US08882918B2
A vapor deposition apparatus (50) includes: a mask unit (54) including a vapor deposition source (70), a vapor deposition mask (60), and a mask holding member (80); a substrate holder (52); and at least either a mask unit moving mechanism (55) or a substrate moving mechanism (53), with a roller (83) provided in a surface of one of (A) the substrate holder (52) and (B) the mask holding member (80) which faces the other one of (A) the substrate holder (52) and (B) the mask holding member (80).
US08882911B2
An apparatus for manufacturing a silicon carbide single crystal grows the silicon carbide single crystal on a seed crystal by supplying a material gas from below the seed crystal. The apparatus includes a heating container and a base located in the heating container. The seed crystal is mounded on the base. The apparatus further includes a first inlet for causing a purge gas to flow along an inner wall surface of the heating container, a purge gas source for supplying the purge gas to the first inlet, a second inlet for causing the purge gas to flow along an outer wall surface of the base, and a mechanism for supporting the base and for supplying the purge gas to the base from below the base.
US08882906B2
The present invention relates to a method for recycling waste water from a stainless steel slag treatment process wherein stainless steel slag is brought into contact with water, in particular to neutralize the free lime contained therein, thereby producing said waste water. This waste water contains heavy metals, including at least chromium, and has a pH higher than or equal to 11. In accordance with the invention, it is used as production water for manufacturing mortar and/or concrete. In this way, the heavy metals, which are dissolved in the waste water and thus readily available, become bound in the newly formed cement phases so that they are prevented from leaching. Moreover, it has been found that the workability of the fresh mortar or concrete and also the quality of the final mortar or concrete materials is not negatively affected by the use of this alkaline waste water and that an accelerated setting could be achieved during the first hours.
US08882905B1
A low density annular grout composition for filling voids. The composition may consist of cementitious fly ash, water, set retarder and cellular foam. The composition may have a compressive strength of between 100 and 600 psi at seven days and less than 1500 psi at 28 days. The composition may have a density between 20 and 75 pcf. Also disclosed is a method of filling a void with a low density annular grout composition. The method can include determining the time necessary to fill the void, adding water and set retarder to a cementitious fly ash to make a wet mixture, adding air to the wet mixture, and adding the composition to the void.
US08882883B2
Apparatus and methods are disclosed that allow for the monitoring and analysis of production process data for a multi-step asynchronous cyclic production process (e.g. pressure swing adsorption) in a steady state plant (such as a steam methane reforming plant). Data collected from cooperating sensors is processed applying a moving window discrete Fourier transform (DFT). The transformed data can be further analyzed in the broader steady-state plant environment to accurately detect any process anomalies and avoid false alarms.
US08882876B2
Filter media suitable for various applications and related components, systems, and methods associated therewith are described. The filter media may include a fiber web having a mixture comprising non-fibrillated synthetic fibers and fibrillated fibers, such as lyocell. The fiber web may also include multi-component fibers (e.g., bi-component fibers). In some embodiments, glass fibers are not incorporated into the fiber web.
US08882875B2
Various high performance, high efficiency filter media are provided that are cost effective and easy to manufacture. In particular, various filter media are provided having at least one layer with a waved configuration that results in an increased surface area, thereby enhancing various properties of the filter media. The filter media can be used to form a variety of filter elements for use in various applications.
US08882867B2
It is supposed to be possible to achieve an essentially uniform water film protecting the corresponding metal panels, in a gasification reactor for producing crude gas containing CO or H2, by gasification of ash-containing fuel with oxygen-containing gas, at temperatures above the melting temperature of the ash, wherein a reaction chamber formed by a membrane wall through which cooling medium flows, a transition area as well as a quench chamber with a slag collection container that follows in the direction of gravity are provided within a pressure container. This is achieved in that, in addition to a device (14, 15) forming a water film (16) in the quench chamber (11), at least a part of the cylinder forming the quench chamber wall (17) is designed with a double wall and with a coolant overflow (21) for additionally wetting (18) the inner surface of the quench chamber wall (17), and a tangential coolant supply (20) in the bottom area of the double walled cylinder (19) which is closed at the bottom.
US08882861B2
Disclosed herein are methods and processes for the recovery of oleaginous compounds from biomass and in particular biomass comprises photosynthetic microorganisms. Also disclosure are oleaginous compounds obtained using the disclosed methods.
US08882858B2
Production apparatus and method for producing devices for storing electric energy are disclosed, wherein stacks of flat cathodes and anodes that face one another alternately with the interposition of a separator are produced, and in which the separator is formed by a single continuous strip folded several times in a single folding direction.
US08882853B2
The present invention relates to a solvent for cleaning textiles or clothes. The present invention provides a solvent for cleaning which has a specified formula that is safe on the human body and environment, as well as good cleaning ability against oil-based and water-based contaminants and can be quickly dried. The solvent of the present invention and a composition comprising the same can be effectively used to water clean or dry clean textiles or clothes at home.
US08882847B2
Disclosed herein are methods and devices for repairing articular surfaces in a knee joint. The articular surface repairs are customizable or highly selectable for each patient and geared toward providing optimal fit and function. Kits are also provided to enable customized repairs to be performed.
US08882846B1
A surgical process for affixing an elbow implant into the ulna has the steps of separating the olecranon process from the ulna so as to expose an end of an intermedullary canal of the ulna, inserting a stem of the elbow implanted into the intermedullary canal such that an end of the stem extends outwardly of the end of the ulna, and affixing the olecranon process onto the exposed end of the ulna. A hole is drilled through the olecranon process such that the hole is axially aligned with the intermedullary canal of the ulna. This hole is drilled prior to the step of separating.
US08882843B2
A flanged interbody spinal fusion implant for insertion at least in part between adjacent vertebral bodies has opposed upper and lower surfaces adapted to contact each of the adjacent vertebral bodies from within the disc space, a leading end for insertion between the adjacent vertebral bodies, and a trailing end opposite the leading end. The trailing end has a height greater than the maximum height of the disc space forming a flanged portion adapted to overlie a part of the anterior aspects of the vertebral bodies adjacent and proximate the disc space to be fused. The flanged portion has at least two bone screw receiving holes, at least one each adapted to overlie each of the adjacent vertebral bodies at least in part. The implant has at least one locking element to lock one or more of the bone screws inserted in the bone screw receiving holes. Instrumentation for inserting the implant, forming screw holes in the vertebral body, and for locking the locking elements are disclosed.
US08882841B2
An interbody vertebral cage facilitates minimally invasive approaches to the intervertebral disc for corrective restoration of disc height, stabilization between vertebra, and fusion. The preferred embodiment provides a streamlined, slender straight contour with a central hinge or other articulating apparatus that allows the introduction of the cage into the operative field and disc space in a minimally invasive, bone-sparing manner. After partial insertion, the hinge component is activated, allowing the operator to steer the cage anterior-medially within the disc space to an anterior-central position within the intervertebral space. In this state the cage is shaped like a crescent, chevron or boomerang.
US08882837B2
A process for making a polymeric product having a gradual variation in modulus through at least a portion of the product is disclosed together with an artificial spinal disc formed using the process.
US08882836B2
A bone tamp for creating channels within bone tissue. The bone tamp includes an elongated member that is deformable from a first generally non-linear configuration to a second generally linear configuration for insertion into bone tissue. As the elongated member is deployed into bone tissue, it transitions from the linear configuration into the non-linear configuration within the bone tissue. The elongated member is capable of being deformed back into the generally linear configuration for withdrawal from the bone tissue.
US08882835B2
An interbody spinal fusion implant adapted for placement at least in part across an intervertebral space formed across a disc space between two adjacent vertebral bodies and for penetrating engagement into each of those vertebral bodies, the implant having a trailing end adapted to sit upon and not protrude from the anterolateral peripheral rim of bone of the vertebral body.
US08882833B2
A technique and reconstruction system for ligament employing a button/loop construct with a drill pin. The drill pin has a shaft with a proximal and a distal end. A pin tip provided at the distal end of the shaft has a width greater than the shaft diameter. The pin tip helps cut a wider tunnel for fixation of ligaments/grafts in reconstructive surgeries. The shaft of the drill pin is provided with a laser marks for measurement of intraosseous length.
US08882827B2
The stent comprises a tubular body comprising a plurality of ring units arranged in the axis direction and bridged by a connecting element. Each of the units comprises a plurality of cells connected with each other, each of the cells having a U-shaped form comprising two linear parts and a circular arc part therebetween, and opening toward one end. The ring units comprise first and second units alternatively arranged and the oppositely disposed cells of the first and second units are only partly bridged by the connecting elements. The shapes of the cells of the first and second units are axisymmetrical about the connecting element. The curvature radius of the top of the arc constituting the arc part is 1.1 and 1.5 times larger than that of each of the tangent circles formed at the edges of two linear parts of the cell on the circular arc part side.
US08882826B2
An expandable stent for implanting in a body lumen, such as a coronary artery, peripheral artery, or other body lumen. In one aspect, the stent includes a butterfly pattern to which connecting links are attached. In another aspect, the stent embodies a non-directional structure. One embodiment is a stent in which one or both ends are more flexible than the center portion. Also, the stent may have a non-uniform drug coating. Another embodiment relates to a stent having ends that are more radiopaque than the center portion.
US08882825B2
A stent scaffolding including a polymer formulation comprising PLLA and polymandelide is disclosed. The polymandelide reduces the molecular weight drop during processing, particularly during sterilization. The stent scaffolding can further include one or more additional stabilizing agents that additionally reduce the molecular weight drop during processing.
US08882818B1
A method for fusing a spinal sacroiliac joint and a surgical kit. The kit includes a bone-void filler, stabilization device or implant, a guide pin, a joint locator, a set of dilation tubes, a reamer, a novel directional cannula, a novel tapping cap, a novel drill guide, a drill bit, and a novel implant positioner. The method includes the steps of locating the sacroiliac joint, retracting the soft tissue exposing the graft site, removing any bone obstructions and preparing a relatively smooth graft site horizontal to the immediate sacroiliac joint, creating a cavity in the ilium and sacrum to a predetermined depth that spans the sacroiliac joint, inserting a novel stabilization implant into the cavity, and seating the implant within the cavity at a predetermined depth.
US08882816B2
Surgical anchoring systems and methods are employed for the correction of bone deformities. The anchoring system and its associated instrument may be suitable for surgical repair of hallux valgus, tarsometatarsal sprains, ankle ligament reconstruction, spring ligament repair, knee ligament reinforcement, acromioclavicular sprains, coracoclavicular sprains, elbow ligament repair, wrist and hand ligamentous stabilization or similar conditions. The anchoring system may include a fixation system for anchoring two or more sections of bone or other body parts and a system for aligning of one section relative to another section.
US08882813B2
A method and apparatus is provided for use with a surgical implant to secure fasteners, such as bone screws or pins. An anti-backout mechanism is used to preventing migration of the fasteners after the implant is installed. In one example, an anti-backout mechanism includes a locking plate having a locked position and an unlocked position. The locking plate has one or more protrusions that are configured to prevent migration the fasteners when the locking plate is in the locked position.
US08882812B2
A bone plate assembly is disclosed which includes at least one plate segment having at least one aperture extending therethrough for receiving a head portion of a bone screw, and a structure supported by the plate segment and intersecting the aperture for retaining the head portion of the bone screw with respect to the plate segment.
US08882807B2
The present invention provides a minimally invasive surgery pedicle screw system, including: a plurality of slotted guides that are selectively inserted through one or more surgical incisions; a plurality of pedicle screws selectively coupled to the plurality of slotted guides that are selectively secured to one or more bony anatomical structures; a pendulum mechanism selectively translatably and pivotably coupled to one of the plurality of slotted guides; and a connecting rod selectively translatably and pivotably coupled to one of the plurality of slotted guides; wherein the pendulum mechanism is selectively coupled to the connecting rod. The connecting rod is selectively secured to one or more of the plurality of pedicle screws.
US08882797B2
Methods of providing embolic protection during treatment of a vessel include advancing a microcatheter in the vessel, inserting a textile structure in a collapsed state into the microcatheter, and advancing the textile structure through the microcatheter. The methods may include, after advancing the textile structure and retracting the microcatheter to unsheathe a self-expanding bulb of the textile structure from the microcatheter, thereby allowing the self-expanding bulb to self-expand from the collapsed state to an expanded state. The methods may include performing a vascular procedure. In the expanded state, the self-expanding bulb may filter emboli released during performing the vascular procedure.
US08882795B2
A balloon dilation catheter includes a substantially rigid inner guide member and a movable shaft coupled to a balloon that is slidably mounted on the substantially rigid inner guide member. To treat a sinus cavity of a subject using the balloon dilation the substantially rigid inner guide member is advanced into a drainage pathway of the sinus (e.g., frontal recess) of the subject via a nasal passageway. The shaft and balloon are advanced in a distal direction over the substantially rigid inner guide member to place the balloon in the drainage pathway. The balloon is inflated to expand or otherwise remodel the drainage pathway.
US08882793B2
Various medical devices and methods for cutting, evacuating and/or performing work on tissue are provided. The devices and methods may utilize a reciprocating mechanism or motor powered by suction from a vacuum source. The medical devices and methods may be used on tissue in various regions of a patient's body and for treating various conditions, e.g., for performing a polypectomy.
US08882786B2
Systems for closure of a physical anomaly. Closure is accomplished by a closure body with an exterior surface. The exterior surface contacts the opening of the anomaly and closes the anomaly. The closure body has a primary shape for closing the anomaly and a secondary shape for being positioned in the physical anomaly. The closure body preferably comprises a shape memory polymer.
US08882785B2
An endoscopic suturing device that can be employed to suture tissue using endoscopic techniques to place one or more stitches in tissue during a single intubation of an endoscope. The suturing device may include a suturing capsule with a suction chamber that is configured to capture tissue that is to be sutured. A needle is movable along a pathway across the suction chamber to penetrate and place stitches in the captured tissue. A catch is located distal to the suction chamber to receive and retain the suture during a stitching sequence. The catch may be movable along the needle pathway and configured to release the suture when the catch moves a predetermined distance along the pathway. The catch may be configured so that a predetermined amount of force is required to move the catch the predetermined distance required to release the suture.
US08882771B2
A method for manipulating intervertebral tissue in one embodiment includes inserting at least one abrading member for abrading tissue into an area to be cleared, expanding at least one expandable member from a first condition to a second condition, wherein the volume defined by the at least one expandable member in the second condition is greater than the volume defined by the at least one expandable member in the first condition, moving the inserted at least one abrading member from a first position to a second position by the expansion of the at least one expandable member, manipulating the inserted at least one abrading member to loosen tissue, and removing the loosened tissue from the area to be cleared.
US08882757B2
Systems and methods improve operation of an applicator that delivers heat-generating energy to an eye as a part of an eye therapy. For example, reflected power may be measured to determine whether sufficient contact has been established between the applicator and the eye for accurate and precise delivery of energy to the eye. In addition, at least one of forward and reflected power may be measured to monitor the application of coolant pulses that control the generation of heat in the eye when the applicator delivers energy to the eye. Further, the forward and reflected power may be measured to determine an efficiency of energy transfer or an impedance mismatch. Based on the efficiency of energy transfer or the impedance mismatch, an adjustable parameter of a tuning element may be modified.
US08882743B2
A packaged kit for performing a photodynamic laser myringotomy includes a plurality of ear needles having different shaped absorbent applicators on distal ends of the needles, a vial of a single dose of an otologic formulation of mitomycin-C, a diluent carrier containing sterilized water, and a syringe. The component parts of the kit are used together to reconstitute the contents of the vial with the water in the diluent carrier, and then draw the reconstituted drug into the syringe. A selected one of the plurality of ear needles is then communicated with the syringe. The syringe and needle are then used to inject the reconstituted drug into the absorbent pad at the end of the needle, and the absorbent pad containing the drug is used to apply the drug to the tympanic membrane. The application of the drug to the tympanic membrane prepares the membrane for a myringotomy procedure, and in particular, a photodynamic laser myringotomy.
US08882737B2
A self standing bag having two side wall sheets and a bottom sheet. To flatten the bag, the bottom sheet is sandwiched between the two side wall sheets and symmetrically folded along a line parallel to its bottom edge, separating the bag into a four-layer part and a two-layer part. In the two-layer part, the bag includes first sloped sealing lines extending between a first two points on the top edges of the side wall sheets and spaced from the vertical side wall edges by a first distance, to a second two points spaced from the vertical edges of the side wall sheets by a second distance less than the first distance. The four-layer part includes second sloped sealing lines extending between the second two points and a third two points on the bottom edges of the side wall sheets.
US08882729B2
The invention relates to a transdermal therapeutic system made of the following layers: a carrier layer (T), an active ingredient layer (R), a membrane layer (M) and optionally an adhesive layer (K), wherein the carrier layer (T) is impenetrable to the active substance and to water, the active substance layer (R) comprises as an active substance component the salt of an alkali reactive active substance, such as a CNS-active amine in combination with at least one alkali reactive further component, and a polymer component (P1), wherein the active substance is released from the active substance layer (R) only by the moisture entering from the exterior through the membrane layer (M), and the membrane layer (M) is made of a polymer component (P2), allowing a uniform delivery of basic active substances to the skin.
US08882712B2
A neural injection system and related methods are herein disclosed. Various embodiments of a neural injection system of the present invention provide for at least one benefit of enhanced injection characteristics, increased operational efficiency, reduced cost per unit, reduced incidence of injury through intraneural/intravascular injection, reduced incidence of injury through pricking/piercing, and/or the like.
US08882708B2
In general, this disclosure relates to techniques for providing a mating mechanism between at least one pressurizing unit and at least one corresponding sleeve in a powered medical fluid injection device. An example powered medical fluid injection device includes a sleeve and an injector head coupled to the sleeve. The sleeve has a notch with a predefined shape and size. The sleeve is configured to receive a pressurizing unit (such as a syringe) having an external tab with a predefined shape and size that are substantially identical to the predefined shape and size of the notch in the sleeve, such that the tab mates with the notch when the sleeve receives the pressurizing unit. The injector head is configured to inject a quantity of a medical fluid from the pressurizing unit during operation.
US08882707B2
A fluids exchanging system for medical use is provided. The system comprises an infusion pumping system, an aspiration pump, and an implantable catheter comprising a perforated dialysis cavity communicating with infusion and aspiration tubes in a communicating vessel manner. The implantable catheter further includes elastic holes.
US08882706B2
A removal device (121, 221) for removing and disposing of a pen needle (113, 213) connectable to a drug delivery device (111, 211) includes a body (123, 223) having a cavity (141, 241) for receiving the pen needle of the drug delivery device such that a patient end (116, 216) of a needle (115, 215) of the pen needle is covered by the body. An ejector (151, 251) is movably connected to the body (123, 223) for engaging the received pen needle (113, 213) and selectively ejecting the engaged pen needle from the body. The pen needle (113, 213) is securely retained within the removal device (121, 221) without exposing the needle (115, 215) of the pen needle until the pen needle (113, 213) can be properly disposed of, such as in a sharps container, thereby substantially preventing an accidental needle stick.
US08882701B2
Embodiments relate to systems, methods and devices for delivering a drug or other therapy to a patient with an ambulatory infusion pump configured to provide a series of tolerance-building steps leading up to a plateau delivery rate. The plateau delivery rate is maintained until the prescribed amount of drug or therapy fluid is delivered to the patient. Embodiments of the invention include providing the patient or other user with a mechanism to decrease, or step down, the therapy delivery rate if a tolerance was not achieved at a lower rate, and providing notifications prior to a step up in a dosage delivery rate.
US08882698B2
Method and apparatus for limiting absorption of food products in specific parts of the digestive system is presented. A gastrointestinal implant device is anchored in the pyloric portion of the gastrointestinal system and extends beyond the ligament of Treitz. All food exiting the stomach is funneled through the device. The gastrointestinal device includes an anchor for anchoring the device in the pyloric portion and a flexible sleeve that extents into the duodenum. The anchor is collapsible for endoscopic delivery and removal.
US08882697B2
The present disclosure relates to a method and a device for treating heart failure by normalizing elevated blood pressure in the left and right atria of a heart of a mammal The present disclosure includes methods for creating and maintaining an opening in the atrial septum. Tools for making an opening and enlarging the opening are also disclosed. Use of the techniques and tools described herein prolongs the patency of an intra-atrial pressure relief opening.
US08882696B2
The present invention consists of a venous blood reservoir that has a separate blood chamber to filter vent blood and a separate chamber to filter sucker blood. The two blood chambers are separated by a common wall and are in fluid communication along their top assuring that vacuum applied to the top of either is equally applied to the other. A mean to form communication across the wall allows the user to either accumulate sucker blood in its chamber while letting vent blood to flow freely to the venous blood chamber. Alternately, user can let the blood in the sucker chamber to combine with the venous blood freely too.
US08882692B2
A hemodialysis system for operation with a blood source and a dialysate source, the system including: (i) a first machine portion including a blood pump; (ii) a blood cassette operatively connected to the blood pump such that the blood pump can pump blood through the blood cassette when the blood cassette is in fluid communication with the blood source; (iii) a dialyzer fluidly connected to the blood cassette; (iv) a second machine portion separate from the first machine portion, the second machine portion including a dialysate pump; and (v) a dialysate cassette separate from the blood cassette, the dialysate cassette operatively connected to the dialysate pump such that the dialysate pump can pump dialysate through the dialysate cassette when the dialysate cassette is in fluid communication with the dialysate source, the dialysate cassette being fluidly connected to the dialyzer.
US08882686B2
A movable massage device is capable of overcoming the fixed-point type massage device and is provided with an outer housing, a toothed bar, an inner housing, a driven assembly, a drive assembly, a first massage head and a second massage head. With the cooperation of the driven and drive assemblies, the inner housing is able to drive the first and second massage heads to reciprocate transversely within the outer housing, to perform a local massage in a non-fixed-point manner.
US08882685B2
There is provided a phototherapy apparatus, in which the therapeutic light is delivered through one or more massage components. The massage component provides mechanical massage to the subject biological tissue and modifies the properties of the subject tissue in thickness, density, etc. to facilitate the absorption of the therapeutic light and enhance the effect of the phototherapy procedure. The light source of the phototherapy apparatus is actively cooled by a synthetic jet cooler.
US08882671B2
Volume data are collected by swing scanning in which frames in different field angle settings are mixed by a wide scan set at a wide field angle to image a diagnostic target and an index part for recognizing the position of the diagnostic target and by a narrow scan set at a field angle θ2 narrower than the field angle in the wide scan to image the diagnostic target with high time resolution. Then, the wide ultrasonic image is used to set spatial coordinates based on the index part. The spatial coordinates are used to align the narrow ultrasonic image. While this positional relation is being maintained, the wide ultrasonic image, the narrow ultrasonic image and a given ultrasonic image are displayed in a predetermined form.
US08882667B2
An accessory for remote monitoring, including: a body capable of being placed on a human body; a measurement unit installed in the body and measuring a change in surroundings; a signal processing unit for processing a signal acquired from the measurement unit; and a wireless communication unit including a monopole antenna transmitting the signal processed by the signal processing unit and a ground installed along the body, corresponding to the monopole antenna. The signal processing unit and the monopole antenna are manufactured in a small size to be formed in the accessories body or periphery of the accessories body, and a space for wiring the ground may be obtained by using a band or the accessories body in an extended shape.
US08882657B2
One RFID equipped instrument includes an elongate body with a plurality of uniquely identified radio frequency identification chips spaced along the length of the elongate body. One system used for determining the position of an instrument includes an instrument; a plurality of radio frequency identification chips attached to the instrument; a reader connected to an antenna and adapted to communicate with each radio frequency identification chip using the antenna. One method for determining the position of an instrument using radio frequency identification chips includes providing a radio frequency identification chip reader and antenna; providing an instrument having a longitudinal axis and comprising a plurality of radio frequency identification chips placed along the longitudinal axis; moving the instrument relative to the antenna; and using information about a radio frequency identification chip detected by the antenna to determine the position of the instrument.
US08882655B2
An implantable injection port comprises a base. A first gear is coupled to the base, and a first anchor is coupled to the first gear. A second gear is coupled to the base, and a second anchor is coupled to the second gear. A top portion of the injection port is spaced apart from the base of the port and has a first plurality of top teeth that engage with a first plurality of gear teeth on the first gear. This engagement occurs prior to rotation of the second gear. The top portion rotates, which causes rotation of the first gear, which in turn causes movement of the first anchor through the anchor opening of the base and into the tissue of the patient. The first gear and the second gear rotate non-simultaneously.
US08882649B2
The folding device includes a folding unit and a prior moving unit. The folding unit performs the folding process on the paper aligned by the alignment member positioned at the folding position. The prior moving unit moves the alignment member from the folding position to the home position or the alignment position according to a position of the end of the paper being moved in the folding process. This can put ahead the starting time for moving the alignment members and reduce the time required for a subsequent folding process, thereby improving efficiency (productivity) of the folding process as a whole.
US08882646B2
The semiconductive roller according to the present invention includes: a roller body having an outer peripheral surface made of a semiconductive rubber composition; and an oxide film covering the outer peripheral surface of the roller body, while the semiconductive rubber composition contains a base polymer and a crosslinking component for crosslinking the base polymer, the base polymer is a mixture of a bicopolymer E containing epichlorohydrin and nitrile-butadiene rubber N, the mass ratio E/N of the bicopolymer E and the nitrile-butadiene rubber N in the mixture is 50/50 to 80/20, and the crosslinking component includes a thiourea-based crosslinking component for crosslinking the bicopolymer E and a sulfur-based vulcanizing component for vulcanizing the nitrile-butadiene rubber N.
US08882645B2
An exercise device for developing strength, balance coordination and flexibility of the arms, legs, back, abdominals and stabilizer muscles of the user. The exercise device includes a large, spherically-shaped, resilient exercise ball having a flat planar base insert with a set of elastic resistance members to perform various resistance training exercises.
US08882641B2
An exercise apparatus and method of use for a total body workout. The exercise apparatus includes at least one stationary exercise equipment directed for lower body exercise, and at least one resistance device for upper body exercise deployed over the at least one stationary exercise equipment. Also included is a system adapted for providing a total body workout for an indoor cycling class that includes a plurality of stationary indoor cycling bikes and a plurality of resistance bands, one set of resistance bands deployed over each of the plurality of stationary indoor cycling bikes. The system enables users of the plurality of stationary indoor cycling bikes and resistance devices to simultaneously exercise the upper and lower body.
US08882636B2
A vehicle powertrain includes a transmission and a clutch. The slip of the clutch is adjusted to a target where a magnitude of a sensed parameter of a shaft of the transmission corresponds to a desired noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) level in the powertrain. The sensed parameter of the transmission shaft may be one of acceleration, speed, and torque of the transmission shaft. The transmission shaft may be one of the input shaft and output shaft of the transmission.
US08882635B2
A method for controlling a vehicle on an uphill incline includes automatically shifting a transmission to first gear, automatically stopping the engine, using wheel torque to maintain a one-way clutch engaged and to hold a transmission component against rotation, preventing vehicle rollback by automatically engaging a target gear and tying-up the transmission automatically restarting the engine, and automatically reengaging first gear.
US08882632B2
It is provided a control device of a vehicle power transmission device having an automatic transmission shifted by engagement and release of hydraulic friction engagement devices to selectively establish a plurality of gear stages and an electric motor coupled to an input shaft of the automatic transmission in a power transmittable manner, the control device executing a clutch-to-clutch shift while performing regeneration through the electric motor at the time of a coast down shift of the automatic transmission, the control device completing regenerative torque reduction control to reduce a regenerative torque of the electric motor in a torque phase of the coast down shift before start of the torque phase in accordance with a drop-off of an output torque of the vehicle power transmission device.
US08882630B2
A racing transmission. The racing transmission has a low gear, reverse gear, neutral and a direct drive gear. The transmission utilizes a drive shaft and two sets of planetary and sun gears. The transmission does not use a countershaft to accomplish low and reverse.
US08882626B2
A multi-regime continuously variable ratio transmission has a transmission input shaft, a transmission output shaft, and a ratio varying unit having a rotating input and a rotating output, the rotational axes of the input and the output being coaxial. A shunt having first and second epicyclic gear sets is connected across the ratio varying unit. One gear set has an input driven by the input shaft and an input driven by one side of the ratio varying unit and the other gear set has an input from the first gear set and an input from one side of the ratio varying unit. The gear sets rotate about a common axis and are offset with respect to, and parallel to, the rotational axes of the input and output of the ratio varying unit. A clutch is operable to selectively connect the output of the second gear set to the output shaft.
US08882620B2
On each block side face of the blocks of a V-belt for transmitting high load, a ratio of a dimension extending in a belt thickness direction from a buried cord center line of a corresponding tension band to an upper end of an upper pulley-contact face to a dimension extending in the belt thickness direction from the buried cord center line to a lower end of the upper pulley-contact face is larger than or equal to 4.0, and a dimension extending in the belt thickness direction from the buried cord center line to a middle of the upper pulley-contact face is smaller than or equal to 2.3 mm.
US08882612B2
We disclose an apparatus for improving passing skills in soccer, consisting of one or more triangles that can be placed on the ground to demarcate regions and boundaries on a playing field within which player movement is constrained or otherwise guided. The triangle edges are made from a flexible or extensible material and are attached at the triangle vertices by some type of joining device. The triangles can be placed on any surface suitable for soccer and held in place with stakes or other means. Multiple triangles can be placed on the ground to create a variety of demarcated regions and boundaries. This apparatus can be used for basic practice or to play various skill-enhancing games in which the ball is passed into and out of, or between, a triangle or a set of triangles.
US08882606B2
A method and system for capturing, transmitting, and displaying golf swing data uses data capture elements in golf balls or golf clubs to capture data and transmission elements to transmit the golf swing data to a mobile computing auxiliary device. The mobile computing auxiliary device relays the captured and transmitted golf swing data to a mobile computing device. The mobile computing device transmits the golf swing data to a database. A server associated with the database generates web pages to make the golf swing data available over the internet.
US08882603B2
A safety surface for use over a supporting base in a designated area of a playground includes a bottom layer arranged for placement over the supporting base, a plurality of mesh bags, each of the mesh bags filled with a plurality of pieces of a shock absorbent material, and a border arranged for placement along selected edges of the designated area. The mesh bags are sized and shaped to abut adjacent mesh bags, with a portion of the mesh bags arranged to abut the border. And internal divider is positioned in an interior of the mesh bags, with the internal divider arranged to divide the interior of the mesh bags into a plurality of interior compartments. A top layer is arranged to overlie the mesh bags and arranged for securement to the border.
US08882594B2
A control scheme for a real time strategy game using a game controller includes maintaining a cursor in a known, fixed position of the monitor in a manner so that it appears the game space if moving behind a cursor even during changing viewing positions such as tilting movements. The control scheme further includes other aspects including a technique for selecting units using the game controller and interacting with menus using the game controller.
US08882592B2
An example game apparatus calculates the attitude of a terminal device on the basis of a value of a gyro sensor of the terminal device. The game apparatus sets the position of an aim in a game image on the basis of the calculated attitude of the terminal device, and also sets the attitude of a virtual camera. The game apparatus sets the firing direction of an arrow on the basis of the position of the aim, and causes the arrow to be fired in the firing direction in accordance with the cessation of a touch operation on a touch panel of the terminal device.
US08882586B2
A gaming system is provided. The gaming system provides players a rich (i.e. akin to leading home and arcade-based video games) single-player, multi-player cooperative and/or head to head environment in which the participant(s) win cash and credits as a result of their play activity within the environment, based on the wagers which they make entering and playing a game of the gaming system.
