US09773699B2

In a method of forming a wiring structure, a lower structure is formed on a substrate. An insulating interlayer is formed on the lower structure. The insulating interlayer is partially removed to form at least one via hole and a dummy via hole. An upper portion of the insulating interlayer is partially removed to form a trench connecting the via hole and the dummy via hole. A first metal layer filling the via hole and the dummy via hole is formed. A second metal layer filling the trench is formed on the first metal layer.
US09773694B2

A method for manufacturing a bonded wafer, includes: ion-implanting a gas ion such as a hydrogen ion from a surface of a bond wafer, thereby forming an ion-implanted layer; bonding the bond wafer and a base wafer; producing a bonded wafer having a thin-film on the base wafer by delaminating the bond wafer along the ion-implanted layer; and performing an RTA treatment on the bonded wafer in a hydrogen gas-containing atmosphere; wherein a protective film is formed onto the surface of the thin-film in a heat treatment furnace in the course of temperature-falling from the maximum temperature of the RTA treatment before the bonded wafer is taken out from the heat treatment furnace; and then the bonded wafer with the protective film being formed thereon is taken out from the heat treatment furnace, and is then cleaned with a cleaning liquid which can etch the protective film and the thin-film.
US09773687B2

A liquid processing apparatus performs a liquid processing on a rotating substrate by supplying a processing liquid. Surrounding members surround a region including an upper space of a cup body surrounding the rotating substrate and provided with an opening above the substrate. An air flow forming portion forms a descending air flow from an upper side of the cup body. A bottom surface portion blocks between the cup body and the surrounding member along a circumferential direction. An exhaust port is provided above the bottom surface portion and outside the cup body to exhaust an atmosphere in a region surrounded by the surrounding members and the bottom surface portion.
US09773680B1

Devices and methods of fabricating scaled SRAM with flexible active pitch are provided. One method includes, for instance: obtaining an intermediate semiconductor device having a first portion and a second portion, including a plurality of layers and a patterned mandrel; forming a first set of spacers surrounding the patterned mandrel; etching the dielectric layer; depositing a photoresist layer; opening the photoresist layer over the first portion and not the second portion, removing the patterned mandrel in the open areas; etching the dielectric layer in the open areas; removing the photoresist layer, the remaining patterned mandrels, and the first set of spacers in the first and second portion, etching the silicon layer and MTO layer to form a pattern; forming a second set of spacers around the pattern; and etching a set of fins into the substrate and oxide layer.
US09773677B2

Methods of forming doped elements of semiconductor device structures include forming trenches having undercut portions separating stem portions of a substrate. The stem portions extend between a base portion of the substrate and overlying broader portions of the substrate material. A carrier material including a dopant is formed at least on the sides of the stems in the undercut portions of the trenches. The dopant is diffused from the carrier material into the stems. As such, the narrow stem portions of the substrate become doped with a targeted dopant-delivery method. The doped stems may form or be incorporated within buried, doped, conductive elements of semiconductor device structures, such as digit lines of memory arrays. Also disclosed are related semiconductor device structures.
US09773672B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including forming an etching target film on a substrate; forming an anti-reflection film on the etching target film; forming a photoresist film on the anti-reflection film; exposing the photoresist film; performing heat treatment on the anti-reflection film and the photoresist film to form a covalent bond between the anti-reflection film and the photoresist film; and developing the photoresist film.
US09773667B2

The production apparatus includes a shower head electrode, a susceptor for supporting a growth substrate, a first gas supply pipe, and a second gas supply pipe. The first gas supply pipe has at least one first gas exhaust outlet and supplies an organometallic gas containing Group III metal as a first gas, and the second gas supply pipe supplies a gas containing nitrogen gas as the second gas. The distance between the shower head electrode and the susceptor is greater than the distance between the first gas exhaust outlet of the first gas supply pipe and the susceptor.
US09773658B2

The apparatuses disclosed herein include a discharge lamp configured to emit ultraviolet and visible light, an optical filter configured to attenuate visible light, and a power circuit configured to operate the discharge lamp. Some embodiments of the apparatuses are configured such that ultraviolet light emitted from the discharge lamp and passed through the optical filter encircles an exterior surface of the apparatus. Some cases of the apparatuses include a sensor system configured to monitor a first parameter associated with the operation of the discharge lamp and a second parameter associated with the transmittance of the optical filter. Some of the apparatuses include a means for moving the optical filter while the apparatus is in operation. In some cases, the apparatuses may be configured such that the optical filter may be arranged in and out of alignment with the discharge lamp. In some embodiments, the optical filter may be a multifaceted.
US09773656B2

An off-axis ion transport optical system (20) including a front-stage quadrupole ion guide (21), a rear-stage quadrupole ion guide (22), and an ion deflector (23) is disposed inside an intermediate vacuum chamber (2) in a stage next to an ionization chamber (1) maintained at an atmospheric pressure. Both of the quadrupole ion guides (21 and 22) have the same configuration as that of a conventional ion guide that transports ions while trapping the ions using a radio-frequency electric field. The ion deflector (23) includes a pair of parallel flat electrodes (231 and 232) and deflects ions using a direct-current electric field. By causing the deflected ions to reach the ion receiving range of the rear-stage quadrupole ion guide (22), it is possible to efficiency introduce ions while deflecting the ions. Meanwhile, the ions and neutral particles are separated from each other in the ion deflector (23). This provides an off-axis structure ion transport optical system that achieves a high ion transmission efficiency with a simple structure.
US09773648B2

Embodiments of the present technology may include a method of processing a semiconductor substrate. The method may include providing the semiconductor substrate in a processing region. Additionally, the method may include flowing gas through a cavity defined by a powered electrode. The method may further include applying a negative voltage to the powered electrode. Also, the method may include striking a hollow cathode discharge in the cavity to form hollow cathode discharge effluents from the gas. The hollow cathode discharge effluents may then be flowed to the processing region through a plurality of apertures defined by electrically grounded electrode. The method may then include reacting the hollow cathode discharge effluents with the semiconductor substrate in the processing region.
US09773647B2

A plasma processing apparatus includes supporting members, connecting members, a rotation member and fixing members. Each of the supporting members is partially disposed in a disc-shaped cooling plate and configured to support an upper electrode provided below the cooling plate. Each of the connecting members is partially disposed in the cooling plate and extends in a diametrical direction of the cooling plate to be engaged with the corresponding supporting member. The rotation member is provided to surround an outer periphery of the cooling plate and has recesses formed to face the cooling plate and engaged with the corresponding connecting members. Each of the fixing members is configured to lift and fix the upper electrode to the cooling plate by applying a torque to the corresponding connecting member.
US09773645B2

A remote plasma generator includes a body, a driver, and a protection tube. The body includes a gas injection port, a plasma exhaust port, and a plasma generation pipe through which discharge gas or plasma flow. The driver is coupled to the body and generates a magnetic field and plasma in the body. The protection tube is at an inner side of the plasma generation pipe to protect the plasma generation pipe from plasma.
US09773643B1

Provided are apparatuses and methods for performing deposition and etch processes in an integrated tool. An apparatus may include a plasma processing chamber that is a capacitively-coupled plasma reactor, and the plasma processing chamber can include a showerhead that includes a top electrode and a pedestal that includes a bottom electrode. The apparatus may be configured with an RF hardware configuration so that an RF generator may power the top electrode in a deposition mode and power the bottom electrode in an etch mode. In some implementations, the apparatus can include one or more switches so that at least an HFRF generator is electrically connected to the showerhead in a deposition mode, and the HFRF generator and an LFRF generator is electrically connected to the pedestal and the showerhead is grounded in the etch mode.
US09773637B2

A plasma ion source includes: a gas introduction chamber, into which raw gas is introduced; an insulation member provided in the gas introduction chamber; a plasma generation chamber connected to the gas introduction chamber; a coil that is wound along an outer circumference of the plasma generation chamber and to which high-frequency power is applied; and an electrode arranged at a boundary between the gas introduction chamber and the plasma generation chamber and having a plurality of through-holes formed therein, wherein a size of the through-holes is smaller than a length of a plasma sheath.
US09773630B2

An apparatus for remotely operating a handle of a circuit breaker which includes a handle, a first plate, to which the handle is rotatably connected, allowing the handle to be attached to a distributing board, a second plate allowing the first plate to be attached to the distributing board, a first link transferring a rotary motion of the handle, as a linear motion, and a second link rotated according to the linear motion of the first link to provide rotational force enabling the circuit breaker to be switched on or off, includes a handle operating member connected to the second link, having an elastic member to provide elastic force to the second link, while being rotated cooperatively according to rotation of the second link, to fixedly support an ON or OFF position of the handle.
US09773624B2

A housing assembly is for an electrical switching apparatus. The electrical switching apparatus includes an arc chute and a collar. The housing assembly comprises: a plurality of housing members comprising a first base member and a second base member, the first base member being structured to receive the collar, the second base member being coupled to the first base member and being structured to receive the arc chute. The first base member is made from a first material and the second base member is made from a second, different material.
US09773623B2

A keyswitch structure includes a base plate, a key cap, a key base, a recovering member and a linkage mechanism having linkage members. The key base is disposed between the key cap and the base plate. The recovering member is disposed between the key cap and the base plate. The linkage members are physically separated from each other, and are respectively inclinedly disposed between the key base and the key cap, and collectively surround the recovering member. One end of each of the linkage members is pivotally connected to the key base, and the other end of each of the linkage members is slidably connected to the key cap.
US09773618B2

The present invention relates to a capacitor. The capacitor includes a substrate; a dielectric layer formed on the substrate; and an electrode layer comprising a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer formed on the dielectric layer, wherein the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are separated from each other, and at least a portion of the first electrode layer and at least a portion of the second electrode layer are disposed on a same surface. With this configuration, applying the electricity becomes easy, and since the first and the second electrode layers function as the electrodes being charged with different polarity electrical charges respectively, manufacturing thereof becomes easy, and the structure thereof is simple.
US09773616B2

The problem addressed lies in providing a dielectric composition having a relatively high dielectric constant of 800 or greater when a DC bias of at least 8 V/μm is applied, and also in providing a dielectric element employing said dielectric composition, an electronic component, and a laminated electronic component. [Solution] A dielectric composition in which the composition of the main component is in accordance with the following formula (1): (BiaNabSrc)(MgdTi1-d)O3 (1) [where a, b, c and d satisfy the following: 0.10≦a≦0.65, 0
US09773612B2

A method of fabricating in-plane or out-of-plane thin-film multi-axial magnetic anisotropy devices is provided that includes either depositing a magnetic material with perpendicular or partially perpendicular anisotropy patterned into a multi-directional, curved, or closed path or depositing a thin-film of magnetic material on a piezoelectric material, where the magnetic material is arranged in a pattern, depositing excitation electrodes on the piezoelectric material, where the excitation electrodes are arranged in a pattern, biasing the piezoelectric material, by applying a voltage across the excitation electrodes, where an electric field through the piezoelectric material is generated by the applied voltage across the excitation electrodes, where the piezoelectric material is biased by the electric field to provide stress to the magnetic material, where the stress rotates a magnetization of the magnetic material, and patterning the magnetic material into a multi-directional, curved, or closed path.
US09773609B2

Disclosed is a power supply apparatus of a wireless power transmitting apparatus wirelessly transmitting power to a wireless power receiving apparatus. The power supply apparatus includes a power supply to supply DC power, an oscillator to generate an AC signal having a predetermined frequency and an AC power generator to generate AC power using the AC signal and the DC power. The power supply apparatus controls an operating time of the AC power generator to adjust the power supplied to the wireless power transmitting apparatus.
US09773600B2

A magnet plate assembly includes: a magnetic body; a magnet support which supports the magnetic body and has a first protrusion; a guide part which supports the magnet support and has a first opening through which the first protrusion passes; a first frame formed extending in a width direction of the magnet support, to accommodate the first protrusion; a first mother block which is disposed adjacent to one end side of the guide part, is contactable with one end of the guide part, and moves the guide part in a length direction; and a second mother block which is disposed adjacent to another end side of the guide part, is contactable with the other end of the guide part, and moves or fixes the guide part, wherein the first protrusion is formed slidable in the width direction on the first frame.
US09773599B2

The present invention provides an R-T-B based sintered magnet including R2T14B crystal grains wherein; a grain boundary is formed by two or more adjacent R2T14B crystal grains, an R—O—C concentrated part, in which concentrations of R, O and C are higher than those in the R2T14B crystal grains respectively, is in the grain boundary, and a ratio (O/R) of O atom to R atom in the R—O—C concentrated part satisfies the following formula (1): 0.4<(O/R)<0.7.
US09773597B2

A composite soft magnetic material having low magnetostriction and high magnetic flux density contains: pure iron-based composite soft magnetic powder particles that are subjected to an insulating treatment by a Mg-containing insulating film or a phosphate film; and Fe—Si alloy powder particles including 11%-16% by mass of Si. A ratio of an amount of the Fe—Si alloy powder particles to a total amount is in a range of 10%-60% by mass. A method for producing the composite soft magnetic material comprises the steps of: mixing a pure iron-based composite soft magnetic powder, and the Fe—Si alloy powder in such a manner that a ratio of the Fe—Si alloy powder to a total amount is in a range of 10%-60%; subjecting a resultant mixture to compression molding; and subjecting a resultant molded body to a baking treatment in a non-oxidizing atmosphere.
US09773595B2

An alloy is provided which consists of Fe100-a-b-c-d-x-y-zCuaNbbMcTdSixByZz and up to 1 at % impurities, M being one or more of the elements Mo, Ta and Zr, T being one or more of the elements V, Mn, Cr, Co and Ni, Z being one or more of the elements C, P and Ge, 0 at %≦a<1.5 at %, 0 at %≦b<2 at %, 0 at %≦(b+c)<2 at %, 0 at %≦d<5 at %, 10 at %
US09773585B1

A fire-resistant coaxial cable is described in which the dielectric between the central conductor and outer coaxial conductor can ceramify under high heat. The dielectric is composed of a ceramifiable silicone rubber, such as that having a polysiloxane matrix with inorganic flux and refractory particles. An outer wrap of ceramic fiber yarn surrounds the outer conductor and continues to insulate it from the outside if a low smoke zero halogen jacket burns away. Embodiments include those with durable corrugated outer conductors or flexible braided outer conductors. Methods of testing and installation are described.
US09773583B2

Continuously transposed conductor (“CTC”) cables are described. A CTC cable may include a plurality of electrically insulated strands connected in parallel at their ends. Additionally, each strand may include one or more conductors and an extruded insulation layer formed at least partially around the one or more conductors.
US09773578B2

A method of manufacturing a multi-layer mirror comprising a multi-layer stack of pairs of alternating layers of a first material and silicon, the method comprising depositing a stack of pairs of alternating layers of the first material and layers of silicon, the stack being supported by a substrate and doping at least a first layer of the first material with a dopant material.
US09773563B2

According to one embodiment, a distribution of threshold voltages of a plurality of memory cells is acquired from a nonvolatile memory which includes the plurality of memory cells, a malfunction state occurring in the nonvolatile memory is identified based on a shape of the distribution, and a read voltage when data is read out of the nonvolatile memory is set to a voltage value corresponding to a type of the malfunction state.
US09773554B2

An integrated circuit comprises a memory array including diffusion bit lines having composite impurity profiles in a substrate. A plurality of word lines overlies channel regions in the substrate between the diffusion bit lines, with data storage structures such as floating gate structures or dielectric charge trapping structures, at the cross-points. The composite impurity diffusion bit lines provide source/drain terminals on opposing sides of the channel regions that have high conductivity, good depth and steep doping profiles, even with channel region critical dimensions below 50 nanometers.
US09773553B1

Apparatus having a plurality of strings of series-connected memory cells, and methods of their operation, where each string of the plurality of strings is selectively connected to a common data line through a corresponding respective first select gate and selectively connected to a common source through a corresponding respective second select gate. A first access line is coupled to a respective memory cell of a first position of each string of the plurality of strings. A second access line is coupled to a respective memory cell of a second position of each string of a first subset of the plurality of strings, and a third access line is coupled to a respective memory cell of the second position of each string of a second subset of the plurality of strings.
US09773552B2

In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a method of operating an RRAM cell having a PMOS access transistor. The method may be performed by forming an initial conductive filament within a dielectric data storage layer of an RRAM cell having a bottom electrode connected to a drain terminal of a PMOS transistor and a top electrode separated from the bottom electrode by the dielectric data storage layer. The initial conductive filament is formed by turning on the PMOS transistor by providing a substantially zero first forming voltage to a gate terminal of the PMOS transistor, by providing a substantially zero second forming voltage to a source terminal of the PMOS transistor, by providing a first non-zero forming voltage to a bulk terminal of the PMOS transistor, and by providing a second non-zero forming voltage to the top electrode.
US09773551B2

Memory programming methods and memory systems are described. One example memory programming method includes first applying a first signal to a memory cell to attempt to program the memory cell to a desired state, wherein the first signal corresponds to the desired state, after the first applying, determining that the memory cell failed to place in the desired state, after the determining, second applying a second signal to the memory cell, wherein the second signal corresponds to another state which is different than the desired state, and after the second applying, third applying a third signal to the memory cell to program the memory cell to the desired state, wherein the third signal corresponds to the desired state. Additional method and apparatus are described.
US09773542B2

A source-synchronous system is provided in which a non-uniform interface may exist in a data source endpoint as well as in a data sink endpoint.
US09773541B1

A semiconductor system includes a semiconductor device suitable for not performing an internal refresh operation when entering a self-refresh mode in response to a self-refresh command, and cutting off input of an auto-refresh command when exiting the self-refresh mode.
US09773539B2

According to one embodiment, a logical operation circuit includes a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element and driver. The MTJ element includes a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and an intermediate layer between the first and second magnetic layers. An orientation of magnetization of the second magnetic layer flips by a first current which flows through the MTJ element in a first state from the second magnetic layer to the first magnetic layer. The driver is coupled to the first magnetic layer without a magnetic layer interposed and coupled to the second magnetic layer, and passes a second current through the MTJ element in the first state from the second magnetic layer to the first magnetic layer. A magnitude of the second current is larger than 1.5 times a magnitude of the first current.
US09773538B2

According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory includes a resistance-change element having first and second terminals, a transistor having third and fourth terminals and a control terminal, the third terminal being electrically connected to the second terminal, and a driver electrically connected to the first and fourth terminals, applying one of a first potential and a second potential to the first terminal and the other of the first and second potentials to the fourth terminal in writing, and applying one of the first and second potentials to the first terminal and the other of the first and second potentials to the fourth terminal in reading.
US09773536B1

An apparatus having a plurality of memory cells and a circuit is disclosed. The memory cells may be configured to store a plurality of context variables. The circuit may be configured to predict a plurality of next states in each of a plurality of next cycles that follow a current cycle of an arithmetic decode. A subset of the context variables corresponding to the next states are generally copied from the memory cells to a buffer. A selected one or more of the context variables may be read from the buffer based on a current binary value decoded in the current cycle.
US09773534B2

A non-volatile memory accelerator and a method for speeding up data access are provided. The non-volatile memory accelerator includes a data pre-fetching unit, a cache unit, and an access interface circuit. The data pre-fetching unit has a plurality of line buffers. One of the line buffers provides read data according to a read command, or the data pre-fetching unit reads at least one cache data as the read data according to the read command. The data pre-fetching unit further stores in at least one of the line buffers a plurality of pre-stored data with continuous addresses according to the read command. The cache unit stores the at least one cache data and the pre-stored data with the continuous addresses. The access interface circuit is configured to be an interface circuit of the non-volatile memory.
US09773532B2

An information processing apparatus, equipped with a WideIO memory device stacked on an SOC die including a CPU, and a method of controlling the same, are provide. The apparatus obtains temperature information of each of a plurality of memories of the WideIO memory device, and generates temperature distribution information of the WideIO memory device in accordance with respective execution of a plurality of function modules. Then, the apparatus determines a refresh rate of the WideIO memory device based on the maximum temperature of the WideIO memory device, decides a period, at which the refresh rate is determined, based on an operation mode of the information processing apparatus and a change rate of the maximum temperature for a predetermined time interval, and refreshes the WideIO memory device in accordance with the determined refresh rate.
US09773531B2

