US08748358B2
Provided is an additive for lubricating oils which enhances frictional characteristics of slide parts in internal combustion engines and driving system transmission engines and which exhibit an excellent fuel consumption reducing effect. The above additive for lubricating oils comprises a heterocyclic compound having a heterocyclic skeleton originating in a compound selected from pyridines, pyrroles, pyrimidines, pyrazoles, pyridazines, indazoles, pyrazines, triazines, triazoles, tetrazoles, oxazoles, oxadiazoles, thiazoles, thiadiazoles, furans, dioxanes, pyrans and thiophenes. A lubricating oil composition containing the above additive for lubricating oils is effectively used for various low friction slide members, antifriction bearings and slide bearings.
US08748357B2
The lubricating oil used to lubricate diesel engines is stabilized against the detrimental degradation effects of biodiesel fuel by the addition to the lubricating oil of an additive concentrate comprising a premix of a first antioxidant, a second antioxidant of a type different from the first and an organometallic compound.
US08748350B2
A method for making a superconducting article includes the steps of providing a biaxially textured substrate. A seed layer is then deposited. The seed layer includes a double perovskite of the formula A2B′B″O6, where A is rare earth or alkaline earth metal and B′ and B″ are different rare earth or transition metal cations. A superconductor layer is grown epitaxially such that the superconductor layer is supported by the seed layer.
US08748347B2
The present invention relates to methods, use and compositions for combating harmful fungi and bacteria in plants. More specifically, it relates to methods and compositions for controlling, preventing, or treating plant pathogens using UV filters for combating phytotoxin-producing fungi and/or bacteria, in particular, for combating harmful fungi and/or bacteria producing photodynamically active phytotoxins.
US08748343B2
There are described herbicidal compositions which comprise at least one herbicidally active compound of the formula (I) and at least one crop-plant-protecting compound as safener. In this formula (I), V is an optionally substituted radical selected from the group consisting of isoxazol-4-yl, pyrazol-4-yl, cyclohexane-1,3-dion-2-yl and 3-oxopropionitril-2-yl and R9 is nitro, amino, halogen or a carbon-containing radical. The group of the safeners contains, for example, 2,4-D, cyometrinil, dicamba, dymron, fenclorim, flurazole, fluxofenim, lactidichlor, MCPA, mecoprop, MG-191, oxabetrinil, methyl diphenylmethoxyacetate, 1-[4-(N-2-methoxybenzoylsulfamoyl)phenyl]-3-methylurea, 1,8-naphthalaic anhydride, 1-[4-(N-2-methoxybenzoylsulfamoyl)phenyl]-3,3-dimethylurea, 1-[4-(N-4,5-dimethylbenzoylsulfamoyl)phenyl]-3-methylurea, 1-[4-(N-naphthoylsulfamoyl)phenyl]-3,3-dimethylurea, (4-chlorophenoxy)acetic acid, 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)butyric acid, 4-(4-chloro-o-tolyloxy)butyric acid, 4-(4-chlorophenoxy)butyric acid, in each case their acids and esters, N-acylsulfonamides, N-acylsulfamoylbenzamides, in each case, if appropriate, also in salt form and in each case optionally substituted 1-phenylpyrazoline, 1-phenylpyrazole, 1-phenyltriazole, 5-phenylisoxazoline and 5-phenylmethylisoxazoline-3-carboxylic esters and 2-(8-quinolinyloxy)acetic acid derivatives.
US08748342B2
The present invention relates to an agrochemical mixture for increasing the health of a plant, comprising as active ingredients a herbicidal compound (I) selected from the group consisting of: benzoic acids, pyridine carboxylic acids, quinoline carboxylic acids, and benazolin-ethyl; and a fungicidal compound (II) in synergistically effective amounts. The present invention further relates to a method for improving the health of a plant, wherein the plant, the locus where the plant is growing or is expected to grow or plant propagation material from which the plant grows is treated with an effective amount of a mixture as defined above. In addition, the invention relates to the use of a mixture as defined above for synergistically increasing the health of a plant.
US08748341B2
The present invention relates to synergistic mixtures comprising, as active components, chlorfenapyr as insecticidal compound I and a fungicidal compound II selected from the group of azoxystrobin, coumethoxystrobin, coumoxystrobin, dimoxystrobin, enestroburin, fluoxastrobin, kresoxim-methyl, metominostrobin, orysastrobin, pico-xystrobin, pyraclostrobin, pyrametostrobin, pyraoxystrobin, pyribencarb, trifloxysstrobin, 2-(ortho-((2,5-dimethylphenyl-oxymethylen)phenyl)-3-methoxy-acrylic acid methyl ester, 2-(2-(3-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-1-methyl-allylideneaminooxymethyl)-phenyl)-2-methoxyimino-N-methyl-acetamide.
US08748339B2
The present invention relates to a composition, comprising a 5-amino-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-pyrazole of the formula I as defined in the claims and the description and at least one active compound II selected from groups A) to I) in a synergistically effective amount.
US08748338B2
A toxin immobilization particle and method of fabrication is provided that includes a polysulfide-rubber polymer coated activated carbon particle that provides enhanced toxin adsorption. A porous activated carbon particle have a size range up to 2 mm is used. The polysulfide-rubber polymer coated activated carbon particle includes a polymer-dose range of up to 1.64 grams of sulfur per gram of activated carbon particles, where the toxins can include mercury, PCBs, chlorinated pesticides or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The method of forming the toxin immobilization particle includes condensing a polymer in a sulfide mixture to form a polysulfide-rubber polymer compound and coating an activated carbon particle with the polysulfide-rubber polymer. The levels of sulfur loading in the toxin immobilization particles are controlled by the polymer dose during the coating process, where the polysulfide polymer coated activated carbon particle provides enhanced toxin adsorption.
US08748336B2
A process of contacting an alkylene oxide with 2-methoxy-1-propanol (PM1) in the presence of an oligomeric Schiff base metal complex catalyst is disclosed. Further, a process involving contacting an alkylene oxide with an alkyl alcohol using an oligomeric Schiff base metal complex as a catalyst is also disclosed. Additionally, novel compositions which can be used as catalysts in processes involving the contacting of an alkyl alcohol with an alkylene oxide are also disclosed.
US08748335B2
A photodegradation catalyst or a photodegradation catalyst precursor comprises a plurality of domains of an oxide of a first metal distributed in a substrate of a halide or oxyhalide of a second metal, wherein the mole percentage of the halide or oxyhalide of the second metal is above 50%. Additionally, a method of preparing a photodegradation catalyst or a photodegradation catalyst precursor, a photodegradation catalyst or a photodegradation catalyst precursor obtained from the method and a method of treating organic pollutants or substances in air or water by using the photodegradation catalyst or the photodegradation catalyst precursor are illustrated.
US08748331B2
A method of manufacturing a remediation material uses a biogenic material as a substrate and involves preparing the surface of the substrate to enable a chemical reaction, and performing template-driven surface derivatization on the substrate to provide a net positive charge on the substrate. The remediation material may be placed into contact with surface water, ground water, soil, or sediment by at least one of a permeable reactive barrier, direct well injection, or direct introduction of the remediation material into soil or sediment, to remove contaminants from the surface water, ground water, soil, or sediment.
US08748330B2
This disclosure provides methods of making an enhanced activity nanostructured thin film catalyst by radiation annealing, typically laser annealing, typically under inert atmosphere. Typically the inert gas has a residual oxygen level of 100 ppm. Typically the irradiation has an incident energy fluence of at least 30 mJ/mm2. In some embodiments, the radiation annealing is accomplished by laser annealing. In some embodiments, the nanostructured thin film catalyst is provided on a continuous web.
US08748328B2
An optical glass having a refractive index nd of 1.70 or greater and an Abbé number of 50 or greater. Given as mole percentages, it comprises: B2O3 (20 to 80 percent), SiO2 (0 to 30 percent), Li2O (1 to 25 percent), ZnO (0 to 20 percent), La2O3 (4 to 30 percent), Gd2O3 (1 to 25 percent), Y2O3 (0 to 20 percent), ZrO2 (0 to 5 percent), MgO (0 to 25 percent), CaO (0 to 15 percent), and SrO (0 to 10 percent), with the combined quantity of the above components being 97 percent or greater. The molar ratio of {ZnO/(La2O3+Gd2O3+Y2O3)} is 0.8 or less and the molar ratio of {(CaO+SrO+BaO)/(La2O3+Gd2O3+Y2O3)} is 0.8 or less. Ta2O5 may be incorporated as an optional component, with the molar ratio {(ZrO2+Ta2O5)/(La2O3+Gd2O3+Y2O3)} being 0.4 or less.
US08748327B2
Disclosed are lead free glass frit powder for manufacturing a silicon solar cell, its producing method, a metal paste composition containing the same and a silicon solar cell. The lead free glass frit powder for manufacturing a silicon solar cell includes Bi2O3; B2O3; and any one metal oxide selected from the group consisting of ZnO, Al2O3 and BaCO3, or mixtures thereof. The glass frit powder is free of lead, and thus, it is environmental friendly. A front electrode of a solar cell formed using the glass frit powder has low resistance against contact with a substrate and high adhesion to the substrate.
US08748320B2
A method of connecting to a first metal layer in a semiconductor flow process. Disclosed embodiments connect to the first metal layer by etching a first portion of a viahole through an etch stop layer and a gate insulation layer to reach a first metal layer, depositing a second metal layer such that the second metal layer contacts the first metal layer within the viahole, and etching a second portion of the viahole through a first passivation layer and an organic layer to reach the second metal layer.
US08748317B2
A dielectric layer is deposited on a working surface of a substrate, wherein the dielectric layer contains or consists of a dielectric polymer. The dielectric layer is partially cured. A portion of the partially cured dielectric layer is removed using a chemical mechanical polishing process. Then the curing of remnant portions of the partially cured dielectric layer is continued to form a dielectric structure. The partially cured dielectric layer shows high removal rates during chemical mechanical polishing. With remnant portions of the dielectric layer provided in cavities, high volume insulating structures can be provided in an efficient manner.
US08748305B2
A semiconductor device is provided which includes a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of microelectronic elements formed therein; an interconnect structure formed over the substrate, the interconnect structure including metal layers isolated from one another by an inter-metal dielectric, the metal layers including a topmost metal layer; dummy metal vias formed between at least two metal layers and disposed within a region of the interconnect structure; and a bonding pad formed over the topmost metal layer such that the bonding pad is aligned with the region of the interconnect structure.
US08748304B2
Embodiments of the invention relate to a silicon semiconductor device, and a conductive thick film composition for use in a solar cell device.
US08748300B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a substrate, a first stacked body, a memory film, a first channel body, a second stacked body, a gate insulating film and a second channel body. A step part is formed between a side face of the select gate and the second insulating layer. A film thickness of a portion covering the step part of the second channel body is thicker than a film thickness of a portion provided between the second insulating layers of the second channel body.
US08748295B2
Test structures for semiconductor devices, methods of forming test structures, semiconductor devices, methods of manufacturing thereof, and testing methods for semiconductor devices are disclosed. In one embodiment, a test structure for a semiconductor device includes at least one first contact pad disposed in a first material layer in a scribe line region of the semiconductor device. The at least one first contact pad has a first width. The test structure also includes at least one second contact pad disposed in a second material layer proximate the at least one first contact pad in the first material layer. The at least one second contact pad has a second width that is greater than the first width.
US08748294B2
There is provided an SOS substrate with reduced stress. The SOS substrate is a silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) substrate comprising a sapphire substrate and a monocrystalline silicon film on or above the sapphire substrate. The stress of the silicon film of the SOS substrate as measured by a Raman shift method is 2.5×108 Pa or less across an entire in-plane area of the SOS substrate.
US08748292B2
The benefits of strained semiconductors are combined with silicon-on-insulator approaches to substrate and device fabrication.
US08748291B2
A method for testing a strip of MEMS devices, the MEMS devices including at least a respective die of semiconductor material coupled to an internal surface of a common substrate and covered by a protection material; the method envisages: detecting electrical values generated by the MEMS devices in response to at least a testing stimulus; and, before the step of detecting, at least partially separating contiguous MEMS devices in the strip. The step of separating includes defining a separation trench between the contiguous MEMS devices, the separation trench extending through the whole thickness of the protection material and through a surface portion of the substrate, starting from the internal surface of the substrate.
US08748287B2
Structures of a system on a chip are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system on a chip (SoC) includes an RF component disposed on a first part of a substrate, a semiconductor component disposed on a second part of the substrate, the semiconductor component and the RF component sharing a common boundary, and a conductive cage disposed enclosing the RF component. The conductive cage shields the semiconductor component from electromagnetic radiation originating from the RF circuit.
US08748286B2
A method of fabricating a nonvolatile memory device includes providing a substrate having active regions defined by a plurality of trenches, forming a first isolation layer on the substrate having the plurality of trenches, forming a sacrificial layer on the first isolation layer to fill the trenches, the sacrificial layer including a first region filling lower portions of the trenches and a second region filling portions other than the lower portions, removing the second region of the sacrificial layer, forming a second isolation layer on the first isolation layer and the first region of the sacrificial layer, forming air gaps in the trenches by removing the first region of the sacrificial layer, and removing a portion of the first isolation layer and a portion of the second isolation layer while maintaining the air gaps.
US08748268B1
Method for fabricating MOSFET integrated with Schottky diode (MOSFET/SKY) is disclosed. Gate trench is formed in an epitaxial layer overlaying semiconductor substrate, gate material is deposited therein. Body, source, dielectric regions are successively formed upon epitaxial layer and the gate trench. Top contact trench (TCT) is etched with vertical side walls defining Schottky diode cross-sectional width SDCW through dielectric and source region defining source-contact depth (SCD); and partially into body region by total body-contact depth (TBCD). A heavily-doped embedded body implant region (EBIR) of body-contact depth (BCD)
US08748264B2
A discrete storage element film is disposed above a tunneling dielectric film against a shallow trench isolation structure and under conditions to resist formation of the discrete storage element film upon vertical exposures of the shallow trench isolation structure. A discrete storage element film is also disposed above a tunneling dielectric film against a recessed isolation structure. A microelectronic device incorporates the discrete storage element film. A computing system incorporates the microelectronic device.
US08748263B2
In a method of fabricating a semiconductor device, isolation structures are formed in a substrate to define active regions. Conductive structures are formed on the substrate to cross over at least two of the active regions and the isolation structures, the conductive structures extending in a first direction. An interfacial layer is conformally formed on the substrate in contact with the conductive structures. A first insulation layer is provided on the interfacial layer, wherein the first insulation layer is formed using a flowable chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, and wherein the interfacial layer reduces a tensile stress generated at an interface between the conductive structures and the first insulation layer while the first insulation layer is formed.
US08748261B2
A semiconductor device includes a first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, a base region of a second-conductivity-type formed in an upper portion of the first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, first though third trenches penetrating through the base region and reaching to the first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer, the first through third trenches being linked to one another, a source interconnect layer buried in the first through third trenches, the source interconnect layer including a protruding portion, a gate electrode buried in the first trench and the third trench, and formed over the source interconnect layer, a source metal contacting the protruding portion of the source interconnect layer, and a gate metal contacting the gate electrode in the third trench. A contact face between the source metal and the protruding portion at the second trench is formed higher than a contact face between the gate metal and the gate electrode at the third trench.
US08748248B2
A semiconductor device including contact holes and method for forming the same are provided. A dual-stress liner is formed on a substrate. A first, second and third dielectric layers are then formed over the dual-stress liner. The second dielectric layer has a top surface leveling with that of an overlapping portion of the dual-stress liner. The third dielectric layer is etched to form first openings to have the etching stop at the second dielectric layer and at the upper stress liner of the overlapping portion. The second dielectric layer, the first dielectric layer and the upper stress liner are etched along the first openings to form second openings having the etching stop at the lower stress liner of the overlapping portion and the dual-stress liner in other regions. The stress liners are etched to form contact holes.
US08748244B1
The present invention relates to fabrication of enhancement mode and depletion mode High Electron Mobility Field Effect Transistors on the same die separated by as little as 10 nm. The fabrication method uses selective decomposition and selective regrowth of the Barrier layer and the Cap layer to engineer the bandgap of a region on a die to form an enhancement mode region. In these regions zero or more devices may be fabricated.
US08748242B2
A thin film transistor (TFT) structure is implemented. This embodiment is much less sensitive than conventional TFTs to alignment errors and substrate distortion. In such a configuration, there is no need to define gate features, so the layout is simplified. Moreover, the gate layer may be patterned by several inexpensive printing or non-printing methods.
US08748239B2
A method of fabricating a gate includes sequentially forming an insulation layer and a conductive layer on substantially an entire surface of a substrate. The substrate has a device isolation layer therein and a top surface of the device isolation layer is higher than a top surface of the substrate. The method includes planarizing a top surface of the conductive layer and forming a gate electrode by patterning the insulation layer and the conductive layer.
US08748229B2
A semiconductor device includes a supporting board, a first semiconductor element mounted on a main surface of the supporting board; and an electronic component provided between the supporting board and the first semiconductor element; wherein the supporting board includes a concave part formed in a direction separated from the first semiconductor element; and at least a part of the electronic component is accommodated in the concave part.
US08748226B2
A method for fixing a semiconductor chip on a circuit board is provided, which includes following steps. The circuit board is provided, which sequentially includes a substrate having a chip connecting portion, at least one metal wire and an insulating layer. An organic insulating material is formed on the insulating layer of the outside edge of the chip connecting portion. An anisotropic conductive film (ACF) is then formed to cover the chip connecting portion and a portion of the organic insulating material. Finally, a semiconductor chip is hot-pressed on the ACF. The organic insulating material formed on the insulating layer is used to prevent the metal wires beneath the insulating layer from occurring of corrosion. A semiconductor chip package structure is also provided.
US08748225B2
A semiconductor device and manufacturing method are disclosed which prevent breakage and chipping of a semiconductor chip and improve device characteristics. A separation layer is in a side surface of an element end portion of the chip. An eave portion is formed by a depressed portion in the element end portion. A collector layer on the rear surface of the chip extends to a side wall and bottom surface of the depressed portion, and is connected to the separation layer. A collector electrode is over the whole surface of the collector layer, and is on the side wall of the depressed portion. The thickness of an outermost electrode film is 0.05 μm or less. The collector electrode on the rear surface of the chip is joined onto an insulating substrate via a solder layer, which covers the collector electrode on a flat portion of the rear surface of the semiconductor chip.
US08748224B2
A transistor with superior electric characteristics is manufactured. An oxide insulating film is formed over a substrate, an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the oxide insulating film, heat treatment is then conducted at a temperature at which hydrogen contained in the oxide semiconductor film is desorbed and part of oxygen contained in the oxide insulating film is desorbed, then the heated oxide semiconductor film is etched into a predetermined shape to form an island-shaped oxide semiconductor film, a pair of electrodes is formed over the island-shaped oxide semiconductor film, a gate insulating film is formed over the pair of electrodes and the island-shaped oxide semiconductor film, and a gate electrode is formed over the gate insulating film.
US08748219B2
The disclosed device is a solid state organic semiconductor VCSEL in which the microcavity is composed of metal and dielectric mirrors and the gain layer is only λ/2n thick. The gain layer comprises a thermally evaporated 156.7 nm thick film of the laser dye DCM doped (2.5% v/v) into an Alq3 host matrix. The microcavity consists of 2 mirrors, a dielectric Bragg reflector (DBR) sputter-coated onto a quartz substrate as the mirror through which the organic gain layer is optically excited and laser emission is collected and a silver mirror that is thermally evaporated on top of the Alq3:DCM film. The device exhibits laser action from the DCM both when the DCM molecules are excited directly at 535 nm and via Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) from the Alq3 (excited at 404 nm) with laser thresholds of 4.9 μJ/cm2 and 14.2 μJ/cm2 respectively.
US08748216B2
The present invention provides a non-vacuum method of depositing a photovoltaic absorber layer based on electrophoretic deposition of a mixture of nanoparticles with a controlled atomic ratio between the elements. The nanoparticles are first dispersed in a liquid medium to form a colloidal suspension and then electrophoretically deposited onto a substrate to form a thin film photovoltaic absorber layer. The absorber layer may be subjected to optional post-deposition treatments for photovoltaic absorption.
US08748215B2
One embodiment is a method for manufacturing a stacked oxide material, including the steps of forming an oxide component over a base component; forming a first oxide crystal component which grows from a surface toward an inside of the oxide component by heat treatment, and leaving an amorphous component just above a surface of the base component; and stacking a second oxide crystal component over the first oxide crystal component. In particular, the first oxide crystal component and the second oxide crystal component have common c-axes. Same-axis (axial) growth in the case of homo-crystal growth or hetero-crystal growth is caused.
US08748213B2
A method of forming a light transmission member includes a plurality of processes to form a plurality of sections of the light transmission member. Notably, after a first class process to form light transmission portions having narrow-band light transmission properties in a first class section group, a second class process is performed to form light transmission portions in a second class section group, and a fourth class process is performed to form light transmission portions having wide-band light transmission properties in a first section.
US08748212B2
A method and an apparatus for producing solar cell strings by connecting at least two solar cells by a least one conductor ribbon of a first length, wherein the solar cells are respectively spaced from one another at a string cell spacing(s), until a desired number of solar cells for producing a first solar cell string is connected together, connecting a further solar cell with a last solar cell of the first solar string by at least another conductor ribbon which is longer than the at least one conductor ribbon, wherein the second solar cell is spaced from the last solar cell at a greater spacing than the string cell spacing(s) and wherein the second solar cell forms the first solar cell for a second solar string, and separating the at least another conductor ribbon for decoupling the first solar cell string.
US08748207B2
Structures having a hybrid MEMS RF switch and method of fabricating such structures using existing wiring layers of a device is provided. The method of manufacturing a MEMS switch includes forming a forcing electrode from a lower wiring layer of a device and forming a lower electrode from an upper wiring layer of the device. The method further includes forming a flexible cantilever arm over the forcing electrode and the lower electrode such that upon application of a voltage to the forcing electrode, the flexible cantilever arm will contact the lower electrode to close the MEMS switch.
US08748199B2
Methods and systems are provided for fabricating a semiconductor device. An exemplary method involves forming a feature of a semiconductor device in a first region of a layer of material on a semiconductor substrate and forming a test structure in a second region of the layer of material. The test structure is formed concurrently to forming the feature, and a dimension of the feature is determined using the test structure.
US08748189B2
A method for measuring bromate ion includes: a first step of introducing a test water sample to an anion exchanger that selectively absorbs bromate ions; a second step of introducing, to the anion exchanger, a hydrochloric acid solution containing a fluorescent substance, a fluorescence intensity of which is changed by the coexistence of bromate ions; a third step of measuring the fluorescence intensity of the fluorescent substance contained in the hydrochloric acid solution discharged from the anion exchanger; and a fourth step of using a calibration curve, which shows a relationship between the fluorescence intensity of the fluorescent substance and the concentration of the bromate ions, to calculate the concentration of the bromate ions that corresponds to the measured fluorescence intensity.
US08748187B2
A control system of a NOx removal device is provided with reagent introducing means for introducing a reagent into a fluid, a temperature measuring device that measures a temperature distribution of the fluid, a reagent-concentration calculating portion that calculates a concentration distribution of the reagent introduced into the fluid with the temperature distribution determined at the temperature measuring device, a reagent-flow-rate determining portion that determines a flow rate of the reagent that the reagent introducing means introduces in accordance with the concentration distribution calculated at the reagent-concentration calculating portion, and a reagent-introducing-means control portion that controls the reagent introducing means so as to introduce the reagent into the fluid at the flow rate determined at the reagent-flow-rate determining portion.
US08748186B2
A method for counting blood cells in a sample of whole blood. The method comprises the steps of: (a) providing a sample of whole blood; (b) depositing the sample of whole blood onto a slide, e.g., a microscope slide; (c) employing a spreader to create a blood smear; (d) allowing the blood smear to dry on the slide; (e) measuring absorption or reflectance of light attributable to the hemoglobin in the red blood cells in the blood smear on the slide; (f) recording a magnified two-dimensional digital image of the area of analysis identified by the measurement in step (e) as being of suitable thickness for analysis; and (g) collecting, analyzing, and storing data from the magnified two-dimensional digital image. Optionally, steps of fixing and staining of blood cells on the slide can be employed in the method.
US08748181B2
The present invention provides methods of generating and devices of patterned soft substrates, on which cells may be seeded, as well as methods of using these substrates. Devices containing these patterned soft substrates are also provided.
US08748173B2
The present invention provides monoclonal antibodies which are highly specific for Bacillus spores. Also provided are peptides derived from those monoclonal antibodies. Both the antibodies and peptides are highly specific and can discriminate between spores of potentially lethal organisms such as Bacillus anthracis and other harmless but closely related bacilli and provide a very powerful tool in the construction of detection instruments as counter measures.
US08748172B2
Provided herein, is a means for development of ferrochelatase variants with improved tolerance towards N-methyl protoporphyrin. Also disclosed are cell assay systems utilizing the variants, as the variants would confer resistance to N-methyl protoporphyrin inhibition and thereby keep heme synthesis uninterrupted. The variants contain loop mutations that affect the NMPP-ferrochelatase interaction, and different degrees of NMPP tolerance are obtained with the introduction of loop mutations in wild-type ferrochelatase. Also disclosed is kinetic mechanism of inhibition of ferrochelatase by NMPP, using the disclosed variants whose mutations in the “porphyrin-interacting loop” motif weakened the potency of NMPP as an inhibitor.
US08748170B2
In one embodiment, the invention provides a composition comprising one or more polypeptide(s), each of said polypeptide(s) comprising a sequence selected from the group consisting of KFRLLQETMYMTVSI (SEQ ID NO: 1), LQETMYMTVSIIDRF (SEQ ID NO: 2), and MYMTVSIIDRFM (SEQ ID NO: 3), or a combination of two or three such polypeptides, wherein each of said polypeptide(s) consist(s) of at most 24 amino acid residues, the composition also comprising a carrier. In another embodiment, the invention provides a composition comprising one or more bacterial or viral vectors comprising one or more nucleic acid molecule(s) encoding one or more polypeptide(s), each of said polypeptide(s) having a sequence selected from the group consisting of KFRLLQETMYMTVSI (SEQ ID NO: 1), LQETMYMTVSIIDRF (SEQ ID NO: 2), and MYMTVSIIDRFM (SEQ ID NO: 3), wherein each of said polypeptide(s) consist(s) of at most 24 amino acid residues.
US08748169B2
Methods and compositions relating to restricted expression lentiviral vectors and their applications
The present invention provides HIV-derived lentivectors which are safe, highly efficient, and very potent for expressing transgenes for human gene therapy, especially, in human hematopoietic progenitor cells as well as in all other blood cell derivatives. The lentiviral vectors comprise promoters active to promote expression specific to cell types or tissues. Further, promoters are providing that are amenable to control by activators, enhancers, or repressors. These vectors are in a self-inactivating configuration for biosaftey. Additional promoters are also described. The vectors can also comprise additional transcription enhancing elements such as the wood chuck hepatitis virus post-transcriptional regulatory element, without any decrease in the specificity or control exerted by the promoters. These vectors therefore provide useful tools for genetic treatments such as inherited and acquired lympho-hematological disorders, gene-therapies for cancers especially the hematological cancers, as well as for the study of hematopoiesis via lentivector-mediated modification of human HSCs.
US08748148B2
The invention provides a mutant hydrolase protein with enhanced kinetics and functional expression, as well as polynucleotides encoding the mutant proteins and methods of using the polynucleotides and mutant proteins.
US08748147B2
Chimeric proteins comprising a sequence nonspecific single-stranded nucleic-acid-binding domain joined to a catalytic nucleic-acid-modifying domain are provided. Methods comprising contacting a nucleic acid molecule with a chimeric protein, as well as systems comprising a nucleic acid molecule, a chimeric protein, and an aqueous solution are also provided. The joining of sequence nonspecific single-stranded nucleic-acid-binding domain and a catalytic nucleic-acid-modifying domain in chimeric proteins, among other things, may prevent the separation of the two domains due to their weak association and thereby enhances processivity while maintaining fidelity.
US08748137B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for efficiently producing a polylactate via microbial fermentation with the use of a sugar as a starting material.The method is a method for producing a polylactate, which comprises the steps of: (1) culturing a recombinant microorganism having a protein capable of catalyzing a reaction of transferring CoA to propionic acid and/or lactate and a protein capable of catalyzing a reaction of polyhydroxyalkanoate synthesis consisting of the following amino acid sequence (a) or (b) in a medium containing a carbon source: (a) an amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2 by substitution of at least one of the amino acids at positions 130, 325, 477, and 481 with different amino acid(s); or (b) an amino acid sequence derived from the protein specified in (a) by additional deletion or substitution of one or several amino acid(s) other than the amino acids at positions 130, 325, 477, and 481 or by insertion of one or several amino acid residue(s); and (2) collecting the polylactate from the culture product obtained in step (1).
US08748136B2
The present invention relates to a method for the production of methionine or its derivatives by culturing a microorganism in an appropriate culture medium comprising a source of carbon and a source of sulphur. The microorganism and/or the culture medium and/or the process parameters were modified in a way that the accumulation of the by-product N-acyl-methionine (NAM) is reduced. The isolation of methionine or its derivatives from the fermentation medium is also claimed.
US08748128B2
Four novel transporter genes were successfully cloned by screening novel transporter genes based on the human OATP transporter gene sequence. These transporters are useful in the development of drugs by taking advantage of the activity of transporting biological substances and various drugs. It was also found that these transporter genes have single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). Gene diagnosis based on the polymorphisms (such as SNP) in these transporter genes enables one to judge, for example, the efficacy of a drug therapy.
US08748111B2
The invention provides a bio-sensing nanodevice comprising: a stabilized G-protein coupled receptor on a support, a real time receptor-ligand binding detection method, a test composition delivery system and a test composition recognition program. The G-protein coupled receptor can be stabilized using surfactant peptide. The nanodevice provides a greater surface area for better precision and sensitivity to odorant detection. The invention further provides a microfluidic chip containing a stabilized G-protein coupled receptor immobilized on a support, and arranged in at least two dimensional microarray system. The invention also provides a method of delivering odorant comprising the step of manipulating the bubbles in complex microfluidic networks wherein the bubbles travel in a microfluidic channel carrying a variety of gas samples to a precise location on a chip. The invention further provides method of fabricating hOR17-4 olfactory receptor.
US08748109B2
This invention relates to methodology for detecting, assessing and/or diagnosing the presence of organ or tissue injury. More specifically, the present invention relates to methodology for detecting particular serum biomarkers that can be used in the detection, assessment and/or diagnosis of organ (e.g. liver) or tissue (e.g. skin) injury.
US08748098B2
Described herein are compositions and methods for the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention and treatment of melanoma or melanoma associated symptoms. The compositions are microRNA molecules associated with melanoma, as well as various nucleic acid molecules relating thereto or derived therefrom.
US08748096B2
The present invention provides an isolated nucleic acid molecule containing a repeat region of an isolated spinocerebellar ataxia type 8 (SCA8) coding sequence, the coding sequence located within the long arm of chromosome 13, and the complement of the nucleic acid molecule. Diagnostic methods based on identification of this repeat region are also provided.
US08748092B2
The invention provides methods and compositions for rapid, sensitive, and highly specific nucleic acid-based (e.g., DNA based) detection of a BK virus in a sample. In general, the methods involve detecting a target nucleic acid having a target sequence of a conserved region of BK viral genomes. The invention also features compositions, including primers, probes, and kits, for use in the methods of the invention.