US08882580B2
A gaming system comprising: a display; a symbol selector arranged to select a plurality of symbols from a set of symbols for display in a display area on the display; a plural special symbol determiner arranged to determine whether a plural special symbol representing a number (N) of special symbols is to be activated; a symbol modifier arranged to operate in response to a determination that a plural special symbol is to be activated so as to modify display of at least one symbol selected by the symbol selector so that the symbols displayed in the display area after modification include N singular special symbols; and an outcome generator arranged to determine a game outcome based on the displayed symbols as modified by the symbol modifier.
US08882575B2
A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming machine includes the steps of displaying a selectable game element on a display and associating each potential outcome associated with the selectable game element with a predetermined haptic output selected from a plurality of predetermined haptic device outputs. The method also includes the steps of selecting the selectable game element to reveal an outcome associated therewith and causing a haptic device to output the predetermined haptic output corresponding to the outcome of the selectable game element.
US08882574B2
A gaming machine and a method provide primary and secondary games. The gaming machine includes first and second adjacent displays, a lighting device, and a controller. The lighting device is located between the first and second displays. The controller is coupled to the first and second displays and the lighting device. The primary game is played and if a triggering conditioning occurred in the primary game, the secondary game is initiated. The secondary game includes a rotating selector device. A first portion of the rotating selector device is displayed on the first display and a second portion of the rotating selector device is displayed on the second display. The lighting device defines a selector. An outcome of the secondary game is randomly selected and the rotating selector device is rotated and stopped such that the selector is associated with a symbol associated with the outcome of the secondary game.
US08882571B2
A method and apparatus are disclosed for mechanically deboning animal thighs for separating and collecting the meat therefrom. The method includes the steps of grasping a thigh bone of an animal thigh at a hip knuckle with a bone holder, cutting tissue adjacent a knee knuckle, cutting tissue near the hip knuckle, and engaging the thigh bone adjacent the bone holder with a meat stripper. The method also includes moving the bone holder and meat stripper away from one another in a direction substantially coextensive with the longitudinal extent of the thigh bone, allowing the meat stripper to pass over the knee knuckle, and collecting the meat separated from the bone. The apparatus includes a plurality of processing stations for carrying out the individual steps, with the processing stations being arranged along a path of conveyance defined by a conveyor chain moving through a predefined path.
US08882569B2
Provided is a gear grinding machine the maintainability of which can be improved and which is capable of being miniaturized. More specifically, provided is a gear grinding machine wherein a threaded grinding stone (17) and a workpiece (W) are engaged with each other and are rotated in this state, resulting in the workpiece (W) being ground, and wherein between a dressing position (P2) where the threaded grinding stone (17) can be dressed and a retreat position (P1) to which a retreat is made from the dressing position (P2) during grinding, a disk dresser (66) which, by being driven into rotation, dresses the threaded grinding stone (17) is swung about an axis (C2) which is parallel to an axis (C1) that is the rotational axis for the workpiece (W) and which intersects, at right angles, the direction in which the threaded grinding stone (17) is fed toward the workpiece (W).
US08882567B2
A polishing mechanism includes a support base, a pair of magnetic valves, a first polishing assembly and a second polishing assembly. The pair of magnetic valves are mounted in the support base. The first polishing assembly and the second polishing assembly are mounted on the support base and connected to the pair of magnetic valves respectively. The second polishing assembly is arranged perpendicular to the first polishing assembly. The first and the second polishing assemblies are respectively controlled by the pair of magnetic valves to polish one or more workpieces. The present disclosure further discloses a manipulator using the polishing mechanism.
US08882560B2
A robotic system is integrated with one or more mobile computing devices. Physical configurations of individual components of the system in physical space, or agents, under control of a user or users, are duplicated in a representation in virtual space. Some degree of real-time parity is maintained between the physical and virtual spaces, so as to implement a virtual environment that mirrors the physical one. Events occurring within one environment can directly influence and bear consequence on the course of events occurring within the other environment. Elements of virtual space thereby become truly interdependent and unified on a peer footing with elements in physical space. In at least one embodiment, the system of the present invention is implemented as an application in entertainment, such as the manifestation of a video game in physical space.
US08882557B2
A child play gym system includes a canopy that may be formed by a number of rods. A canopy track may be fixedly coupled to a particular rod, and a canopy clip may be slidingly coupled with the canopy track. A base may be coupled to the canopy so that the canopy arches over the base. A base track may be fixedly coupled to the base, and a base clip may be slidingly coupled with the base track. An item may include a body and a coupling member and may be coupled to the body by a tether. The coupling member may be resilient so that the item may be coupled to the canopy clip or the pad clip when the coupling member is compressed and inserted within an opening of the one of the clips so that the tether extends at least partially through the opening.
US08882550B2
A ship propulsion device is configured so that a control device operates an engine at a first engine speed when a clutch is in a disengaged state; so that, based on the input of an input device, the control device changes the state of the clutch from the disengaged state to a partially engaged state and operates the engine at a second engine speed that is higher than the first engine speed; so that, based on the detection of a rotational speed detection device, the control device operates the engine at an engine speed that is lower than the second engine speed; and so that, based on the input of an input device, the control device changes the state of the clutch from the partially engaged state to an engaged state.
US08882533B2
An electrical connector includes a housing having a receptacle that is configured to receive an electrical wire therein along an insertion axis. An electrical contact is held by the housing. The electrical contact includes a contact beam that includes a wire interface that is configured to engage the electrical wire. The contact beam is movable between a closed position and an open position. The wire interface is configured to engage the electrical wire when the contact beam is in the closed position. The wire interface is configured to be disengaged from the electrical wire when the contact beam is in the open position. The contact beam is configured to be slidably engaged by an actuator along an actuation direction that is non-perpendicular to the insertion axis to move the contact beam from the closed position to the open position.
US08882532B1
A driver box includes a housing and a connection mechanism disposed in the housing. The housing is adapted to removably receive a driver adapted to supply electric power to at least one luminaire. The connection mechanism includes an actuator, a first electrical connector configured to be connected to the driver, and a second electrical connector configured to be electrically connected to the at least one luminaire. The actuator is operatively coupled to the second electrical connector. The actuator is movable between an unlocked position, in which the second electrical connector is disengaged from the first electrical connector, and a locked position in which the second electrical connector is in mating engagement with the first electrical connector.
US08882531B2
This disclosure relates to an electrical connector module and an electronic device including the same. The electrical connector module includes: a circuit board formed with two lateral notches and a main notch interposed therebetween; an electrical connector mounted on the circuit board and including an insulating housing; and a retaining element including: two support arms respectively formed on the circuit board relative to the lateral notches; two flexible connecting arms respectively extending from the support arms through the lateral notches; and an engaging seat connected between the flexible connecting arms and suspended under the main notch so as to cooperate with the insulating housing to define a plugging space.
US08882527B1
Disclosed is a cable connector comprising a male connector and a female connector, wherein the male connector includes a male base and a plurality of male terminals received in the male base, a rear end of the male base defining a resilient arm protruded beyond the back of the male base, a substantial middle of a top of the resilient arm protruding upward to form a locking block, a guiding ramp being formed at a rear end of the locking block and slantwise connecting the back and a top face of the locking block; a female connector includes a female base and a plurality of female terminals, a front face of the female base being concaved rearward to form a receiving chamber. The design is ensure that the male connector with the parent is not easy to quit after the engagement of the connector to avoid functional failure.
US08882526B2
An electrical connector compatible to USB 3.0 standard includes an insulative housing, a number of contacts, a fixing member and a connecting member. The insulative housing includes a mating portion and a receiving slot. Each contact includes a tail section and a resilient arm. The connecting member is received in the receiving slot of the insulative housing. The connecting member includes a number of first pads and a number of second pads electrically connecting with the first pads. With the arrangement of the connecting member, the first pads for constituting the USB 3.0 contact group are needless of being directly insert-molded with the insulative housing as a result that the assembling efficiency of the electrical connector can be improved.
US08882521B2
An electrical connector assembly for mating with a mating connector includes a housing having spaced apart sidewalls and first and second slides slide slideably supported in the housing. The first and second slides each include at least one mating slot adapted to receive a mating portion of the mating connector and slideable with respect to the housing between a pre-staged position where the electrical connector is removable from the mating connector and an engaged position where said electrical connector assembly is locked to said mating connector. A slide assist lever is pivotally interconnected with the housing and each of the slides to move the slides between the pre-staged position and the engaged position such that recesses are formed in the housing with the slides when said slides are in the engaged position. The electrical connector assembly also includes an environmental cover positionable to substantially prevent debris from entering the recesses.
US08882519B2
A dust cap (100) for covering a jack recess (206) in a telecommunications jack (200) is disclosed. In one embodiment, the dust cap (100) includes a cover portion (110) attached to a hinge base (150). The cover portion (110) is rotatable from a closed position, wherein the cover portion (110) covers the jack recess (206), to an open position, wherein the jack recess (206) is exposed. The cover portion (110) may include a securing feature (114, 116) configured to engage with the jack recess (206) to retain the cover portion (110) in the closed position. The front face (110a) of the cover portion (110) may also include a handle (112). The dust cap (100) may also include an adhesive (156) located on a rear face (150b) of the hinge base (150) that is configured to engage with a front face (204) of the telecommunications jack (200) to secure the dust cap (100) to the telecommunications jack (200).
US08882509B1
The present invention relates to methods and materials, particularly in kit form, associated therewith for imparting civic responsibility and financial literacy within an educational setting. The present invention more particularly relates to methods of teaching via implementation of a teacher-guided, student-selected free market economy, including teacher run and student run businesses, and accompanying representative government, including a peer court system.
US08882500B2
An integrated dental care apparatus includes a patient chair and a dental care unit. The dental care unit is mounted on a floor while the dental care unit and the patient chair are structurally connected by a structure which supports the patient chair. Both the dental care unit and the patient chair have means for enabling them to be turned in relation to a vertical axis.
US08882493B2
A method and system for fueling of a burner in a direct-fired device using syngas. A gasifier produces syngas from a carbonaceous feedstock such as biomass. The syngas is fed to a syngas burner. A booster burner disposed between the gasifier and the syngas burner increases the temperature of the syngas. The booster burner may be provided with an approximately stoichiometric or sub-stoichiometric amount of oxidant. Operation of the booster burner may be regulated based on the temperature of the syngas. The syngas burner may be used to direct-fire a device requiring a relatively high flame temperature, such as, for example, a lime kiln.
US08882489B1
An ice shaping device with upper and lower mold parts with a mold cavity, the upper mold part being configured to move toward the lower mold part by gravity. The mold parts are formed of a material capable of rapidly conducting heat and together having a mass such that, starting at room temperature, the mold parts possess sufficient transferable heat to melt away portions of an ice chunk blank in contact with the upper and lower mold parts, the upper mold part having sufficient mass to apply a significant amount of pressure, under the force of gravity, to portions of the ice chunk blank in contact with the mold parts. One of the mold parts has a predetermined exterior periphery and the other of the mold parts has an extension configured to substantially surround and slidably receive the external periphery of the first mold part.
US08882480B2
In an oil pump for an automatic transmission, a suction port is adapted to be connected to a first suction passage. The first suction passage is arranged in parallel with a second suction passage connected to an auxiliary pump. The first and second suction passages branch from an upstream suction passage leading to an oil strainer. A discharge outlet is adapted to be connected to a first discharge passage. An air vent hole is disposed downstream of the suction port and upstream of the discharge outlet. A communication passage is connected to the air vent hole and adapted to reach a predetermined oil level in an oil pan so as to communicate the air vent hole with inside of oil in the oil pan.
US08882474B2
A variable displacement type compressor has a supply passage for supplying refrigerant gas to a pressure control chamber, a release passage for releasing the refrigerant gas from the pressure control chamber, a first control valve for controlling the amount of the refrigerant gas flowing through the supply passage, a check valve provided between the first control valve and the pressure control chamber and preventing the refrigerant gas from flowing from the pressure control chamber to the first control valve by closing the supply passage and a second control valve for adjusting a cross-sectional area of the release passage from minimum to maximum. The second control valve has a back pressure chamber communicating with the supply passage, a valve chamber forming a part of the release passage and communicating with a suction-pressure region, a valve hole forming a part of the release passage and communicating with the valve chamber and a spool having a valve portion located in the valve chamber. When a pressure in the back pressure chamber increases, the valve portion decreases the degree of opening of the valve hole.
US08882473B2
A liquid dispensing mechanism adapted to achieve an increased inflow and an increased outflow rate and consisting of an inlet line adapted to receive liquid from an external reservoir, and adapted to release aid liquid via an outlet line, said mechanism comprising a pressure chamber adapted to store liquid and provide liquid level to fall or rise as a function of pressure, before release; a buffer chamber adapted to connect with said pressure chamber by means of non-return valves, and further adapted to store liquid before it flows into said pressure chamber, in order to increase flow coefficient of inlet line; float member in said pressure chamber, adapted to sense level of liquid in said pressure chamber by means of position of said float member; multiple valve actuator assembly adapted to actuate a pre-defined configuration of valves, with a time-delay between engaging or disengaging subsequent valves, for controlled engaging or disengaging pressure in a predetermined format; snap action valve actuating mechanism comprising fastener elements adapted to actuate said multiple valve actuator assembly in correlation with position of said float member.
US08882469B2
The present invention provides a structural element, in particular for an aircraft or spacecraft, comprising a core, the material density of which varies, at least in portions, in order to optimize the natural vibration behavior of the structural element. The present invention further provides a method for producing a structural element, in particular for an aircraft or spacecraft, comprising the following steps: providing a structural element which has a core; determining the natural vibration behavior of the structural element; and varying the material density of the core of the structural element, at least in portions, in such a way that the natural vibration behavior of the structural element is optimized. The present invention provides still further an aircraft or spacecraft and a rotor blade, in particular for a wind turbine, comprising such a structural element.
US08882465B2
A hybrid wind machine includes a fan shaft to drive a fan, and an electrical motor/generator combination, coupled to the first shaft, so as to allow the electrical motor/generator to drive the fan shaft when the wind machine is operating in a wind generating mode. Further, the coupling of the electrical motor/generator combination to the fan shaft allows the fan shaft to drive the electrical motor/generator combination as an electrical generator when the wind machine is operating in a power generating mode.
US08882463B2
A turbo-machine with blade wheels, comprises a body, a rotor which is held in a rotatable manner by the body, at least two rotatably arranged blades which are distributed uniformly along a circular line of the rotor and which are mounted with their axis parallel to the axis of the rotor, transmission members between each axis of the blade and a sleeve which is rotatable on the shaft of the blade wheel. The first rotor is assigned a second rotor which is held in a rotatable manner by the first rotor, wherein the second rotor comprises at least two rotatably arranged blades which are distributed uniformly along a circular line of the rotor and which are mounted with their axis parallel to the rotor, transmission members between each axis of the blade and the sleeve which is rotatable on the shaft of the rotor.
US08882462B2
A rotor system includes a lead stop mounted to a spindle and a lead stop plate mounted to a rotor hub arm, the lead stop operable to contact the lead stop plate over a lead angle range.
US08882457B2
A multistage radial turbocompressor has at least first, second, and third intake parts each forming a respective intake spaced along an axis and first, second, and third output parts each forming a respective output axially juxtaposed with the respective intakes. Respective first, second, and third fans having axially directed vanes are rotatable in the housing formed by the parts between the intakes and outputs. A shaft centered on the axis carries the first, second, and third fans. One of the fans is back-to-back with another of the fans with the vanes of the one fan facing axially oppositely away from the vanes of the other of the fans. Radial bearings support the shaft in the housing, and an axial bearing between the one fan and the other fan supports the shaft in the housing.
US08882450B2
A device for supporting and securing a piece of equipment on an aircraft engine or nacelle case, including a vibration damper including a first part secured to the case and a second coaxial part rigidly connected to the piece of equipment, the damper associated with a safety member configured to hold the damper in place on the case in the event of damper failure or breakage. The safety member, which is independent of the damper, is mounted astride the damper and secured to the case.
US08882445B2
A hydraulic machine including an impeller which rotates with respect to a fixed structure and about an axis of rotation by a forced flow of water passing through it and at least one device for limiting water leaks is positioned between the impeller and the fixed structure so as to define an operating clearance between the impeller and the fixed structure and including at least one member that can be deformed or moved, while the impeller is rotating and being fed with water, in a redial direction with respect to the axis of rotation of the impeller.
US08882428B2
A transfer system includes a conduit, a support, and a conveyor. The conduit has a first end and a second end and is configured to transfer dry material from the first end to the second end. The support is in contact with at least a portion of the conduit and is configured to maintain the second end of the conduit in a desired position relative to the first end of the conduit during transfer of the dry material from the first end to the second end. The conveyor is adjacent to the conduit and is configured to deliver the dry material to the first end of the conduit from a floating vessel configured to transport the dry material.
US08882420B2
A tire puncture repair apparatus may include a handle, a puncture repair screw, and an integral neck between the handle and the puncture repair screw. The puncture repair screw may include a screw head, a cylindrical shaft extending from the screw head opposite the neck, a partially threaded and solid cone that uniformly narrows from the shaft to a tip opposite the shaft, and a conic-helical thread coiled about the cone between the tip and the shaft. The diameter of the shaft may be approximately equal to the diameter of the cone at the widest point of the cone. The thread on the cone may include an angled ridge and may be coiled around the cone from the intersection of the shaft and the cone to before tip of the cone.
US08882411B2
A drill of the present invention includes a first cutting edge and a second cutting edge each located at a front end of a cylindrical cutting part; a first flute and a second flute connected to the first cutting edge and the second cutting edge, respectively, in which the first and second flutes are positioned helically from a front end to a rear end on a peripheral section of the cutting part; and a first land and a second land each extended from the front end to the rear end on the peripheral section of the cutting part, in which the first and second lands are being located portions between the first flute and the second flute, respectively. The first flute and the second flute are separately extended from the front end to the rear end. The cutting part includes a first region in which a diameter of an inscribed circle in a cross section perpendicular to a rotation axis of the cutting part increases in a direction away from the front end and toward the rear end. A method of cutting a workpiece using the drill is also provided.
US08882405B2
A double-sided, indexable face milling insert, including an upperside, an underside, and a neutral plane (NP) parallel to the upperside and the underside, the neutral plane forming a right angle with a geometrical center axis (C2). A plurality of indexable cutting edges are formed along circumferential borderlines in transitions between a number of clearance surfaces and the upperside as well as the underside. Each cutting edge includes a chip-removing main edge and a surface-wiping secondary edge, the secondary edge forming an obtuse angle with the main edge in planar view. A corner clearance surface extends between and connects each pair of upper and lower secondary edges, the corner clearance surface including first and second part surfaces which each form an acute angle (η) in side elevation view with respective reference planes (RP) parallel to the neutral plane.
US08882402B2
An anti-rotation mounting mechanism is provided between an indexable insert and an insert-receiving pocket in the body of a machine tool, such as a milling cutter. The mechanism includes a plurality of curved stop surfaces uniformly disposed around the side surface of the insert, a portion of which is obliquely oriented with respect to the side surface of the insert, and an anti-rotation feature in the pocket of the tool body having a pair of engagement portions that are substantially complementary in shape to that of the stop surfaces for forming an interference joint between the pocket and the insert. The anti-rotation feature further includes a central planar portion that does not engage the stop surfaces. The mechanism effectively prevents rotation between the insert and pocket without the formation of point-type, localized stresses which can chip or break the insert.
US08882400B2
The present application provides a solids feeder in communication with a flow of solids and a flow of a conveying fluid. The solids feeder may include an outlet channel with the flow of the solids therein and a discharge port in communication with the outlet channel. The discharge port further may include an inlet in communication with the flow of the conveying fluid and a flow channel. The flow channel may include a reduced cross-sectional area about the outlet channel as compared to the inlet.
US08882396B2
There is described a method of consolidating foundation soils and/or building sites in general, which comprises injections of expanding chemical products which are projected and carried out by means of monitoring the effects which are progressively measured in the soil in the course of treatment by means of sequential tomographies of the electrical resistivity. Those consolidating injections will be carried out until the percentage variation of the electrical resistivity Δρ(%), measured in quasi-real time in the soil being treated and always with respect to the initial condition before the injection will not constitute sequential gradients (Nth) which differ from the preceding one (N−1) for variations contained in the range ±5%.
US08882388B2
A device for collection of oil and gas from an underwater source comprising a balloon-like structure (1) defined by an envelope having an opening (18), which, in operation, is on the underside of the balloon-like structure, which balloon-like structure includes: a vent (23) adapted to vent gas in the envelope, and control means (2) for controlling the oil upper level having a closure valve (3) adapted to control flow of gas in the envelope through the vent, the valve being closable by a valve closure member operable by a float (8) adapted to float on the oil to determine the minimum volume of gas in the envelope, wherein, in use, the balloon-like structure is adapted to be placed over the source to collect oil and gasses from said underwater source. The balloon-like structure further includes buoyancy means (10, 12, 14, 16, 17) adapted to control the buoyancy of the structure to enable ascent to the surface of the water in a controlled manner. The envelope may be formed of a flexible material to enable it to be collapsed or folded for storage and/or transportation.
US08882386B2
A mechanized asphalt comb device and method of mechanized asphalt raking that can integrate infrared heating elements to seamlessly repair asphalt deterioration.
US08882382B2
A device for applying epilation wax, allowing for a precise application from the stand-point of thickness as well as dimensions of the application, comprising a body (10) containing wax, a head comprising an open housing provided with longitudinal and transverse lateral walls, the housing receiving a movable applicator (28) mounted in rotation in the housing, characterized in that the movable applicator (28) is a wheel (50) whose lateral surfaces (54-1 and 54-2) are domed.
US08882381B2
A container or case for cosmetics or other products that are applied by an applicator tool, the container or case comprising a housing adapted to receive an exchangeable cartridge and a handle adapted to receive an exchangeable applicator tool. In some embodiments, the housing comprises a window for viewing the substance contained in the exchangeable cartridge.
US08882375B2
A print apparatus includes a print-medium sender configured to send out a print medium, a print-medium transportation unit disposed downstream of the print-medium sender in a print-medium transportation direction, and configured to transport the print medium, a print unit disposed between the print-medium sender and the print-medium transportation unit, and configured to perform printing on the print medium while moving in a direction perpendicular to the print-medium transportation direction, and a transport-amount correction controller configured to correct the amount of transportation of the print medium by the print-medium sender or the print-medium transportation unit in accordance with the position of an end of the print medium.
US08882373B2
Factory adjustment and repairs are simplified while assuring the accuracy of a multifeed prevention function. A main unit has a conveyance path that conveys sheets, and a processing unit that applies a specific process to the sheets conveyed through the conveyance path, and a multifeed detection unit is removably disposed to the main unit. The multifeed detection unit has a sheet-passing unit disposed contiguously to the conveyance path, an ultrasonic transmitter disposed facing the sheet-passing unit, and an ultrasonic receiver disposed opposite the ultrasonic transmitter with the sheet-passing unit therebetween.
US08882369B1
A gimbal assembly including a gimbal housing having opposed first and second yoke portions dimensioned and configured to receive a surveillance device therebetween, the yoke portions defining a gimbal axis about which the surveillance device can rotate relative to the gimbal housing, and a drive assembly disposed within the first yoke portion of the gimbal housing for driving the surveillance device about the gimbal axis, the drive assembly having a connector adapted and configured to mate with and pass electrical signals to and from a corresponding connector on the surveillance device, wherein the second yoke portion is detachable from the gimbal housing to gain access to the surveillance device and the surveillance device is removably connected to the drive assembly.
US08882353B2
A gas bearing (100) having pressurized axially extending chambers (110) in a housing (102) having a shaft bore (104) therein, the axially chambers (110) being in fluid communication with a bearing surface (108) that defines the bore via laser-drilled capillaries (118). The end (122) of each laser-drilled capillary at the bearing surface (108) is flared such that the narrowest portion of the capillary is set back from the bearing surface (108). This shape can ensure that the load carrying function of the bearing (100) does not fail during shaft eccentricity by ensuring that pressure restriction must happen within the capillary and not the gap being shaft and bearing surface. The bearing surface may face in an axial and/or radial direction with respect to the shaft. The axial chambers may be pressurized axially such that the outer circumference of the housing is unbroken and hence usable for other purposes.
US08882341B2
A hairspring collet for a hairspring for interference engagement and an interference fit with the cylindrical outer surface of the staff of a balance wheel for a timepiece movement, the hairspring collet portion comprising a plurality of circumferentially extending elastically deformable interconnected arm portions, the arm portions forming an annulus having a central axis and providing an aperture therebetween, wherein each arm portion including a curved concave engagement portion for engagement with the outer surface of a staff of a balance wheel, wherein each engagement portion has substantially the same radius of curvature as each other and are equally spaced from the central axis at a first distance and wherein the first distance is less than the radius of the staff of the balance wheel; the engagement portions have a radius of curvature such that upon deformation of the arm portions and engagement with the outer surface of the staff the engagement portions substantially conform with the outer surface of the staff and an interference fit is formed therebetween, wherein stress induced from said interference fit is transferred and distributed from along the engagement portions to the arm portions adjacent the engagement portions and distributed therein; and wherein the interference fit of the engagement portions with the staff substantially prevents relative movement between the hairspring collet and the staff of the balance wheel upon application of load from a hairspring in use in a timepiece movement.
US08882324B2
A lighting device includes a light source 30, a light guide 20 provided adjacent to the light source 30 and including a light source light incident surface 21 on which light emitted by the light source 30 enters and a planar light emission surface 22 from which planar light is emitted, and an optical sheet 50 including a planar light incident surface 53 on which the planar light enters, and configured to change a traveling direction of the planar light because a light emission side of the optical sheet 50 has a shape in which plural columnar prisms 51 extending in parallel to the light source light incident surface 21 are arranged side by side. In each of the prisms 51, a distal surface has at least different two kinds of inclination angles.
US08882322B2
A backlight unit is provided. The backlight unit may include a light emitting device package, a light guide plate including a first region and a second region extending from the first region, with upper surfaces of the first and second regions being spaced apart so as to form a stepped surface. A recess may be formed in a lateral surface of the second region to receive the light emitting device package, and an optical sheet may be received on the upper surface of the second region of the light guide plate.
US08882308B2
Disclosed is a recessed LED downlighting apparatus comprising a LED downlight fixture assembly 100, a mounting frame 300 for supporting the LED downlight fixture assembly 100 on a ceiling panel 1, an electric junction box 400 mounted on the mounting frame 300, at least one electric wire 210 for electrically connecting the LED drive 170 and the junction box 400, including a first electric wire element 210A extended from the LED drive 170 and a second electric wire element 210B extended from the junction box 170, an electric connector 230 for electrically connecting the first electric wire element 210A and the second electric wire element 210B, a flexible metal conduit 220 including for sheltering the electric wire 210, a first conduit element 220A for sheltering the first electric wire element 210A and a second conduit element 220B for sheltering the second electric wire element 210B, the first conduit element 220A being secured at one end to the plate of the heat sink 120 with a clip element, and the second conduit element 220B secured at one end to the junction box 400 and a connector cover 500 for connecting the first conduit element 210A and the second conduit element 210B and sheltering the electric connector 230.
US08882305B2
According to one embodiment, in a constricted part of a globe, one end is set to a minimum diameter, the other end is set to a maximum diameter, and a diameter thereof increases from the one end side to the other end side. The constricted part of the globe is concaved into the inside of an imaginary straight line connecting an outer edge of the one end and an outer edge of the other end when viewed in section. A light source part includes a semiconductor light-emitting element and is contained in the globe so that a light-emitting part is positioned between both the ends of the constricted part of the globe. A cap is positioned on one end side of the globe.
US08882304B2
An illuminating device includes a substrate, an illuminating element, at least one barricade and at least one cover layer. The illuminating element is disposed on the substrate. The barricade is protruded from a surface of the substrate and disposed around the illuminating element continuously or discontinuously to form a first accommodating area. The cover layer is disposed in the first accommodating area for covering the illuminating element.
US08882302B2
An optic for use with LED illumination sources, incorporates multiple facets in rows along its length. The facets are formed by coining (cold forming) the shapes into a suitable malleable material. By selecting the malleable material to have high heat conductivity and mounting the optic in contact with the circuit board that drives the LED, the optic serves both light dispersion and heat sink functions. Since the facets are formed with high precision they can be selected to direct light to an illuminated surface (actual or virtual). The use of multiple facet shapes (e.g. linear, radius and parabolic) the light can be reflected (multiple times if desired) to provide a highly selectable illuminated field. In the most common installation the different facets are used to uniformly illuminate a surface.
US08882301B2
A method for bonding an LED assembly (71) or other electronic package (31) to a substrate PCB containing a heat-sink (52), which utilizes layers of reactive multilayer foil (51) disposed between contacts (32, 34) of the electronic package 31 and the associated contact pads (55) on the supporting substrate PCB. By initiating an exothermic reaction in the reactive multilayer foil (51), together with an application of pressure, sufficient heat is generated between the contacts (32, 34) and the associated contact pads (55) to melt adjacent bonding material (54) to obtain good electrically and thermally conductive bonds between the contacts 32, 34 and contact pads (55) without thermally damaging the electronic package (31), heat-sensitive components (35) associated with the electronic package (31), or other the supporting substrate PCB.
US08882295B2
According to one embodiment, a lamp device includes a main body, a light-emitting module, a lighting device and a support member. The main body includes an opening and a heat radiating part provided at an opposite side of the opening. The support member is thermally coupled to the light-emitting module and the heat radiating part. The support member holds the light-emitting module in the main body to cause the light-emitting module to be positioned in a direction closer to the opening than the lighting device.
US08882287B2
The invention relates to a novel recreational or occupational modulating light headlamp which works in conjunction with the mechanics of human vision to provide effective path lighting in very low light or dark. Applying flicker fusion rate and factoring in the acuity of the eye's rods and cones, lighting is applied to the range and capability of the ocular abilities and optimized for low light or dark.
US08882284B2
LED lamp or bulb with remote phosphor and diffuser configuration with enhanced scattering properties
An LED lamp or bulb is disclosed that comprises a light source, a heat sink structure and an optical cavity. The optical cavity comprises a phosphor carrier having a conversions material and arranged over an opening to the cavity. The phosphor carrier comprises a thermally conductive transparent material and is thermally coupled to the heat sink structure. An LED based light source is mounted in the optical cavity remote to the phosphor carrier with light from the light source passing through the phosphor carrier. A diffuser dome is included that is mounted over the optical cavity, with light from the optical cavity passing through the diffuser dome. The properties of the diffuser, such as geometry, scattering properties of the scattering layer, surface roughness or smoothness, and spatial distribution of the scattering layer properties may be used to control various lamp properties such as color uniformity and light intensity distribution as a function of viewing angle.
US08882278B1
A reprojection system which allows a projection to be displayed onto a display screen, and reprojected by that display screen. The display is received on the surface that itself displays, and it is then redisplayed on the surface. The redisplay can be at the same size or at a different size as the original projection. Preferably the redisplay is at the same relative intensity but a brighter actual intensity than the original display. The information is can be received and redisplayed in a number of different ways.
US08882268B2
A method implemented by computer means for determining a virtual wearer-ophthalmic lens-ergorama system associated with an optical function of an ophthalmic lens for a given wearer, comprising: a prescription data providing step, an optical reference surface data providing step, a virtual wearer-ophthalmic lens-ergorama system determining step, a criteria selecting step, a target value defining step, an evaluation step, and a modification step, in which at least one parameter of the virtual wearer-ophthalmic lens-ergorama system different from the base curve of the ophthalmic lens is modified, in order to minimize the difference between the target value and the evaluation criterion value.