A disclosed example method involves performing simultaneous data accesses on at least first and second independently selectable logical sub-ranks to access first data via a wide internal data bus in a memory device. The memory device includes a translation buffer chip, memory chips in independently selectable logical sub-ranks, a narrow external data bus to connect the translation buffer chip to a memory controller, and the wide internal data bus between the translation buffer chip and the memory chips. A data access is performed on only the first independently selectable logical sub-rank to access second data via the wide internal data bus. The example method also involves locating a first portion of the first data, a second portion of the first data, and the second data on the narrow external data bus during separate data transfers.
US09773526B2

A system for cooling hard disk drives (HDDs) includes: an enclosure having (i) a lower volume within which a cooling liquid is heated to a boiling point to cause some of the cooling liquid to evaporate, creating a plume of rising vapor and (ii) an upper volume having (a) a HDD cooling area with HDD(s) placed in the direct path of the rising vapor, which cools the HDD(s) during functional operation of the HDD(s) and (b) a condenser located above the HDD cooling area and which cools a substantial portion of the rising vapor that impacts the condenser within the upper volume such that the rising vapor condenses back into liquid phase on contact with the condenser; and a heat source that dissipates heat into the lower volume of the enclosure, sufficient to heat the cooling liquid to the boiling point temperature.
US09773514B2

A magnetic head for perpendicular magnetic recording includes a read head unit, a write head unit disposed forward of the read head unit along the direction of travel of a recording medium, a heater that generates heat for causing the medium facing surface to protrude in part, an expansion layer that makes part of the medium facing surface protrude, and a sensor that detects contact of the part of the medium facing surface with the recording medium. The write head unit includes a main pole, a write shield, and a return path section. The return path section includes a yoke layer located backward of the main pole along the direction of travel of the recording medium, a first coupling part that couples the yoke layer and the write shield to each other, and a second coupling part that is located away from the medium facing surface and couples the yoke layer and the main pole to each other.
US09773490B2

A personal audio device, such as a wireless telephone, includes an adaptive noise canceling (ANC) circuit that adaptively generates an anti-noise signal from a reference microphone signal and injects the anti-noise signal into the speaker or other transducer output to cause cancellation of ambient audio sounds. An error microphone is also provided proximate to the speaker to provide an error signal indicative of the effectiveness of the noise cancellation. A secondary path estimating adaptive filter is used to estimate the electro-acoustical path from the noise canceling circuit through the transducer so that source audio can be removed from the error signal. A level of the source audio with respect to the ambient audio is determined to determine whether the system may generate erroneous anti-noise and/or become unstable.
US09773488B2

A pickup for a musical instrument includes a first assembly, a housing, and a magnet. The first assembly comprises a base plate, a pole that extends from the base plate, and a coil of wire wrapped around the pole. A first lead wire extends from a first coil end and a second lead wire extends from a second coil end. The housing is user attachable to, and detachable from, the top of the first assembly, independently of any electrical connections made to electronics of the musical instrument. Moreover, the housing attaches to and detaches from the first assembly such that when attached, the pole of the first assembly is in magnetic cooperation with the magnet. Also, the housing is removable, thus allowing the magnet to be changed out to another magnet without removing strings or other hardware of the musical instrument.
US09773483B2

In at least one embodiment, a method of performing automatic transcription of musical content included in an audio signal received by a computing device is provided. The method includes processing, using the computing device, the received audio signal to extract musical information characterizing at least a portion of the musical content and generating, using the computing device, a plurality of musical notations representing alternative musical interpretations of the extracted musical information. The method further includes applying a selected one of the plurality of musical notations for transcribing the musical content of the received audio signal.
US09773481B1

Percussion accessories for reversible and interchangeable attachment to the head of a drum tension rod are disclosed.
US09773469B2

A data processing apparatus has a compressor and an output interface. The compressor generates an output display data according to an input display data. The output interface packs the output display data into an output bitstream, and outputs the output bitstream to another data processing apparatus via a display interface. The display interface is a display serial interface (DSI) standardized by a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) or an embedded display port (eDP) standardized by a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). In addition, the compressor adaptively adjusts a compression algorithm according to context characteristics in the input display data, power supply status, operational status of a storage device, image capture characteristic, configuration of the another data processing apparatus, and/or compression algorithm supported by the another data processing apparatus. Further, the another data processing apparatus adaptively adjusts a de-compression algorithm according to a compression algorithm supported by the compressor.
US09773462B2

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device capable of suppressing a decrease in display quality when pause drive is performed in an alternating-voltage drive mode, as well as a method for driving the same.In a first drive frame, overshoot drive is performed using correction values provided by an LUT to apply overshoot voltages whose absolute values are higher than absolute values of signal voltages to data signal lines. Subsequently, in a second drive frame, normal drive is performed to write signal voltages of the same polarity as the overshoot drive voltages to the data signal lines. Thereafter, a pause period in which an image written by normal drive is displayed continues until the start of a drive period in the next pause drive period. As a result, a decrease in luminance immediately after the signal voltages are written during the second drive frame is suppressed significantly, so that the viewer barely recognizes flicker.
US09773459B2

An image display apparatus includes: a light-emitting unit having a plurality of light sources capable of controlling emission brightness individually; a display unit that displays an image on a screen; and a control unit that controls the respective emission brightnesses of the respective light sources according to images of regions on the screen corresponding to the respective light sources. When a difference between an image of a subject frame and an image of a past frame earlier than the subject frame is caused from movement of a predetermined object, the control unit suppresses the emission brightness of a light source corresponding to an image region of the subject frame brighter than that of the past frame from changing from the emission brightness of a light source corresponding to this image region of the past frame.
US09773457B2

Disclosed herein are technologies related to the use of deposited light-generating sources as the backlight for transmissive illumination of the pixel structures of a transmissive display. This Abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
US09773452B2

An EL display apparatus includes: gate driver ICs (i. e., gate driver circuits); a plurality of pixels; gate signal lines each transmit a selection voltage for selecting a pixel from the pixels and non-selection voltage for placing a pixel in a non-selection state; and TCON. The pixels each include: a driving transistor; an EL element; a first switching transistor; and a second switching transistor. The gate driver ICs each include scanning and outputting buffer circuits which are connected to TCON to which an output signal of each of the scanning and outputting buffer circuits is inputted.
US09773450B2

The number of control lines to be formed on a COF in serial connection is reduced. An EL display includes a flexible board including: a plurality of connection terminals arranged at one side for connection with panel lines formed on a panel board; terminal connection lines for connecting points inside the flexible board with the connection terminals; serial connection lines for connecting between two or more of the connection terminals. On the flexible board: driver output terminals of each of gate driver ICs are connected to terminal connection lines; driver input terminals of the gate driver IC are connected to either terminal connection lines or the serial connection lines; and control terminals for performing logic setting of the gate driver IC are each arranged between connection terminals and driver input terminals to which the serial connection lines are connected.
US09773446B2

An electronic display includes a display panel, which includes an array of pixels and a driver configured to activate and deactivate the emission of light from each of the pixels in the array. The electronic display also includes a panel driver configured to generate and transmit an emission interrupt signal to the driver, wherein the emission interrupt signal causes the driver to deactivate the emission of light from all pixels in the array for a set period of time prior to a refresh of a line of pixels in the array.
US09773442B2

A display device having a display area including a plurality of pixels and a non-quadrilateral shape, a first gate line in parallel with a first side of a virtual quadrilateral inscribed in the display area, a second gate line in parallel with a second side perpendicular to the first side of the virtual quadrilateral, a first data line in parallel with the first gate line; and a second data line in parallel with the second gate line.
US09773441B2

A system and method for determining and applying characterization correlation curves for aging effects on an organic light organic light emitting device (OLED) based pixel is disclosed. A first stress condition is applied to a reference pixel having a drive transistor and an OLED. An output voltage based on a reference current is measured periodically to determine an electrical characteristic of the reference pixel under the first predetermined stress condition. The luminance of the reference pixel is measured periodically to determine an optical characteristic of the reference pixel. A characterization correlation curve corresponding to the first stress condition including the determined electrical and optical characteristic of the reference pixel is stored. The stress condition of an active pixel is determined and a compensation voltage is determined by correlating the stress condition of the active pixel with curves of the predetermined stress conditions.
US09773439B2

Circuits for programming, monitoring, and driving pixels in a display are provided. Circuits generally include a driving transistor to drive current through a light emitting device according to programming information which is stored on a storage device, such as a capacitor. One or more switching transistors are generally included to select the circuits for programming, monitoring, and/or emission. Circuits advantageously incorporate emission transistors to selectively couple the gate and source terminals of a driving transistor to allow programming information to be applied to the driving transistor independently of a resistance of a switching transistor.
US09773424B2

A system for developing firefighting skills including a display device configured to display a simulated fire, wherein the display device has a front surface. The system further includes a sensor configured to detect an actual or simulated extinguishant that is directed at the front surface, wherein the sensor is directly coupled to the front surface of the display device.
US09773423B2

A method of generating and displaying a consolidated warning making use of collision avoidance warnings as generated by various collision avoidance systems (TCAS, HTAWS, OWS, FMS, N) fitted to an aircraft. The consolidated warning is generated in application of a selection criterion for selecting collision avoidance warnings that relate to the aircraft performing an obstacle avoidance maneuver vertically upwards. The consolidated warning is displayed in the form of a plurality of display elements comprising display elements arranged as superposed strips. A first strip indicates the presence of an obstacle to be avoided by a vertical avoidance maneuver, and a second strip that is segmented to indicate the bearing position of said obstacle relative to the aircraft.
US09773421B2

This disclosure is directed to systems and methods for generating outputs based on collected aircraft maneuver data. In one example, a system is configured to collect surveillance data from one or more aircraft. The system is further configured to identify, from the collected surveillance data, aircraft maneuver data indicative of maneuvers of the one or more aircraft. The system is further configured to store the aircraft maneuver data in a data store. The system is further configured to perform one or more analyses of the stored aircraft maneuver data in the data store. The system is further configured to generate an output based on the one or more analyses of the stored aircraft maneuver data.
US09773418B1

A method for providing air traffic controlled flight of drones flying in to and out of an air traffic controlled space around an airport. The method includes causing the drones to congregate at a congregation area in the air traffic controlled space, causing the drones to fly from the congregation area as a group out of the air traffic controlled space under air traffic control, causing the drones to disperse from the group once the drones are out of the air traffic controlled space, causing the drones to fly to a package delivery location after they are dispersed to deliver the package, causing return drones to fly to a re-congregation area outside of the air traffic controlled space after they have delivered their packages, and causing the return drones to enter the air traffic controlled space as a group under air traffic control.
US09773413B1

Systems, methods, and devices for autonomous monitoring of parking areas are provided. In one aspect, a method for collecting information associated with a parking space includes providing a self-propelled autonomous data machine comprising one or more sensors. The autonomous data machine can be navigated to a location near a parking space for a vehicle. Parking information pertaining to the parking space can be obtained via the one or more sensors of the autonomous data machine. The obtained parking information can include at least occupancy data for the parking space. The parking information can be transmitted to a remote computing system configured to display the parking information to a user.
US09773411B2

Disclosed herein is a wireless vehicle-to-vehicle and traffic signal-to-vehicle communication system, comprising: a) at least one traffic signal comprising a wireless transceiver capable of transmitting and receiving at least one message to/from at least one vehicle; and b) at least two vehicles, each comprising a vehicle communication unit comprising i. at least one vehicle wireless transceiver capable of transmitting and receiving at least one message to/from a plurality of vehicles and/or traffic signals; ii. a vehicle display unit; and iii. a vehicle-to-vehicle pairing system comprising one or more wireless messages, visual indicators or a combination thereof; wherein the communication system is configured for wireless communication, and wherein information is transmitted and received via the communication system between the at least two vehicles and/or at least one vehicle and at least one traffic signal.
US09773410B2

A system for sharing and processing traffic and/or road condition information includes a number of traffic and/or road condition information computer systems within individual vehicles and/or devices and/or a virtual traffic information server on a mobile network. The traffic and/or road condition information computer systems may be each connected through a peer-to-peer radio, cellular, Wi-Fi, or other similar types of communications network, and which each operate with a database for displaying road maps, with a database storing average speed data for directions of travel along roadways, and with a location sensor used to determine the location and average speed of the vehicle or device, which may be transmitted to other vehicles. The virtual server returns average speed data for road segments, which is displayed on the road maps. The system includes sharing average speed data calculated as well average speed data received from the plurality of vehicles to other vehicles, thereby enhancing the real-time communication of traffic and/or road condition data.
US09773393B2

Described are gas flow disruption alarms. The alarms can include a gas inlet; a gas outlet configured to couple to a gas delivery device; and a vibration member between the gas inlet and the gas outlet configured to produce an audible sound when a gas delivery device is removed from the gas outlet.
US09773390B2

A system for generating a visual home exterior alert in response to a home alarm, typically audio, including a light switch override portion operationally connected to a light switch for controlling outside lighting, and a listening portion positioned to detect an alarm sound. Upon detection of a predetermined alarm sound, the listening portion is actuated to send an enabling signal to the light switch override portion. Upon receipt of the enabling signal, the light switch override portion sequentially energizes and deenergizes the outside lighting in a predetermined pattern.
US09773379B2

A gaming concept comprising generating a game of chance that is designed to enhance the gaming experience by in response to winning games successively presenting to the gaming user a sequence of games of chance that have a selection of escalating levels of wager, escalating volatility and escalating RTP (Return to Player). Graphic presentation solutions render a multidimensional view of the game thereby further enhancing the gaming experience.
US09773378B2

A gaming system presents a wagering game that includes a bonus wheel having a plurality of wheel segments. A player directs the placement of at least one award marker on a wheel segment of the plurality, and the wagering game randomly selects a winning wheel segment of the plurality.
US09773372B2

An electronic gaming machine where the player plays an interactive game using their player eye gaze. A graphics processor generates an interactive game environment and defines a viewing area as its subset, the viewing area having visible game components. A display device displays the viewing area having the plurality of visible game components. The display controller controls rendering of the viewing area on the display device using the graphics processor. At least one data capture camera device continuously monitors the player eye gaze to collect player eye gaze data. The game controller determines the location of the player's eye gaze relative to the viewing area and triggers a control command to the display controller. In response, the display controller controls the display device in real-time to provide a graphical animation effect displayed on the display device representative of a visual update to the visible game components in the viewing area.
US09773366B2

A gaming system is disclosed which comprises a symbol selector arranged to select a plurality of symbols from a set of symbols for display in a display area, an outcome generator arranged to determine a game outcome based on the displayed symbols and to provide a player reward when the displayed symbols correspond to a win outcome, and a symbol modifier arranged to automatically modify at least one symbol so that the displayed symbols after modification of the at least one symbol correspond to an optimum win outcome. A corresponding method is also disclosed.
US09773361B2

Cross-contamination prevention systems and cross-contamination prevention methods are provided for defining and automatically enforcing access restrictions between environments where cross-contamination may occur. The system and methods can evaluate a person's exposure to contaminants in one or more locations against contamination risk posed for another location. The system can prevent or allow access to the other location based on that evaluation. Some embodiments can be implemented in a laboratory setting and configured to prevent cross-contamination between different laboratories and/or experiments being conducted.
US09773360B2

An apparatus for processing logging policies includes: a logging policy input section configured to receive a plurality of logging policies for use with vehicle data; a logging policy storage configured to store the received plurality of logging policies; a logging policy interpreter configured to extract profile data, variable data, and policy data from the plurality of logging policies stored at the logging policy storage; a logging policy analyzer configured to analyze the profile data, the variable data, and the policy data of the respective logging policies extracted by the logging policy interpreter and create an integration rule based on the analyzed data; an integration logging policy generator configured to generate an integration logging policy based on the integration rule created by the logging policy analyzer; and an integration logging policy processor configured to process the integration logging policy generated by the integration logging policy generator.
US09773358B2

A device and a method for detecting faults in an electrical system. The fault detection device includes, a first measuring unit configured to receive a first error value indicative of a fault in a subset of a plurality of components, a communication unit configured to provide information to a user interface, a second measuring unit configured to be electrically connected directly to each of at least two of the plurality of components, and a processing unit connected to and configured to control the first measuring unit, the second measuring unit, and the communication unit. The second measuring unit is configured to, based on the first error value, determine a operational status of each of the components in the subset.
US09773350B1

Systems and methods for capturing video information in the real world use a set of cameras that are supported, carried, and/or worn by a subject. Virtual reality content is generated based on the captured video and audio information, which provides a true point-of-view (POV) experience. Virtual reality content is played back for other users to have an experience based on the subject's experience.
US09773349B2

Techniques of active parallax correction are disclosed. In some embodiments, a first gaze direction of at least one eye of a user is determined. A determination about virtual content can then be made based on the first gaze direction, and the virtual content can be caused to be presented to the user based on the determination. In some embodiments, making the determination comprises determining a first location on a display surface at which to display the virtual content. In some embodiments, the virtual content can be caused to be displayed on the display surface at the first location.
US09773348B2

A head mounted device suitable for guiding an exhibition is disclosed. The head mounted device includes an image capturing unit, a process module and an information interface. The process module includes a recognition unit, a computing unit and a control unit. The image capturing unit captures an input image in invisible spectrum. The recognition unit recognizes an invisible code from the input image. The computing unit calculates a relative distance and a relative angle between the head mounted device and an exhibition object. By comparing the relative distance with a threshold distance, the control unit determines whether to trigger the information interface and present an exhibit-object introduction based on relative distance and relative angle.
US09773343B2

A method for realistic and real-time rendering of complex scene in internet environment, comprising: generating sequences of scene-object-multi-resolution models, a scene configuration file, textures and material files, and a scene data list file; compressing the sequences of scene-object-multi-resolution models, the scene configuration file, the textures and material files, and the scene data list file and uploading the compressed files to a server; downloading, at a client terminal, the scene-object-multi-resolution models, the scene configuration file, the texture and material file, and the scene data list file in ascending order of resolution and rendering the scene simultaneously; dividing, in rendering the scene, a frustum in parallel into a plurality of partitions, generating a shadow map for each frustum, filtering the shadow maps to obtain an anti-aliasing shadowing effect; and the shadow map closest to a viewpoint is updated on a frame-by-frame basis and updating frequency decreases for the shadow maps distant from the viewpoint, wherein the shadow map closest to the viewpoint has the largest size, and the size of the shadow map decreases for the shadow maps distant from the viewpoint.
US09773342B2

The disclosure provides a method of determining reflected irradiance for a surface point on a surface whose reflectance properties are represented by a measured BSDF. Additionally, the disclosure provides a renderer and a computer program product. In one embodiment, the method includes: (1) determining u, v and w coordinates in the measured BSDF for the surface point based on an incoming and an outgoing ray direction, (2) selecting a triangle for barycentric interpolation based on values of the v and the w coordinates at the surface point and (3) performing the barycentric interpolation for evaluating the measured BSDF for the surface point.
US09773339B2

Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems are provided for defining a view direction for a texture image used to texture a geometry. That is, a geometry may represent a multi-dimensional surface of a scene, such as a city. The geometry may be textured using one or more texture images depicting the scene from various view directions. Because more than one texture image may contribute to texturing portions of the geometry, a view direction for a texture image may be selectively defined based upon a coverage metric associated with an amount of non-textured geometry pixels that are textured by the texture image along the view direction. In an example, a texture image may be defined according to a customized configuration, such as a spherical configuration, a cylindrical configuration, etc. In this way, redundant texturing of the geometry may be mitigated based upon the selectively identified view direction(s).
US09773338B2

Disclosed are a rendering method of a 3D web-page and a terminal using the same. The rendering method includes loading a source text including depth information on one or more 3D objects constituting the 3D web-page, creating a document object model (DOM) tree and style rules including the depth information by parsing the source text, generating a render tree based on the DOM tree and the style rules, performing a layout on the render tree, painting left-eye and right-eye pages by applying, to the result obtained by performing the layout, a 3D factor including one or more the position, size, disparity, shape and arrangement of the 3D object, and merging the left-eye and right-eye pages and displaying the merged left-eye and right-eye pages on the 3D browser.
US09773328B2