US08748079B2
A system and method for forming encoded microparticles is described. One embodiment includes a method for forming a microparticle, the method comprising providing a pattern, wherein the pattern defines a code element, printing the pattern on a substrate to form a first code element within a microparticle region, printing the pattern on the substrate to form at least one successive code element, such that the first code element and the at least one successive code element are within the same microparticle region, wherein a code is formed by the first code element and any successive code elements.
US08748073B2
A toner comprising a modified polyester resin containing a structure represented by Formula (1a) or (1b), wherein, in Formula (1a) and (1b), R1 represents a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, or an ethyl group, R2 represents an aliphatic hydrocarbon which may be branched, or an aromatic hydrocarbon, and R3 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a phenyl group.
US08748070B2
Provided is a thiol group-containing charge transporting material represented by the following general formula (1): F-[(G)a1-(X)a2—Y—SH]b (1) wherein F represents an organic group derived from a charge transporting compound, G represents a divalent organic group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, X represents a group selected from a —CO—O— group, an —O—CO— group, and an —O— group, Y represents a divalent organic group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, a1 and a2 each independently represent 0 or 1, and b represents an integer of 1 or more and 6 or less.
US08748058B2
A Perovskite-like structure and its device applications are disclosed. One Perovskite-like structure disclosed includes a compound having an empirical chemical formula [A(ByC1-Y)Oz]x, where x, y, and z are numerical ranges. In select embodiments, A comprises one or more divalent metal ions, B comprises one or more monovalent metal ions, C comprises one or more pentavalent metal ions, O is oxygen; and wherein x≧1, 0.1≦y≦0.9, 2.5≦z≦3, and wherein the net charge of A is +2, and the net charge Of (ByC1-y) is +4.
US08748055B2
Composite separator for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell and method for manufacturing the same
The present invention provides a composite separator for a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and a method for manufacturing the same. The inventive method involves allowing graphite foil layers to be brought into direct contact with each other when graphite foils are stacked on both sides of a carbon fiber reinforced composite material prepreg, thereby improving electrical conductivity in the thickness direction of the separator.
US08748052B2
An electricity storage system comprising a reversible fuel cell having a first electrode and a second electrode separated by an ionically conducting electrolyte, and at least two chambers adapted to hold fuel and/or a reaction product, wherein the system is substantially closed and at least one reactant for discharge is hydrogen or oxygen.
US08748041B2
Disclosed is a positive electrode active material that provides an improved capacity density. Specifically disclosed is a positive electrode active material for a lithium ion battery with a layered structure represented by Lix(NiyM1-y)Oz (wherein M represents at least one element selected from a group consisting of Mn, Co, Mg, Al, Ti, Cr, Fe, Cu, and Zr; x is in the range from 0.9 to 1.2; y is in the range from 0.3 to 0.95; and z is in the range from 1.8 to 2.4), wherein, when a value obtained by dividing an average of peak intensities observed between 1420 and 1450 cm−1 and between 1470 and 1500 cm−1 by the maximum intensity of a peak appearing between 520 and 620 cm−1 in an infrared absorption spectrum obtained by FT-IR is represented by A, A satisfies the following relational formula: 0.20y−0.05≦A≦0.53y−0.06.
US08748034B2
The present invention provides a battery that includes: a lid plate provided with a terminal pull-out through hole and a baffling portion whose upper surface is configured in a projecting and/or recessed manner; an auxiliary terminal configured such that a lower portion thereof is connected to a metallic foil of a power generating element by being fitted into a battery container through the terminal pull-out through hole, and sealed and fixed to the lid plate by insulating and sealing members; a connecting conductor connected and fixed to an upper portion of the auxiliary terminal; and an external terminal having a bolt portion that projects upward from a base portion, the bolt portion being inserted through the terminal through hole of the connecting conductor from below, and the base portion being engaged with the baffling portion of the lid plate, thereby restricting rotation centering an axial line of the bolt portion.
US08748031B2
A rechargeable battery includes an electrode assembly having a first electrode and a second electrode, a first case housing the electrode assembly and electrically coupled to the first electrode, and a second case electrically insulated from the first case and housing the first case, wherein the second case is electrically coupled to the second electrode.
US08748028B2
The invention relates to a particular multi-layer microporous membrane having a good balance of important properties, including excellent electrochemical stability and low heat shrinkage, while maintaining high permeability and heat resistance, with good mechanical strength, compression resistance and electrolytic solution absorption. Of particular importance when used as a battery separator, the present multi-layer microporous membrane exhibits excellent heat shrinkage, melt down temperature and thermal mechanical properties, i.e. low maximum shrinkage in the molten state. The multi-layer microporous membrane of the present invention is manufactured by layering, such as for example by coextrusion, one or more microporous membrane first layers and one or more microporous membrane second layers, such as on one or both sides of a first layer. The invention further relates to battery separators comprising the multi-layer microporous membrane and batteries utilizing the battery separators.
US08748027B2
Disclosed herein is a middle- or large-sized battery pack case in which a battery module having a plurality of stacked battery cells, which can be charged and discharged, is mounted, wherein the battery pack case is provided with a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port, which are disposed such that a coolant for cooling the battery cells can flow from one side to the other side of the battery module in the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the battery cells, the battery pack case is further provided with a flow space (‘inlet duct’) extending from the coolant inlet port to the battery module and another flow space (‘outlet duct’) extending from the battery module to the coolant outlet port, and one or more guide members are disposed in the inlet duct for guiding the flow of the coolant in the direction parallel to the stacking direction of the battery cells.
US08748023B2
An electronic apparatus comprises a battery pack that comprising a first battery cell and a second battery cell that are arranged in a first direction and store energy for enabling operation of electronic components; and a battery holder that houses the battery pack. The battery holder comprises a projecting part in a first face that configures the battery holder and covers the battery pack while the battery pack is provided with a slit that is fitted with the projecting part in a second face that is opposed to the first face. Furthermore, the first direction intersects a boundary direction extending between the first battery cell and the second battery cell, and the slit is formed to extend along the first direction in the second face.
US08748017B2
According to one embodiment, a bit patterned medium includes a substrate, and a magnetic recording layer disposed above the substrate and including patterns of protrusions. Each of the protrusions contains a plurality of crystal grains. An average distance between the crystal grains is 0.5 to 3.0 nm in each of the protrusions. The protrusions include first protrusions each having a length of 1 μm or more in a radial direction of the medium and second protrusions each having a length in the radial direction shorter than the length of the first protrusion in the radial direction. Each of the first protrusions has a nucleation field Hn for magnetization reversal and a coercive force Hc satisfying the inequalities, Hn≧1.5 kOe and 0.5 kOe≦Hc−Hn≦1.5 kOe.
US08748012B2
Novel aryl silicon and aryl germanium host materials are described. These compounds improve OLED device performance when used as hosts in the emissive layer of the OLED.
US08748008B2
A fired heater tube that is resistant to corrosion and fouling is disclosed. The fired heater tube comprises an advantageous high performance coated material composition resistant to corrosion and fouling comprises: (PQR), wherein P is an oxide layer at the surface of (PQR), Q is a coating metal layer interposed between P and R, and R is a base metal layer, wherein P is substantially comprised of alumina, chromia, silica, mullite, spinels, and mixtures thereof, Q comprises Cr, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ni, Al, Si, Mn, Fe, Co, B, C, N, P, Ga, Ge, As, In, Sn, Sb, Pb, Sc, La, Y, Ce, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Mo, W, Re, Ru, Rh, Ir, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au and mixtures thereof, and R is selected from the group consisting of low chromium steels, ferritic stainless steels, austenetic stainless steels, duplex stainless steels, Inconel alloys, Incoloy alloys, Fe—Ni based alloys, Ni-based alloys and Co-based alloys.
US08747998B2
A coated article is described. The coated article includes an aluminum or aluminum alloy substrate and a compound corrosion resistant layer formed on the substrate. The compound corrosion resistant layer includes a plurality of first non-crystalline films and an equal number of second non-crystalline films. Each the first non-crystalline film interleaves with each the second non-crystalline film. The first non-crystalline film is an aluminum nitride film or an aluminum oxide film. The second non-crystalline film is a silicon nitride film or a silicon dioxide film. A method for making the coated article is also described.
US08747992B2
In accordance with an embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises at least three active areas. The at least three active areas are proximate. Longitudinal axes of the at least three active areas are parallel, and each of the at least three active areas comprises an edge intersecting the longitudinal axis of the respective active area. The edges of the at least three active areas form an arc.
US08747982B2
A method is used for producing an SiC volume monocrystal by sublimation growth. Before the beginning of growth, an SiC seed crystal is arranged in a crystal growth region of a growth crucible and powdery SiC source material is introduced into an SiC storage region of the growth crucible. During the growth, by sublimation of the powdery SiC source material and by transport of the sublimated gaseous components into the crystal growth region, an SiC growth gas phase is produced there. The SiC volume monocrystal having a central center longitudinal axis grows by deposition from the SiC growth gas phase on the SiC seed crystal. The SiC seed crystal is heated substantially without bending during a heating phase before the beginning of growth, so that an SiC crystal structure with a substantially homogeneous course of lattice planes is provided in the SiC seed crystal.
US08747977B2
A multilayer hose is provided with a leak preventative interfacial layer that includes a super absorbent polymer (SAP) interposed between an inner layer and an outer layer. In one embodiment, the inner and outer layers are made of ethylene propylene diene monomer (M-class) (EPDM) rubber, and the interfacial layer is covalently bonded to the inner layer (and, optionally, to the outer layer) via a curing reaction between the EPDM rubber of at least the inner layer and a vinyl functionalized reaction product of alginic acid and acryloyl chloride of the interfacial layer. In addition, a reinforcement layer (e.g., textile filaments braided, knitted, or spirally wound onto the interfacial layer) is disposed between the inner and outer layers. In some embodiments, one or more SAP-equipped multilayer hoses interconnect liquid-coolant cooling system components (e.g., cold plates, headers, manifolds, pumps, reservoirs, and heat exchangers) of an apparatus that removes heat from electronic components.
US08747974B2
The present invention relates to a polyester resin composition comprising: (A) a polyester resin containing 5% by mole or more and not more than 86% by mole of a succinic acid unit in the whole of an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid unit; (B) a polyester resin containing 5% by mole or more and not more than 95% by mole of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid unit in all of dicarboxylic acid units; and (C) a polyester resin containing an aliphatic oxycarboxylic acid, wherein the polyester resin composition contains from 10 to 89% by weight of the resin (A) and from 11 to 90% by weight of the resin (B) relative to a total sum of the resins (A) and (B) and contains from 1 to 40% by weight of the resin (C) relative to a total sum of the resins (A), (B) and (C).
US08747969B2
Provided are coated films suitable for inkjet printing applications using UV-curable inkjet ink. The films are coated with cationically stabilizable emulsion polymers. The emulsion polymers contain cationically stabilizable amino-functional polymers. Also provided is a method of printing with a UV-inkjet printer comprising jetting UV-curable inkjet ink onto the coated film substrate to form an ink printed image.
US08747965B2
Provided are a novel europium compound which has a melting point of 180° C. or lower and can be stably supplied by bubbling in a chemical vapor deposition method or an atomic layer deposition method, a precursor for forming a europium-containing thin film based on the compound, and a method for forming a europium-containing thin film using this precursor. A europium-containing thin film is formed using bis(tetramethylmonoalkylcyclopentadienyl)europium as a precursor for forming a europium-containing thin film by a chemical vapor deposition method or anatomic layer deposition method.
US08747964B2
Systems, methods, and apparatus for depositing a tantalum layer on a wafer substrate are disclosed. In one aspect, a tantalum layer may be deposited on a surface of a wafer substrate using an ion-induced atomic layer deposition process with a tantalum precursor. A copper layer may be deposited on the tantalum layer.
US08747952B2
A coating material includes: (A) a compound of formula (I) Ra4-nSiXan (I), wherein: Xa is a hydrolysable radical; Ra is a non-hydrolysable radical; n is 2, 3 or 4; (B) a compound of formula (II) wherein: Xb is a hydrolysable radical; Rb is a non-hydrolysable radical without an epoxide function, an acryloxy function, a methacryloxy function and an isocyanate function; Yb is a non-hydrolysable radical with a crosslinkable function; p is 2 or 3; q is 1 or 2; the sum of p and q is less than or equal to 4; (C) a crosslinking agent; (D) an organozirconium, organotitanium or organoaluminum compound containing hydrolysable organic radicals; (E) a hydrolysis catalyst; (F) crosslinkable prepolymers of epoxy and epoxysiloxane resins, (G) optional corrosion inhibitors; (H) optional compounds for reducing the reactivity of component (D); wherein n and the sum of p +q are not at the same time each 4.
US08747937B2
Provided is a concentrated coffee extract solution having a rich sweet aroma and a clear aftertaste. The concentrated coffee extract solution contains the following components (A) and (B): (A) at least one pyrazine selected from 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, ethylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-5-methylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-6-methylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine and 3,5-dimethyl-2-methylpyrazine, and (B) at least one guaiacol selected from guaiacol, 4-ethylguaiacol and 4-vinylguaiacol. A content weight ratio [(B)/(A)] of the component (B) to the component (A) is 0.6 or smaller.
US08747935B2
The invention provides for the use of a texture modifying agent added to nutritionally enhanced pasta dough, such as pasta dough with high levels of protein, so that a pasta product can be produced with a quality similar to that of conventional pasta. The texture modifying agent, which preferably includes an enzyme, permits the nutritionally enhanced pasta dough to be extruded in conventional pasta manufacturing equipment and to form a pasta product with a texture similar to typical semolina-based pasta.
US08747934B2
A system for moulding three-dimensional products from a mass of one or more food starting materials which are suitable for consumption, in particular human consumption, has a production device having a frame, a mould member provided with at least one mould cavity, the frame supporting the mould member, mass feed means for feeding the mass to the one or more mould cavities of the mould member. The system also has at least one cleaning device for cleaning one or more parts of the production device which come into contact with the mass. The mould member is removable from the frame. The system has a storage device for storing a plurality of mould members, which may be provided with an identification, has recognition means for recognizing the identification of a mould member, and may have a memory for storing at least one history of a mould member.
US08747927B2
Disclosed are compositions and corresponding methods of their use that include jaboticaba fruit pulp and/or cashew fruit pulp or extracts thereof.
US08747923B2
A method of improving health in a canine includes administering to the canine a nutritional supplement comprising an amino acid secretagogue composition, which stimulates the pituitary gland of the canines to produce growth hormone. The nutritional supplement may be administered orally. The nutritional supplement may comprise L-arginine hydrochloride, Oxo-proline, L-lysine hydrochloride, and cysteine. When desired, the nutritional supplement may consist essentially of L-arginine hydrochloride, Oxo-proline, L-lysine hydrochloride, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, L-glutamine, and schizonepeta powder.
US08747922B2
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to methods and supplements for increasing sex steroids and human growth hormone in a human being.
US08747919B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a pharmaceutical composition comprising an enzyme-treated human serum which is useful for treatment and prevention of diseases such as a cancer and an infectious disease, and a method of preparing the same. The present invention relates to a method of preparing a pharmaceutical composition comprising an enzyme-treated human serum, comprising a step of bringing the human serum into contact with β-galactosidase and, to a pharmaceutical composition comprising an enzyme-treated human serum obtained by the preparation method.
US08747913B2
A pharmaceutical composition consisting of Radix Polygoni Multiflori extract, Salviae Miltiorrhizae extract, Fructus Crataegi extract and Radix Notoginseng extract is described, wherein the composition optionally contains a pharmaceutical carrier. Processes for producing the composition and methods for treating and/or preventing hyperlipidemia, treating and/or preventing fatty liver and lowering blood lipid level by administration of the pharmaceutical composition are also disclosed.
US08747910B2
Method for determining whether a mammalian subject having a cancer belongs to a first or a second group, wherein subjects of the first group are more likely to respond to a platinum-based therapy than subjects of the second group, comprising the steps of: evaluating the amount of RBM3 protein or RBM3 mRNA present in at least part of a sample earlier obtained from said subject, and determining a sample value corresponding to said amount; comparing the sample value with a reference value; and, if said sample value is higher than said reference value, concluding that said subject belongs to a first group; and if said sample value is lower than or equal to said reference value, concluding that said subject belongs to a second group. There is further provided means useful in the establishment of a treatment prediction.
US08747907B2
The present invention provides cerium oxide nanoparticles for use both in therapeutic compositions in vivo and in research in vitro. The cerium oxide nanoparticles are of known range of sizes having biological properties that are reproducible and beneficial. Pharmaceutical and other compositions are provided, as are methods of treatment.
US08747904B2
The present invention provides micelles having a polynucleotide encapsulated therein, the micelle comprising copolymers comprising hydrophobic moieties in a cationic complexing block. The invention further provides methods of preparing and using said micelles, and compositions thereof.
US08747903B2
The present invention relates to a composition for nucleic acid delivery and a method for preparing the same, more particularly to a composition for nucleic acid delivery having excellent stability in the body environment and excellent intracellular delivery efficiency of nucleic acid, and enabling target directed delivery of nucleic acid, and a method for preparing the same.
US08747900B2
The invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising cefuroximaxetil and at least one carrageenan selected from the group consisting of κ-carrageenan, λ-carrageenan and -carrageenan. The invention furthermore relates to pellets, to a multiparticulate, pharmaceutical dosage form and to a novel crystalline modification of cefuroximaxetil.
US08747899B2
Self-forming hybrid compositions consisting in admixed liquid and solid components enable the formation of bio-materials. The present invention proposes a) a thermo-sensitive self-forming liquid component, being water-based and containing at least a polycationic polymer such as chitosan, and an organic mono-phosphate source, which is a solution at a pH ranging from 6.5 to 7.4; b) a solid component being mineral and composed of at least one of calcium, fluoride, strontium, carbonate and phosphate salts. Solid mineral salts preferentially have a recognized bioactive potential such as the calcium phosphate salts for bones. Both solid and liquid components are admixed to form an injectable liquid slurry or pre-gelled paste that turn in situ into a hybrid uniform gel-like bio-material.
US08747893B2
The present invention is to obtain capsules which do not disintegrate in stomach and intestine after orally administrating them and which disintegrate specifically in large intestine.The present invention thus provides a capsule which disintegrates specifically in large intestine, comprising a content comprising a main agent, and a shell, covering the content, comprising a natural water-soluble polymer as a shell base material and chitosan powder dispersing in the natural water-soluble polymer.
US08747880B2
An engineered three-dimensional structure includes living cells cohered with each other. The living cells suitably include Schwann cells and at least one other type of cell. The cells accompanying the Schwann cells can suitably be bone marrow stem cells or another type of cell having one or more anti-inflammatory properties. The structure is suitably a graft that facilitates restorative axon growth when the graft is implanted between the proximal and distal stubs of a severed nerve in a living organism. The graft can optionally include a plurality of acellular conduits extending between opposite axial ends of the graft. Bio-printing techniques can be used to assemble a three-dimensional construct that becomes through maturation an axon-guiding graft, by stacking a plurality of multicellular bodies, each of which includes a plurality of living cells cohered to one another to sufficiently to avoid collapsing when the multicellular bodies are stacked to form the structure.
US08747872B2
The present invention relates to methods and compositions for treating pulmonary infection. In particular, the present invention provides nanoemulsion compositions and methods of using the same to treat bacteria associated with biofilms (e.g., found in pulmonary infections). Compositions and methods of the present invention find use in, among other things, clinical (e.g. therapeutic and preventative medicine), industrial, and research applications.
US08747866B2
The present invention relates to a strain of M. bovis BCG or M. microti, wherein said strain has integrated part or all of the RD1 region responsible for enhanced immunogenicity of the tubercle bacilli, especially the ESAT-6 and CFP-10 genes. These strains will be referred as the M. bovis BCG::RD1 or M. microti::RD1 strains and are useful as a new improved vaccine for preventing tuberculosis and as a therapeutical product enhancing the stimulation of the immune system for the treatment of bladder cancer.
US08747863B2
Disclosed are immunogenic conjugates and therapeutic compositions that include such immunogenic conjugates. Also disclosed are methods of treating and/or inhibiting an Shigella sonnei infection. The disclosed immunogenic conjugates have the general structure: Pr—Sr—O—N═C-Kdo-OS wherein Pr is a carrier protein, Sr is an optional spacer moiety, Kdo is an 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid or a derivative thereof, and OS is an oligosaccharide or polysaccharide obtained from S. sonnei. In specific examples, the immunogenic conjugates include the core oligosaccharide obtained from S. sonnei having the structure: wherein R is between 1 and 10 disaccharide repeat units. In specific examples, the disaccharide repeat unit included in the immunogenic conjugate has the structure: α-L-AltNAcA-3-β-FucNAc4N-4-.
US08747854B2
The invention provides methods, uses and compositions for the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa. The invention describes methods and uses for treating hidradenitis suppurativa, wherein a TNFα inhibitor, such as a human TNFα antibody, or antigen-binding portion thereof, is used to treat hidradenitis suppurativa in a subject. Also described are methods for determining the efficacy of a TNFα inhibitor for treating hidradenitis suppurativa in a subject.
US08747849B2
Described are specific binding members e.g. antibodies which may be used in the treatment of diseases associated with cathepsin S activity. The specific binding members bind cathepsin S and inhibit its proteolytic activity. The binding members may be used in the treatment of diseases such as cancer, inflammatory diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, autoimmune disorders, and other diseases associated with excessive, deregulated or inappropriate angiogenesis.
US08747842B2
A method of treating or preventing a disorder, or a complication of a disorder, of an eye of a subject comprising contacting a vitreous and/or aqueous humor with a composition comprising a truncated form of plasmin comprising a catalytic domain of plasmin (TPCD). TPCDs include, but are not limited to, miniplasmin, microplasmin and derivatives and variants thereof. The methods of the invention can be used to reduce the viscosity of the vitreous, liquefy the vitreous, induce posterior vitreous detachment, reduce hemorrhagic blood from the eye, clear or reduce materials toxic to the eye, clear or reduce intraocular foreign substances from the eye, increase diffusion of a composition administered to an eye, reduce extraretinal neovascularization and any combinations thereof. The method can be used in the absence of, or as an adjunct to, vitrectomy.
US08747838B2
This invention relates to a method for isolating smooth muscle stem cells derived from mammalian smooth muscle comprising bringing mammalian smooth muscle cells into contact with a fluorescence-labeled anti-CD45 antibody, anti-CD34 antibody, and anti-CD49f antibody, and isolating cells that would not bind to the anti-CD45 antibody but would bind to the anti-CD34 antibody and the anti-CD49f antibody.
US08747834B2
The invention is directed to methods of using Chlorella protothecoides microalgal biomass in the treatment of individuals having impaired glucose metabolism. In some cases, the patient has impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, or diabetes. In some methods, algal biomass is used to reduce blood glucose and/or body fat in a subject, or to increase the relative abundance of beneficial gut microflora in a subject. In preferred embodiments, the biomass is derived from Chlorella protothecoides cultures grown heterotrophically in which the algal cells comprise at least 15% algal oil by dry weight.
US08747820B2
The biodegradable drug delivery systems described here are formulated for implantation into the nail unit and its surrounding tissues for the treatment of various nail unit conditions. The systems include non-temperature dependent phase change compositions that may be formulated as solutions, solids, semisolids, microparticles, or crystals.
US08747817B1
A new skin care system includes day and night skin cream compositions comprising nutrients and antioxidants for use by children between six months and eighteen years of age. The day skin cream composition provides protection from UV radiation and the night skin cream composition contains no sun protection ingredients and elevated levels of nutrients and antioxidants. A child-friendly bottle for each composition can be used by young children without difficulty. A fragrance included in each composition is popular with children, and the bottle for the day composition has graphics indicating day-time use and the bottle for the night composition has graphics indicating night-time use. The day composition is applied topically each day to the face after tooth-brushing, and the night composition is applied topically to the face each night after tooth-brushing.
US08747815B2
The present invention relates to the use of a lupeol-rich extract for the production of a cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition for treating and/or preventing a connective tissue degeneration. Said invention also relates to the use of a lupeol-rich extract for the production of a pharmaceutical composition for preventing and/or treating non-inflammatory articular pathologies, periodontal diseases and stretch marks. The invention also relates to the use of a lupeol-rich extract for the production of a cosmetic composition as a cicatrizing agent, a restructuring agent and an anti-sagging agent for skin and/or mucosae.
US08747813B2
The present invention is directed toward particles for delivery of epinephrine to the respiratory system and methods for treating a patient in need of epinephrine. The particles and respirable compositions comprising the particles of the present invention described herein comprise the bioactive agent epinephrine, or a salt thereof, as a therapeutic agent. The particles are preferably formed by spray drying. Preferably, the particles and the respirable compositions are substantially dry and are substantially free of propellents. In a preferred embodiment, the particles have aerodynamic characteristics that permit targeted delivery of epinephrine to the site(s) of action.
US08747809B2
The present invention is directed single diasteromers of 4-fluoroglutamine having a diastereomeric excess of at least 80%. Methods of preparing the single diastereomers are also described, as well as methods of using the single diastereomers of radiolabeled 4-fluoroglutamine as imaging agent is also described.
US08747808B2
A radiolabeled annexin comprising at least 2 up to 20 histidine residues at its N-terminus is disclosed. At least two of said histidine residues are adjacent or separated by no more than one other amino acid. The radiolabeled annexin is a stable complex with a radionuclide such as technetium 99m. The radiolabeled annexin can be used in a method of imaging cell death in a nucleated cell within a region of a mammalian subject in vivo.
US08747807B2
A method for preparing a family of zeolites, examples of which have been designated UZM-5, UZM-5P and UZM-6, and are represented by the empirical formula Mmn+Cgh+Rrp+Al(1-x)ExSiyOz The method includes forming a Charge Density Mismatch (CDM) reaction mixture comprising reactive sources of Al, Si, optionally a framework element, E, and at least one organic nitrogen containing cation template, C, in the hydroxide form. After the CDM mixture is mixed while aging, an organic cation crystallization template, R, and at least one alkali metal or alkaline earth metal, M, is added. The combined final reaction mixture is reacted with mixing to produce the zeolite, which may be used in various hydrocarbon conversion processes.
US08747805B2
The disclosed invention relates to a process for conducting an equilibrium limited chemical reaction in a microchannel reactor. The process involves the use of active heat exchange and is suitable for conducting exothermic and endothermic reactions. The process is particularly suitable for synthesizing methanol and dimethyl ether.
US08747804B2
Process for the preparation of modified ZnO particles in which a zinc salt and a base are mixed in a polar solvent and, if appropriate after the precipitation of a precipitation product, the polar solvent is removed and a residue is obtained, where the residue is taken up in a nonpolar solvent, surface-active substances are added, optionally further effect substances are added and then the modified ZnO particles are separated off from further by-products. Materials such as plastics, coatings or paints comprising modified ZnO particles. Methods for the incorporation of modified ZnO particles into materials, where the modified ZnO particles are incorporated into the materials in the form of dispersions or suspensions. Use of modified ZnO particles for protecting material against the effect of light, heat, oxygen or free radicals, as catalysts, for semiconductive films or cosmetic applications.
US08747799B2
The present invention relates to a method of forming single-walled carbon nanotubes. The method comprises contacting a gaseous carbon source with mesoporous TUD-1 silicate at suitable conditions. The mesoporous TUD-1 silicate comprises a metal of groups 3-13 of the Periodic Table of the Elements.
US08747798B2
Polycrystalline diamond includes cubic diamond and hexagonal diamond, and a ratio of X-ray diffraction peak intensity of a (100) plane of the hexagonal diamond to X-ray diffraction peak intensity for a (111) plane of cubic diamond is not lower than 0.01%. In addition, a present method of manufacturing polycrystalline diamond includes the steps of preparing a non-diamond carbon material having a degree of graphitization not higher than 0.58 and directly converting the non-diamond carbon material to cubic diamond and hexagonal diamond and sintering the non-diamond carbon material, without adding any of a sintering agent and a binder, under pressure and temperature conditions at which diamond is thermodynamically stable.
US08747797B2
The invention provides for methods, devices, and systems for pyrolyzing biomass. A pyrolysis unit can be used for the pyrolysis of biomass to form gas, liquid, and solid products. The biomass materials can be selected such that an enhanced biochar is formed after pyrolysis. The biomass can be pyrolyzed under specified conditions such that a selected biochar core is formed. The pyrolysis process can form a stable biochar core that is inert and/or resistant to degradation. The biochar or biochar core can be functionalized to form a functionalized biochar or functionalized biochar core. Functionalization can include post-pyrolysis treatments such as supplementation with microbes or physical transformations including annealing and/or activation.
US08747789B2
A composition comprising a polymer derived from at least two monomers: acrylic-x and an alkylamine, wherein said polymer is modified to contain a functional group capable of scavenging one or more compositions containing one or more metals is disclosed. These polymers have many uses in various mediums, including wastewater systems.
US08747779B2
A microfluidic cartridge including on-board dry reagents and microfluidic circuitry for determining a clinical analyte or analytes from a few microliters of liquid sample; with docking interface for use in a host workstation, the workstation including a pneumatic fluid controller and spectrophotometer for monitoring analytical reactions in the cartridge.
US08747777B2
A microfluidic apparatus includes at least one microfluidic device in which flow paths are formed, a device receiving layer including a receiving part into which the at least one microfluidic device is inserted and at least one pattern layer on which patterns connected to the flow paths of the at least one microfluidic device are formed, wherein each of the at least one pattern and device receiving layers is bonded to an adjacent layer to prevent fluid leakage.
US08747774B2
The invention relates to a cartridge housing for forming a cartridge capable of measuring an analyte or property of a liquid sample. The housing comprising a first substantially rigid zone, a second substantially flexible zone, a hinge region, and at least one sensor recess containing a sensor. The housing is foldable about said hinge region to form a cartridge having a conduit over at least a portion of said sensor. The invention also relates to methods for forming such cartridges and to various features of such cartridges.
US08747761B2
An exhaust gas purification device with a first exhaust pipe section for leading exhaust gas discharged from an engine, a second exhaust pipe section having in a side section on an upstream side thereof an opening section for introducing exhaust gas from the first exhaust pipe section, the second exhaust pipe section being connected at a side section thereof to the first exhaust pipe section so that flow of exhaust gas therein becomes a swirl flow and having provided on a downstream side thereof a post-processing device, and a reduction agent supply device provided at an upstream end of the second exhaust pipe section. The opening section is formed so as to include at least a first tilted side extending in a direction tilted relative to an axis of the second exhaust pipe section.
US08747758B2
A process and apparatus for mixing streams of regenerated and carbonized catalyst involves passing a catalyst stream into and out of a chamber in a lower section of a riser. The chamber fosters mixing of the catalyst streams to reduce their temperature differential before contacting hydrocarbon feed.
US08747753B2
A controller for an ultraviolet (UV) purification system having UV lamps includes a sensor in communication with a given UV lamp as well as a processor in communication the sensor. The sensor provides the UV light intensity rate of the UV lamp (sensed rate) and transmits this information to the processor which compares the sensed rate with a memory stored desired UV light intensity rate (desired rate). An indicator in communication with the processor indicates when the UV lamp is producing a UV light intensity below the desired rate. Current is provided to the UV lamp by a ballast. The processor includes a memory stored predetermined UV light intensity rate (predetermined rate) that is greater than the desired rate. When the sensed rate is lesser than the predetermined rate, the current provided by the ballast is increased such that the UV lamp produces a UV light intensity at least equal to the predetermined rate.