US08882266B2
Disclosed is a bifocal lens constructed such that the lens is not easily damaged when hit by flying fragments and, moreover, able to obtain a consistent focal length with a simple construction. The lens is equipped with a transparent substrate having transparency and rigidity, a transparent resilient body having transparency and elasticity, a transparent fluid enclosed in the space between the aforementioned transparent substrate and the aforementioned transparent resilient body, and a mechanism that induces changes in the shape of the aforementioned transparent resilient body. Changes are induced in the shape of the transparent resilient body to form the desired shape in the two states of the lens which comprises the transparent fluid enclosed in the space between the transparent substrate and the transparent resilient body, making it possible to obtain the desired characteristics (accurate optical characteristics) in either of the two states.
US08882263B2
A pair of eyeglasses includes a pair of temple units, each including a main temple segment, a temple end piece, and an engaging mechanism. The temple end piece is disposed at an inner lateral side of the main temple segment and has a connecting segment disposed between a fastenable segment and a guide segment and swingably connected to the main temple segment. The temple end pieces of the temple units are movable between an engaging position, where the fastenable segments are fastened to the main temple segments via the engaging mechanisms, and a disengaging position, where the fastenable segments are disengaged from the main temple segments.
US08882260B2
A transfer type inkjet recording method uses an aggregation liquid, in which the aggregation liquid contains a polymer compound having either one of a polysaccharide having an amino group or a polysaccharide salt having an amino group.
US08882259B2
A recording apparatus includes a support member that supports a recording medium, a heating device that heats the recording medium on the support member, a recording head that ejects fluid onto the recording medium on the support member and that is positioned between the support member and the heating device, a blower that has a blowing port from which gas is blown, and a carriage that moves and has the recording head mounted thereon. The carriage has an enclosing structure inside which at least part of the gas blown from the blowing port is taken and inside which a gas layer in which the gas flows is formed between the recording head and the heating device.
US08882258B2
In a method and apparatus for duplex inkjet printing on a web medium, a web medium is guided along an S-form transport path having generally horizontal top, middle and bottom spans and two turns linking the spans. One inkjet printhead is located to print onto a one surface of the web at the middle span and another inkjet printhead is located to print onto the opposite surface of the web at one of the other spans. To protect the printed surfaces before they are dried at least one of the turns in the S-form path is effected using an air bar to hold the printed web surfaces away from hard equipment surfaces.
US08882257B2
A light emitting device includes a substrate, a light emitting body, a thermally conductive member, and a heat radiation member. The substrate has a first face and a second face which is a face opposite to the first face. The light emitting body is held on a side of the first face of the substrate and emits light. The thermally conductive member is provided so as to be in contact with the second face of the substrate and contains a high thermal conductive material. The heat radiation member is provided so as to be in contact with the thermally conductive member and radiates heat conducted from the substrate through the thermally conductive member.
US08882252B2
An ink cartridge for an inkjet printer includes a bottom face and a front face; interfaces on the front face for connection to a cartridge receiving structure, the interfaces including an ink interface; a guide interface in the bottom face for guiding the cartridge along a straight line for connecting the interfaces; and a latch stop and a latch track, disposed in the bottom face, to guide and retain a latch of the cartridge receiving structure.
US08882251B2
An inter-terminal connection structure includes: a first terminal; a second terminal which is separated from the first terminal and is mounted on a container main body for storing a liquid storage body; a first connection member which is in contact with the first terminal, is mounted on the liquid storage body, and has conductivity; and a second connection member which is for connection to the second terminal, is mounted on the container main body, and has conductivity, wherein, when the liquid storage body is accommodated in the container main body, in order to cause the first connection member to come in contact with a first contact portion of the second connection member, the container main body has a positioning member for determining a position of a first site of the first contact portion which is to come in contact with the first connection member inside the container main body.
US08882243B2
An ink jet printer for printing on a substrate comprising a first print head outputting ink and defining an ink meniscus; a platen operable to carry the substrate; a support structure; and a print head mechanism coupled to the support structure and carrying the first print head. The print head mechanism moves the first print head relative to the platen. A controller controls the print head mechanism such that at least one of a predetermined acceleration and predetermined deceleration of the print head mechanism is achieved such that the ink meniscus is operably maintained.
US08882238B2
A coating device is provided with: a plurality of inkjet heads (31) staggered to cover an area to be coated in a width direction of a long-roll supporting body (10); a pressure adjusting mechanism (40) for adjusting the back-pressure of the coating solution to be applied from inkjet heads (31); a plurality of solution feeding pipes (43) for supplying the coating solution from the pressure adjusting mechanism (40) to inkjet heads (31); and storage tank (50) for storing the coating solution, wherein the feeding volumes of the coating solution from the solution feeding pipes (43) are adjusted equal (i.e. flow resistances of the piping are made equal), so that equal back-pressures are applied to the coating solution to be jetted from the inkjet heads.
US08882231B2
The invention describes a method of and means for reducing solvent consumption in a continuous inkjet printer that comprises cooling the ink within the printer system. Ink from the ink reservoir is preferably circulated through a heat exchanger.
US08882209B1
A corded wall assembly is adapted for installation at an article storage space defined by at least two opposing spaced-apart structural elements. The corded wall assembly includes first and second elongated rigid frame members, and a plurality of elastic cords attached at respective opposite ends to the frame members. Mounting elements attach the first and second frame members to respective spaced-apart structural elements of the article storage space.
US08882205B2
A vehicle wheel spinner comprising a donut shaped housing having a front and back ring forming a cavity therein. The front ring has a series of apertures formed therein. A spinning ring is rotatably mounted within said cavity. Various visual effects are produced by providing on the surface of the spinning ring facing the front ring of said housing at least one section of a contrasting color to the remainder of the surface. When the spinning ring rotates the colors show through said aperture(s) during rotation of the spinning ring. The wheel spinner is attached to the vehicle wheel in a manner that the housing rotates with the wheel and the spinning ring rotates separately from the rotation of the housing and continues to rotate for a time after the wheel stops rotating.
US08882201B2
Seat element, comprising a frame, a seat associable to said frame, the frame and the seat being made separately from each other and being attachable and detachable from each other by the interposition of first coupling means. Advantageously, the first coupling means comprise at least one elastic hook and a protuberance, able to form a snap coupling with each other, the elastic hook being positioned so as to intercept the protuberance in a vertical assembly direction.The elastic hook has a coupling end and a hook end, flexible in relation to the coupling end, so as to snap hook onto an undercut of the protuberance in the vertical assembly direction.
US08882194B2
An energy absorbing device for a seat containing an occupant includes a seat frame with legs, a seat pan, and a back member. Attached to the seat is an energy absorbing device fixed to the back member of the seat frame. The energy absorbing device includes an engagement portion fixing the energy absorbing device to the seat frame and an energy absorbing extension having a fixed end integral with the engagement portion, and a protruding end extending toward the seat pan. The seat has a seat belt for the occupant and the belt is attached to a belt support device which extends parallel to the energy absorbing extension. When the occupant is using the seatbelt and the seat undergoes lateral forces, the energy absorbing extension undergoes deformation, and when the occupant is not using the seatbelt and the seat undergoes lateral forces, the energy absorbing extension does not undergo deformation.
US08882190B2
A chair has a seat portion having a front, a rear and sides. The chair also has a footrest adjustable between at least two positions: a retracted position and an extended position. The footrest is cantilevered from the seat portion in the extended position. The chair also has a plurality of members connected by a plurality of linkages permitting the members to pivot with respect to each other. The plurality of members is adapted to hold the footrest in the retracted position and to support the footrest in the extended position. The chair also has a cover for hiding the plurality of linkages when viewed from a lateral position when the footrest is in the extended position.
US08882171B2
Provided is a vehicle floor mat that can reliably maintain a fixed state and includes a mat main body and at least one fastening device for fastening the mat main body to a vehicle. The fastening device includes a first fastening member fixed to the vehicle and a second fastening member fixed to the mat main body. The first fastening member includes a rotating knob rotating about a vertical axis and a lever pivotally provided on an upper section of the knob. The second fastening member includes an insertion receiving section for the knob to be inserted thereinto, and engaged therewith by rotating the knob inserted into the insertion receiving section. A rotation of the knob in an engaged state is restricted by laying the lever. The knob and lever allow the mat main body to be fixed to the vehicle through a two-step fixation mechanism, thus enabling strong fixation.
US08882160B2
A latch device includes a base member that has an entering groove having a deep side wall, a latch including an engaging groove having a restraining wall, and a ratchet that meshes with the latch in a meshed position. The latch device further includes a cam member that rotates the latch to a restrained position. In the restrained position, the cam member abuts against the latch to nip a striker between the deep side wall and the restraining wall. The restraining wall includes an inclined surface approaching the deep side wall toward an inlet side of the engaging groove at least in the meshed position.
US08882147B2
A steering column includes a steering spindle mounted rotatably about the steering-spindle longitudinal axis thereof, and a bracket unit fixed to the motor vehicle. The casing unit is held on the bracket unit so as to be displaceable in at least one direction parallel to and/or transversely with respect to the steering-spindle longitudinal axis and can be locked in differing positions by a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism has at least one locking element which is mounted moveably, preferably rotatably. In at least one locking position of the locking element, the casing unit is locked in the position thereof in the bracket unit and, in at least one release position of the locking element, the casing unit can be displaced relative to the bracket unit in at least one of the directions parallel to and/or transversely with respect to the steering-spindle longitudinal axis.
US08882127B2
A bicycle frame assembly having a number of rotatable members configured to absorb shocks and impacts associated with operation of the bicycle. The assembly includes a frame constructed to support a rider and a chain stay having a rearward end that extends toward a wheel hub and a forward end that is pivotably connected to the frame. An absorber is pivotably connected to the forward end of the chain stay and extends to a rocker arm that is pivotably connected to the frame. A seat stay is pivotably connected to a rearward end of the rocker arm and extends to the rearward end of the chain stay. The rearward ends of the seat stay and the chain stay are pivotably connected to rotate about a common axis.
US08882119B2
To reduce the complexity, maintenance, and cost, and to increase the reliability of a riding lawnmower employing a short turn radius steering system, the riding lawn mower may be configured with a linkage and steering assembly that eliminates or reduces complicated gearing. A riding lawn mower may comprise a link system, pivot brackets, and spindle assemblies. The geometry of the steering system may be configured to provide a turn radius of seven inches or less. Moreover, the geometry of the steering system may be configured to provide Ackerman steering, such that, the inside wheel turns sharper than the outside wheel in a turn.
US08882116B2
The present invention provides a passive vehicle suspension system providing optimal camber gain and avoiding the “bump camber” problem. This vehicle suspension system utilizes a conventional sway bar and a kinematic system to rotate the tire(s) of a vehicle in a direction opposite the roll of the vehicle during turning or cornering, for example. The kinematic design allows for adjustability and optimization, providing optimal camber gain. Although an automotive vehicle suspension system is illustrated and described, and, specifically, a racing or everyday automotive vehicle suspension system, the concepts of the present invention are capable of much broader applicability.
US08882112B2
A sealing apparatus is provided for sealing an automotive component extending between an engine compartment and a passenger compartment of an automobile. The sealing apparatus includes a pass-through mount component configured to house the automotive component. An outer seal component is configured to rigidly mount to a wall structure separating the passenger compartment from the engine compartment and to elastically contact a platform region of one end of the pass-through mount structure. An inner seal component is configured to elastically couple to the outer seal component within the passenger compartment and to elastically couple to one end of the pass-through mount component.
US08882109B2
A paper sheet processing apparatus comprises a taking-in unit 10 configured to take therein paper sheets, a transport unit 70 configured to transport the paper sheets, a recognition unit 20 configured to recognize the paper sheets, a plurality of stacking units 60a to 60d configured to stack the paper sheets, the paper sheets stacked in the stacking units 60a-60d being able to be removed from the stacking units 60a-60d, and a detection sensor 25a to 25d configured to detect whether the paper sheets have been removed from the stacking units 60a-60d. When a control unit 50 judges that the paper sheets have been removed from the stacking units 60a to 60d based on information from the detection sensor 25a to 25d, the control unit 50 outputs removal information on the removed paper sheets or the stacking units 60a to 60d from which the paper sheets have been removed.
US08882103B2
An image recording apparatus including: a sheet tray; a drawing portion; and a first stop portion. The sheet tray is inserted into and pulled out from an accommodating portion along an inserting direction. A main tray of the sheet tray is positioned at a first position and at a second position located downstream of the first position in the inserting direction as a result of movement of the main tray in the inserting direction. An extension tray of the sheet tray is movable relative to the main tray. The drawing portion draws the main tray from the first position into the second position. The first stop portion is disposed in the accommodating portion and abuttable against the extension tray when the main tray is located downstream of the first position in the inserting direction to restrict movement of the extension tray in the inserting direction.
US08882101B2
A lever assembly controls a pickup roller, and includes a lever, a solenoid to actuate the lever, and a supporting plate on which the lever is rotatably disposed and to which the solenoid is connected at one side of the lever.
US08882099B2
This invention provides a system and method for aligning, feeding, trimming, slitting, rotating, cross-slitting and stacking sheets, each containing one or more discrete page images thereon that allows for greater automation of the overall process so that reduced or no manual intervention is required to generate completed book stacks or “blocks” from a stream or stack of printed sheets. Sheets are fed to a first, upstream trimming station to remove margin edges and optionally separate the sheets relative to the discrete page images. The sheets are then rotated 90 degrees and fed to a second, downstream trimming station that trims the right-angle edges and optionally separates the sheets into a final group of full-bleed pages, removing margins and gutter strips. The sheets are fed to a stacking assembly to be tacked in page order and any rejected, defective sheets or stacks are removed from the order.
US08882095B2
A clamp meter has a main body and a stationary jaw fixed to an end of the main body. A hook portion of the clamp meter includes a movable jaw, a displacing means and a knob. The movable jaw is mounted on the main body corresponding to the position of the stationary jaw. The movable jaw and the stationary jaw together form a closed loop. The displacing means is mounted in the main body and comprises a displaceable rod connected to the movable jaw and a gear set for driving the displaceable rod. The knob is connected to the gear set for driving the displaceable rod and the movable jaw for linear displacement. The movable jaw is activated by the displaceable rod to generate a linear displacement, so that the user can operate the clamp meter more easily for measurement.
US08882094B2
A vehicle body moving cart is provided which includes a base frame and first moving units that are installed at the front, rear and center of the base frame, respectively. The first moving units are configured to reciprocate first sliding plates forward and rearward on the base frame, respectively. In addition to the first moving units, second moving units are disposed perpendicular to the first moving units installed at the front and rear of the base frame, respectively, and installed on the first sliding plates to move the second sliding plates leftward and rightward on the base frame, respectively. Installed on the second sliding plates and the first sliding plate of first unit installed at the center of the base frame, are ascending and descending units. These ascending and descending units are configured to be reciprocally movable upward and downward on the base frame.
US08882088B2
A shock and vibration isolator camera includes a top plate is attached to a bottom plate via a universal joint that allows the top plate to pivot about two mutually perpendicular axes relative to the bottom plate. A camera attachment fitting, such a Mitchell mount fitting, may be provided on the top plate, for attaching a camera or camera accessory to the top plate. A threaded fitting may be provided on the bottom plate, for attaching the isolator to a supporting structure. A dampener/spring element is positioned between the top and bottom plates. The dampener/spring element may be separate springs and dampeners, such as gas or viscous dampeners. Alternatively, spring loaded shock absorbers, or a resilient material may be used.
US08882086B2
A mixer to create foam with microbubbles using physiological gases currently used in sclerotherapeutic treatments of varicose veins has anatomical and compact dimensions and is built with material resistant to sterilization and pressure. The device is mounted on the body around an essentially cylindrical axle comprised of a central valve support, while the top conical body portion is crossed in its center by a flow orienting duct. This axle is coupled at the center of a spinning circular reservoir constituted by the body, containing several housings for the application of solutions with different concentration levels. These parts are locked by a connector at the bottom to the gas duct with a spray nozzle. Each housing has a channel that can be aligned to communicate with the inside of the flow orienting duct of the central axle, responsible for orienting the produced mixture to a top reservoir with a foam-making nozzle.
US08882068B2
An apparatus for mounting a transducer on a boat includes a v-shaped body having a transducer mounting portion defined in one leg and a mounting opening defined in a second leg. The apparatus can be mounted on a boat by positioning the apparatus close to the boat and connecting the apparatus to the boat using the mounting opening and a conventional nut, bolt, and washer assembly. A transducer can be mounted to the apparatus either before or after it is mounted to the boat.
US08882064B2
The present invention relates to a collapsible stand assembly. The stand includes four sets of strut members wherein each set of struts are rotationally connected at a midpoint and the lower ends of the strut members are rotationally connected to feet and the upper ends of the strut members are rotationally connected to brackets. A cross support member is rotationally connected at a first end of each bracket such that the second end of the cross support member can be secured to the other bracket on the same side of the stand at different locations to provide different widths and heights of the stand. Two sets of struts on opposite sides of the stand extend above the cross support members to create a stop to prevent structures supported by the stand, such as a cooler, from sliding off the stand when erected.
US08882043B2
An aircraft landing gear (9) includes a wheel (1) having a wheel rim (3) on which a tire (4) is held. The gap (6) between the rim (3) and tire (4) is bridged and covered by a sealing element (7), which thereby presents a smooth surface to the air flowing over the wheel during flight of the aircraft (8). Thus, noise that would otherwise be generated by the interaction of air and the parts of the wheel (1) and/or tire (4) defining the gap (6) is reduced. Such noise reduction benefits may also be achieved by providing a tire (4) and wheel (1) so shaped that there is no gap (6) between the tire (4) and wheel rim (3).
US08882041B2
An insulation package is provided for insulating a cabin of a vehicle that includes, but is not limited to at least one wrapping foil and at least one core layer of an insulation material. The wrapping foil envelopes the core layer at least in some regions and includes, but is not limited to at least one opening for feeding-through a holding element. On the wrapping foil a fastening element is arranged that is designed to establish a mechanical connection with the holding element fed through the opening. This can be a positive-locking or a non-positive-locking connection. By integrating the fastening element in the insulation package, the expenditure for separate fasteners can be saved so that the installation time and the different components can be reduced.
US08882024B1
According to one embodiment, a rotorcraft includes a main rotor system, an anti-torque rotor system, an anti-torque rotor enhancement system, and an anti-torque rudder system. The anti-torque rotor enhancement system includes an aerodynamic structure having an opening therethrough and a support structure coupling the aerodynamic structure to the body of the rotorcraft such that the opening is positioned proximate to a rotation path of the at least one anti-torque rotor blade. The anti-torque rudder system includes at least one rudder surface operable to provide a second force on the body in the direction of rotation of the at least one main rotor blade.
US08882021B2
An automated dispenser includes a rotatable carousel including a mounting station for a primary roll of sheet product and a mounting station for a reserve roll of sheet product; mounting brackets configured for mounting the carousel such that it is movable between a locked, rearward position for dispensing and a forward position where the carousel is rotatable for reloading; a drive system including a motor coupled to a drive roller and control circuitry; a transfer mechanism adapted so as to be operable to urge a tail of the reserve roll toward a dispensing nip of the drive system upon depletion of the primary roll; a housing; and an auxiliary access aperture fitted with an access door, the auxiliary aperture and access door being configured and adapted to be manually operable to expose the reserve roll for manual dispensing.
US08882018B2
A retainer for controlling the payout of wire from a wire container is described. The retainer has at least three segments. Each segment is connected to the adjacent segment so as to allow a relative movement of adjacent segments with respect to each other. The entirety of the segments form a contact surface adapted for contacting the wire contained in the wire container. Further, a wire container is described having a reception space for a wire coil, a wire coil arranged in the reception space, with the wire forming an annular end face of the wire coil from which the wire is withdrawn from the wire container, and a retainer for controlling the payout of wire from a wire container.
US08882009B2
A forming disk apparatus for processing foodstuff product that includes a plurality of holes that open into a portion of an axial side surface of the forming disk. A depression is also provided eccentrically in the side surface of the forming disk and positioned concentrically relative to the forming disk. A cutting apparatus is arranged to bear against an axial side surface of the forming disk such that the cutting apparatus is movable relative to the forming disk apparatus.
US08882005B2
A nozzle bar (10) comprising a carrier element (12) provided with several slit-shaped fluid channels (20), each associated with a foil (13) having a plurality of nozzle openings (15). In the position of use, the foil (13) is arranged over an input orifice (23) of the associate fluid channel (20) so that its nozzle openings (15) are located inside the contour of its associated fluid entry opening (19). In this position of use, each foil (13) is fastened to a plane attachment surface of the carrier element (12). The attachment surface may be the bottom (26) of a groove-like recess (25) in the carrier element (12). A separate recess (25) is provided for each foil (13). The carrier element (12) can be used for numerous different types of foils. The distance of the nozzle openings (15) of the foil (13), or the size or the form of the nozzle openings (15) may vary among various foil types, without requiring modifications on the carrier element (12).
US08881995B2
A pressure atomizing nozzle for injecting fuel includes an inlet housing configured to thermally isolate the interior space from external conditions and to remain relatively cool under operation so as to substantially eliminate heat soak back from the inlet housing to the interior space thereof after operation. First and second coolant conduits cool the nozzle tip region actively during operation and passively after operation. A cooling air jacket is configured to thermally isolate inboard components from exterior conditions, to provide clean air during operation to the nozzle tip region for diluting carbon to reduce carbon deposits in the nozzle tip region and for cooling the same, and to provide passive cooling to the nozzle tip region after operation.
US08881991B2
A wiring arrangement for protecting a bleed air supply system of an aircraft against overheating is associated with a bleed air supply system. The bleed air supply system includes a bleed air source, a bleed air feed, a shutoff valve arranged in the bleed air feed and a leakage monitoring device with a monitoring control device, which is connected via a shutoff circuit to the shutoff valve in such a way that the shutoff valve is closed when the shutoff circuit is interrupted. The wiring arrangement includes a thermal switch, which is connected in series with the shutoff valve and the monitoring control device to the shutoff circuit and which, once a predetermined limit temperature has been exceeded, interrupts the shutoff circuit.
US08881979B1
Systems and methods for issuance, use, and replacement of multi-purpose devices are disclosed. A method for providing a multi-purpose device for use with a plurality of systems may include (1) a first party assigning a first account number to the multi-purpose device, the first account number associated with a first account with the first party for use in a first system; (2) the first party assigning a second account number to the multi-purpose device, the second account number associated with a second account with a second party for use in a second system; and (3) the first party issuing the multi-purpose device to a customer. A system for using a multi-purpose device for use with a plurality of systems may include a first transaction system; a second transaction system, and a multi-purpose card issued by a first party that includes a first account number to the multi-purpose device, the first account number associated with a first account with the first party for use in the first transaction system; and a second account number to the multi-purpose device, the second account number associated with a second account with a second party for use in the second transaction system.
US08881965B2
In a Ni-based, Co-based, or Ni—Co-based braze alloy (1) for high-temperature brazing of components (7) of modular structure and for repairing damaged components (7) which are formed of single crystal or directionally solidified superalloys using said braze alloy (1), the braze alloy has a first metallic powder component (2) having particle sizes in the nanometer range and a second metallic powder component (3) having particle sizes in the micrometer range. The surface of the particles of the second powder component (3) is thinly coated with particles of the first powder component (2). The braze alloy (1) additionally includes grain boundary stabilizing elements as alloying elements. In addition, melting point depressants can be present in the braze alloy (1) in a commercially common quantity or with a considerably increased proportion. Both the melting temperature of the braze alloy (1) and the probability of recrystallization are advantageously reduced.
US08881963B2
The present invention is directed to a pneumatic tool actuation device comprising a housing configured to be attached to a pneumatic tool, a piston slidably moveable within a drive chamber formed within the housing and an air inlet chamber formed within housing and configured to accept a pressurized gas and direct it to the drive chamber. The piston further comprises an O-ring disposed in an annular groove formed in the piston and forming a seal between the piston and the drive chamber. The housing is removably attached to an opening near a trigger valve pin. The air inlet chamber is operably connected to a hose through which a pressurized gas travels and enters the housing to move the piston. The movement of the piston directly actuates the trigger valve pin located in the pneumatic tool.
US08881961B1
A mobile electronic device carrier assembly includes a bracket that has a first arm, a second arm and a middle arm. The middle arm is coupled to and extends between each of the first and second arms. Each of the first and second arms has an adjustable length. The bracket has a U-shape so the first and second arms of the bracket are spaced apart. A collar is pivotally coupled to and extends between a free end of each of the first and second arms of the bracket. The collar may be positioned around a back of a user's neck so the bracket may be directed downwardly along the user's chest. A support is coupled to the middle arm of the bracket. A mount is coupled to the support. The mount may receive a mobile electronic device so the mount provides hands-free operation of the mobile electronic device.
US08881958B2
A fluid dose-measuring device adapted to be releasably received in a dispensing apparatus having an electromagnetic coil includes a housing with an outlet passage and a connector part defining an inlet passage, the housing forming an internal chamber which is in fluid communication with the inlet passage and the outlet passage, and the connector part being connectable to a fluid container; a piston moveably arranged in the chamber of the housing for reciprocating motion between a closed position in which a flow from the inlet passage to the outlet passage is prevented and an open position in which a flow from the inlet passage to the outlet passage is allowed, the piston comprising a ferromagnetic actuation part for electromagnetic actuation of the piston by the electromagnetic coil, where the actuation part is arranged in an outer body.
US08881957B2
A relief valve (60) for a liquid container, the valve comprising a substantially conical body (50) extending into the container, and tapering inwardly away from an external wall of the container, at least one air inlet passage (62) through the substantially conical body; and a flexible diaphragm (53) extending over the conical body, being attached at its outer periphery around the substantially conical body and having a central opening surrounding the substantially conical body above the air inlet passage so as to seal the air inlet passage until the pressure within the container falls below a predetermined level.
US08881956B2
A device for dispensing a liquid product as an atomized spray includes a container, a depressible dispensing head for initiating emission of the spray from the device and for terminating emission of the spray from the device, and a sequential delivery valve attached to the dispensing head. The dispensing device is configured to initiate flow of gas only into the dispensing head first when the dispensing head is depressed from a first axial position to a second axial position. When the dispensing head is depressed further toward the container to a third axial position, the dispensing device allows both liquid and gas to travel from the container into the dispensing head. When the dispensing head is released from the third axial position back to the first axial position, the dispensing device first stops flow of liquid into the dispensing head before stopping flow of gas into the dispensing head.
US08881953B2
Fluid dispensing apparatus with integral dip tube. Container includes body having wall defining interior volume, a first neck top, and a fitment extending from the neck top. A dip tube integrally formed to the body, fluidly connected to interior bottom, and fluidly connected to interior volume at landing top edge at or below the neck top, wherein distance between landing top edge and neck top is equal to or less than length of the fitment. The landing may be funnel-shaped, with one or more sides of landing slanting inward towards top opening of dip tube. Dispenser may be coupled to fitment and include supply line connected with dip tube at landing. Bent connector may be provided for fluidly connecting supply line with dip tube at landing when dispenser is attached to neck top. Container may include second neck top separated from first neck top by gap.
US08881940B2
A cover for a container, the container having a hollow body and a separate end joined together by a seam and the cover including a disc of resilient material having plurality of slots cut therein. Each slot is arranged to define a clip interspaced between two arms.
US08881938B2
A lid for a beverage container is described. The lid has a basin that is designed to enhance the user's olfactory experience when drinking a beverage from the container and lid. As the user tilts the container and lid to take a drink, the beverage pours through an opening on the basin valley and flows across a sipping surface area to the user's mouth, thus allowing the beverage to aerate, evaporate, and cool. The basin is sized and dimensioned to channel and concentrate the vapor rising from the beverage towards the user's nose as the user sips the beverage. The basin and the opening are sized and dimensioned to provide a comfortable and secure feeling when drinking hot beverages. In this manner, the lid enhances the drinker's olfactory experience and provides better controllability of the flow of a hot beverage to prevent burn injuries.
US08881932B1
A pressurized-gas storage assembly has a liner defining a gas storage chamber and an end portion with a planar surface, with an access opening on the planar surface that is in fluid communication with the gas storage chamber. A raised circular ring extends from the planar surface and surrounds the access opening. The assembly also includes a polar boss having a longitudinally extending part that has a top surface with a recessed opening, and a planar bottom surface, with a channel extending through the polar boss to serve as a passageway through the polar boss. A circular groove is provided on the bottom flat surface of the polar boss, with the raised ring received inside the circular groove. An outer shell is provided around the entirety of the liner, with the outer shell having an edge-defining aperture that receives the polar boss.
US08881930B2
A refuse container has a container assembly. The container assembly has a bin defining a cavity, a lid, a telescopingly extensible handle assembly, a locking mechanism, a pair of wheels, and a pair of bottom handles. The lid is rotatably coupled to the bin at a pivot point, has a generally horizontal lid axis of rotation, and is movable relative to the bin between an open position providing access to the cavity and a closed position inhibiting access to the cavity. The extensible handle assembly is located adjacent the pivot point and is movable from a lower retracted position to an upper extended position above an upper surface of the lid. The locking mechanism maintains the lid in the closed position and is located opposite the extensible handle assembly. The wheels are located at the bottom of the refuse container. The bottom handles are located on opposing sides of the bin.
US08881927B2
A closure system (100) includes a container (110) having a ridge (130), a land (140), and a groove (150) disposed between the ridge and the land. A plug (120) can be inserted into the container to create a seal between the land and the plug. The plug can have a first member (160) sized and dimensioned to rest upon the land, and a second member (170) having a catch (180) that is extendable into, and retractable from, the groove. One or more rubber layers (344, 444) can be disposed between the land and the first member to improve the seal between the first member and the land.
US08881926B2
A fuel filler pipe offering high anticorrosion performance and high fabrication accuracy is provided. Specifically, a tubular fuel filler pipe body 2 made of a plated steel sheet has a fuel filler port 2a at one end thereof, and is connected at the other end thereof to a fuel tank 10. A short cylindrical retainer 3 made of stainless steel is mounted into the fuel filler port 2a, and includes first and second tube members 5 and 6 each having both open ends. An inner circumferential surface of a portion of the first tube member 5 near an opening thereof at one end thereof includes an internal thread 5a threadedly connected to an external thread C1 of a fuel cap C. The second tube member 6 is inserted through an opening of the first tube member 5 at the other end thereof into the first tube member 5, and is joined to the first tube member 5 before the internal thread 5a by resistance spot welding Sw. One of the open ends of the second tube member 6 in a direction opposite to a direction of insertion of the second tube member 6 forms an insertion hole 6a through which a nozzle G1 of a fuel filler gun G is inserted. A retainer 3 is fitted into the fuel filler pipe body 2 to allow insertion of an end portion of the fuel filler pipe body 2 near the fuel filler port 2a into a space S between an outer circumferential surface of a portion of the second tube member 6 near the insertion hole 6a and an inner circumferential surface of a portion of the first tube member 5 near the opening thereof at the other end thereof, and a portion of the retainer 3 fitted into the fuel filler pipe body 2 are continuously welded to the fuel filler pipe body 2 by brazing Tw.
US08881922B2
A hot fill type plastic container includes a finish portion that defines an opening and a main body portion having a sidewall that defines a plurality of vacuum panels and a plurality of creased wall portions. Each of the creased wall portions is positioned between two adjacent vacuum panels. At least one of the creased wall portions has an axis of longitudinal orientation when viewed in side elevation that has a vertical component and a circumferential component. The creased wall portions further preferably are substantially non-curved when viewed in side elevation and also preferably have a compound curvature to increase stiffness.
