass, through which a liquid fluid can also be fed to the fluid outlet during a closing phase of the blocking element.
US08702860B2
Disclosed herein are stabilized kaolin slurries comprising a kaolin comprising no more than about 80% by weight of particles having an equivalent spherical diameter of less than 2 microns and at least one stabilizer, wherein the stabilized kaolin slurry has a 28-day pour test result of at least about 80% poured. Also disclosed are methods of making such stabilized kaolin slurries.
US08702857B2
A method for rejuvenating a bitumen containing compositions includes adding to the bitumen containing compositions a distillation residue of cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL). The distillation residue may be obtained by distillation of cashew nut shell liquid up to a temperature of between 250 and 350° C. The bitumen containing composition may be selected from: bitumen, asphalt, roof covering, insulating material, shore covering material, and anti-drum plates.
US08702856B2
The invention relates to a bituminous coating comprising a material of low bulk density ranging between 0.01 and 0.3 t/m3 in sufficient quantity to improve the acoustic performance thereof.
US08702852B2
The present invention relates to a condensation and washing device with which in particular the process vapors which occur during the production of polylactide can be processed and cleaned. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a polymerization device for the production of polylactide and also to a method for processing process vapors which occur during the production of polylactide; possibilities for use of both the condensation and washing devices and of the method are likewise mentioned.
US08702842B2
A method for removing elemental sulfur from a hot gas stream, such as an autoclave vent gas, while simultaneously cooling the gas stream. The method results in conversion of sulfur in the hot gas stream to the form of solid, non-sticky sulfur allotropes such as rhombic sulfur while avoiding formation of sticky sulfur allotropes such as monoclinic sulfur, thereby avoiding scaling and fouling of plant equipment. According the method, the hot gas stream is contacted with an aqueous medium containing a particulate material inside a quench vessel having a first inlet for the hot gas stream, a second inlet for the aqueous medium, and an outlet for removing a sulfur-containing liquid fraction from the vessel. At least a portion of the sulfur contained in the hot gas stream, along with other condensable materials, becomes incorporated into the aqueous medium and is subsequently drained from the vessel. The aqueous medium may comprise a slurry of tailings or other waste material, and the particulate matter contained in the aqueous medium may provide nucleation sites for the preferential formation of non-sticky solid forms of sulfur.
US08702836B2
The invention relates to a method of forming solid particles from a sample, which includes the step of exposing the sample to a focused acoustic field having an acoustic wave variable, until the solid particles achieve a desired state of particularization. The acoustic wave variable may be selected based, at least in part, on the desired state of particularization. The sample may be exposed to the focused acoustic field through a medium.
US08702831B2
The disclosure concern air cleaners. Preferred air cleaners are shown which include a housing and a removable and replacement primary filter cartridge. Optional and advantageous features are shown. The preferred primary filter cartridge is conical in shape. A preferred optional safety or secondary filter cartridge is shown. Preferred methods of assembly and use are provided.
US08702823B2
A method of shutting down a hydrogen generation apparatus for limiting degradation in a catalyst due to dew condensation at the time of shutdown is provided. The method of shutting down the hydrogen generation apparatus comprising, a combustor which supplies heat necessary to a reforming device, a first air supplier which supplies air to the combustor, a combustion exhaust gas path formed such that the combustion exhaust gas produced in the combustor makes heat exchange with the reforming device and then with a CO reducing device, and a controller which operates the first air supplier so that the temperature of the gas in the CO reducing device does not become equal to or lower than a dew point after shutdown of the combustion operation of the combustor and before a start of a purging operation to purge the interiors of the reforming device and the CO reducing device with a replacement gas.
US08702820B2
The present description relates to a method and system for generating a fuel pellet from high sulfur fuel waste materials having a reduced SO2 emission. In one example, the fuel pellet may include petroleum coke, a biomass constituent, and an alkali substituent.