US08747747B2
A reader for mechanical actuation of fluids within a test cartridge. The instrument interface including multiple independently-controlled plungers aligned to respective fluidic pouches on a test cartridge that is inserted into a testing apparatus embodying the instrument interface. The plungers include tips for applying mechanical force to the respective fluidic pouches.
US08747737B2
An air decontamination unit is described with a housing defining an interior, an intake and exhaust in direct communication with the interior, a blower—in operational communication with a control panel—for drawing in and moving air through the housing, which further includes a filter assembly, a UV lamp, an ozone lamp, and an ozone sensor for detecting the concentration of ozone therein—positioned in the interior of the housing, all in direct communication with the control panel.
US08747734B2
A process for passivation of surfaces of heat exchange apparatus exposed to a synthesis gas containing carbon monoxide, includes the steps of: (i) adding arsine to the synthesis gas to provide a total As concentration in the synthesis gas in range 0.001 to 10 ppmv, (ii) exposing the mixture of hot synthesis gas and arsine to the shell-side surfaces of said heat exchange apparatus to reduce the interaction between the carbon monoxide present in said gas and metals in said surfaces, (iii) recovering a cooled synthesis gas from the shell-side of said apparatus, and (iv) passing the cooled synthesis gas, optionally after further cooling, through a sorbent bed to remove arsenic compounds from the synthesis gas.
US08747719B2
A method for manufacturing an insert-molded cover for electronic devices, including manufacturing a metallic body, processing the metallic body by a chemical method and forming an oxide film on a surface of the metallic body, and molding a plastic antenna lid on the metallic body by insert molding so that the plastic antenna lid is attached on the oxide film.
US08747718B2
The invention relates to a plastic hollow part (1) and to a method for the manufacture of a plastic hollow part, wherein plastic material is introduced into a molding tool by means of a blowing or injection molding process, forming a hollow connection contour (10) and the plastic is formed into a hollow part (1), wherein a support ring (4) is molded into the area of the connection contour (10).
US08747704B2
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-zQz, where Q is at least one selected from the group consisting of O, S, Se and Te, 0
US08747696B2
Disclosed are compositions and synthetic methods of phosphors that can be efficiently excited by blue light. The wavelength of the blue light is between 400 nm to 480 nm. The phosphors contain garnet fluorescent material activated with cerium, which contain Ba, Y, Tb, Lu, Sc, La, Gd, Sm, or combinations thereof, and Al, Ga, In, or combinations thereof. In addition, the phosphors are easily and quickly prepared in a large amount. The phosphors have high thermal stability and high emission intensity, therefore, being high of value in industry for utilization.
US08747694B2
In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a composition which contains the amino-siloxane structures I, or III, as described herein. The composition is useful for the capture of carbon dioxide from process streams. In addition, the present invention provides methods of preparing the amino-siloxane composition. Another aspect of the present invention provides methods for reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in a process stream employing the amino-siloxane compositions of the invention, as species which react with carbon dioxide to form an adduct with carbon dioxide.
US08747691B2
Provided are azeotropic and azeotrope-like compositions of trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ze(E)) and water. Such azeotropic and azeotrope-like compositions are useful in isolating trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene from impurities during production. Azeotropes of the instant invention are similarly useful in final compositions or for the manufacture of final compositions, such as blowing agent, propellants, refrigerants, diluents for gaseous sterilization and the like.
US08747686B2
Methods and substrate processing systems for analyzing an end point of a process are provided. By-products of the process are detected and monitored to determine the completion of various types of reaction processes within a substrate processing chamber. The methods provide real time process monitoring, thereby reducing the need to rigidly constrain other substrate processing parameters, increasing chamber cleaning efficiency, and/or increasing substrate processing throughput.
US08747681B2
A preparation method of the fluorescent powder layer (108, 208) is provided. The said preparation method is carried out as following steps: step 1, a fluorescent powder layer (102, 202) is coated on one surface of a flat transparent substrate (101, 201); step 2, the surface of a board (103, 203) is shaped into a curved surface (104, 204); step 3, the board (103, 203) of step 2 is arranged on the substrate (101, 201) coated with the fluorescent powder layer (102, 202) of step 1; the curved surface (104, 204) of the board (103, 203) faces the substrate (101, 201), and the fluorescent powder layer (102, 202) is sandwiched between the substrate (101, 201) and the board (103, 203); step 4, the substrate (101, 201) is softened by heating, a pressure is then applied to the board (103, 203) so that the fluorescent powder layer (102, 202) sandwiched between the substrate (101, 201) and the board (103, 203) forms the fluorescent powder layer (108, 208) having the same curved shape as the curved surface (104, 204) of the board (103, 203) by the pressure, and the fluorescent powder layer (108, 208) on the substrate (101, 201) is completed after cooling.
US08747679B2
A separation system for separating a fluid mixture includes a uniaxial cyclonic separator (2) having a first inlet (16) for receiving a fluid mixture, a separation chamber (18) for separating the fluid mixture by cyclonic action into a dense first fluid and a less dense second fluid, a first outlet (22) for the first fluid and a second outlet (26) for the second fluid. The system further includes a reverse flow cyclonic separator (32) having a second inlet (30) for receiving the first fluid from the first outlet (22), a separation chamber for separating the first fluid by cyclonic action into a dense third fluid and a less dense fourth fluid, a third outlet (34) for the third fluid and a fourth outlet (36) for the fourth fluid. A method for the bulk separation of water from an oil/water mixture is also provided.
US08747672B2
Methods and systems for recovery of phosphorus from wastewater and producing inorganic phosphorus complexes.
US08747671B2
Methods and systems are provided for treating wastewater to simultaneously remove nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus. The process includes an anoxic tank that receives at least two streams, including plant influent wastewater and return activated sludge. These streams are mixed in the anoxic tank to promote phosphorus release and fermentation of particulate and dissolved organic matter. The mixed liquor is transferred to an aerated tank having low dissolved oxygen concentrations to promote development of phosphorus-release bacteria that is eventually recycled to the anoxic tank by way of the return activated sludge. Simultaneous nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus release occur in the aerated tank. A membrane tank separates treated effluent from activated sludge in a membrane tank.
US08747662B2
An apparatus for performing blood therapy having a plurality of pumps for engaging blood and fluid tubing is characterized by a plurality of manually mounted and disengagable panels installed on the sides of the apparatus housing, the panels having pump engaging tubing mounted on the inside of the respective panels.
US08747650B2
Provided are formulations, methods of making, and methods of using one or more Fischer-Tropsch Base Oils of the present invention in a low sulfur, low sulfated ash, and low phosphorus engine lubricant to enhance thermal stability of the lubricant as well as the high-temperature performance of an engine housing the lubricant.
US08747649B2
An apparatus and method for electrochemically treating the struts of an intravascular stent is disclosed. An intravascular stent is mounted in a chamber and is electrochemically treated in order to remove a portion of the stent struts in order to form an airfoil shape. The airfoil-shaped stent struts will reduce turbulent blood flow in the vasculature in which the stent is implanted thereby improving clinical outcome.
US08747644B2
In a method for reducing a solid feedstock (110), such as a solid metal compound, feedstock is arranged on upper surfaces of elements (60, 80, 81) in a bipolar cell stack contained within a housing (25). A molten salt electrolyte is circulated through the housing so that it contacts the elements of the bipolar stack and the feedstock. A potential is applied to terminal electrodes (50, 60) of the bipolar stack such that the upper surfaces of the elements become cathodic and the lower surfaces of the elements become anodic. The applied potential is sufficient to cause reduction of the feedstock. The invention also provides an apparatus for implementing the method.
US08747643B2
Copper plating baths containing a leveling agent that is a reaction product of one or more of certain cyclodiaza-compounds with one or more epoxide-containing compounds that deposit copper on the surface of a conductive layer are provided. Such plating baths deposit a copper layer that is substantially planar on a substrate surface across a range of electrolyte concentrations. Methods of depositing copper layers using such copper plating baths are also disclosed.
US08747633B2
In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing a tantalum sputtering target includes a first knead forging step, a first heating step, a second knead forging step, a cold rolling step, and a second heating step. In the first knead forging step, a tantalum material is subjected to two sets or more of knead forging, each of the sets being cold forging in directions parallel to and perpendicular to a thickness direction. In the second knead forging step, one set or more of knead forging is performed after the first heating step, each of the steps being cold forging in the directions parallel to and perpendicular to the thickness direction.
US08747628B2
A method according to one embodiment includes forming a high Ku first oxide magnetic layer above a substrate by sputtering; forming a low Ku second oxide magnetic layer above the first oxide magnetic layer by sputtering; forming an exchange coupling layer of CoCrPt-oxide above the second oxide magnetic layer; and forming a magnetic cap layer above the exchange coupling layer. Additional systems and methods are also presented.
US08747625B2
A grinding/electrolysis combined multi-wire-slicing processing method for silicon wafers includes the following steps: first, with a metal slicing wire (10) provided on a multi-wire-slicing machine serving as cathode, a silicon rod or a silicon ingot (1) (anode) is processed by grinding/electrolysis combined multi-wire-slicing through application of a voltage; second, during said processing, the metal slicing wire (10) and the silicon rod or a silicon ingot (1) are connected with a low-voltage continuous or pulsed direct current power supply (9); third, an electrolytic liquid is sprayed into the cutting area to ensure cooling and anode erosion. The method reduces macroscopic cutting force and enables a grinding/electrolysis combined multi-wire-slicing processing method for large size ultra-thin silicon wafers.
US08747624B2
Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials and/or starchy materials, to produce ethanol and/or butanol, e.g., by fermentation.
US08747623B2
A method of producing exfoliated graphite or graphene from a graphitic or carbonaceous material. The method includes: (a) dispersing a graphitic material in a liquid intercalating agent to form a suspension; and (b) subjecting the suspension to microwave or radio frequency irradiation for a length of time sufficient for producing the exfoliated graphite or graphene. In one preferred embodiment, the intercalating agent is an acid or an oxidizer, or a combination of both. The method enables production of more electrically conducting graphene sheets directly from a graphitic material without going through the chemical intercalation or oxidation procedure. The process is fast (minutes as opposed to hours or days of conventional processes), environmentally benign, and highly scalable.
US08747620B2
A pulp mould, comprising a porous sintered body (11) having an outer surface (13) and an inner surface (12), wherein a portion (11B) of said mould comprises an area (16) at its outer periphery provided with means (16A; 47) integrated during sintering to achieve impermeability of said outer area (16).
US08747619B2
Methods are provided for crystallizing a filler, especially in order to precipitate calcium carbonate on the surfaces of solids in the short circulation of a fiber web machine by feeding carbon dioxide and lime milk to the liquid flow of the short circulation and allowing them to react with one another, is characterized in that the feed system, the mixing method and/or mixing rate of the chemicals are selected such that a size distribution of the calcium carbonate crystals suitable for the purpose is obtained. Moreover, the invention relates to an approach system for a fiber web machine applying this method, characterized in that it is provided with devices for feeding and mixing carbon dioxide and lime milk into the liquid flow at such a rate that the applicable size distribution of the calcium carbonate crystals is obtained.
US08747611B2
Provided are an injection head, and a substrate treatment apparatus and method using the same. The substrate treatment apparatus includes a rotatable spin head supporting a substrate, an injection head installed on the spin head to supply a fluid to a bottom surface of the substrate supported on the spin head, and a fluid supply unit supplying the fluid to the injection head. The injection head includes a body disposed below a center region of the substrate supported on the spin head to receive the fluid from the fluid supply unit and a injection member extending from the body to an edge region of the substrate supported on the spin head to inject the fluid supplied from the body to the bottom surface of the substrate, the injection member having first injection openings injecting the fluid to the edge region of the substrate and second injection openings injecting the fluid to a middle region disposed between the center region and the edge region, and a flow path through which the fluid is supplied to the first injection openings and then to the second injection openings.
US08747602B2
A polyurethane adhesive which is useful in bonding porous and non-porous surfaces is provided. The adhesive is especially useful in bonding windshield glass into automotive frames under a variety of environmental conditions, particularly in after market windshield replacement applications. The polyurethane includes at least one urethane prepolymer which is based on at least one thermoplastic polyol. In one embodiment, the urethane prepolymer may be formed from one or more polyisocyanates, one or more polyetherpolyols and one or more thermoplastic polyesterpolyols, wherein the prepolymer has a free isocyanate content of from about 0.6 to about 3.5% by weight, based on the weight of the polyurethane. In another embodiment, a one-part adhesive composition is provided which includes an isocyanate-functional and thermoplastic polyurethane prepolymer having a free isocyanate content of from about 0.6 to about 3.5% by weight, based on the weight of the polyurethane, and a combination of several catalysts which are capable of catalyzing the reaction of isocyanate moieties with isocyanate-reactive moieties while providing less temperature dependent catalyzing of the reaction between isocyanate moieties and water. Also provided is a process for bonding two or more substrates together utilizing the polyurethane adhesive. In automotive windshield replacement applications, the polyurethane adhesive allows for a sufficient working time and development of green strength to provide a safe drive-away time within 1 hour at a temperature from about 0 to about 100° C.
US08747595B2
A metallic foil tape having a top surface and a bottom surface with an adhesive applied to at least one of the top surface or the bottom surface of the metallic foil tape and corrugations in the metallic foil tape providing for expansion of the corrugated metallic foil tape in a circular or semi-circular shape. The corrugated metallic foil tape is suitable to be applied to contoured or three-dimensional surfaces, and is particularly suitable for use in sealing or joining components of heat, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units.
US08747589B2
A method of manufacturing a cut-out sintered ceramic sheet having a complex shape and a cut-out sintered ceramic sheet made according to the method, the method including forming a ceramic green sheet, sintering the formed ceramic green sheet, adhering a plastic resin film onto which adhesive is applied on at least one surface of the sintered ceramic sheet, and shearing the sintered ceramic sheet.
US08747587B2
A multi-layered material and a method for making the same are provided. The multi-layered material includes a first foamed layer, a substrate, a second foamed layer, and a surface layer. The first foamed layer has a plurality of first cells. The substrate is a fabric. The second foamed layer has a plurality of second cells. The foaming method of the second foamed layer is different from that of the first foamed layer. The size of the second cells is different from that of the first cells. The variation in size of the second cells is different from that of the first cells. The surface layer is disposed on the second foamed layer. Thus, when the multi-layered material is used as a surface cover of a ball, it can provide excellent resilience and control, and improve manufacturing efficiency.
US08747584B2
A method and apparatus for welding ends of two separate articles or a single article to form a single welded article. The apparatus comprises first and second molds for supporting and clamping first and second ends of at least one article and an infrared heating element for thermally energizing over a prescribed period of time the first and second ends of the at least one article to a welding condition. The apparatus further comprises a regulator for altering the power supplied for energizing the infrared heater over at least a portion of the prescribed period of time to achieve increased electromagnetic radiation penetration into the body of the at least one article beyond the first and second ends. The apparatus also comprises an actuator for advancing the first and second ends into a contacting position to form a single welded article.
US08747569B2
Apparatus and methods are disclosed for cleaning interiors of passageways in endoscopes or other luminal medical devices by flow of liquid and gas therethrough. The liquid flow may include rivulets, droplets or other liquid entities which move on the internal surfaces of the passageways, and may include a three-phase contact interface between liquid and dry solid and gas.
US08747566B2
A method for collecting effluent from an engine comprising: providing a portable trailer having a plurality of sides in a retracted and non-operational configuration forming an internal compartment and at least one droplet separator panel; and moving at least two of said sides from said retracted and non-operational configuration to an open position and an operational configuration wherein said two sides create a path for channeling an effluent/air mixture containing engine wash water from said engine to said at least one droplet separator panel; and separating said engine wash water from said air with said at least one droplet separator panel.
US08747554B2
A unibody, multi-piece crucible for use in for use in elemental purification, compounding, and growth of semi-conductor crystals, e.g., in the process of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) for melting silicon and the like at high temperature. The crucible has an outer coating layer that fixedly joins the multi pieces making up the crucible. The invention also provides a method for making a unibody containing structure comprising pyrolytic boron nitride having a negative draft, which method obviates the need of complicated overhang structure of graphite mandrels or the removal of the graphite mandrels by burning at high temperatures.
US08747552B2
Fabrication of doped AlN crystals and/or AlGaN epitaxial layers with high conductivity and mobility is accomplished by, for example, forming mixed crystals including a plurality of impurity species and electrically activating at least a portion of the crystal.
US08747548B2
Cementitious compositions in which the cementitious properties of fly ash are carefully controlled are described. The cementitious compositions may be substantially free harsh acids and bases such as citric acids (≈pH 2.2) and alkali metal activators including alkali hydroxides (≈pH 12-14) and metal carbonates (≈pH 11.6). The use of these harsh chemicals creates acid base reactions during use of the products. Instead of these harsh chemicals, a lactic acid salt based activator is be used as a reaction accelerator. Boric compounds may be used as a retarder in the compositions.
US08747543B2
A method of blending a fine precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) filler with larger PCC, the resulting blend to be used alone or in conjunction with a ground carbonate, clay or other filler, resulting in improved porosity by the lowering of the porosity of supercalendered paper, thereby imparting improved and offset printability. The fine PCC can be ultrafine PCC filler which then is blended with other fillers including but not limited to pigments. These fillers which are blended with the fine PCC include commercial and experimental PCC and commercial clays. Ultrafine PCC has agglomerates of small, discrete particles. Ultrafine PCC for use in the invention has a specific surface area of about 20 m2/g as measured by BET gas adsorption. As measured by a sedigraph, the average size of these agglomerates is from 0.4 to 1.1 microns.
US08747530B2
A system for water extraction from air is provided. The system includes a housing having a plurality of openings allowing an air flow to enter into an inner space defined by the housing. The system also includes a sponge disposed within the inner space defined by the housing. The sponge includes a water absorbing/adsorbing material for absorbing/adsorbing water vapor from the air flow. The system further includes a presser disposed above the sponge and configured to compress the sponge to discharge water from the sponge.
US08747521B2
Provided is a gas separation membrane having superior gas permeability, separation selectivity and mechanical properties. A gas separation membrane to separate at least one acid gas from a mix gas, comprising in this order: a first layer that is porous; a second layer that is a separation-active layer containing a compound having a molecular weight of 150,000 or less and capable of interacting with the acid gas; and a third layer having high gas permeability.
US08747518B2
In order to carry out foaming of a slag having a high ratio of chromium oxide having values of often above 20% of a non-corrosive melt in an AOD (Argon Oxygen Decarburization) or MRP (Metallurgical Refining Process) converter or CONARC SSt for stainless steel by adding a foam material, according to the invention a previously defined mixture (5) of a metal oxide, iron carrier, carbon and binding material in the form of pellets or briquettes (4) is introduced into the converter, which reacts in a chemically reducing manner under the slag layer (2) due to the high ambient temperature, wherein gaseous carbon monoxide formed in particular by means of the reduction process of the metal oxide with the carbon within the pellets or briquettes (4) induces the slag foaming with the gas bubbles (7) thereof and wherein the specific density of the pellets or briquettes (4) and the resolve time of the reduction process are selected so that optimal bubble formation in respect of size and duration is achieved.
US08747513B2
Improved agriculturally useful products are provided, including solid materials such as nitrogenous fertilizers (e.g., urea), together with a polycarboxylated polymer selected from the group consisting of a salts of copolymers containing individual quantities of maleic and itaconic moieties. The polymer composition also includes from about 10-60% by weight of an organic drying agent such as a lower alcohol which enhances the quick drying properties thereof. The compositions may also include an amount of boron, and bimodal vinylic polymer made up of quantities of high and low molecular weight (MW) vinylic polymers such as PVA.
US08747509B2
There is provided a honeycomb filter including a honeycomb base material including a porous partition wall parent material; plugged portions arranged in open frontal areas of predetermined cells in an end surface on an inflow side of the fluid, and open frontal areas of the remaining cells in an end surface on an outflow side of the fluid; and a porous collecting layer disposed on the surface of the partition wall parent material in the remaining cells. In a cross section orthogonal to an extending direction of the cells, a shape of the cells is a rectangular shape, and a thickness of a portion of the collecting layer which is positioned in each of corner portions of each of the cells is from one to three times that of a portion of the collecting layer which is positioned in the center of each of sides of the cell.
US08747508B2
There is provided a honeycomb filter including: a honeycomb base material; plugged portions; and a porous collecting layer disposed on the surface of the partition wall parent material in at least the remaining cells. The collecting layer has a constitution in which a plurality of particles combine or intertwine with one another, and the collecting layer includes flat plate-like particles as the plurality of particles. The plurality of particles are particles in which an average long diameter is 0.2 μm or larger and smaller than 10 μm, an average value of ratios (long diameters/short diameters) of the long diameters to the short diameters of the respective particles is smaller than 3, and an average value of ratios (the long diameters/thicknesses) of the long diameters to thicknesses of the respective particles is 3 or larger. An open area ratio of the surface of the collecting layer is 10% or larger.
US08747489B2
A solid electrolytic capacitor that contains an anode body formed from an electrically conductive powder and a dielectric coating located over and/or within the anode body is provided. The powder may have a high specific charge and in turn a relative dense packing configuration. Despite being formed from such a powder, a manganese precursor solution can be readily impregnated into the pores of the anode. This is accomplished, in part, through the use of a dispersant in the precursor solution that helps minimize the likelihood that the manganese oxide precursor will form droplets upon contacting the surface of the dielectric. Instead, the precursor solution can be better dispersed so that the resulting manganese oxide has a “film-like” configuration and coats at least a portion of the anode in a substantially uniform manner.
US08747484B2
A method is disclosed for regenerating connective tissue by administering a scaffold comprising collagen fibers extracted from a soft coral. The length of the soft coral collagen fibers following stretching by about 15% is identical to the length of the fibers prior to stretching.
US08747483B2
Apparatus and methods for closing a septal defect including a flap of tissue partially detached from a septum of a heart. A needle is advanced through a patient's vasculature within a delivery apparatus until the needle is disposed within a first chamber adjacent the septum. The needle is directed through the flap of tissue until the needle is disposed within a second chamber opposite the septum. A filament attached to an intermediate region of the needle is pulled, thereby causing the needle to pivot about the intermediate region such that the ends of the needle straddle the septal opening. A locking element is secured to the filament to secure the flap of tissue against the septum, and the filament is cut. Alternatively, the filament is biased to coil to engage the flap of tissue and secure the needle against the septum to close the opening.
US08747478B2
A prosthetic patellar implant has a posterior articulation surface and an anterior attachment surface. The anterior attachment surface has a medial attachment surface and a lateral attachment surface. The medial and lateral attachment surfaces can be planar and angled relative to one another, meeting at a common intersection medially offset from the sagittal centerline of the implant. The medial and lateral attachment surfaces can include convexities. The anterior attachment surface can have one or more pegs and/or recesses.
US08747475B2
A pliable band or hoop that is flexible to normal handling, but cannot stretch circumferentially once it has reached the limits of its circumferential length. The band may have a structural portal to be used for filling, or it may simply be constructed of a fabric-like material that allows a fill tube to perforate its walls to allow for filling. In the latter case, the perforated wall tends to self-seal once the fill tube is withdrawn. The band may be flat or tubular in cross-section. However, unlike a balloon, the band does not require either a bottom or a top, as we found that a top and bottom are unnecessary when using a band or hoop to enclose material injected into a reamed out intervertebral space.
US08747473B2
A modular lateral expansion device to be inserted into an intervertebral space. The modular lateral expansion device includes a first member and a second member. The first end and the second end comprise a first extension and a second extension respectively. The first extension and second extension outwardly protrude from the first member in a same direction and are positioned at an axis transverse to a longitudinal axis of the first member. The second member comprises a first end and a second end. The first end comprises a plurality of outwardly extended arms and a first passage positioned between the plurality of outwardly extended arms. The first end of the second member is dimensioned and configured to couple to the first end of the first member. The second end comprises a second passage dimensioned and configured to accommodate the second extension of the first member.
US08747472B2
Assemblies for implantation across one or more spinal motion segments to allow for control of the distance between bone anchors. Control of distance between bone anchors may be provided by one inter-anchor element pushing the pair of bone anchors apart and a second inter-anchor element pulling the pair of bone anchors together. Control of distance between bone anchors may be provided through use of dissimilar thread pitch. Compression of intervertebral disc space through controlled movement of a pair of anchored bone anchors towards one another.
US08747471B2
An implant for insertion into a patient includes a superior surface disposed at a first end of the implant and an inferior surface disposed at a second, opposite end of the implant. The superior and inferior surfaces of the implant are constructed with curvatures that approximately match the morphology of vertebral endplates. The inferior surface and superior surface may include the same or different radii of curvature within the coronal and sagittal planes. The inferior surface and superior surface may be defined by spherical radii. The radius of the superior surface may be about 60 percent to 74 percent of the radius of the inferior surface.
US08747464B2
A device for assisting and/or taking over the pumping function of the heart, with a multilayer sheathing part configured for compressing the heart at least in certain sections, wherein the sheathing part has at least one stabilization layer for shaping the sheathing part and at least one inner extensible augmentation layer, and wherein at least one cavity is formed between the stabilization layer and the augmentation layer, the cavity being inflatable and deflatable by a fluid, for cyclic compression of the heart. Provision is made for the stabilization layer to be inflatable with a fluid, at least in certain sections, in order to convert the sheathing part from a coiled and/or collapsed insertion state of the device in the body into an arched functional state, wherein the heart, in the functional state of the sheathing part, is at least partially sheathed and/or encompassed.
US08747455B2
An endovascular prosthetic system comprising an prosthetic device with a major lumen extending therethrough, a major wall, at least one opening in the major wall; at least one branch extending into the major lumen of the prosthetic device having a minor lumen, a minor wall, and a fenestration in the minor wall in communication with the major lumen; and at least one guide wire extending through the fenestration and out of the prosthesis through the opening.
US08747454B2
A system for improving cardiac function is provided. A foldable and expandable frame having at least one anchoring formation is attached to an elongate manipulator and placed in a catheter tube while folded. The tube is inserted into a left ventricle of a heart where the frame is ejected from the tube and expands in the left ventricle. Movements of the elongate manipulator cause the anchor to penetrate the heart muscle and the elongate manipulator to release the frame. The installed frame minimizes the effects of an akinetic portion of the heart forming an aneurysmic bulge.
US08747453B2
A stent/stent graft for reinforcement of vascular abnormalities and an associated method are provided. According to on embodiment, the stent/stent graft includes a flexible tubular structure comprising proximal and distal ends and having a heat set configuration. The tubular structure is configured to engage a lumen upstream and downstream of a vascular abnormality, such as an aneurysm, and a portion between the proximal and distal ends of the tubular structure is configured to engage the aneurysm.
US08747452B2
A method for implanting a balloon expandable stent at a site within a passageway of a curved coronary article. The stent includes at least two longitudinally spaced apart circumferential rings. At least one longitudinally extending connector extends between adjacent rings. The connector has at least one turn back portion that can expand or contract in length while being passed through a curved passageway. The stent is disposed on a stent delivery catheter having an inflatable balloon. The stent delivery catheter and the stent is delivered through the passageway to the site of implementation with the connector member expanding or contracting in length to facilitate delivery and placement of the stent. The stent is expanded at the site of implantation by inflating the balloon to force the stent radially outward against the wall of the coronary artery.
US08747441B2
Bone screws and bone plates are provided that offer the surgeon the ability to either assemble the screws to the plate, or the plate to the screws, depending on the surgeon's preference and the patient's circumstances. The bone screws and bone plates of the present invention include a combination of geometric configurations that allow the screws and plates to fit together from different assembly directions. Additionally, the bone screws and bone plates can include material resilience features to allow expansion/contraction during assembly to allow bidirectional attachment to one another.
US08747438B2
A suture thread having: a thread-shaped main body with spikes and a stopper cylinder having a diameter enlarged with respect to the main body is described.
US08747435B2
Drug eluting vascular closure devices and methods for closing a blood vessel puncture site disposed at a distal end of a tissue tract are described. The devices and methods rely on a combination of the body's own natural mechanism to achieve hemostasis with bio-chemical agents to accelerate the hemostatic process. One method includes the steps of introducing a closure device through the tissue tract and deploying an expansible member at a distal end of the device within the blood vessel to occlude the puncture site. A bio-chemical sealing member disposed proximal the expansible member is then displaced so as to expose a bio-chemical region or release region of the device. At least one bio-chemical agent is thereafter released from the device and into the tissue tract to accelerate the occlusion process in the tract.
US08747420B2
The application provides a device (2) for extracting from a body tissue surgical fasteners (20) having a crown, a baseplate and prongs extending from the crown to the baseplate. The device includes a shaft having a lumen with a cross-sectional shape and dimensions to allow the crown to enter the lumen while preventing the baseplate from entering the lumen.
US08747418B2
A trajectory guide for providing access to a target site of a living subject along a desired path comprises a baseplate including a clamp lock, a guide member at least partially contained within the baseplate and having a channel therein, a plurality of adjustable legs each including a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is coupled to the baseplate, and a leg lock coupled to each adjustable leg and moveable between an unlocked position and a locked position in order to set a desired length of the adjustable leg, wherein the adjustable legs and the guide member are structured to be adjusted to provide an infinite number of trajectories in three-dimensional space extending through the channel in the guide member toward a target.
US08747412B2
Systems and methods for bone anchor removal include a removal guide and a removal instrument. The removal guide includes grooves for guiding the removal instrument to the anchors, and for guiding removal of the anchor. The removal instrument includes a distal working end with a grasping feature designed to engage a portion of the bone anchor and an engagement feature designed to engage the grooves of the removal guide for anchor removal.
US08747409B2
A surgical instrument including an elongate member, a support for engaging a rod receiving element, and a connection between the elongate member and the support. This connection comprises a pivotal articulation, and the elongate member is connected to the support via the pivotal articulation so as to be able to pivot independently around at least two perpendicular axes. The elongate member is also longitudinally movable with respect to the support. The elongate member has, at a first end, a device for holding a rod.
US08747402B2
According to the present disclosure, a system for sensing attributes of tissue in at least one direction is provided. The system includes a thermal conductivity probe having a sensor configured to measure thermal conductivity in the target tissue in at least one direction, and an electrical conductivity probe having a sensor configured to measure electrical conductivity in the target tissue in at least one direction, a power supply operatively coupled to the thermal conductivity probe and being configured to supply power to the thermal conductivity probe, an impedance analyzer operatively coupled to the electrical conductivity probe, and a computer operatively coupled to at least one of the power supply, the multimeter and the impedance analyzer.
US08747399B2
Method and system of reduction of low frequency muscle stimulation during electrosurgical procedures
Reduction of low frequency muscle stimulation during electrosurgical procedures. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods including: treating a target tissue with an electrosurgical wand comprising a plurality of active electrodes intermittently exposed to a rectifying electrical phenomenon; charging a first capacitance in series with a first electrode of the plurality of active electrodes, the charging during periods of time when the rectifying electrical phenomenon proximate the first electrode; charging a second capacitance in series with a second electrode of the plurality of active electrodes, the charging during periods of time when the rectifying electrical phenomenon is proximate the second electrode; charging a third capacitance in series with a third electrode of the plurality of active electrodes, the charging during periods of time when the rectifying electrical phenomenon is proximate the third electrode; and discharging, through the first electrode, the first capacitance, while simultaneously charging the second capacitance.