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with density gradient analysis tool for heat mapping systems. According to one embodiment, a method includes receiving data points. The method further includes calculating a data distribution of the data points. The data distribution has bins, and the bins represent an intervals. The method further includes rendering a heat map based, at least in part, on the data distribution. The heat map includes regions corresponding to the bins.
US09773326B2

The present invention provides a CT image calibration method and device and a CT system. The method includes: arranging a fixed calibration element at the outside of a channel area and within the maximal reconstruction area of a CT scanning device, and storing the theoretical value of the fixed calibration element; collecting the projection data of the fixed calibration element to obtain the actual reconstructed image of the fixed calibration element; and comparing the actual reconstructed image with the stored corresponding theoretical value, to establish a mapping function for correcting the actual reconstructed image into the theoretical value. By adopting the present invention, the calibration quality can be effectively improved, the image calibration effect is enhanced, the reliability of the CT scanning device is improved and the maintenance cost is saved, thus the practical application value is very high.
US09773325B2

A medical imaging data processing apparatus comprises a setting circuitry configured to set a plurality of seeds at different locations in medical image data, a processing circuitry configured to select at least one seed from among the plurality of seeds and expand the at least one selected seed, and a region identifying circuitry configured to identify at least one target region based on a result of the expansion.
US09773324B1

There is provided a system including a memory and a processor configured to display targets on a display, each target having at least one target color, receive an input signal transmitted by a user device indicating at least one color value obtained from an image captured by the user device, the image including a portion of one of the targets displayed on the display, compare the color value indicated by the input signal with each of target colors in a target color database, determine the input signal is indicative of a first target of the targets based on a match between the color value indicated by the input signal and one of the target colors in the target color database, and execute an event involving the first target, in response to determining that the input signal is indicative of the first target of the targets.
US09773319B2

An image process to be performed on an edge of a character or a line is not performed on pixels included in a mosaic image.
US09773311B2

A voxel-based technique is provided for performing quantitative imaging and analysis of tissue image data. Serial image data is collected for tissue of interest at different states of the issue. The collected image data may be deformably registered, after which the registered image data is analyzed on a voxel-by-voxel basis, thereby retaining spatial information for the analysis. Various thresholds are applied to the registered tissue data to identify a tissue condition or state, such as classifying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by disease phenotype in lung tissue, for example.
US09773309B2

A method of analyzing a spinal region of a subject. The method includes steps of obtaining a first sagittal image of the spinal region of the subject using an upright magnetic resonance imaging unit; identifying a first vertebral edge on a first side of a first disc in the first sagittal image; identifying a second vertebral edge on a second side of the first disc in the first sagittal image; and determining a first angle between the first vertebral edge and the second vertebral edge for the first disc.
US09773306B2

A method for quantifying caries, executed at least in part on data processing hardware, the method comprising generating a digital image of a tooth, the image comprising intensity values for a region of pixels corresponding to the tooth, gum, and background; extracting a lesion area from sound tooth regions by identifying tooth regions, extracting suspicious lesion areas, and removing false positives; identifying an adjacent sound region that is adjacent to the extracted lesion area; reconstructing intensity values for tooth tissue within the lesion area according to values in the adjacent sound region; and quantifying the condition of the caries using the reconstructed intensity values and intensity values from the lesion area.
US09773299B2

The present invention relates to a method for correcting a fragmentary or deformed quadrangular image. The method comprises five steps, i.e. detection of an edge point, elimination of an abnormal edge point, straight-line fitting, vertex calculation and image correction. The method for correcting a fragmentary or deformed quadrangular image is applied to a recognition method and a recognition system for papers, such as valuable documents, bills, identity cards, etc., and can rapidly conduct edge detection and tilt correction on images of valuable documents, bills or papers which are fragmentary or deformed.
US09773298B2

A system and a method for processing multi-linear image data by measuring a relative oscillatory motion from a first-imaged array of the multi-linear optical array to a second-imaged array of the multi-linear optical array as a first function in time domain via image correlation; transforming the first function from the time domain to a second function in frequency domain; converting real and the imaginary parts of the second function to polar coordinates to generate a magnitude and a phase; correcting the polar coordinates from the second function in the frequency domain to generate a third function; converting the third function to rectangular coordinates to generate a fourth function in the frequency domain; and transforming the fourth function from the frequency domain to a fifth function in the time domain.
US09773297B2

System and method can support an image processing device. The image processing device operates to obtain a first set of characterization values, which represents a first group of pixels that are associated with a denoising pixel in an image. Also, the image processing device can obtain a second set of characterization values, which represents a second group of pixels that are associated with a denoising reference pixel. Furthermore, the image processing device operates to use the first set of characterization values and the second set of characterization values to determine a similarity between the denoising pixel and the denoising reference pixel. Then, the image processing device can calculate a denoised value for the denoising pixel based on the determined similarity between the denoising pixel and the denoising reference pixel.
US09773296B2

The present invention is directed to an image processing device including: a unit configured to extract, as target data, a set of signal values of pixels included in a target region including a target pixel in an input image; a unit configured to obtain reference data for each of a plurality of reference pixels corresponding to the target pixel; a unit configured to generate transformation reference data by transforming the reference data; a unit configured to determine a weight for each of a plurality of transformation reference pixels based on the target data and the reference data; and a unit configured to generate an output pixel corresponding to the target pixel by using a signal value calculated based on the transformation reference pixels and the weights.
US09773295B2

In a device and a corresponding method for joining a plurality of individual digital images to form a total image, a plurality of features is determined in a first individual image by means of a selection unit using a feature-based algorithm and then tracked in a second individual image by means of a tracking unit. A transformation matrix, with which the individual images are joined in an output unit to form the total image, is calculated from the determined feature correspondences in a transformation unit. The individual images can be joined in real time and with a high degree of accuracy by means of the feature-based algorithm in combination with a robust algorithm to calculate the transformation matrix.
US09773291B2

A main processor collects the edge information and color information of the pixels of a rendering target image using a rendering command, and sends the collected edge information and color information of the pixels to a sub-processor of the succeeding stage. The sub-processor sends the edge information and color information of a left rectangular region to a sub-processor, and also renders a right rectangular region and, upon receiving a process wait signal from the sub-processor, sends the rendering result to the sub-processor. The sub-processor renders the left rectangular region and sends the rendering result to the outside, and also sends, to the outside, the rendering result of the right rectangular region acquired by sending a process wait signal to the sub-processor.
US09773283B2

A social networking system determines the meaning of an anchor term used in a communication received from a communicating user. Candidate nodes are identified in the dictionary based on the anchor term, where each candidate node represents a possible meaning of the anchor term. The context of the anchor term is determined, and a score is determined for each candidate node based on the determined context. A candidate node is selected that most likely represents the meaning of the anchor term based on the determined candidate node scores. The context of the anchor term may be a social context derived from users connected to the communicating user that use the anchor term in communications. A communicating user may be prompted to identify the meaning of the anchor term explicitly based on the use of the term in communications from other users connected to the communicating user.
US09773279B2

Certain embodiments provide consolidated price level expansion. Data associated with the individual price levels represented by a consolidated price level is expanded and provided through an expanded consolidated price level interface. In certain embodiments, the expanded consolidated price level interface includes a pop-up interface. In certain embodiments, the expanded consolidated price level interface includes an in-line interface. In certain embodiments, an order may be entered using the expanded consolidated price level interface.
US09773278B2

A system and method for the online settling of a transaction is provided. The system includes a server arrangement having a rules based engine including rules established on behalf of a party to the transaction, such as a creditor. The rules based engine is configured to process data and present a transaction settlement offer set comprising a plurality of selectable offers to the user based on at least one decision made by the rules based engine. The server arrangement is further configured to receive a lump sum payment proposal from the user and to use the rules based engine to process information comprising the lump sum payment proposal and present a second transaction settlement offer set to the user based at least in part on the lump sum payment proposal from the user.
US09773277B2

A method and associated terminal, server, and system for information registration, especially payment account registration processes involving payment transactions, are disclosed. By scanning tangible information carriers such as a driver license and credit cards, a client terminal such as a smart phone can generate an image that is sent to a registration server. The registration server can extract user identity information and payment account information from the image. After verifying that the user identity information is associated with a payment account, the registration server generates a registration code for the user and sends the registration code to the client terminal and a bank server. The bank server can then establish corresponding relationships between the registration code, a terminal identifier for the client terminal, and the payment account so that later payment requests from the client terminal can be processed more efficiently and securely.
US09773262B2

An electronic funds transfer bill payment operation of a financial institution receives first information, representing an account restructuring of a biller which uses the bill payment operation, which information is combined with second information, which is formatted differently than the first information, into a uniformly formatted file. The second information includes card update information for recurring payment card payments made with payment cards issued by the financial institution. The uniformly formatted file is transferred to an operator of a payment network of a kind configured to facilitate transactions between multiple issuers and multiple acquirers, and it specifies at least one old account number associated with a biller and at least one new account number associated with the biller. The payment network operator operates both a recurring payment transaction system for card-not-present recurring payments and an electronic funds transfer account conversion application in accordance with the uniformly formatted file.
US09773258B2

A method of upselling ordering items includes: in response to detection of a patron at or approaching an ordering terminal, capturing N sets of identification data for the patron using N passive patron identification systems, respectively, wherein N is an integer greater than one; calculating an overall confidence value indicating a level of confidence that the patron is associated with a unique patron identifier based on N comparisons of the N sets of identification data with N sets of stored identification data, respectively, associated with the unique patron identifier; based on the unique patron identifier, retrieving stored data indicative of an ordering item that is to be subliminally suggested to the patron during ordering; using the ordering terminal, displaying an ordering menu; and, when the overall confidence value is greater than a predetermined value, subliminally suggesting the ordering item to the patron while the patron places an order.
US09773242B1

A system and method for calculating crowdfunding terms based on a financial history of a merchant is described. The crowdfunding terms include an approved funding amount and repayment terms including a portion of transactions processed for the merchant by the payment processing system to withhold for repayment of the approved funding amount plus earnings to investors. The a payment processing system may withhold the portion of the transactions processed for the merchant by the payment processing system for repayment of the approved funding amount plus earnings to the investors, apportion the portion of the transactions processed for the merchant by the payment processing system amongst the investors, and transmit, by the payment processor system, the apportioned amount to each investor.
US09773230B2

Systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products provide user-defined messages. In one embodiment, user-defined messaging configurations can be defined. Then, a record queue can be monitored for the entry of new records. New records can be evaluated to determine whether they are associated with user-defined messaging configurations. For the records so associated, reports defined in the user-defined messaging configurations can be requested and used to create user-defined messages.
US09773223B2

The present disclosure extends to maintaining an item inventory status at an inventory cache management system. The inventory cache may be refreshed regularly by a threshold-based triggering mechanism. In embodiments, as item inventory breaches certain thresholds, the inventory cache may be refreshed with increased frequency to mitigate overselling or underselling scenarios and reduce overall network traffic for items having relatively high inventory levels.
US09773216B2

Individuals are provided with a mechanism for sharing their team's workflow with other teams in their organization on different instances in an enterprise or network, or with external parties in other organizations via a workflow marketplace. In this way, individuals can easily use workflows that other people have published, or move a workflow from staging to production in their own organization.
US09773209B1

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for determining supervised training data, such as travel-related supervised training data, for training a machine learning system. In some implementations, supervised training data may be determined that includes input features based on information items of users and desired output features based on one or more physical locations visited by users.
US09773206B2

An efficient fact checking system analyzes and determines the factual accuracy of information and/or characterizes the information by comparing the information with source information. The efficient fact checking system automatically monitors information, processes the information, fact checks the information efficiently and/or provides a status of the information.
US09773200B2

A miniature integrated CMOS sensor circuit comprising a time domain ADC module, a digital logic and control module, a data transmitter module, a power circuit module, a voltage reference module, an identification code tag, and an RF coil disposed within an area of less than 0.1 mm2.
US09773195B2

An aspect of providing user-configurable settings for content obfuscation includes, for each media segment in a media file, inputting the media segment to a neural network, applying a classifier to features output by the neural network, and determining from results of the classifier images in the media segment that contain the sensitive characteristics. The classifier specifies images that are predetermined to include sensitive characteristics. An aspect further includes assigning a tag to each of the images in the media segment that contain the sensitive characteristics. The tag indicates a type of sensitivity. An aspect also includes receiving at least one user-defined sensitivity, the user-defined sensitivity indicating an action or condition that is considered objectionable to a user, identifying a subset of the tagged images that correlate to the user-defined sensitivity, and visually modifying, during playback of the media file, an appearance of the subset of the tagged images.
US09773194B2

A homography is determined between a test image and a plurality of database images based on a location of a character along a main line of text of the test image. A similarity score is determined for each of the plurality of database images based on the determined homography. The similarity score may measure a similarity of a characteristic between the test image and the corresponding database image. The characteristic may be at a location separate from the main line of text of the test image. A type of the test image may be selected based on the similarity scores.
US09773193B2

A quality of an image obtained by image processing is improved with a shorter amount of time spent in the image processing. An image processing apparatus includes, an acquisition unit configured to acquire an image, a determination unit configured to determine a quality of the acquired image, a switching unit configured to switch between settings of acquiring and not acquiring a reference image, from a communication apparatus connected to the image processing apparatus, used for improving the quality of the acquired image, based on the determined quality, and a processing unit configured to perform image processing by using the reference image acquired from the communication apparatus, in accordance with the switching by the switching unit.
US09773189B2

A recognition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a candidate region extraction unit configured to extract a subject candidate region from an image; a feature value extraction unit configured to extract a feature value related to an attribute of the image from the subject candidate region extracted by the candidate region extraction unit; an attribute determination unit configured to determine an attribute of the subject candidate region extracted by the candidate region extraction unit on the basis of the feature value extracted by the feature value extraction unit; and a determination result integration unit configured to identify an attribute of the image by integrating determination results of the attribute determination unit.
US09773183B2

A method and apparatus are provided for automatically assessing a resolution of an optical sensor. An image is obtained from the sensor. The obtained image is thresholded to generate a binary image of black and white pixels using a first threshold value. A target area is selected from the binary image. The first threshold value is increased to generate a second threshold value. The target is thresholded using the second threshold value. At least one pixel is tagged at a center of the target area. Pixels surrounding a tagged pixel are processed, tagging white pixels. If a tagged pixel is at an edge of the target area, an orientation of an object in the target area is determined based on that edge. And, if no pixel is tagged at the edge of the target area, the second threshold value is decreased and the thresholding, tagging, and processing steps are repeated.
US09773182B1

A method and system for classifying document data is described. An exemplary method includes identifying a markup language document having a plurality of portions, determining a set of substantive content metrics and a set of noise metrics for each of the plurality of portions, calculating a noise-to-content ratio for each of the plurality of portions based on a corresponding set of substantive content metrics and a corresponding set of noise metrics, and removing noise from the markup language document using the noise-to-content ratio.
US09773179B2

A method for monitoring a vehicle operator can be executed by a controller and includes the following steps: (a) receiving image data of a vehicle operator's head; (b) tracking facial feature points of the vehicle operator based on the image data; (c) creating a 3D model of the vehicle operator's head based on the facial feature points in order to determine a 3D position of the vehicle operator's head; (d) determining a gaze direction of the vehicle operator based on a position of the facial feature points and the 3D model of the vehicle operator's head; (e) determining a gaze vector based on the gaze direction and the 3D position of the vehicle operator's head; and (f) commanding an indicator to activate when the gaze vector is outside a predetermined parameter.
US09773174B2

A vehicle detection method includes (1) vehicle likelihood region identifying step; (2) vehicle component locating step; and (3) vehicle detecting step. To reduce complexity of calculation and enhance accuracy of detection, the method uses a vehicle likelihood region identifying algorithm to eliminate background regions from a total thermal image and keep vehicle likelihood regions therein for use in further analysis and processing, detects obvious vehicle components, such as vehicle windows and vehicle bottoms, in the thermal image to thereby identify vehicle component likelihood regions, describes a space geometric relationship of vehicle components with a Markov random field model, defines vehicle detection as problems with maximum a posteriori probability, estimates the most likely configuration with an optimization algorithm, so as to effectuate vehicle detection.
US09773167B2

A device for capturing rendered text is described. The device incorporates one or more visual sensors that receive visual information as a part of capturing rendered text. The visual sensors are collectively capable of capturing both text that is permanently printed on a page, and text that is displayed transitorily on a dynamic device. The device further incorporates a visual information disposition subsystem for disposing of visual information received by the visual sensors. The device further incorporates a package that bears the visual sensors and the visual information disposition subsystem, and is suitable to be held in a human hand.
US09773166B1

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for classifying documents. One of the methods includes obtaining a collection of training documents, the training documents including positive documents identified as being longform documents and negative documents identified as not being longform documents; extracting one or more features from the training documents, wherein the features represent lexical or textual content of the training documents; and generating a longform document classifier trained using feature instances extracted from the training documents, wherein the generated longform document classifier is trained such that input documents are classified as being longform documents or classified as not being longform documents.
US09773163B2

An entertainment device safety system includes a video camera configured to capture video of an entertainment device and a user of the entertainment device and a video analytic module to perform real-time video processing of the captured video to generate non-video data from video. A computer receives the video and the non-video data from the video camera analyzes the video or the non-video data to determine a user position in relation to the entertainment device. The user position is compared to a user position rule to determine whether the user position violates the user position rule. A notification is transmitted in response to a determination that the user position violates the user position rule.
US09773162B2

Accumulating contact information of a member of a group of participants includes determining contact information that includes facial image information for each of a set of participants that are in close physical proximity to a user, where the set of participants is a subset of potential participants that include people that are not in close proximity to the user. The user obtains a facial image of the member. The facial image of the member is compared to facial images of the set of participants. In response to matching the facial image of the member to a facial image of a particular one of the set of participants, contact information is requested for the particular one of the set of participants to be added to contact information maintained by the user and/or a contact management system accessible by multiple users.
US09773148B2

A display device is provided. The display device includes: a display panel provided with a plurality of display electrodes, where the display electrodes are configured for displaying images, display electrodes located within a predetermined region of the display panel are defined as first electrodes, the first electrodes are configured for fingerprint sensing, and a stage during which the first electrodes perform the fingerprint sensing is defined as a fingerprint sensing stage; and a driving circuit configured to, provide display signals to the display electrodes to display the images, and provide a fingerprint sensing signal to the first electrodes during the fingerprint sensing stage and perform a self-capacitance detection on the first electrodes, to implement the fingerprint sensing. A driving circuit, a method for driving the display device, a liquid crystal display device and an electronic apparatus including the display device are provided.
US09773143B2

An image processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires setting information acquired from a captured image, a setting unit that performs, based on the acquired setting information, setting regarding image analysis processing to be performed on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of a predetermined monitoring target range.
US09773142B2

A system for selectively reading code symbols includes a code-symbol-capturing subsystem for acquiring information about code symbols within the code-symbol-capturing subsystem's field of view. The system also includes a code-symbol-decoding processor that detects a marked region of interest within the code-symbol-capturing subsystem's field of view. After initialization, the code-symbol-decoding processor decodes only those code symbols falling within the marked region of interest.
US09773141B2

The disclosure features methods for generating a unique identifier, the methods including providing a dendritic structure, reading the dendritic structure to provide a signal, and generating a unique identifier from the signal.
US09773140B2

The present invention proposes a dot pattern on which code information and x and y coordinate information can be defined even if the dot pattern is extremely small, and proposes an information reproducing method and an information reproducing device based on the dot pattern. More specifically, a medium such as a printed material on which is formed a dot pattern portion by arranging in accordance with a given rule dots generated by a dot code generating algorithm in order to recognize various kinds of multimedia information is scanned as image data by scanning means. Then, the image data is converted into code data. Multimedia information corresponding to the code data is read out of storing means to be reproduced.
US09773135B2