US08702817B2
A method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor having an even conductive polymer layer includes the steps of forming a conductive polymer layer on an anode element by bringing a dispersion containing a conductive solid and a first solvent into contact with the anode element having a dielectric film formed thereon, washing the anode element with a second solvent higher in boiling point than the first solvent, in which the conductive solid can be dispersed, after the conductive polymer layer is formed, and drying the anode element washed with the second solvent at a temperature not lower than the boiling point of the first solvent and lower than the boiling point of the second solvent.
US08702816B2
A method and kit for producing reversibly dyed soft contact lenses. The contact lenses are submerged in saline solution and a dye is added to the saline solution, either directly or by means of a strip that has been impregnated with the dye. Preferred dyes include the common dyes sodium fluorescein, lissamine green, and rose bengal. After a period of time, the lens absorbs the dye and can be removed from the solution and placed on the eye. Once the lens is illuminated with ultraviolet light, it will glow or fluoresce. This creates a dramatic effect, particularly in dimly lit areas. The dyeing method does not utilize heat and thus is reversible. Soaking the lens in additional saline solution for a period of time will cause the dye to return to its non-dyed state.
US08702814B2
A hair colorant composition comprises 2,6-diaminopyridine coupler in combination with 2-methoxymethyl-1,4-diaminobenzene developer. A kit for coloring hair comprises the hair colorant composition. A method of treating hair comprises applying the hair colorant composition to hair.
US08702811B2
A prosthetic or orthotic system including a sensor module and a processing module usable to determine a terrain variable, such as a terrain transition. In certain examples, the system is capable of anticipating a terrain transition prior to the user experiencing the terrain transition, which may include, for instance, a transition from level ground walking to walking on stairs or may include a change in a slope of the ground surface. In certain embodiments, the system advantageously monitors a posture and/or movement of the patient to anticipate the terrain transition. Furthermore, the system may control an actuator to appropriately adjust the prosthetic or orthotic device to encounter the anticipated terrain transition.
US08702798B2
An expandable intervertebral implant includes a front wall, a back wall spaced apart from the front wall, and two side walls connecting the front wall and the back wall at their respective ends. The walls define a space. The implant further includes a bottom face, a top face, at least one engagement member with an engagement surface for engagement with the end plate of a vertebral body, a first adjusting element and a second adjusting element which are supported by a first support member and a second support member, respectively, and which cooperate with the respective support member such that the engagement member is reciprocally movable between a first end position and a second end position. In the first end position, the engagement surface does not project beyond the bottom face or the top face and in the second end position, the engagement surface at least partially projects outwardly beyond the bottom face or the top face. The first and the second support members are coupled by a coupling mechanism.
US08702797B2
The inventive intervertebral implant (1), in particular an artificial intervertebral disc comprises a central axis (2), a top part (3) and a lower part (4), wherein A) the top part (3) is provided with a top apposition surface (5) which rests on a base plate of a superimposed vertebral body, B) the lower part (4) is provided with a lower apposition surface (6) for resting on the covering plate of an underneath vertebral body, C) one part (3, 4) comprises a convex joint element (12) provided with a convex sliding surface (11) and the other part (3, 4) comprises a joint shell (13) provided with a complementary concave surface, D) the convex joint element (12) and the convex joint shell (13) form a joint (9) by means of which the two parts (3, 4) are rotatable with respect to each other around at least one axis of rotation and E) the intervertebral implant (1) is permeable to x-rays.
US08702796B2
A system for single tunnel, double bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction includes implant constructs and instruments. The implant constructs provide a combination of cortical fixation and bone tunnel aperture fixation. The implant constructs separate a graft into distinct bundles. The instruments are used to prepare shaped bone tunnels to receive the implant constructs and graft bundles. Methods for reconstructing the antero-medial and postero-lateral bundles of the anterior cruciate ligament may rely on single femoral and tibial tunnels and a single strand of graft.
US08702794B2
A rear-loaded injector cartridge for an intraocular lens (IOL) having a proximal opening that provides a haptic slot. The haptic slot receives a leading haptic of an IOL loaded therein, and temporarily retains the leading haptic while the optic of the IOL is inserted into a holding area of the cartridge. As the optic passes by, the leading haptic folds over the top of the optic, on its anterior side. The length of the haptic retention slot is sufficient to maintain the leading haptic in its anteriorly folded position while the IOL remains in holding area, typically while the cartridge is mated with a handpiece of the injector. The cartridge also has a rear or proximal cut out which advantageously keys with a similarly-sized rail on the handpiece so that the cartridge cannot be inserted in the wrong way.