US08881912B2
A vibratory separator including a separator deck including a hinge point, and a positive displacement mechanism coupled to the separator deck and configured to displace the separator deck to an angle of inclination is disclosed. A method of separating solids form a slurry, the method including pumping a slurry onto a separator deck, vibrating the separator deck, and displacing an end of the separator deck in an upwards or downwards direction with a positive displacement mechanism to a selected angle of inclination is also disclosed.
US08881911B2
A method of operating a flotation cell wherein a feed stream containing particles is provided to the flotation cell wherein a proportion of the particles rise in the cell and exit the cell in a concentrate stream and a proportion of the particles sink in the cell, wherein at least a portion of the particles that sink in the cell are subject to a classification process to produce classified particles and at least a portion of the classified particles are recycled to the flotation cell.
US08881909B2
A process for the recovery of bottom ash is characterized by shredding and physical separation phases. The bottom ash undergoes an oxidation treatment of the amphoteric metals contained therein. After the process, the treated bottom ash can be employed as mineral additive for concretes or hydraulic bonding agents.
US08881904B2
A substrate in the form of a film is described for producing a corrosion inhibiting atmosphere for the storage and transport of exposed bare metal parts to inhibit rust or corrosion of the metal parts. In one form, the substrate is a co-extruded film having one layer for providing shape and form to the film when molded into a specific shape and the other layer containing a vapor corrosion inhibitor (VCI) for being admitted from the surface of the layer to form the corrosion inhibiting atmosphere. Other structures of the film are possible including triple layers and the like. The co-extruded film is formed by vacuum molding optionally with pressure forming assist to form the film into a semi-rigid or rigid shape for fitting over or enveloping the metal part to be protected. The advantage of the invention is to be able to provide a controlled corrosion inhibiting atmosphere for the normal duration that a metal part is being stored thereby reducing the chance that the metal part will develop rust or corrosion during storage.
US08881902B2
A packaging assembly includes a base and a divider. The base includes a bottom piece and first, second, third, and fourth walls extending from the bottom piece. The bottom piece of the base and the first, second, third, and fourth walls of the base define a product receptacle. The divider is connected to the bottom piece of the base and extends through the product receptacle. The base and the divider are jointly formed from an integral planar member having a plurality of folds therein. Other products, assemblies, and associated methods are also disclosed.
US08881901B2
The carton of this invention is capable of carrying the plurality of containers stacked upon their ends in two tiers with a unique dispenser that permits the dispensing of containers on their sides. The dispenser is formed in a top side wall and extends into the end wall with most of the end wall being torn open but leaving a portion near the bottom side wall to prevent the bottom layer of containers from rolling out. Angled projections in the dispensing end of the carton near the top panel and bottom panel prevent the top layer of containers from rolling out. A divider may be inserted between the two tiers of containers to facilitate loading the carton and preventing the containers from accidentally rolling out when the dispenser is open.
US08881878B2
A brake device for a vehicle includes a brake pedal rotatably supported on a support shaft and extending in a front ward direction from the support shaft in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. A master cylinder is located on the rear side of the support shaft in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle for generating a braking hydraulic pressure according to the rotational operation of the brake pedal. An operational amount detector is mechanically connected to the brake pedal for detecting the rotational amount of the brake pedal. The master cylinder includes an axis that is arranged vertically and is located above the support shaft with the operational amount detector being located on the rear side of the support shaft in the longitudinal direction of the motorcycle. Thus, the master cylinder and the operational amount detector can be densely arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
US08881875B2
A colloidal damper disposed between two members for damping a relative movement of the two members, including: (I) a cylinder device including a housing and a piston which are connected to one and the other of the two members and which define a chamber; (II) a colloidal-solution sealed body accommodated in the chamber and including: (A) a colloidal solution in which are mixed a first working fluid and porous bodies each having pores; and (B) a hermetically sealed container which has flexibility and which hermetically seals the colloidal solution contained therein; and (III) a second working fluid contained in the chamber together with the colloidal-solution sealed body, wherein the colloidal damper is configured to damp the relative movement of the two members by the inflow and the outflow of the first working fluid into and out of the pores upon the relative movement of the two members.
US08881866B1
A self-rescue device that features an escape ladder, having one or more spaced steps, a base to hold the escape ladder in an open or closed position, a locking mechanism to keep the escape ladder in the open position, and a release mechanism to release the escape ladder from the open position.
US08881852B2
A pushable frame includes a plurality of wheels to allow maneuvering due to a rolling motion of one or more wheels. A power generator is operatively connected to the wheels such that kinetic motion of the wheels caused by the frame being pushed or pulled by the user is converted into electric energy. A speed regulator is operatively connected with the plurality of wheels and the power generator such that a rolling speed of one or more wheels is controlled based on a rolling condition of the one or more wheels.
US08881845B2
A method of milling a window through a casing in a primary well bore and drilling a sidetracked well bore into a formation including running a drilling assembly including a body having an axis defined therethrough, a piston that is movable within a cavity formed in the body, a stationary cutting structure coupled to the body, and a movable cutting structure coupled to the body, milling a window through the casing in a first trip into the primary well bore, drilling the sidetracked well bore in the first trip into the primary well bore, applying a differential pressure across the piston, and moving the movable cutting structure from the collapsed position to the expanded position. The movable cutting structure is coupled to the piston and is movable between a collapsed position and an expanded position.
US08881817B2
A downhole tool having a cylindrical body, a sleeve having a contact portion disposed on a distal end, and a cutter having a radiused portion on a top surface operatively engageable with the contact portion. Also, a method of cutting drill pipe, the method including disposing a cutting tool in a wellbore around the drill pip and actuating a radiused cutter of the cutting tool, wherein the actuating includes radially extending the cutter into contact with the drill pipe. The method also includes applying a substantially constant force between the cutter and the drill pipe and rotating the cutting tool. Additionally, a cutter for a drill pipe cutting tool, the cutter including a work surface located at a first end of the cutter, an attachment point located at a second end of the cutter, and a radiused surface located between the work surface and the attachment point.
US08881802B2
An annular seal for a setting tool in a packer tieback extension comprises a downhole oriented packer cup assembly. As the tool is run in the hole the packer cup flexes as the rising hydrostatic pressure equalizes across the cup into what started as a zone with atmospheric pressure inside the packer tieback extension. Once the pressure is equalized the self energizing feature of the packer cup maintains grit and debris in the mud from entering the tieback extension where the spring loaded dogs of the setting tool are held in a retracted position. If the seal fails to equalize and allows a large differential across the setting sleeve from the surrounding annulus, the rupture disc breaks inwardly into the tieback extension so that pressure is equalized. If the packer is never set after being lowered to depth and the pressure from the tieback extension is equalized into the annulus.
US08881799B2
A multiple chamber gas generator system has a plurality of gas generators shaped to fit within the borehole. Each of the gas generators having an elongate combustion chamber. A gas flow control system is operably installed for supplying gas to the elongate combustion chambers of each of the gas generators. The system further includes a control computer having a control program operatively installed thereupon, the control program functioning to control the operation of the gas flow control system and to selectively turn on or off each of the gas generators to regulate the volume of gasses being generated in response to changes in pressure within the borehole.
US08881796B2
Specified is a heat exchanger for an exchange of heat between a first fluid, in particular charge air or an exhaust gas, and a second fluid, in particular a coolant, having a block for the separate and heat-exchanging guidance of the first and second fluids, which block has a number of flow ducts which can be traversed by the first fluid and a housing which holds the flow ducts and which can be traversed by the second fluid, at least one casing cover which is flow-connected to the flow ducts, a base which is fixed to the casing cover and which is provided with one or with a plurality of passage openings for the flow ducts, wherein the base is composed of at least one first base part and a second base part.
US08881788B1
A screened area water passageway comprising a passageway frame, with the passageway frame having an open bottom. There is included a long side mounting strip coupled to the passageway frame. There is also a a passageway door frame coupled to the passageway frame. The passageway door frame has a Z-shaped facade coupled thereto so as to make the door frame more aesthetically pleasing.
US08881786B2
A device for forming and transferring a sleeve-like label to a container to be labeled, comprising a feeder designed to feed a portion of heat-shrink film to at least one forming spindle and means for wrapping the portion of heat-shrink film around the lateral surface of the forming spindle, feeder means being provided which are adapted to move, along an approach path that has at least one component perpendicular to the axis of the forming spindle, the container to be labeled to a labeling position arranged below the forming spindle and pick-up means adapted to pick up the container with the sleeve-like label fitted around the respective lateral surface along a path for removal from the labeling position which has at least one component perpendicular to the axis of the forming spindle.
US08881774B2
A fill adapter for filling a reservoir. The fill adapter includes a button assembly actuator and a pump chamber plunger actuator hingably attached to the button assembly actuator, wherein the actuation of the button assembly actuator actuates the pump chamber plunger actuator and wherein the pump chamber plunger actuator actuates a pump chamber membrane before the at least one button assembly is actuated.
US08881773B2
An apparatus configured to facilitate removal of existing, previously-applied loosefill insulation material from a building cavity is provided. The apparatus includes a removal hose configured for conveying the removed loosefill insulation material and an actuator connected to the removal hose. The actuator is configured to generate a removal force configured to remove the loosefill insulation material from the building cavity. A receptacle is connected to the actuator and configured for storage of the removed loosefill insulation material. The removed loosefill insulation material is configured for reuse as loosefill insulation material within the building cavity.
US08881772B2
A wellbore pipe protection device (1) comprises a covering sleeve (2) and an actuating element (3). The actuating element is arranged to change the deformation state of a sleeve wall (21) of the covering sleeve in order to realize interchangeability between a locked condition and an unlocked condition of the protection device. In the locked condition, elastic material (4) is being pressed by the sleeve wall into screw thread (8) of a wellbore pipe end (7). The actuating element comprises a handgrip (9) which, relative to the covering sleeve, is manually slidable in axial direction (5) and, in the locked condition, manually rotatable about the axial direction into a rotation position in which axial slidability of the actuating element is blocked in a direction towards the unlocked condition.
US08881769B2
A gas valve unit for adjusting a volumetric gas flow which is fed to a gas burner of a gas device includes a valve chamber, an actuation shaft protruding out of the valve chamber, and at least two on/off valves arranged in the valve chamber. Further arranged in the valve chamber is at least one restrictor plate having at least two restrictor points, each of the restrictor points having at least one restrictor opening. The restrictor plate is accessible from a side of the valve chamber on which the actuation shaft is protruding from the valve chamber.
US08881759B1
A selector with at least two settings, useful for controlling flow of fluid in a hydraulic control valve. In at least one of the settings of the selector, control of fluid flow is fully automatic, being controlled by the valve actuator, and in at least one of the settings of the selector, control of fluid flow is fully manual, being entirely independent of the valve actuator.
US08881758B2
Disclosed in one aspect is a valve comprising (a) a valve body having a poppet valve chamber with an axis running there through; (b) a seat having a seat sealing surface, and a outer-seat surface, the seat located axially within the poppet valve chamber; and (c) a poppet having a poppet sealing surface, the poppet being located axially within the poppet valve chamber; wherein a poppet-seat interface is created between at least a portion of the seat sealing surface and at least a portion of the poppet sealing surface, the poppet-seat interface being at an angle β of from 20 to 90° to the axis. In one embodiment the seat is removable, allowing the geometry of at least the poppet head surface and/or the seat inside surface, which defines a fluid flow-path cross-section, to be tailored.
US08881755B2
The present disclosure relates generally to a faucet valve cartridge 10 configured for use within a dual handle faucet 16, 18. The valve cartridge 10 includes first and second fluid flow control members 94 and 96 received within a valve housing 74 and configured to control fluid flow from an inlet 32, 36 to an outlet 29.
US08881752B1
Hand-held pumps are disclosed. In one embodiment, a hand-held pump is configured to produce a jet containing water, a sanitizing solution, or a combination thereof for the purpose of cleaning an object such as a medical device.
US08881750B2
A dishwasher has a wash system with a nozzle system with at least one wash nozzle for spraying wash liquid, a wash tank, and a wash pump by means of which wash liquid collected in the wash tank is fed to the at least one wash nozzle. A dirt-collecting system has at least one tank-covering screen to separate off particles of dirt from the wash liquid. The dirt-collecting system also has a dirt-collecting region arranged in the wash system and is intended for collecting the particles of dirt which have been separated off from the wash liquid with the aid of the tank-covering screen, wherein the dirt-collecting region is open at the top, but closed all the way around the sides, and wherein there is also a dirt-discharging pipe system by means of which the particles of dirt collected in the dirt-collecting region are discharged from the wash system.
US08881749B1
A system for controlling silica dust generated during the transfer of frac sand from a storage container through a conveyor system includes a system of conduits having a plurality of inlets for collecting silica dust generated at selected points along the conveyor system. An air system pneumatically coupled to the system of conduits generates a negative pressure at each of the inlets to induce the collection of silica dust at the selected points along the conveyor.
US08881747B2
The invention relates to a method for producing hoods in the form of hair nets having meshes, creating hoods having a first dimension over the head from front to rear and a second dimension crosswise thereto. A strand (20) of a net having a mesh (23) is created from threads (21). The strand (20) has two longitudinal sides. The number of meshes (23) of the net crosswise to the longitudinal sides corresponds to the number of meshes (11) of the hair net to be produced along the first or second dimension of the hair net. On or neighboring the two longitudinal sides of the strand (20), one elastic thread (22) each is fed into the outer meshes (23) of the net. At specified, regular distances, the two elastic threads (22) are guided together and connected to one another. The distance is chosen such that the number of meshes (23) of the net between two connection points (24) in the longitudinal direction of the strand (20) corresponds to the number of meshes (11) of the hair net to be produced along the first or second dimension of the hair net. The two elastic threads (22) are connected by joining to one another by means of a sealing and/or melting process. A weakness (25) is introduced in the connection region (24).
US08881746B2
A reusable self-heating hair roller includes a fluid holding body containing a supercoolable fluid. The fluid holding body may be implemented in many ways, including as non-permeable, incorruptible, air-tight film, bladder or casing. The supercoolable fluid, such as sodium acetate or equivalent, uses thermochemistry to produce on command an exothermic crystallization process that generates the heat needed to style and or curl the hair. A nucleation initiator initiates a nucleation event that propagates the crystallization to harnesses the latent heat of fusion and create the heat. The nucleation initiator may be situated so that it is generally sequestered or otherwise held in a way where it is prevented from free floating within the supercoolable fluid, yet at the same time remains in full communication with the fluid.
US08881741B1
Devices and systems for dispensing artificial eyelash adhesive for attaching an artificial eyelash to a natural lash line, and to methods of applying artificial eyelashes. Disclosed is an artificial eyelash adhesive dispenser comprising a backing layer, an artificial eyelash adhesive tape layer having a bottom surface adjacent to the backing layer and a peelable protective top layer over the top surface of the eyelash adhesive tape layer. The dispenser further includes a plurality of cuts extending through at least the adhesive tape layer and the peelable protective top layer so as to form a tear line along which an individual strip may be separated from a remainder of the dispenser. The adhesive tape layer is chemically formulated so as to not irritate the skin or eyes. Wig tape is one such material that is particularly suitable.
US08881735B2
A laser can produce pulses of light energy to eject a volume of the tissue, and the energy can be delivered to a treatment site through a waveguide, such as a fiber optic waveguide. The incident laser energy can be absorbed within a volume of the target tissue with a tissue penetration depth and pulse direction such that the propagation of the energy from the tissue volume is inhibited and such that the target tissue within the volume reaches the spinodal threshold of decomposition and ejects the volume, for example without substantial damage to tissue adjacent the ejected volume.
US08881728B2
In accordance with at least one exemplary embodiment, a ventilation system for providing gas under a first pressure to the nose of a user and second pressure to the mouth of a user is disclosed. A ventilation system can include a flow generator that can be connected to a gas supply tube. The gas supply tube can be in fluid communication with a ventilation interface. At least a portion of the gas supply tube can have a divider within the channel of the tube forming a nasal passageway and an oral passageway. A nasal breathing chamber and an oral breathing chamber can be defined in the ventilation interface. The nasal breathing chamber can be in fluid communication with the nasal passageway. The oral breathing chamber can be in fluid communication with the oral passageway.
US08881723B2
A breathable gas supply apparatus for a patient features a breathable gas supply system and a respiratory mask assembly in communication with the breathable gas supply system. The breathable gas supply system provides a supply of breathable gas to the respiratory mask assembly and removes a supply of exhaled gas from the respiratory mask assembly. The breathable gas supply system includes a housing having an inspiration chamber and an exhalation chamber and a movable structure in communication with the inspiration and exhalation chambers. The movable structure moves in phase with a respiratory cycle of a patient. In one preferred embodiment, the breathable gas supply system includes a second movable structure, which moves in response to a phase of the respiratory cycle of the patient. In another one preferred embodiment, the breathable gas supply system is powered to assist the patient's respiratory effort.
US08881703B2
An apparatus for actuating at least one outlet valve of a valve-controlled internal combustion engine for motor vehicles, includes an actuating element which is driven by a camshaft. A first piston/cylinder unit, preferably a hydraulically loaded piston/cylinder unit, is provided between a cam of the camshaft and at least one outlet valve. The piston/cylinder unit allows at least one outlet valve to be held in a non-closed intermediate position during an engine braking mode with exhaust-gas backpressure. A second piston/cylinder unit is provided which is configured as a valve-play compensation element, preferably as a hydraulic valve-play compensation element (HVC). At least one valve train-side device is provided between the cam and the at least one outlet valve, which valve train-side device exerts a force which is directed counter to the adjusting action of the HVC but is lower than the latter.
US08881697B2
A valve timing control apparatus includes a drive-side rotation member synchronously rotating with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, a driven-side rotation member integrally rotating with a camshaft, a rotational phase adjusting device including a retarded angle chamber and an advanced angle chamber, the rotational phase adjusting device adjusting the relative rotational phase between the drive-side rotation member and the driven-side rotation member, and a boss member provided at a portion of the driven-side rotation member facing an outer wall surface of the internal combustion engine and including a thrust surface that extends to be perpendicular to a rotational axis of the camshaft and that is exposed to the outer wall surface of the internal combustion engine. The boss member causes the drive-side rotation member to be prevented from making contact with the outer wall surface by making contact with the outer wall surface of the internal combustion engine.
US08881695B2
A variable compression ratio internal combustion engine includes a variable compression ratio mechanism, an actuator and a linking mechanism. The actuator is varies and maintains a rotational position of the first control shaft. The linking mechanism includes a second control shaft and a lever. The second control shaft is selectively turned by the actuator. The lever links the second control shaft to the first control shaft such that transference of vibration of the first control shaft to the second control shaft is suppressed. The first control shaft is pivotally linked to a first end of the lever by a first linking pin. The second control shaft is pivotally linked to a second end of the lever by a second linking pin.
US08881682B2
A submersible rotatable cage for fish farming comprises a central axle, a buoyant structure positioned about the central axle, and a netting attached to the buoyant structure. An actuator can be placed in operable communication with at least part of the buoyant structure to facilitate rotation of the buoyant structure about the central axle while the cage is in a submerged position. The cage can form part of a system, which includes a net cleaning apparatus, a tethering mechanism and sweep net, that forms the basis for underwater fish farming.
US08881676B2
A mask frame assembly for depositing a deposition material on a deposition substrate comprises a mask frame including an opening and frames surrounding the opening, and a mask coupled on the mask frame. A deformation prevention unit is formed on at least one region of the mask. Since the deformation prevention unit is formed on a peripheral portion of a deposition pattern in the mask, deformation of the mask in a vertical direction may be reduced. Accordingly, defective attaching of the mask to the substrate may be reduced.
US08881675B2
Disclosed are stent holding devices having a support mandrel and one or more stent retaining fixtures disposed on the mandrel. The retaining fixture may include a character identifier to facilitate tracking a stent mounted on the holding device. The retaining fixture may include a conical protrusion and a conical recess to allow any number of retaining fixtures to engage each other and be stacked on the mandrel. The retaining fixture may include a tubular member having a spiral cut that enables the diameter of the tubular member to be adjusted to allow for a frictional fit on the mandrel. The retaining fixture may have a Z-shaped or T-shaped structure configured to retain a stent. The stent retaining fixture may also have a filament for retaining a stent.
US08881662B2
An inside of an incinerator body into which sludge is fed is divided into a lower portion, a portion above the lower portion, and a top portion in a height direction. The lower portion serves as a pyrolysis zone for supplying fluidizing air having an air ratio of 1.1 or less together with fuel to thermally decompose the sludge while fluidizing the sludge. The portion above the lower portion serves as an over bed combustion zone for supplying only combustion air having an air ratio of 0.1 to 0.3 to form a local high temperature place to decompose N2O. The top portion serves as a perfect combustion zone for perfectly combusting unburned contents. The quantity of N2O generated during sludge incineration can be drastically reduced while maintaining the use quantity of auxiliary fuel at the same level as that of a conventional incineration method.
US08881661B2
A foldable table includes a first tabletop panel, a second tabletop panel, and a reinforcing frame which includes first through fourth reinforcing members mounted along longitudinal sides of the first and second tabletop panels respectively, a first transverse member transversely extended between outer end portions of the first and second reinforcing members at the first tabletop panel, and a second transverse member transversely extended between outer end portions of the third and fourth reinforcing members at the second tabletop panel. Two ends of the first transverse member are affixed to the first and second reinforcing members in a non-rotatably movable manner. Two ends of the second transverse member are affixed to the third and fourth reinforcing members in a non-rotatably movable manner. Therefore, the first and second transverse members enhance the rigidity of the reinforcement frame to support two transverse sides of the first and second tabletop panels respectively.
US08881660B2
A shelf assembly for an appliance includes a shelf panel comprising a generally planar support surface and a rear edge including a raised profile extending away from the support surface. A frame is configured to be mounted to an appliance to support the shelf panel with the support surface extending generally along a horizontal plane. The frame includes an elongated rear support member. A support channel extends at least partially into the rear support member, and is configured to removably receive and capture the rear edge of the shelf panel to inhibit removal of the shelf panel from the frame in the direction of the horizontal plane. The shelf panel is selectively removable from the support channel by tilting a front edge of the shelf panel upwards to a predetermined angle relative to the horizontal plane. A slide latch can selectively and lockingly engage corresponding support structure of an appliance.
US08881656B2
A stabilizer is disclosed for use in stabilizing and maintaining the spacing between a pair of railway rails during rail tie replacement. The stabilizer comprises a rod having a length and a pair of ends. A pair of rail clamps is carried by the rod, and each clamp is configured to engage one of the rails and secure the rail relative to the rod. An expanding member is carried by the rod and configured to selectively expand along the length of the rod between its ends to engage a structure proximal to the rails, wherein, upon engagement of the rails by the rail clamps and the expanding member with the structure, the rails are maintained in substantially fixed relationship to each other and to the structure, but are free to be moved vertically relative to the structure.
US08881652B2
A template is provided to stretch socks out slightly so the surface of the socks are smooth and flat for printing. In order to make the process cost effective, the templates are designed to print either 2 or 3 pairs of socks at one time, the template comprises: a planar registration portion configured to assist a user to align the printing template with a printer tray; and first and second receiving portions orthogonally extending from the registration portion, each receiving portion configured to receive a garment opening and having a width configured to flatten a portion of the received sock for printing, wherein the first and second receiving portions extend in opposite direction of the planar registration portion.
US08881650B2
A die for the micro contact printing includes a die body and a die surface that is fixedly connected to the die body. The die surface is divided into at least two different regions. Each of the at least two regions comprises a different material having a different absorption capacity for printing ink. At least one of the at least two regions has a lateral dimension of no more than 1000 nanometers.
US08881642B2
A beverage brewer having a water flow control system for controlling the flow water through the system during a brewing cycle. The water flow control system is related to the spray head used in the brewer. The system can be calibrated based on the spray head used with the system and the calibration information can be used during the brewing process. An information device may be provided on the spray head to communication information to the brewer to control the brewing process. The brewer may be provided with a reader to read the information from the spray head. A system which can be used with a brewer, including all of the aforementioned information associated with the spray head for use in controlling the water flow during a brewing cycle. The system can be provided with the brewer or retrofitted with an existing brewer.
US08881637B2
An apparatus and method for releasably mounting access control components for a door lock to a door. A base element is adapted to be mounted to the door. A first wire connector element is mounted to the base element. A mounting element with combustible material attached is provided. A second wire connector element is mounted to the mounting element, and the second wire connector element is releasably connected to the first wire connector element to mount the mounting element to the base element. A spring is provided, and a retainer holds the spring in a loaded state, but in a fire event the retainer may melt, allowing the spring to apply force to the mounting element. Alternatively, an expanding material may apply the force. The force causes the wire connector elements to disconnect and allow the mounting element to separate from the base element.
US08881636B2
According to one embodiment, a system for protecting a vehicle from projectiles includes a detection component, a selection component, and an ignition component. In one embodiment, the detection component detects one or more projectiles having a first trajectory that is incident to a first location on the vehicle. In one embodiment, the selection component automatically selects two or more rockets mounted on the vehicle that, when ignited, produce a plurality of exhaust streams configured to deflect the one or more projectiles to a second trajectory. In one embodiment, the second trajectory is not incident to the first location on the vehicle. In one embodiment, the ignition component ignites the selected two or more rockets.
US08881630B2
A dispenser for dispensing a selectable amount of material from an amount of stored material. The dispenser includes a housing having a material track and material storage area, a material-advancement mechanism disposed within said housing, a material-cutting, mechanism, and an actuator. The actuator has a first end being operatively engaged with said first mechanism and an opposing second opposing end being operatively engaged with said second mechanism. The actuator is spring-biased to a non-compressed position via at least first and second springs and is also selectably shiftable to a selectable, material-advancement position and a selectable, material-cutting position.
US08881626B2
A lathe includes a machine support, a working table positioned on the machine support, a rotating driver, a moving device, and a feeding device. The rotating driver rotates the work table. The moving device includes at least one cross beam, at least one first driving mechanism, and at least one second driving mechanism. The cross beam is movably positioned on the machine support above the working table. The feeding device is movably positioned on the at least one cross beam, and includes a feeding driving mechanism and a cutter. The first driving mechanism drives the cross beam to move along a first direction, and the second driving mechanism drives the feeding device to move along a second direction at about ninety degrees from the first direction. The feeding mechanism drives the cutter to move backwards and forwards along a third direction perpendicular to the first and second direction.
US08881623B2
The invention relates to a corkscrew (T) including a handle (100) to which are connected a worm (200) and two separate levers (300, 400) pivotably connected in a case on a single pin (A) secured to the handle and preformed to provide the two notches or two fulcra (310, 410) that are required in order to extract a cork (B) inserted in the neck (G) of a bottle, in two steps. Said corkscrew is characterized in that the two levers include two portions, the second portion (330) of the first lever (300) being preformed such as to be inserted in the second portion (430) of the second lever (400) and create a fulcrum on the neck (G) of the bottle when the corkscrew (T) passes from the first notch (310) to the second notch (410) such that said first notch (310) does not project in relation to the second notch (410) and said first notch (310) does not prevent said passing. The invention also relates to the method for using the corkscrew described above. The invention is useful for manufacturing corkscrews.
US08881621B2
A steering wheel assembly having an armature, a hub, a wheel rim skeleton, and at least one spoke connecting the hub with the wheel rim skeleton. The assembly may include a rim interface component attachable to the wheel rim skeleton. The assembly may further include an insert component, which is attachable to the wheel rim skeleton and/or the hub, and the rim interface component and the insert component being exchangeable independently of each other.
US08881618B2
A lock for an adjustable steering column includes a rotatable locking lever to actuate the lock between an unlocked position and locked position, a lock plate including plate lock teeth and a first slot, and a slider including slider lock teeth and a second slot angled relative to the first slot. The slider teeth are received between respective plate lock teeth. A lock bolt rotates with the locking lever and extends through the first and second slots, and has a retainer on one end. A cam positioned on the lock bolt applies or releases a force to the slider in response to rotation of the locking lever to actuate the lock. In the locked position the slider lock teeth lockingly engage between the plate lock teeth, and in the unlocked position, the slider lock teeth are released from locking engagement with and are positioned between the plate lock teeth.
US08881614B2
A vehicle transmission includes a transmission input and output along with a main shaft and a countershaft that create a plurality of transmission ratios for providing different gears when combined. The vehicle transmission also includes a range change transmission. The vehicle transmission also has, in the direction of the propulsion power flow from the transmission input to the transmission output, a performance interface downstream of the countershaft and upstream of the range change transmission for connecting an electric motor.
US08881610B2
A water sampling device includes a mounting frame including two end plates disposed parallel to one another on a shaft. A multiple magazine is configured as a rotatable drum magazine that is horizontally disposed between the two end plates of the mounting frame. The multiple magazine includes a plurality of sample containers. Each of the sample containers has a first face and a second face. The first face includes a first axially arranged conical opening and a first positive locking cone forming an inlet valve. The second face includes a. second axially arranged conical opening and a second positive locking cone forming an outlet valve. Each of the positive locking ,cones is configured to shift axially relative to the respective conical opening so as to operate the respective inlet or outlet valve and so as to form a symmetrical annular gap in an open position of the respective valve.
US08881606B2
There is offered a water meter that requires no coil so that its cost is reduced. The water meter is formed to include an impeller, a rotation reduction unit, a first circular plate, a second circular plate, a rotation detection unit and an arithmetic unit. The rotation detection unit forms first, second and third combination capacitors with a switching circuit. The rotation detection unit detects changes in capacitances of the first, second and third combination capacitors associated with a rotation of the first circular plate. The arithmetic unit is configured so as to electrically detect the rotation angle θ of the first circular plate based on the changes in the capacitances.
US08881604B2
A measuring system comprises: a measuring transducer of vibration type, through which fluid flows during operation, and which produces oscillation signals corresponding to parameters of the flowing fluid; as well as a transmitter electronics (TE), which is electrically coupled with the measuring transducer, and serves for activating the measuring transducer and for evaluating oscillation signals delivered by the measuring transducer. The measuring transducer (MT) includes: At least one measuring tube (10; 10′) for conveying flowing fluid; at least one electro-mechanical oscillation exciter (41) for actively exciting and/or maintaining bending oscillations of the at least one measuring tube in a wanted mode; and at least a first oscillation sensor (51) for registering vibrations of the at least one measuring tube, and for producing an oscillation signal (s1) of the measuring transducer, representing vibrations at least of the at least one measuring tube. The transmitter-electronics (TE), in turn, generates, by means of a signal component of the oscillation signal, which represents a bending oscillation mode, in which the at least one vibrating measuring tube executes bending oscillations with at least one oscillatory antinode more than in the case of the bending oscillations in the wanted mode, a cavitation report (XKV), which signals an occurrence of cavitation in the fluid.
US08881600B2
In a process for testing filters (4) and (13) of treatment fluid of a hemodiafiltration apparatus (1), each filter has a wet semipermeable membrane (5, 14) which separates a gas-filled first chamber (6 and 15) from a liquid-filled second chamber (7 and 16). The first chambers are pressurised by a pump (19) supplying air, while the second chambers are placed in depression by a drainage pump (17) of used dialysis fluid. A first closed system is formed which includes the first chambers and a second closed system is formed which includes the second chambers. Two pressure gauges (P1 and P2) monitor the pressure in the two closed systems for a predetermined time. The monitoring provides indications relating to the filter integrity.