Systems and methods for collecting and/or managing data are provided. The system includes a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags attached to a plurality of machines. Each of the plurality of RFID tags includes a tag ID. The system also includes a mobile data collector configured to take a measurement of one or more operating conditions of the plurality of machines and to read the tag ID from a proximal one of the plurality of RFID tags. The system also includes a computing device including a processor and a memory storing a database, the database associating the tag ID of each of the plurality of RFID tags with the one of the plurality of machines to which it is attached. Further, the computing device is configured to receive the measurement and the tag ID from the mobile data collector and analyze the one or more operating conditions.
US09773127B2

An information processing apparatus includes: a memory that stores, for each of a plurality of items that can be described in extensions included in a certificate signing request, item names and item contents with associating each of the item names with a respective one of the item contents; an acquiring unit that acquires specific information; a preparation unit that makes out a specific certificate signing request including specific extensions in which a specific item name and a specific item content are described, according to a condition for making out specific extensions which is determined in response to a user's instruction, by acquiring the specific item name and the specific item content from the memory and using the acquired specific information, specific item name and specific item content; and an output unit that outputs the specific certificate signing request to an outside.
US09773123B2

Systems and methods that regulate range of access to personal information of a mobile unit's owner. The access control component can designate granularity for access levels and/or a spectrum of access modes—(as opposed to a binary choice of full access or no access at all). Such access can be based on a spectrum and/or discrete trust relationship between the owner and user of the mobile unit. A profile definition component can exploit an owner's trust relationships to designate levels of security. The profile definition component can further define a profile based on a set of applications, such as entertainment mode, browser mode, and the like.
US09773103B2

An operation device includes a screen display section that displays a login screen on a touch panel, a key position changing section, a key information reception section, and a key information determination section. The key position changing section changes positions of a plurality of keys that are displayed on the login screen such that the keys are displayed for a current login process at positions that are different from previous positions at which the keys were displayed for a previous login process. The key information reception section generates input information representing a key pressed on the login screen. The key information determination section allows login of a user when a combination of pieces of input information corresponding to a plurality of key presses performed by the user matches registration information and does not allow login of the user when the combination does not match registration information.
US09773101B2

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes an output module, a sensing module, and a processor. The output module is configured to output contents. The sensing module is configured to obtain at least one of user information and environment information. The processor is configured to control an operation of the electronic device in response to at least one of the user information and the environment information depending on an attribute of the contents.
US09773100B2

The present invention provides a method for playing contents, which are stored in a storage device connected via at least one interface, the method comprising: detecting a connection of the storage device; transmitting transaction information stored in the detected storage device to a license server, wherein the transaction information includes transaction identification information which identifies a corresponding transaction and a user; receiving, from the license server, license information allowing to play the contents; and playing the contents on the basis of the license information, wherein the license information includes a license file and a license key.
US09773099B2

A system, method, and device includes a platform data storage that stores a wrap that secures an executable controller and executable sensors. The wrap is verified, optionally through a downloaded authentication driver. After verifying the wrap, the wrap is opened and a sister of the executable controller is installed into the platform memory to cooperate with the executable controller. Additionally or alternatively, the authentication driver may cooperate with the executable controller. The executable controller allows the platform processor to access data secured in a vault and/or verify the platform to create a connection to an application server.
US09773084B2

A heat dissipation simulator of a component on a printed circuit board (PCB) includes a simulation board and a simulated heat source. The simulation board includes an iron layer and a plastic layer. The simulated heat source includes a simulation chip, a thermal, and a heat sink. The simulation chip, the thermal piece, and the heat sink are mounted on the simulation board in that order. The heat dissipation simulator replaces a sample of the PCB with the component for simulating working states of the component on the PCB.
US09773081B2

A governing modeling system maintains information associated with an analytic model. One or more policies may be defined that are associated with the analytic model and one or more instances of the analytic model. The system may monitor the analytic model and the one or more instances of the analytic model based on at least some of the information, the one or more policies associated with the analytic model and the one or more policies associated with the one or more instances of the analytic model.
US09773080B2

A thermal simulation device is applied to a transaction-level designed chip which includes a plurality of intellectual properties. The thermal simulation device includes a plurality of thermal-aware transaction-level power model circuits, a simulator, a translator and a thermal emulator. The thermal-aware transaction-level power model circuits corresponds to the respective intellectual properties, and are configured to a corresponding power information for each of the intellectual properties, and dynamically adjusts the power information according to temperature information. The simulator is configured to generate the corresponding temperature information of the intellectual properties according to compatible information. The translator is configured to generate the compatible information which is compatible with the simulator. The thermal emulator is configured to trigger the simulator and transmit the temperature information to the intellectual properties.
US09773067B2

A personal intelligence platform uses a personal intelligence profile. A user can configure his or her mobile device to generate a signal containing portions of his or her personal information profile to obtain responses based upon the signal generated.
US09773057B2

Implementations of the disclosed subject matter provide techniques for recommending a song to a user based on the user's application usage information. A method may include receiving an indication of playback of a first song, by a first user, in a media application operating on a first device. It may be determined that a first content item is active on the first device during playback of the first song. An association may be stored of the first content item with the first song. Next, an indication may be received that the first content item is active on the first device. As a result, a second song associated with the first content item, based on the association of the first content item with the first song, may be recommended to the first user.
US09773051B2

Systems and methods for folder synchronization and offline synchronization via a mobile platform in a web-based collaboration environment are disclosed. One embodiment includes synchronizing user selected folders and/or sub-folders via the mobile platform, using portable devices including smart phones and tablets using any mobile operating system to allow offline access. Child or sub-folders of the selected folders and/or sub-folders are automatically detected and synchronized for offline access. Any change or new content detected on the client side or on the server side is also synchronized such that the selected folders and/or sub-folders on the client and server sides are up to date.
US09773046B2

In analyzing learning content, a social learning system receives from at least one client system in the social learning system a creation of at least one informal course by a learning content creator. Each informal course comprises learning content and metadata describing the learning content and the learning content creator. The social learning system further receives social data from a plurality of client systems in the social learning system for the at least one informal course. When the social learning system receives a query from a learning content administrator system in the social learning system including query parameters, the social learning system searches at least one of the metadata and the social data for one or more informal courses matching the query parameters and returns a list of one or more informal courses matching the query parameters as a query result.
US09773044B2

Method, system, and computer program product to analyze a plurality of candidate answers identified as responsive to a question presented to a deep question answering system, by computing a first feature score for a first feature of an item of evidence, of a plurality of items of evidence, the first feature score being based on at least one attribute of the first feature, the item of evidence relating to a first candidate answer, of the plurality of candidate answers, and computing a merged feature score for the first candidate answer by applying the first feature score to a second feature score for a second feature of the item of evidence.
US09773034B1

A large-scale service utilizes service hosts that generate log files describing aspects of their operation. An indexing service obtains the log files from a log store and/or obtains log data directly from the service hosts. The indexing service also searches the log files for key values and other associated values. The indexing service utilizes a database service to store located key values and the other values in a log index. A user interface component provides functionality for searching the log index for key values and displaying the other values associated with the key values. An application programming interface (API) might also be utilized to query the log index for key values and to thereby obtain the other associated values.
US09773020B2

A system and method for map based exploration is described. The system includes a dynamic graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a list of targeted content elements for each different group profile, in which a first dynamic GUI corresponding to a first group profile that is served to a first user is different from a second dynamic GUI corresponding to a second group profile is served to a second user at approximately the same location, when the group profiles are different. A map is displayed on the touch screen display and the map displays a plurality of geofences. A geofence selection received by the touch screen display presents the dynamic graphical user interface that includes the list of targeted content elements for the particular group profile associated with the particular wireless device at the geofence selection.
US09773005B2

Polymorphic application of a policy is disclosed. An indication is received that a retention policy is to be applied with respect to an object. A rule is evaluated associated with the retention policy, in light of a circumstance of the object, to determine a manner in which the retention policy is to be configured to behave with respect to the object.
US09773000B2

The inventive subject matter provides apparatus, systems and methods in which a point management system packages worker thought-processes and supporting reference materials with the point or conclusion being made, enabling rapid review and verification by a decision-maker. The point management system includes a literal object database, snip object database and point object database, wherein each snip object is derived from a literal object and linked to the location from which it was derived. The system further includes a point authoring module that enables users to link snip objects within the point object, and a snip verification engine that enables a reviewer of the point object to verify the supporting snip objects and literal objects, their relationships to each other and to the points being made in the point object, and the team collaboration that has transpired at both the snip object level and point object level.
US09772996B2

A method and a system for identifying indication for activity in a topic or a sentiment associated to, of an entity in a textual document are provided herein. The method may include the following stages: obtaining a plurality of textual documents describing a plurality of entities; identifying a relationship between entities and verbs at least on a sentence level, based on a semantic analysis of the verbs; determining at least one of: a topic, and a sentiment associated to the verbs identified in textual documents; and using the identified relationship between entities and verbs and a respective determined topic or sentiment associated with the verbs to determine for each of the plurality of entities: a sentiment level associated thereto, and a level of activity at the at least one topic associated thereto.
US09772995B2

Disclosed are systems, computer-readable mediums, and methods for providing a meaning of an entry in a text is described. A lexico-morphological analysis is performed on the text. A syntactical analysis is performed on the text. A semantic analysis is performed on the text. A syntactical structure and a semantic structure for the entry is chosen. One or more syntactic links between each alternative meaning of words in proximity to the entry is determined. A weight is determined. One or more semantic links between each word in proximity to the entry are determined. For each semantic link, a weight associated with each semantic link is determined; and based on the weights associated with each semantic and syntactic link, determining meaning of the entry.
US09772994B2

Technologies for natural language request processing include a computing device having a semantic compiler to generate a semantic model based on a corpus of sample requests. The semantic compiler may generate the semantic model by extracting contextual semantic features or processing ontologies. The computing device generates a semantic representation of a natural language request by generating a lattice of candidate alternative representations, assigning a composite weight to each candidate, and finding the best route through the lattice. The composite weight may include semantic weights, phonetic weights, and/or linguistic weights. The semantic representation identifies a user intent and slots associated with the natural language request. The computing device may perform one or more dialog interactions based on the semantic request, including generating a request for additional information or suggesting additional user intents. The computing device may support automated analysis and tuning to improve request processing. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09772985B2

A relationship-based communications service system receives a communication from a source destined to a recipient. The recipient is capable of receiving the communication at a computing device. The communication service system determines a first relationship type based on a satisfied relationship condition between the source and the recipient. The communications service system sends a relationship-qualified version of the communication to the recipient based on the determined first relationship type. The relationship-qualified version of the communication of the determined first relationship type is annotated to present a different user interface behavior to the recipient at the computing device than a relationship-qualified version of the communication of a second relationship type.
US09772977B2

A technique for displaying a folding document can include connecting an edge of a first panel to an edge of a second panel to create a shared edge representing a fold of a folding document. The first panel and second panel can form a first area of the folding document, and the first area and a second area of the folding document can be displayed in a graphical user interface (GUI).
US09772976B2

An electron microscope and method of operating an electron microscope (1) has an electron beam source (11) for producing an electron beam, a noise canceling aperture (12) for detecting a part of the beam, an amplifier (42), an effective value calculating circuit (44) for extracting DC components of the output signal from the amplifier (42), a detector (15) for detecting a signal obtained in response to impingement of the beam on a sample (A), a preamplifier circuit (20), an amplifier circuit (30), a dividing circuit (54) for performing a division based on the output signal from the amplifier circuit (30) and on the output signal from the amplifier (42), and a multiplier circuit (58) for performing multiplication of the output signal from the dividing circuit (54) and the output from the effective value calculating circuit (44).
US09772971B2

A fault-tolerant computer system architecture includes two types of operating domains: a conventional first domain (DID) that processes data and instructions, and a novel second domain (MM domain) which includes mentor processors for mentoring the DID according to “meta information” which includes but is not limited to data, algorithms and protective rule sets. The term “mentoring” (as defined herein below) refers to, among other things, applying and using meta information to enforce rule sets and/or dynamically erecting abstractions and virtualizations by which resources in the DID are shuffled around for, inter alia, efficiency and fault correction. Meta Mentor processors create systems and sub-systems by means of fault tolerant mentor switches that route signals to and from hardware and software entities. The systems and sub-systems created are distinct sub-architectures and unique configurations that may be operated as separately or concurrently as defined by the executing processes.
US09772969B2

A memory access mode detection circuit and method for detecting and initiating memory access modes for a memory device The memory access mode detection circuit receives the memory address signals, the control signals, and the clock signal and generates a first mode detection signal in response to receipt of the memory address signals or a first combination of control signals. An first mode initiation signal is generated a time delay subsequent to the detection signal to initiate the first mode memory access operation. In response to receipt of a second combination of control signals and an active clock signal, the memory access mode detection circuit further generates a second mode detection signal to initiate a second mode memory access operation and to suppress generation of the first mode detection signal, thereby canceling the first mode memory access operation.
US09772962B2

A guest operating system (OS) detects a direct memory access (DMA) write request for a device assigned to a guest OS to perform a DMA write to a page of memory and, prior to a write access of to the page, sets a DMA write state of a guest physical address for the requested page of memory to indicate that a DMA write operation is in progress for the requested page. The guest OS causes a virtual central processing unit (CPU) to attempt to write to the requested page of memory and sends the DMA write request to the device to cause the device to write to the requested page of memory.
US09772956B2

A system and method for emulating a universal serial bus device is disclosed. An example embodiment may include an emulated USB (EUP) device that can emulate a host side of a USB connection. This device may have a microcontroller that is programmable with software to emulate a host connection of a physical USB device. In order to emulate a host connection of a USB device, the EUP device may configure USB host mode bus signals, initiate USB frames on the bus, indicate device status to an emulation process, and relay packets between a device and the emulation process.
US09772954B2

Protecting contents of storage in a computer system from unauthorized access. The computer system comprises one or more processing units sharing the storage, the processing units each having at least one processor cache. Each processing unit respectively encrypts or decrypts, with a protected section key in the chip cache, data transferred between its processor cache and the protected section, and each processing unit respectively encrypts or decrypts, with a segment key, data transferred between the chip cache and the storage, when data relates to a specific segment of the storage.
US09772947B2

A client application cache access profile is created that documents accesses over time to data cached within an in-memory data grid (IMDG) cache by each of a set of client applications that utilize the IMDG. A new data request is received from one of the set of client applications that includes a client-application data caching vote that specifies whether the requesting client application wants the newly-requested data cached. In response to an IMDG cache data miss related to the new data request, a determination is made as to whether to cache the newly-requested data based upon analysis of the client application cache access profile of the client application from which the new data request was received, IMDG system performance cache costs of caching the newly-requested data, and the client-application data caching vote. The newly-requested data is cached within the IMDG cache in response to determining to cache the newly-requested data.
US09772944B2

A higher level shared cache of a hierarchical cache of a multi-processor system utilizes transaction identifiers to manage memory conflicts in corresponding transactions. The higher level cache is shared with two or more processors. Transaction indicators are set in the higher level cache corresponding to the cache lines being accessed. The transaction aborts if a memory conflict with the transaction's cache lines from another transaction is detected.
US09772939B2

For flash-optimized data placement in multi-tiered, log-structured storage systems, based on at least one key-level data heat metric, sets of key-value pairs determined to exhibit similar data heat characteristics are grouped. Those key-value pairs exhibiting a hotter data heat characteristic are placed into a separate flash memory log-structured data container than those key-value pairs exhibiting a colder data heat characteristic.
US09772936B2

Methods for programming compressed data to a memory array, memory devices, and memory systems are disclosed. In one such method, memory pages or blocks that are partially programmed with valid data are found. The data is collected from these partially programmed pages or blocks and the data is compressed. The compressed data is then programmed back to different locations in the memory array of the memory device.
US09772933B1

A software solution framework system, method, and computer program product are provided for allowing interaction with business and technical aspects of a software application, as well as for allowing testing associated with the software application. In use, an interface is provided to a software solution framework accessible to a plurality of users for interacting with information relating to a plurality of different business and technical aspects of a software application. Additionally, input is received from at least one of the users relating to at least one of the business and technical aspects of the software application, utilizing the interface to the software solution framework, the input including at least one requirement for the software application. Further, the at least one requirement is mapped to at least one system capability associated with the at least one of the business and technical aspects of the software application. In addition, one or more test cases are mapped to the at least one system capability such that each test case, when executed, validates whether tested functionality meets the at least one requirement. Moreover, output is provided relating to the at least one of the business and technical aspects of the software application, utilizing the interface to the software solution framework.
US09772930B2

Disclosed are various embodiments for evaluating an application under development through use of a viewer application executing in a computer. The computer retrieves an application package comprising code for a target application to be evaluated in the computer. The code for the target application is stored in a memory of the computer accessible to the viewer application. The code for the target application is stored without installing the target application as a stand-alone application on the computer. Code of the viewer application is executed in order to execute the stored code for the target application for evaluation. Executing the stored code of the target application executes the target application within the execution of the viewer application.
US09772929B2

An automated software testing system tests a running application from a viewpoint of user of a graphical user interface of the running application. A programmed processor executes a plurality of meta-layer implementations defining controls of the graphical user interface using algorithms. Each of the meta-layer implementations receives at least one abstraction layer object as input and generates a second at least one abstraction layer object as output responsive to at least one of the algorithm for an associated identity, property, collection or meta-object. A plurality of declarative function modules define each algorithm for each of the plurality of meta-layer implementations. Each of the plurality of declarative function modules encapsulates a predetermined result responsive to execution of the declarative function without providing any detail of how the predetermined result is achieved.
US09772923B2

A method for real-time capture and analysis of website performance metrics includes receiving, in each of a plurality of result servers, data values transmitted from a plurality of client devices, each data value representing a measurement of a performance metric associated with an experience of a user on a web page or using a web application, the measurement being made and the data value produced being transmitted in real-time while the user is on the web page or using the web application. For each data value received, a count in one of a set of N data buckets defined in a memory is incremented. All of the counts in each of the corresponding data buckets is aggregated to produce a histogram of the performance metric is rendered on an analytic dashboard.
US09772917B2

A method and apparatus for generating a test bench for verifying a processor decoder are provided. The method including receiving an architecture description comprising processor decoder information, parsing the received architecture description into information for verifying the processor decoder, and generating the test bench to verify the processor decoder based on the parsed information.
US09772915B2

A computer program product is provided for extending network services addresses. The computer program product comprises a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to identify a network event affecting a node of a sub-cluster of nodes of a network, wherein the node provides external access to the network using an Internet Protocol (IP) address. The program instructions are also executable by the processor to cause the processor to, in response to identifying the network event, identify an attribute associated with the IP address of the node. Finally, the program instructions are executable by the processor to cause the processor to, based on the attribute associated with the IP address of the node, determine whether to move the IP address of the node to another node of the sub-cluster.
US09772911B2

A method includes scanning multiple incoming database transaction requests. Each transaction includes one or more operations. Operations are clustered into a set of combined operations based on type of operation constraints. Log records are prepared and written for re-performing operations upon system failures, and for undoing operations upon an operation or a transaction failing to be processed fully. Each set of combined operations are performed within a thread. Each update operation is marked for a transaction within which the update operation belongs. Recoverable update operations belonging to a plurality of transactions are performed within a single logical thread of execution.
US09772907B2

Systems and methods for performing backups to a storage device are provided. For virtual disks of a virtual machine, snapshots are used to backup data periodically to a storage device. A disk virtualization layer “retires” data blocks associated with a snapshot, while retaining a list of block addresses, for comparison in future backup operations. The retired snapshot can be compared against future snapshots to generate incremental backups without occupying storage space with data blocks that have already been copied to another storage device.
US09772905B2

In an information processing apparatus, any piece of firmware among pieces of firmware is used to activate the information processing apparatus, a piece of firmware that is different from the piece of firmware used in activation of the information processing apparatus is updated, the image processing apparatus is restarted with a piece of firmware that is different from the currently activated firmware, and the piece of firmware that is different from the piece of firmware used in activation is updated.
US09772901B2