US08702791B2
A debranching visceral stent graft and methods for its use, where the stent graft comprises, a main body stent graft with a bifurcation defining a first leg and a second leg, the main body stent graft has a distal end and a proximal end, the main body stent graft's diameter at the proximal end ranges from about 18-22 mm, the first leg and the second leg each have a diameter that ranges from about 14-16 mm, the distance from the proximal end of the main body to the distal end of the first leg ranges from about 70-90 mm, the distance from the proximal end of the main body to the distal end of the second leg ranges from about 80-100 mm, and the second leg is at least about 10 mm longer than the first leg.
US08702789B2
Endoprosthesis assemblies and methods for using the same. In at least one embodiment of an endoprosthesis assembly of the present disclosure, the endoprosthesis assembly comprises an endoprosthesis comprising an impermeable inner wall defining an endoprosthesis lumen sized and shaped to permit fluid to flow therethrough, a distal balloon positioned at or near a distal end of the endoprosthesis, the distal balloon capable of inflation to anchor the distal end of the endoprosthesis within a luminal organ, and a proximal balloon positioned at or near a proximal end of the endoprosthesis, the proximal balloon capable of inflation to anchor the proximal end of the endoprosthesis within the luminal organ, wherein when the endoprosthesis assembly is positioned within the luminal organ at or near an aneurysm sac, inflation of the distal balloon and the proximal balloon effectively isolates the aneurysm sac and prevents fluid within the aneurysm sac from flowing past the distal balloon and the proximal balloon and into other areas of vasculature adjacent to the aneurysm sac.
US08702785B2
A prosthetic stent graft for the treatment of AAA includes a plurality of graft legs, each secured in a deployed position by a sealing gasket within a stent segment of the sealing gasket and to one side of a framing bracket. The framing bracket traverses the diameter of the stent segment and extends axially away, dividing the first stent segment into two portions, each portion for receiving a graft leg of the stent graft. The sealing gasket can include a stabilizer having a second generally cylindrical stent segment, and an extension bracket traversing the diameter of the second stent segment and extending away from the second stent segment. The extension bracket and the first bracket are connected with one another at a mutual generally central position.
US08702784B2
A drainage stent delivery system including a stent, a guide catheter, a push catheter, and an outer sheath. The guide catheter extends through the lumen of the stent and the push catheter is disposed over a portion of the guide catheter proximal of the distal end of the stent. The outer sheath is slidably disposed over the push catheter and surrounding at least a portion of the stent. The outer sheath may be actuated from a first position in which a distal portion of the outer sheath surrounds the stent to a second position in which the distal portion of the outer sheath is proximal of the stent. The stent delivery system may also include a retention mechanism for selectively coupling the stent to the outer sheath which may selectively decouple the stent from the outer sheath through rotational and/or translational motion of the outer sheath relative to the stent.
US08702783B2
A stent delivery system includes: a distal-side tube; a proximal-side tube; a tubular member which contains a stent; a wire which has one end fixed to the tubular member; and an operating section which has a wire winding mechanism and a wire winding amount restriction mechanism for restricting the length of wire which is pulled. The operating section has an operating rotary roller; a winding shaft section and driving gear which are provided coaxially and integrally with the roller; and a driven gear which is intermittently rotated by the driving gear. The driving gear and the driven gear have the stopper function by which rotation of the driving gear is stopped after the driving gear is rotated a predetermined amount.
US08702771B1
Semiconductor diode lasers are tiny sources of light powered by electricity. These are used extensively in medical and aesthetic applications. This patent application covers the concept of replaceable laser diodes for a wide range of applications. Historically, the high power laser sources have been prohibitively expensive to contemplate such an idea. However, as technology advances the price per Watt continues to fall dramatically. Somewhat analogous to the Gillette safety razor concept, this patent application describes how diodes can be replaced in a manner akin to the ordinary razor blade. Simply put, this invention describes replaceable laser light sources for aesthetic and medical applications.