US08881596B2
An MEMS pressure sensor is designed to reduce or eliminate thermal noise, such as temperature offset voltage output. The pressure sensor includes a pressure sensing element having a diaphragm, and a cavity formed as part of the pressure sensing element, where the cavity receives a fluid such that the diaphragm at least partially deflects. The pressure sensing element also includes a plurality of piezoresistors, which are operable to generate a signal based on the amount of deflection in the diaphragm. At least one trench is integrally formed as part of the pressure sensing element, and an adhesive connects the pressure sensing element to the at least one substrate such that at least a portion of the adhesive is attached to the trench and redistributes thermally induced stresses on the pressure sensing element such that the thermally induced noise is substantially eliminated.
US08881594B2
A pressure measuring device includes a resilient expandable pressure sensor element having an open end and an opposite closed end. The pressure sensor element includes spiral flutes extending between the open and closed ends defining spiral bellows. The pressure sensor element is tapered over at least a portion of its length from the open end to the closed end. The pressure measuring device also includes a supporting structure having a pressure indicating scale. The supporting structure holds the pressure sensor element such that the open end of the pressure sensor element is in communication with a fluid whose pressure is to be measured and pressure applied by the fluid causes the pressure sensor element to expand axially and be visibly displaced relative to the pressure indicating scale by a distance related to the pressure applied by the fluid.
US08881589B2
A float for displaying the fill level of a medium (3) in a container (2), wherein the float (1), in the intended use, is guided by the wall of the container (2, 4) and is suitable for reflecting electromagnetic waves emitted from a transmitter (5) toward a receiver (6). The float has improved electromagnetic wave reflecting characteristics regardless of whether or not the float is tilted in that, in the intended use, at least the end of the float facing the transmitter (5) is a reflector (20) for reflecting electromagnetic waves to the receiver (6) and that a field attenuation structure (8) is located behind the reflector (20) from the perspective of the transmitter (5) in such a manner that electromagnetic waves interacting with the field attenuation structure (8) are attenuated.
US08881578B2
Device and associated methods for detecting a property of a fluid. The device includes a body region and a first flexible element having a first end and a second end. The first end is fixedly located on the body region. The flexible element includes at least a first layer having a first coefficient of thermal expansion and a second layer having a second, different coefficient of thermal expansion. An electrical heater element can be arranged to heat the flexible element to induce bending of said flexible element. The resistance of a first portion of the electrical heater element adjacent the first end can be greater than the resistance of a second portion of the electrical heater element further from the first end. The device can include a heater controller arranged to supply an electrical pulse having a duration less than 5 ms to the electrical heater. The device can include a second, reference flexible element having a first end and a second end, with the first end fixedly located on the body region. Each flexible element can include a respective sensor arranged to provide a signal indicative of the movement of that flexible element. The sensor of the reference flexible element has a different configuration than the sensor of the first flexible element, with at least one of the flexible elements including at least one additional portion of material for equalizing the thermal conductivity distribution of the two flexible elements.
US08881567B2
A reset fixture for a rekeyable lock cylinder includes a housing with a central recess for receiving a cylinder body. A first opening communicating with the central recess is defined in the housing for receiving a reset tool. A second opening communicating with the central recess is defined in the housing for receiving a bracing bar.
US08881559B1
The present invention discloses a foldable lock. The foldable lock is constituted by a lock head which is pivoted with a foldable lock rod set. Two steel balls are used by the lock head to control unlocking and locking operations, thereby improving difficulty in prizing. The foldable lock rod set is composed of plural flexible lock rods, plural pivoting sheaths, plural protective covers and plural bolts, allowing the foldable lock to have a better circuity when twining an object. By the abovementioned structures, the foldable lock can increase convenience in the locking operation and enhance the anti-theft effect.
US08881553B2
A calibration assembly has a base and mounting elements to mount the base to a laser. The base has a front, middle and rear portions that are used to align the calibration assembly to the laser to cleave optical fibers with the laser. The front portion has a channel to receive the optical fibers, the middle portion has openings to confirm alignment of the laser; and the rear portion has a rear opening used to adjust the pitch and roll of the laser.
US08881551B2
A method for positioning glass sheets for forming includes positioners (55) that are moved slower than the speed of glass sheet conveyance to provide rotational adjustment of a glass sheet for accurate alignment above a forming mold (52). The forming mold (52) is moved upwardly for the forming in a pressing manner against a downwardly facing upper mold (58). Both preformed and flat glass sheets can be positioned by different embodiments of the apparatus.
US08881549B2
A process and an apparatus are disclosed for a compact processing assembly to recover propane, propylene, and heavier hydrocarbon components from a hydrocarbon gas stream. The gas stream is cooled, expanded to lower pressure, and fed to an absorbing means. A first distillation liquid stream from the absorbing means is fed to a mass transfer means. A first distillation vapor stream from the mass transfer means is cooled to partially condense it, forming a residual vapor stream and a condensed stream. The condensed stream is supplied as the top feed to the absorbing means. A second distillation vapor stream from the absorbing means is heated by cooling the first distillation vapor stream, combined with the residual vapor stream, and heated by cooling the gas stream. A second distillation liquid stream from the mass transfer means is heated in a heat and mass transfer means to strip out its volatile components.
US08881540B1
Disclosed is a process of determining, at a point during shipment, whether the solid phase refrigerant in a shipment is sufficient to preserve the shipment cargo, which is blood or other biological products, for the remaining shipment period, by: monitoring the temperatures encountered to said point and estimating the temperatures likely to be encountered during the remaining shipment period; determining the likelihood that the remaining refrigerant can maintain the shipment cargo within a specified temperature range during the remaining shipment period; and if the risk that the remaining refrigerant cannot maintain the shipment cargo within said range during the remaining shipment period is above a cut-off level, then taking action to preserve the value of the cargo.
US08881532B2
A control method for cooling a turbine stage of a gas turbine, whereby cooling air is bled from combustion air flowing in a compressor of the gas turbine, and is fed to a cooling circuit staring from a stator of the turbine stage; and cooling airflow is adjusted as a function of the pressure at the inlet of the cooling circuit, and as a function of the combustion air pressure at the exhaust of the compressor; more specifically, there is a feedback control setting a setpoint, which is predetermined as a function of the power output of the turbine to reduce contaminating emissions.
US08881527B2
Power plant systems and methods are presented. The power plant includes a steam turbine configured to release exhaust steam. The power plant further includes an electro-hydrodynamic system operatively coupled to the steam turbine. The electro-hydrodynamic system is configured to receive the exhaust steam from the steam turbine and generate auxiliary electric power using the exhaust steam.
US08881516B2
A stator assembly for a torque converter includes a member fixed against rotation and including engagement surfaces spaced mutually about an axis, a stator formed with pockets spaced about the axis, rockers, each rocker located in a pocket, able to pivot toward and away from engagement with the engagement surfaces, and springs, each spring urging a rocker toward engagement with the engagement surfaces.
US08881513B2
A device for producing electrical energy from the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, includes a generator with an exhaust gas inlet connection, an exhaust gas outlet connection and at least one heat exchange section therebetween. At least one flow diversion and/or flow division is provided between the exhaust gas inlet connection and the heat exchange section. The heat exchange section has a plurality of flow paths perpendicular to the exhaust gas inlet connection, to be assigned to a plurality of heat exchange units. At least a portion of the heat exchange assembly has at least one thermoelectric element and a cooling device. The at least one thermoelectric element is captively connected to the cooling device. A motor vehicle having the device is also provided.
US08881512B2
A catalyst converter having a retaining mat with a thickness wherein the apparent density during assembling becomes 0.25 g/cm3 or more and less than 0.51 g/cm3 and the outside diameter D1 of a catalyst retainer is set according to interference of the retaining mat in passing through a press-in tool and interference of the retaining mat after being pressed into a retaining tube. The retaining mat is formed of a non-expandable inorganic fiber sheet. A pressing force moves the catalyst retainer in the axial direction with respect to the retaining tube while the catalyst converter device is used with the length L2 along the longitudinal direction of the catalyst retainer in the retaining mat wound around the catalyst retainer being set longer than the winding diameter D1 of the retaining mat around the catalyst retainer so that a retaining force R greater than the pressing force F can be secured.
US08881509B2
A system for purifying an exhaust gas and an exhaust system having the same while preventing degradation of a selective reduction catalyst may include an exhaust pipe connected to an engine, the exhaust gas generated at the engine passing through the exhaust pipe, a particulate filter mounted on the exhaust pipe, coated with a selective reduction catalyst adapted to reduce nitrogen oxides contained in the exhaust gas by an injection of a reducing agent, and adapted to trap particulate matters contained in the exhaust gas, and one or more injectors adapted to inject the reducing agent and/or oxygen storage capacity material together or separately into the exhaust gas passing through the exhaust pipe.
US08881500B2
A detonation chamber for a pulse detonation combustor including: a plurality of duplex tab obstacles disposed on at least a portion of an inner surface of the detonation chamber wherein the plurality of duplex tab obstacles enhance a turbulence of a fluid flow through the detonation chamber.
US08881499B2
Apparatus includes an ignition system that repeats an ignition cycle by providing hydrogen and oxygen and also provides a control spark with a sufficient amount of energy for igniting a combustible mixture of hydrogen and oxygen. The combustion chamber is immersed in an aqueous fluid, fills with the same or other aqueous fluid, receives the hydrogen and oxygen therein, receive the control spark to ignite the combustible mixture of hydrogen and oxygen to cause a combustion reaction to occur and form steam that yields a specific amount of heat energy, and provides the aqueous fluid from the combustion chamber in response to the substantial increase in pressure on the aqueous fluid contained therein.
US08881492B2
A window buck/drywall panel assembly comprising a window buck having a cross-section where the cross-section defines a right trapezoid, where the window buck includes a window buck beveled edge; and a drywall panel having a cross-section where the cross-section defines a right trapezoid, where the drywall panel includes a drywall beveled edge, and the window buck and the drywall panel are secured to one another such that the window buck beveled edge and the drywall beveled edge are in contact with one another.
US08881488B2
A high-strength ribbon loop anchor and cavity wall anchoring system employing the same is disclosed. The ribbon loop anchor is a wire formative construct that is cold-worked with the resultant body having substantially semicircular edges and flat surfaces therebetween. The edges are aligned to receive compressive forces transmitted from the facing wall. The ribbon loops hereof, when part of the anchoring system, interengage with the veneer tie and are dimensioned to preclude significant movement lateral with or normal to the inner wythe.
US08881487B2
A joining system arrangement for building elements the joining system arrangement having a box element adapted for embedment in a first building element, such that an open side of the box element is flush with a surface of the building element, and arranged such that a bridge element can be inserted into the box element, the box element having four side faces arranged around an open side and a back plate, wherein, at at least one side face of the box element includes at least one load transmitting element which is arranged externally on the at least one side face, the at least one load transmitting element configured such that at least two surface portions are formed, constituting a rounded face, which are turned away from the at least one side face of the box element and from each other.
US08881485B2
A wind turbine tower system includes a wind turbine tower with a height of at least 100 meters, said wind turbine tower. The wind turbine tower includes a plurality of hexagonal-shaped or other shapes of vertical columns comprised of a concrete composition and a plurality of panels, each of the plurality of panels extending between adjacent vertical columns. The plurality of vertical columns and the plurality of panels are arranged to provide a hexagonal cross-section for the wind turbine tower.
US08881482B2
A modular flooring system includes a plurality of floor tiles situated about a ground surface, with each floor tile having a substantially-flat top surface and a connection interface with opposing engagement surfaces. The flooring system also includes a plurality of removable bridge connectors, with each of the bridge connectors having a plurality of tile interfaces, and with each tile interface having complimentary engagement surfaces configured to engage with the opposing engagement surfaces of the connection interfaces. The tile interfaces of the bridge connectors couple to the respective connection interfaces of any adjacent floor tiles to restrain the relative vertical movement between the adjacent floor tiles while facilitating controlled relative lateral movement between the floor tiles.
US08881474B2
Disclosed is a housing and mounting assembly for a skylight module, and particularly for a skylight module that incorporates an energy management system. The housing and mounting assembly is configured to efficiently capture both direct solar and diffuse ambient light, and deliver light that is diffuse to the space below the skylight that provides even illumination and no unpleasant glare spots. The walls of the skylight module may be formed of multi-wall polycarbonate panels configured to redirect both the upward- and downward-shining light through the aperture into the space below. Moreover, the curb of the assembly may include a flexible flashing strip provided with a reflective coating configured to reflect sunlight upward through the walls of the assembly and into the skylight module, such that the advantages of collecting and using such reflected light can be achieved even in a retrofit installation on a non-reflective roofing surface.
US08881461B2
A sash window restrictor (20) has a housing (22) which is to be let into a vertical frame member (10) of one sash (normally the upper, outer sash) of a window, at a position, say, 10 cm above the top rail of the lower sash when the windows are closed. A tab (24) is mounted in the housing and can be retracted into the housing or extended from the housing. A mechanism acts between the tab and the housing and allows the tab to be pressed into the housing and held in the housing for a period of time before the tab is released to allow the tab to extend. With the tab extended, the lower sash (12) can be lifted until it reaches the tab (24) but no further, so that a 10 cm gap will be opened at the bottom of the window.
US08881458B2
A slider window assembly for a vehicle includes a frame portion having an upper rail and a lower rail, at least one fixed window panel that is fixed relative to the frame portion, and a movable window panel that is movable along the upper and lower rails. The movable window panel is movable between a closed position and an opened position. The movable window panel may include a panel portion and a carrier element integrally formed with the panel portion, with the carrier portion slidably received in the lower rail and movable along the lower rail as the movable window panel is moved between its closed and opened positions.
US08881454B2
An agriculture production system includes a plurality of plant housings interconnected by conduit portions of a conduit assembly. Each plant housing has an upper housing portion that supports a plant in a growing media therein and a lower housing portion defining a chamber cavity below the upper housing portion so that roots of the plant extend into the chamber, said conduit portions fluidly interconnecting the chambers of the plant housings. A conditioned air unit is coupled to the conduit assembly and conditions air that flows through the conduit assembly into the chambers of the plant housings. A water supply assembly has a plurality of irrigation units, each associated with one of the plant housings and delivering water to the plant housing from a water supply source. The plant housings are arranged in a circuit allowing conditioned air to flow through the chambers of the plant housings to control a temperature and/or humidity in said chambers to promote root development and plant growth.
US08881453B2
A material for assisting in at least one of germination, protection, hydration, and thriving of seeds and the plants originating therefrom treats a seed with a tackifier or binder, such as corn syrup or the like, which secures a layer of hydrating polymer particles thereto. Nutrients, protectants, and the like may be absorbed in the polymer before or after coating of a seed thereby. Weighting materials, extenders, flowing agents, and the like may assist in the functioning or handling of the coated seeds.
US08881444B2
A stock bedding system for a firearm is disclosed. In one embodiment, the stock bedding system includes a stock having a pair of bearing surfaces that are configured and arranged to mutually engage a mating pair of bearing surfaces formed on the barrel-receiver assembly. At least one of the four bearing surfaces has a predetermined convex surface profile which causes the barrel-receiver assembly to roll in an angular direction away from one lateral side of the stock towards the opposite lateral side when the barrel-receiver assembly is mounted to the stock. The convex surface profile acts to tighten the engagement between the opposing bearing surfaces of the barrel-receiver assembly and stock providing a secure and vibration resistant mounting. In one embodiment, the convex-shaped bearing surface is defined by a pillar lug mounted in the stock which engages a mating substantially flat bearing surface formed on the barrel-receiver assembly.
US08881438B2
A luggage tag which can be easily operated for attachment of the luggage tag to a luggage is provided. A luggage tag includes a surface sheet and a peel-off sheet, and a customer's copy is provided on one end portion of the surface sheet via a separation slit. A peel-off region is provided on one end portion of the peel-off sheet via a peel-off slit. When winding the luggage tag on a handle of a luggage in a loop fashion, an attaching portion to be adhered to the peel-off sheet is covered with the peel-off region, and the customer's copy is adhered to the peel-off region. A folding line is provided on the peel-off region, and when the peel-off region is folded along the folding line, an adhesive layer of the customer's copy is exposed outside.
US08881437B1
One non-limiting embodiment of the present invention includes an identification marker system including a marker base including a coupling member, wherein the coupling member is configured to couple to a toy piece, wherein the coupling member has a default closed position and the coupling member is substantially curved along its length in the closed position, wherein the coupling member has a cross section having a width dimension and a height dimension, wherein the height dimension is substantially larger than the width dimension, wherein the coupling member has an outer surface an inner surface, wherein the inner surface is opposite the outer surface.
US08881424B2
A drying installation (1) and method for drying of products (3). More in particular, the invention relates to a drying installation (1) and a method for drying sludge or mud, as e.g. the drying of wastewater and industrial sludge possibly contaminated with toxic or corrosive components. The dryer installation (1) comprises infrared emitters (5) which are protected and/or insulated from the evaporation products (7) exiting the drying product (3).
US08881422B2
An apparatus for drying laundry with ultraviolet radiation is provided. One or more ultraviolet light sources emit ultraviolet radiation, which, in various embodiments, is transmitted through a UV-radiation permeable transparent drum containing the wet laundry and other wet articles to be dried. Also provided is a dryer having ultraviolet light sources centrally situated with respect to the drum, wherein the ultraviolet light sources emit ultraviolet radiation directed at laundry in the drum.
US08881402B2
A roller for producing optical films is disclosed. The roller includes a cylindrical main body and a micro-structured layer surrounding a circumferential surface of the main body. The microstructure layer includes a number of microstructures on its surface away from the main body. The microstructure layer is made from ethylene tetrafluoroethylene.
US08881400B2
A method for producing a throttle point, particularly in a channel of a valve piece of a fuel injector is disclosed. The following are performed: first, the outlet channel is created by machining. Then, the throttle point is stamped by a stamping die inserted into a guide hole. The pre-stamped throttle point is electrical-discharge machined in such a way that said throttle point has an electrical-discharge machined inlet area and comprises a stamped outlet area, which lies before a continuous cross-section expansion of the outlet channel as viewed in the flow direction.
US08881399B2
A manufacturing method of nozzle plate for liquid ejection head includes, providing a substrate having a first base material of Si and a second base material, of which the etching rate in Si anisotropic dry etching is lower then that of Si, provided on one side of the first base material, forming a film as a second etching mask on the surface of the second base material, forming a second etching mask pattern having a small-diameter opening shape in the second etching mask film, etching until the etching part is extended through the second base material, forming a film as a first etching mask film on the surface of the first base material, forming a first etching mask pattern having a large-diameter opening shape in the first etching mask film, and Si anisotropic dry etching until the etched part is extended through the first base material.
US08881397B1
A method for designing an air cooled turbine airfoil includes selecting a number of different internal cooling air circuits, forming a ceramic core for each of the different cooling air circuits, forming a metal airfoil over each of the ceramic cores, leaching away the ceramic cores, mounting the airfoils in a stage of a turbine, passing a hot gas stream through the turbine, passing cooling air through each of the airfoils, and measuring a pressure and temperature differential across each of the airfoils to determine which cooling air circuit has the best performance.
US08881391B2
A method for producing a hollow engine valve is disclosed which involves gradually reducing the size of the outer diameter and inner diameter of a hollow shaft of a semi-finished product sequentially inserting the hollow shaft into a plurality of molding holes having different hole shapes so as to gradually extend the length of the hollow shaft, and forming the hollow shaft into a predetermined shape by sequentially performing a drawing process. The semi-finished product is subjected to heat treatment such that the hardness thereof is equal to or less than a predetermined hardness, and the maximum thickness between the hollow shaft and an umbrella portion connected to the bottom edge of the hollow shaft is formed to be thicker than the thickness of the hollow shaft by means of a molding hole of a die which is adjusted to have a specific length and maximum inner diameter.
US08881386B2
There is provided a power module production method that is capable of stably producing a power module with highly reliable properties, and so forth. The power module production method produces a power module 1 by stacking a cooler 5, an insulating resin sheet 4, a heat sink block 3, and a semiconductor chip 2, wherein a first insulating resin sheet 41, which forms a lower layer of the insulating resin sheet 4, is first bonded to the cooler 5 by thermal compression. Next, with a second insulating resin sheet 42, which forms an upper layer of the insulating resin sheet 4, interposed between the first insulating resin sheet 41 and the heat sink block 3, the second insulating resin sheet 42 is bonded to the first insulating resin sheet 41 by thermal compression, and the heat sink block 3 is bonded to the second insulating resin sheet 42 by thermal compression. The semiconductor chip 2 is then soldered onto the heat sink block 3. Thus, bonding defects at the respective bonding interfaces are prevented, and dielectric breakdown of the insulating resin sheet 4 is prevented.
US08881381B2
Disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing a printed circuit board, comprising: preparing a first carrier including a first pattern formed on one side thereof; preparing a second carrier including a first solder resist layer and a second pattern sequentially formed on one side thereof; pressing the first carrier and the second carrier such that the first pattern is embedded in one side of an insulation layer and the second pattern is embedded in the other side of the insulation layer and then removing the first carrier and the second carrier to fabricate two substrates; attaching the two substrates to each other using an adhesion layer such that the first solder resist layers face each other; and forming a via for connecting the first pattern with the second pattern in the insulation layer, forming a second solder resist on the insulation layer provided with the first pattern, and then removing the adhesion layer.
US08881378B2
A method is described to improve performance of a magneto-resistive (MR) sensor under conditions of high areal density. The free layer is partially etched away, the removed material being replaced by a magnetic flux guide structure that reduces the free layer's demagnetization field. This in turn reduces the stripe height of the sensor so that the resolution and the read-back signal are enhanced without increasing noise and instability.
US08881376B2
A method of manufacturing a PMR writer is disclosed that minimizes pole erasure during non-writing and maximize write field during writing by including an AFM-FM phase change material spacer that is in an AFM state during non-writing and switches to a FM state by heating during writing. The main pole layer including the write pole may be formed as a laminated structure by a sputter deposition process wherein a plurality of “n” ferromagnetic layers and “n−1” AFM-FM phase change material layers are laid down in an alternating manner. The AFM-FM phase change material is preferably a FeRh or FeRhX alloy (X=Pt, Pd, or Ir) having a Rh content >35 atomic %, and may also be used as a flux gate to prevent yoke flux from leaking into the write pole tip.
US08881370B2
Inertial sensor having a body with first and second cavities on opposite sides thereof, a sensing element in the first cavity, electronic circuitry in the second cavity, electrical conductors interconnecting the sensing element and the circuitry, and leads connected electrically to the circuitry and extending from the body for mounting the sensor and making connections with the circuitry.
US08881366B2
A load wheel assembly for a materials handling vehicle includes first and second spaced side members, at least one rotatable roller extending between the first and second side members. An interface structure provides a substantially rigid connection between the load wheel assembly and a mounting structure on the materials handling vehicle. The mounting structure includes a transverse bar and the interface structure includes a portion that engages and mates with the transverse bar to form a rigid connection between the interface structure and the transverse bar.
US08881360B2
An automated pallet inspection and repair apparatus comprises an inspection station and a repair station. The inspection station comprises a laser that illuminates a pallet, a camera that collects the reflected light and a computer system. The computer system analyses the output of the camera and acquires the pallet's geometry and topography. The design of the pallet is determined by the computer software. A decision to repair the pallet is made by comparing acquired pallet data against the design criteria. If the pallet needs repair, a recipe of repair steps is constructed by inspecting each of the pallet's elements. The recipe is transmitted to the automated repair station.
US08881356B2
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a sitting orthosis, which is provided with a contact surface where the user of the sitting orthosis makes contact with the sitting orthosis, from a representation of the contact surface of the sitting orthosis. The method comprises of manufacturing a shell part on the basis of the representation of the contact surface by machining processable material under the control of the representation of the contact surface of the sitting orthosis; and arranging a covering layer on the thus obtained shell part. The invention also relates to a sitting orthosis. The sitting orthosis comprises a contact surface where the user of the sitting orthosis makes contact with the sitting orthosis, wherein the sitting orthosis is assembled from a shell part of a material processable by machining and wherein at least the contact surface is provided with a covering layer.
US08881347B2
A damping device for a handgrip of an object includes a bladder disposed in said handgrip, an inflation device in fluid communication with the bladder, and a controller adapted to detect at least one of vibrations and impact pressure, and automatically adjust a cushion pressure of said bladder by causing the inflation device to inflate or deflate the bladder with a fluid as appropriate in order to attenuate the at least one of vibrations and impact pressure transmitted through said handgrip.
US08881318B2
Sanitary installation with basin body to be mounted in a suspended manner, wherein on the wall for fixing at least two bolt-type wall mounts are provided, wherein at least one mount is provided, which in relation to the assembled position has at least one transverse perforation (9) in the longitudinal direction of the wall mounts for receiving a wall mount and a threaded bore (8), wherein the threaded bore (8) is disposed substantially perpendicular to the transverse perforation (9) for receiving a locking screw (26) and is accessible from below in the assembled position, and wherein the mount is fixable in at least one bore (11, 14) provided in a wall of the sanitary installation.
US08887309B2
The present invention relates to a method of enabling authentication of an information carrier (105), the information carrier (105) comprising a writeable part (155) and a physical token (125) arranged to supply a response upon receiving a challenge, the method comprising the following steps; applying a first challenge (165) to the physical token (125) resulting in a first response (170), and detecting the first response (170) of the physical token (125) resulting in a detected first response data (175), the method being characterized in that it further comprises the following steps; forming a first authentication data (180) based on information derived from the detected first response data (175), signing the first authentication data (180), and writing the signed authentication data (185) in the writeable part (155) of the information carrier (105). The invention further relates to a method of authentication of an information carrier (105), as well as to devices for both enabling authentication as well as authentication of an information carrier (105).
US08887308B2
The invention is an apparatus that facilitates access to a data source to accept verification and authentication from an enabler using at least one token and at least one reference. The at least one reference could be a device serial number, a networking MAC address, or a membership ID reference from a web service. Access to the data source is also managed with a plurality of secondary enablers.
US08887298B2
Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to updating and validating documents secured cryptographically. In aspects, documents are encrypted to protect them from unauthorized access. An entity having write access to a document may create a new version of the document and sign the new version with a private key. Other entities may validate that the new version of the document was created by an authorized entity by using a public key available in security data associated with the version. The entities that are authorized to create a new version may change which security principals are allowed to create subsequent versions.
US08887287B2
A method and apparatus are disclosed for evaluating the security of at least one client. An executable program is executed by the client being evaluated. A result is received from the executable program, and an evaluation of the result indicates whether the client has been corrupted. The executable program is one of a plurality of possible programs. The result may be evaluated based on an elapsed time between when the executable program is provided to the client and when the result is received. The executable program may include at least one function that writes to a memory of the client. A program blinding technique is also disclosed to generate executable programs.
US08887277B1
A security module on a computing device applies security rules to examine content in a network cache and identify suspicious cache content. Cache content is identified as suspicious according to security rules, such as a rule determining whether the cache content is associated with modified-time set into the future, and a rule determining whether the cache content was created in a low-security environment. The security module may establish an out-of-band connection with the websites from which the cache content originated through a high security access network to receive responses from the websites, and use the responses to determine whether the cache content is suspicious cache content. Suspicious cache content is removed from the network cache to prevent the suspicious cache content from carrying out malicious activities.
US08887276B2
A system for providing a secure video display using a one-way data link. An input interface for receives a video stream signal. The one-way data link has an input node coupled to receive the input video stream signal and an output node. A processing system is coupled to the output node of the one-way data link and is configured to run a predetermined operating system. In an embodiment, a video display software program operates within the predetermined operating system to process the video stream signal received from the output node of the one-way data link and to provide an output signal for viewing on a display coupled to the processing system. Optionally, the video display program operates within a virtual operating system running within the predetermined operating system. In other embodiments, the video display program may process a video stream signal containing a plurality of different video programs.
US08887263B2
A firewall cluster system comprises a first node operable to receive a connection in a firewall cluster having three or more nodes, determine user data associated with the connection, and share the user data with at least another node in the firewall cluster.
US08887260B2
Systems and methods for enabling token-based access control to data are provided. In particular, some embodiments use a token-based access management system to allow or restrict an individual's ability to access data. The access management system uses tokens to define rules (e.g., a Boolean matching rule or algorithm that results in a true/false output indicating the decision) within the access management system to determine if the token is valid and if the individual should be granted access to the requested data. Tokens may further have tool constraints for controlling access. In some cases, the tokens may expire upon completion of a task or after a pre-set amount of time. A generic workflow utilizing tokens and at least one specific workflow showing employees utilizing tokens as part of performing a task responsive to a user.
US08887253B2
Discussed is a method of operating a CPNS (converged personal network service) gateway apparatus. The method includes transmitting a registration request message including user information to a server; transmitting an installation request message including the user information to a terminal; generating first authentication data on the basis of authentication information received by a user input; transmitting a trigger message including the first authentication data to the terminal; receiving a key assignment request message including second authentication data from the terminal in response to the trigger message; transmitting the received key assignment request message to the server; receiving a key assignment response message including a user key for the terminal in response to the key assignment request message; and transmitting the received key assignment response message to the terminal.
US08887251B2
A handover method of a mobile terminal between heterogeneous networks for facilitating the handover with pre-authentication procedure is provided. A handover method between heterogeneous networks includes receiving, at a mobile terminal connected to a source network, information on at least one target authenticator of a target network from a source authenticator in response to an attach request; creating an authentication key between the mobile terminal and the target authenticator selected among the at least one target authenticator through a pre-authentication process; determining, when the mobile terminal transmits a handover request to the selected target authenticator, whether the authentication key contained in the handover request matches with the authentication key stored in the selected target authenticator; and connecting, when the authentication keys match with each other, to the target network via the selected target authenticator.
US08887240B2
A wireless network security system with a plurality of communication terminals including an Access Point (AP) and a station is provided. The wireless network security system includes a plurality of sensor devices for collecting identification information of the communication terminals, and a WIPS server communicating with the sensor devices, for transmitting a control signal to the communication terminals, wherein the WIPS server transmits the control signal to the plurality of communication terminals through the sensor devices, and when a control signal for blocking connection of two or more communication terminals among the plurality of communication terminals associated through a network is transmitted, connection blockage packets different from one another is created and sequentially and repeatedly transmitted.
US08887237B2
Assigning clients to VLANs on a digital network. A client attaching to a digital network through a network device is initially assigned to a first VLAN. This VLAN may have restricted access and is used for authentication. The device snoops DHCP traffic on this first VLAN rewriting DHCP traffic from the client to request a short lease time for the client. A short lease time may be on the order of 30 seconds. The device optionally rewrites DHCP traffic to the client on the first VLAN to assure a short lease time is returned; this rewriting supports DHCP servers which do not issue short leases. Traffic on this first VLAN may be limited to authentication such as captive portals, 802.1x, Kerberos, and the like. If client authentication on the first VLAN does not succeed, when the short lease expires, the client will receive another short lease on the first VLAN. The network device snoops authentication traffic. When authentication succeeds, the device snoops this traffic and derives information such as roles and the target VLAN for the client, saving this information. When the short DHCP lease expires for the client, and the client restarts the DHCP process, the device assigns the client to the target VLAN and all further processing occurs on this target VLAN.
US08887227B2
A networking policy implementation for a multi-virtual machine appliance that includes a method for selecting a network implementation by applying a network policy to existing network configurations within a virtualization environment of a computing device. A control program that executes within the virtualization environment, receives an event notification generated by a virtual machine in response to a lifecycle event. The control program, in response to receiving the notification, invokes a policy engine that applies a network policy to existing network configurations of the virtualization environment. This network policy can correspond to the virtual machine or to a network object connected to virtual interface objects of the virtual machine. The policy engine then identifies an existing network configuration that has attributes which satisfy the network policy, and selects a network implementation that satisfies the network policy and the network configuration.