A method and system are provided for error correction in a memory. Error correction code (ECC) for data stored in a portion of the memory is enabled. A location and number of errors for the portion of the memory is then stored. It is determined if the number of errors exceeds a predetermined number of errors. If the number of errors exceeds the predetermined number, then the data stored in the portion of the memory is refreshed. If refreshing does not correct the errors, then a different ECC may be used.
US09772892B2

A recovery method used by a portable touch-control device is disclosed. The portable touch-control device comprises a storage for storing a program The recovery method comprises: executing the program by the portable touch-control device; detecting an exception condition when an exception occurred during executing the program; analyzing the exception condition to determine at least one module corresponding to the exception condition; determining a predetermined exception processing logic according to the module; and performing a recovery process according to the predetermined exception processing logic to recovery the portable touch-control device by itself.
US09772888B2

The exemplary embodiments describe systems and methods for utilizing a semaphore with timeout and lock-free path for message passing architectures. One embodiment is related to a method comprising receiving a request from a client to access an object, the object including a plurality of resources, placing the request in a lock-free pend queue of a semaphore, manipulating a count of the semaphore based on an availability of at least one of the plurality of resources, and determining whether the client can use a fast path to the object.
US09772884B2

Methods and systems for scheduling applications on a multi-core processor are disclosed, which may be based on association of processor cores, application execution environments, and authorizations that permits efficient and practical means to utilize the simultaneous execution capabilities provided by multi-core processors. The algorithm may support definition and scheduling of variable associations between cores and applications (i.e., multiple associations can be defined so that the cores an application is scheduled on can vary over time as well as what other applications are also assigned to the same cores as part of an association). The algorithm may include specification and control of scheduling activities, permitting preservation of some execution capabilities of a multi-core processor for future growth, and permitting further evaluation of application requirements against the allocated execution capabilities.
US09772875B2

Mechanisms are provided to allow devices to support multiple modes, such as work, personal, and family modes. Conventional mobile solutions provide only for mode distinctions at the application level, e.g. one work application may prevent access to certain data, but a different application may want to allow access to that same data. Existing computer system solutions rely on multiple operating system instances or multiple virtual machines. Framework level modes are provided that do not require different, mutually exclusive, or possibly conflicting applications or platforms. A device and associated applications may have access to different data and capabilities based on a current mode.
US09772873B2

A centralized controller may include at least one processor, a memory and a communication interface. The centralized controller may configure a computing system in a single deployment of an executable process. The executable process may include multiple executable instances associated with one of multiple different templates for the executable process. Each template may include multiple user-configurable parameters. A user may request a template associated with a first executable instance and update the template using the user-configurable parameters. The centralized controller may generate a second executable instance of the executable process and a second template associated with the second executable instance based on the updated template. The centralized controller may reconfigure the computing system based on the second executable instance of the executable process while maintaining the configuration of the computing system based on the first executable instance.
US09772868B2

An interrupt handling method and a system are provided. An exemplary embodiment of an interrupt handling method in a virtualized environment operable on a computer having one or more CPU cores, includes disabling a virtual machine exit triggers by an interrupt that destined to a virtual machine (VM), via a hypervisor of the virtualized environment. The exemplary method further includes delivering directly one or more interrupts from an I/O virtualization (IOV) device and a virtual device that destined to the VM, while the destined VM is running on one of the one or more CPU cores, otherwise delivering the one or more interrupts to the hypervisor to deliver corresponding one or more virtual interrupts to the destined VM.
US09772861B2

Providing access to an element in an operating system executed by a processor includes: with the processor, tracking behavior of a user with respect to multiple elements managed by the operating system; displaying a tag cloud to the user with a display device, the tag cloud having multiple objects, each of the objects representing one of the elements managed by the operating system and having a size based on the tracked behavior of the user with respect to the element managed by the operating system; and allowing, with the processor, the user to access at least one of the elements using the tag cloud.
US09772850B2

A processor includes a decode unit to decode an instruction that is to indicate a source packed data operand to include Morton coordinates, a dimensionality of a multi-dimensional space having points that the Morton coordinates are to be mapped to, a given dimension of the multi-dimensional space, and a destination. The execution unit is coupled with the decode unit. The execution unit, in response to the decode unit decoding the instruction, stores a result packed data operand in the destination. The result operand is to include Morton coordinates that are each to correspond to a different one of the Morton coordinates of the source operand. The Morton coordinates of the result operand are to be mapped to points in the multi-dimensional space that differ from the points that the corresponding Morton coordinates of the source operand are to be mapped to by a fixed change in the given dimension.
US09772822B2

A development system comprises, in one example, a customization component configured to detect user development inputs to develop elements of a computing system, the elements comprising types modeled in the computing system, a display system configured to generate user interface displays, and a visualization system configured to identify a set of customized elements, a set of non-customized elements, and a customization type for each of the customized elements. The visualization system comprises a display system controller configured to control the display system to generate an integrated view user interface display that visually distinguishes the set of customized elements from the set of non-customized elements and indicates the customization types for the customized elements.
US09772819B2

An apparatus for generating physical random numbers includes a physical random number generator configured to generate physical random numbers, a test unit configured to perform a test process to check randomness of the physical random numbers, a minimum entropy estimating unit configured to estimate a minimum entropy based on statistical information generated as a byproduct of the test process, an entropy compressing unit configured to perform an entropy compression process using the physical random numbers as an input, and an entropy control unit configured to control based on the minimum entropy a number of bits of the physical random numbers input into the entropy compression process performed by the entropy compressing unit.
US09772817B2

A playback device may have a network interface configured to communicate with a network microphone device over a communication network. A processor of the playback device may comprise instructions, which when executed, cause the processor to obtain acoustics of an environment in which the playback device is located; identify a network microphone device; and send the acoustics to the network microphone device to cause the network microphone device to apply the acoustics to voice input received by the network microphone device.
US09772816B1

Example systems and methods may facilitate processing of voice commands using a hybrid system with automated processing and human guide assistance. An example method includes receiving a speech segment, determining a textual representation of the speech segment, causing one or more guide computing devices to display one or more portions of the textual representation, receiving input data from the one or more guide computing devices that identifies a plurality of chunks of the textual representation, determining an association between the identified chunks of the textual representation and corresponding semantic labels, and determining a digital representation of a task based on the identified chunks of the textual representation and the corresponding semantic labels.
US09772807B1

Methods and apparatus for assessing printing devices are provided. A computing device can execute a first discovery technique to send discovery messages to connected devices that can include printing devices. The computing device can execute a second discovery technique different from the first discovery technique. The computing device can receive at least a first discovery response to the discovery messages. The computing device can execute the first discovery technique to identify a first device based on the first discovery response and determine whether the first device is a printing device. After determining the first device is a printing device, the computing device can execute the first discovery technique to determine whether the first device is a known printing device based on printing device information for the first device. After determining the first device is a known printing device, the computing device can provide an output assessing the first device.
US09772803B2

A semiconductor memory system or device includes a memory cell array and an address converter. The memory cell array includes a plurality of memory blocks, and there is at least one block that serves as a buffer. Each of the memory blocks includes at least one memory cell row. An address converting circuit along with a block copy circuit performs a block copy operation of copying data of a first memory block, which is a source block among the memory blocks, into a second block, which is a buffer or destination block, and maps a first logical address for accessing the first memory block onto a physical address designating the second block. The first memory block then can serve as a new destination block after the block copy operation of the first memory block is completed.
US09772802B2

An embodiment is a method for establishing a correspondence between a first logical address and a first physical address on solid-state storage devices located on a solid-state storage board. The solid-state storage devices include a plurality of physical memory locations identified by physical addresses, and the establishing is by a software module located on a main board that is separate from the solid-state storage board. The correspondence between the first logical address and the first physical address is stored in in a location on a solid-state memory device that is accessible by an address translator module located on the solid-state storage board. The solid-state memory device is located on the solid-state storage board. The first logical address is translated to the first physical address by the address translator module based on the previously established correspondence between the first logical address and the first physical address.
US09772794B2

A system and method for storage resource management using copy-on-write/read snapshots to redirect the I/O requests without moving the virtual disk is disclosed herein. The system includes storage pools, a virtualized server, and a centralized data center management server. The virtualized server includes a base disk and a virtualized disk having a copy-on-write and a copy-on-read snapshot process responsive to an I/O request that merges a previous snapshot stored on a first one of the plurality storage pools with the base disk stored on a second one of the plurality of storage pools, while it fetches a new snapshot to be stored on a third one of the plurality of storage pools from the previous snapshot or the base virtual disk. The system includes a performance model, employing an exponentially weighted moving average with an adjustable sliding window.
US09772783B2

The disclosed embodiments relate to the design of an append-only data storage system that stores sets of data blocks in extents that are located in storage devices in the system. During operation of the system, when an extent becomes full, the system changing the extent from an open state, wherein data can be appended to the extent, to a closed state, wherein data cannot be appended to the extent. Changing the extent from the open state to the closed state includes performing the following operations at one or more storage devices that contain copies of the extent: constructing an index to facilitate accessing data blocks in a copy of the extent contained in the storage device; and appending the index to the copy of the extent in non-volatile storage in the storage device.
US09772770B2

A computer-implemented method for configuring a tool with at least one pointing element on a screen comprising the steps of: pointing and activating (S1) a tool with a pointing element, said tool comprising a list of customizable parameters; and without releasing the pointing element, providing (S2) a first direction for selecting a customizable parameter of the list; providing (S3) a second direction for customizing a selected parameter of the list; and defining (S4) series of moves of the pointing element according to first and second direction for configuring the tool.
US09772762B2

A method of controlling a mobile terminal includes displaying a first screen having a plurality of user selectable items and determining a speed of a first drag input received at the display. The method further includes scrolling the plurality of user selectable items of the first screen, while the first drag input is being received, for a first distance when the determined speed is below a preset speed and scrolling the plurality of user selectable items of the first screen, while the first drag input is being received, for a second distance further than the first distance when the determined speed is greater than or equal to the preset speed.
US09772761B2

Provided are systems and methods for facilitating a user to configure and retrieve personalized settings for an information panel in a driving apparatus. The information panel system may be configured to store a plurality information panel configurations. Different information panel configurations may correspond to different users of the driving apparatus. Users may be identified when inside the driving apparatus by capturing their biometric information. Following identification, an information panel configuration corresponding to the identified user may be retrieved and configured on a display device. The displayed information panel configuration may include an arrangement of display items. The display items may have been previously selected by the identified user, and the selection may have included choosing an information panel template with one or more partitioned areas and selecting one or more display items to place in different partitioned areas.
US09772757B2

A display device includes a display section which displays an image in a screen, a proximity detecting section which detects proximity of a finger to the screen, an image generating section which generates, in accordance with the detected proximity of the finger, an enlarged image by enlarging the image displayed in the screen with a prescribed enlarged display magnification, and a display control section which controls to display a local enlarged image corresponding to a part of the generated enlarged image in a superimposed manner over the image in a position in the screen vertically below the finger whose proximity has been detected.
US09772754B2

A network-based graphical progress management tool generates information for providing a graphical user interface to a plurality of users using a plurality of processing devices on a network, to enable a user to create a graphical representation of a process, and to enable the plurality of users to view and edit the graphical representation of the process collaboratively via the network. The tool further receives, from at least one of the plurality of users, user input specifying progress made in performance of the process, and updates the graphical representation to indicate the progress visually, in response to the user input.
US09772750B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods, computer program products, and systems for linking selected messages in electronic message threads. In one embodiment, related messages are identified and graphic elements associated with a first message are displayed on a user interface. Responsive to receiving a user interaction with the graphical element, a second message can be viewed, where the second message either responds to the first message or is responded to by the first message. Displaying graphical elements associated with related messages can eliminate potential confusion between users in group messages.
US09772746B2

An apparatus includes a display module that presents a plurality of icons on an electronic display of a mobile device. Each icon of the plurality of icons represents an application configured to execute on the mobile device. The apparatus includes an event module that identifies an upcoming calendar event on a calendar linked to the mobile device and a correlation module that determines if there is a correlation between the application and the calendar event by comparing characteristics of the application to characteristics of the calendar event. The apparatus includes an organization module that positions the plurality of icons on the electronic display according to the determined correlation between the application and the calendar event such that icons representing applications having a positive correlation to the calendar event are positioned to be more visible than icons representing applications that do not have a positive correlation to the calendar event.
US09772743B1

A control pad displayed on a touchscreen of a touchscreen device can be used by a user to control or manipulate characters, objects, or entities within a game environment. In some embodiments, the control pad is activated and displayed at a location of the touchscreen based at least in part on a touch signal location within a defined partition of the touchscreen. In response to the touch signal being moved within the boundary of the control pad, an action or manipulation of the game environment may be performed based at least in part on the location of the touch signal relative to the control pad. In some embodiments, if the touch signal is moved outside the boundary of the control pad, the position of the control pad is adjusted such that the location of the touch signal remains on or within the boundary of the control pad.
US09772742B2

A first computing device for controlling a second computing device, the first computing device comprising a processor; a display; a user input in the form of a pointer; and a data link for connecting said first and second computing devices. The display displays image data from said second computing device within a window that is smaller than said display. The processor is configured to determine that said pointer has left said window; responsive to determining said pointer has left said window, determine an intersection point on an edge of said window, said intersection point being a location at which the pointer left said window; determine whether said intersection point is within a threshold distance from a nearest corner of said window; and responsive to determining said intersection point is within said threshold distance, output a message to said second computing device that said pointer is positioned on said nearest corner.
US09772735B2

A low cost touch sensor can, in conjunction with a detection of an input operation, perform detection related to a pressing force during the input operation. Upper part electrodes of the touch sensor are disposed such that they extend in an X axial direction and are arrayed in a Y axial direction that intersects the X axial direction. Furthermore, each upper part electrode comprises a plurality of upper part resistive films whose end parts in the X axial direction are electrically connected by a connection pattern. Lower part electrodes are disposed opposing the upper part resistive films and comprise lower part resistive films, whose contact surface area with the upper part resistive films varies in accordance with a pressing force that narrows the spacing to the upper part resistive films. A detection device detects contact between the upper part resistive films and the lower part resistive films based on the change in the resistance from the upper part electrodes to the lower part electrodes.
US09772732B2

Provided is a touch detecting device that detects occurrence of a level shift phenomenon of a voltage variation to thus acquire a touch signal, when a touch capacitance due to a touch input is added to a common electrode capacitance formed between a common electrode and a sensor pattern. Accordingly, the touch signal may be stably obtained in spite of external noise, and an influence due to a parasitic capacitance may be minimized.
US09772721B2

An input/output device for a computing device including one or more touch sensors and one or more force sensors. The touch sensors sense data including one or more locations at which a contact or near-contact occurs. The force sensor sense data including a measure of an amount of force presented at the one or more locations at which a contact occurs. The touch sensors and the force sensors responsive to signals occurring in response to whether the signals are in response to contact or in response to an amount of force. The input/output device also includes one or more circuits coupled to the touch sensors and to the force sensors, and capable of combining information from both sensors.
US09772716B2

A touch screen panel is provided. The touch screen panel includes: a sensing area comprising a plurality of first electrodes arranged in a matrix form in first and second directions of a substrate and a plurality of second electrodes extending in the first direction, the plurality of second electrodes being arranged alternately with the plurality of first electrodes in the second direction; a channel wiring area including a plurality of channel wires configured to transmit signals of the plurality of first electrodes and signals of the plurality of second electrodes, the channel wiring area being disposed around the sensing area; and an electrode wiring area comprising a plurality of electrode wires connecting the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes to the plurality of channel wires, the electrode wiring area being in the sensing area, wherein at least two electrodes, from among the first electrodes, that are disposed in a same column are connected to different channel wires.
US09772714B2

This disclosure provides methods and systems for mitigating pathogen transmission via a touch surface of a touch input device. Mitigation is accomplished through selective touch surface sterilization and through touchscreen user interface reorganization. The touch surface includes a pixel array for illuminating selected portions of the touch surface with ultraviolet light of a sterilization wavelength based upon the received touch inputs. The selective illumination may occur while receiving a touch input or after an accumulation of touch inputs have been received. The user interface may also be reorganized based on received touch inputs in order to locate user interface icons to lesser touched locations of the touch surface.
US09772710B2

The present invention provides an array substrate and a manufacturing method thereof, a touch screen and a display apparatus. The array substrate comprises: a substrate base; and gate lines, data lines and a common electrode layer formed on the substrate base, wherein the gate lines and the data lines define pixel units, and the common electrode layer comprises touch scan electrodes and touch sense electrodes, and wherein common electrode signals are loaded on the touch scan electrodes during a display period and touch scan signals are loaded on the touch scan electrodes during a touch period, and common electrode signals are loaded on the touch sense electrodes during the display period and the touch sense electrodes output touch sense signals during the touch period. In the present invention, as the touch scan electrodes and the touch sense electrodes are formed in the common electrode layer, there is no need to add a new film layer or add new process steps in the manufacturing process, thereby the manufacturing cost is reduced and the production efficiency is improved.
US09772709B2

An organic light emitting display device having an electrostatic capacitive type touch panel function with reduced thickness and improved luminance. A display panel of the organic light emitting display device includes a substrate, a display unit having a plurality of pixels on the substrate, and a touch sensing unit on the display unit. The touch sensing unit includes an encapsulation substrate and a capacitive pattern layer on a side of the encapsulation substrate facing the display unit. The capacitive pattern layer has a plurality of openings corresponding in position to the plurality of pixels.
US09772707B2

A touch screen and fabrication method is provided. The touch screen includes a transparent substrate having a display region and a non-display region; a first polarizing film formed on the transparent substrate; and a second polarizing film formed on the first polarizing film. The first polarizing film includes a first region having a first polarization axis direction, and the first region is located in the non-display region along a vertical direction of the transparent substrate. The second polarizing film includes a second region having a second polarization axis direction, and the second region is located in the non-display region along the vertical direction of the transparent substrate. Further, the first polarization axis direction of the first region is perpendicular to second polarization axis direction of the second region.
US09772705B2

A display device includes a first transparent substrate, a second transparent substrate opposed to the first transparent substrate, a display panel disposed between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate, a first touch panel disposed on a bottom face of the display panel, and a second touch panel disposed on an upper face of the display panel.
US09772704B2

Touch sensitive displays are disclosed that can include circuitry that is segmented into multiple portions that can be independently operated. Touch sensitive display circuitry can be split in half with an upper portion and a lower portion that can each be independently operated. The separate circuitry portions can be used for performing display operations and for performing touch sensing operations. Display operations can be performed in one portion of the display while touch sensing operations are simultaneously performed in another portion of the display. Periodically, the operation being performed in a given portion of the display can be switched so as to alternatingly update that portion of the display and sense touch events in that region.
US09772703B2

This application discloses a control method of electronic apparatus and an electronic apparatus, wherein the electronic apparatus includes a touch control unit, on which there is at least one operating icon. The control method comprises determining a first touch region corresponding to the at least one operating icon, wherein, an area of the first touch region is less than the area of the touch control unit; determining a second touch region on the touch control unit according to the first touch region, wherein, the second touch region is a region other than the first touch region on the touch control unit; generating a control instruction for making touch function of the second touch region to be in a disable status; and executing the control instruction to make the touch function of the second touch region to be in the disable status.
US09772698B2

An inner-sensor based pointing device is presented. The pointing device includes a central housing having an aperture and a sleeve disposed surrounding a portion of the central housing. The sleeve is rotatable about the portion of the central housing and slideable along a portion of the central housing. The pointing device further includes a sensor disposed along a surface of the central housing. The sensor is capable of detecting rotational movement of the sleeve relative to the central housing and axial movement of the sleeve relative to the central housing. Additionally, the pointing device has a circuit in communication with the sensor, the circuit capable of transmitting data to a computer regarding the movement of the sleeve.
US09772690B2