US08702765B2
A cervical plating system for fixedly connecting two or more vertebrae to each other includes a cervical plate having a fastening hole, the fastening hole penetrating the cervical plate, a fastening screw fitted into the fastening hole in the cervical plate, and a screw locking member disposed adjacent to the fastening hole. The screw locking member is rotatable along the circumference of the fastening hole between a first position, in which it opens the fastening hole, and a second position, in which it at least partially closes the fastening hole.
US08702745B2
A balloon of a balloon catheter including, in its folded state, a central, inflatable body portion having an outer peripheral wall surface and a plurality of hollow lobes being wrapped around the outer peripheral wall surface and being in fluid communication with the inflatable body portion the lobes including free end portions defining gaps therebetween.
US08702740B2
A medical punch with a hollow shaft, a tool point that is positioned on the distal end of the shaft and includes a rigid cutting part and a cutting part that can slide with respect to the rigid cutting part, and with a handle positioned on the proximal end of the shaft, such that the displaceable cutting part and the handle are operatively connected with one another by a push/pull device that is displaceably mounted in the hollow shaft and an anti-tilt mechanism is positioned on the tool point to stabilize the cutting parts in their axially parallel alignment to one another. The rigid cutting part includes a sleeve-shaped proximal portion that encloses the displaceable cutting part and a distal punch portion configured as a single unit with the sleeve-shaped portion and that the rigid cutting part should be detachably connected with the hollow shaft by a coupling mechanism formed on the sleeve-shaped portion.
US08702737B2
A forceps includes first and second shaft members each having a jaw member disposed at a distal end thereof. The shaft members are moveable relative to one another between spaced-apart and approximated positions to move the jaw members between open and closed positions. A knife assembly is engaged within the second shaft member. The knife assembly includes an arm extending through a trough defined within the second shaft member and has a knife disposed at a distal end thereof. The arm is moveable between a first position, corresponding to a retracted position of the knife, wherein the arm defines an arched portion extending from the second shaft member, and a second position, wherein the arched portion defines a more linear configuration to elongated the arm distally to advance the knife between the jaw members to cut tissue grasped therebetween.
US08702734B2
The invention provides a device, assembly, and method for transoral endoscopic restoration of a gastroesophageal flap valve. The invention also provides a self-steering and self-closing tissue fixation device for tissue fixation, and an invaginator device for gripping and maneuvering tissue. The restoration device includes a longitudinal member arranged for transoral placement into a stomach, a tissue shaper carried on the longitudinal member that causes stomach tissue to assume a shape related to a gastroesophageal flap, and a tissue fixation device that maintains the shaped stomach tissue in a shape approximating a gastroesophageal flap. The tissue shaper may include a mold. The device may include the invaginator device for gripping and maneuvering esophageal tissue to aid restoration of the gastroesophageal flap, and may include the tissue fixation device.
US08702733B2
Devices and methods for fixing defects in the anulus fibrosus (vertebral disc) of a patient are described. The devices include a mesh patch, and first and second suture assemblies, each of which include an anchor and a suture. The anchor has a first portion adapted to be inserted into a bone and a second portion having an opening therethrough. The suture is adapted to be disposed through the opening and has a first end is adapted to couple to the mesh patch. The method of treatment includes inserting the first portion of the first anchor into a cranial vertebra and inserting the second portion of the second anchor into a caudal vertebra. The first ends of the sutures are attached to the mesh patch. The mesh patch is positioned adjacent the defect by pulling on, or applying tension to, the second ends of the sutures.
US08702731B2
Described herein are methods of repairing tissue using a suture passer configured to relasably couple to a suturing element to pass the suturing element (and therefore a suture) through the tissue so that that the suture may be loaded and/or unloaded while the suture passer is positioned within the tissue. Thus, the methods described herein may allow the suture passer to be loaded without requiring that the suture passer be removed from within the patient or in some variations from off of the target tissue. The same suture or multiple sutures may thus be loaded and/or unloaded onto the suture passer, allowing the formation of complex suture patterns without requiring the extra steps of withdrawing the suture passer from the patient (or target tissue). Knotless suture anchors are also described.