US08747398B2
A method and apparatus is disclosed for the ablation of biological tissue to produce a therapeutic effect. An adjustment is made to the output frequency of an electrosurgical generator during the ablation cycle to accommodate changes in the electrical properties of the apparatus and the biological tissues that occur as energy is transferred to the tissue. The adjustment is made to better align the source impedance with that of the load.
US08747374B2
An emergency eyewash unit includes a pair of water discharge ports oriented to produce a pair of upwardly directed, diverging water streams for inside-out flush flow of contaminants from a person's eyes. These eyewash streams can be combined with a plurality of smaller upwardly directed facewash streams for flushing contaminants from a person's face. The eyewash and/or facewash streams are produced by an eyewash body adapted for rotatable mounting onto a water supply conduit, with a locking clip normally preventing undesired rotational disassembly. The eyewash body may be used in combination with an overhead emergency shower which, in one preferred form, includes a shower spray head carrying multiple flow control and flow shaper elements to produce a substantially uniformly dispersed shower spray pattern.
US08747372B1
Irrigation systems having splash shields attachable to bottles or syringes, also including abscess irrigation systems.
US08747357B2
An autoinjector comprising an outer housing in which can be mounted a syringe for holding a volume of medicament, the syringe for holding medicament having a needle at one end thereof, a syringe holder for supporting the syringe in an axial position relative to the outer housing, and an intermediate housing at least part of which is located within said outer housing, characterised in that said intermediate housing is provided with a blocking means capable of abutting the syringe or the syringe holder so as to be capable of preventing forward axial movement of the syringe when a forward axial force is applied to said needle before actuation of the autoinjector to deliver an injection, but incapable of preventing forward axial movement of the syringe during actuation of the autoinjector to deliver an injection.
US08747347B2
Devices, systems, or methods are disclosed herein for treatment of disease in a vertebrate subject. The device can include a quasi-planar substrate; and one or more laterally-mobile effector molecule types at least partially embedded within the quasi-planar substrate, wherein the one or more laterally-mobile effector molecule types is configured to interact with one or more cell types. The device can further include one or more sensors configured to detect at least one aspect of an interaction between the at least one of the one or more laterally-mobile effector molecule types and the one or more cell types; and a controller in communication with the one or more sensors, wherein the controller is configured to responsively initiate modification of at least one of the one or more laterally-mobile effector molecule types, the quasi-planar substrate, and the one or more cell types.
US08747338B2
Devices, systems and methods are described which control blood pressure and nervous system activity by stimulating baroreceptors. By selectively and controllably activating baroreceptors and/or nerves, the present invention reduces blood pressure and alters the sympathetic nervous system; thereby minimizing deleterious effects on the heart, vasculature and other organs and tissues. A baroreceptor activation device or other sensory activation device is positioned near a dermal bone to provide the treatment.
US08747337B2
A vibratory massaging device having a spaced plurality of proximity sensors distributed on a massaging surface of the device, and a control circuit operative for controlling vibratory intensities in response to activation of particular ones of the sensors being close to a user's body parts being massaged. The device can be configured as a dildo, including both main and secondary vibrators, the secondary vibrator being within an arm portion that is configured for clitoral stimulation. At least one of the vibrators is automatically driven at increased intensity as penetration increases.
US08747335B2
A bodily fluid sampling device is operable to breach the skin surface and allow bodily fluid to emerge from the breach location. The bodily fluid sampling device further evaluates the amount of bodily fluid emerged from breach location and determines whether the amount is sufficient or insufficient for a particular purpose, such as sampling and testing. The determination is accomplished automatically without moving the device. The user may also intervene to perform a variety of tasks following the determination of the amount of bodily fluid.
US08747334B1
A method of collecting a specimen sample and simultaneously dividing the sample into separate portions is presented. The method of the instant invention is comprised of providing a specimen collector comprised of a collection receptacle attached by a connector to at least 2 tubes which lead to at least 2 conduits which in turn empty into separate collection containers; expelling a biological specimen into the collection receptacle of the specimen collection device; and allowing the biological specimen to flow downward through the device and into separate specimen containers.
US08747331B2
Apparatus and methods are described as relating to a variable angled guide plug holder for use in interventional procedures. In an exemplary embodiment, a variable angled guide plug holder for use in interventional procedures is provided, including a guide plug holder for receiving an angular determination fixture, the guide plug holder movable relative to the angular determination fixture between a plurality of positions, each position providing a different angle of insertion relative to a point of origin on the angular determination fixture, and plate plug engaged with the angular determination fixture wherein the plate plug is insertable into a guide plate aperture of a guide plate for use in an interventional procedure.
US08747328B2
The systems and methods monitor a subject's blood pressure under a constant applied pressure. Measurements taken from a pressure measuring element and a pulse sensing element are combined to determine the subject's systolic and diastolic pressure. The systolic pressure is measured directly by the pressure measuring element, and the diastolic pressure is determined indirectly by using a pulse waveform to extrapolate portions of a pressure waveform. The systems and methods can be employed in any number of applications, including, without limitation, taking a single reading from a subject, continuously monitoring a subject, or evaluating a subject during physical exertion.
US08747327B2
A blood pressure measuring apparatus includes a sensing unit including a plurality of sensors sensing sphygmus waves at a measurement site, a selection unit selecting one sensor of the plurality of sensors based on the sphygmus waves sensed by the plurality of sensors, and a blood pressure estimation unit estimating blood pressure of the measurement site based on a sphygmus wave sensed by the selected sensor.
US08747324B1
An apparatus and method for guiding a needle in conjunction with a biopsy using a medical imaging device, where a non-reusable needle guide, which is relatively inexpensive which grasps the sheathed bracket firm, and holds the same in a set position based upon a bullet-nose lock.
US08747316B2
An in vivo component measurement method allowing how long a high concentration state of a measurement target component continues in an organism to be grasped is provided. In this in vivo component measurement method, a value relating to an amount of a measurement target component in tissue fluid extracted for 60 minutes or more from an organism on which a treatment for enhancing extraction of tissue fluid has been made is acquired.
US08747310B2
The invention covers a method and apparatus for assessing the health of an infant by accurately estimating the average growth velocity of the infant. The invention employs an exponential model to estimate growth velocity based on at least two weight measurements from different days of life of an infant. The exponential model provides the accuracy and ease of use that are lacking in current methods applied to growth research. The exponential model has numerous features that make it a desirable and powerful model, i.e., (1) it is extremely accurate; (2) it is simple to use, requiring only weight and day of life at 2 time points; (3) it is robust under various testing conditions; and (4) it is unaffected by clinical factors found commonly among ELBW infants, which allows its broad application for the study of infant growth. The exponential model closely approximates the accurate standard GVs, regardless of starting point or time interval used. An exponential model assumes that growth occurs at a fraction of the previous weight. Although growth does not occur at a constant rate of change, the average GV smoothes the variability in weight gain observed clinically, thereby providing an estimate of a theoretically constant rate of change. The average growth velocity is thus a useful in assessing the health of an infant.
US08747299B2
A method and device are proposed for carrying out ophthalmologic analysis especially for the pathological evaluation of the Schlemm's canal that has been exposed through a scleral flap and into which an micro catheter is inserted that also includes a medium line by which medium is brought into the lumen of the Schlemm's canal for dilating the lumen and a light guide for illumination such that analog images of the dilated lumen, the inner wall of the trabecular tissue and the veins of the aqueous humor can be taken by a camera and transmitted to an outside monitor for visual evaluation.
US08747297B2
It is an object to provide an endoscopic heart surgery method with which it is possible to observe an endoscopic image with a stable field of view in the pericardial space. Provided is an endoscopic heart surgery method including an inserting step of inserting an inserted portion of an endoscope into a body from the subxiphoid area and inserting the inserted portion into the pericardial space by penetrating the pericardium in the vicinity of the heart apex; a moving step of advancing the inserted portion toward the base of the heart so that the inserted portion passes through the roof of the pericardial space and is moved toward the heart apex to a treated area in the pericardial space; and an observing step of observing the treated area with the endoscope.
US08747284B2
Weight lifting strap which is looped around the wrist and wrapped in helical fashion about a weight lifting bar or the like and gripped by the hand with opposite sides of the strap facing the bar and the hand, and the strap being fabricated of a woven material with rubberized strands on the side of the strap which faces the bar.
US08747282B2
A process is disclosed for enabling an operator to exercise on an exercise device. The process includes measuring a range of movement of the operator during exercising on the exercise device for generating an electronic range of movement data. A strength is measured of the operator during exercising on the exercise device for generating an electronic strength data. An electronic program is designed based on the electronic range of movement data and the electronic strength data. The electronic program is stored in an electronic media. The electronic program is displayed as a moving scale on a screen for instructing the operator to exercise at the same rate as the moving scale to complete the exercise in a timely and controlled matter.
US08747280B2
There is provided a control device for a vehicle that includes: a driving force source; a hydraulic transmission; and an interrupting mechanism that is able to interrupt power transmission from the driving force source to a drive wheel. The control device includes a controller that is configured to, after the driving force source is stopped while the vehicle is travelling, on the condition that a hydraulic pressure applied to the transmission has decreased, execute control for setting a speed ratio of the transmission to a predetermined low speed ratio, such as a high-speed gear in the case where a low-speed gear and the high-speed gear are provided, while the vehicle is travelling.
US08747279B2
A hybrid driving force transmission device is provided with a multiple-plate dry clutch, a piston, a piston arm, a return spring, bellows elastic seal components and an arm fixing plate. The return spring applies biasing force to the piston arm in the release direction of the clutch, during the release period of the multiple-plate dry clutch. The bellows elastic seal member is secured or maintained in a position on the side wall of a clutch drum and seals a through hole and arm distal end from the clutch chamber, and undergoes an elastic deformation following the stroke movement of the arm distal end. The arm fixing plate is integrally provided with the bellows elastic seal member, is fixed to the arm distal end, and when the multiple-plate dry clutch is engaged, is configured to contact the clutch plate for transferring the clutch engagement force.
US08747277B2
A method for use with a transmission system (A, A1, B) incorporating a split gear assembly (20, 120, 220) for splitting an applied input load between two or more reaction gears (30, 40, 130, 140, 230, 240) or pathways to selectively positioning a support bearing (50, 150, 250) to achieve an optimized load distribution (LRT) among a set of drive planet pinions (22, 122, 222) and idler planet pinions (70, 170, 270) in the transmission system.
US08747276B2
A drive device including a planetary gear reduction device having at least two stages and an output shaft, and a driven shaft to support a driven member rotatively driven by torque reduced by the planetary gear reduction device and transmit the torque from the output shaft to the driven member. Each stage of the planetary gear reduction device includes a sun gear, an outer gear, multiple planetary gears, a carrier, and a support shaft. The output shaft is provided to the carrier of the last stage. Central axes of the sun gear, the outer gear, the carrier, the output shaft, the driven shaft, and the driven member are all arranged coaxially with one another and at least one carrier is floatingly supported relative to the outer gear. The carrier is formed as a single integrated unit having holes into which both ends of the support shaft are fitted.
US08747275B2
A differential device has a differential case that houses a gear group, and a ring gear that is disposed fitted to the differential case. The differential case and the ring gear are supported rotatably about a drive shaft. The ring gear is made up of a helical gear. The ring gear abuts the differential case in the axial direction of the drive shaft. The ring gear and the differential case are welded at an abutting portion of the ring gear and the differential case in the axial direction of the drive shaft.
US08747267B2
A continuously variable transmission system and a method of making a continuously variable transmission system is described. The present invention includes a gear set having at least a sun gear, one or more planetary gears, and a planetary gear carrier arm on which the one or more planetary gears are mounted for rotational movement. The sun gear and the one or more planetary gears are mounted for rotational engagement and movement with respect to each other, and one of the sun gears and the planetary gear carrier arm couples to an input shaft and another portion of the gear set couples to an output shaft to receive feedback. A rotary coupling unit having an input rotationally coupled to at least one of the one of the sun gears and the planetary gear carrier arm and an output that rotationally couples to the output shaft is also provided.
US08747259B2
A batting or ball practice cage has one or more frame members with a net attached over the frame. Frame members may be assembled having springs or elbows at the corner. A pitching machine may be aligned with the cage at one end.
US08747253B2
A ball striking device, such as a golf club, includes a head with a face having an outer surface configured for striking a ball, a body connected to the face, and a plurality of inserts connected to the outer surface of the body. The plurality of inserts are removable and interchangeable with other inserts, and at least one of the inserts has a weight that is greater than at least another one of the inserts. The inserts may be substantially identical in size and shape to enable the inserts to be interchanged with each other. Additionally, one or more of the inserts may be a primary insert with a secondary insert connected to the primary insert.
US08747252B2
Wood-type golf club heads include: (a) a club head body member defining an interior chamber; (b) a weight system engaged with a rear perimeter portion of the club head body member; and (c) a connection system connecting the weight system with the club head body (e.g., with the rear of the ball striking face portion). The club heads further may include one or more damping members in the interior chamber to alter the sound and/or otherwise attenuate a vibrational response of the club head. The damping members may extend between the ball striking face and the weight system, and optionally may engage the connection system. The damping member(s) may constitute a foam material compressed within the interior chamber of the club head. Methods of making such golf club head structures also are described.
US08747244B2
A putt break visualization instrument useful for improving putting includes an elongated object such as a crossbar that extends from the shaft of a putter and is normal thereto. The golfer begins by addressing the golf ball. The golfer then holds the putter above the green by the handle in the manner of a plumb line so that the shaft of the putter is vertically oriented and the crossbar is horizontally oriented. The golfer then aligns the shaft with the uphill edge of the golf ball and moves the shaft up or down along the vertical so that the crossbar extends in proximity to the cup. The golfer may use a slider on the crossbar to mark the cup. The golfer may now evaluate how well he or she has addressed the golf ball, and either repeat the process if improvement is needed or make the putt.
US08747242B2
A handheld display device is provided with a screen, a user interface, and electronics for enabling wireless communications. The handheld device is adapted for wirelessly receiving GPS tracking data from a satellite tracking system, wirelessly receiving transmitted RF data from electronically equipped sports objects, and/or wirelessly transmitting RF data to a computer controlled network. The system is also capable of on-board analysis of obtained data.
US08747241B2
A golf ball including a piezoelectric material allows the characteristics of the golf ball to be changed by application of an electric current. An electric current may be applied to the piezoelectric material prior to impact of the golf ball by the golf club using a golf tee with a power source. An electric current may be applied to the piezoelectric material after impact of the golf ball by the golf club and during flight of the golf ball. By selectively applying or removing electric current prior to, during, or after impact with the golf club, the characteristics of the golf ball may be changed and the flight path characteristics of the golf ball may be altered.
US08747239B2
A boot for joints, such as constant velocity joints, has a first attachment region and a fold region with a plurality of folds with peaks and roots and a transition area adjacent to the last fold arranged near said first attachment region. The transition area comprises a connecting root between said last fold in the transition part, wherein at least part of said transition part is inclined towards said first attachment region.
US08747233B1
A grip attachment with LED light or optional mirror adapted for attaching to one end of an expandable baton. The end of the baton has threads thereon. The grip attachment includes a grip body with a hand grip surface. The grip body having a center hole therethrough for receipt around the threaded end of the expandable baton. The grip body also includes an annular ring or tabs disposed around an inside circumference of the center hole. The grip attachment is secured on the expandable baton between the threaded end of the baton and an end cap. The grip attachment with LED light is attached to the baton by removing the end cap, sliding the grip attachment with LED light onto the threaded end of the baton, and screwing the end cap back on the threaded end.
US08747232B1
Technology for a method for backing up and restoring multiplayer game state across multiple devices that are registered to multiple users is disclosed herein. The method includes running instances of a multiplayer game application at multiple electronic devices, determining a backup event that occurs in any of the multiple electronic devices, wherein the backup event suggests a backup of game state data and the game state data represent a game state of the game application at the backup event, and transmitting the game state data of the game application to a remote storage service, in response to the backup event. Other electronic devices registered to any of the multiple users can retrieve the application state data from the remote storage service and restore the game application state.
US08747231B2
A game involves establishing a Wi-Fi connection for retrieving a template used to create a level for the game. A play test is conducted to determine if the created level of the game can be played. The created game level can be shared with other players and/or submitted as a contest for play and competition judging by other players.
US08747228B2
There is described an intermediary software module embodied on a computer readable medium and adapted to communicate with a reduced game application for a specific game within a gaming system, the intermediary software module interacting with non-game related hardware devices internal and external to the gaming system and having a decision making engine that has the ability to decide next steps to be taken as a function of a given state of the gaming system.
US08747226B2
A car area network is disposed in a car to enable communications between various devices in the car. An existing consumer electronics device (CED) coupled to the car area network (CAN) performs an existing consumer electronics device function. That existing (CED) is adapted to control various devices coupled to the CAN including video gaming devices. In one example, the adapted CED cooperates with a game server to effect game play. In another example, the adapted CED functions as a virtual video game platform to support play of video games. A multifunction controller transmits control information to the adapted CED via the car area network to permit a car occupant to control the adapted CED to permit the occupant to play a video game using the video game display. One or more audio and/or visual devices coupled to the CAN may also be controlled by commands transmitted from the adapted CED or from the multimedia controller over the CAN.
US08747220B2
Methods of administering wagering games may comprise accepting a first wager from individual players to play against a dealer. A second wager may be accepted from at least two players to play against one another. A portion of the second wager may be placed in a first pot. A remainder of the second wager may be placed in a second pot. Cards may be dealt to each player and to the dealer. The first wager may be resolved for each player against the dealer. The second wager may be resolved for the at least two players against one another. At least a portion of the first pot may be awarded to at least one player at a conclusion of each round of play. At least a portion of the second pot may be awarded to at least one player holding a predetermined winning hand.
US08747218B2
An embodiment of the present invention provides a bonus scheme associated with a feature event, or part thereof, which provides a plurality of feature games. With reference to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, a first feature event is conducted at Steps S3 to S5, the outcome of which determines a feature event win value. At Step S7 the feature event win value is compared to a threshold value and, if the gaming process win value is less than, or equal to the threshold value, the player becomes eligible to trigger a second feature event at Step S9.
US08747215B2
An electronic gaming console is illustrated having a console cabinet 10 including a prize display 12, a coin entry slot 13, a payout tray 14 and internally mounted game control processor circuits. A video game is provided for play on the console in which images of spinning reels spin and objects (balls) are dropped through a series of obstacles (pins) and eventually land in one or more of a set of containers. Prizes are paid according to either the state of the reels after spinning or the number of balls which are in each container at the end of the ball drop and/or the manner in which the pins are hit.
US08747203B1
The Applicants are providing a new process for playing Blackjack. The uses of, at least one fifty-two card deck, or modified decks are applied. This process is designed for an programmable gaming apparatus or “live action” table games, as accommodated for. Players, initially play via standardized Blackjack rules for their “Primary & Secondary ‘Base’ play action(s),” As such, all customarily engaged wagers of variable risk are in play against the Dealer's hand. However, Players can now move into an Alternative bypassing Strategy, and Secondary Decision-Propositions' process, where Proposition wagers are won or lost before the Dealer reveals their “Hole” card! While, its always the outcomes of 20 and 21 to win. This event can be regularly rebooked as an alternate card drawing strategy, or as a Multi-Down wagering event for an instant 20 or 21 win. Also, short-Win, Push and Mercy numbers typically engage the outcomes of: 17, 18 or 19.
US08747202B2
The game program according to the present invention causes a computer to perform a registering process to register in advance in a storage unit attribute information specified by the player, an offering process to offer the game content to the player, a judgment process to compare the attribute information of the game content offered to the specified attribute information, a combining process to combine the game content offered with another game content to create a combined game content, and a recording process to record in the storage unit the combined game content as the game content owned by the player, without recording in the storage unit the game content offered as the game content owned by the player.
US08747197B2
According to the present invention, an electronic handheld device is provided for receiving information related to a broadcasted sporting contest, and calculating a score based upon the received information. The information is entered into the electronic handheld device via a controller having plurality of buttons, each button having an associated score. The controller includes a display for displaying team information, which may include the team name and the score for each team. The controller further includes circuit board having circuitry operatively connected to the controller for processing the entered information and outputting the processed information to the controller display.
US08747194B2
A device for singularising coins of different sizes and thickness with a housing which comprises an obliquely inclined base plate is suggested. A catch element for catching and conveying coins to a further processing is rotatably arranged above the base plate. The coins are randomly present at least in the lower region of the base plate on which a collection container is fastened. A flap is arranged in the base plate, which opens and closes synchronously with the driven coin catch element for leading a caught coin further.
US08747184B2
A support structure for placement in a lower periphery of a breast cup for a brassiere, the support structure including a support component shaped to follow the curve of at least the underside of a wearer's breast, the support component including a first region formed by a first polymer material and a second region formed by a second polymer material, wherein the first polymer material is harder than the second polymer.
US08747181B1
A toy vehicle track and vehicle therefor having an actuator mechanism operably coupled with the motor and configured to remove power from the motor once the actuator mechanism senses the toy vehicle has exceeded a first speed provided by battery-powered propulsion and reached a second speed provided by either the vehicle being moved manually by a user or by moving downhill. Once the actuator mechanism has activated, the vehicle moves into free-wheeling mode and remains in that mode until the actuator mechanism senses that the toy has moved from the second speed to a third speed slower than the battery-powered propulsion speed.
US08747162B2
A host device with a memory card slot and an associated fingernail recess is provided. In one embodiment, a host device is provided comprising a housing with an outer surface, a memory card slot formed in the housing and accessible for memory card insertion through a slot opening in the outer surface, and a plurality of electrical contacts exposed in the memory card slot for engaging corresponding contacts on a memory card. The host device further comprises a recess in the outer surface associated with the slot opening, wherein the recess is sized to allow fingernail access to a fingernail grip of the memory card in the memory card slot. Other embodiments are possible, and each of the embodiments can be used alone or together in combination.
US08747161B2
A card connector (100) includes an insulative housing (1), a number of conductive contacts (2) retained in the insulative housing (1) and a shell (3) enclosing over the insulative housing (1). The shell (3) includes a top wall (31) and a pair of side walls (32) downwardly extending from two sides of the top wall (31). The side wall (32) has a latching arm (36) at the bottom thereof to upwardly abut against a bottom face (12) of the insulative housing (1). The insulative housing (1) has a top surface (11) facing the top wall (31). The top surface (11) and the top wall (31) define a receiving cavity (30) to receive an electrical card. The side wall (32) also has a limiting portion (33) extending into the receiving cavity (30) and downwardly abutting against the top surface (11) of the insulative housing (1). Therefore, the size of the card connector (100) is smaller which is in favor of a small-scale development of the card connector (100).
US08747152B2
A connector with a capacitively coupled connector interface for interconnection with a female portion is provided with an annular groove, with a sidewall, open to an interface end of the female portion. A male portion is provided with a male outer conductor coupling surface at an interface end, covered by an outer conductor dielectric spacer. A waveguide path between the male outer conductor coupling surface and the female portion, while in the interlocked position, extends from the outer conductor dielectric spacer to an exterior of the interconnection through an S-bend in a radial direction, to improve RF isolation. The male outer conductor coupling surface is dimensioned to seat, spaced apart from the sidewall by the outer conductor dielectric spacer, within the annular groove, when the male portion and the female portion are in an interlocked position.
US08747151B2
A connector for a coaxial cable includes a mandrel, a coupler, and a body. The mandrel is insertable between the dielectric and the outer conductor of the cable. The coupler includes an annular shoulder extending radially inward from the coupler for retaining a mandrel. The body is matingly engaged with the coupler and defines a first inner bore proximate the coupler having a substantially coextensive diameter and a second inner bore having a diameter smaller than the first inner bore. Together, the mandrel sleeve and the second inner bore squeeze the outer jacket of the coaxial cable between the outer surface of the mandrel sleeve and the second inner bore to affix the connector to the cable.
US08747147B2
An electrical connector comprises an insulative housing, a metallic shell surround the insulative housing, a plurality of contacts and two detect pin retained to the insulative housing. The insulative housing is formed with a base and a tongue extending forwardly from the base. The shell and the insulative housing define a receiving cavity therebetween. The two detect pins are fastened to two opposite ends of the insulative housing, respectively, each has a detecting portion located in the receiving cavity, and the detecting portions of the two detect pins are disposed offset along a front-to-back direction for being selectively pushed by the mating plug. One of the contacts is formed with a wing contacting with the first detecting portion. The electrical connector can detect insertions of different mating plugs via the detect pins.
US08747139B2
An auxiliary fitting (10) is used in using a laminate terminal fitting (30) including interlocking portions (37) to be engaged with another terminal fitting placed on one surface side at a peripheral edge of an insertion hole (36), through which a fastening device (B) is insertable, without being assembled with the other terminal fitting. The interlocking portions (37) are so formed that plate surfaces are shifted toward the one surface side relative to other parts (48) and interlocking portions of the other terminal fitting are to be inserted into and engaged with recesses (38) formed at the other surface side of the interlocking portions (37). The auxiliary fitting (10) includes auxiliary inserting portions (12) to be inserted into the recesses (38) of the interlocking portions (37) and placed in contact with the interlocking portions (37).
US08747137B2
A connector includes a packing which includes an annular body part, ear parts extending outward from the body part, and lock receiving parts provided in the ear parts. The connector further includes a case which includes an annular packing-mounted part provided on which a body part of the packing is mounted, a flange part which is integrally provided on the case body part to surround the packing-mounted part, a pair of through holes which are formed in the case body part to communicate between a face of the packing-mounted part and a back face of the flange part and through which the ear parts are respectively passed, and a pair of locking parts which are provided on the back face of the flange part and with which the lock receiving parts in the ear parts are respectively engaged.
US08747134B2
The invention relates to a plug-in coupling system for the transfer of high-power energy and for the transfer of a fluid under pressure, consisting of at least one coupler plug (2, 2′) and at least one coupler socket (3, 3′) with at least one electrical conductor (4, 5), respectively. The coupler plug (2, 2′) can be introduced into the coupler socket (3, 3′) to produce a coupled state and can be removed from the coupler socket (3, 3′) to produce a decoupled state. The plug-in coupling advantageously comprises at least one electromechanical protection system consisting of at least one electronic switch means (35) and at least one mechanical switch means (4, 11), arranged inside the coupler socket (3) and/or the coupler plug (2), said mechanical switch means establishing or separating the electroconductive connection, the electronic switch means (35) and the mechanical switch means (4, 11) being independently controllable.
US08747131B2
A card connector (100) includes an insulative housing (10), a number of contacts (30) retained in the insulative housing, a metal shell (20) covering the insulative housing for defining a receiving space (60), and an ejector (50) assembled on the insulative housing. The ejector includes a cam portion (51) and a shaft (52) actuating the cam portion. The cam portion includes a pivoting portion (510), a first arm portion (511) and a second arm portion (512) respectively and angularly extending from the pivoting portion, and at least one positioning portion (513) extending from the pivoting portion along a vertical direction. At least one of the metal shell and the insulative housing defines a hole (19, 25) receiving the at least one positioning portion.
US08747127B2
A receptacle connector includes a receiving slot, a mating plate slidably received in the receiving slot, an ejection mechanism, and a resetting mechanism. The mating plate is exposed at a front end of the receiving slot and is provided with a urging portion and a first engaging portion. The ejection mechanism is provided with a stopping portion for correspondingly stopping the urging portion, so that the ejection mechanism can drive the mating plate to slide outwards. The resetting mechanism is provided with a second engaging portion for being correspondingly engaged with the first engaging portion, so that the resetting mechanism can drive the mating plate to return to an original position.
US08747122B2
A method and apparatus are provided for implementing electrical connection of two large circuit cards through multiple discrete land grid array (LGA) sites. Each of the circuit cards includes a plurality of LGA sites. A first circuit card includes a plurality of LGA interposers locally aligned at the respective LGA sites of the first circuit card. A board-to-board connection hardware assembly connecting a second circuit card to the first circuit card includes a elongated carrier defining a cavity receiving a plurality of load springs coupled to an associated bearing block for loading and maintaining flatness of the LGA sites.
US08747120B2
An electrical connector for electrically connecting a central processing unit (CPU) comprises an insulating housing having a plurality of terminals received therein and a pick-up cap removably assembled to the insulating housing for carrying and placing the CPU onto the insulating housing. The insulating housing has a plurality of receiving slots sunk from top surfaces of two sidewalls thereof and a plurality of wedge-shaped grooves disposed between the receiving slots on one same sidewall. The pick-up cap defines a plurality of hooks extending therefrom for buckling to the insulating housing. The pick-up cap also defines a plurality of latches corresponding to the receiving slots and a plurality of releasing arms corresponding to the grooves. The latches received in the receiving slots can clasp the CPU to retain the CPU on the pick-up cap and be released the CPU when the releasing arms are pulled outwardly.
US08747116B2
A real-time virtual reality welding system including a programmable processor-based subsystem, a spatial tracker operatively connected to the programmable processor-based subsystem, at least one mock welding tool capable of being spatially tracked by the spatial tracker, and at least one display device operatively connected to the programmable processor-based subsystem. The system is capable of simulating, in virtual reality space, a weld puddle having real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristics. The system is further capable of displaying the simulated weld puddle on the display device in real-time.
US08747113B2
Tooth whitening system includes a moldable dental tray of sufficiently moldable material so that a user can form the tray to substantially match the configuration of the user's teeth, in use. Moldable dental tray includes a raised region and a valley that are adjacent to and free of contact with a corresponding raised region and valley of a user's tooth adjacent a user's gum line. Thus, a tooth provided on the moldable dental tray is free of contact with the user's gingiva, in use. Tooth whitener includes a carrier, a whitening agent, and a sufficiently adhesive so that both the tooth whitener and the moldable dental tray are adhered to a user's tooth for a sufficiently long period of time to achieve a whitening of the user's tooth by the whitening agent. Tooth whitener and tray can be made of organic, natural materials.
US08747103B2
Apparatus for sensing the presence of a flame issuing from the flow of fuel through an elongate oven burner comprises an electrical current sensor immersed in a flame having carbon atoms which support such current. The fuel is ignited by a spark igniter. Should no flame exist after a predetermined time interval, or if the flame is extinguished, the supply of fuel to such burner is terminated and the spark igniter is disabled.
US08747102B2
An ignitor spark indicator 100 is described that monitors RF signals within a flame rod 25 located near a spark rod 23. The signal from the flame rod 25 is processed to provide a waveform that indicates when electrical arcing is occurring. The indication when arcing is occurring is also provided to flame-detecting equipment. The flame-proving device 60 only operates when the arcing is not produced so that the flame-detecting device 60 does not confuse the arcing with a flame reducing the false positive determinations.
US08747100B2
An injection mold assembly for manufacturing multiple-component articles includes opposed first and second mold halves and mold cores carried by the first mold half. Each of the mold cores is mounted for rotation between a first position and a second position about an axis of rotation. The mold halves are mounted for movement in reciprocal directions along an axis of reciprocation between an open position and a closed position forming molding cavities between the mold cores and the second mold halves. The axes of rotation of the mold cores are different from one another.
US08747098B1
A thermoplastic pultrusion die system for pultruding a thermoplastic composite includes a first pultrusion die member with a curved, concave top surface; a second pultrusion die member with a curved, convex bottom surface; a curved die cavity gap formed between the a curved, concave top surface of the first pultrusion die member and the curved, convex bottom surface of the second pultrusion die member; a die cavity gap adjustment mechanism that imparts movement to at least one of the first pultrusion die member and the second pultrusion die member to vary the die cavity gap from closed to a specified location to open at a specified location; a pultrusion gripper mechanism having one or more grippers in series, and a computer numerical control (CNC) computer system controlling the die cavity gap adjustment mechanism.