A portable device, e.g. a laptop, includes a first part (110), e.g. a base element, and a second part (120), e.g. a lid element. The second part (120) contains an optical remote sensing system (300). The second part (120) is pivotably attached to the first part (110) via a hinge means (115), such that the portable device may be arranged in an open and a closed position respectively. The optical remote sensing system (300) is configured to track at least one distinctive feature of a user of the portable device when arranged in the open position. The first and second parts (110; 120) have a respective essentially flat inner surface (111; 121), which when the portable device is arranged in the closed position are parallel and face one another. The first part (110) further includes a recess (112a) which is arranged relative to a position of the optical remote sensing system (300) such that, in the closed position, the optical remote sensing system (300) is at least partly contained in the recess (112a).
US09772688B2

A haptic feedback assembly includes interconnections for mechanically and electrically securing a haptic actuator in a track pad assembly so as to securely and efficiently provide haptic feedback to a user.
US09772685B2

A system, method, and non-transitory computer-readable information recording medium displays information to a user. Market data having a first portion and a second portion is displayed on a display unit of a trading device. A user focus area is detected, at the trading device. The user focus area is associated with one of the first and second portions of the market data. A first priority is assigned to the one of the first and second portions of the market data and a second priority is assigned to another one of the first and second portions of the market data. The first priority is higher than the second priority. The market data in the first and second portions is updated as a function of the first and second priorities, respectively.
US09772675B2

A power supply system for an electronic device includes a main device and at least one slave device coupled to the main device. The main device includes a power module and a detection module. Each slave device includes a slave control module, a determination module, and a switch module. The power module supplies power for the slave devices via the switch module. The detection module detects a total consumption of power of the coupled slave devices and compares the total of consumed power to a power rating of a power source. Each determination module is configured to determine whether a posterior slave device is coupled to the local slave device. Each slave control module can deactivate the switch module of the local slave device when the total of power consumed exceeds the power rating and the local slave device disconnects from the posterior slave device.
US09772667B2

This relates to an event sensing device that includes an event sensing panel and is able to dynamically change the granularity of the panel according to present needs. Thus, the granularity of the panel can differ at different times of operation. Furthermore, the granularity of specific areas of the panel can also be dynamically changed, so that different areas feature different granularities at a given time. This also relates to panels that feature different inherent granularities in different portions thereof. These panels can be designed, for example, by placing more stimulus and/or data lines in different portions of the panel, thus ensuring different densities of pixels in the different portions. Optionally, these embodiments can also include the dynamic granularity changing features noted above.
US09772663B2

A power distribution system for use with rack mounter computer devices includes a cabinet and a PDU. The cabinet includes: a rack region having a plurality of rail pairs for supporting a plurality of computer devices; a bus region having a base mount support and a server connector module; and a PDU configured for receipt within the bus region. The PDU includes: a plurality of electrical outlets configured to supply power to the computing devices; a PDU connector configured for releasable engagement with the server connector module; and a base mount configured to permit the PDU to pivot about the base mount support.
US09772661B2

Portable terminal equipment as a mobile telephone includes a display device disposed with a front surface of a housing. A first touch sensor is provided in the display device. A lateral recess is formed in at least one side surface of the housing. A side touch sensor is disposed in the housing in a range including the lateral recess. Preferably, the lateral recess is constituted by plural lateral recesses formed in the one side surface. Also, a state detection device recognizes a lateral recess where contact is detected among the plural lateral recesses by use of the side touch sensor. A disabling device disables the side touch sensor from detecting contact in a lateral recess among the lateral recesses other than the lateral recess where contact is detected, for adaptation to finger operation of one of right and left hands.
US09772658B1

A case for protecting a battery and an electronic device having the same are provided. The case includes a main body, a circumferential wall and a waterproof element. The main body includes a first side surface. The circumferential wall connects with the first side surface, extending along a first direction away from the first side surface, and includes a circumferential groove. The circumferential groove is around the circumferential wall and concavely disposed on an outer wall surface of the circumferential wall. The waterproof element includes a circumferential basal portion disposed in the circumferential groove and a circumferential raised portion disposed on an outer surface of the circumferential basal portion and corresponding in position to the circumferential groove. The circumferential raised portion includes a first segment and a second segment opposite to the first segment and farther from the first side surface than the first segment.
US09772653B2

A Universal Serial Bus (USB) dock is provided. The USB dock includes: a plurality of downstream ports; and a upstream port, connecting the USB dock to a portable device, wherein the upstream port includes an On-the-go (OTG) ID pin and a differential pair; and a microcontroller, configured to detect operating states of the portable device, wherein when it is detected that the portable device is in a USB OTG host mode and has entered a suspend state, the microcontroller controls the portable device to switch from the USB OTG host mode to a USB device mode by toggling a state of the USB OTG ID pin, thereby charging the portable device via the upstream port.
US09772630B2

An automatic water discharge device is provided for use with a pneumatically operated apparatus and includes a housing including a water accumulation chamber; an electromagnetic valve coupled to the water accumulation chamber and including a bottom air discharge hole; and a detection mechanism arranged in the housing and in operative coupling with the electromagnetic valve. When the detection mechanism detects moisture entraining gas or air passing through the water accumulation chamber, the electromagnetic valve is activated to allow water to drain through the bottom air discharge hole. As such, operations of automatic detection, accurate draining, and effectively blocking impurities can be all performed and an advantage of maintaining the performance of the pneumatically operated apparatus may also be achieved.
US09772624B2

A control apparatus is configured to control an operation of a substrate processing apparatus configured to place at least a monitor substrate therein. The control apparatus controls the operation of the substrate processing apparatus based on a difference between a processing result of the monitor substrate processed by the substrate processing apparatus and a predictive result so as to optimize the monitor substrate loading frequency.
US09772610B2

Described are methods, systems, and apparatus relating to a modular data center. In some embodiments, a modular data center includes one or more data modules. The modular data center includes a network module connected to the one or more data modules, the network module containing equipment for facilitating data communications by the one or more data modules. The modular data center includes a power module connected to the one or more data modules and the network module, the power module containing electronics equipment for conditioning and distributing power to the one or more data modules and the network module. In the modular data center, each module of the one or more data modules, the network module, and the power module comprises: an enclosure defining an internal space; a floor within the enclosure separating the internal space into an above-floor space and a sub-floor space; and a plurality of bays in the subfloor space, each bay of the plurality of bays configured to contain a field-replaceable environmental management component.
US09772609B2

A system, methodology, and programming logic for active stormwater controls to optimize sizing and design of Hydromodification Management (HM) structural Best Management Practices (BMPs) to achieve optimal flow duration control. Control logic enables the controlled release of stormwater from a BMP in a manner most akin to pre-development flow duration curves. Inputs to this logic include: flow duration curves based on continuous hydrologic simulation for pre- and post-development conditions; real-time measurement of water level within the BMP; and real-time measurement of discharge entering the BMP. This control logic can interact with control logic for other stormwater management objectives, such as harvest and reuse, infiltration, and combined sewer overflow prevention, and respective inputs, such as real-time weather forecast data, precipitation gage data, downstream flow gauge data, and water quality data, to meet those design objectives as well. New HM BMPs can be optimized to be smaller and, thus, more feasible to implement. Existing stormwater facilities designed for flood control or other management objectives can be retrofitted to provide hydromodification control as well. When utilized with real-time flow and water level monitoring equipment and data, the flow release logic can be adaptively adjusted without physical retrofit of the BMP's outlet.
US09772605B2

A wearable device includes: a touch screen; an acceleration sensor configured to generate an acceleration signal; an optical sensor using a light source and configured to generate a touch interrupt signal; and a control unit configured to detect a wearing state of the wearable device, the wearing state of the wearable device including a not-wearing state for the wearable device, a wrist wearing state, and a hand gripping state on the basis of the acceleration signal and the touch interrupt signal, and to execute a function corresponding to the wearing state of the wearable device.
US09772595B2

An image forming system detects a first conveyance abnormality of a recording material when a time taken for the recording material conveyed along a conveyance path in the image forming system to pass a predetermined position exceeds a first threshold value, temporarily stops the conveyance of the recording material when the first conveyance abnormality is detected and changes the first threshold value to a second threshold value larger than the first threshold value when the conveyance of the recording material is temporarily stopped, and detects a second conveyance abnormality based on the second threshold when a re-conveyance is made to eject the recording material remaining in the conveyance path.
US09772594B2

A curl correcting device includes a pair of fixed guides and a change-over guide. The pair of fixed guides composes a curved part of a conveyance path. The change-over guide is provided to be contactable with a sheet from a radial outer side of the curved part. An outer guide includes a pair of side pressing parts and a bulge part. The pair of side pressing parts is formed at both ends in a width direction. The bulge part is formed between the pair of side pressing parts so as to bulge toward the radial outer side of the curved part. The change-over guide is configured to move to a first correcting position when the sheet curled along the conveyance direction is conveyed through the conveyance path and to move to a second correcting position when the sheet curled along the width direction is conveyed through the conveyance path.
US09772591B2

To notify a residual life of a replaceable part at appropriate time on image quality required by the user. An image forming apparatus including: a replaceable part used for image formation; an output unit configured to output information indicating that a usage amount has reached a threshold; an input unit configured to input information; and a control unit configured to change the threshold in accordance with information about image quality input by the input unit.
US09772585B2

A cooling conveyor includes a conveyor, a cooler, and a pipe. The conveyor includes at least a first conveyor and a second conveyor to sandwich and convey a recording material. The first conveyor approaches and separates from the second conveyor. The cooler is disposed in the second conveyor to cool the recording material after an image is fixed on the recording material. The pipe is connected to the cooler to flow a cooling liquid into the cooler.
US09772584B2

An image forming apparatus includes a toner image forming portion, an endless belt, first, second, and third rollers, and an urging roller, and satisfies: 25 (mm)>X>(R1+R2)2−(R1−R2)2)1/2−L1)+7 (mm), 3.5 (mm)≧Y>0.5 (mm), and L1>0 (mm). X is a distance between Lb passing through a rotation center of the third roller and perpendicular to an outer common tangential line L between the first and second rollers and Lc passing through a rotation center of the urging roller and L, R1 is a radius of the first roller, R2 is a radius of the urging roller, L1 is a distance between Lb and a line La passing through a rotation center of the first roller and L, and Y is a distance between L and a tangential line Ld of the urging roller parallel to L.
US09772583B2

A cleaning device includes a cleaning member, a collecting roller and a cleaning blade. The cleaning member is disposed to be rotatable while being in contact with a surface of an image carrier configured to carry a toner image to the surface. The collecting roller is disposed to be rotatable while being in contact with the cleaning member at a downstream side from the image carrier in a rotation direction of the cleaning member. The cleaning blade is disposed while being in contact with the collecting roller in a counter direction with respect to rotation of the collecting roller at a downstream side from the cleaning member in a rotation direction of the collecting roller. The collecting roller is formed so as to have larger surface roughness at an end than that at a central part in an axial direction.
US09772577B2

A light scanning apparatus, including: a light source configured to emit a light beam; and a rotary polygon mirror configured to deflect the light beam emitted from the light source so that the light beam scans a surface of a photosensitive member, wherein the rotary polygon mirror is formed in a four-sided polygon, and wherein a difference between a pair of diametrically opposed interior angles of the rotary polygon mirror is larger than 0.03°, and a difference between another pair of diametrically opposed interior angles of the rotary polygon mirror is 0.03° or less.
US09772576B1

A focus adjustment mechanism for adjusting a focus position of a printhead includes a rotatable pin that is rotatable around a pin axis. The rotatable pin includes a cam section located having a surface whose radial distance from the pin axis varies around its perimeter, and a gripping feature. An adjustment plate includes a gripping feature and is adapted to fit over and engage with the gripping feature of the rotatable pin such that the adjustment plate rotates together with the rotatable pin. A fastener fastens the adjustment plate to a support structure when the adjustment plate is positioned in a desired orientation. The printhead includes a frame feature which is pulled firmly against the cam section of the rotatable pin such that as the rotatable pin is rotated the frame feature rides on the surface of the cam section thereby adjusting the focus position of the printhead.
US09772571B2

An electrostatic image developing toner includes: a binder resin containing a crystalline polyester resin and an amorphous resin, wherein when, in differential scanning calorimetry of the toner according to ASTM D3418-8, a temperature of an endothermic peak derived from the crystalline polyester resin in a first heating process is defined as Tm1 (° C.), an endothermic quantity based on the endothermic peak in the first heating process is defined as ΔH1 (J/g), an endothermic quantity based on the endothermic peak in a second heating process is defined as ΔH2 (J/g), and a softening temperature is defined as Tf1/2 (° C.), Tm1 is 60 to 80° C., Tf1/2 is 95 to 125° C., and ΔH1 and ΔH2 satisfy the relationship represented by the following Formula (1) and (2): [Math. 1] 0.65≦ΔH2/ΔH1≦0.95  (1) 205−(1.4×Tm1)
US09772565B2

An immersion liquid is provided comprising an ion-forming component, e.g. an acid or a base, which has a relatively high vapor pressure. Also provided are lithography processes and lithography systems using the immersion liquid.
US09772560B2

A light source apparatus including a light source configured to emit a light flux from an emission region having a predetermined size and a rotationally symmetrical emission intensity distribution; and a condenser configured to condense the light flux to allow the light flux to exit to the outside. The condenser is rotationally symmetrical about an optical axis and is disposed to surround the emission region, and has four or more reflection mirrors each having a reflecting surface for reflecting the light flux emitted from the emission region. The reflection mirrors include elliptical surface reflection mirrors where the reflecting surface is elliptical and spherical surface reflection mirrors where the reflecting surface is spherical, and are alternately arranged in the direction of the optical axis, and a light flux reflected by one spherical surface reflection mirror is further reflected by one elliptical surface reflection mirror oppositely disposed across the emission region.
US09772557B2

An illumination system includes a light source used to generate a light and an opaque plate. The opaque plate is disposed between the light source and a photomask and includes an annular aperture and an aperture dipole. The annular aperture has an inner side and an outer side. The aperture dipole includes at least one first aperture and at least one second aperture. The first aperture and the second aperture connected to the annular aperture respectively and protruding out from the outer side of the annular aperture are disposed symmetrically with respect to a center of the annular aperture.
US09772556B2

A system includes a first actuatable apparatus of an optical source, the first actuatable apparatus being altered within a range of values about a target value to thereby alter a spectral feature of the light beam; a second actuatable apparatus of the optical source, the second actuatable apparatus being altered to thereby alter the spectral feature of the light beam; a metrology system including an observation system configured to output an indication of a deviation between the actual value at which the first actuatable apparatus is operating and the target value; and a control system configured to determine whether the deviation is greater than an acceptable deviation, and, if it is greater than the acceptable deviation, then send a signal to a second actuation module controlling the second actuatable apparatus to adjust the actual value at which the first actuatable apparatus is operating to be closer to the target value.
US09772550B2

Techniques and mechanisms to provide for improved image display in an area of overlapping projections. In an embodiment, a multi-layer projection screen comprises light sources and collimation structures each disposed over a corresponding one of such light sources. A first collimation structure disposed over a first light source collimates first light from the first light source. The first collimation structure further receives and redirects second light from a second light source disposed under a second collimation structure that adjoins the first collimation structure. In another embodiment, the first collimation structure redirects the other light from the second light source away from the direction of collimation of the first light. A stray light rejection layer of the multi-layer projection screen passes a majority of the first light for inclusion as part of a projected image, and prevents a majority of the second light from inclusion in the projected image.
US09772547B2

A projector can prevent a flicker from being caused by rotation of a rotating phosphor plate. The projector includes a solid-state light source that emits excitation light, a rotating phosphor plate that converts the excitation light into phosphor light, a liquid-crystal light modulating device that modulates the light from the rotating phosphor plate, a projection optical system that projects the modulated light onto a screen, and a control device that controls the solid-state light source and the rotating phosphor plate so as to satisfy any one of a conditional expression A=B, a conditional expression A=2B, and a conditional expression |A−B| is greater than or equal to 20 and |A−2B| is greater than or equal to 20, where A represents a pulse width modulation control frequency in hertz of the solid-state light source and B represents a rotation frequency in hertz of the rotating phosphor plate.
US09772544B2

A two-dimensional scanning projector causing a light beam to scan in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, comprising: a first deflector which deflects the light beam in the first direction; and a scanning optical system arranged between the first deflector and a scanned surface, wherein the first deflector is arranged such that a rotation axis of the first deflector is inclined, in a plane including an optical axis of the scanning optical system and the second direction, by a first angle with respect to the second direction, and the light beam is incident on the first deflector such that, in the plane including the optical axis and the second direction, a chief ray of the light beam entering a center of a projected image is obliquely incident on the first deflector to form a second angle with respect to the optical axis.
US09772540B2

Non-image based autofocusing in an imaging system including an autofocus light source on a movable carriage variably positioned with offset in parallel to an optical axis of an objective.
US09772527B2

A display panel and a display device applying the same are provided. The display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and a display medium disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first substrate includes a first conductive layer having a first line width and a second conductive layer having a second line width smaller than the first line width. A first spacing is defined by a first sidewall of the second conductive layer and a second sidewall, located on the same side as the first sidewall, of the first conductive layer. A second spacing is defined by a third sidewall of the second conductive layer opposite to the first sidewall and a fourth sidewall, located on the same side as the third sidewall, of the first conductive layer. The first spacing is larger than the second spacing.
US09772526B2

The present invention discloses a frameless display device and a method of fabricating the same. The frameless display device comprises a first substrate and a second substrate which are provided opposite to each other, an edge of the first substrate is coupled to an edge of the second substrate to realize frame sealing. In the technical solutions of the frameless display device and the method of fabricating the same provided by the present invention, an edge of the first substrate is coupled to an edge of the second substrate to realize frame sealing, so that frame sealing is achieved without any frame sealing adhesive, so complete frameless display is realized.
US09772517B2

A display including a first substrate, a second substrate and spacers is provided. The first substrate includes a first base body, a device structure, an insulating layer, a pixel electrode layer and a planarization layer. The device structure is formed on the first base body. The insulating layer is formed on the device structure, and has at least one through hole. The pixel electrode layer is formed on the insulating layer. A portion of the pixel electrode layer extends into the through hole and electrically connects to the device structure. The pixel electrode layer forms a concave portion corresponding to the through hole. The planarization layer is formed on the pixel electrode layer and filled into the concave portion. The second substrate is disposed opposite to the first substrate. The spacers are disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, and are correspondingly disposed on the planarization layer.
US09772512B2

An eye-mountable device includes an enclosure material, a sensor system, and a controller. The enclosure material has a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is configured to be removeably mounted over a cornea and the second surface is configured to be compatible with eyelid motion when the concave surface is so mounted. The sensor system is disposed within the enclosure material. The sensor system has at least one value that varies with changes in a gazing direction of the cornea. The controller is disposed within the enclosure material and electrically connected to the sensor system. The controller is configured to measure the value of the sensor system to detect the changes in the gazing direction.
US09772509B2

This invention relates to an ophthalmic lens comprising a transparent substrate with a front main face and with a rear main face, at least one of the main faces being coated with a multilayered antireflective coating comprising a stack of at least one layer having a refractive index higher than or equal 1.5 and at least one layer having a refractive index lower than 1.5, such that:—the mean light reflection factor in the visible region Rv is lower than or equal to 0.5% for an angle of incidence lower than 35°;—the Chroma C* is equal or higher than 18, preferably 20, according to the international colorimetric CIE L*a*b* for an angle of incidence (Θ) of 15°.
US09772502B1

A display for a computer system may be created by generating a three-dimensional image using a rotating helicoid. The helicoid may be formed by deforming a catenoid to form a helicoid. The helicoid may be supported by a pair of structures that do not occlude an image projected onto the helicoid nor occlude the user's ability to view the full extent of the image on the helicoid. The helicoid generated image may be transformed to an aerial floating image by a corner cube reflector array plate. Then depth sensing cameras may sense user interaction with the floating aerial image and may modify the image to make it appear that the user is actually modifying a physical object by manual manipulation.
US09772501B2