US08887214B1
A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes establishing a connection between a client and a messaging fabric associated with a video system that includes a metadata broker element; storing metadata information associated with content, where the content is associated with a release uniform resource locator (URL); and generating a content guide, (e.g., an electronic program guide) that includes a plurality of content definitions (e.g., channels). A particular content (e.g., program) in the content guide is associated with a particular release URL that can be translated into a more specific URL based on a number of criteria.
US08887213B2
A wireless network for delivering a media asset includes a plurality of media and communication devices. The media asset further includes a video file and an audio file. One of the devices is a controlling device. The video file is delivered by a projector unit and the audio file is delivered by the devices. The projector unit receives the video file from the controlling device when the unit and the device are connected. The controlling device can remotely control operations of the projector unit.
US08887207B2
A system and method for remotely transcoding content includes a set top box generating a playlist corresponding to content titles stored in a memory of the set top box. A user device is in communication with the cloud location and the set top box through a network. The user device reviews the playlist and selects a first content title from the playlist to form a selection. The cloud location includes a transcoder device transcoding content corresponding to the selection to form transcoded content. One of the cloud location and the set top box communicates the transcoded content to the user device.
US08887205B1
A method for dynamic routing is provided. Status information of a multichannel video and data distribution service (MVDDS) channel from customer premises equipment (CPE) is received. The status information is evaluated to determine if data destined for the CPE over the MVDDS channel should be routed over a secondary channel. Data destined for the CPE is route over the secondary channel when the data is determined to be routed over the secondary channel.
US08887204B2
A video distribution system of the present invention distributes a digitally captured video, and includes an imaging device, a server device, and a playback terminal. The imaging device includes: an imager that captures an omnidirectional video using a wide-angle lens; and a controller that transmits a group of frame data constituting the video captured by the imager to the server device. The server device includes: a calculator that divides an image represented by each frame data of the group of frame data from the imaging device into a plurality of regions, converts an image of each region into a normal image, and obtains a group of partial data classified by region; a storage unit that accumulates the group of frame data from the imaging device and accumulates the group of partial data classified by region; and a controller that selects a group of frame data of a video requested from the terminal device and a group of partial data for a region requested from the terminal device in relation to the video from the storage unit and transmits them to the terminal device. The terminal device includes: a display instrument that plays back a video; an attitude sensor that detects rotation angle information of the terminal device; and a controller that transmits, to the server device, identification information of a video to be played back and identification information of a region in relation to the video, the region designated by a user based on the rotation angle information.
US08887175B2
Administering incident pools including assigning an incident received from one or more components of the distributed processing system to a pool of incidents; assigning to each incident a particular combined minimum time for inclusion of the incident in the pool; in response to the pool closing, determining for each incident in the pool whether the incident has met its combined minimum time for inclusion in the pool; if the incident has been in the pool for its combined minimum time, including the incident in the closed pool; if the incident has not been in the pool for its combined minimum time, moving the incident from the closed pool to a next pool; applying incident suppression rules using the incidents assigned to the next pool; and applying incident creation rules to the incidents that were assigned to the next pool, while omitting any duplicate incidents caused by the assignment.
US08887173B2
A provider device includes structured data schemas, which may be JSON schemas, that correspond to APIs. A requestor device connects to the provider device and the provider device transmits available schemas. The requestor device receives the available schemas and transmits a communication request that asks for one or more of the available schemas. The provider device receives the communication request, formats information regarding APIs according to the specified schemas, and transmits the formatted information. The formatted information specifies how the requestor device can utilize the APIs. The requestor device generates one or more API commands by processing the formatted data and transmits the API commands to the provider device. The provider device then receives and performs the API commands. Subsequently, the provider device may transmit results to the requestor device, which may evaluate the results.
US08887169B2
Technologies are generally described for a system and method for assigning a task in a cloud. In some examples, the method may include receiving a task request relating to a task and determining service related data relating to the task based on the task request. In some examples, the method may include receiving resource data relating to a first and second resource in the cloud. In some examples, the method may include determining a first correlation value between the task and the first resource and a second correlation value between the task and the second resource based on the service related data and the resource data. In some examples, the method may include assigning the task to the first resource based on the first and second correlation value.
US08887166B2
A computer-implemented method includes obtaining information characterizing a level of actual usage of a first item of content; based on the obtained information, determining whether a re-provisioning condition is satisfied and if so, generating a specification of a re-provisioning operation to be executed in association with the resources of a storage environment; and executing the re-provisioning operation. The first item of content is stored on a first set of elements of resources of the storage environment according to a first resource allocation arrangement. The re-provisioning operation includes identifying a second resource allocation arrangement for storing the first item of content; and allocating a second set of elements of the resources of the storage environment according to the second resource allocation arrangement.
US08887160B2
Tasks are mapped to execution threads of a parallel processing device. Tasks are mapped from the list of tasks to execution threads of the parallel processing device that are free. The parallel processing device is allowed to perform the tasks mapped to the execution threads of the parallel processing device for a predetermined number of execution cycles. When the parallel processing device has performed the tasks mapped to the execution threads of the parallel processing device for the predetermined number of execution cycles, the parallel processing device is suspended from further performing the tasks to allow the parallel processing device to determine which execution threads have completed performance of mapped tasks and are therefore free.
US08887154B2
Systems and methods for dynamic partitioning of computing applications that involves partitioning a computing application based on processing requirements and available hardware resources to optimize resource usage and security across multiple platforms, and handle interprocess communications across the platforms.
US08887153B2
To reduce a load on a user terminal imposed when verifying signature data and at the same time reduce a load on a server, a signature key matrix KM includes a plurality of signature keys Ki-j arranged in a matrix structure of m rows and n columns, and is stored in a signature key matrix database 21. A correspondence relationship between a signature key set CK which is an aggregate of any signature keys selected from the n columns respectively and a user terminal 30 is stored in a correspondence relationship information database 22. A signature data generating unit 24 generates signature data having a matrix structure by encrypting a content digest D generated based on content data C by n number of signature keys included in the signature key matrix KM.
US08887151B2
Systems and methods are provided for leveraging recommendations to determine whether to download certain application updates. According to certain aspects, an electronic device retrieves (710) a recommendation for an update to an application installed on the electronic device. The electronic device annunciates (730) an indication of the recommendation and receives (745) an instruction to download the update from an application server. Further, the electronic device requests (755) the update from the application server, receives (760) the update from the application server, and installs (765) the update on the electronic device.
US08887150B2
The present invention provides a mechanism to change how mobile device applications, particularly Android applications, work; essentially selectively modifying their behavior. Where an application provides a useful operation but also has functionality that can be detrimental to the desired action of a device, use of the application becomes problematic. The present invention provides a method of modifying the use of the application without invasive reprogramming of the code. The present invention provides a means to make modifications to the functionality without modifying the application. As a result, performance of the desired outcome is not affected and because there is no modification of the actual software, legal boundaries are maintained.
US08887146B2
A method and an inspection apparatus for inspecting an information processing unit to which software update is applied. The apparatus includes a collection component configured to collect the behavior, for a plurality of times of software update, of the information processing unit to which one software update is applied. The apparatus also includes a determination component configured to compare the behavior collected for the plurality of times of software update to one another to determine whether the behavior of the information processing unit after the one software update is applied thereto is normal.
US08887139B2
A virtual system comprises hardware, a virtualization layer virtualizing the hardware, a virtual machine monitor, a user domain operating using the virtualized hardware, and a root domain operating using the virtualized hardware and managing the user domain. The virtual machine monitor analyzes an operation performed by the user domain in real time and stores resulting analysis information in the root domain.
US08887136B2
Some embodiments provide a system that facilitates the evaluation of an equation. During operation, the system obtains one or more data-access functions to be used in the equation. Next, the system obtains an analysis context for the equation separately from the data-access functions. The analysis context may include one or more analysis parameters that specify one or more data sources and/or types of analysis to be used in evaluating the equation. Finally, the system evaluates the equation using the data-access functions and the data sources.
US08887134B2
Described herein are systems, methods and apparatuses that can provide an approach to facilitate the design of objects (e.g., modular objects that can facilitate industrial automation applications). The design approach includes: facilitate a display of configuration data representing a configuration of objects selected for an application; analysis of metadata associated with an object of the configuration of objects; and generation of suggestion data representing a suggestion regarding an optimization of the configuration of the objects for the application based on the analysis of the metadata.
US08887131B2
The present invention relates to a method for reducing the object code size of an application that requires run-time dispatching of object oriented methods. The method comprises scanning an object file corresponding to the application for references to object oriented methods in a dispatch table that performs run-time object oriented method binding. The highest inheritance level associated with an object oriented method is found. All references to object oriented methods above the highest inheritance level are designated as unused. All references to object oriented methods below the highest inheritance level are designate as used. All references to object oriented methods that are designated as unused are deleted from the dispatch table.
US08887121B2
Developing programs for hardware implementation in a graphical specification and constraint language
System and method for specifying and implementing programs. A graphical program is created in a graphical specification and constraint language that allows specification of a model of computation and explicit declaration of constraints in response to user input. The graphical program includes a specified model of computation, a plurality of interconnected functional blocks that visually indicate functionality of the graphical program in accordance with the specified model of computation, and specifications or constraints for the graphical program or at least one of the functional blocks in the graphical program. The specified model of computation and specifications or constraints are useable to analyze the graphical program or generate a program or simulation.
US08887120B1
An on-chip timing slack monitor that measures timing slack at the end of a critical path includes a master-slave flip-flop having a tap on the Q output of the master and a logic module coupled to the flip-flop for producing a pulse whose width is a function of the slack. A pulse width shrinking delay line removes glitches on the flip-flop output and, in combination with a digital integrator and counter, also performs a time to digital conversion operation for determining a value for timing path slack. The determined value is used by a decision module for yield analysis. The monitor can discriminate a glitch from a slack pulse at the flip-flop output for any width of glitch up to one-half of a clock cycle.
US08887118B2
Recycling energy in a clock distribution network is provided. A method includes creating a resonant clocking circuit including a clock grid. The method further includes providing resonant structures distributed in the clock grid. The method further includes providing switches that control the resonant structures to switch between a non-resonant mode and a resonant mode. The method further includes determining a switch size that minimizes power consumption of the resonant clocking circuit by iteratively increasing sizes of the switches and, for each iterative increase in size, determining power consumed by the resonant clocking circuit.
US08887097B2
To display an object opening menu can include a user selection of an unopened object from a first area within a user interface, a user command to relocate a selected unopened object from the first area to a second area within the user interface, and displaying the object opening menu in response to the user command to relocate the selected unopened object to the second area, wherein the object opening menu includes an icon that is associated with an application capable of opening the selected unopened object.
US08887096B2
Techniques are disclosed for presenting information related to a user's friends within a virtual environment. For example, when a user requests to view a friends list, the virtual environment may respond by identifying interactions between that user and their friends. From this, the virtual environment may determine an order to present the users in the list. For example, individual with whom the user interacts with frequently may be more prominently displayed. However, the user may fix or “pin” the position of certain users (e.g., a close friend with whom contact is infrequent). Further, in addition to displaying friends' names, the list may display an animation of a user's friend generated based on the then current activity, location, or appearance of that friend within a virtual environment.
US08887092B2
Described herein are technologies pertaining to transmitting electronic contact data from a first application to a second application by way of an operating system without generating a centralized contact store or providing the second application with programmatic access to all electronic contact data retained by first application.
US08887091B2
An information processing apparatus includes a determination unit configured to determine whether incorrect updating processing in which information stored in a memory of the information processing apparatus is incorrectly updated has been executed in a first application program for receiving an instruction issued by a user and for controlling execution of processing corresponding to the instruction; a forcible termination unit configured to, when the determination unit determines that the incorrect updating processing has been executed, forcibly terminate the first application program; and a restart control unit configured to, when the determination unit determines that the incorrect updating processing has been executed, after the forcible termination unit terminates the first application program, notify the user of the occurrence of the incorrect updating. processing and control execution of a second application program for receiving an instruction relating to restart of the information processing apparatus.
US08887082B2
A method is disclosed for performing message interactions in a multi-tab application program. The method includes creating one or more page windows corresponding to respective tabs in the multi-tab application program as one or more top-level windows and receiving an input message corresponding to a user operation with respect to a particular tab. The method also includes sending the input message to one of the page windows corresponding to the particular tab by a main frame window of the multi-tab application program in a non-blocking message sending mode, without sending any associated system message to the page windows. Further, the method includes continuing to handle messages for other page windows by the main frame window regardless whether the one of the page windows is hung.
US08887070B1
A system and method for generating a conference call within a social network is disclosed. The participants are all members of an affinity group and they communicate with each other using different social streams. When the stream becomes too complicated, a participant transforms the social stream into a conference call so that the discussion is held in real-time. The participant that requests the conference call is designated as a moderator. The moderator controls the conference, including the members of the affinity group, through a user interface. Once the conference is established a notification can be sent to invitees and other members of the affinity group. The notification can also be published on a social network.
US08887058B2
Media management for multi-user groups includes methods for determining a numeric score for recorded content being one of a popularity score or a relevance score, and for displaying a content library as an array of images each sized in accordance with its popularity score. The methods may also include social group features whereby a user may compare her content library with other libraries in her social group, and view relative popularity of content titles in the other libraries. The system includes numerous other features for content exploration, acquisition and management. An apparatus for performing the method comprises a processor coupled to a memory, the memory holding instructions for performing steps of the method as summarized above. Various aspects of the system may be implemented as a server or a client.
US08887055B2
The disclosed technology reconstructs stimuli displayed to a user as they interact with online-content. The technology may provide for a record of selected technical parameters and relevant data that may impact the manner in which online content is displayed, taking into consideration the current browser context. The technology may record events as reported from a browser interface. The events may be recorded in a format and syntax to form a primary index of events and related outcomes which comprise the user's interface experience. Events may be detected at the browser interface and identified, categorized, and filtered as to their relevance to visual stimuli. A unique identifier may then be assigned in the form of an alphanumeric string to each relevant event. Selected events may be recorded into a log (along with their categorization), a unique identifier, and the time in which the event occurred.
US08887047B2
Learning content management systems and processes are described that enable a user to independently define or select learning content, frameworks, styles, and/or protocols. The frameworks may be configured to specify a flow or an order of presentation to a learner with respect to a learning content presentation. The style definition may define an appearance of learning content. At least partly in response to a publishing instruction, the received learning content and the received framework definition are merged and then rendered in accordance with the defined style. The rendered merged learning content and framework definition are packaged in accordance with the defined/selected protocol to provide a published learning document.
US08887045B2
Systems and methods for providing data verification are disclosed. In one exemplary method, the data is displayed in at least one display field and information related to the data is stored in at least one source file. The method includes creating a link between the display field and the source file, wherein the link is displayed in a verification panel associated with the display field. The method further includes saving link identification information, wherein the link identification information includes category information of the display field and location information of the source file, and obtaining the source file at the location specified by the link identification information, if the link is selected for display; and opening the source file and displaying the source file.
US08887037B1
A scroll-free user interface comprises a display area; an interface panel included within the display area; and a data panel. The data panel includes a portion of a set of data items. The size and number of data items in the portion of the set of items is based on the size of the data panel. A user interface comprises a display area; an interface panel included within the display area; a first user interface control; and a layered user interface element. Web pages are analyzed to identify associated electronic documents. A retrieved web page is analyzed to identify at least one dynamic element. The dynamic element is analyzed to determine a network location of at least one associated electronic document. The dynamic element may be analyzed by applying a pattern matching or by executing the dynamic element to identify the network location of at least one associated electronic document.
US08887034B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for media defect detection. As an example, a data processing circuit is disclosed that includes a defect detector circuit and a comparator circuit. The defect detector circuit is operable to calculate a correlation value combining at least three of a data input derived from a medium, a detector extrinsic output, a detector intrinsic output and a decoder output. The comparator circuit is operable to compare the correlation value to a threshold value and to assert a media defect indicator when the correlation value is less than the threshold value.
US08887031B2
An error correcting method for correcting an error of digital data is provided. The method includes a plurality of sub-frames including a plurality of block code words, including: extracting and aligning a block code word, which is included in a past sub-frame; and generating a redundant data block code word by use of a block code word, which is included in a latest sub-frame, and the aligned block code word, and adding the redundant data block code word to the latest sub-frame, wherein the redundant data block code word is used for generating a redundant data block code word, which is added to a next sub-frame.
US08887029B2
A communication device includes a turbo encoding section including a plurality of component encoders, wherein the plurality of component encoders within the turbo encoding section use different constraint lengths.
US08887020B2
A communications system includes an encoder that produces a plurality of redundant symbols. For a given key, an output symbol is generated from a combined set of symbols including the input symbols and the redundant symbols. The output symbols are generally independent of each other, and an effectively unbounded number of output symbols (subject to the resolution of the key used) can be generated, if needed. The output symbols are information additive such that a received output symbol is likely to provide additional information for decoding even when many symbols are already received. The output symbols are such that a collection of received output symbols can provide probabilistic information to support error correction. A decoder calculates check symbols from the output symbols received, wherein each check symbol is associated with one or more input symbols and redundant symbols For each received output symbol, the decoder updates a running total of estimated information content and, in one or more rounds, generates a probability distribution for each input symbol over all or some of the possible values of input symbols. This process may be repeated until, for all of the input symbols, one of the many possible values is much more probable than others, or the process may be repeated a predetermined number of rounds, or other criteria is met. The updating can take into account already decoded symbols, additional output symbols and the check symbols.
US08887019B2
A method and system for providing on-product clocks for domains compatible with compression is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a base signal received from automated test equipment has a frequency for testing a plurality of clock domains and programming instruction for first and second clock domains of a plurality of clock domains. First and second clock signals are generated from the base clock signal based on the programming instruction. A first delay for the first clock signal and a second delay for the second clock signal are determined from the programming instruction. A test sequence is provided to test a first clock domain and a second clock domain. The test sequence comprises the first clock signal delayed by the first delay and the second clock signal delayed by the second delay. The first clock drives the first clock domain and the second clock derives the second clock domain.
US08887017B2
A processor includes a TCU TAP for access of a TCU for running functional tests and a DAP TAP for access of a debugger. A TAP selection module selects reversibly TAP access by default through the TCU TAP when the processor is a bare die, or by default through the DAP TAP when the processor is packaged, the selection of TAP access being reversible by the TCU. The processor also includes a fuse for irreversibly disabling the selection by the TAP selection module of the TAP access by default through the TCU TAP. Functional tests on bare dies are run with a TCU probing the dies through the TCU TAP by default. Packaged engineering samples can be supplied for debugging with the DAP TAP selected by default, but access possible for the TCU through the TCU TAP.
US08887010B2
Example systems and methods of generating and distributing user-specified application information are presented. In one example, an informational code to be generated during execution of a software application is accessed. A character string specified by a first user of the software application that is descriptive of the informational code is received. The informational code and the character string are stored in a data storage device, which stores a plurality of information codes in association with corresponding character strings for the software application. The informational code is received in response to the first information code being generated during execution of the software for a second user. The character string is retrieved from the data storage device after the execution of the application based on the informational code, and transmitted for display to the second user.
US08887005B2
Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with optimizing the use of replaceable memory cards and onboard memory as storage for data in cache are described. According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a cache space manager configured to cause a cache processor to store data of a removable memory card of a memory device to an onboard memory of the memory device. The apparatus also includes an error rate monitor configured to monitor operating parameters of the removable memory card and to activate a cache processor to store the data from the removable memory card to the onboard memory when the operating parameters meet predetermined criteria.
US08887003B2
When an abort of a transaction occurs, a determination is made as to whether diagnostic information is to be stored in one or more transaction diagnostic blocks (TDBs). There are different types of transaction diagnostic blocks to accept diagnostic information depending on the type of abort and other considerations. As examples, there are a program-specified TDB in which information is stored if a valid TDB address is provided in a transaction begin instruction; a program interruption TDB, which is stored into when the program is aborted due to an interruption; and a program interception TDB, which is stored into when an abort results in an interception.
US08886999B2
A low cost error-based program testing apparatus and method are provided. The testing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention generates error programs by adding errors to a test target program, selects a test target error program associated with test data among the error programs using error information obtained through the error addition, receives the test data to execute the test target error program, and tests for presence/absence of the errors. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce a text execution time and testing costs.
US08886988B2
In calibration mode, a clock signal and a data signal are respectively transmitted via a clock lane and a data lane of an MIPI. A test clock signal is provided by adjusting the phase of the clock signal, and a test data signal is provided by adjusting the phase of the data signal. By latching the test data signal according to the test clock signal, a latched data may be acquired for determining an optimized phase relationship corresponding to the clock lane and the data lane. When transmitting the clock signal and the data signal in normal mode, the signal delays of the clock lane and the data lane may be adjusted according to the optimized phase relationship.
US08886984B2
A computer including a system part, a battery mounted from the outside to supply power to the system part, a detector to detect a residual amount of the battery, and a controller to calculate a decreased residual amount of the battery based on the residual amount of the battery, and to control power supplied to the system part if the decreased residual amount of the battery is lower than a predetermined value, and if the residual amount of the battery is lower than a predetermined critical residual amount.
US08886981B1
A system and method of idle driven scheduling in a network device is disclosed. An interrupt signal is received from a timer, wherein a network processing component of a network device awakes from sleep mode of a first sleep duration for a first cycle upon receiving the interrupt signal. Load information of a computer processing unit in the network device for the first cycle is determined. A second sleep duration is selected for the network processing component in a second cycle based on the load information, wherein the second sleep duration is different from the first sleep duration. The timer is then instructed to send the interrupt signal to the network processing component at an expiration of the second sleep duration.
US08886972B2
A power strategy selector queries a lookup table using a current flash status of a flash drive, and determines a burst operating voltage for operating the flash drive. Therefore, precise buffering of parameters or data can be ensured when the flash drive meets an unexpected power failure or malfunctions, or precise operations of the flash drive can be guaranteed.
US08886971B2
In a method for protecting an electronic device, a voltage threshold value is set for indicating that water has entered the electronic device. A voltage value is detected from each water sensor included in the electronic device at a predetermined time interval. The method determines whether water has entered the electronic device according to the detected voltage value of water sensor and the voltage threshold value. When water has entered the electronic device, the method further prompts a user of the electronic device using a predetermined prompt mode, and controls the electronic device to be powered-off.
US08886970B2
A Multi-Tile Power Management Integrated Circuit (MTPMIC) includes tiles including an MCU/ADC tile and a power manager tile. The power manager tile includes a set of Configurable Switching Power Supply Pulse Width Modulator (CSPSPWM) components. These components, in combination with other circuitry external to the integrated circuit, are configurable to form a selected one of a number of different switching power supply circuits. Upon power up, an internal regulator supplies power to the CSPSPWM. The CSPSPWM then controls the power supply to begin switching in a low frequency start-up mode. The CSPSPWM determines during start-up the current sensing method based on circuitry external to the integrated circuit. A supply voltage generated is then supplied via a conductor of a standardized bus to a processor in the MCU/ADC tile. The processor begins executing instructions, and as a result writes across the standardized bus to configure the various tiles of the MTPMIC.
US08886963B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for secure relocation of encrypted files for a system having non-volatile memory (“NVM”). A system can include an encryption module that is configured to use a temporary encryption seed (e.g., a randomly generated key and a corresponding initialization vector) to decrypt and encrypt data files in an NVM. These data files may have originally been encrypted with different encryption seeds. Using such an approach, data files can be securely relocated even if the system does not have access to the original encryption seeds. In addition, the temporary encryption seed allows the system to bypass a default key scheme.
US08886961B2
An application installing method according to the present invention in which an application file includes at least two application encrypting data in which the executable files are respectively encrypted using different encryption algorithms, and a license file includes at least two license encryption data in which application decryption keys for decrypting the application encryption data are encrypted using respectively different encryption algorithms. The process execution apparatus includes a calculation unit configured to execute the executable file, and a storage unit configured to store the application file and the license file. The method includes a step of decrypting the application encryption data by use of the application decryption key with the calculation unit based on the level of priority of the predesignated application encryption data stored in the storage unit, and installing the executable file corresponding to the application encryption data.
US08886955B2
Methods and systems for Basic Input/Output System BIOS processing such as hashing are disclosed. In one embodiment, there is a direct interface between a security module and a non-volatile memory storing the BIOS in a computing system so that the security module may directly access the BIOS without using the central processing unit CPU as an intermediary. In one embodiment, the security module is powered by standby power and therefore can begin BIOS processing even if the computing system has not yet been turned on.
US08886954B1
Systems and methods verifying a user during authentication of an integrated device. In one embodiment, the system includes an integrated device and an authentication unit. The integrated device stores biometric data of a user and a plurality of codes and other data values comprising a device ID code uniquely identifying the integrated device and a secret decryption value in a tamper proof format, and when scan data is verified by comparing the scan data to the biometric data, wirelessly sends one or more codes and other data values including the device ID code. The authentication unit receives and sends the one or more codes and the other data values to an agent for authentication, and receives an access message from the agent indicating that the agent successfully authenticated the one or more codes and other data values and allows the user to access an application.
US08886953B1
A computing device includes an image capture device, a display, and at least one processor. The image capture device is configured to capture a digital enrollment image of a face of an authorized user and a digital authentication image of a face of an authenticating user. The display is configured to present the enrollment and authentication images. The at least one processor is configured to automatically alter the authentication image for presentation by the display and compare the authentication image to the enrollment image to unlock the computing device for use by the authenticating user.
US08886951B2
The invention relates to a method for proving authenticity of a prover PRV to a verifier VER, the method comprising generating a secret S using a physical token by the prover PRV. Obtaining a public value PV by the verifier, where the public value PV has been derived from the secret S using a function for which the inverse of said function is computationally expensive. The method further comprising a step for conducting a zero knowledge protocol between the prover PRV and the verifier VER in order to prove to the verifier VER, with a pre-determined probability, that the prover PRV has access to the physical token, where the prover PRV makes use of the secret S and the verifier VER makes use of the public value PV. The invention further relates to a system employing the method, and an object for proving authenticity.
US08886949B2
Electronic data is input. The electronic data is divided into N (N is an integer satisfying N≧2) segments. Examination data is generated by repeating, up to the Nth segment, the computation processing of using the computation result obtained by performing predetermined computation on the data of the Mth (M is an integer satisfying 1≦M≦N−1) segment as an input for predetermined computation of the data of the (M+1)th segment. Verification data for the electronic data is generated so as to contain, as intermediate data, the examination data and a computation result in the middle of generating the examination data.
US08886947B2
Some embodiments of the invention provide a method of verifying the integrity of digital content. At a source of the digital content, the method generates a signature for the digital content by applying a hashing function to a particular portion of the digital content, where the particular portion is less than the entire digital content. The method supplies the signature and the digital content to a device. At the device, the method applies the hashing function to the particular portion of the digital content in order to verify the supplied signature, and thereby verifies the integrity of the supplied digital content.
US08886936B2
A measurement device measures vital data, encrypts the vital data using an encryption key to generate encrypted vital data, and generates, from a decryption key of the vital data, two pairs of a first share FSD and a second share SSD which enable reproduction of the decryption key. The measurement device generates an encrypted second share by encrypting the second share SSD. The measurement device transmits the encrypted vital data, the first share FSD, and the encrypted second share to a server device via an intermediate device.
US08886935B2
According to some embodiments, a key management apparatus for deploying in a smart grid system adapted to receive metering data from smart meters connected to at least one relay via a network, includes: a key control mechanism that derives a key array of individual purpose specific keys from one master key such that the purpose specific key in the key array are each independent cryptographic keys for each specific usage in an application or for each application if there is only one specific usage in an application.
US08886933B1
Methods and systems for provisioning a computing device are provided. An example method may include receiving, by a computing device, information indicating a uniform resource identifier (URI) and a wireless access point configured to allow the computing device to connect to a wireless network to enable the computing device to access the URI. The method may also include downloading, onto the computing device, a provisioning software application from the URI. The method may also include executing the provisioning software application on the computing device, wherein the provisioning software application is configured to provision the computing device such that the provisioned computing device is configured to operate in a limited function mode. The method may also include locking the provisioned computing device to prevent changes to the limited function mode.
US08886924B1
An alert system may include an alert sender module, an alert routing module, an alert controller module, and an alert mechanism. The alert sender module may be configured to send an encrypted alert independent of an internet security firewall. The alert routing module may have a registry and may be configured to receive the encrypted alert and process the encrypted alert according to a security mechanism associated with the registry. The alert controller module may be configured to accept the encrypted alert from the alert routing module according to the security mechanism. The alert mechanism may be configured to be activated by the alert controller module.
US08886921B2
In some implementations, a computer-implemented method includes storing a plurality of acceleration profiles in a mobile device; receiving accelerometer data from an accelerometer in the mobile device; correlating the accelerometer data with one accelerometer profile in the plurality of accelerometer profiles; and activating a user application of the mobile device that is associated with the correlated accelerometer profile. Each acceleration profile can correspond to a sequence of acceleration forces a mobile device would be subjected to when carried with a user during an activity that corresponds to the correlated acceleration profile.
US08886916B2
Endpoint-based parallel data processing with non-blocking collective instructions in a PAMI of a parallel computer is disclosed. The PAMI is composed of data communications endpoints, each including a specification of data communications parameters for a thread of execution on a compute node, including specifications of a client, a context, and a task. The compute nodes are coupled for data communications through the PAMI. The parallel application establishes a data communications geometry specifying a set of endpoints that are used in collective operations of the PAMI by associating with the geometry a list of collective algorithms valid for use with the endpoints of the geometry; registering in each endpoint in the geometry a dispatch callback function for a collective operation; and executing without blocking, through a single one of the endpoints in the geometry, an instruction for the collective operation.
US08886915B2
A multiprocessor system can directly transmit storage-state information in a multilink architecture. The multiprocessor system includes a first processor; a multiport semiconductor memory device coupled to the first processor; a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device; and a second processor coupled with the multiport semiconductor memory device and the nonvolatile semiconductor memory device in a multilink architecture, storing data, having been written in a shared memory area of the multiport semiconductor memory device by the first processor, in the nonvolatile semiconductor memory device, and directly transmitting storage-state information on whether the storing of the data in the nonvolatile semiconductor memory device has been completed, in response to a request of the first processor, without passing it through the multiport semiconductor memory device. Accordingly a processor indirectly coupled to a nonvolatile memory can directly check a program completion state for write data and thus enhancing a data storage performance of the system.
US08886913B2
An identifier management apparatus capable of setting identifier conversion information of a new user without affecting identifier conversion processings of other users, and an identifier management method. The identifier management apparatus converts an identifier given to communication data. Its memory stores multiple hash functions, output values of the hash functions corresponding to the respective plurality of hash functions, multiple entry tables that manage the identifier conversion information indicating a correspondence between the input identifier being an input value of the hash function and an output identifier obtained by converting the input identifier, and a management table for managing a setting status of the identifier conversion information in each entry table. When registering the new identifier conversion information in any entry table, its processor selects an entry table that should register new identifier conversion information depending on setting statuses of the identifier conversion information in the entry tables.
US08886908B2
A management of capacity types with different consumption policies for an object in a computing storage system is performed by updating a reference type bitmap in a segment-fragment table containing segments that reference fragments upon the creation of a segment for an object. A reference is created in an object-segment reference table, between the object and the segment, in compliance with a consumption policy upon the creation of one of the segments for the object. The reference types that reference the segment are removed upon deletion of the segment.