US08747093B2
A spinneret for producing nanofibers from a viscous liquid using electrostatic spinning in an electric field is described. The spinneret includes one or more narrow annular bodies radially centered about and axially spaced along a central axis. The annular bodies may be discs, rings, or coils.
US08747086B2
A scroll compressor is constructed by combining a stationary scroll and an orbiting scroll formed by erecting a scroll-shape wrap upright on a base plate meshing with each other. A scroll member constructing the stationary scroll or the orbiting scroll is constructed of an inner layer member 601 forming a core metal and an outer layer member 600 arranged so as to surround the inner layer member and forming an outer layer part, the inner layer member is constructed of a material with higher modulus of elasticity than that of the outer layer member, and separation prevention parts (uneven parts 603, depressions 604, or holes 605) preventing the inner layer member and the outer layer member from separating with each other due to difference in coefficient of thermal expansion thereof are arranged in the inner layer member.
US08747074B2
An oil pump control apparatus of a hybrid vehicle is provided that controls an oil pump according to a demand of an output torque and oil temperature. In particular, hydraulic line pressure is controlled by operating an oil pump at maximum power if a starting demand for a hybrid vehicle is detected. Viscosity is calculated as well to correspond to an oil temperature in an engine stop mode and a rotation speed of the oil pump is controlled at a low power. Additionally, viscosity is also calculated according to a variation of a line pressure in a driving mode and the rotation speed of the electric oil pump is controlled in either a low power, a middle power, and a high power state as well.
US08747056B2
A fan unit includes a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet; a first fan and second fan mounted in the air inlet and the air outlet respectively and arranged in tandem so as to generate an air flow; a first valve mounted adjacent to the air inlet for allowing air to flow into the housing and preventing air from flowing out of the housing; and a second valve mounted adjacent to the air outlet for allowing air to flow out of the housing and preventing air from flowing into the housing.
US08747054B2
A bearing system for a gas turbine engine includes a spring defined about an axis of rotation. The spring has a multiple of beams which extend between a flange structure and an attachment structure. A damper defined about the axis of rotation and mounted to the spring to at least partially axially overlap the multiple of beams.
US08747051B2
An ocean freight method and arrangement handles goods in a number of transport modes, such as containers, with the same transport in a cargo hold of an ocean vessel with cranes. The transport has a platform with a width corresponding to two regular containers to be loaded and unloaded by two parallel cranes enabling transportation of heavy and over wide units.
US08747048B2
A system for lifting, handling, and transporting containers includes a trailer that is either connectable to a truck or permanently affixed to a truck. The trailer has front and rear ends and is configured to receive and hold a container. A dolly is mounted on the trailer to lift and handle the container while maintaining the container in an upright orientation. The dolly may travel between the front and rear ends of the trailer and may be rotatable to face left and right sides of the trailer.
US08747041B1
An improved nut-and-bolt assembly reduces tensile stress concentration on the bolt. The assembly has a specially designed nut with a tapered region extending from the nut crown and threaded with the first several bolt threads. The cross sectional area of the tapered region decreases linearly as a function of distance from the crown whereby the tapered region has a convex profile. Each of the bolt threads engaging the tapered region take up an approximately equal amount of longitudinal stress on the bolt.
US08747036B2
A power tool includes a base and a drive unit movable relative to the base and having a spindle and a drive device for rotatably driving the spindle. The power tool further includes a movable member mounted to the base and movable in a first mode and a second mode. A first device is coupled between the movable member and the drive unit and moves the drive unit relative to the base when the movable member moves in the first mode. A second device is coupled to the movable member and is configured to fix the drive unit in position relative to the base when the movable member moves in the second mode.
US08747030B2
A tool head is provided that can easily correct the shape of a tooth surface. Slot holes are formed in a main head body, that tilt either distally or proximately to the central axis of rotation (CAR) of the main head body. Concave tooth surface blades for cutting concave tooth surfaces are installed in the slot holes that tilt distally, and convex tooth surface blades for cutting convex tooth surfaces are formed in the slot holes that tilt proximately. By changing the amount that the concave or convex tooth surface blades protrude, the cutting portions of the concave or convex tooth surface blades are moved in either distal or proximate directions. By changing the distance from the CAR to the cutting portions in this manner, it is possible to correct the shape of the concave or convex tooth surfaces of a bevel gear.
US08747024B2
A J-lay system constructed to be positioned on board a pipeline-laying vessel, comprising a fixed pipeline support (12) and a movable pipeline support (12) configured for supporting a pipeline (10) which is suspended form the pipeline-laying vessel, —the movable pipeline support (12) comprising: —at least a first movable support member (20A) configured for engaging a first collar (16A) on the pipeline (10), —at least a second movable support member (20B) configured for engaging a second collar (16B) on the pipeline (10), —the fixed pipeline support (12) comprising: —at least a first fixed support member (20A) configured for engaging a third collar on the pipeline (10), —at least a second fixed support member (20B) configured for engaging a fourth collar on the pipeline (10), wherein the first (20A) and second fixed support member (20B) configured for engaging a fourth collar on the pipeline (10).
US08747022B1
Tow point assembly includes a tow arm, tow point plate, and tow point support for securing to a traction unit. A rearward end of the tow arm is adapted for securing to a screed assembly, and a forward end pivotably coupled to the tow point plate at a pivot point. The tow point plate is slidably disposed through an opening in the tow point support with the rollers of two coupled roller assemblies disposed to roll on the forward edges of the tow point support, and rollers of a third roller assembly disposed to roll on contact with rearward edges.
US08747016B2
The invention relates to a profile bar connection system (10) for connecting at least two profile bars (12, 14) extending approximately perpendicular to each other, having first and second clamp halves (16, 18) that can be connected to each other at the first ends (16a, 18a) and second ends (16b, 18b) thereof, and having a clamping device (20) that can be connected to the first and second clamp halves placed about the first profile bar (12) and holding the second profile bar. In order to produce a profile bar connection system so that the assembly thereof can be performed substantially more simply and safely, said system is implemented such that the first ends (16a, 18a) are interlocked with each other, and the second ends (16b, 18b) are connected to each other by means of the clamping device (20).
US08747012B2
A tie rod end includes a stud with a spherical ball at one end and a bearing having a concave spherical bearing running surface for sliding abutment with the ball. The contact area of the ball or the bearing running surface has a lubrication groove to facilitate channeling grease, wherein the grooved member is coated with a bonded lubrication coating. The lubrication coating reduces the initial preload torque from that which would be ordinarily be perceived as undesirable to a torque that is perceived as desirable. The lubrication coating is substantially consumed on the high contact area over about 100 to 500 thousand cycles, with the resulting torque being remaining greater than zero, which is also perceived as being desirable.
US08747009B2
An oral care implement having a dispenser containing oral care material and a moisture impermeable barrier. An oral care implement comprising: a handle; a head connected to the handle, the head comprising at least one tooth cleaning element extending from a face of the head; a dispenser containing an oral care material positioned on the head, the dispenser being degradable when subjected to moisture; a removable barrier attached to the head so as to create a chamber between an inner surface of the removable barrier and a portion of the head, the removable barrier being constructed of a moisture impermeable material; and wherein the dispenser is disposed within the chamber.
US08747007B2
A decorating pen particularly useful for decorating cakes, pastries and other food items provides a reservoir containing a decorating material, a nozzle attached to the reservoir, a housing which holds the reservoir and a compression member pivotally attached to the housing member. A user holds the decorating pen in a fashion similar to a standard writing pen or pencil and squeezes the housing and compression member together to extrude the decorating material from the reservoir through the nozzle to write, draw, or color with the decorating pen.
US08747006B2
The invention generally relates to a flat box finisher for applying mud (or mastic or joint compound) over taped joints on walls and ceilings. Usually, paint or wallpaper is then applied over the finished mud. The flat box finisher has no external springs, but has at least one internal support bar which acts as a spring for applying pressure to a corresponding dry wall finishing handle affixed to the flat box finisher. The internal support bar is surrounded by the mud while the device is in use. As a result of having no external spring, the flat box finisher may be reduced in size for smaller jobs or difficult to reach areas of a room. The internal support bar may also eliminate problems with external springs, such as the spring wearing out or becoming damaged during use or storage.
US08747000B2
A printer has two separate movable blades, a stationary blade, and a movable blade drive mechanism for driving the movable blades against the stationary blade. Such mechanism may link and drive the movable blades to cut the roll paper against the stationary blade such that one movable blade leads and the other follows. The printer may further include a main frame with a roll paper compartment and a printing mechanism for printing on the roll paper, a cover frame movably connected to the main frame and having an openable cover for the roll paper compartment, a movable blade frame disposed to the main frame for supporting the movable blades with the blade tips in opposition, and a stationary blade frame disposed to the cover frame for supporting the stationary blade in a position substantially transverse to the paper transportation path during cutting.
US08746994B2
So that parallax-free images can be taken even if the camera is rotated during filming and the direction of the camera is changed to an arbitrary direction, the auxiliary device is provided with a camera body retaining part and, in an equidistant surface centered on the nodal point of the camera, a camera attachment part. Regardless of the angle the camera makes as a result of the way in which the camera attachment part is mounted to a camera support mechanism part, the nodal point of the camera remains at a fixed location.
US08746989B2
An optical interconnect assembly provides board to board interconnect in an electronic system. The optical interconnect assembly can include a plurality of optical fibers, having a connector disposed at the first ends, and a rigid optical mount disposed at the second ends. The rigid optical mount holds the optical fibers in alignment and in optical communication with a plurality of optical transducers mounted on the optical mount. Electrical contacts coupled to the optical transducers enable solder-attachment of one end of the optical interconnect assembly to a circuit board.
US08746988B2
Provided is a cable with a connector (1) having a form in which a connector is fitted to a cable (6). A housing (2) of the connector is constituted by two case members (2a, 2b). A root portion of the cable (6) is covered with a boot (8) made of a resin, and a flange (8a) is formed in the boot (8). Inside the boot (8), a stop ring (10) made of a metal is arranged. The stop ring (10) allows a transmission line (6a) to be inserted through a main body thereof having a cylinder shape, and a jacket (6b) is covered on its outer side. A flange (10a) is also formed in the stop ring (10), and the flange (10a) and the flange (8a) are inserted into grooves (2c, 2d) in an overlapped state.
US08746987B2
A field assembled optical connector is provided. The connector includes a ferrule having an optical fiber, a plug integrally forming a housing coupling part, and an open-topped boot into which an optical cable is inserted, an optical connection member to connect an optical fiber of the ferrule inserted at a tip end side and an optical fiber of the optical cable, a boot cover rotatably coupled to the plug on a side of the boot, a screw cap screw-coupled to the boot and the boot cover to fix the optical cable inserted into the boot and the boot cover, and a plurality of ring-shaped bosses arranged at inner sides of the boot and the boot cover.
US08746986B2
A spline lubrication apparatus is disclosed for lubricating a spline of a pump drive. The apparatus includes a housing and a rotatable spline which is disposed within the housing. The spline includes a shaft having a plurality of longitudinally extending splines. A gear is rotatably supported within the housing and includes a splined bore for the rotatable reception therein of the rotatable spline. An adapter is secured to the housing and defines a cavity for the rotatable reception therein of the splines and splined bore. A plurality of pockets are in fluid communication with the cavity such that when the splines and splined bore are rotating within the cavity, the flow of the lubricant within the cavity around the splines and splined bore is interrupted by the pockets. The arrangement is such that the flow of lubricant collects within the pockets and cascades onto the splines and splined bore for enhancing the lubrication thereof.
US08746978B2
A fluid bearing apparatus includes a housing 7 which has a cylindrical shape having a fixing face 7c for fixing the outer circumferential surface 8b of a bearing sleeve 8, and axial circulation grooves 7d for bringing both end faces 8c, 8d of the bearing sleeve 8 into circulation on the inner periphery by forging. A groove molding portion 18a2 is provided on the outer circumference of a rod 18 which serves as a forming mold for the inner periphery of the housing 7, and the circulation grooves 7d are formed by forging with this groove molding portion 18a2. Moreover, after a sealing face 107d and a cylindrical outer circumferential surface 107e provided on the outer periphery of the housing 107 are formed by forging, an inner circumferential surface 107c is formed by forging.
US08746964B2
Flexible bag includes at least a first wall, a second wall facing the first wall when the flexible bag is folded and a functional part having at least a portion protruding from the first wall inside the bag. The second wall includes protective means intended to prevent damage to the flexible bag and/or to the functional part.
US08746963B2
A continuous, semi-continuous or fed-batch mixing apparatus and process for producing and maintaining a consistently mixed substance uses a tubular vessel equipped with a plurality of annular baffles configured to initiate and maintain uniform mixing and efficient dispersion of the substance in the tubular vessel, with a pump to impart unidirectional linear and non-oscillatory motion to the substance in the tubular vessel thereby promoting and maintaining uniform mixing and efficient dispersion of the substance.
US08746962B2
A high pressure homogenizer provided with head for the treatment of products with solids and fibers comprises a block defining a passage for the product from an intake area to a delivery area, a piston movable axially with reciprocating motion in the block to pump the product in said passage, intake and delivery valves positioned internally to the block and operatively active on said passage to open it/close as a function of a motion of the products in the passage. The passage is positioned in the block in position of non-interference with the motion of the piston and the intake and delivery valves have no springs and are operatively inserted in said passage in intermediate position between said intake and delivery areas, to favor the sliding of the products and to prevent the accumulation of substances that are sensitive to shear effects contained in the products themselves.
US08746961B2
One aspect of the present invention relates to a method for increasing the temperature of a substance which is initially in an at least partly solidified state in a container, where at least one heat exchanger is arranged in the container. One object is to obtain that the temperature of a substance may be changed relatively fast. This is obtained by having pumping means for displacing the substance, exchanging heat between a heat exchanger and the substance, displacing substance with the pumping means for increased heat exchange between the heat exchanger and the substance, as well as stirring the substance with the pumping means by displacing the substance inside the container. When the substance is displaced, then not only stagnant substance is in contact with the heat exchanger for heat exchange. The amount of substance in contact with the heat exchanger is thereby greatly increased, and the heat transfer is less dependent on thermal conductivity of the substance.
US08746957B2
A storage case is removably attachable to a hand mixer for mixing foodstuffs. The storage case includes a bottom wall that extends generally parallel to a bottom surface of the hand mixer when the storage case is attached to the hand mixer. A pair of spaced-apart and generally opposing side walls extend generally perpendicularly from the bottom wall of the storage case. A pair of spaced-apart and generally opposing end walls each extending generally perpendicularly from the bottom wall and the side walls of the storage case. At least a portion of one of the walls of the storage case is pivotally attached by a hinge. The bottom wall, side walls and end walls in combination with the bottom wall generally define a cavity for storing at least one mixing tool therein.
US08746955B2
In a screw machine, to extend the material to be prepared with the latter, at least one processing element is configured as an extension-kneading element, the crest region of which has a reduced thickness compared to a flank region and, with adjacent processing elements, forms an extension channel for the material in the region between the triangles, which tapers in cross section in the flow direction of the material. Because of the tapering of the extension channel, the material is accelerated in the flow direction thereof and extended, so that high-molecular particles in the material are divided and the latter is therefore homogenized.
US08746953B1
A decorative lamp, including a lampshade, a luminophor and conductive wires connected with the luminophor. The decorative lamp includes a wire trapper, one end portion is disposed between the conductive wires and a housing with opened inner space. The wire trapper is disposed inside the inner space, the conductive wires extend out of an opened end of the inner space to be connected to an external power supply with one end portion of the wire trapper and an inner wall of the housing defining the inner space press and fix the conductive wires. The lampshade and the housing respectively include structures that cooperate to form a sealing assembly. The decorative lamp may also be modified by replacing the cooperation between the lampshade and the housing by a snap-fit member such that the luminophor extends out of the snap-fit member and forms a tight cooperation with the snap-fit member.
US08746947B2
The invention provides a backlight module, an LCD device and a light source of the backlight module. The backlight module includes an LED chip, and a heat sink; the LED chip and a circuit thereof are directly arranged on the heat sink. In the invention, because the LED chip of the backlight module and the circuit thereof are directly arranged on the heat sink, heat emitted by the LED chip can be conducted out through the heat sink with good heat dissipation effect; thus, the inside temperature of the backlight module is reduced, and the heat dissipation efficiency of the backlight module is increased.
US08746946B2
A backlight module including a light guide plate and a light source is provided. The light guide plate has a light incident surface, a light reflection surface, a first side surface and a second side surface. The light incident surface is connected to the second side surface. The reflection surface is connected between the first side surface and the light incident surface. The first and the second side surfaces are two planes with their extending planes intersected. The light incident surface is a chamfering plane connected between the first and the second side surfaces. The light reflection surface is a cambered surface connected between the first side surface and the light incident surface. The light source is disposed next to the light incident surface, so as to transmit light into the light guide plate through the light incident surface.
US08746945B2
A backlight unit is disclosed. The backlight unit includes a light emitting device module, a reflective plate including at least two slopes configured to reflect light emitted from the light emitting device module to an optical member, and the optical member to transmit the light directed from the light emitting device module and the reflective plate. The slope located farther from the light emitting device module has a greater gradient with respect to a horizontal plane than the slope located closer to the light emitting device module.
US08746942B2
A tubular skylight, comprising a tubular body (2) provided with an inner reflecting surface (3), a light collector (4) mounted to a first end of the tubular body (2) and a light diffuser (6) mounted to a second end of said tubular body (2). The skylight further comprises a source of artificial light (9) external to the tubular body (2) to enable it not to interfere with the natural light, and mounted in the vicinity of the diffuser (6). This artificial-light source (9) is preferably defined by a plurality of LEDs positioned around the diffuser (6) itself.
US08746937B2
A head lamp assembly including a housing; a plurality of head lamp cases installed in the housing, wherein each head lamp case comprises a light emitting diode (LED) light source, and a heat sink for dissipating heat generated from the LED light source; and a plurality of ventilating fans for circulating air in the plurality of head lamp cases and installed in the plurality of head lamp cases, respectively. Accordingly, the ventilating fans installed in the head lamp cases have opposite ventilating directions, and thus air is circulated in the head lamp cases by the ventilating fans to thus improve heat dissipation effects.
US08746928B2
The present invention comprise a flag illumination assembly that both (i) illuminates an associated flag from a vertical edge of the flag and (ii) swivels with the edge of the flag as the flag is tossed in the wind. The foregoing facilitates illumination of the flag regardless of the direction of the wind. Further, a simmering effect is often created as a result of natural undulations of the flag in wind relative to the beams of light being directed thereon from the illumination assembly.
US08746925B2
A circuit board circuit apparatus and a light source apparatus including a substrate, a circuit layer, and at least one electronic component are disclosed. The circuit layer is formed on a surface of the substrate. The circuit layer includes a first circuit and a second circuit which are coplanar-disposed. The at least one electronic component is disposed on the circuit layer and connected with the circuit layer. Each electronic component has a first contact and a second contact. At least a part of the second circuit is disposed between the at least one electronic component and the first circuit. The at least one electronic component crosses over the second circuit, so that the second circuit penetrates through the bottom of the electronic component between the first contact and the second contact.
US08746913B2
The invention relates to a lava lamp holder structure improvement, particularly to lamp holder structure combining a lava lamp and lighting, comprising: a holder, a joint sleeve and a transparent bottle. The holder having a base, a first mounted seat with a projection lamp mounted at an inner periphery thereof, a second mounted seat with a lighting lamp mounted on a top thereof and a support bracket having a wire arranged therein for connecting to the lighting lamp. The joint sleeve has an internal sleeve and an external sleeve and an annular heat insulation space formed between the internal sleeve and the external sleeve for heat dissipation. The transparent bottle has filler with two immiscible liquid therein and is arranged between the second mounted seat and the joint sleeve.
US08746910B2
The present invention discloses a backplane, a backlight module and an LCD device. A backplane, comprising a plurality of ribs which intersect vertically and horizontally to form a plurality of meshes. In the present invention, because ribs are adopted as basic members of the backplane and the comprehensively intersected ribs form the meshes, all components and parts of the backplane module required to be fixed to the backplane can be fixed to the meshes. The ribs are standard and universal; the meshes formed by the ribs are arranged on the whole backplane and can absolutely satisfy the fixation needs of the components and the parts of different positions and different installation dimensions; therefore, for backplanes of different dimensions, as long as the ribs of different lengths are selected, a standard and universal backplane, a backlight module and an LCD device can be formed.
US08746905B2
A method of fabricating a reflecting sheet includes: providing a base sheet including a reflecting layer, an upper surface layer over the reflecting layer and a lower surface layer under the reflecting layer, the reflecting layer including a fine foam; dividing the base sheet into upper and lower division sheets; and forming a reinforcing layer on each of the upper and lower division sheets to constitute the reflecting sheet.
US08746904B2
A seal of an exterior rear view mirror assembly relative to a body part of a motor vehicle is described, which is formed as one piece, and comprises a sealing pad and a sealing grommet integrally molded on the sealing pad. The sealing pad covers at least one section of the surface of a minor base of the exterior rear view minor assembly lying on the bodywork side. The sealing grommet serves for sealing at least one feed-through opening, which is provided on the bodywork side for feed-through of the cable harness of the exterior rear view minor assembly. The sealing grommet is formed as an open hollow body on the free end, which is turned away from the sealing pad. A passage opening is provided for the cable harness at the intersection of the symmetry axis of the hollow body with the sealing pad.
US08746882B2
Selecting an optimal intraocular lens (IOL) from a plurality of IOLs for implanting in a subject eye, including measuring anterior corneal topography (ACT), axial length (AXL), and anterior chamber depth (ACD) of a subject eye; selecting a default equivalent refractive index depending on preoperative patient's stage or calculating a personalized value or introducing a complete topographic representation if posterior corneal data are available; creating a customized model of the subject eye with each of a plurality of identified intraocular lenses (IOL) implanted, performing a ray tracing through that model eye; calculating from the ray tracing a RpMTF or RMTF value; and selecting the IOL corresponding to the highest RpMTF or RMTF value for implanting in the subject eye.
US08746880B2
An antifouling film is introduced on a base of an optical product such that (1) an absolute value of a charged electrostatic potential is 2.00 kV or less, and (2) a surface peel strength is 0.10 N/19 mm or less. A hard coat film and an optical multilayer film are placed between the base of the optical product and the antifouling film. An antireflection film is provided as the optical multilayer film, and a base of a spectacle plastic lens is provided as the base of the optical product.
US08746875B2
A printer has a base, first and second side members placed on opposite side portions of a base with respect to a first direction, at least one roller for transporting a sheet in a second direction intersecting the first direction, a print unit and a platen, the roller, the print unit and the platen being held with the first side member and the second side member. The first side member and the second side member are formed by a molded first resin material and the base is formed by a molded second resin material, and a bending elastic modulus of the first resin material is larger than that of the second resin material.
US08746874B2
A medium conveyance apparatus includes: a medium supporting device having a medium supporting surface which supports a rear surface of a medium opposite to a processing object surface; a gripping device which grips a leading end portion of the medium; a fastening device which fastens at least a non-gripped portion of the medium; a conveyance device which conveys the medium held by at least one of the gripping device and the fastening device to a processing region where a processing is performed to the processing object surface; and a control device which controls the gripping device such that after the gripping device has gripped the leading end portion and before the leading end portion arrives at the processing region, at least a part of the gripping device is temporarily opened and then the part of the gripping device having been opened is closed to grip the leading end portion again.
US08746865B2
An image forming method including applying an ink composition onto a recording medium by an inkjet method, and applying an liquid including particles onto the recording medium is disclosed.
US08746862B2
Part of a liquid chamber communicating with a liquid storage is formed of a deformable portion which is deformed. Part of a lever is brought into abutment with the deformable portion and, when the deformable portion is deformed, the lever is rotated about a supporting portion. The liquid storage, the liquid chamber, and the lever are stored in the interior of the case having a through hole, and when the liquid container is mounted on the liquid consuming apparatus, the movable rod on the side of the liquid consuming apparatus is inserted from the through hole and is brought into abutment with the lever.
US08746860B2
An ink supply system includes a print head assembly and a print head with one or more nozzles for a color. The print head is connected with the nozzles via a first connection line. A supply tank is connected with an intermediate tank via a filler line under an interconnection of a feed unit and a filter assembly. The pressure difference of the ink flow from a return tank to the supply tank is controlled by the print head. A method cleans the ink supply system, and a method cleans the print head.
US08746859B2
Among other things, an apparatus for use in fluid jetting is described. The apparatus comprises a printhead including a flow path and a nozzle in communication with the flow path that has a first end and a second end. The apparatus also includes a first container fluidically coupled to the first end of the flow path, a second container fluidically coupled to the second end of the flow path, and a controller. The first container has a first controllable internal pressure and the second container has a second controllable internal pressure. The controller controls the first internal pressure and the second internal pressure to have a fluid flow between the first container and the second container through the flow path in the printhead according to a first mode and a second mode. In either mode, at least a portion of the fluid flowing along the flow path is delivered to the nozzle when the nozzle is jetting. The first mode has the first internal pressure higher than the second internal pressure and the second mode has the second internal pressure higher than the first internal pressure. The fluid flows from the first container to the second container according to the first mode and flows from the second container to the first container according to the second mode.
US08746857B2
An inkjet recording head of an embodiment includes: an elastic film provided to form a part of a pressure-generating chamber connected to a nozzle opening; and a piezoelectric film-laminated part, an end thereof being fixed to the elastic film, a central part thereof facing the elastic film having an air gap in-between, the piezoelectric film-laminated part including a lower electrode, a piezoelectric film, and an upper electrode.
US08746855B2
A piezoelectric element is manufactured in a method including forming an adhesion layer of zirconium above a zirconium oxide insulating film, forming a first electrode above the adhesion layer, forming a piezoelectric layer of a complex oxide containing bismuth above the first electrode, and forming a second electrode above the piezoelectric layer.
US08746852B2
A liquid-ejecting head includes a pressure-generating chamber communicating with a nozzle opening and includes a piezoelectric element including a piezoelectric layer and electrodes. The piezoelectric layer contains bismuth sodium potassium titanate and satisfies the inequality 0≦Pr/Pm≦0.25 at 25° C., where Pm and Pr are the saturation polarization and remanent polarization, respectively, of the piezoelectric layer.
US08746850B2
A printhead for an ink jet printer can be formed as a plurality of substructures which are connected subsequent to inspection and/or testing. A substructure can include a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon substrate having a plurality of heater traces which are used to maintain a temperature of melted solid ink within a tolerance of a desired temperature. The traces can be accurately formed using semiconductor processing techniques. Testing and/or inspecting the substructures prior to assembly can reduce rework and scrap, and can allow the formation of printhead structures from a wide variety of materials.
US08746843B2
A recording apparatus includes a recording head and a carriage. The carriage includes a slide member that is provided so that the position of the slide member relative to a carriage body is changeable in a direction where a gap between the recording head and a medium changes, and moves together with carriage body in the scanning direction, a gap adjusting cam that is interposed between the slide member and the carriage body, and, upon reception of the dead weight of the carriage, changes in the scanning direction relative to the slide member and the carriage body to change the gap, and a restriction section that restricts at least one of expansion of the interval between the carriage body and the gap adjusting cam and expansion of the interval between the gap adjusting cam and the slide member in such a way as to keep a predetermined gap.
US08746842B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a print head to form an image on a recording medium; a carriage, including the print head, which scans in a main scanning direction; a linear encoder scale with scale marks and elongated in the carriage moving direction to detect a position of the carriage; an encoder sensor disposed on a side wall of the carriage including a groove with an upper open concave-shaped cross-section if seen from the carriage moving direction and reads scale marks on the linear encoder scale by passing the linear encoder scale through the groove; and a through-hole forming member, disposed on the side wall of the carriage, configured to cover the encoder sensor, and forming a through-hole extending in the carriage moving direction which the linear encoder scale is passed through. The through-hole forming member is disposed openable with respect to the carriage.
US08746837B2
A liquid ejection head includes a head body configured to eject liquid, a holding portion rotatable with respect to the head body about a rotation shaft provided on the head body and configured to support the head body, and a rotation regulation portion configured to regulate the rotation of the holding portion with respect to the head body beyond an arrangement in which the holding portion, the rotation shaft, and a center of gravity of the head body aligned in a line in a direction of gravity with the head body held by the holding portion.
US08746835B2
A method evaluates printhead position in a staggered full width array (SFWA) printhead assembly. The method includes selecting a first printhead configuration for printing a first test pattern on an image receiving member, generating positional correction data for roll and stitch displacements obtained from captured image data of the first test pattern, comparing the positional correction data to at least one threshold in a displacement range, and operating at least one printhead actuator in accordance with the positional correction data in response to the positional correction data exceeding at least one predetermined threshold in the displacement range.
US08746832B2
A printer includes: a fixed printhead assembly defining a print zone; a drive roller for feeding media along a media path and into the print zone, the drive roller being positioned upstream of the print zone; a fixed vacuum platen for receiving the media from the drive roller, the fixed vacuum platen being positioned in the print zone opposite the fixed printhead assembly; and a moving belt assembly positioned downstream of the print zone for receiving the media from the fixed vacuum platen.
US08746831B2
An image recording apparatus includes: a tray for holding a medium; a conveying portion for conveying the tray; a recording portion for recording an image onto the medium held by the tray; a detecting portion for detecting the medium. A detection-region determining portion determines, a detection region of the medium which is to be detected and a detection-region memory portion memorizes the determined detection region. Prior to the next image recording, the detecting portion detects the detection region, based on the detection region that has been memorized in previous image recording. A judging portion judges whether the image has been already recorded onto the medium or not, based on result of detection made by the detecting portion.
US08746827B2
A drop emitting device that includes a drop generator and a drive signal waveform that includes in sequence a pulse of a first polarity, a first pulse of a second polarity, a delay interval, and a second pulse of the second polarity that includes a high frequency segment.
US08746812B2
Towed vehicles can be extremely heavy. Accordingly, it is too much of a burden to the braking system of a towing vehicle to not have brakes on the towed vehicle. Controlling the brakes of the towed vehicle must be accurately applied otherwise undesirable conditions can be created. There is a need for a method for controlling braking of a towed vehicle. This method comprises receiving a first signal via a communication bus of a towing vehicle, the first signal relating to at least one operating condition of at least one the towing vehicle and a towed vehicle, sending a second signal to brakes of the towed vehicle, the second signal based on said first signal.
US08746795B2
Longitudinally adjustable motor vehicle seat comprising opposite rail pairs; a lower rail for securement to a chassis and an upper rail secured to a seat component, displaceable in the lower rail. Two pivotable levers are associated with the rail pairs. A second lever is connected to a locking mechanism for securing the upper rail; both levers are connected to a seat backrest. Upon operation of a control member connected to the levers for comfort-longitudinal seat adjustment, a first lever synchronously pivots the second lever to release the locking mechanism. A Bowden cable is connected to the backrest for adjustment when the backrest is folded forward into an easy-entry-position. A Bowden cable core is attached to the first lever, and a sheathing thereof is secured to the second lever. In a neutral position, the sheathing presses the first lever against an abutment secured to the upper rail.