US08702726B2
An improved method and apparatus is provided as a system to enhance skin appearance and health, in which skin is cleaned (or exfoliated) and conditioned by use of microelements affixed to a base element or hand-held patch. The dimensions of the microelements are controlled so as to remove a certain number of layers of skin cells and to accumulate those skin cells, along with other foreign substances, into areas between the microelements. In addition, a conditioning compound or therapeutic active can be applied to the exfoliated skin to enhance the skin. Moreover, the amount of accumulated skin cells represents a self-limiting maximum quantity that cannot be substantially exceeded regardless of the number of attempts by a user to re-use the microstructure apparatus. Some of the microstructures are designed with very close-packed microelements, which in some cases have flexible substrates.
US08702723B2
A device serves for performing examination and surgical intervention on the uterus. The device comprises an approximate rod-shaped body and an extension piece protruding from a distal end of said body. Said extension piece can be introduced in a cervical canal of an uterus. At least one adjustable jaw part for fixing of a cervical tissue between said extension piece and said jaw part is provided. An operating device serves for operating said adjustable jaw part. Said operating device is arranged on said rod-shaped body in such a way that a hand of an operator gripping said body can operate said operating device.
US08702722B2
Systems and methods for treating a patient having a head with a first ear and a second ear, function by aligning a first device with a tympanic membrane of the first ear; inputting a command to an input device operatively coupled to the first device to generate a signal; and actuating the first device in response to the signal so as to drive a penetrator of the device through the tympanic membrane.
US08702718B2
A prosthesis delivery and implantation system for tissue repair is disclosed. The implantation system includes provisions for manually applying a prosthesis to a treatment area. This system may be applied to heal any imperfections in various different types of tissue. The system also provides provisions for independently inserting two end portions of the prosthesis into tissue.
US08702713B2
Systems, methods, devices and instruments for adjusting the relative positioning of bones or bony tissues, such as two or more vertebrae, are provided. More particularly, in one form, an instrument includes first and second end members that are freely movable relative to one another in a first configuration of the instrument, while in a second configuration the first and second end members are only movable relative to one another upon rotation of a displacement member. In one aspect of this and/or other forms, the first and second end members include hook portions that are selectively rotatable relative to one another such that the instrument can be used for compression or distraction of the bones or bony tissues. In another form, techniques for adjusting the relative positioning of bones or bony tissues are provided.
US08702712B2
A method positions a profile of a prosthetic component on the three-dimensional model of a limb. Patient-specific anatomical data of the limb is gathered. First and second anatomical landmarks are identified to determine a first spatial relationship. A third anatomical landmark is identified to determine a second spatial relationship with respect to the first spatial relationship. The profile of the prosthetic component is positioned in all but one degree of freedom. A fourth anatomical landmark is identified to position the profile of the prosthetic component in the one remaining degree of freedom.
US08702709B2
An intervertebral disc reamer includes a flexible shaft having a shaft channel, and a reamer head attached to the flexible shaft and movable relative to the flexible shaft. The reamer head has a reamer channel. The shaft channel and the reamer channel are aligned to define a continuous guide wire channel for the disc reamer. The disc reamer addresses the quality of disc removal and endplate preparation, minimizes the trauma of surgery, minimizes blood loss, and markedly reduces surgical time.
US08702707B2
A fixation instrument for treating a bone fracture including a bone screw and a nail, wherein the bone screw extends through an opening in the head or proximal end of the nail. A movable insert is disposed within a chamber located at the proximal end of the nail. The insert engages the bone screw to prevent rotation thereof once the bone screw is placed in position.
US08702698B2
A surgical device and procedure are provided for performing microsurgery, including a capsulotomy of a lens capsule of an eye. The device has an elastically deformable cutting element mounted within an elastomeric suction cup. The suction cup is attached to an arm for manipulating the device. The device can be inserted into the anterior chamber of the eye, through a corneal incision, to cut a piece from the anterior portion of the lens capsule of the eye. The device is secured against the lens capsule using suction applied by one or more suction elements. The device is then removed from the eye, with the cut piece of membrane retained within the device by suction.