US08886905B2
A dispersed storage device within a dispersed storage network includes a processing module for determining whether to add a new generation for a vault, in which the vault identifies at least one user having data to be stored. When the new generation is to be added to the vault, the processing module further assigns a vault generation identifier to the new generation and reserves memory for the new generation.
US08886898B2
Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that maps an address to an entity, wherein the mapping interleaves addresses between a number of entities. During operation, the system receives an address A from a set of X consecutive addresses, wherein the address A is to be mapped to an entity E in a set of Y entities, and wherein Y need not be a power of two. Next, the system obtains F=floor(log2(Y)) and C=ceiling(log2(Y)). The system then calculates L, which equals the value of the F least-significant bits of A. The system also calculates M, which equals the value of the C most-significant bits of A. Next, the system calculates S=L+M. Finally, if S
US08886878B1
A method, a statistics subsystem, and a system use a combination of commercially available high speed memory and high density low speed memory to mitigate cost, space, control, and power issues associated with storing counters for statistics updates, while meeting the growing width and depth needs of multi-hundred gigabit Carrier Class data network devices. The method, statistics subsystem, and system offer a Counter Management Algorithm (CMA) that relies on rollover bits stored within data of counters. An update to the low speed memory is substantially faster than a rollover time for the counter in the high speed memory thereby allowing statistics to be cached in the high speed memory while updates take place to the low speed memory.
US08886867B1
A method and system to translate virtual storage device addresses to physical storage device addresses without the cooperation of the proprietary virtualization hypervisor is disclosed herein. The method of the present invention allows additional functionality to be added to the I/O processing of a closed/proprietary virtualization hypervisor by third party software or physical storage devices on the basis of individual virtual storage devices.
US08886866B2
A method, system and computer program product for optimizing memory usage of an application running on a virtual machine. A virtual machine memory block is pre-allocated and the average memory usage of the virtual machine is periodically computed using statistics collected from the virtual machine through an API. If the memory usage average becomes higher than a maximum threshold, then a recovery mode is entered by releasing the virtual machine memory block and forcing the running application to reduce its processing activity; optionally, a garbage collector cycle can be forced. If the computed memory usage average becomes lower than a minimum threshold value, which is lower than the maximum threshold value, then a normal mode is entered by re-allocating the virtual machine memory block and forcing the running application to resumes its normal processing activity. Optionally, when the virtual machine is idle, a deep garbage collection is forced.
US08886862B2
A method for computing includes running a plurality of virtual machines on a computer having one or more cores and a memory. Respective interrupt addresses in the memory are assigned to the virtual machines. Upon occurrence on a device connected to the computer of an event pertaining to a given virtual machine during a period in which the given virtual machine is swapped out of operation, an interrupt message is written from the device to a respective interrupt address that is assigned to the given virtual machine in the memory. Upon activating the given virtual machine on a given core after writing of the interrupt message, a context of the given virtual machine is copied from the memory to the given core, and a hardware interrupt is automatically raised on the given core responsively to the interrupt message in the memory.
US08886861B2
A memory interleaving device includes a slave interface, a master interface, and a crossbar switch. The slave interface is connected with a master intellectual property through an on-chip network. The master interface is connected with a slave intellectual property. The crossbar switch connects the slave interface with the master interface. The memory interleaving device transmits requests from the master intellectual property to the slave intellectual property, receives data or responses respectively corresponding to the requests from the slave intellectual property, and transmits the data or responses to the master intellectual property in an order in which the requests are received.
US08886857B2
Multiple devices are provided access to a common, single instance of data and may use it without consuming resources beyond what would be required if only one device were using that data in a traditional configuration. In order to retain the device-specific differences, they are kept separate, but their relationship to the common data is maintained. All of this is done in a fashion that allows a given device to perceive and use its data as though it was its own separately accessible data.
US08886853B2
A system and method for determining media to be exported out of a media library is described. In some examples, the system determines a media component to be exported, determines the media component is in the media library for a specific process, and exports the media component after the process is completed.
US08886851B2
A system for locating and monitoring electronic devices utilizing a security system that is secretly and transparently embedded within the computer. This security system causes the client computer to periodically and conditionally call a host system to report its serial number via an encoded series of dialed numbers. A host monitoring system receives calls from various clients and determines which calls to accept and which to reject by comparing the decoded client serial numbers with a predefined and updated list of numbers corresponding to reported stolen computers. The host also concurrently obtains the caller ID of the calling client to determine the physical location of the client computer. The caller ID and the serial number are subsequently transmitted to a notifying station in order to facilitate the recovery of the stolen device. The security system remains hidden from the user, and actively resists attempts to disable it.
US08886849B2
An adapter can be used to connect a portable electronic device to an accessory in instances where the portable electronic device and the accessory have incompatible connectors. The adapter provides two connectors, one compatible with the portable electronic device and the other compatible with the accessory. The adapter has several modes of operation. The portable electronic device selects the appropriate mode of operation for the adapter once it receives information about the accessory connected to the adapter. The portable electronic device instructs the adapter to switch to the selected mode and in response the adapter configures its internal circuitry to enable the selected mode. The portable electronic device can then communicate with the accessory via the adapter. The presence of the adapter can be transparent to the accessory.
US08886839B1
A network interface includes a network interface controller and a plurality of communication paths between a host and a plurality of different networks. Each of the plurality of communication paths includes a media access controller and a physical layer device. The media access controller is configured to use a same media access controller address for communicating with a respective one of the plurality of different networks. The physical layer device configured to determine at least one of an availability of the respective one of the plurality of different networks and a performance condition of the respective one of the plurality of different networks. The network interface controller is configured to receive, from the host, a selection of one of the plurality of different networks and activate one of the plurality of communications paths based on the selection.
US08886833B1
A network interface comprises a random or pseudo-random number generator. The network interface determines that a first communication device is group owner of a peer-to-peer (P2P) group, and randomly or pseudo-randomly generates a media access control (MAC) address for the first communication device using the random or pseudo-random number generator. The network interface utilizes the randomly or pseudo-randomly generated MAC address for the first communication device in group owner communications with one or more second communication devices in the P2P group.
US08886828B2
A method and computer system for selectively using an anonymous proxy. A user request for content is received. A determination is made as to whether the user request satisfies context criteria. When the user request satisfies the context criteria, the user request is forwarded to an anonymous proxy. When the user request does not satisfy the context criteria, the request is sent directly to a content provider.
US08886815B2
A communication apparatus comprises a processor, a memory configured to store timer information, a cache configured to store timer information, and a timer controller configured to store timer information regarding an established connection in the cache. The timer controller notifies the processor of a time-out of the timer information stored in the cache and a time-out of the timer information stored in the memory.
US08886809B2
A method for wireless communication within a building automation system is disclosed. The method includes establishing a communications link between a first automation component and a second automation component, detecting a change in the communications link at the second automation component, and initiating a reset function on the second automation component in response to the detected change in the communications link. A building automation system is further disclosed. The system includes a first automation component, a second automation component in communication with the first automation component via a communication link. The second automation component further includes a reset function stored on a memory and executable by a processor in communication with the memory, such that the reset function is activated in response to a change in the communications link.
US08886806B2
A computing system implemented method, in one embodiment, can include a cloud control module receiving a constraint for cloud architecture. In addition, the method can include the cloud control module receiving a plurality of cloud service provider capabilities. Furthermore, the method can include the cloud control module filtering the plurality of cloud service provider capabilities to identify a cloud service provider capable of satisfying the constraint. Moreover, the method can include the cloud control module outputting an instruction for a resource from the cloud service provider.
US08886804B2
A method for making data placement decisions in a computer network uses multiple factors comprising social rules (rules, factors and criteria common to all participating nodes and intended to benefit the community of nodes), as well as rules, factors and criteria driven by individual self-interest of the participating nodes. The method calls for each node to act in a semi-autonomous manner, without the need for a central coordinating node. By considering multiple factors fully, and not eliminating factors by a sequence of True/False decisions, the method may arrive at optimal decisions and may generate a ranked list of node candidates.
US08886803B1
A dynamic query response scheme for a distributed network is provided. In one embodiment, the distributed network is a peer-to-peer (P2P) network including a number of peer nodes. In general, peer nodes delay their query responses, address their query responses, or both delay and address their query responses dynamically to avoid feedback implosion. In one embodiment, the peer nodes delay their query responses, address their query responses, or both delay and address their query responses based on one or more quality metrics calculated for their query responses.
US08886802B1
A computer-implemented method may include assigning a transport-agnostic identifier to a computing device. The computer-implemented method may include identifying a first attempt by the computing device to access a first network. The first attempt may be made via a first media-transport technology that identifies the computing device with a first transport-specific identifier. The computer-implemented method may also include receiving the transport-agnostic identifier from the computing device. The computer-implemented method may further include using the transport-agnostic identifier, instead of the first transport-specific identifier, to determine whether to allow the computing device to access the first network. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08886797B2
A method is provided in one example and includes evaluating network traffic; identifying data within the network traffic that is associated with a uniform resource locator (URL); identifying at least one condition associated with the URL; and classifying the URL as a transitional web page or as a valuable web page based on the condition.
US08886789B2
The concept of anchor points is introduced. Anchor points, and specifically Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) anchor points, serve as a media and call control point that is established on a per-user basis which can then be shared by any application. The use of an anchor point allows for applications to become aware of and control a communication late or cease monitoring and controlling a communication session early without disrupting the session or introducing a significant amount of control or media delay.
US08886781B2
Methods and systems for load balancing in a cluster storage system are disclosed herein. The method includes identifying a source node within the cluster storage system from which to move a number of data objects, wherein the source node includes a node with a total load exceeding a threshold value. The method also includes selecting the data objects to move from the source node, wherein the data objects are chosen such that the total load of the source node no longer exceeds the threshold value. The method further includes determining a target node within the cluster storage system based on a proximity to the source node and the total load of the target node and moving the data objects from the source node to the target node.
US08886776B2
A communication apparatus obtains first identification information of a particular device, obtains a particular IP address assigned to the particular device, attempts a unicast communication with the particular device by using the particular IP address, determines whether the unicast communication fails; generates a new IP address when the unicast communication fails, and broadcasts a setting packet to a network causes the receiving device to assign the new IP address to the receiving device.
US08886775B2
In one embodiment, receiving a neighbor solicitation message from a stateless address configuration host; processing the neighbor solicitation message to obtain a device identifier and an internet protocol version six (IPv6) address; storing a mapping between the device identifier and the IPv6 address in a database associated with the network device; and sending the mapping in a new message to a server. In more particular embodiments, the method can include evaluating the database in order to determine whether a particular IPv6 address is a duplicate; and marking an entry associated with the particular IPv6 address in the database for deletion.
US08886772B2
A system for remote device management includes in a network an auto-configuration server managing device, at least one database, and a plurality of auto-configuration servers. The auto-configuration server managing device and the database are coupled in a communicative connection. The database holds information for identification of electronic devices. The auto-configuration server managing device is arranged for communication with a manageable electronic device over the network. The auto-configuration server manager is further being arranged for: receiving a request from the manageable electronic device for configuration data, determining an identification of the manageable electronic device by comparing the request with the information for identification of electronic devices of the database, determining an identification of an auto-configuration server from the plurality of auto-configuration servers in accordance with the identification of the manageable electronic device.
US08886763B2
An apparatus, method, and computer program product are provided for enabling interoperability between devices, such as a mobile terminal and some other remote device or remote environment. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured, with the processor, to cause the apparatus to maintain a terminal session between a server device and a client device in which the client device emulates at least a portion of a display presented at the server device; receive an indication of a user input received at the client device identifying a function to be performed at the server device; determine a corresponding input to elicit the identified function; and cause the identified function to be performed at the server device.
US08886759B2
A system and method of interactive, location-based presentation and advertising that enables users with wireless network addressable communications devices to control multi-media content on network addressable screens and enables marketers to track, monitor and respond to users interactions in real time. A Proxy Gateway directs a network addressable client PC, connected to a digital display, to serve local content or pull content from one or more web servers. A wireless, network addressable device, typically a mobile phone, is used to communicate commands to the physically remote Proxy Gateway. The Proxy Gateway bridges between the communications device and the display by interpreting the commands from the communications device, forwarding them to the client PC which may pull content from the appropriate web server, or display native message content.
US08886756B2
A user equipment (UE) and an application server exchange data in a wireless communications network. The UE is configured to connect to both a wireless local area network (WLAN) and a wireless wide area network (WWAN). The application server is positioned within the WWAN behind a WWAN firewall. The WLAN includes a WLAN network address translation (NAT) component and firewall such that the UE and the application server do not have a persistent data connection over the WLAN. In an embodiment, the application server can open a WWAN firewall to permit uploads from the UE over the WLAN. In another embodiment, the UE can open the WLAN firewall and/or NAT to permit downloads from the application server over the WLAN. In another embodiment, the application server or UE can upload files to a server outside the WLAN and WWAN firewalls and send a link to the uploaded files for retrieval.
US08886754B2
A method, apparatus and computer-readable storage medium distribute a non-live content stream in a network. An initial meta-file is transmitted in response to a request for the content, which identifies a division of the content stream into blocks, and available sources for delivery of the blocks. The initial meta-file can identify a first multicast and a second multicast server, assigning a first and second portion of the blocks for delivery using the first and second multicast source server, respectively. The first and second portions are transmitted using the first and second multicast source servers, respectively. The first and second portions correspond to distinct non-overlapping portions of the non-live content stream. The initial meta-file can also identify a unicast source server, assigning a third portion of the blocks for delivery using the unicast source server, the third potion being transmitted by the unicast source server.
US08886751B1
Methods and apparatus for receiving a request from a user of a system, the request having a format defined by a template, expanding the request to combine user supplied data and data from a model component containing data for a component of the system to form an expanded request, wherein the expanded request has a predetermined format, acquiring information to determine how to process the expanded request, communicating with a host computer to extract information needed to satisfy the expanded request, generating an internal response to the expanded request containing the acquired information, inserting result data from the internal response into the model component, generating a user response to the user request, and sending the user response to the user to satisfy the user request.
US08886750B1
Generally described, the present disclosure is directed to managing request routing functionality corresponding to resource requests for one or more resources associated with a content provider. A service provider may assign an alias resource records that point to another alias resource record or to an IP address. A DNS server of the service provider may receive a request to resolve a DNS query for a domain for which the DNS server is authoritative. The DNS sever determine that the DNS query corresponds to an alias record and may resolve the DNS query according to the data of the alias record.
US08886748B1
Embodiments of the content capture system can receive the request and forward the request to the content provider such that the content provider is unaware that the content capture system is sending the request. When the content provider returns the content to the content capture system, the content capture system modifies the content to include an action trigger, then forwards the modified content to the user. When the user triggers the action trigger, the content capture system captures the content and prepares a message that includes the content. The message is then sent to the destination in a format that is viewable on the target device.
US08886737B1
A method includes, receiving social network information of a user. The received social network information represents social graph data of the user and social network interactions of the user. The method also includes determining one or more subjects from content of the social graph data of the user and the interactions of the user. The method also includes identifying an initial collection of one or more individuals prominent in the one or more subjects from one or more measures of potential prominence provided by social network information of the individuals. The method also includes enhancing the initial collection of one or more prominent individuals to include additional prominent individuals. The method also includes providing a list of selectable entries to the user that includes each of the identified and additional prominent individuals.
US08886719B2
A method is described for providing voice conferencing between a plurality of users over a communications network, the plurality of users comprising a host user and a plurality of participant users. The method comprises the host user initiating a voice conference using a host user terminal connected to the communications network. The plurality of users join the voice conference. Each of the plurality of users joins the conference by using a client executed at their respective user terminals, wherein on joining the voice conference the user terminal of each of the plurality of participant users displays a participant user interface and the user terminal of the host displays a host user interface. At least one of the plurality of participant users activates a request control on the participant user interface. The client transmits via the communication network a request to the host user to speak in the voice conference in response to the activation of the request control. The host user receives an indication on the host user interface of the request from the at least one of the plurality of participant users, and activates a selection control on the host interface to select from among the at least one of the plurality of users who transmitted the request, the speech of the at least one selected user being transmitted to all of the plurality of users over the communications network.
US08886717B2
A system provides access to services from different servers via a common API. The system includes service-offering servers, a client that uses services offered by the service-offering servers, and an interchange server that acts as an intermediary when the client uses a service. The client communicates with the interchange server using a common API when the client uses service from the service-offering servers. The interchange server uses a unique API, which is unique to the service-offering server that offers the service being used by the client, to execute a processing sequence that is unique to the service-offering server. Thus client is able to use services offered by the service-offering servers with the use of a common API and without any need to use a different unique API for each service-offering server.
US08886714B2
A method for enabling a remote access to a cloud-enabled network device, the method is performed by a cloud relay server that communicates with at least one client over an internet connection. The method comprises receiving a request from a client to access at least a user interface of the cloud-enabled network device through an internet connection, wherein the cloud-enabled network device is connected in a local area network; using a host name designated in the request to detect a cloud connector that communicates with the cloud-enabled network device; sending an open relay message to the cloud-enabled network device through the cloud connector over a management link; and establishing a secure tunnel between the cloud relay server and the cloud-enabled network device, thereby enabling a secure connection between the client and the cloud-enabled network device over the internet connection.
US08886696B1
Digital signal processing (“DSP”) circuit blocks that include multipliers of a certain basic size are augmented to enable the DSP block to perform multiplications that are larger than the basic multiplier size would otherwise permit. In some embodiments, the larger multiplication can have less than full precision. In other embodiments, the larger multiplication can have full precision by making use of some capabilities of a second DSP block.
US08886691B2
A system and method for performing garbage collection. A system includes a storage medium, a first table including entries which map a virtual address to locations in the storage medium, and a second table with entries which include a reverse mapping of a physical address in a data storage medium to one or more virtual addresses. A storage controller is configured to perform garbage collection. During garbage collection, the controller is configured to identify one or more entries in the second table which correspond to a segment to be garbage collected. In response to determining the first table includes a valid mapping for a virtual address included in an entry of the one of the one or more entries, the controller is configured to copy data from a first location identified in the entry to a second location in the data storage medium, and reclaim the first storage location.
US08886684B2
A method for allocating a first range of identifiers to a customer-system from a register. The method comprising the steps of: receiving a request for identifiers from a new customer-system; identifying a largest range of unallocated identifiers to define an available range within the entire range of identifiers belonging to the register; identifying a midpoint in the largest available range; and allocate the identified midpoint as a start location for the customer-system range. Identifiers can be issued as identifier pairs, one being an encrypted identifier and the other being a corresponding unencrypted identifier.
US08886680B2
An apparatus, and corresponding method, for generating a graph used in performing a search for a match of at least one expression in an input stream is presented. The graph includes a number of interconnected nodes connected solely by valid arcs. A valid arc may also include a nodal bit map including structural information of a node to which the valid arc points to. A walker process may utilize the nodal bit map to determine if a memory access is necessary. The nodal bit map reduces the number of external memory access and therefore reduces system run time.
US08886675B2
A method and system for managing data clusters is provided. A first data cluster is generated having a first data object and a second data object. The first data cluster has a strict hierarchy between the first data object and the second data object. A first object reference from the first data object to the second data object is extracted. The first object reference is stored in a first reference container. A second object reference from the first data object to a third data object is extracted. The third data object is stored in a second data cluster. The second object reference is stored in a second reference container. The second object reference is stored in a second reference container. A memory access is provided to the first data cluster based on the first object reference and the second object reference.
US08886661B2
According to the present invention, phrases of the same kind can be extracted from a plurality of documents having various formats. A storage device stores a plurality of documents that have various formats. A pattern candidate creating unit receives a list of input words that are selected as samples among phrases that are to be included in a dictionary. The pattern candidate creating unit selects one document, determines forward and backward character strings of input words in the selected document as candidates of patterns, and stores the forward and backward character strings as a pattern candidate. The pattern candidate creating unit executes the above processes for each of the documents. A phrase candidate creating unit extracts phrases interposed between patterns included in the pattern candidate as candidates of phrases to be output, and stores the extracted phrases as a phrase candidate. A phrase selecting unit outputs a candidate of a phrase satisfying a predetermined condition among candidates of phrases included in the phrase candidate as an output word to an output device.
US08886654B2
A system that enables development and execution of predictive models comprises a centralized data management system, a data extraction tool a model validation tool and a model execution tool. In embodiments, a data management system includes a data management server that can be accessed via a web browser that stores data. An extraction tool includes a data filter adapted to filter data based on, for example, a population criteria, a sample size, and a date range criteria. A model validation tool validates the model. A model execution tool allows a user to score the model.
US08886650B2
A method and apparatus for optimizing content on a topic page includes receiving a query for a topic at a topic page on a client and transmitting the query from the topic page on the client to a web application on a server. The web application includes algorithm to analyze the query to identify a plurality of content modules that match the query. The content modules are identified from anyone of a branded source or an un-branded source. One or more module performance indicators are computed for each of the identified content modules. An aggregate module performance indicator for each of the plurality of content modules is generated from the one or more computed module performance indicators. One or more content modules from the identified plurality of content modules are automatically selected for rendering on the topic page based on the aggregate module performance indicator associated with each of the identified content modules. The resulting topic page includes content modules from just the branded source, just the un-branded source or an aggregate of content modules from both branded source and un-branded source providing optimal content that is most relevant to the query.
US08886643B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for presenting social search results. In one aspect, a method includes identifying members of a social affinity group of the user, the social affinity group having members having a relationship to the user. The method includes receiving search results including search results that reference resources associated with members of the social affinity group. The method includes identifying a first search result that references the social network site. The method includes identifying a second search result that references a resource found on the social network site and associated with a member of the social affinity group. The method includes generating a response to the query comprising instructions that the first search result be presented in proximity to the second search result.
US08886642B2
A user-interface system and method for searching among multiple documents and searching for subsections within individual documents using a single search interface on an input-constrained user device having a screen and a keypad.
US08886638B2
Systems and methods facilitate a search and identify documents and associated metadata reflecting content of the documents. In one implementation, a method receives a query comprising a set of search terms, identifies a stored document in response to the query, and determines a score value for the retrieved document based on a similarity between one or more of the query search terms and metadata associated with the identified document. The method locates the identified document in a citation network of baseline query results, the citation network comprising a first set of documents that cite to the identified document and a second set of documents cited to by the identified document. The method further determines a new score value of the identified document as a function of the score value and a quantity and a quality of documents within the first and second set of documents.
US08886633B2
A searching system may include a primary server with interfaces for communication with databases or with underlying search engines. The primary server may be adapted to receive a search query from a client under instructions from a user; and retrieve search results and transmit the results as a response to the client. The primary server may be adapted to store search data sets of relevant results for queries by users who are member of the set. The primary server may be adapted to select a search data set of which the user for the query is a member, and to use said search data set in providing the response to the query. The primary server may be adapted to download data concerning the selected search data set to the user. The primary server may be adapted to automatically update the search data set according to the results selected by the user.
US08886630B2
A collaborative search session is provided hosted by one or more computing devices. First query data is received from a first computing device in a collaborative search session. Further, second query data is received from a second computing device in the collaborative search session. A corpus of resources can be caused to be searched based at least in part on the first and second query data to identify a particular search result set for the collaborative search session. At least a portion of the particular search result set can be caused to be presented on each of the first and second computing devices participating in the collaborative search session.
US08886629B2
Systems, methods, and software for providing a distributed search function for online delivery platforms used in law firms and other enterprises are described. For example, one aspect of the systems, methods and software provides a plurality of data sets. The data sets may comprise indices into other sets of data. At least one search engine is associated with each data set. A system receiving a search request determines which search engines are used to process the search request based on the data sets involved in the search request. The search request is then forwarded to the identified search engines.
US08886625B1
Provided are methods and computer-readable media for providing recommended entities based on a user's external social graph, such as asymmetric social graph of a social networking service. In some embodiments, entities responsive to a search query or other request may be obtained. Each entity may be evaluated to determine if the entity is associated with a contact from a user's social graph. The association may include an evaluation (e.g., a rating, review, other evaluation or combination thereof) of the entity by the contact. Additionally, the contacts having associations with an entity may be ranked based on a relationship score with a user. The entities having associations with the contacts from a user's social graph may be provided as recommended entities to the user, and the association may be annotated to the recommended entity for viewing by the user.
US08886619B2
A computer-implemented method is provided for managing manual entries of blood glucose measures for a patient in relation to a structured collection procedure managed by a portable computing device. The method includes: managing a structured collection procedure for a user of the computing device, where the structured collection procedure specifies one or more collection events for obtaining blood glucose measures for a patient; receiving a data entry for a blood glucose measure from the user of the computing device; evaluating the data entry in relation to the structured collection procedure using a membership rule set, where the membership rule set defines rules for associating data entries with structured collection procedures; and inputting the data entry into a logbook residing in a data store on the computing device. Depending upon the evaluation, the data entry may be input with or without an association to the structured collection procedure.
US08886618B2
The current position of each node in a hierarchical structure is held, and the past position of each node in the hierarchical structure is held. The current position is displayed in correspondence with the past position in a first user interface. The past position is displayed in correspondence with the current position in a second user interface. When the past position displayed in the first user interface is designated, the second user interface displays the designated past position. When a current position displayed in the second user interface is designated, the first user interface displays the designated current position.
US08886616B2
Apparatus, methods, and other embodiments associated with blocklet pattern identification are described. One example method includes accessing a blocklet produced by a computerized data de-duplication parsing process before providing the blocklet to a duplicate blocklet determiner. The example method also includes hashing a portion of the blocklet to produce a pattern indicating hash and then identifying the blocklet as a pattern blocklet if the pattern indicating hash matches a pre-determined pattern indicating hash. To improve efficiency in a data de-duplication process, the blocklet pattern identifying may be performed independently from a data structure and process used by the duplicate blocklet determiner. If the blocklet is a pattern blocklet, then the method includes selectively controlling the duplicate blocklet determiner to not process the pattern blocklet. The duplicate determination is not needed because a pattern determination has already been made.
US08886604B2
A method may include receiving session control protocol messages to establish a session between a workstation and a user device. The session control protocol messages may include context information. The context information may include a browser history associated with the user of the user device. The method may further include establishing the session between the workstation and the user device. Further, the method may include displaying information on a display for an operator of the workstation, wherein the displayed information is based on the received context information.
US08886600B2
Synchronization architectures, methods, systems, and computer readable media are described. One exemplary embodiment includes a first software component configured to cause retrieval and storage of structured data for a first data class from a first store on a device, such as a first data processing system, and configured to synchronize structured data for the first data class in the first store with structured data of the first data class in a second store on a host, such as a second data processing system. The first software component is separate from an application software which provides a user interface to allow a user to access and edit the structured data. The first software component synchronizes the structured data through a second software component which interfaces with the host and the device and which controls an order of synchronizing and a plurality of data classes including the first data class.
US08886590B2
A data warehouse incorporates processing for creating, managing, and otherwise maintaining master data. The data warehouse may communicate with a master data manager to obtain services for handling master data. A surrogate master data identifier may be defined by the data warehouse to reference the master data, thereby decoupling any modifications of the master data identifier that may be made by the master data manager. The data warehouse may export the master data to an application system, and conversely import master data from an application system.
US08886584B1
Content items, such as e-books, audio files, video files, etc., may be recommended to a user based on the user's presence at a geolocation or venue. Geolocation is the geospatial location of the user, while a venue is a designated area for an activity, such as a concert hall, aircraft, waiting room, etc. The recommendations may be of content items relating to the geolocation or venue, or they may be content items being accessed by others who are, or have been, in approximately the same geolocation or venue.
US08886581B2
Predicting a user's response to a stream of token instances, including: receiving a stream of token instances; partitioning the stream of token instances into consecutive temporal windows of token instances; predicting response of the user to temporal windows of token instances; predicting response of the user to a certain temporal window of token instances; and forwarding the prediction of the user to the stream of token instances.
US08886566B2
This invention improves upon existing pay-per-click arrangements by periodically generating a code associated end users. This code, preferably in the form of a serial number, is compared to the end user of the website, such that by observing a metric like the number of clicks for a given period of time, be it a short time or a longer period, such as a day or a week, the system can automatically determine if certain clicks are illegitimate. This allows the pay-per-click company to more fairly invoice the merchants, thereby preventing fraudulent over use.
US08886562B1
Settlement transactions are processed on a distributed computer system. Settlement data describing a settlement request are received and stored in a settlement storage. The storage includes a request status field with a value describing the status of the settlement request. The settlement data are stored in a vendor file responsive to the value of the request status field. Data describing the vendor file are stored in a vendor file information storage. The vendor file information storage includes a file status field with a value describing the status of the vendor file. The vendor file is provided to a vendor for settlement processing responsive to the value of the file status field. The distributed computer system is able to detect and rectify errors in the distributed computer system by using the request status and file status fields, which allows the distributed computer system to be comprised of conventional computers.
US08886554B2
This specification describes technologies relating to content presentation. In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that include the actions of sending one or more redeemable content items to a user, each content item being configured for redemption at a physical retail location; receiving a request from the user to redeem a content item of the one or more content items at a particular physical retail location; validating, using one or more processor, the content item for redemption; if the content item is valid for redemption, notifying a corresponding retailer of the content item redemption to be applied to a pending retail transaction; and logging the redemption. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products.
US08886546B2
A system may include a mobile computing device configured to receive voice input; identify, in the voice input, a navigate command including a sequence indication; determine, based on a sequence control map, a control of a user interface corresponding to the sequence indication; and activate the control of the user interface corresponding to the sequence indication.
US08886544B2
Systems, computer-implemented methods, and tangible computer-readable media are provided for voice authentication. The method includes receiving a speech sample from a user through an Internet browser for authentication as part of a request for a restricted-access resource, transmitting an authentication request to an authentication server, which compares the speech sample to a previously established speech profile associated with the user, receiving a response from the authentication server, and providing access to the restricted access resource based on the response.
US08886542B2
A voice interactive service system provides different speech-based services to a plurality of users. Using a communication terminal, the services are accessed via a telecommunication network through service-specific connectivity ports. The system comprises processing cores which have different configurations of speech processing resources for performing different services. For performing a requested service, a connection module establishes a connection between the respective connectivity port and a processing core having a configuration of speech processing resources suitable for performing the requested service. Because of the service-specific resourcing of cores, there is no need for requesting and allocating processing resources from external resource servers. Moreover, the port-dedicated resourcing of the cores ensures that a successful access to a connectivity port leads to a successful provision of the requested service.
US08886540B2
A method and system for entering information into a software application resident on a mobile communication facility is provided. The method and system may include recording speech presented by a user using a mobile communication facility resident capture facility, transmitting the recording through a wireless communication facility to a speech recognition facility, transmitting information relating to the software application to the speech recognition facility, generating results utilizing the speech recognition facility using an unstructured language model based at least in part on the information relating to the software application and the recording, transmitting the results to the mobile communications facility, loading the results into the software application and simultaneously displaying the results as a set of words and as a set of application results based on those words.
US08886536B2
The system and method described herein may use various natural language models to deliver targeted advertisements and track advertisement interactions in voice recognition contexts. In particular, in response to an input device receiving an utterance, a conversational language processor may select and deliver one or more advertisements targeted to a user that spoke the utterance based on cognitive models associated with the user, various users having similar characteristics to the user, an environment in which the user spoke the utterance, or other criteria. Further, subsequent interaction with the targeted advertisements may be tracked to build and refine the cognitive models and thereby enhance the information used to deliver targeted advertisements in response to subsequent utterances.