US08746791B2
A shape-memory saddle structure, particularly for pedal driven vehicles, comprising a substantially rigid or semirigid support frame (2), means (4) for connecting said frame (2) to a vehicle, a yielding pad (7) secured to the upper face (S) of the frame (2), and a cover layer (5) laid over the yielding pad (3). The frame (2) has one or more portions (6, 6′, 6″) having a different deformability from that of the rest of the frame (2). The portions (6, 6′, 6″) include at least one membrane of fibrous material, which is susceptible to permanent deformation in response to a compression stress by a user, so as to take a deformed configuration. The membrane (7) is closely joined to at least one layer of elastomeric material (8), which is adapted to locally change the rigidity of the membrane (7) by elastically holding it at least partly in the deformed configuration, to customize the frame (2) to the specific user's body.
US08746789B2
A protective cover for covering a portion of a baby carrier in which a baby is to be received. The cover includes a canopy structured to enclose the baby-receiving portion of the carrier when secured to the baby carrier, and a first cutout portion formed along the canopy in a position enabling access to a handle of the baby carrier through the first cutout portion when the cover is positioned over the baby-receiving portion of the carrier. A handle cover flap is attached to the canopy and structured so as to be positionable to close the first cutout portion.
US08746784B2
A vehicle front body structure includes a pair of damper housings, a pair of damper bases, and a dashboard upper. Each of the damper bases includes a damper base upper wall, three damper fixing portions, three dash upper fixing portion, and a ridge line portion extending along the outer circumference of the damper base upper wall. The three damper fixing portions and the three dash upper fixing portions are alternately disposed on an imaginary circle. Sections of the ridge line portion outside each of the dash upper fixing portions and each of the dash upper fixing portion are located outside the imaginary circle, and each of sections of the ridge line portion between the damper fixing portion and the dash upper fixing portion intersects the imaginary circle so that the ridge line portion is formed in a substantially star shape in plan view.
US08746775B2
An automotive supplementary sun visor to shield a windshield portion around a rearview mirror between the right and left sun visors using a slit from an upper side edge of the shade plate body toward a center portion and structuring the shade plate body detachable in an attaching support shaft portion of a rearview mirror by the slit and its own flexibility. The present invention does not require a design change to an existing sun visor or rearview mirror within a passenger room or a specification change of a body construction of a motor vehicle, can be attached to a support shaft portion of the existing rearview mirror by utilizing the flexibility of the shade plate itself, and securely dims or blocks sunlight from a periphery of the rearview mirror not otherwise accounted for by existing sun visors.
US08746774B2
A fairing (17) for covering a front portion of a motorcycle is formed with an air intake opening (30) through which an intake air (A) is introduced towards a motorcycle combustion engine (E), and a front face (73) of a covering (72), which is a light emitting surface for a position lamp (40), is arranged above an inner peripheral face (31) of the air intake opening (30). The front face (73) of the covering (72) is downwardly inclined from front towards rear when viewed from side and projects forwards towards a point intermediate of the width of the motorcycle when viewed front.
US08746772B2
A seating assembly for a vehicle including a vehicle body having a floor and a laterally extending dividing wall for separating a passenger compartment from a rear storage compartment. A rear seat includes a seat base defining a seat surface and a seat back. The seat back is adjustable relative to the seat base between an upright, seated position and a folded position where the seat back is positioned on the seat base. A lever arrangement pivotally connects the seat back to one of the body and the dividing wall. The lever arrangement is configured to enable the seat back to be folded down and to move the seat back in a vehicle longitudinal direction relative to the seat base toward the dividing wall so that at least a portion of the seat back protrudes rearwardly past the dividing wall and into the rear storage compartment.
US08746764B2
A vehicle includes a frame rail and an impact beam attached to an axial end of the frame rail. A body panel mount is attached to the frame rail. The body panel mount is axially spaced from the impact beam a distance along a longitudinal axis. A load transferring member includes a first axial end attached to one of the impact beam and the body panel mount, and a second axial end disposed adjacent to and a pre-defined distance from the other of the impact beam and the body panel mount. The load transferring member is disposed outboard of the frame rail. The load transferring member extends at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis between the impact beam and the body panel mount.
US08746761B2
A bumper reinforcement includes a front wall portion, an upper wall portion, and a lower wall portion. The front wall portion constitutes the front portion of the bumper reinforcement. The upper wall portion constitutes the upper half of the rear portion of the bumper reinforcement. The lower wall portion, connected to the lower edge of the front wall portion, constitutes the lower half of the rear portion. Outer grooves, formed by denting the front wall portion rearward, extend along the vehicle width direction. Upper grooves, formed by denting downward a top wall of the upper wall portion, are located intermittently along the width direction and extend in the longitudinal direction. The lower wall portion comprises a bottom wall constituting the bottom of the lower wall portion. Lower grooves, formed by denting the lower wall portion upward, are located intermittently along the width direction and extend in the longitudinal direction.
US08746759B2
A handle assembly for a vehicle door includes a back plate, including a recessed region displaced away from the exterior surface of the vehicle door. A handle aperture is provided within the recessed region of the back plate with at least one pin mount integrally formed within the recessed region of the back plate. The pin mount includes a void and a slot that is narrower than the void. A handle is pivotally mounted to the back plate and located at least partially within the recessed region, the handle having at least one integrally-formed pin extending at an angle substantially parallel to the body of the handle; the pin operable to be seated in the aperture to allow pivotal movement of the handle. The handle further includes a spring locator operable to retain a handle spring prior to mounting the handle to the back plate.
US08746756B2
A vehicle door switch actuation system is provided. The system includes an exterior handle mechanically coupled with a rotatable shaft. The shaft is mechanically coupled with a door latch. Rotation of the exterior handle to an open door position moves the door latch to release a vehicle door. A first arm and a second arm are mounted to the shaft. The first arm engages a close switch in response to rotation of the exterior handle to a close door position. The second arm engages an open switch in response to rotation of the exterior handle to the open door position.
US08746750B2
A clip for a quick connect hose coupling that possesses an improved combination of characteristics leading to a quick connect coupling that can be connected reliably, consistently, and with reduced damage to the coupling and low insertion force. The clip provides reduced friction against the fitting and reduces insertion force and damage. The clip has two end portions that are designed to be deflected relative to each other when the stem is inserted into the port. The clip further has a periphery with two end portions, each curved at or beyond the radius of maximum installation deflection such that they will not scrape the installation ramp.
US08746749B2
A tube fitting for attaching and detaching a tube. The tube fitting includes a tubular main body, a sleeve being tubular-shaped and being fixed in the main body with axial lines of the main body and the sleeve coincided with each other. A locking member includes a ring part and a plurality of extended parts extending from the ring part toward an axial direction and being mounted in the sleeve in a state where axial lines of the ring part and the sleeve are coincided with each other and being movable in the sleeve in an axial direction and in a circumferential direction.
US08746745B2
Luer connector including a primary Luer male connector, having a secondary female section extending from a top distal part of the primary Luer male connector back towards a proximal part thereof, the primary Luer male connector including a first inner fluid flow channel extending from a proximal end thereof to the secondary female section, the primary Luer male connector being configured to mate with a primary Luer female connector having a secondary male section including a second inner fluid flow channel.
US08746742B2
A seatbelt tension adjustment device includes an elongated upper body having a downward facing protrusion that is pivotally secured to a lower body having a box-like shape. The lower body including an upper surface for receiving the protrusion and an internal cavity for positioning a paddle drum therein. The paddle drum working in unison with the downward facing protrusion to engage a seatbelt in an adjustable manner.
US08746740B2
A steering column device includes a tilt bracket that is fixed to a vehicle body, and a telescopic bracket that is fixed to a column jacket. A lock mechanism includes a fastening shaft that is inserted through a first side plate and a second side plate of the tilt bracket, and a third side plate and a fourth side plate of the telescopic bracket, and achieves tilt locking and telescopic locking by fastening the third and fourth side plates by using the first and second side plates. Tilt friction plates and telescopic friction plates are provided separately from each other on right and left sides of the tilt bracket, respectively.
US08746735B2
An inflatable shoulder harness assembly for an aircraft seat including a shoulder belt, a retractor, an airbag contained within an outer cover, and a belt guide slideably receiving the inflatable airbag and outer cover therein when the shoulder belt is retracted, the belt guide defining an elongate channel for facilitating free movement of the outer cover during belt fastening and retraction. The assembly further includes an exit bezel for finishing the look of the seat and a stiffening element for preventing kinking, bunching and twisting of the outer cover.
US08746734B1
An inflatable curtain airbag, or airbag assembly, can include a plurality of inflatable cushion segments that are able to selectively fluidly communicate with an inflation gas delivery channel. The inflatable curtain airbag, or airbag assembly, can further include a valving panel that has a separate valving portion associated with each inflatable cushion segment. Each valving portion can allow fluid communication between the inflatable cushion segment and the inflation gas delivery channel when in an open configuration and can prevent fluid communication between the inflatable cushion segment and the inflation gas delivery channel when in a closed configuration.
US08746728B2
An alpine touring heel unit is provided which comprises a base for mounting the heel unit and an upper portion with a heel connector. The upper portion is slidably engageable with the base for movement by a user into a downhill position and a touring position spaced rearwardly from the downhill position for disconnection of the heel connector. Complete movement in at least one direction between the downhill and touring positions may be actuated by a single motion by the user. Also provided is a heel unit movable between downhill and touring positions which comprises a heel support pivotally coupled to the heel unit. Also provided is a heel unit comprising a post and a body with a heel connector, the body being coaxially mounted on the post and rotatable between opposing lateral release positions and further containing a biasing device mounted outside of the body. Also provided are kits comprising a heel unit of this invention and a toe unit which functions independently from the heel unit.
US08746726B2
A trailer coupler may be provided with an opening and socket for a hitch ball, and a clamping bar in an internal channel for locking the coupler and hitch together. The internal channel may extend horizontally and be positioned above the opening and below the socket. The channel may include a laterally-facing aperture adjacent the second end, out of which one end of the clamping bar may extend. That end of the clamping bar may include a bracket with an open channel to fit over a flange on the coupler body. The coupler may be assembled by inserting a first end of the clamping bar through the laterally-facing aperture, and moving the first end of the clamping bar into the coupler body channel while fitting the bracket over the flange at the open channel of the clamping bar.
US08746724B2
A trailer and hitch mounting system that includes a hitch insert assembly that is attached to a hitch attachment of a trailer and additionally has a hitch mount. A mounting plate assembly has a mounting plate that is secured to the bed of a truck and has a frustoconically shaped hitch guide with an angled surface that receives and is engaged by the hitch mount in order to guide the hitch mount toward an opening within the hitch guide to place the hitch mount at a predetermined location for securing the trailer to a truck.
US08746720B2
A leisure fitness bike has a front frame hinged to a rear frame, a handlebar and a front wheel. A pedal body is installed at upper and lower ends of the front frame. The rear frame includes a saddle, a rear wheel and a rear wheel transmission device. A driving device is between the front and rear frames and coupled to a rear wheel transmission device. After a rider sits on the saddle and puts both hands and legs onto the handlebar and the pedal body, the front frame is moved forward and backward by stretching and contracting forces, and the driving device drives the rear wheel transmission device to roll the rear wheel and move the bike body.
US08746718B2
An object of the present invention is to effectively ensure the rigidity of supporting a front suspension with a simple configuration, without increasing the weight of a vehicle body.In a suspension mounting structure for a vehicle in which a front suspension is supported by sub frames 3, the sub frames 3 have a pair of right and left side sub frames 9 that extend in a front-rear direction of a vehicle in lower parts of front side frames 2; and a rear sub cross member 11 that couples rear end parts of the right and left side frames 9 to each other. Rear parts of the sub frames 9 are provided with: lower arm supporting parts for swingably and elastically displaceably supporting lower arms 41 of the front suspension; first fixing parts 31 that rigidly bond a rear end part of the rear sub cross member 11 to a bottom surface of a vehicle body; and second fixing parts 40 that rigidly bond side end parts of the rear sub cross member 11 to the bottom surface of the vehicle body at positions that are offset outward from the first fixing parts 31 in a vehicle width direction.
US08746717B2
A saddle riding type vehicle includes a right wheel and a left wheel, a right lower arm and a left lower arm swingably provided on a vehicle arranged to support the right wheel and the left wheel to be movable up and down, and a right stopper member and a left stopper member arranged to contact the right lower arm and the left lower arm to stop the vehicle body from leaning in excess of a predetermined amount, which do not stop leaning of the vehicle body when the lean amount of the vehicle body is less than the predetermined amount. The vehicle body is arranged to lean freely when the lean amount of the vehicle body is in a range not exceeding the predetermined amount. Therefore, the rider can preferably travel comfortably.
US08746710B2
A patient support has caster devices supporting a frame for movement in relation to a supporting surface. A lift supports an auxiliary wheel in relation to the frame. A shaft may be rotatable to drive the lift to move the auxiliary wheel between a deployed position and a retracted position. The shaft may rotate to control deployment and retraction of the auxiliary wheel. A sensor may control deployment and retraction of the auxiliary wheel. An element may provide a dampening effect when the auxiliary wheel encounters a raised surface and urge the auxiliary wheel into contact with the supporting surface when the auxiliary wheel encounters a lowered surface.
US08746706B2
A method for operating a ride height control device, which includes at least one air spring, of a vehicle body of a vehicle, by providing a setpoint ride height predefined for a journey, and by setting, at the beginning, during or immediately before the end of the journey, the ride height of the vehicle body at least once to a ride height which deviates from the setpoint ride height predefined for the journey.
US08746704B2
A system, in certain embodiments, includes a wedge-lock coupling configured to connect a jaw to an actuator arm of a chuck. The wedge-lock coupling includes a wedge portion having a path of travel between a release position and a lock position, and a locking direction along the path of travel gradually wedges the wedge portion between the actuator arm and the jaw.
US08746701B2
A piston assembly includes an annular body defining a groove, with a ring disposed within the groove. The piston assembly includes a centering device disposed within the groove between an inner face of the ring and a root of the groove. The centering device centers the ring concentrically within the groove when the ring is in an uncompressed condition, prior to installation into a bore of an engine block, to prevent the inner face of the ring from moving radially outward beyond an outer edge of the groove when the ring is in the uncompressed condition.
US08746700B1
Coin wars game systems is a coin toss game similar to a table game but played on a larger scale such as on a floor or outdoors. A board having a target or series of targets on its top side is placed on a flat surface and at least two participants toss coins at a target on the board, the target having a value graduated image, attempting to score the most points. Each participant has a card printed with instructions and commands. The participant also assumes the identity of the entity listed on the card with the given authority level, and the distance from the target that participant stands to toss the coins. The loosing participants must perform a predetermined number of repetitions of a given exercise after each round.
US08746699B1
A novelty game that utilizes a plurality of alphanumeric-shaped playing pieces. Each playing piece has a body shaped as a letter or number. The body has a flat face surface, a parallel rear surface, and side edges that interconnect the face surface to the rear surface. The width of the side edges is large enough to enable each playing piece to stand upright on-edge and unsupported. A plurality of mechanical connectors are present on the playing pieces. The connectors enable each playing piece to physically interconnect with at least two others of the playing pieces to form an assemblage of letters or numbers word. When a conjoined assemblage is formed, only one or some of the playing pieces touch the ground. Most are supported in the air as the playing pieces build atop one another.
US08746689B1
A stacker support with automatic unload function for flexible media includes a first set of ribs and a second of ribs. The stacker support is moved between a first UP position and a second unloading position. In the first UP position and loading positions, the first set of ribs and the second set of ribs are aligned so that their surfaces from a single uniform continuous surface for supporting stack of substrate sheets. In the second unloading position, the top surface of the second set of ribs is caused to move below the top surface of the first set of ribs whereby the top surface of the first set of ribs forms a ribbed surface that supports stacked sheets. The gaps formed thereby permit unloading by a cart having offset ribs.
US08746686B2
When a first elapse time Δt3 from time point t1 of stop of a transport motor reaches a first specified time S1, a registration roller electromagnetic clutch is engaged. At time point t2 at which the first elapse time Δt3 reaches 50 ms, normal rotation of the transport motor is started. At time point t3 at which a second elapse time Δt4 from the time point t2 reaches a second specified time S2 (a given length of time), a reverse roller electromagnetic clutch is switched from an engaged state to a disengaged state, rendering reverse rollers and sheet discharge rollers freely rotatable. At subsequent time point t4, a coil of a solenoid is de-energized, to separate the reverse rollers from each other.
US08746684B2
An image forming apparatus including a sheet feed cassette to hold a stack of recording media, a cover detachably attachable to the sheet feed cassette to cover an opening of the sheet feed cassette through which the recording media are supplied, an image forming part to form images on the recording media, and a discharge tray having a top surface on which the recording media discharged from the image forming apparatus after image formation are stacked. The sheet feed cassette is disposed below the discharge tray and is contractibly extendable, protruding outwardly from the image forming apparatus to accommodate large-sized recording media in its extended state. The cover includes a displaceable discharge auxiliary member slidable against the cover so as to be flush with the top surface of the discharge tray and detachably attachable to the sheet feed cassette together with the cover.
US08746679B2
A noncircular sheet feed roller includes a core and a rubber belt mounted on the core. The core includes a peripheral member having a peripheral surface which is arcuate about a center axis thereof, and a pair of support ribs which are provided opposite from the arcuate peripheral surface of the peripheral member to be spaced from the peripheral member by a space and extend parallel to the center axis symmetrically with respect to the center axis. The rubber belt is a looped belt which has a predetermined width as measured along the center axis and has an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface. The peripheral member is inserted in the rubber belt, and a portion of the rubber belt is fitted in the space between the peripheral member and the support ribs.
US08746677B2
In one embodiment, a device for moving print media in a printer includes: a rotatable shaft extending lengthwise along an axis of rotation and a hub. The hub is operatively and pivotally connected to the shaft at a connection such that the hub rotates with the shaft about the axis of rotation and so that the hub may tilt on the shaft relative to the axis of rotation. The device also includes a pick tire or other feature on the hub on each side of the connection to move print media when the shaft rotates the hub. In another embodiment, a method for moving print media in a printer includes: applying a force to a sheet of print media at two locations spaced apart across the sheet; and, simultaneously with the act of applying, equalizing the force applied at the two locations.
US08746676B2
Provided are a sheet feeding device with improved separating/feeding performance. The sheet feeding device includes a sheet storage portion, a pickup roller which feeds the sheet, a driving motor which rotates the pickup roller, a feed roller and a separating roller which separate and feed the sheet, and a drive transmission mechanism which when the pickup roller abuts on the surface of the sheet accommodated in the sheet storage portion to feed the sheet, allows the pickup roller to perform intermittent rotation that alternately perform rotation and stop twice or more while one sheet is fed. The drive transmission mechanism is connected to the driving motor and includes an input gear having a plurality of protrusions and a regulating portion which is engaged with the protrusions of the input gear to regulate the rotation of the input gear.
US08746668B2
The present invention relates to a table saw, including: a work table, including a working surface for placing a workpiece; a fence, slidably arranged on said work table for support said work piece; a first motor, arranged below said working surface of the work table; a blade, driven by said first motor for cutting motion, and at least part of the blade is protruding out of the working surface of the work table in the cutting process, characterized in that: A planer detachably arranged on said work surface, said planer including a housing, a second motor located in said housing and a blade shaft driven by said second motor to rotate about its longitudinal axis.
US08746665B2
The invention relates to a drive apparatus (10) for the linear movement of a processing tool with respect to a workpiece, having a tool holder (18) which is fixed on a carriage (16) and is intended for the fastening of the processing tool, having a stationary guide device (12) in which the carriage (16) is guided such that it can be displaced in a vertically linear manner, and having a drive device (42) with a first force transmission means (46) which, in an engaged position, engages with a second force transmission means (40) connected to the carriage (16) in order to move the carriage (16). According to the invention, it is provided that the drive device (42) is mounted in the guide device (12) such that it can be moved between a release position, in which the force transmission means (40, 46) do not engage with one another, and the engaged position in such a way that the gravitational force of the drive device (42) causes a movement from the release position into the engaged position.
US08746656B2
An auxiliary operative handle of a rotational bathing faucet includes an operative handle including a conjugating end having a plurality of conjugating protruding hooks extending from the conjugating end; an elongated end extended from the one side of the conjugating end; and a circular wedging slot defined between the conjugating protruding hooks and the elongated end, wherein the operative handle is coupled with a knob of the faucet through the wedging slot and forms a secure position when the conjugating protruding hooks are conjugated with an outer periphery of the knob, so that the elongated end is used as a lever arm to rotate towards left or right, and a user is able to operate the faucet with less force. Also, the user gets to know whether the water is on or off by the position of the elongated end to precisely control the amount of the water.
US08746653B2
A winding body for a magnetic assembly of a solenoid valve is disclosed, which comprises a base body, onto which a winding wire is wound, and two electrical connection domes, each of which has a first clamping gap with a first width, into which the winding wire wound onto the base body is inserted, wherein each of the winding wire ends rests on a contact surface of a wire support, which, in the direction of the corresponding winding wire end, is arranged behind the first clamping gap, and to a corresponding magnetic assembly, and to a corresponding solenoid valve comprising such a winding body, and to a corresponding method for winding the winding wire onto the winding body according to the disclosure. In order to receive the corresponding winding wire end, in the region of the contact surface of the wire support, a second clamping gap with a minimal second width is arranged behind the first clamping gap, the width being smaller than the first width of the first clamping gap. The minimum second width of the second clamping gap is adjusted to a diameter of the winding wire such that the corresponding winding wire end is fixed in the second clamping gap.
US08746651B2
A valve has a first duct, a second duct into which the first duct opens, thereby defining an intersection that forms a seat at right angles to the first duct for a valve disk that slides in the second duct at right angles to the seat between a closed position and an open position, and an actuator for operating the valve disk between its two positions. For the open position, the actuator is controlled to bring the valve disk into close proximity to a wall of the second duct facing the seat.
US08746650B2
An apparatus that securely supports and displays for adjustable viewing of portable electronic devices where the apparatus can be frictionally engaged into any accessible material seam as well as being supportable on flat surfaces.
US08746647B2
A device for aiding in storing implements comprising a retractable support adapted to engage a hook. The support being held to an implement via a monolithically formed, or attached, base portion. The device being capable of use with a wide variety of implements and having various forms adaptable for use to aid in hanging implements or for assisting them to stand alone. The support being retractable and capable of being held in various positions via an interference fit.
US08746632B2
A riser clamp (1) has two opposed clamp halves (2, 3), each of said clamp halves (2, 3) having a semicircular section (21,31) opposing the semicircular section of the other clamp half for surrounding a riser pipe. Each of said clamp halves has at the ends of its semicircular section radially extending clamp flanges (22, 32) to be clamped against the corresponding opposing clamp flanges of the other clamp half. The riser clamp (1) is in use supported from beneath by a support surface. At least one of two opposing clamp flanges is provided with an isolation member (4) comprising a resilient support strip (41), which support strip (41) is located below the corresponding clamp flange for resiliency supporting it. The isolation member (4) further comprises at least one web (42) extending upwardly from the support strip (41) along the corresponding clamp flange, wherein said web (42) is attached to the corresponding clamp flange.
US08746631B2
An article carrier robot includes: a horizontal base; a horizontally movable unit supported by the horizontal base so as to be movable in a horizontal direction; a robot main body supported by the horizontally movable unit; at least one of wiring and piping introduced into the robot main body from the horizontal base; and a restriction unit supported by the horizontally movable unit so as to be swayable about a pivot provided to the horizontally movable unit. The restriction unit is configured to restrict deformation of a part of the at least one of wiring and piping.
US08746627B2
An actuator which can be installed in a system for the virtual simulation of aircraft, ships and vehicles to help the system with the controls. More specifically, the invention is an actuator used for a control loading system, which can be installed into a virtual simulation system, receive force delivered by the movement of a control stick laterally while measuring the applied force. It can connect a lever which delivers the control force equivalent to the applied force and reaction force by making use of a direct drive motor, including a potentiometer which senses the angle of rotation while sensing the initial reference position separately from an encoder, limiting the rotation range of the rotating lever, fixing the initial neutral position, and the control loading system for actuators manufactured compactly on the whole.
US08746625B2
Embodiments pertain to a flap adjusting system including a regulating flap mounted on an airfoil using at least two bearing devices and movable relative to the airfoil, and an adjusting device. The adjusting device includes an actuator and adjusting kinematics with a drive rod that couples the actuator to the regulating flap using a first and a second joint, as well as a load sensor. The adjusting kinematics are configured such that, at a maximum adjustment travel of the regulating flap, the second joint between the drive rod and the regulating flap is adjusted by an angle less than 50% of the angle by which the first joint is adjusted. The load sensor is arranged in at least one adjusting device and in the second joint, which couples the drive rod to the regulating flap. The load sensor is configured to measure the forces in this load path.
US08746623B2
Method and device for generating an optimum aerodynamic configuration of an aircraft during a flight
A process and device for the automatic flight optimization of the aerodynamic configuration of an aircraft.The device (1) includes means (7, 8, 10) for determining and applying to the spoilers (6) of the aircraft commands for providing the aircraft with an optimum aerodynamic configuration.
US08746614B2
A method for actuating at least one positioning flap on each wing of an aircraft, which positioning flap is actuated by at least two flap coupling devices each including a flap actuator device, where at least on one flap actuator device for each positioning flap a brake mechanism is arranged by means of whose actuation an adjustment state of the respective flap actuator device can be locked, including the steps of: actuating each brake mechanism of a positioning flap individually, subsequently actuating the flap actuator device by means of the drive motor, in the case of a change in the adjustment state of the positioning flap by a predetermined extent, terminating actuation of the positioning flap concerned, and a system for implementing the method.
US08746612B2
An aircraft having wheels with hydraulically-actuating friction brakes and independent drives for driving the wheels in rotation and enabling the aircraft to move in stages of independent drive when engines of the aircraft are inactive. A main hydraulic circuit with a pressure source powers the brakes when the pressure source is active; with an alternative braking circuit for enabling the brake system at least when the engines of the aircraft are stopped. The alternative braking circuit includes an accumulator that is used for parking braking and is kept under pressure by the pressure source of the main circuit when the pressure source is active. An auxiliary hydraulic circuit pressurized by an auxiliary pump and power system enables the independent drives to be actuated. The auxiliary hydraulic circuit is connected to the alternative braking circuit to maintain an operating pressure in the accumulator of the alternative braking circuit.
US08746608B2
A wire spool is disclosed that includes an elongate barrel that has a first end and a second end that are separated by a wall with an inner surface and an outer surface. A key is disposed on the inner surface of the barrel, wherein a recess is created within the key. A hook slot is disposed within the outer surface of the barrel, the hook slot is located above the recess and receives a start end of a wire to provide insulation thereof. The hook slot also directs a length of wire to be wound out of the hook slot for placement against a spool flange.
US08746606B1
The electrical cord organization box includes a lid that secures atop said box. The box includes an array of helical cones that have a curvature ideal for winding and unwinding cables or wires thereon, which prevents unwanted tangling or slipping. The box includes along the front surface and the rear surface a plurality of slots that are aligned adjacent each helical cone, and which have a curvature that secures the respective wire or cable to the surface of the box. The box is placed adjacent a plurality of electrical devices so as to provide a means to organize and store excess cable or wire lengths associated with the electrical devices.
US08746594B2
An air inductor comprises an inner sleeve having a water inlet (1) and a water outlet (2). The inner sleeve is arranged to form a venturi and has a side air inlet (3). An outer sleeve has first and second different attachment means (9, 11) at opposite ends for attachment to different plumbing fixtures. The inner sleeve can be inserted into either end of the outer sleeve so as to selectably locate the first and second attachment means (9, 11) at the water inlet (1) and water outlet (2) respectively and vice versa.
US08746593B2
A liquid chemical dispenser for an irrigation system comprises a removable supply container for the chemical which, in a first embodiment, comprises a valve for preventing spillage of the chemical during attachment of the container to the dispenser. This feature allows the container to be mounted in an inverted position on the dispenser without loss of its contents. In a second embodiment, the chemical container comprises a membrane which is pierced by a dip tube when the container is attached to the dispenser. A section of the dip tube produces an annular vent passage in the membrane around the dip tube to provide vacuum relief. The configuration of the containers substantially reduces the chance of inadvertent contact with the contents and the simple design permits the containers to be disposable.
US08746591B2
The present invention includes an improved sprinkler design having a magnetic sensing system for determining the position of the riser nozzle, a waterproofed motor housing and related cables, configurable sprinkler body compartments, and a pilot valve with a check valve assembly, both of which are located within the sprinkler body.
US08746587B2
A volatile material dispenser includes a housing, a retention mechanism coupled to the housing, and a compatible volatile material refill that includes a first set of dimensions and a wick extending therefrom. An adapter is removeably attached to a portion of the compatible volatile material refill. The retention mechanism non-removeably retains the adapter to the housing when the compatible volatile material refill and adapter combination are inserted therein. Further, when the compatible volatile material refill is removed from the adapter, the adapter prevents incompatible volatile material refills having a second set of dimensions different from the first set of dimensions from being attached to the housing.
US08746582B2
The hot and cold water mixing valve having a cylindrical casing is provided with a control valve member which adjusts a ratio between hot and cold water inlets by balancing loads applied by a biasing member and an actuator, and cylindrical temperature adjuster which adjusts a position of the control valve member when rotated. In the temperature adjuster, an upper surface is formed at one end, a knob is provided in the center of the upper surface, and a ring-shaped recess is formed around the knob at the upper surface. The temperature adjuster is arranged inside the casing and the knob is inserted, coaxially with the casing, into the hole which opens at one end of the casing. A spacer which covers the recess is interposed and held between the upper surface of the temperature adjuster and one end of the casing.
US08746573B2
A smart card holding member in this exemplary embodiment includes a main member, a connection member, and two resisting members. The connection member is connected to one end of the main member and bends toward the main member. The resisting members bend from opposite sides of the main member and each resisting member includes a locking section for fastening a battery in position. The resisting members are respectively connected to opposite sides of the main member to form an accommodating space for receiving a smart card therein. One part of the smart card is exposed out from the main member to be removed. A portable electronic device employing the smart card holding member is also described.
US08746567B2
Disclosed is a barcode reader, comprising: a scanner unit which scans a barcode by emitting laser beam and receiving reflection light thereof to obtain image data; a judgment unit which judges a portion of the image data corresponding to each end portion of a swing width of the laser beam as a data unstable range and judges a portion of the image data other than the data unstable range as a data stable range; and a decoding unit which sets a tolerance of error of the image data low against a threshold in the data unstable range, the threshold being used to judge data width of black bars and white spaces of the barcode, to decode the data unstable range, and sets the tolerance of error of the image data high against the threshold in the data stable range to decode the data stable range.
US08746558B2
3D glasses having an RFID tag (embedded in one or more temples) are rented to theater or other venue operators. The glasses are shipped to a venue for distribution to patrons and collected from patrons in the trays. Inventory and other measures are implemented by RFID scanning while the glasses are in the trays (e.g., upon delivery to a theater, on collection from the theater, upon inspection at the 3D rental company, etc). Data gathered from RFID scanning and inspections allows the rental company to properly allocate rental costs to various venues based on shrinkage which includes, for example, extraordinary wear, breakage, or theft which is attributable and traceable to the specific venues. The theater or venue may also independently scan the trays upon delivery and pick-up to maintain their own records. The invention includes 3D glasses with RFID, a washing rack, and rental systems.
US08746541B2
A package includes a carton having an access opening that is for providing access to the interior of the carton. The package further includes a flexible bag that is positioned in the interior of the carton, and a spigot that is operatively connected to the bag for selectively dispensing flowable material from the bag. A holder is cooperatively associated with the spigot and the carton for holding the spigot so that the spigot is simultaneously proximate the access opening of the carton and disposed at least partially within the interior of the carton, so that access to the spigot is at least temporarily restricted in a manner that at least temporarily restricts any dispensing of flowable material from the bag by way of the spigot.