According to an aspect, a display device includes a display part having pixels and a color filter; and a barrier part in which unit areas arranged above the display part, arranged in rows in a first direction, and extending in a second direction intersecting with the first direction. The barrier part includes a barrier substrate that has barrier electrodes arranged for each unit area and extending in the second direction, a counter substrate, a liquid crystal layer, and spacers arranged between the barrier substrate and the counter substrate. Each of the spacers is arranged between one barrier electrode out of the barrier electrodes and the other barrier electrode adjacent to the one barrier electrode, and overlaps with a filter of a color different from a color of a filter of the color filter that overlaps with a spacer adjacent to the spacer in the second direction.
US09772498B2

The present invention is a magnified screen cover and protector for electronic devices. The invention comprises a magnified surface layer with a top protective layer and a bottom adhesive layer. The invention magnifies the screen of an electronic device with diopter and/or magnification power ranges so that the user may comfortably use the electronic device without the aid of wearing prescription eyewear, contact lenses, reading glasses or other visual aids. The touch screen sensitivity and functionality of the electronic device is unaffected by the magnified screen cover protector, so usability of the electronic devices touch and sensitivity functions are not compromised. The present inventions additional benefit is protecting the glass and/or plastic surface of an electronic devices main viewing screen from scarring, shattering, debris and breakage. Other embodiments of the magnified screen cover protector would include a three dimensional (3D) magnification layer for viewing text images, and video in a three dimensional (3D) visual simulation on an electronic devices screen.
US09772491B2

An image forming apparatus includes a rotating polygon mirror, a motor, a bearing portion, a measurement processing portion, and a determination processing portion. The rotating polygon mirror causes a light beam emitted from the light source to be scanned. The motor rotates the rotating polygon mirror. The bearing portion rotatably supports a rotation shaft of the motor via a lubricant. The measurement processing portion measures a transition time that is a time required for the motor to transition from a stationary state to a driving state in which the motor rotates at a predetermined speed. The determination processing portion determines whether or not a maintenance is required, based on the transition time measured by the measurement processing portion.
US09772489B2

A display device having a MEMS transmissive light valve and a method for forming the same are provided. The method includes: providing a multilayer semiconductor substrate comprising a bottom semiconductor layer, a middle buried layer and a top semiconductor layer; forming a light guide opening in the top semiconductor layer; forming at least one MOS device in a remaining part of the top semiconductor layer; forming an interconnection layer and an interlayer dielectric layer on the at least one MOS; forming a MEMS transmissive light valve, which is electrically connected to the interconnection layer, on the light guide opening, where the MEMS transmissive light valve is surrounded by the interlayer dielectric layer; forming a transparent backplane on a top surface of the interlayer dielectric layer; and removing the bottom semiconductor layer.
US09772467B2

A method may include selecting a transistor-outline can (TO-can) assembly cap. The method may further include welding the TO-can assembly cap to a rim that surrounds an optical opening of an optical subassembly box (OSA) such that the TO-can assembly cap hermetically seals the optical opening and allows optical signals to pass through the TO-can assembly cap and the optical opening.
US09772466B2

Various embodiments provide a system for moving optical elements. The system includes a first rotor and a second rotor configured to rotate in opposite directions. The system further includes a first plurality of paddles coupled to the first rotor, each of the plurality of paddles having an aperture configured to receive a first optical element, and a second plurality of paddles coupled to the second rotor, each of the plurality of paddles having an aperture configured to receive a second optical element. The first rotor and the second rotor are configured to move the first optical element between a retracted position and a desired position and to move the second optical element between the desired position and a retracted position substantially simultaneously such that a reaction torque of the first rotor cancels a reaction torque of the second rotor.
US09772461B2

A semiconductor integrated circuit that reduces a loss in an electrical signal and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor integrated circuit are provided. The semiconductor integrated circuit comprises a first region on which an optical circuit is to be formed and a second region on which an electrical signal wiring is to be formed. The first region comprises an Si substrate (502), a BOX layer (504) formed on the Si substrate (502), a first SOI layer (506) formed as an optical circuit on the BOX layer (504), and a first SiO2 layer (508) formed on the first SOI layer (506). The second region comprises the Si substrate (502), the BOX layer (504), a second SiO2 layer (508) formed on the BOX layer (504), and an electrical signal wiring (510) formed on the second SiO2 layer (508).
US09772456B2

The present invention is directed to a device for receiving an object in a reproducible manner, comprising: —a substantially rigid housing comprising an opening configured to receive therein the object to be reproducibly received; —first elastic engaging means comprising a first set of elastic flexure elements which are configured, when the object to be reproducibly received is situated in an engaging state received in the opening, to engage on the circumferential form of the object to be reproducibly received present at that position; —second engaging means which are configured, when the object to be reproducibly received is situated in an engaging state received in the opening, to engage on the circumferential form of the object to be reproducibly received present at that position; and —wherein the first elastic engaging means and the second engaging means are arranged some distance from each other in the opening. Furthermore, the invention is related to a method for manufacturing such a receiving device.
US09772453B2

An optical fiber plug adapted to be connected to an optical fiber socket and a first optical fiber cable includes a plug sleeve unit, a plug unit, a plug guiding unit, and a coupling unit. The coupling unit includes a coupling seat, a coupling ring, and a coupling cover movable between a locked position and a released position. When the coupling cover is at the locked position, the optical fiber plug is locked to the optical fiber socket by the coupling ring. When the coupling cover is moved from the locked position to the released position, the coupling ring is urged resiliently by the coupling cover to release the optical fiber plug, thereby permitting separation of the optical fiber plug from the optical fiber socket.
US09772450B2

A passive optical fiber switch includes: a housing defining a plurality of ports configured to receive fiber optic connectors; a substrate positioned within the housing, the substrate defining a plurality of waveguide paths; and an arm positioned relative to one of the plurality of ports such that the arm moves as a fiber optic connector is positioned in the one port, movement of the arm causing the waveguide paths to shift to break a normal through configuration.
US09772449B2

A wavelength multiplexer and de-multiplexer includes: a reflection member; a first port provided in the reflection member; a plurality of second ports provided in the reflection member to be spaced apart from the first port; and an optical filter on an optical path between the first port and the plurality of second ports, wherein a plurality of reflection surfaces inclined with respect to the optical filter are formed in the reflection member, a distance of a reflection point from the optical filter in each of the plurality of reflection surfaces becomes smaller as a reflection angle in each of the plurality of reflection surfaces is increased, and each of the plurality of second ports is positioned on a path of light reflected by each of the plurality of reflection surfaces.
US09772439B2

A backlight includes a first lightguide having a first portion and a second portion, wherein the second portion is dimensioned smaller that the first portion so as to form a rim along at least a part of the first light guide. At least one light source is positioned under the rim and separated from the first lightguide by a space, where a majority of the light emitted by the at least one light source being along a first axis of the at least one light source. The at least one light source is arranged to position the at least one axis at an angle away from a center of the lightguide in a plane parallel to the rim.
US09772437B2

A display includes a display panel, an image compensating portion, and a backlight module. The display panel includes a main display region and a periphery display region outside the main display region. The image compensating portion corresponding to the periphery display region includes a plurality of light guiding channels. The backlight module provides lights to the display panel. The backlight module comprises a plurality of first light collecting module. The first light collecting module focuses lights emitted from a first direction on a first light collecting axis parallel with an axis of the light guiding channel. The first direction is perpendicular to a first plane parallel with the display panel.
US09772433B2

An optical lens includes a plastic lens body and a plurality of light-absorbing particles. The light-absorbing particles are dispersed in the plastic lens body, are present in an amount ranging from 0.01 wt % to 0.05 wt % based on the total weight of the optical lens, and are capable of absorbing infrared having a wavelength greater than 1100 nm.
US09772423B2

A method of imaging electrical conductivity distribution of a subsurface containing metallic structures with known locations and dimensions is disclosed. Current is injected into the subsurface to measure electrical potentials using multiple sets of electrodes, thus generating electrical resistivity tomography measurements. A numeric code is applied to simulate the measured potentials in the presence of the metallic structures. An inversion code is applied that utilizes the electrical resistivity tomography measurements and the simulated measured potentials to image the subsurface electrical conductivity distribution and remove effects of the subsurface metallic structures with known locations and dimensions.
US09772422B2

A system and method for locating an object within a structure includes a magnetically-responsive member coupled to the object. A magnetic field generator generates a magnetic field in the presence of the structure. The generated magnetic field causes the magnetically-responsive member to output a signal when the magnetically-responsive member is in the presence of the magnetic field. A detector may include a sensor coupled to a control unit. The sensor detects the signal output by the magnetically-responsive member. The control unit locates the object based on detection of a third harmonic of the signal.
US09772413B2

Method for acquiring, at reduced acquisition cost, seismic data using simultaneous, field-encoded sources in the field (702), and then constructing pseudo source-records (703) that better meet the requirements for using additional simultaneous computer-encoded sourcing for computer simulations or forward modeling (706) as part of (707) iterative FWI (Full Wavefield Inversion) or RTM (Reverse Time Migration), with additional reduction in computational costs. By better meeting the requirements of simultaneous sourcing for FWI or RTM (701), artifacts and crosstalk are reduced in the output. The method can be used for marine streamer acquisition and other non-fixed spread geometries to acquire both positive and negative offsets and to mitigate the “missing data” problem for simultaneous-source FWI. It can also be used for land data to overcome issues with moving spreads and long continuous records.
US09772411B2

Embodiments relate to an advanced fast and thermal neutron detector material composition with the properties useful for Special Nuclear Material (SNM) detection. Specific embodiments of the material composition result in two excimer scintillation light production mechanisms that provide two corresponding independent techniques for gamma discrimination; namely Pulse Shape Discrimination and Pulse Height Discrimination. A dual discrimination method, Pulse Shape and Pulse Height Discrimination (PSHD), can be implemented relying on both pulse height discrimination and pulse shape discrimination, and can allow the operation of large area, fast and thermal neutron detectors.
US09772403B2

Methods and computer-readable media are described herein for providing an automated validation of vehicle positioning and corresponding error notification. According to various aspects, a first position of a vehicle may be determined using a first positioning system. A second position of the vehicle may be determined using a second positioning system. An offset between the first and second positions of the vehicle may be determined. If the offset exceeds a threshold offset, a notification may be provided to indicate a potential error in the position of the vehicle.
US09772397B1

A radar sensing system for a vehicle includes at least one transmitter, at least one receiver, and a processor. The at least one transmitter is operable to transmit a radio signal at one of a plurality of carrier frequencies. The at least one receiver is operable to receive a radio signal which includes a reflected radio signal that is the transmitted radio signal reflected from an object. The at least one receiver is operable to receive an interfering radio signal transmitted by a transmitter of another radar sensing system. The processor is operable to control the at least one transmitter to selectively transmit radio signals on one of the plurality of carrier frequencies. The processor is further operable to at least one of select a carrier frequency with reduced interference and avoid interference from the other radar sensing system.
US09772392B2

In at least one embodiment an apparatus for diagnosing electronics in an insulation resistance monitoring system is provided. The apparatus includes a controller for being electrically coupled to a plurality of electronics including a plurality of switches that are electrically coupled to a positive branch and to a negative branch in a high voltage network and a low voltage network. The plurality of electronics is configured to perform insulation resistance monitoring in a vehicle. The controller is further configured to at least one of activate and deactivate any number of the plurality of switches to determine an overall voltage of the positive branch and the negative branch. The controller is further configured to detect a fault in at least one of the positive branch and the negative branch that corresponds to a failure of any one of the plurality of electronics based on the overall voltage.
US09772373B2

Provided is a handler apparatus that conveys a device under test to a test socket, including: an actuator that, prior to fitting of a device holder to the test socket, fits the device holder, and adjusts a position of the device under test on the device holder; and a conveyer that conveys the device holder in which a position of the device under test has been adjusted, to fit the test socket, where the device holder includes: an inner unit to mount the device under test; an outer unit to retain the inner unit to be movable; and a release button to release a lock of movement of the inner unit, in response to being pressed from a side to which the device under test is mounted, and the actuator sets the inner unit to be movable by pressing the release button and adjusts a position of the inner unit.
US09772369B2

An apparatus provides precision measurement of voltage drop across a semiconductor switching element of a subsea device. The apparatus includes (a) a first circuit path having a first protective element, a first impedance element and a voltage source, wherein the first circuit path is configured to be connected between the first terminal and the second terminal of the semiconductor switching element, (b) a second circuit path formed between a first output terminal and a second output terminal, the second circuit path having a second protective element and a second impedance element, wherein the second protective element is identical to the first protective element, and wherein the second impedance element is identical to the first impedance element, and (c) a regulating circuit configured to regulating the current in the second circuit path such that said current in the second circuit path is equal to the current in the first circuit path, wherein the voltage drop between the first terminal and the second terminal of the semiconductor switching element equals the difference between the voltage provided by the voltage source and the voltage drop between the first output terminal and the second output terminal.
US09772368B2

A technique detects an abnormal signal in a compound sampled signal recorded in the time domain. The technique involves dividing the sampled signal recorded in the time domain into sample segments; transforming each of the sample segments from the time domain into the frequency domain to determine transformed segments, each transformed segment having frequency points, each frequency point having an amplitude associated with a certain frequency; for a frequency point in a given transformed segment, determining a ratio by dividing the amplitude of the frequency point by a value indicative of an average of the amplitudes of the frequency points at the same frequency across transformed segments; repeating the determination of a ratio for frequency points in each transformed segment to determine ratios for each transformed segment; repeating the determination of ratios for transformed segments; and using the ratios to detect the abnormal signal in the compound sampled signal.
US09772366B2

A method of testing a device under test (DUT) connected between first and second DUT nodes includes generating a set of control signals, and in response to the set of control signals, disconnecting a first voltage node from a first DUT node, connecting a second voltage node to the first DUT node, periodically connecting and disconnecting a third voltage node to and from the second DUT node at a predetermined frequency, disconnecting a fourth voltage node from the second DUT node when the third voltage node is connected to the second DUT node, and connecting the fourth voltage node to the second DUT node when the third voltage node is disconnected from the second DUT node. A circuit that performs the method is also disclosed.
US09772364B2

A system includes a monitoring and/or protection system that includes an insulation derivation circuit. The insulation derivation circuit is configured to derive a first temperature compensation curve based on a first temperature and a first current, and the monitoring and/or protection system is configured to communicatively couple to a first current sensor configured to sense the first current traversing a first phase of a stator winding of a motor, a generator, or a combination thereof. The insulation derivation circuit is also configured to communicatively couple to a first temperature sensor configured to sense the first temperature of the stator when the stator is energized, and the temperature compensation curve is configured to map a temperature to a leakage dissipation factor.
US09772362B2

A tester for testing a transformer is provided. The tester comprises a primary voltmeter and a plurality of secondary voltmeters. The tester may also comprise an ammeter in series with a voltage source configured to apply voltage to the transformer. The primary voltmeter is configured to measure voltage induced across a primary winding of the transformer, while the secondary voltmeters may simultaneously measure voltage outputs at secondary windings of the transformer. The tester is configured to calculate ratios, saturation curves, and knee points for multiple winding combinations based on the measurements simultaneously obtained by the ammeter and the primary and secondary voltmeters.
US09772358B2

An electrical energy transferring device coupled to an electrical energy receiving device is provided. The electrical energy transferring device includes an electrical source measuring unit and a power indicating unit. The electrical source measuring unit detects a power consumption and/or a charging status of the electrical energy receiving device. The power indicating unit is coupled to the electrical source measuring unit for showing the power consumption and/or the charging status of the electrical energy receiving device by a color signal and/or an audio signal.
US09772357B1

A diagnostic apparatus that diagnoses a cutter tool or a rotating machine based on electric power supplied to the rotating machine, includes: an electric power measurement unit that measures the electric power; and a filtering unit that filters noises input from an input side and an output side of the electric power measurement unit, the electric power measurement unit including a Hall element, and applied voltage of an electric power supply line, that supplies the electric power to the rotating machine from an inverter or a servo amplifier, is input in the Hall element, wherein the electric power is calculated based on Hall voltage that is generated, when Hall current flows through the Hall element and magnetic flux is applied to a sensor surface of the Hall element, the Hall voltage being proportional to a product of the magnetic flux and the Hall current.
US09772352B2

A probe unit includes a probe pin and a support unit supporting the probe pin. The support unit includes first and second arms disposed at a distance along a direction in which the probe pin probes a probed object; a holding unit holding base ends of the arms; and a linking unit attached to the probe pin and linking front ends of the arms. The support unit constructs a four-bar linkage that permits linear or approximately linear movement of the probe pin in an opposite direction to the probing direction. The first and second arms have through-holes at positions slightly closer to the front ends than the base ends and positions slightly closer to the base ends than the front ends, center parts between the through-holes function as bars in the four-bar linkage, and formation positions of the through-holes function as joints in the four-bar linkage.
US09772351B2

Pulsed current circuitry for electromigration testing of semiconductor integrated circuits and components. The circuit includes a multiplexer that outputs analog voltage pulses, and is capable of generating both bipolar and unipolar voltage pulses. At least one operational amplifier and resistor receive the voltage pulses from the multiplexer and convert the voltage pulses to current pulses. A charge booster circuit is provided for minimizing overshoots and undershoots during transitions between current levels in the test circuit.
US09772347B2

Interconnection meter socket adapters are provided. An interconnection meter socket adapter comprises a housing enclosing a set of electrical connections. The interconnection meter socket adapter may be configured to be coupled to a standard distribution panel and a standard electric meter, thereby establishing connections between a distribution panel and a user such that electrical power may be delivered to the user while an electrical meter measures the power consumption of the user. An interconnection meter socket adapter may be configured to be coupled to a DC-AC inverter, which may be coupled to various energy sources. As such, the energy sources are coupled to an electrical power system. In addition, a connector such as a flexible cable or flexible conduit containing insulated wires can be provided for connecting various energy sources and/or sinks.
US09772343B2

The present disclosure relates to an inertia measurement module for an unmanned aircraft, which comprises a housing assembly, a sensing assembly and a vibration damper. The vibration damper comprises a first vibration-attenuation cushion; and the sensing assembly comprises a first circuit board, a second circuit board and a flexible signal line for connecting the first circuit board and the second circuit board. An inertia sensor is fixed on the second circuit board, and the first circuit board is fixed on the housing assembly. The inertia measurement module further comprises a weight block, and the second circuit board, the weight block, the first vibration-attenuation cushion and the first circuit board are bonded together. The present disclosure greatly reduces the influence of the operational vibration frequency of the unmanned aircraft on the inertia sensor and improves the measurement stability of the inertia sensor.
US09772340B1

A sample identification system for an automated sampling and dispensing device is described. In an example implementation, the sample identification system includes a sample probe configured to contact a sample positioned within a sample vessel. Further, the sample identification system includes an identifier capture device configured to measure a sample identifier associated with the sample vessel and generate a data signal in response thereto, where the data signal corresponds to an identity of the at least one sample. During operation, the identifier capture device scans a sample holder, a sample vessel, or a table top of the automated sampling and dispensing device to measure the sample identifier and to generate the data signal in response thereto.
US09772336B2

Disclosed are nucleic acid-based molecular switches that respond to changes in pH. The switches may be used in DNA nanodevices. The switches may also act as sensors for measuring the pH of a sample, including cells, regions thereof, and whole organisms. The switch includes an A-motif that forms at acidic pH. Also disclosed are compositions and methods for measuring the pH of cells or regions thereof, such as vesicles, the nucleus, mitochondrial matrix, or the Golgi lumen.
US09772330B2

The present invention concerns methods for the detection f target molecules in a sample including several steps of signal amplification allowing the detection of a very low number of target molecules in the tested sample. The detection assay is based on the use of a universal probe which enables the signal amplification. The specific recognition of the target molecule is achieved by using a specific binding agent, preferably an aptamer. The invention further concerns kits and methods for the diagnosis of pathological conditions.
US09772329B2

Described herein are systems and methods for detecting a target analyte in a sample with electrodes, comprising a linker and an antibody attached to the linker, and measuring an electrocatalytic signal changes generated by binding of an analyte in the sample to the antibody. Also disclosed herein are kits for electrochemical detection of protein analytes.
US09772324B2