US08886535B2
A method of optimizing the calculation of matching scores between phone states and acoustic frames across a matrix of an expected progression of phone states aligned with an observed progression of acoustic frames within an utterance is provided. The matrix has a plurality of cells associated with a characteristic acoustic frame and a characteristic phone state. A first set and second set of cells that meet a threshold probability of matching a first phone state or a second phone state, respectively, are determined. The phone states are stored on a local cache of a first core and a second core, respectively. The first and second sets of cells are also provided to the first core and second core, respectively. Further, matching scores of each characteristic state and characteristic observation of each cell of the first set of cells and of the second set of cells are calculated.
US08886516B2
A method of translation includes uploading a source text portion to a back end processor. The back end processor identifies a subset of translation knowledge associated with the source text portion. The back end processor downloads the subset to a front end processor. A translation engine runs on the front end processor. The translation engine generates a translation of the source text portion as a function of the subset.
US08886505B2
Provided is a protein-ligand docking prediction method based on quantum mechanical scoring. The method includes evaluating a protein-ligand docking structure by using a molecular mechanical energy-based scoring function and reevaluating the protein-ligand docking structure by using a rescoring function obtained by combining a quantum mechanical factor with the molecular mechanical energy-based scoring function. In accordance with the method using the quantum mechanical scoring, it is possible to more accurately carry out modeling than conventional force field-based methods.
US08886486B2
To accurately test the operating state of the APD measuring device. A test device 40 includes a test signal generator 41 that generates a test signal corresponding to the center frequency of a signal to be measured and a control unit 42 that variably controls the amplitude level of a test signal in the dynamic range of an APD measuring device 1 at random, in order to test the operating state of the APD measuring device 1.
US08886485B2
Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that determines whether a cooling device in a computer system is responsive to control signals. During operation of the computer system, a control signal is sent to the cooling device. Next, a response of the computer system to the control signal is measured, wherein the response includes a temperature profile. The frequency content of the control signal is then compared to the frequency content of the temperature profile to determine whether the cooling device is responsive to the control signal.
US08886480B2
A processing system includes a transmitter module, a receiver module, and a determination module. The transmitter module is configured to transmit in accordance with a first excitation mode with a transmitter electrode during a first interval and a third interval of a sensing frame period, wherein, during the first excitation mode, a first voltage variation is generated in the transmitter electrode. The transmitter module is further configured to transmit in accordance with a second excitation mode with the transmitter electrode during a second interval of the sensing frame, wherein, during the second excitation mode, a second voltage variation different from the first voltage variation is generated in the transmitter electrode. The receiver module is configured to receive a first resulting signal with a receiver electrode during the first interval, receive a second resulting signal with the receiver electrode during the second interval, and receive a third resulting signal with the receiver electrode during the third interval. The determination module is configured to compute a first measurement of a change in capacitive coupling between the transmitter electrode and the receiver electrode based on the first resulting signal, compute a second measurement of a change in capacitive coupling between the transmitter electrode and the receiver electrode based on the second resulting signal, compute a third measurement of a change in capacitive coupling between the transmitter electrode and the receiver electrode based on the third resulting signal, and combine the first and third measurements. The determination module is further configured to determine positional information for an input object based on the second measurement and a combination of the first and third measurements.
US08886478B2
The invention relates to a method and a device for determining the properties of a battery, in particular a traction battery. Particularly the invention determines a battery state such as the capacity and/or a charging state and/or a remaining service life of the battery, preferably with an observer and a battery model for a model-based state identification. According to the invention, a querying module for querying an operational state of a consumer supplied by a battery and a first control module for starting the determination of the properties of the battery, only when the operational state of the supplied consumer shows that it does not operate in the principal mode, are provided.
US08886468B1
A system for monitoring the structural integrity of structural members of a building using radio frequency identification tags. A plurality of radio frequency modules are secured to structural members, each module including a radio frequency identification tag, a micro processor, a first memory, one or more sensors for measuring data related to the structural integrity of the building members and a transceiver for receiving operational instructions used to monitor the structural integrity of the building and for transmitting the measured data. There is also provided a computing system that transmits the operational instructions to the radio frequency modules and receives the measured data from the modules. In addition, the computing system stores the measured data in a second memory and processes the measured data from the modules.
US08886465B2
A medical device for sensing cardiac events that includes a plurality of light sources capable of emitting light at a plurality of wavelengths, and a detector to detect the emitted light. A processor determines a plurality of light measurements in response to the emitted light detected by the detector, updates, for each of the plurality of wavelengths, a first normalization coefficient and a second normalization coefficient in response to the detected emitted light, and adjusts the determined plurality of light measurements in response to the first normalization coefficient and the second normalization coefficient.
US08886463B2
To characterize an earth subterranean structure using a measurement assembly including electromagnetic (EM) receivers and one or more EM sources, measured voltage data collected by EM receivers in response to transmission by one or more EM sources is received. Based on a model, predicted EM data is computed. Inversion is iteratively performed according to a function that computes a difference between the measured voltage data and a product of a term containing the predicted EM data and a term containing distortion data that accounts at least for distortion effect by an environment of the measurement assembly. The inversion is iteratively performed to solve for parameters of the model and the distortion data.
US08886458B2
A neighborhood creating device includes: a memory; and one or more processors that execute a procedure in the memory, the procedure including a position acquiring process that acquires position information representing a position of a mobile object; a data creating process that creates mobile object data representing a condition associated with a movable range of the mobile object based on the position information; a data acquiring process that acquires obstacle data representing a condition associated with a place through which the mobile object is not able to move; and an information creating process that creates neighborhood information satisfying both conditions represented by the mobile object data and the obstacle data and continuously representing a movable range of the mobile object around the mobile object.
US08886455B2
A navigation apparatus (200) comprises a processing resource (202) arranged to support an operating environment and a route follower (256) supported by the operating environment and arranged to monitor progression, when in use, along a route to be followed. The apparatus also comprises an instruction generator (260) supported by the operating environment and arranged to determine an identity of a location in advance of the location being reached where a manoeuvre has to be executed in order to continue following the route, and to generate manoeuvre data in relation to the manoeuvre. The apparatus further comprises a voice command generator (266) supported by the operating environment and arranged to obtain the manoeuvre data and to generate in response to the manoeuvre data voice instruction data for reproduction by a loudspeaker (276) as an audible voice instruction. The manoeuvre data comprises route manoeuvre instruction component data and supplementary descriptive instruction component data.
US08886453B2
Embodiments provide systems and methods that find the quickest route between two locations on a graph with multi-edge constraints in a time and space efficient manner. In some embodiments, Dijkstra's algorithm is split into separate universes when a) a multiple-edge constraint is reached, and b) along each edge of a multi-edge constraint. In some embodiments, the split is performed for the purpose of finding the quickest (i.e. lowest weighted) route to the intersect ion(s) at the end of the constraints. These universes, in some embodiments, are merged or discarded when the intersection at the end of the constraint is found. Using these systems and methods, in some embodiments, the shortest path between two locations of a multi-edge constrained road network can be efficiently determined.
US08886452B2
One aspect of the present invention relates to a mobile terminal having an autonomous navigation function, including an anchor management unit configured to acquire a directional change point, set the acquired directional change point as an anchor point and store the anchor point, wherein the directional change point is assumed for a user to change direction on a route from a departure point to a destination point of the user of the mobile terminal on map information, a measurement unit configured to detect movement of the mobile terminal and provide sensor information indicative of the movement, a position calculation unit configured to calculate a current position of the mobile terminal based on the sensor information, a rotation detection unit configured to detect rotation of the user based on the sensor information and determine a rotation point associated with the detected rotation and a current position correction unit configured to determine an anchor point corresponding to the determined rotation point from the anchor points stored in the anchor management unit and correct the current position of the mobile terminal with a position of the determined anchor point.
US08886451B2
A navigation system includes a hearing device configured to be head worn and having loudspeakers for emission of sound towards ears of a user; a GPS unit for determining a geographical position of the system; a sound generator connected for outputting audio signals to the loudspeakers; and a processor configured for selecting Points-Of-Interest in a vicinity of the system, and controlling the sound generator to output the audio signals that represents spoken information on the selected Points-Of-Interest in sequence.
US08886444B2
A method of starting an internal combustion engine includes sensing a temperature of an engine coolant at an engine block of the internal combustion engine, and sensing a temperature of a secondary engine component remote from the engine block when the internal combustion engine is not running. A numerical difference between the temperature of the engine coolant and the temperature of the secondary engine component is calculated. A start parameter setting used to control the start of the internal combustion engine is adjusted based upon both the sensed temperature of the engine coolant and the numerical difference between the sensed temperature of the engine coolant and the sensed temperature of the secondary engine component.
US08886442B2
A water jet propulsion watercraft includes a hull, an engine, a jet propulsion device, a fuel injection apparatus, an exhaust channel, and an engine control unit. The engine includes a combustion chamber arranged to combust fuel therein, an exhaust port arranged to discharge exhaust gas, an exhaust valve arranged to open and close the exhaust port, an intake port arranged for flow of air and the fuel into the combustion chamber, and an intake valve arranged to open and close the intake port. The engine control unit is arranged to control the engine to deliver the exhaust gas, retained at the intake side relative to the exhaust port, to the exhaust channel side in a state where a fuel injection amount of the fuel injection apparatus is set lower than an ordinary fuel injection amount during a predetermined period when starting of the engine is performed.
US08886440B2
A method and control module for controlling an engine includes a requested torque module that generates a requested torque and a turbo boost level module that determines a desired boost level based on the driver requested torque. The control module further includes a pulse determination module that determines a primary fuel injection pulsewidth and a secondary fuel injection pulsewidth based on the driver requested torque and the desired boost level and controls a first injection into the cylinder with the primary fuel injection pulsewidth and a second injection into the cylinder with the secondary fuel injection pulsewidth.
US08886438B2
Systems, devices, and methods for controlling a fuel supply for a turbine or other engine using direct and/or indirect indications of power output and optionally one or more secondary control parameters.
US08886428B2
An unlocking controller is provided for an irreversible rotary transmission system having the irreversible rotary transmission system having an irreversible rotation transmission element arranged between an input shaft and an output shaft. The unlocking controller includes an input shaft rotation direction determination section and an unlocking torque setting section. The input shaft rotation direction determination section determines whether an input shaft rotational direction is the same as, or opposite to, a direction of the load torque of the output shaft. The unlocking torque setting section conducts an unlocking torque control that sets the unlocking torque a higher value when the input shaft rotational direction and the direction of the load torque of the output shaft are the same as while the lock is released, than when the input shaft rotational direction is opposite to the direction of the direction of the load torque of the output shaft.
US08886427B2
A hydraulic control apparatus for an automatic transmission has a circulating oil supply passage that supplies circulating oil to a starting apparatus, a circulating oil discharge passage that discharges circulating oil from the starting apparatus, and a speed change mechanism oil supply passage that supplies oil to a speed change mechanism. The oil discharged from an oil pump is supplied to the starting apparatus and the speed change mechanism. A first flow rate changing device that can change the flow rate of the circulating oil is arranged in the circulating oil discharge passage. A first flow rate instructing portion output a command to the flow rate changing device to change the flow rate when the amount of oil discharged from the oil pump is low, and reduces the flow rate to the starting apparatus, which enables the hydraulic pressure necessary for shifting to be obtained in the speed change mechanism.
US08886417B2
Electronic shifting systems, mechanisms and methods of using the systems to operate a bicycle that allows front and rear gear changer mechanisms to be controlled with only two switches. The switches can be arranged so that each hand is only required to operate one switch to shift the bicycle.
US08886413B2
A seat apparatus for a vehicle, includes a main support control means for moving a side support portion inwardly and outwardly by means of a driving portion depending on a road shape, a support control means for operating the side support portion on the basis of an electronic map data before the vehicle reaches a curve starting point, a distance calculating means for calculating distance between an intersection and the curve starting point on the basis of the electronic map data, the intersection and the curve starting point, a determining means for determining whether or not control of the support control means is executed on the basis of the calculated distance and electronic map data accuracy, a means for executing the control of the support control means on the basis of determination of the determining means, and a means for refraining the control of the support control means.
US08886410B2
Methods for controlling a vehicle are provided. The vehicle includes a pair of steerable front wheels and a pair of steerable rear wheels. A steering angle of at least one of the steerable rear wheels is detected. A feed-forward lateral acceleration value is determined based upon the detected steering angle and a scaling factor. Operation of the steerable front wheels and the steerable rear wheels is controlled in response to the feed-forward lateral acceleration value.
US08886408B2
A control method for an automotive vehicle steering system including an electric motor providing a steering force on a steering mechanism. The method comprises providing at least three steering system MAPs which control an electric current supplied to the electric motor. Wherein if a new MAP is selected when at least two prior selected MAPs are blending, the MAP comprising the greatest component of a blend at the time the new MAP is selected is decreased at a faster rate than the MAP comprising the lesser component.
US08886393B2
A method and system for providing a reminder message to a user associated with a vehicle via a vehicle telematics unit. The method carried out by the system involves sending to a user an email, web page or other communication that contains a user selectable reminder request, receiving the reminder request from the user, setting a reminder trigger in the vehicle, and then carrying out a requested action in response to occurrence of the trigger. The requested action can be presentation of a reminder message to the occupant and/or establishment of a call from the vehicle to a call center or other remote location to obtain services, such as telematics subscription renewal, or dealer service. The user-selectable reminder request can be implemented in the communication as a virtual button that mimics the look of a physical button installed in the car that is used to provide telematics services.
US08886385B2
An autonomous mobile body is configured to smoothly avoid obstacles. The mobile body has a movement mechanism configured to translate in a horizontal plane and rotate around a vertical axis, and the distance to an obstacle is derived for each directional angle using an obstacle sensor. Using a model having two arcs, one at each end in a major axis direction, connected by line segments that lie in the major axis direction and containing the autonomous mobile body, the movement mechanism is driven with a combination of translation and rotation, without interference between the obstacle and the model.
US08886378B2
A plurality of industrial vehicle operating parameters are observed and evaluated to monitor drivetrain(s) of the vehicle to determine whether a traction motor has become decoupled from its drivetrain, i.e., a dynamic gearbox failure. If a dynamic gearbox failure is detected, a static test is performed while the vehicle is stopped to confirm the failure. Drive capabilities of the vehicle are restricted if the dynamic gearbox failure is confirmed by the static test while full drive capabilities are enabled if not. A parking brake test is performed by applying each mechanical brake that is attached to a traction motor or a driving wheel and then individually controlling the traction motors in accordance with an operator's travel request such that each motor produces enough torque to rotate the motor if the brake its respective drive wheel is functionally degraded. The torque is applied in the direction of the operator's travel request so that any movement of the vehicle due to inadequate mechanical braking will not be unexpected by the operator.
US08886375B2
When a diagnosis result of an ABS control system is normal, a determination is made as to whether or not to execute ABS control based on a slip ratio of a vehicle wheel, whereupon motor torque control is executed based on an operational state of an ABS. In other words, when ABS control is not executed, the motor-generator is controlled to a regenerative state, and when ABS control is executed, the motor-generator is controlled to a power running state. When the diagnosis result of the ABS control system is abnormal, on the other hand, regenerative braking by the motor-generator is prohibited immediately and the motor-generator is controlled to the power running state.
US08886369B2
A method and apparatus for displaying a predicted path on a vertical profile to operate a vehicle. A path is predicted for the vehicle in response to an event occurring. The path has a turning section and a straight section after the turning section. A portion of terrain relative to the path predicted for the vehicle is identified. A vertical profile view of the terrain is displayed, including the portion of the terrain relative to the path predicted for the vehicle.
US08886367B2
A method is provided for communicating between a vehicle and a central unit, wherein, based on a time base, the central unit transmits a message to the vehicle. Based on the message, a functionality is activated or deactivated in the vehicle. A corresponding central unit as well as a corresponding vehicle for carrying out the method are disclosed.
US08886363B2
A system to manage the storage of energy to, and the release of energy from, an energy storage system with such energy being generated from one or more renewable sources of energy, traditional sources of energy or the electric grid, or a combination of any or all of these sources, resulting in a reduction of the power demand from the electric grid of a user of the system and/or of the high consumption charges during peak usage times of a user of the system.
US08886360B2
A motor velocity control apparatus and method in which the velocity of a motor to drive a joint of a robot is controlled. The method includes generating a velocity profile of the motor based on velocity profile generation data received from a user; judging whether one velocity section selected from velocity sections divided from the generated velocity profile corresponds to a high velocity region, where the high velocity region corresponds to an acceleration compensation section in which an acceleration section transitions to a constant velocity section; estimating an acceleration corresponding to the current velocity of the motor, upon judging that the velocity section corresponds to the high velocity region, the acceleration corresponding to the current velocity is estimated using an acceleration-velocity graph in the acceleration compensation section or a deceleration compensation section; compensating for the velocity profile using the estimated acceleration; and driving the motor using the compensated velocity profile.
US08886357B2
It is possible to perform robot motor learning in a quick and stable manner using a reinforcement learning apparatus including: a first-type environment parameter obtaining unit that obtains a value of one or more first-type environment parameters; a control parameter value calculation unit that calculates a value of one or more control parameters maximizing a reward by using the value of the one or more first-type environment parameters; a control parameter value output unit that outputs the value of the one or more control parameters to the control object; a second-type environment parameter obtaining unit that obtains a value of one or more second-type environment parameters; a virtual external force calculation unit that calculates the virtual external force by using the value of the one or more second-type environment parameters; and a virtual external force output unit that outputs the virtual external force to the control object.
US08886355B1
An automatic-adjustable stacker for controlling the movement of a media, such as cardboard, through a media handling system. The stacker includes a media receiver positioned proximate a feed of the media that receives a leading edge of the media and a controller that causes the media receiver to move from a first position for receiving the media, to a second position for depositing of the media at a desired location. The media receiver is configured to prevent the media from coming into contact with other media already located at the desired location until the media has arrived at the desired location, while creating a concave-like shape to the media while conveying it.
US08886353B2
A request for a physical import/export (I/E) slot is satisfied using a tape library slot that is not a physical I/E slot. According to one embodiment, the request for the physical I/E slot, that is associated with the tape library, is received. A different slot, which is not any of the physical I/E slots associated with the tape library, is used to satisfy the request.
US08886352B2
An electronic sewing machine (M) which makes a needle bar move up and down through a sewing machine spindle which is driven by a sewing machine motor of the sewing machine body provided with an illustration data storage unit (15) which stores a plurality of illustration data, a display unit (4) which displays the illustration data which is stored in the illustration data storage unit, an audio data storage unit (20) which stores audio data which corresponds to the illustration data, and an audio output unit (21) which outputs audio data which is stored in the audio data storage unit and displaying the illustration data on the display unit while outputting audio data corresponding to the illustration data from the audio output unit. Due to this, preferably illustration data which can reduce the frequency of screen switching to reduce the load of the operator without increasing the size of the display unit is data for explaining a method of use of the sewing machine and the audio data is data of explanations corresponding to the illustration data.
US08886349B2
A supplying molten metal to an automatic pouring machine and equipment therefor. The equipment can not only supply the molten metal into the automatic pouring machine corresponding to the molding speed of the high-speed molding machine, but it can also appropriately supply the molten metal to the automatic pouring machine, so that the quality of that molten metal in the pouring ladle matches that of the molten metal that is poured in the molds. After supplying a required quantity of alloy materials in a treating ladle, supplying the molten metal from the melting furnace into the treating ladle; transporting the pouring ladle to the treating ladle; pouring the molten metal from the treating ladle into the pouring ladle; and fixing the pouring ladle that received the molten metal to the automatic pouring machine.
US08886347B2
In general, techniques of controlling a plurality of multimedia players in groups are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a mechanism is provided to allow a user to group some of the players according to a theme or scene, where each of the players is located in a zone. When the scene is activated, the players in the scene react in a synchronized manner. For example, the players in the scene are all caused to play a multimedia source or music in a playlist, wherein the multimedia source may be located anywhere on a network.
US08886345B1
This disclosure is directed to providing audio playback to a mobile device user. According to one aspect of this disclosure, a mobile device may be to modify audio playback in response to detecting an inclination of the mobile device (and thereby a user) with respect to a reference plane. According to another aspect of this disclosure, a mobile device may be configured to automatically identify an audible sound that may be motivational to a user, and store an indication of the audible sound in response to the identification. According to another aspect of this disclosure, a mobile device may automatically play back a previously identified motivational song in response to detection of user movement.
US08886336B2
An electrical implantable lead includes an elongated lead body having a plurality of lumens therein, including at least one linear lumen and at least one planar, non-linear lumen and a plurality of conductor cables disposed within the plurality of lumens. The electrical implantable lead further includes a terminal connector coupled to a proximal end of the lead body, the terminal connector being in electrical communication with at least one of the plurality of conductor cables. Further, the electrical implantable lead includes at least one electrode coupled to the lead body, the at least one electrode in electrical communication with at least one of the plurality of conductor cables. In accordance with various embodiments, the at least one non-linear lumen extends longitudinally along a portion of the lead body and includes a plurality or crests and a plurality of troughs.
US08886330B2
A system for cochlear implant surgery includes a reference device having at least a portion adapted to be arranged at a fixed position relative to a cochlea of a patient to provide a reference position, an image acquisition and processing system adapted to acquire an image of at least a portion of the cochlea relative to the reference position and to provide an implant plan based at least partially on the acquired image, and an implant system adapted for implanting a cochlear lead array using the reference position and the implant plan.
US08886329B2
The artificial percept of light may be created by electrically stimulating the neurons of the retina. While a photolithographed array internal to the retina provides superior resolution, an array external to the retina provides easier implantation and improved manufacturability. Therefore it is advantageous to supply a high-resolution electrode array internal to the sclera, near the fovea and a lower-resolution electrode array external to the sclera near the periphery of the retina. It is advantageous to encourage current to flow through the retina by providing a physically separate and distinct electrode array and return electrode. The high-resolution electrode array and lower-resolution electrode array may be return electrodes for the other, or completely separate return electrodes may be provided.
US08886324B2
A method for cortex stimulation is disclosed which may include the steps of collecting electric signals by a control system from the cortex through an electrode array; determining signals by a virtual neural field having a virtual array corresponding the electrode array, the virtual array receiving the collected signals as an input and the virtual neural field being adapted to control the frequency spectrum of neural activity in the cortical target, each stimulation signal being determined by a value of the virtual potential at each point of the virtual array; and emitting the stimulation signals in the cortex through the electrode array.
US08886312B2
A system comprises a cardiac signal sensing circuit and a processor circuit. The cardiac signal sensing circuit is configured to sense a cardiac signal segment using a set of electrodes connectable to the cardiac signal sensing circuit. The processor circuit is communicatively coupled to the cardiac signal sensing circuit and includes a peak detector circuit. The peak detector circuit is configured to identify, in the cardiac signal segment, a fiducial indicative of ventricular activation that is local to at least one electrode of the first set of electrodes. The fiducial includes a first large positive or negative peak greater than a specified percentage of a maximum peak of the first cardiac signal segment. The processor circuit is configured to provide an indication of local ventricular activation to at least one of a user or process.
US08886309B2
For terminating a high frequency arrhythmic electric state of a biological tissue an electric signal representative of the present electric state of the biological tissue is obtained. From the electric signal a dominant frequency of the present electric state is determined, and from the dominant frequency it is determined whether the present electric state of the biological tissue is a high frequency arrhythmic electric state. Further, a dominance level indicative of how dominant the dominant frequency is in the high frequency arrhythmic electric state is determined from the electric signal. Depending on the at least one dominant frequency, at least one series of electric pulses at intervals is generated. The electric pulses are applied to the biological tissue starting at a point in time at which the dominance level exceeds a predefined threshold value for the biological tissue being in a determined high frequency arrhythmic electric state.
US08886308B2
An atrial event and a ventricular event can be received, and an atrioventricular (AV) delay can be provided using information about the atrial and ventricular events. The AV delay can be increased after a first condition is satisfied to allow a heart to regain intrinsic control of ventricular activation, and changed after a second condition is satisfied to allow the heart to remain in intrinsic control of ventricular activation.
US08886306B2
A device and method for delivering electrical stimulation to the heart in order to improve cardiac function in heart failure patients. The stimulation is delivered as high-output pacing in which the stimulation is excitatory and also of sufficient energy to augment myocardial contractility. The device may be configured to deliver high-output pacing upon detection of cardiac decompensation.
US08886293B2
A system and method for molecular breast imaging (MBI) provides enhanced tumor analysis and, optionally, a real-time biopsy guidance. The system includes a detector head including a gamma ray detector and a collimator. The collimator include multiple collimation sections having respectively different spatially-oriented structures. In addition or alternatively, the multiple collimating section have respectively different collimation characteristics. An image of the tissue acquired with the system may include spatially separate image portions containing image information about the same portion of the imaged tissue. A system is optionally configured to acquire updatable images to provide real-time feedback about the biopsy procedure.
US08886292B2
An apparatus for percutaneously implanting a localization wire into a tissue mass comprises a cannula with a preloaded localization wire having a distal end and at least one anchor. An actuator is in operable communication with the cannula and is configured for operation between a charged condition and a discharged condition to retract the cannula toward a retracted position to expose the distal end and the at least one anchor of the localization wire to the tissue mass, without inducing movement of the localization wire, and with the cannula being removable from the localization wire in its entirety.
US08886291B2
A dual imaging probe 300 for obtaining both ultrasound and electrical impedance data is disclosed along with methods of using the dual imaging probe 300 to interrogate tissue. An electrical impedance imaging overlay 330 is adapted to be positioned on a transducer window 304 of an ultrasound probe 320, and may be integrally formed as part of the ultrasound probe 320 or as a modular adapter for coupling with, and optionally uncoupling from, an ultrasound probe 320 to form the dual imaging probe 300. A method (FIG. 6) of reconstructing composite images using both ultrasound and electrical impedance data is described. Applications for medical diagnosis are described. A particular use for prostate imaging is described.
US08886289B2
A substrate configured for placement on an internal organ or internal tissue is provided. In certain embodiments, the substrate conforms to and moves with the internal organ or internal tissue. Three or more sensor elements are integrated on the substrate. In one implementation, the substrate and associated sensor elements provide dynamic referencing of the internal organ or internal tissue after registration of the sensor data with images and/or volumetric representations of the internal organ or internal tissue.
US08886285B2
A control unit for an equipment arrangement is provided. The control unit includes an imaging modality, a measurement device for measuring a control variable and a controllable injection device for a regulatory substance influencing the control variable, wherein the injection rate of the injection device may be varied during a data acquisition such that a proposed value for the control variable is reached.
US08886282B2
A system and method for measuring a magnetocardiogram (MCG) in order to measure a weak magnetic field generated from the heart of a small animal such as a laboratory rat are provided. The system includes a case, a SQUID sensor located and fixed inside the case to detect magnetism, a platform arranged near the SQUID sensor inside the case, the small animal being placed on the platform, a linear station to which the platform is fixed to move a location of the platform, and a control unit configured to control operations of the SQUID sensor and the linear station and measure the MCG of the small animal using intensities of the magnetism detected by the SQUID sensor.
US08886267B2
A cryogenically-cooled HTS cable is configured to be included within a utility power grid having a maximum fault current that would occur in the absence of the cryogenically-cooled HTS cable. The cryogenically-cooled HTS cable includes a continuous liquid cryogen coolant path for circulating a liquid cryogen. A continuously flexible arrangement of HTS wires has an impedance characteristic that attenuates the maximum fault current by at least 10%. The continuously flexible arrangement of HTS wires is configured to allow the cryogenically-cooled HTS cable to operate, during the occurrence of a maximum fault condition, with a maximum temperature rise within the HTS wires that is low enough to prevent the formation of gas bubbles within the liquid cryogen.
US08886263B2
The present specification discloses an incoming/outgoing-talk unit having an ear-hook unit, a cartilage conduction vibration unit that makes contact with ear cartilage in a state where the hook unit is hooked to the ear, an outgoing-talk unit, and a unit for performing short-range wireless communication with the mobile telephone. Further disclosed is an incoming-talk unit having an ear-hook unit, and a cartilage conduction vibration unit for transmitting cartilage conduction from outside of ear cartilage in a state where the hook unit is hooked to the ear. Also disclosed is an incoming-talk unit having a three-dimensional viewing adjustment unit, a temple having a unit for adjusting contact of eyesight-adjusting eyeglasses with the temple when the unit is superposedly mounted on the eyesight-adjusting eyeglasses; and an audio information output unit provided to the temple.
US08886257B2
An electronic device includes a housing, a display module, and a touch panel. On the housing, an opening is formed. The display module is fixed to the inside of the housing in such a way that a display surface faces the side of the opening. The touch panel is placed to be opposed to the display surface of the display module via a first elastic member placed on the display surface of the display module, and is fixed to the housing via a second elastic member placed on the housing. Hardness of the first elastic member is higher than that of the second elastic member.
US08886254B2
A radio base station which includes an antenna and adjusts directivity of a radio wave to be transmitted and received by antenna weight of the antenna, the radio base station includes a receiver which receives a first reference signal from a first mobile terminal and a second reference signal from a second mobile terminal and a processer which produces antenna weight which is based on the first and the second reference signals, to the antenna for sending a common data to the first and the second mobile terminals.
US08886251B2
When a handover apparatus of a user terminal enters a small scale cell within a macrocell area in a state that it is connected to a macrocell, the handover apparatus acquires a delay parameter of the small scale cell and delays handover for a time period of the delay parameter of the small scale cell and determines handover to the small scale cell. Thereby, handover to the small scale cell for a temporal user of the small scale cell can be reduced.
US08886246B2
When switching the mode of a power amplifier between compressed mode and uncompressed mode, accurate transmission power control is realized. A transmission power control method includes setting a power setting value of mode to switch to, such that an inter-mode output power error is canceled (equal to step ST21), calculating an intra-mode output power error from the power setting value of the mode to switch to (equal to step ST23), calculating a gain linearity value based on the power setting value of the mode to switch to and an output power error of the intra-mode (equal to step ST24), and resetting the power setting value of the mode to switch to based on the gain linearity value (equal to steps ST25 and 26).
US08886244B2
Critical resource data (192) required for a group call can be identified. Controlling (115) and secondary (155) PTT communications systems can communicate using an expanded network-to-network interface (NNI) (140). Allocation of identified critical resources (150) can be requested (145) for the group call from the secondary PTT communications system (155). In response to a successful allocation of the requested critical resources by the secondary PTT communications system, the group call can be authorized by the controlling PTT communications system (115). The allocated critical resources of the secondary PTT communications system (155) can be used to establish the group call.
US08886238B2
A method of allocating radio resources in a wireless communication system includes dividing the overall frequency band into a plurality of frequency blocks including at least one subcarrier in a frequency domain, and allocating an allocation unit including some of the plurality of frequency blocks to a user equipment (ITE), wherein the allocation unit is any one of a localized allocation unit including frequency blocks contiguous in the frequency domain and a distributed allocation unit including frequency blocks distributed in the frequency domain. Allocation schemes of subcarriers are freely used suitably according to channel environments of users, the scheduling effect of radio resources can be enhanced.
US08886236B2
A method includes computing a minimum sensitivity threshold value for a particular wireless device, configuring the particular wireless device to receive wireless signals with a signal strength higher than the minimum sensitivity threshold value, distributing the minimum sensitivity threshold value to other wireless devices, and configuring the other wireless devices based on the minimum sensitivity threshold value for the particular wireless device.
US08886232B2
The present invention relates to methods and arrangements of a network node and a UE of a radio access network supporting discontinuous reception, offering a solution that is based on the idea to use more than one sub frame for transmitting paging messages when needed. An indicator in a sub frame with paging messages indicates to the receiving UE if the subsequent sub frame should be read as well.