US08746540B2
A box enclosing a chamber for carrying at least one object, such as a quantity of objects, is provided. The box comprises at least one wall, wherein said wall comprises a pair of overlapping flaps. The outer flap of said pair is adhesively attached to the inner flap of said pair to prevent access to the object(s) within the box. The outer flap is also arranged to release fragments without providing access to said objects if being tampered with.
US08746537B2
An ultrasonic bonding system is provided. The ultrasonic bonding system includes a bond head assembly and a bonding tool for bonding a conductive bonding material to a workpiece. The ultrasonic bonding system also includes a pressing member adapted to press against the workpiece, the pressing member being supported by the bond head assembly and being moveable with respect to the bond head assembly independent of the bonding tool. The pressing member includes a body portion and a plurality of pressing elements extending below the body portion, the pressing elements being configured to contact the workpiece.
US08746525B2
A bladeless optical fiber cleaver includes a first clamp and a second clamp coupled to each other via a generally support tray, where the second clamp is movable with respect to the first clamp along an axis of the optical fiber. The first and second clamps each receive a portion of the optical fiber. The fiber cleaver includes a mechanism to create a tension force in a stripped portion of the optical fiber, where the stripped portion of the fiber under tension is exposed to receive contact from a flexible abrasive material, the flexible abrasive material introducing a flaw in the optical fiber where the cleave takes place.
US08746523B1
A Two way, convertible shoulder strap construction worn over one shoulder were the strap winds around the user's chest or as an alternative to wear the shoulder strap over both shoulders. The Two way, convertible shoulder strap construction is affixed to a main body or an outer shell used to transport objects or materials, but not limited to, a tote, backpack, book bag, knapsack, back sack, rucksack, cinch sack, satchel, haversack, luggage, purse or any like item.
US08746520B1
A carrying case that is adjustably mountable to a binding of a snowboard includes a bag and a mounting strap configured for attaching at the bag. A plurality of generally vertical slots, at least one first angled slot and at least one second angled slot are established either through the mounting strap or between the mounting strap and the bag. The generally vertical slots are configured to receive a toe strap of a snowboard binding therethrough while one of the first and second angled slots are configured to receive an ankle strap of the snowboard binding therethrough. When the carrying case is disposed at a snowboard, the toe strap of the binding passes through one of the generally vertical slots, while the ankle strap of the binding passes through an appropriate one of the first and second angled slots to secure the carrying case to the binding and snowboard.
US08746515B2
A closure for a container has an upper part (1) that can be connected to the container. The upper part (1) has an opening (2) and an outer hollow body (3). An inner hollow body (4) is arranged coaxially in the outer hollow body (3) with an intermediate space therebetween. A lower part (7) in the form of a hollow body can be displaced longitudinally in the intermediate space. A plug (5) is held coaxially in the lower part (7) and opens or closes the opening as the lower part (7) is displaced longitudinally in the intermediate space.
US08746509B2
In a mixing tip of an impression material cartridge, a top connective plate is on the center of the top of a pair of cylinders, with an impression material cartridge installed with the connecting end of each of a pair of mixing tips facing each other located on each side of the top connective plate, and a mixing screw inserted into a protruding mixing tube on the center of the upper part, with a connective structure of the mixing tips having protruding connecting wings on the lower side of the supporting structure, formed to achieve diagonal symmetry of a rotational bump on the end surface of the connecting wings on a lower supporting side of the mixing tips, and on the lower surface of the rotational bump, cylindrical guide pins that guide the connecting direction of the mixing tips are each formed to protrude towards the bottom.
US08746507B2
A method and system for managing the dispensing of beverages from an automatic beverage dispensing unit. The beverages may be comprised of a single or multiple ingredients, including a first plurality of liquids, a second plurality of liquids, and/or a combination of one or more first and second plurality of liquids. In addition, garnishes and sides may be included in the beverage. The beverages are dispensed according to a pouring schema. The pouring schema may be a beverage recipe and may be preprogrammed by a system manager, or alternatively, be chosen by a consumer during operation of the system. The first plurality of liquids may include liquors and the second plurality of beverages may include mixers which are mixed with the liquors to create the beverage.
US08746503B2
A gas storage and delivery system for restoring pressure as it is depleted from a pressurized container, includes a container holding a product under pressure to be dispensed from the container, a quantity of gaseous material under pressure, occupying a space in the container and applying to the product a predetermined pressure of from about 30 to about 180 psig, and a quantity of gas-adsorbing material, storing under pressure a quantity of the gaseous material and releasing it into the container in response to a decrease in pressure in the container, thereby restoring and maintaining a predetermined pressure in the container as product is depleted from the container, wherein the gas-adsorbing material is wetted with a release-promoting agent to promote release of the sorbed gas from the gas-adsorbent material. A process of filling the container is also disclosed.
US08746501B2
A liquid dispensing valve includes a liquid dispensing portion with a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet, and a liquid passage communicating between the liquid inlet and liquid outlet. A valve member is mounted for movement relative to the liquid outlet between open and closed positions. An actuation portion is coupled with the liquid dispensing portion and includes an inflatable bladder structure. The inflatable bladder structure includes an interior adapted to be coupled in fluid communication with a source of positively pressurized air. The bladder structure may be expanded by the positively pressurized air to move the valve member to at least one of the open or closed positions from the other of the open or closed positions. Methods of dispensing liquid, such as hot melt adhesive, from the valve are also disclosed.
US08746495B2
A flexible container comprises a container wall and a handle attached to the wall. The handle includes multiple layers of thermoplastic material having stitching applied through the multiple layers and a portion of the handle is attached to the container wall.
US08746478B2
A collapsible portable tank for storing liquids has a liquid impervious liner. The side walls of the liner are supported by a collapsible frame. A plurality of hand grips in a zigzag pattern on the floor panel of the liner facilitates manipulation of the liner to collapse the liner with the frame. The liner floor panel is of heavier material than the side walls and is heat sealed along its entire perimeter to the liner side walls, affording a more durable floor while eliminating clumsy excess liner material at the corners of the tank. Another hand grip on the floor panel opposite a drain in the liner side walls facilitates evacuation of stored liquid from the tank prior to collapsing the tank.
US08746470B2
A device for supporting a plurality of flexible containers for liquid, including a plurality of baskets, each containing at least one of the flexible containers, a magazine to receive the baskets, able to adopt an operating configuration in which the baskets are disposed inclined one above the other, which magazine includes supports for the baskets, able to adopt a loading/unloading position such that each basket can be loaded/unloaded along a horizontal path, and able to adopt an operating position to maintain each basket in an inclined position to make the magazine adopt the operating configuration, and a driver for driving the supports between the loading/unloading position and the operating position.
US08746467B2
A dishwater includes a basket unit including an upper basket and a lower basket. The upper basket is separated from the lower basket so that cutlery in the upper basket is easily separated from the upper basket.
US08746461B2
The invention relates to a filter insert (36, 66) for cleaning machines, in particular continuous-flow dishwashers (10), in which a batch to be cleaned runs through at least one treatment zone. The at least one treatment zone is assigned a washing tank (12). The filter insert (36) has a number of longitudinal ribs (38) which run parallel to one another and delimit flumes (48).
US08746446B2
A protective cover applying to cover or support a tablet computer is provided. The protective cover has a first covering part, a second covering part, a third covering part, a first magnetic element, a second magnetic element, and a third magnetic element. The first covering part has a first connecting lateral, a second connecting lateral and a plurality of first hard domains, and adjacent first hard domains are connected to each other flexibly. The second covering part is connected to the first connecting lateral flexibly and has a plurality of second hard domains, and adjacent second hard domains are connected to each other flexibly. The third covering part is connected to the second connecting lateral flexibly. The first magnetic element is disposed at the first covering part. The second magnetic element is disposed at the second covering part. The third magnetic element is disposed at the third covering part.
US08746445B2
A package for surgical suture material includes a base member and a cover member, wherein the cover member is configured to be placed adjacent to the base member to form the package for the surgical suture material. The base member includes an outer wall extending from an outer circumference thereof. The outer wall has a predetermined height such that it engages the cover member when the cover member is placed adjacent the base member. Partition structure extends from a bottom surface of the cover member and defines at least one suture retaining area. An information label is attached to an upper surface of the cover. A plurality of protrusions are positioned adjacent the outer wall for maintaining surgical suture material a predetermined distance toward a center portion of the package.
US08746444B2
The disclosure relates to a package comprising a sleeve and an insert, the insert being adapted to be movably received in the sleeve, the insert is adapted to carry and receive a product, the insert is adapted to be reinserted into the sleeve after receipt of said product, the sleeve is adapted to enclose the reinserted insert such that access to said product is limited or denied and reextraction of the insert is limited or denied once the insert has been reinserted into the sleeve. The disclosure further relates to an insert adapted to form a part of a package of the above kind.
US08746441B2
The invention relates to a transport device (1) for workpieces (2) which have a longitudinal axis (L), in particular for pipes or for round stock, by way of which transport device (1) the workpieces (2) can be conveyed from a first location (3) to a second location (4) in a conveying direction (F) transversely with respect to their longitudinal axis (L), wherein the transport device (1) has: at least two stationary storage carriers (5, 6) which are arranged spaced apart in the conveying direction (F) for the intermediate storage of the workpieces (2) to be conveyed, at least one first conveying rack (7) with a number of storage surfaces (8) which are spaced apart in a conveying direction (F) for the workpieces (2), at least two drive shafts (9, 10) which are arranged parallel to one another and are driven synchronously, and at least two first rocker arms (11, 12), wherein each first rocker arm (11, 12) is connected fixedly to a drive shaft (9, 10) so as to rotate with it and in an articulated manner to the first conveying rack (7). In order to achieve a shortened transport time and therefore higher productivity of the system, the proposed transport device is characterized by at least one second conveying rack (13) having at least one storage surface (14) for the workpieces (2), wherein the second conveying rack (13) is connected via two second rocker arms (15, 16) to the drive shafts (9, 10), wherein each second rocker arm (15, 16) is connected fixedly to a drive shaft (9, 10) so as to rotate with it and in an articulated manner to the second conveying rack (13), and wherein the second rocker arms (15, 16) are arranged on the respective drive shaft (9, 10) with an offset angle (a) in the circumferential direction relative to the first rocker arms (11, 12).
US08746437B2
The invention provides a method which minimizes the gaps between packages to the minimum required by the sorter. The gapping required to allow scanning the identification label(s) will be done first, then another gap adjustment (to reduce gaps) is done immediately after scanning. The induction control system requires inputs from additional sensors which are necessary to obtain certain package dimensions. This information (dimensions of the packages) is used by the control algorithm to calculate or select from a table based on package geometry, the minimum (or optimum) gaps required for scanning and by the sorter.
US08746430B2
A method of feeding a clutch cylinder in a hydraulically actuated clutch system in a motor vehicle and a respective hydraulically actuated clutch system are suggested. The clutch system comprises at least one clutch that can be closed by filling the clutch cylinder; and a hydraulic system that provides a system pressure and has a clutch control valve having an inlet and an outlet. A system pressure is applied at the inlet of the control valve; the clutch pressure for actuating the clutch is provided at the outlet; and the system pressure is decreased pressure prior to and during the filling of the clutch cylinder. The decreased system pressure allows a high volume flow and therefore a fast filling of the clutch cylinder without establishing a premature torque transmitting capacity in the clutch.
US08746426B2
A through-connection clutch, for transferring torque between a motor and transmission of a vehicle, which has a friction clutch and a form-locking clutch. The form-locking clutch is disposed radially within the friction clutch, and the clutches can be actuated independently of each other. To minimize the required installation space, the through-connection clutch can be activated flexibly, but is still inexpensive to produce and ensures low-wear yet safe and comfortable torque transfer in a drive train of a vehicle. A pressure plate of the friction clutch and a form-locking element of the form-locking clutch are concentric, rotationally fixed together, and movable toward one another, and can be actuated via an actuation unit, which is rotationally decoupled from the pressure plate and the form-locking element. Depending on the operating situation, the friction clutch and/or the form-locking clutch is selectively activated one or more times.
US08746423B2
A shock absorber has an inclined surface that is inclined to a moving direction of the free piston in at least one of a free piston contact surface of a free surface with which an elastic body is in contact and a housing contact surface of a housing with which the elastic body is in contact. A shortest distance between the free piston contact surface and the housing contact surface is changed by movement of the free piston.
US08746421B2
A blocking device, and a gear-drive unit containing such a blocking device, and a method for producing such a gear-drive unit for blocking a rotary motion of a shaft (14) relative to a housing (16) of the gear-drive unit (10), having a first, rotatable blocking element (32) and a second blocking element (34) which is displaceable relative to the first blocking element (32) by means of at least one electromagnet (44) and at least one restoring element (42), in which the blocking elements (32, 34) in the blocked state mesh in the axial direction with one another by form-locking, and the blocking device (30) is embodied as a separate, independent structural unit (31), which can be mounted as a unit (31) on the one hand onto the housing (16) and on the other onto the shaft (14).
US08746417B2
A roller lock device has a shaft and a housing configured over the shaft for selective relative movement thereto. A plurality of rollers is configured between the housing and the shaft, at least some of which are substantially conically shaped. A cage is configured between the housing and the shaft and adjacent the rollers such that the rollers are at least partially constrained from movement by the cage. A control is configured to move the rollers axially thereby engaging and disengaging the roller lock. The housing has ramps configured to receive the rollers, the ramps having a curved contour.
US08746410B1
An automated gear oil service system for a boat motor outdrive includes a bidirectional pump that is in selective communication with a drain reservoir, a refill reservoir and the motor's gear oil lube chamber. A control panel positioned on the boat dashboard operates the pump and associated solenoid valves allowing a user to transfer gear oil from the refill reservoir into the fluid chamber or to drain fluid from the chamber into the drain reservoir. The control panel includes LEDs in communication with a level sensor that indicates the relative gear oil level within the chamber. Accordingly, when the LEDs indicate a low fluid level, the user can easily replenish the gear oil by actuating a first button to initiate transfer of fluid from the refill reservoir to the lube chamber. To observe the quality of lubricating fluid within the chamber, the user actuates a second button to transfer the fluid from the chamber into the drain reservoir where the user can inspect the fluid for contamination.
US08746408B2
An engine oil change detection control system is provided. The system includes an armature position module that monitors a solenoid armature position based on a position signal. A solenoid control module selectively generates a solenoid control signal and estimates a delay time based on the solenoid control signal and the armature position. An engine oil change detection module detects an engine oil change event based on the delay time.
US08746402B2
A fall protection anchor and related systems and methods. The anchor comprises a first elongate leg and a second elongate leg connected to each other at a base plate. The first elongate leg comprises a first base end and a first apex end and further comprises a first capture portion near the first base end and a first intra-connection portion near the first apex end. At least the second elongate leg comprises a second base end and a second apex end and further comprises a second capture portion near the second base end and a second intra-connection portion near the second apex end as well as a holding portion located beyond the capture portion: the holding portion comprises a holding element such as holding hole configured to securely hold a fall restraint device connected to a worker.
US08746394B2
A continuously variable transmission as a speed change unit is inclined such that an upper portion of the transmission is displaced more than a lower portion of the transmission toward one side in a lateral direction of a vehicle body. Thereby, a space on the other side of the upper portion of the transmission in a vehicle body frame is enlarged, and a muffler is arranged in the space. The vehicle body frame may an inverted trapezoid shape, when viewed in a longitudinal direction, with an imaginary line connecting upper ends of left and right vertical frames as an upper base and an imaginary line connecting lower ends of the vertical frames as a lower base. Inside the trapezoid, a longitudinally oriented long muffler is arranged in a vicinity of one of the upper left and right corners of the trapezoid.
US08746393B2
An engine unit 5 is arranged in the middle of the vehicle body frame 2 with respect to the widthwise direction of the vehicle and rearward of the steering shaft 28, and the fuel tank 10 with a built-in fuel pump 11 and the rear gear unit 31 comprising a wet brake 45 are arranged rearward of the cylinder head 20b of the engine unit 5 and such that at least a portion of the fuel tank 10 and of the rear gear unit 31 is located in the middle with respect to the widthwise direction of the vehicle, and the power steering unit 47 comprising an electric motor 49 is arranged forward of the cylinder head 20b and such that at least a portion of the unit is located in the middle with respect to the widthwise direction of the vehicle.
US08746392B2
A hybrid saddle-type vehicle is provided with a power transmission mechanism for transmitting a power of an internal combustion engine to a drive shaft of a rear wheel from one side of a swing arm in a widthwise direction of a vehicle, and an electric motor disposed in the other side in the widthwise direction and for transmit a driving force from the other side in the widthwise direction. A motor housing of the electric motor is supported on an extension portion extending in the other side in the widthwise direction from a portion of the drive shaft to which the rear wheel is mounted, via a pair of bearing sections disposed on both sides of the motor housing in the widthwise direction. The rotor is rotatably supported by the drive shaft between the pair of the bearing sections.
US08746387B2
A crop sprayer comprises a cab having i) a left lateral wall structure including a first door, and ii) a right lateral wall structure including a second door. A first platform having a first foot support is positioned adjacent to the first door. A second platform having a second foot support is positioned adjacent to the second door. The second platform defines a routing space located beneath the second foot support. An exhaust assembly includes i) a muffler having a muffler inlet and a muffler outlet, ii) an inlet conduit in fluid communication with the muffler inlet, and iii) an outlet conduit in fluid communication with the muffler outlet. The second platform defines a forward platform portion and a trailing platform portion. The muffler is located within the routing space with the inlet conduit extending into the routing space at the leading platform portion and the outlet conduit extending from the routing space at the trailing platform portion.
US08746380B2
A method is provided for operating a braking system of a hybrid vehicle that can be driven by an internal combustion engine and an electrical machine. A brake pressure for a mechanical brake in the braking system is reduced during braking with recuperation, in comparison to the brake pressure during braking without recuperation. A braking system and a vehicle having a braking system that functions in accordance with the method also are provided.
US08746377B1
An electric utility cart to assist in transportation and hauling various items is disclosed. The utility cart includes a handle with a throttle to control the speed of the cart during use. A single 360° rotatable front wheel in combination with a pair of wide rear wheels which are joined to a differential allows the cart to turn in tight circles. A directional switch proximate the handle allows the user to drive the cart in either a forward or rearward direction. An auxiliary rack can be mounted on the cart as needed for carrying surf boards or other large items. A hitch rod allows the cart to be suspended and transported by a conventional vehicle such as a car, SUV or pickup truck having a typical tubular hitch.
US08746375B2
Wellbore tools include a body and a superhydrophobic surface disposed over at least a portion of the body. The superhydrophobic surface includes a patterned surface of a hydrophobic material exhibiting a higher hydrophobicity than an unpatterned surface of the hydrophobic material. A wellbore tool may include a seal, at least one sensor, and at least one flow line, each having at least one superhydrophobic surface. Methods of forming wellbore tools include forming a body, forming a hydrophobic surface over at least a portion of the body, and forming a pattern in a surface of the body, such that the patterned surface exhibits a higher hydrophobicity than an unpatterned surface of the same material.
US08746369B2
Exemplary methods, systems and components disclosed herein provide propagation of light signals from an external source to a borehole mining mole which includes an optical/electric transducer configured to provide propulsive power for the borehole mining mole and its associated mineral prospecting tools. Some embodiments include one or more umbilicals connected from a remote source location to an onboard reel incorporated with the borehole mining mole. The umbilicals are spooled outwardly or inwardly from the onboard reel during traverse of the borehole mining mole along a path in an earthen environment.
US08746363B2
System for conducting remote biometric operations that includes a biometric data reading device connected to a personal computer and configured to send said encrypted data to a remote data authentication center for establishing a secure communications channel once the user identity has been verified by means of said biometric data. This invention refers to a remote biometric operations system that can be connected to a computer to carry out electronic banking and other similar operations with a certain degree of safety.
US08746362B2
A work vehicle comprises a frame, a circle gear mounted to the frame to rotate relative thereto, a moldboard coupled to the circle gear to rotate therewith, and a circle drive gearbox comprising gearing, a first worm, and a second worm, the gearing meshing with the circle gear, the first and second worms meshing with the gearing.
US08746357B2
The present invention is directed to a suppression system in which a carrier gas and suppression liquid are contained in a common containment vessel and separated by a separation member. The separation is one or more of movable, deformable, or shape changing in response to pressure exerted by the stored gas.
US08746356B1
A dry sprinkler for a fire protection system. The preferred dry sprinkler has a metallic disc annulus positionable within a passageway to skew a central axis of a face of the metallic disc annulus with respect to a longitudinal axis of the dry sprinkler so that an expected minimum flow rate based on a rated discharge coefficient is provided. The dry sprinkler operates to provide an expected flow rate over a range of start pressures. The expected flow rate is based on a K-factor rating. The dry sprinkler provides an acceptable level of fluid flow rate from the expected flow rate based on the K-factor for a range of start pressures.
US08746347B2
A subsea wellhead assembly includes a wellhead body which disposed to support an isolation sleeve for a production tree and to support below the isolation sleeve a production casing hanger for a production casing string. The body also supports a second casing string outside the production casing string whereby to form an annulus between the casing strings. The body includes a passageway which is in communication with the annulus near a lower end of the body and extends upwardly within the wall of the body towards the upper end of the body. A valve is accommodated in the upper part of the body and provides controlled communication between the passageway and a port which can be coupled to the isolation sleeve. The valve is controllable from a production tree in particular is moveable between an open position and a closed position in response to fluid pressure applied to the valve from a production tree by way of the isolation sleeve.
US08746345B2
Systems for accessing a well bore including a BOP stack with a universal intervention interface are disclosed. In some embodiments, the system includes a BOP stack and a valve assembly. The BOP stack has a throughbore and is installable on a well such that the throughbore is in fluid communication with the well bore. The valve assembly is coupled to the BOP stack and includes a fluid flowpath in fluid communication with the BOP stack throughbore, two valves connected in series and disposed along the fluid flowpath, the valves operable to control flow through the fluid flowpath, and a ROV panel including ports accessible by a ROV for operation of the two valves.
US08746344B2
Embodiments of the disclosure relate to directing a flow from a borehole termination structure. Embodiments include a device for containing fluid flow from a borehole. The device includes an engagement body and a sealing member located within a cavity of the engagement body. The cavity is configured to receive a portion of a borehole termination structure extending from the borehole and to direct fluid from the borehole into a fluid conduit. The sealing member has a changeable shape configured to surround the borehole termination structure and to form a seal between an outer surface of the borehole termination structure and an inner surface of the body of the containment assembly based on the borehole termination structure being positioned within the cavity.
US08746341B2
A method of foaming a fluid for recovering gas from a gas well and enhancing oil production from a gas-lifted oil well penetrating a subterranean oil-bearing formation is disclosed and claimed. The method includes introducing into the fluid a foam-forming amount of a composition comprising at least one compound having the general formula: R1 is selected from a saturated linear or branched alkyl, an unsaturated linear or branched alkyl, a substituted naphthalene, a substituted benzene, a natural oil, and a natural oil derivative. R2 is a C2-C8 alkyl. R3, R4, and R5 are independently selected from trimethyl, triethyl, diethyl, monoethyl, benzyl dimethyl, and benzyl diethyl. X is selected from hydrogen, methyl, and ethyl. Z− is a negatively charged counterion.
US08746334B2
A post cold heavy oil production with sand (“CHOPS”) microbial enhanced oil recovery method comprises selecting a well having at least one wormhole and that has completed primary CHOPS production. When the reservoir does not contain enough of a gas producing indigenous microbe, an injectant is prepared comprising a gas-producing microbe, a nutrient suitable for the microbe, and a fluid base. The injectant is injected through the well and into the at least one wormhole in the reservoir; the well is shut in until pressure in the well reaches the target pressure; and then the well is produced.
US08746330B2
A fluid heat exchanger can define a plurality of microchannels, each having a first end and an opposite end and extending substantially parallel with each other microchannel. Each microchannel can define a continuous channel flow path between its respective first end and opposite end. A fluid inlet opening for the plurality of microchannels can be positioned between the microchannel first and opposite ends, a first fluid outlet opening from the plurality of microchannels can be positioned adjacent each of the microchannel first ends, and an opposite fluid outlet opening from the plurality of microchannels can be positioned adjacent each of the microchannel opposite ends such that a flow of heat transfer fluid passing into the plurality of microchannels flows along the full length of each of the plurality of microchannels outwardly from the fluid inlet opening. Related methods are disclosed.
US08746329B2
The invention refers to a heat exchanger plate (11), a pair of heat exchanger plates, and a plate package for a plate heat exchanger. Each heat exchanger plate includes a heat transfer area (33) and a distribution area (34) which adjoins the heat transfer area along a borderline (35). The distribution area has projections and depressions abutting depressions and projections, respectively, on a distribution area of adjacent heat exchanger plates. The heat transfer area has projections (51) and depressions (52) abutting depressions and projections, respectively on a heat transfer area of adjacent heat exchanger plates for forming first contact surfaces positioned at a first distance from each other along a direction substantially parallel with the borderline. The heat transfer area includes a transition area (58), which adjoins the distribution area along the borderline and has projections and depressions abutting depressions and projections, respectively, of a heat transfer area of adjacent heat exchanger plates for forming second contact surfaces at a second distance from each other along the first direction. The second distance is significantly shorter than the first distance.
US08746326B2
The present invention is related to a liquid heat-dissipating module, for dissipating the heat generated by a heating element, at least comprising: a heat-absorbing unit, being connected with the heating element, for absorbing the heat generated by the heating element; a fluid delivery device, for delivering a fluid, the fluid delivery device being stacked with the heat-absorbing unit and having a heat-dissipating structure; and a connecting pipe, being connected with the heat-absorbing unit and the fluid delivery device for delivering the fluid into the heat-absorbing unit, so as to absorb the heat of the heat-absorbing unit; the fluid absorbing the heat is then delivered back to the fluid delivery device, letting the heat-dissipating structure to dissipate the heat contained in the fluid.
US08746318B2
A tire bead seating apparatus for seating tire beads on a vehicle wheel, the apparatus comprising: (a) a repositionable arm operatively coupled to a rotatable drum, the repositionable arm directing the rotatable drum into selective engagement with an inflated tire mounted to a vehicle wheel, the rotatable drum operative to rotate when engaging the inflated tire to rotate the inflated tire and the vehicle wheel; (b) a first set of rollers selectively contacting a first peripheral surface of the inflated tire, the first peripheral surface bridging between a first sidewall and a treaded surface of the inflated tire; (c) a first set of rollers selectively contacting a second peripheral surface of the inflated tire, the second peripheral surface bridging between a second sidewall and the treaded surface of the inflated tire, the first sidewall being generally opposite the second sidewall; (d) a first bead roller selectively contacting the first sidewall proximate a first bead of the inflated tire; and, (e) a second bead roller selectively contacting the second sidewall proximate a second bead of the inflated tire.
US08746317B2
A working tool orienting device in a tire demounting machine includes a base which supports a rotary apparatus, rotating about an axis of rotation and designed to bear and lock wheel rims thereon; a column rising from the base and having an end secured to the base and an end opposite thereto facing upward; a moving arm, which is moved between positions close to and away from the rotary apparatus; a support arrangement for supporting working tools, which is coupled with the upward facing end, and joint means interposed between the support arrangement and the upward facing end, which are configured to make the support arrangement movable relative to the arm.
US08746316B2
A clutch mechanism for a tape dispenser, for example, includes a first reel, a second reel, a biasing element, and a friction element. The first and second reels are rotatably disposed on first and second shafts. The biasing element is disposed between the second reel and second shaft such that the second reel is movable in a radial direction between first and second positions relative to the second shaft and the biasing element biases the second reel into the first position. The friction element extends around the first and second reels and arranged to generate a first normal force acting on the second reel when the second reel is in a first position, relative to the second shaft, and a second normal force acting on the second reel when the second reel is in a second position, relative to the second shaft.
US08746302B2
A tire includes a pair of sidewalls in spaced apart relation and extending substantially radially from a respective inner circumferential portion to a respective outer circumferential portion, a tread extending between and connecting outer circumferential portions of the sidewalls, at least a portion of a tire cavity defined by the tread and sidewalls, and a bead portion on the inner circumferential portion of each radially extending sidewall, the bead portion providing an engagement surface for engaging a wheel on which the tire is to be mounted, and a noise reducing foam disposed in at least a portion of the tire cavity.
US08746298B2
A cap-free closeable neck end for a filler neck of a tank of a motor vehicle, the cap-free closeable neck including an upper entry space forming an insertion region for a fuel nozzle and being surrounded by a side wall, a lower sealing flap arranged in the upper entry space and a closing mechanism arranged above the lower sealing flap. The closing mechanism includes an upper filling opening and an upper cover, which in a closed state at least partially covers the upper filling opening and being embodied in such a manner that the upper cover is displaced by inserting an outlet pipe of a fuel nozzle into the upper entry space for releasing the upper filling opening so as to allow for the insertion of the outlet pipe through the upper filling opening and the lower sealing flap. When used for forming a protection against a filling with unsuitable fuel, the upper cover, in its closed state, is blocked by a locking element and wherein the locking element is embodied in such a manner that it is unlocked as a function of a type-specific shape of the outlet pipe of the fuel nozzle, only when the tank is filled with suitable fuel.
US08746293B2
A sealing and inflating assembly includes a tire repairing container for receiving a sealing preparation, an outlet piece attached to a mouth opening of the tire repairing container and having an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit, the outlet piece includes a pipe extended into the tire repairing container and includes a cover releasably attached to the pipe for releasably blocking the bore of the pipe, and includes a cap releasably blocking the outlet conduit, and an actuating device selectively disengages the cover from the pipe and selectively disengages the cap from the outlet piece for supplying the pressurized air into the tire repairing container and to force the sealing preparation to flow out of the outlet piece.
US08746290B2
A surgical console having bottles containing retinal tamponading gases and an automatic gas filling module disposed therein for filling an automatic gas filling consumable is disclosed. The automatic gas filling module includes a pair of gas shutoff valves and a regulator connected in series with a port for connection to the automatic gas filling consumable.
US08746287B2
A dual piston accumulator, in particular for a hydrostatic hybrid drive system for vehicles, replaces a high pressure hydro accumulator and a low pressure hydro accumulator. Inside a single accumulator housing (2) extending in the axial direction in a single piece over a high pressure part (4) and a low pressure part (6), an accumulator piston (8, 10) defines a high pressure-sided fluid chamber (16) and a low pressure-sided fluid chamber (18). Both chambers border an intermediate piece (12) separating the high pressure side (4) from the low pressure side (6). A common piston rod (14) extends through the intermediate piece for both accumulator pistons (8, 10). The wall width of the housing (2) corresponding to the high pressure part (4) is greater than the opposite reduced wall width corresponding to the low pressure part (6).
US08746280B2
A controllable valve is provided for a low-flammability fluid within an aircraft with at least one magnetic coil which, upon brief electrical excitation, moves a structural element provided therein from a first position to a second position in which the structural element is held by a permanent magnet after completion of the electrical excitation of the magnetic coil.
US08746278B2
A connector for transferring a fluid includes a first connector and a second connector. Each connector includes a first outer portion including a first obstructive portion and defining a first fluid passageway for receiving a fluid therein. Each connector further includes a first central nozzle coupled to the first outer portion. The central nozzle includes a first engagement member. The first central nozzle is movable between a first position and a second position with rotation of the first outer portion. In the first position, the first obstructive portion and the first engagement portion substantially overlap to impede fluid flow through the first fluid passageway. In the second position, at least one of the first engagement member and the first obstructive member is displaced to allow fluid flow through the first fluid passageway.