US08702695B2
An ablation device and methods for use thereof including a support structure adapted to support an ablation structure within an alimentary tract of a patient are provided. The support structure includes a longitudinal support with a longitudinal axis and a rotational support. The rotational support is adapted to permit at least part of the ablation structure to rotate with respect to the longitudinal support's longitudinal axis.
US08702694B2
An ablation device and methods for use thereof including a support structure adapted to support an ablation structure within an alimentary tract of a patient are provided. The support structure includes a longitudinal support with a longitudinal axis and a rotational support. The rotational support is adapted to permit at least part of the ablation structure to rotate with respect to the longitudinal support's longitudinal axis.
US08702691B2
Treatment apparatus and methods for delivering energy at multiple selectable tissue depths as selected by a clinician. The treatment apparatus includes at least two electrodes that are electrically isolated from each other, which permits each electrode to be independently energized for selecting different treatment depths. The electrodes may be concurrently energized with high frequency energy of the same polarity in a monopolar mode to deliver energy at a relatively deep depth into a patient's tissue, or with high frequency energy of a different polarity in a bipolar mode to provide a shallower penetration depth. Alternatively, the depth of energy delivery may be modified by energizing less than all of the electrodes. The electrodes may be energized with high frequency energy of different phase relationships to deliver energy concurrently in both monopolar and bipolar modes with the phase difference determining a depth of energy delivery.
US08702679B2
Interventional catheter-based systems and methods are described herein for use in generating an initial pathway through vascular occlusions. The catheter systems generally include two elements. A first element is a Blunt Dissection Catheter including a manually actuated assembly located at the distal tip of the Blunt Dissection Catheter that performs blunt dissection in the vascular occlusion to produce a dissection track, or small pathway through the occlusion. The second element is a Sheath Catheter that serves as a conduit within which the Blunt Dissection Catheter is freely advanced, retracted and rotated. The first and second elements are used in some combination to cross vascular occlusions in both the coronary and peripheral vasculature.
US08702678B2
An infusion catheter assembly has the ability to infinitely titrate the length of a porous fluid distribution section in situ. The infusion catheter assembly thereby provides a length of infusion that can be infinitely varied over a prescribed range, to control the effective infusion length and the rate of infusion. Using the infusion catheter assembly, a physician has the capability to treat only the length of the vessel desired, thereby preventing excessive drug/patient exposures. The porous fluid distribution section can include an array of spaced apart apertures that vary in size and/or density along the length of the porous fluid distribution section, such that the flow rate remains essentially constant for a given inlet pressure independent of the effective infusion length.
US08702672B2
In a body adhering absorbent article, an absorbent structure is configured for disposition adjacent a female wearer's vaginal region to absorb bodily fluids discharged by the wearer. A shell supports the absorbent structure at the vaginal region and has an adhesive on a body-facing surface thereof for adhering the shell directly to the wearer. A placement aid is disposed on at least one of the absorbent structure and the shell to facilitate placement on the wearer. Securement components may be provided for securing the article in a folded configuration during wear and/or to the wearer's undergarment. Detachment components may also be provided to facilitate detachment of the article from the wearer.
US08702670B2
Controlled expansion of an intravaginal device can be achieved by selectively attaching either a primary or secondary cover to the primary absorbent device having a fluid storage element. We can determine that certain portions of the tampon will expand while other portions will be restricted to substantially the compressed structure. The primary cover can be attached to the primary absorbent device either before or after the absorbent device is compressed into final tampon form. The compression may be in the axial or radial direction or a combination of both directions. The secondary cover, if used, can be attached after the tampon pledget has been compressed into the final tampon form.