US08746271B2
A flow control valve (100;200;300) for a ventilation or exhaust duct comprises a housing (102;202;302), which defines a longitudinally extending passage (104;204;304) between a flow inlet and a flow outlet. A closing element (110;210;310) in the passage is movable between a fully open position and a fully closed position. A motor or actuator (116;216;316) is provided for moving the closing element. The motor or actuator may be located inside the closing element (110;210;310). The flow passage (104;204;304) through the housing may have sections of different diameters to obtain a venturi-like diffusor. A pressure difference sensor may be provided, which in combination with a position of the closing element allows for computation of the flow rate through the valve without the need for a separate flow meter.
US08746268B2
A collapsible guard adapted to cover the rear wheel of a stationery exercise bicycle supported on a bicycle trainer is described. The guard has side walls, an upper wall and a front opening sized to receive the bicycle rear wheel and trainer. In one embodiment of the invention, the guard includes spaced side walls having upper edges, front edges and lower edges; and a flexible upper wall with side edges, a front edge, and a rear edge, the side walls being releasibly attached along at least part of their lengths to the upper wall side edges, the upper wall curving downwardly from its front edge to its rear edge when the side walls are attached. In this embodiment, the side walls are foldable onto opposite faces of the upper wall. In another embodiment, the guard includes a collapsible frame with curved bands and a cover attachable over the frame.
US08746258B2
A molded plastic applicator for cosmetics including a plastic panel lying substantially in a mold plane when formed and bent out of the mold plane to surround an extended longitudinal axis when the applicator is assembled. A plurality of openings or projections are formed in or on the panel so as to be oriented substantially in a common pull direction transverse to the mold plane when the panel lies in the mold plane and oriented substantially radially of the longitudinal axis when the panel is bent to surround the axis. A retainer holds the panel, when bent, in surrounding relation to the axis. The panel may be formed as a plurality of free-ended limbs, radiating from a hub through which the longitudinal axis extends, and bent down around the axis.
US08746253B2
Skin disorders such as, for example, atopic dermatitis, dyshidrosis, eczema, lichen planus, psoriasis, and vitiligo, are treated by applying high doses of ultraviolet light to diseased regions of a patient's skin. The dosage exceeds 1 MED as determined for the particular patient and may range from about 1 MED to about 20 MED or higher. The ultraviolet light has a wavelength within the range of about 295 nanometers to about 320 nanometers. High doses of ultraviolet light are preferably restricted to diseased tissue areas. A specialized handpiece provides a beam profile especially suitable for application of controlled doses. A specialized delivery device is useful for UV treatment of tissue within the mouth.
US08746247B2
A method of treating lung disease, such as asthma or COPD, is provided that includes delivering positive pressure support to an airway of a patient during a plurality of respiratory cycles, and automatically varying a pressure level of the positive pressure support during at least a portion of the inspiratory phase of the patient in a number of the respiratory cycles.
US08746240B2
A personal vapor inhaling unit is disclosed. An electronic flameless vapor inhaler unit that may simulate a cigarette has a cavity that receives a cartridge in the distal end of the inhaler unit. The cartridge brings a substance to be vaporized in contact with a wick. When the unit is activated, and the user provides suction, the substance to be vaporized is drawn out of the cartridge, through the wick, and is atomized by the wick into a cavity containing a heating element. The heating element vaporizes the atomized substance. The vapors then continue to be pulled by the user through a mouthpiece and mouthpiece cover where they may be inhaled.
US08746239B2
An extendable lighted intubation stylet enables a clinician or emergency medical personnel to introduce a breathing tube into a person's trachea. The extendable lighted intubation stylet includes a handle, a switch, a sheath, an extension member, and a light source. The extension member can be extended or retracted relative to the sheath thereby increasing or decreasing the length of the extendable lighted intubation stylet. The light source provides for superior visualization of the airway compared to a standard laryngoscope bulb. In its extended configuration, the extendable intubation stylet is immediately available in the case of an unanticipated difficult airway and can be used as a bougie. The extendable stylet is lightweight and convenient because it can be folded and placed in a pocket or in a space critical location such as a field kit or portable airway bag.
US08746236B2
A solar energy collector system (32) has a fixed array (34) of reflectors (40) extending in parallel rows, and a common focal receiver (36) located above the fixed array (34) and extending parallel to the rows of reflectors (40). Incident solar radiation from all of the reflectors is reflected upon the receiver (36) which includes a heat absorbing medium adapted to absorb heat from the reflected radiation. There is an elevated support structure (38) for the fixed array (34) of reflectors and the receiver (36). The support structure (38) orients each row of reflectors at a respective fixed angle relative to the support structure. The support structure (38) is pivotally mounted to an upright elevation assembly (77) to allow controlled rotation of the fixed array (34) and receiver (36) simultaneously about a pivotal axis (39) extending parallel to the rows of reflectors (40) so as to track the movement of the sun.
US08746234B2
A tube structure, and a method for assembling the tube structure, is provided, that is particularly useful in a solar heating system. The tube structure comprises, (a) a tube formed into a predetermined (e.g. coiled) configuration, (b) at least one rafter which engages the tube in a manner designed to hold the tube in the predetermined configuration, and (c) a plurality of snippets connected at predetermined locations to the rafter, the snippets extending away from a bottom surface of the rafter, and configured to (i) hold the rafter away from the substrate to allow flow of water and debris along the substrate without interference from the rafter, and (ii) allow relative movement of the rafter and tube relative to the snippets during expansion and contraction of the tube structure.
US08746229B2
A gas burner system for food cooking appliances is provided. The system includes a gas supplying duct for delivery of gas to burner system. A first sump and a second sump are coupled to the duct through a pair of nozzles, such that the first and second sumps mix primary air with gas delivered by the duct. A pair of Venturi effect chambers are connected to the first sump and second sump respectively, and are inclined towards a pair of concentric burner components that include an outer burner component and an inner burner component. The Venturi effect chambers direct the air-gas mixture to the inner and outer burner components. Caps are provided over the first and second burner components.
US08746226B2
A backward momentum generating device with coupled spring biased rod mechanism, being disposed through an internal wall settled between a housing and a stop wall of a toy gun, is disclosed. While a piston in the housing produces compressed air, a weight of the backward momentum generating device is pushed along a moving direction of the reciprocating motion of the piston, produces a reaction force, and results in an effect of a backward momentum applied to the housing of the toy gun. The coupled spring biased rod mechanisms include at least one front-section spring biased rod and at least one back-section spring biased rod, wherein the back-section spring biased rod is moveably disposed through a hollow channel formed in the weight of the toy gun.
US08746225B2
The present invention is directed to a ball feed mechanism and associated method for use in a paintball loader. The ball feed mechanism includes a feeder which conveys or impels balls toward a feed neck, and a drive member which is concentric with the feeder. The feeder is coupled to the drive member. An electric motor is used to rotate the drive member which in turn causes the feeder to rotate. The feed mechanism includes sensors which detect the motion of the feeder and the drive member. A controller determines the position of the feeder relative to the drive member and actuates a motor when necessary.
US08746222B2
An archery release including release body, a trigger and a trigger bumper, where the trigger bumper reduces or eliminates noise generated by the trigger being actuated from a holding mode to a triggered mode. The trigger bumper can be constructed from an elastomeric material adapted to deaden noise upon impact with the trigger. The trigger bumper can be joined with the release body and/or the trigger.
US08746221B2
A back-tension archery release finger includes a housing containing a chamber which is adapted to receive a soft rubber insert. The housing includes at least one opening in a side wall thereof which communicates with the chamber to provide access to the insert. The insert projects through the side wall opening to define a contact surface for the finger of an archer. The housing may be contoured to match multiple fingers of the archer.
US08746214B2
The invention, described herein, is an improved Fuel Injection Servo (“Servo”) for the homebuilt aircraft. The Servo has been designed to allow the manufacturer to more easily fine tune the pressure differential over the air diaphragm. The Servo also provides an idle valve that the manufacturer and homebuilder can easily fine tune. In a second embodiment, the Servo is further adapted to replace the carburetor in smaller aircraft.
US08746213B2
An injector including a nozzle that includes an opening and a seat, a needle movably mounted in the nozzle and having an end defining a valve in a contact area with the seat, a mechanism for vibrating the valve, a first acoustic-impedance breaking area at a first distance from the valve along the nozzle, and another first acoustic-impedance breaking area at a second distance from the valve along the needle. Each of the first and second distances is such that the respective propagation time of acoustic waves along the distance is: Ti=ni*[ζ/2], where ni is a positive integer coefficient different from zero with i=3 for the first distance and i=4 for the second distance, ζ being a period of the vibrations.
US08746210B2
A helical torsion return spring and a throttle body assembly for urging a throttle plate of a throttle body assembly to a default position when a throttle motor of the throttle body assembly is disabled. The return spring includes a middle portion, a first end portion, a second end portion, a first spring leg, and a second spring leg. The throttle body assembly includes a throttle shaft, a first bushing, a second bushing, and the spring defined above. A first end portion center axis defined by the first end portion and a second end portion center axis defined by the second end portion are offset from a middle portion center axis defined by the middle portion.
US08746207B2
An internal combustion engine includes a muffler configured to reduce exhaust gas noise. The muffler has a housing defining an interior and an exterior. A choke valve is configured to control a flow of air in a carburetor and a thermally responsive element is coupled with the choke valve and configured to move the choke valve in response to a temperature change in the thermally responsive element. A thermally conductive member has a first portion positioned in the interior of the muffler and extending through the muffler housing to the exterior of the muffler, and a second portion positioned exteriorly of the muffler and coupled to the thermally responsive element. The thermally conductive member is configured to conduct heat from exhaust gases within the muffler to the thermally responsive element.
US08746193B2
An engine includes a fluid pump configured to pressurize oil and a cylinder configured to combust a mixture of fuel and air therein. The engine also includes a valve arrangement configured to deliver air or fuel and air mixture to and exhaust post-combustion gases from the cylinder. The engine additionally includes fluidly connected first and second switching mechanisms, and an oil gallery fluidly connecting the fluid pump and the second switching mechanism. The engine additionally includes an oil squirter in fluid communication with the second switching mechanism and configured to spray the pressurized oil into the cylinder. The second switching mechanism is operated by the pressurized oil to selectively activate and deactivate operation of the valve arrangement. Moreover, the first switching mechanism is configured to alternately direct the pressurized oil to the second switching mechanism to deactivate the operation of the valve arrangement and to feed the oil squirter.
US08746190B2
In a two-stroke opposed-piston engine, a ported cylinder with a pair of opposed pistons is equipped with a decompression port including a valve and a passage with an opening through the cylinder wall that is located between the cylinder's intake and exhaust ports. The decompression port enables release of compressed air from the cylinder after the intake and exhaust ports are closed. The valve is opened to permit compressed air to be released from the cylinder through the passage, and closed to retain compressed air in the cylinder. Engine braking is supported by release of compressed air through the decompression port into an exhaust channel when the pistons are at or near top dead center positions as the cycle transitions from the intake/compression stroke to the power/exhaust stroke. Compression release from the cylinder after intake and exhaust port closure can also support other engine operations.
US08746187B2
A cooling apparatus 1A includes an engine 50A having a cylinder head 52A having a head side W/J 521A equipped with partial W/J 521aA through 521dA individually incorporated into four different cooling systems, first recess/projection portions P capable of generating a flow separation of cooling water in accordance with a change of the flow rate within a range of a maximum flow rate of the cooling water being provided to the head side W/J 521A, and control means for executing a control of changing the flow rate of the cooling water that flows through the first cooling medium passageway in accordance with operating conditions of the engine including a case where the control means partially changes in each of the plurality of the partial cooling medium passageways.
US08746182B2
A treat dispenser for an animal having, in one embodiment, a container supported by a cage, the container having an opening for the dispensing of treats provided therein, and the cage preventing direct access to the opening by an animal. The cage and the container having a consistent outer periphery to enable rolling of the treat dispenser.
US08746179B2
A pet enclosure includes an expandable cover and a collapsible support frame. The cover comprises a roof, a floor opposite the roof, and sides connecting the roof to the floor, wherein the sides include a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The support frame comprises a first truss adjacent the first side, a second truss adjacent the second side, and a support member extending from the first truss to the second truss. The first truss and the second truss are pivotable relative to the support member toward one another into a collapsed configuration of the support frame and away from one another into an uncollapsed configuration of the support frame. Pivoting the trusses from the collapsed configuration into the uncollapsed configuration rearranges the cover from an unexpanded arrangement into an expanded arrangement. The cover in the expanded arrangement defines an interior compartment for housing a pet.
US08746175B2
The invention provides a method of managing a group of dairy animals including individually recognizing each animal by an animal identification system, milking the animals to give actual milk yields for each animal, and feeding the animals with an predetermined individual ration, collecting data regarding the group of dairy animals, which data comprise for each animal at least the actual milk yield and an amount of the individual ration consumed by the animal, wherein subsequent individual milk yields are estimated using a model on the basis of said data, and wherein, for one or more animals, at least one of the individual ration and the milking of individual dairy animals is adjusted in a regulatory step of the model using a precondition. The invention also provides a device and a computer program product, arranged to perform such a method.
US08746169B2
A mask frame assembly for thin film deposition includes a frame having an opening and at least two unit masks having end parts in a longitudinal direction fixed to the frame, each of the unit masks comprising first regions and second regions, the first regions having unit masking patterns, each of the unit masking patterns having a plurality of openings for thin film deposition, the unit masking pattern being spaced apart from each other, each of the second regions being interposed between a pair of adjacent ones of the first regions, the first regions having a first thickness from a first surface of the unit masks, and at least a portion of the second regions having a second thickness from a second surface of the unit masks opposite to the first surface of the unit masks, such that the first regions and the at least the portion of the second regions are offset from each other in a direction normal to the first and second surfaces. A plurality of unit masks are each half etched from different surfaces and thus a height of wrinkles generated in the mask of the mask frame assembly may be reduced.
US08746167B2
This spraygun (1) comprises a body (11) and, housed in a proximal part (11.1) of the body (11), a tank (10) extending along a main axis (X10). This spraygun also comprises atomizing means (5) in a distal part (11.2) of the body (11) comprising an atomizing member (51) designed to atomize the coating product generally in an atomizing direction (Y50). The atomizing direction (Y50) and the main axis (X10) of the tank are convergent.
US08746166B2
The invention relates to a method of coating a surface (2) of a hollow body (1), said method comprising: a step of positioning said hollow body (1) on a support (7) designed to receive said hollow body (1); and a step of spraying at least one coating material onto said surface (2) of said hollow body (1) by means of a spray device (9), relative movement being imparted to said support (7) and to said spray device (9); said coating method being characterized in that said relative movement takes place at a velocity that varies as a function of the distance (d) between the spray device (9) and said surface (2). Coating machines.
US08746165B2
There is provided a coating die for applying an insulation varnish around a wire conductor, comprising: a die body; and a die hole formed through the die body, the die hole including: an entry portion having an opening size monotonically decreasing along a conductor insertion direction; and a coating portion comprising a sub-portion having a constant opening size, in which: on an inner surface of the coating portion are provided at least four protrusions equally spaced in a circumferential direction of the inner surface, the protrusions projecting toward a center axis of the die hole; and each of the protrusions includes a portion with a height gradually increasing along the conductor insertion direction from a boundary between the entry portion and the coating portion. There can be formed an enameled wire having a thin and uniform insulation coating by using the invented coating die.
US08746160B2
A punching device (1) is fastened at the pressure shaft of a sewing machine, vertically displaceable via a carrier (3). The vertical position of the press pad (35) at the body (33) can be adjusted by an adjustment screw (16) to the thickness of the textiles/work pieces to be processed.
US08746152B2
A low profile discharge gate assembly including a rigid frame defining a generally rectangular discharge opening and a gate slidably mounted on the frame for controlling discharge of commodity from the gate assembly. Structure carried by and extending inwardly from the frame is arranged between a lower surface on the gate and boot flanges defined by the gate assembly frame for restricting the flow of commodity from the gate assembly. A vertical distance of less than 7.5 inches separates the boot flanges from mounting flanges on the gate assembly frame whereby permitting a conventional unloading sled to fit under the gate assembly to discharge commodity therefrom. An operating shaft assembly selectively controls movement of the gate between open and closed positions. A lock assembly is also provided for inhibiting inadvertent movement of the gate from the closed position toward the open position.
US08746148B1
A portable ski rope tow system, which is capable of ascending various pitched slopes. The system only needs to be anchored into snow for operation. The system consists of a main drive mechanism, a continuous loop tow rope, rope support posts that include adjustable rope guide sheave wheels, an end post that includes a rope return pulley utilizing a cable puller/come-a-long for tow rope tensioning. The system is equipped with a pull cord safety device, which runs the length of the system. A towrope clamp attached to a climbing harness is needed by the skier/snowboarder to eliminate hand fatigue and mainly to be able to pass through rope guide sheave wheels. Most of the structural components of the system are lightweight, made of aluminum to provide easier mobility, set up and take down.
US08746137B1
System information and parameters relating to a baler and equipment connected thereto are used to calibrate the speed of a tailgate of the baler. Calibration involves setting the time it takes to raise and lower the tailgate. The calibration timing is used to control the speed of the tailgate for faster and safer bale ejections to ensure the ejection configuration values are tuned to the dynamics of the baler tailgate and hydraulic power of the tractor.
US08746116B2
A kerf making machine includes a table. A slide assembly comprises first, second, and third slides. The first slide has a first stop and a first abutment on the end thereof. The second slide has a second stop oppositely positioned to the first stop. The third slide has a third abutment on the end thereof and is positioned relative to the first abutment a distance that is the exact distance of the desired distance. The slide assembly is reversed from its one side to its other side wherein the first slide, the second slide, and the third slide are positioned on the table.
US08746115B2
A cutting insert includes a first surface, a second surface and a peripheral surface extending therebetween, and an insert hole extending between the first and second surfaces and having a hole axis. A cross section of at least a portion of the insert hole taken perpendicular to the hole axis has an oval shape. The cutting insert also includes a mark provided on at least one of the first and second surfaces, indicating the orientation of the cross sectional oval shape of the at least a portion of the insert hole.
US08746110B2
An all terrain vehicle parking brake for after market installation on an ATV, UTV, RUV or MUV that relies on placing the vehicle shift lever in a park position to hold the vehicle on a hill. The parking brake includes a brake handle that is mounted to the vehicle dash board to pivot between brake engaged and disengaged positions, extending and retracting a linkage that connects and disconnects through a straight sleeve, with the linkage connecting to a rod end bearing that connects to a brake pedal arm, depressing the brake pedal when an operator activates the parking brake.
US08746104B2
The present invention provides a gear absolute position sensor assembly (GAPS) that senses the current absolute, position of the shift lever of a manual transmission. The sensor assembly provides data to an associated electronic controller such as an engine control module (ECM) regarding the current position of the shift lever, such as an engaged gear. The sensor assembly preferably comprises at least one Hall effect or other type of magnetic field (proximity) sensors in combination with an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which is supplied with data from the sensors, decodes the output of the sensors and provides an output identifying a specific engaged gear or neutral for use by vehicle or engine management electronics. The sensors are mounted proximate the shift linkage at a location where they can sense both rotation and translation.
US08746102B2
A ball screw device for reducing damage to a circulating part even during a high speed operation is provided. To this end, the circulating part includes a pair of legs having a tang to scoop up a ball in a direction substantially match with a tangential direction of a spiral path, and a body to connect the pair of legs, wherein a center path diameter Rb of the ball, an internal diameter Rn of the nut, and an internal diameter Rt opposite to the tang satisfy a relationship of Rb ≦Rt≦Rn.
US08746096B2
A drive arrangement for a motor vehicle includes two driven axles, wherein at least one of the axles can be connected and disconnected, with a variable speed transmission having at least one input shaft, two driven shafts, each driven shaft driving a respective axle, and several forward gears and optionally one reverse gear which can be switched via gear wheels and synchronous couplings. The drive arrangement can be easily switched between different drive modes by dividing the variable speed transmission into two sub-transmissions, of which one sub-transmission drives exclusively a first axle via a portion of the forward gears and the one driven shaft and the second sub-transmission drives both driven shafts via the remaining portion of the forward gears and optionally the reverse gear.
US08746094B2
The invention relates to a device for converting a rotational movement into a translational movement, said device comprising: a first element (303) that is rotated around a stationary center of rotation (401) by a rotation means (301); a second element (307) that is translated along a translation axis (311) by rotating the first element (303); a cam (305) that is rigidly connected to the first element (303), said cam (305) having a cam channel (306) in which a roller (308) moves, wherein said roller is rigidly connected to the second element (307). Said device is characterized in that the cam channel (306) has an inner surface (402) for contact with the roller (308), said roller (308) being in contact (500) with the inner contact surface (402) when the first element (303) is rotated in a first rotational direction (404), said inner contact surface (402) defining a curve of the type developing from a circle.
US08746093B2
A crank-type non-beam pumping unit, including a belt, a foundation, a crown sheave, a frame, a support rod, a belt pulley, a pin shaft, a crank, a transmission shaft, and a bracket. The bottom of the frame is disposed on the foundation, and the top of the frame is supported by the support rod. The top of the support rod is hinge connected to the frame, and the bottom of the support rod is hinge connected to the foundation. The bracket is disposed on the foundation, the transmission shaft is disposed on the bracket, and the crank is disposed on the transmission shaft. The crank rotates synchronously with the transmission shaft, and the belt pulley is disposed on one end of the crank via the pin shaft. One end of the belt bypasses the crown sheave, and is connected to a smooth sucker rod.
US08746085B2
An extensible frame adapted to receive and maintain a rectilinear container applied upon an interior ledge extensible frame. Two or more orthogonally aligned sensor assemblies are provided to measure deflection of panels forming the container when a static or dynamic load is applied upon an uppermost panel. Each sensor assembly outputs a signal corresponding to a deflection of a panel induced by the load applied upon the uppermost panel. Signals output from the sensor assemblies are received and processed by an output processing unit in either a human cognizable or machine readable format. The amount deflection measured by the sensor assemblies corresponds to an amount of bulge of a panel when a defined load is applied.
US08746082B2
A torque sensor which detects a deflection angle between an input and an output shaft which are aligned with a shaft axis. An annular sine ring, annular cosine ring, and annular flux return ring, each constructed of a ferromagnetic material, are coaxially disposed around the shaft axis. A sine spoke has one end attached to the output shaft and its other end closely adjacent the sine ring and, similarly, a cosine spoke is secured to the output shaft at one end and is positioned closely adjacent the cosine ring at its other end. A pair of flux return spokes are also secured to the output shaft, each diametrically opposed from the sine or cosine spoke, and have their outer ends closely adjacent the return ring. A magnetic flux bridge is formed between the return flux ring and the sine ring as well as the cosine ring while magnetic sensors determine the magnitude of the flux across each bridge. A magnet is attached to the input shaft and positioned midway between the cosine spoke and sine spoke so that deflection between the input shaft and output shaft varies the magnitude of magnetic flux across each bridge.
US08746064B2
The invention relates to a micromechanical sensor having at least two spring-mass damper oscillators. The micromechanical sensor has a first spring-mass-damper oscillating system with a first resonant frequency and a second spring-mass-damper oscillating system with a second resonant frequency which is lower than the first resonant frequency. The invention also relates to a method for detection and/or measurement of oscillations by means of a sensor such as this, and to a method for production of a micromechanical sensor such as this. The first and the second spring-mass-damper oscillating systems have electrodes which oscillate in a measurement direction about electrode rest positions with electrode deflections which are equal to or proportional to deflections of the spring-mass-damper oscillators. The systems are coupled to one another by means of at least one electrostatic field, which acts on the electrodes, forming at least one capacitance with the capacitance being governed by at least one electrode area and by at least one electrode separation and/or an electrode coverage.
US08746059B2
An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium. The apparatus includes: at least one probe unit; and at least one electronics unit, which supplies the probe unit with an operating signal and which receives from the probe unit a received signal. The probe unit includes at least one probe electrode and at least one guard electrode; and the probe electrode and the guard electrode are surrounded, at least partially, by at least one insulating unit. The the insulating unit has, in the region of the guard electrode, a smaller thickness than in the region of the probe electrode.
US08746056B2
Provided is a disdrometer system having a three-dimensional laser array unit, including: a plurality of laser transmitting parts which are arranged on an inner side of a cylindrical body to generate a laser beam; a plurality of laser receiving parts which are arranged on the inner side of the cylindrical body to correspond to the laser transmitting parts; and a laser control part which converts a cut-off signal of the laser beam, which is cut-off by precipitation drops flowing into the inner side of the cylindrical body, into an electrical signal, and records the converted electrical signal. Thus, the disdrometer system has an effect that the shape, volume, number, falling velocity of precipitation drops, and the intensity, density and weight of rainfall can be integrally measured.
US08746047B2
Provided is a method for analyzing a dispersion made by dispersing a liquid or solid dispersoid into a liquid dispersion medium. The method includes the steps of: preparing a sample liquid from the dispersion by forming an agglomerate of the dispersoid in the dispersion medium; redispersing the dispersoid that forms the agglomerate in the sample liquid into the dispersion medium of the sample liquid; and measuring the amount of the dispersoid that has been redispersed from the agglomerate in the sample liquid.
US08746040B2
In a test pressurizing system for a hose such as fire hose, a device is arranged for bearing of a pressurized hose in a way that it is surrounded by protective wall parts. Further, a mechanism is provided on the inside of the wall parts for marking of holes and/or other damages that can be maneuvered automatically or manually via the operator so that at least some protective wall part protects the operator under pressurization. The marking device may be combined with a device for automatic detection of holes and damages. This can for example admit marking of the hose with high precision, and/or be part of a fully automated solution for detection and marking of holes in the hose.
US08746030B2
A rationality diagnosis method and a rationality diagnosis apparatus for a sensor inside a tank are provided. The rationality diagnosis method and the rationality diagnosis apparatus can accurately and easily perform a diagnosis to determine whether rationality of all sensors is maintained.The rationality diagnosis method for the sensor inside the tank performs a rationality diagnosis of a concentration sensor, a liquid level sensor and a temperature sensor that are provided inside the tank that stores liquid. The rationality diagnosis method is characterized by diagnosing whether the rationality is lost in one of the concentration sensor, the liquid level sensor and the temperature sensor by determining whether there exists any contradiction between respective sensor values of the concentration sensor, the liquid level sensor and the temperature sensor.
US08746025B2
A key blank comprises a shaft and a head connected to the shaft, the shaft including first and second surface that are oppositely facing, wherein the surfaces are configured to include combination elements to operate a lock and a pair of coaxial operating elements, wherein one element of the pair is operative from the first surface of the shaft and the other element of the pair is operative from the second surface of the shaft, and wherein at least one of the operative elements is a resilient element mounted inside a bore provided in the shaft, wherein the resilient element is operative to exert a compressive force on a pin mechanism of the lock in response to the operative engagement and thereby release the pin mechanism from a lock position, without requiring any pressure on the coaxial element on the other side.
US08746018B2
An apparatus for the treatment of strand-shaped textile products in the form of a continuous material strand which is circulated at least during part of the treatment, includes an elongated, essentially tubular treatment container and a transport nozzle array that can be charged with a gaseous transport medium stream. In the treatment container is arranged, adjoining a material strand inlet, a storage section for receiving a piled-up material strand package is provided with a sliding floor that is inclined, at least in sections, in a manner descending from a pile-up unit toward a head part of the treatment container. Charge elements are provided at least in the region of the transport nozzle array to charge the material strand with a liquid treatment agent.
US08746010B2
Methods are disclosed for treating zircon-containing forming structures, e.g., zircon isopipes, with one or more treatment glass compositions in which defect-causing reactions between the zircon of the forming structure and molten glass are suppressed at the delivery temperature of the treatment glass. The treatment compositions can be used during start-up of a forming structure, between runs of the same production glass on a given forming structure, and/or when transitioning between runs of two production glasses on a given forming structure. The treatment compositions can be used with production glasses that are ion-exchangeable.
US08746009B2
Process for producing hydrogen from a gas mixture comprising hydrogen, CO2, CO, CH4 and water, employing a CO2 PSA unit, a cryogenic unit and an H2 PSA unit, in which process: a) said gas mixture is introduced into the CO2 PSA unit, producing a CO2-enriched fraction and CO2-depleted fraction; b) CO2-enriched fraction is introduced into the cryogenic unit, producing a CO2-enriched fraction and an H2-enriched fraction; c) the H2-enriched fraction is recycled upstream of the H2 PSA unit; and d) the CO2-depleted fraction coming from step b) is introduced into the H2 PSA unit, producing a hydrogen-enriched stream and a waste gas.
US08746006B2
A refrigerator comprises: a body having a storage chamber; a door for selectively shielding the storage chamber; a hinge coupling portion for hinge-coupling the door to the body; and a height control unit for lifting up or lowering the door by repeatedly opening and closing the door. Since the door has a controllable height by being opened and closed, a moment arm becomes longer than when using the conventional tool such as a spanner. This may allow the height of the door to be controlled by using less force. Since the height of the door is controllable at a user's eye height, the user may control the height of the door more rapidly and precisely without errors.
US08746005B2
The present invention provides a refrigerator including an outer casing, an inner casing mounted inside the outer casing to define a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber, an evaporator installed between the outer casing and the inner casing to supply cool air, a separate room positioned in any one of the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber, and a passage for gliding the cool air generated by the evaporator directly to the separate room. In this configuration, the cooling efficiency of the separate room can be improved.
US08746000B2
According to one embodiment, a system for removing heat from a rack of information technology equipment may include a sidecar indoor air to liquid heat exchanger that cools warm air generated by the rack of information technology equipment. The system may also include a liquid to liquid heat exchanger and an outdoor heat exchanger. The system may further include configurable pathways to connect and control fluid flow through the sidecar heat exchanger, the liquid to liquid heat exchanger, the rack of information technology equipment, and the outdoor heat exchanger based upon ambient temperature and/or ambient humidity to remove heat from the rack of information technology equipment.
US08745996B2
To accommodate a transcritical vapor compression system with an operating envelope which covers a large range of heat source temperatures, a high side pressure is maintained at a level determined not only by operating conditions at the condenser but also at the evaporator. A control is provided to vary the expansion device in response to various combinations of refrigerant conditions sensed at both the condenser and the evaporator in order to maintain a desired high side pressure.
US08745995B2
A process for heat integration in engineering processes is provided in which, in a heat carrier circuit, a heat carrier medium takes up heat from a first process stream in a first heat exchanger and releases it to a refrigeration system. In a refrigerant circuit, a refrigerant is cooled in the refrigeration system and the refrigerant takes up heat from a second process stream in a second heat exchanger or a second process stream is cooled in the refrigeration system. The first process stream is a vapor stream from a thermal separation apparatus, and the temperature of the heat carrier medium is increased by heat supply between egress from the first heat exchanger and ingress into the refrigeration system.
US08745992B2
A refrigerator includes a main body provided with a storage chamber, a door to open and close the storage chamber, and an ice maker to make ice cubes, wherein the door includes a receiving chamber provided at a front surface of the door to receive the ice maker and an auxiliary door to open and close the receiving chamber. Accordingly, since the receiving chamber may be opened through the auxiliary door without opening of the door, the ice maker may be conveniently cleaned or repaired.