US08702661B2
The application relates to a device for feeding medical fluids, in particular for applying a pharmaceutical into the hose line of a transfer unit for enteral or parenteral nutrition. The device comprises a base body (1) having an inlet (1A) and an outlet (1B) and a rotatable closure body (2) which has an inlet (2A). The device is characterized in that the base body (1) comprises a hollow cylindrical attachment piece (4) ending in the passage (1E) of the base body between the inlet and outlet (1B, 1B), and the closure body comprises a cylindrical shut-off body (11) that is arranged in the closure body (2) such that the shut-off body (11) sits in the attachment piece (4) of the base body (1) in a sealing manner in a first position of the closure body (2), so that a fluid connection between the inlet (2A) of the closure body (2) and the passage (1E) of the base body (1) is interrupted, and does not sit in the attachment piece in a second position of the closure body, so that the fluid connection is established. In the device, the sealing is solely established in that the shut-off body of the closure body sits in the attachment piece of the base body. Thus, only one sealing surface is provided.
US08702657B2
A seal assembly for reception of an elongated surgical instrument is provided which includes a body having at least one opening configured and dimensioned to permit entry of an elongated surgical instrument and defining a central longitudinal axis; a seal member formed of a resilient material and defining an aperture therein, the aperture being configured and dimensioned such that insertion of the surgical instrument into the aperture causes the resilient material defining the aperture to resiliently contact the outer surface of the surgical instrument in a substantially fluid tight manner; and a fabric layer juxtaposed relative to the resilient material. A coating may be applied to the seal member to reduce friction between the seal member and surgical instrumentation inserted therein. The coating is preferably a hydrocyclosiloxane membrane prepared by plasma polymerization process.
US08702654B2
An apparatus and method for identifying the flexor retinaculum of the carpal tunnel, injecting an effective amount of an agent into at least a portion of flexor retinaculum or tissue adjacent thereto, wherein the agent is configured to weaken the flexor retinaculum. The system may further include means for increasing the tensile stress in the flexor retinaculum post-injection using hand exercises, thereby weakening its structural integrity and decreasing the pressure within the carpal tunnel that impairs median nerve function.
US08702652B2
A method of increasing blood flow through an obstructed blood vessel includes providing an expandable member substantially made of a mesh having a plurality of interstices. The expandable member is inserted into the blood vessel, positioned within the blood vessel with the proximal member end upstream of the distal member end and the member body located radially adjacent at least a portion of an obstruction, and expanded to bring at least a portion of the member body into contact with the obstruction. An outward radial force is exerted on the obstruction to dislodge at least one fragment from the obstruction and to enhance blood flow through the blood vessel past the obstruction. The at least one fragment is passed through at least one interstice of the member body in the radial direction, and is selectively retained within the expandable member.
US08702647B2
A system and method for anchoring a round catheter pull wire within the distal end of a catheter. A steering deflection mechanism includes a pull ring having a plurality of apertures and one or more receiving slots. The method includes affixing one or more round pull wires to the one or more receiving slots of the pull ring. The shape of the round wire and manner of affixing the wire to the pull ring provide a steering assembly that can withstand greater pull forces while maintaining design integrity.
US08702645B2
A biocompatible insulin delivery device is provided comprising an insulin reservoir sealed with a glucose-responsive plug or membrane. The plug functions to release insulin from the reservoir in response to a hyperglycemic glucose concentration and to prevent insulin release from the reservoir in response to hypoglycemic glucose concentration. In one embodiment, the plug is made of a biocompatible polymeric matrix comprising an inorganic component, a stimulus-responsive component and a catalytic component.
US08702644B2
A tissue treatment device comprises a housing having a chamber that receives a treatment fluid mixture of tissue morsels and a scaffold material. A debriding shaft including a plurality of cutters is coupled with the housing. The debriding shaft extends proximally within the chamber and extends distally from the end of the housing. The debriding shaft is inserted within a treatment site such as a fistula tract and is rotated and reciprocated such that the debriding shaft removes tissue cells along the site. The site is flushed with saline or other irrigating fluid followed by application of the treatment fluid mixture. The chamber of the housing comprises agitators positioned adjacent the debriding shaft. The treatment fluid mixture passes through the chamber of the housing along and between the outer surface of the debriding shaft and the agitators for thorough mixing before exiting the device at the treatment site.
US08702639B2
A method of treating glaucoma in an eye by managing fluid flow past an implanted shunt having an elastomeric plate and a non-valved elastomeric drainage tube. The plate is positioned over a sclera of the eye with an outflow end of the elastomeric drainage tube open to an outer face of the plate. An inflow end of the drainage tube tunnels through the sclera to the anterior chamber of the eye. The plate may have regions of greater propensity for cell adhesion alternating with regions of lesser cell adhesion. For example, regions of texturing around the plate or drainage tube may be provided to control the size of a bleb that forms over the implant. The effective surface area of the plate may be balanced against a number of fenestrations. The drainage tube has a reduced profile and may be shaped with a non-circular external cross-section to reduce its height. A scleral groove may be used to further reduce the height of the drainage tube on the sclera. A flow restrictor for the early post operative period will immediately lower the intraocular pressure (IOP) and simultaneously prevent hypotony.
US08702637B2
A blood processing device includes a venous-access device, a blood component separation device, a return line, a draw line, a first pressure sensor, a second pressure sensor, and a first pump. The first pressure sensor is located on the return line between the blood component separation device and the venous-access device, and determines a first pressure. The second pressure sensor is located on the draw line between the blood component separation device and the venous-access device, and determines a second pressure. The first pump is connected to at least one of the return line and the draw line and controls a flow rate within the connected line based on a subject access pressure determined based upon the first and second pressures.
US08702636B2
A device and method for treating an ingrown nail condition is provided. The method prevents a phenol solution that is applied during a P & A procedure from coming into contact with the surrounding skin and nail bed. The device is essentially a plastic tube which comes in different lengths and widths and has a specially shaped aperture located at one end. A stick-shaped cotton applicator is inserted through the tube so as to ensure direct application of the phenol solution onto only the nail matrix. As a result, the phenol solution is prevented from coming into contact with the skin and nail bed, thereby reducing post-operative healing time, post-operative infection and post-operative pain.
US08702630B2
In a method for driving an injection device for injecting ultrasound into a tissue, the ultrasound has a predetermined thermal effect and a predetermined mechanical effect in the tissue. Ultrasound pulses are successively injected utilizing the injection device. Each ultrasound pulse comprises a pulse width and a duty ratio of the ultrasound pulses is set as a function of the thermal and mechanical effects of the ultrasound pulses.
US08702626B1
Guidewires and methods useable in conjunction with image guidance systems to facilitate performance of diagnostic or therapeutic tasks at locations within the bodies of human or animal subjects.
US08702624B2
An analyte and detecting apparatus includes a housing, an access door and a front end aperture. A module is positionable in the housing. A penetrating member is positioned in the module and upon launch passes through the front end aperture. An analyte sensor is positioned in the module. A penetrating member driver is configured to be coupled to the penetrating member. A mechanism is included that moves an arm coupled to the penetrating member driver into a launch position and allows motion of the penetrating member driver.
US08702623B2
A biopsy device includes a probe, a holster, and a tissue sample holder for collecting tissue samples. The probe includes a needle and a hollow cutter. The tissue sample holder includes a housing having a plurality of chambers that are respectively configured to receive a tray. The housing is releasably engageable with the probe. Each tray is configured to receive a tissue sample communicated through the cutter lumen. Each tray is removable from the housing, such as along an axial direction. The tissue sample holder is rotatable to successively index each chamber to the cutter lumen. A tray retainer is operable to selectively secure the trays relative to the housing. The trays may be flexible, resilient, or rigid.
US08702619B2
This invention provides methods for mapping and ablating renal nerves to treat disease caused by systemic renal nerve hyperactivity, e.g. hypertension, heart failure, renal failure and diabetes. Also provided are catheters for performing the mapping and ablating functions.
US08702616B2
An exemplary method includes detecting a change in state of a cardiac valve, detecting elongation of the left ventricle substantially along its major axis, determining a time difference between the change in state of the cardiac valve and the elongation of the left ventricle and, based at least in part on the time difference, deciding whether a diastolic abnormality exists. Other exemplary methods, devices, systems, etc., are also disclosed.