The present invention relates to the use of inhibitors of leukotriene B4 receptor BLT2 for treating asthma. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for treating asthma comprising BLT2 inhibitors and a method for treating asthma using BLT2 inhibitors.
US09772321B2

A compound represented by formula: is disclosed. R is hydrogen or alkyl; X is alkylene; Y is a bond, ether, thioether, amine, amide, ester, thioester, carbonate, thiocarbonate, carbamate, thiocarbamate, urea, thiourea, alkylene, arylalkylene, alkylarylene, or arylene, wherein alkylene, arylalkylene, alkylarylene, and arylene are optionally at least one of interrupted or terminated by at least one of an ether, thioether, amine, amide, ester, thioester, carbonate, thiocarbonate, carbamate, thiocarbamate, urea, or thiourea; and Z is an acrylate, a methacrylate, an acrylamide, a methacrylamide, a styrenyl, or a terminal alkenylene having at least three carbon atoms. A composition including the compound, and a method of determining the degree of cure of a curable polymeric resin are also disclosed.
US09772320B2

A classification scheme for classifying sized bridging materials is disclosed. The scheme identifies a durability metric for the sized bridging materials. The scheme then identifies a value range having a higher relative strength and a lower relative strength. The sized bridging materials may then be tested according to the durability metric and associated with a relative strength based on the durability metric determined during the test.
US09772318B1

An interlock data collection and calibration system has a device computer, a gas delivery system, and a data port. The device computer has a computer processor and a computer memory. The gas delivery system delivers a gas sample to an ignition interlock device. The data port is operably connected with the device computer for enabling sample data from the ignition interlock device to be transmitted to the device computer. A calibration program operably installed on the computer memory receives the sample data, calibrates the ignition interlock device, and generates confirmation data, which is stored in a local database.
US09772317B2

In a method for operating a portable electronic device comprising a chemical sensor, at least one reference reading is taken by the chemical sensor at least one predetermined point in time. At least one compensation value is determined based on at least one reference value wherein each reference value is derived from a result of a corresponding reference reading. A result of an operational reading of the chemical sensor is modified by the at least one compensation value.
US09772313B2

A method and apparatus for identifying shim geometries. A first part and a second part are assembled with a couplant positioned between the first part and the second part at a shim location, at which a shim is to be installed, to form an assembly. A pulse of ultrasonic energy is sent into the assembly at each of a set of selected locations along the assembly corresponding to the shim location using an ultrasonic device. A plurality of echoes is detected for each of the set of selected locations using data generated by the ultrasonic device in response to the ultrasonic device receiving reflections of the ultrasonic energy. A geometry for the shim is identified based on the plurality of echoes detected at each selected location of the set of selected locations.
US09772307B2

The invention relates to a shutter for an ion mobility spectrometer (20), the shutter comprising: a first electrode surface (11) with a number of first electrode elements arranged in the first plane and at a distance from each other; a second electrode surface (12) arranged parallel to and at a distance from the first electrode surface and having a number of second electrode elements arranged in the second plane and at a distance from each other; means for applying a potential difference between the first electrode elements and the second electrode elements, and a third electrode surface (13) with a number of third electrode elements arranged in the third plane and at a distance from each other, wherein the third electrode surface is arranged parallel to and at a distance from the first electrode surface and wherein the third electrode surface is arranged on the opposite side of the first electrode surface relative to the second electrode surface.
US09772305B2

A system for analyzing a content of a sample material is presented. The system includes a fiber sensitized to a first substance, and at least one electrode configured to expose the fiber to an electric field. The system includes an optical sensor configured to detect a displacement of the fiber when the fiber is exposed to the electric field, and a processor configured to use the displacement of the fiber to characterize a content of the sample material.
US09772303B2

Methods of maintaining accuracy in the measurement of one or more parameters of industrial water in industrial water systems are provided. The methods include the use of physical and/or chemical procedures to prevent and/or remove deposition from one or more surfaces utilized in measurement of the one or more parameters. The deposition may be caused by, for example, corrosion, fouling, or microbiological growth.
US09772302B2

An improved quality assurance system and method for point-of-care testing are disclosed. The present invention provides quality assurance for laboratory quality tests performed by a blood analysis system or the like at the point of patient care without the need for running liquid-based quality control materials on the analysis system. Quality assurance of a quantitative physiological sample test system is performed without using a quality control sample by monitoring the thermal and temporal stress of a component used with the test system. Alert information is generated that indicates that the component has failed quality assurance when the thermal and temporal stress exceeds a predetermined thermal-temporal stress threshold. Alternatively, the present invention provides quality assurance for laboratory quality tests performed by a blood analysis system or the like at the point of patient care by minimizing the need for running liquid-based quality control materials on the analysis system.
US09772298B2

Surface of a sample of a heterogeneous material and of samples with known thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity is heated by a heating spot created by a heater and moving along the surfaces of all samples to determine thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of the heterogeneous material. Temperatures of heated surface of all samples are registered by three temperature sensors. Return of the heater and the sensors to the initial position is used for scanning with additional measurements of the sample thermal conductivity for a layer of the sample with depth and width different from those of a layer where thermal conductivity is measured during the forward direction.
US09772291B2

This invention is in the field of medical devices. Specifically, the present invention provides fluidic systems having a plurality of reaction sites surrounded by optical barriers to reduce the amount of optical cross-talk between signals detected from various reaction sites. The invention also provides a method of manufacturing fluidic systems and methods of using the systems.
US09772289B2

Defect detection and photoluminescence measurement of a sample directing a beam of oblique-illumination wavelength light onto a portion of the sample, directing a beam of normal-illumination wavelength light for causing one or more photoluminescing defects of the sample to emit photoluminescent light onto a portion of the sample, collecting defect scattered radiation or photoluminescence radiation from the sample, separating the radiation from the sample into a first portion of radiation in the visible spectrum, a second portion of radiation including the normal-illumination wavelength light, and at least a third portion of radiation including the oblique-illumination wavelength light, measuring one or more characteristics of the first portion, the second portion or the third portion of radiation; detecting one or more photoluminescence defects or one or more scattering defects based on the measured one or more characteristics of the first portion, the second portion or the third portion of radiation.
US09772280B2

A diffuse optical spectroscopic imaging (DOSI) apparatus for tissue spectroscopy measures absorption and scattering properties of tissue using multi-frequency frequency domain photon migration in a modular or networkable platform to provide full broadband information content. The apparatus includes: a broadband signal generator; a driver having an input coupled to the signal generator; a light source coupled to the driver, the light source for exposing the tissue to broadband modulated light at a plurality of wavelengths; an optical detector for receiving returned light from the tissue; an amplitude detection circuit communicated to the optical detector; a phase detection circuit communicated to the optical detector; and a plurality of filters and amplifiers, wherein the optical detector, amplitude detection circuit and phase detection circuit are interconnected with each other by corresponding ones of the plurality of filters and amplifiers to isolate signals and increase signal-to-noise ratio.
US09772277B2

Provided is a gas absorption spectroscopic system and gas absorption spectroscopic method capable of accurately measuring the concentration or other properties of gas even in high-speed measurements. Laser light with a varying wavelength is cast into target gas. A spectrum profile representing a change in the intensity of the laser light transmitted through the target gas with respect to wavelength is determined. For this spectrum profile, polynomial approximation is performed at each wavelength point within a predetermined wavelength width, using an approximate polynomial. Based on the coefficients of the terms in the approximate polynomial at each point, an nth order derivative curve, where n is an integer of zero or larger, of the spectrum profile is created. A physical quantity of the target gas is determined based on the thus created nth order derivative curve.
US09772273B2

The present invention provides for a method and device for monitoring an ambient humidity sensor in a combustion engine, where the monitoring of the ambient humidity sensor is made by comparing the ambient humidity measured by said humidity sensor and an ambient humidity determined from an oxygen measurement of at least another sensor in the engine system, such as a NOX, or Lambda and/or an oxygen sensor. Said comparison is made using an offset of the oxygen signal reading of said at least another sensor, in a fuel cut condition where the drift or offset of said another sensor is related to the variation of the ambient humidity.
US09772271B2

A preferred form of the invention is directed to a system and method used to test filters. The system preferably includes a base unit and a probe operably associated with the base unit. The probe is configured to be deployed adjacent the filter being tested while the filter is located in an operating position. The probe is further configured to allow an operator to vary the mode of operation of the base unit from the probe. The system is configured to automatically exhaust any residual test sample from the base unit and the probe when the system changes between testing a sample upstream and downstream of the filter. The system further includes noise suppression on at least one of the upstream test sample and downstream test sample. The system further is configured to detect when the probe is connected to the base unit.
US09772266B2

An automated in situ heat induced antigen recovery and staining method and apparatus for treating a plurality of microscope slides. The process of heat induced antigen recovery and the process of staining the biological sample on the microscope slide are conducted in the same apparatus, wherein the microscope slides do not need to be physically removed from one apparatus to another. The reaction conditions for treating a slide can preferably be controlled independently, including the individualized application of reagents to each slide and the individualized treatment of each slide.
US09772263B2

A sampling system includes an analyte sampler that includes an enclosure; a mount disposed in the enclosure; a capillary tube disposed in the mount; and a thermal member disposed in the enclosure and including a first fluid supply member to provide a fluid to an interior of the enclosure. The sampling system also includes a manifold in fluid communication with the analyte sampler. A process for sampling an analyte includes subjecting the capillary tube to a negative pressure; and controlling the temperature of the capillary tube to immobilize the analyte in the capillary tube; providing an analyte to a second end of the capillary tube; and immobilizing the analyte in the capillary tube to sample the analyte.
US09772257B2

The present invention provides a testing device testing a multi-cylinder engine including a plurality of ports including an intake port and an exhaust port in a pseudo driving state. The device includes a plurality of pressure inspection units and at least one opening/closing mechanism. Each of the plurality of pressure inspection units includes a pipeline connected to one of the plurality of ports, a sensor for detecting a pressure in the pipeline and a valve for opening/closing the pipeline. The opening/closing mechanism includes one actuator and a transmission mechanism connected to the actuator and transmitting a driving force of the actuator to an operation unit of each of the plurality of valves to open and close the plurality of valves.
US09772253B2

A bladder assembly including a body, a bladder received in the body, the bladder defining an internal volume and including an annular sealing bead, the sealing bead defining an opening into the internal volume, and a sealing member including a shaft having a first end and a second end, and an engagement portion connected proximate the second end, the sealing member being partially received within the internal volume and being moveable between at least a first position, wherein the engagement portion is spaced from the sealing bead, and a second position, wherein the sealing bead is compressed between the engagement portion and the body.
US09772252B2

There is provided a method of channel leakage detection in a medical device having one or more channels and a housing having an internal volume surrounding at least a portion of the one or more channels, comprising the steps of (a) pressurizing one or more of the channels by introducing air or gas into the channel; and (b) detecting leakage by monitoring pressure increase in the internal volume of the housing.
US09772249B2

A sensor device, such as a torque sensor, of a motor control device or an electric power steering apparatus includes a sensor section that detects a quantity of state of a detection subject and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the detected quantity of state. When receiving a specific trigger transmitted from an external device, the sensor section outputs an abnormality diagnosis signal, which is configured by a predetermined waveform and used for determining whether there is an output abnormality of the sensor section, and then outputs the detection signal.
US09772240B2

An elastic torque sensor utilizing a torsion spring and components to measure the movement of the spring output side and input side. The torque sensor is in communication with a programmable controller. The components detecting movement or distortion of the either side of the torsion spring are not positioned within the load path experienced by the torsion spring. This configuration allows the detected position of the spring input and output sides not to be distorted by hysteresis. The components comprise a sensor disk that is attached to either the spring input or output side. The sensor disk is not within the spring load path. The sensor disk rotates with the torsion spring. The sensor disk is mark so that the degree of rotation can be detected by a stationary sensor also not in the load path. The sensor disk can send a signal to a programmable controller.
US09772234B2

A thermistor module disposed in an insertion hole formed in a mold material that covers a stator coil of a rotary electric machine, and configured to measure a temperature of the stator coil includes: a heat collection member that faces an inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole in a state where the thermistor module is disposed in the insertion hole.
US09772231B2

In one example, a method includes determining, by a device, a plurality of voltage values that each correspond to a respective voltage drop across a remote p-n junction while the remote p-n junction is biased at different respective current levels, wherein each of the plurality of voltage values is a function of at least: one of the different respective current levels, a temperature of the remote p-n junction, and a series resistance between the device and the remote p-n junction. In this example, the method also includes, determining, by the device, an intermediate value based on a difference between at least three voltage values of the plurality of voltage values, wherein the intermediate value is not a function of the series resistance, and determining the temperature of the remote p-n junction based on the intermediate value such that the temperature is not a function of the series resistance.
US09772221B2

A photodetector of the invention is characterized by having a plurality of detector elements that are arranged over a light-transparent substrate and are connected in parallel. A foldable portable communication tool having two display portions of the invention is characterized by including one photodetector which includes a plurality of detector elements connected in parallel.
US09772219B2

A method for analyzing the condition of a machine, and an apparatus for analyzing the condition of a machine are described.
US09772218B2

A weighing device is disclosed including a motor that can be used to rotate a drive head. The drive head supports a cylindrical spindle having a plurality of holes or recesses. The spindle is configured so that it can be easily removed from the rotatable drive head and placed on a load sensor that can be used for weighing the device. In use a blister strip (not shown) can be loaded onto the spindle. An evacuation unit is provided with a pair of cutting blades. The load sensor can determine a first measurement of weight when the blisters are full of powder and a second measurement of weight after the evacuation unit has been used to evacuate receptacles supported on the spindle.
US09772215B2

A level measurement system configured to measure minute changes in fluid level. The system integrates a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) to provide highly accurate level measurement. Low friction materials and a timed vibrator are used to minimize fluid static friction effects on level measurement. A second LVDT can be utilized to compare the level of a fluid containment structure with level changes caused by environmental factors such as evaporation, tidal effects, wind, or the like. The system also includes a computing device to record and compare level changes over time. A housing connects the elements of the system.
US09772214B2

A liquid level detector may comprise an arm attached to a float, a rotator fixed to the arm, a magnet fixed to the rotator, a supporter rotatably supporting the rotator. The supporter may comprise a body housing a magnetic sensor and opposing the magnet with a clearance, a supporting portion disposed along a rotation direction of the arm on an outer circumference side of the magnet and projecting from the body toward the rotator, and a flange portion projecting from the supporting portion along an outer circumference direction at a position spaced from the body in a rotational axial direction of the arm. The rotator may comprise an engaging portion slidably disposed relative to the flange portion along the rotation direction of the arm and engaging the flange portion so as to regulate a motion of the arm in the rotational axial direction.
US09772211B2

A fill level gauge is described with a rinsing device for rinsing a fill level sensor, comprising a sensor for detecting a measuring signal as well as a measurement device connected to the sensor for determining a measurement from the detected measuring signal, with the measurement device being connected to a comparator for comparing the measurement determined with a first reference value at a predetermined condition of comparison, which comprises a control signal output for issuing a control signal, with the rinsing device being coupled to the control signal output or being connected to the control signal output such that, when the condition of comparison is fulfilled, the control signal output transmits a control signal to the rinsing device for activating said rinsing device so that the rinsing device is activated.
US09772209B2

An external metering valve disposed on a gas fuel tank including an outlet rod is provided. The outlet rod includes an outlet orifice at a front end thereof. The external metering valve includes a metering valve and a gas guiding member. The metering valve includes a metering chamber. The gas guiding member includes a communication pipe, a blocking portion on the communication pipe, a discharging channel and an inlet orifice. The gas guiding member has a sealing outlet position and a metering outlet position. At the sealing outlet position, the outlet orifice outputs a gas and stores the gas in the metering chamber. At the metering outlet position, the blocking portion seals the outlet orifice through an airtight ring, and outputs the gas stored in the metering chamber through the inlet orifice and the discharging channel.
US09772203B2

A stator structure and a VR type resolver, in which the winding of the resolver can be prevented from corroding without increasing the production cost, are provided. The stator structure has stator protruding portions and coils wound around the stator protruding portions, the coils consisting of exciting coils, sine phase detection coils, and cosine phase detection coils, and at least the coils wound at the outermost side are formed by wires in which conductive portions are made of aluminum.
US09772202B1

An electronic absolute position encoder includes a scale extending along a measuring axis direction (MA) and including a signal modulating scale pattern defining a corresponding absolute range R along MA, a detector including sensing elements arranged along MA and configured to provide detector signals which respond to the signal modulating scale pattern, and a signal processing configuration that determines an absolute position of the detector along the scale based on the detector signals. The signal modulating scale pattern includes a coarse periodic pattern component as a function of position along the scale having a spatial wavelength λC, wherein n*λC=R and n is an integer, and a fine periodic pattern component as a function of position along the scale having a spatial wavelength λF, wherein (mn+1)*λF=R and m is an integer that is at least two. The wavelengths λC and λC may be widely separated.
US09772199B2

A method and apparatus for determining the position of a motor-driven actuating part, in particular a window, a sliding roof, a boot lid, a sliding door or a seat, wherein a current position is determined and, in order to determine the current position, a position newly determined for this purpose is taken into account in conjunction with a last valid position, wherein the current position is selected to be between these two positions and closer to that position which has a comparatively lower uncertainty.
US09772196B2

Systems and methods are provided for dynamic navigation instructions. In one implementation a navigation instruction can be received in relation to a location, the navigation instruction can be processed with respect to one or more prior navigation operations performed with respect to the location, based on a determination that the navigation instruction deviates from the one or more prior navigation operations, a notification can be generated; and the notification can be provided in relation to the location.
US09772192B2

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for collaborative navigation and operation on two mobile devices. The method may include establishing a wireless connection between a first mobile device and a second mobile device, and generating navigation data by the first mobile device for collaborative navigation based on a location of the first mobile device. The method may also include selecting a first subset of the navigation data for display by the first mobile device, and selecting a second subset of the navigation data for display by the second mobile device. The method may also include transferring the second subset of navigation data to the second mobile device and coordinating the display of the first subset of navigation data on the first mobile device with display of the second subset of navigation data on the second mobile device.
US09772190B2

There is provided an apparatus, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform operations comprising: obtaining heading information indicating a target heading to a target; detecting, during swimming, that the swimmer deviates from the target heading; and informing the swimmer, via a user interface element, that the swimmer has deviated from the target heading.
US09772189B2

Systems and methods for resonance switching RFOGs with feed-forward processing are provided. In one embodiment, a system comprises: a fiber optic resonator; first and second laser sources coupled to the resonator, wherein the first source launches a first beam into the resonator and the second source launches a second beam into the resonator in an opposite direction; a first servo loop that locks the first beam to a first resonant mode of the resonator during a first state and to a second resonant mode of the resonator during a second state; a second servo loop that locks the second beam to the second resonant mode during the first state and to the first resonant mode during the second state; a feed-forward rate processor coupled to the servo loops that calculates a FSR average across a prior resonance switching cycle of resonant frequency measurements and applies the average to current measurements.
US09772181B2

A test body is provided for determining one or more rotation errors of a rotating apparatus with respect to one or more degrees of freedom of movement, in which a real rotating movement of the rotating apparatus differs from an ideal rotating movement. The test body includes a holder which, together with a part of the rotating apparatus, can be rotated about an axis of rotation. The holder can be configured to arrange or fasten the test body with respect to the axis of rotation about which the test body can be rotated for the purpose of determining the rotation error(s). One or more test elements are rigidly connected to the holder or are formed on the holder, and each of the test elements is used to determine a rotation error with respect to one or more of the degrees of freedom of movement.
US09772177B2

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) probe and system designs are disclosed that minimize the effects of mechanical movement and strain to the probe to the OCT analysis. It also concerns optical designs that are robust against noise from the OCT laser source. Also integrated OCT system-probes are included that yield compact and robust electro-opto-mechanical systems along with polarization sensitive OCT systems.
US09772174B2

A capacitor based sensor for angular position detection having two fixed plates arranged at an angle and a semicircular rotating plate in between. The sensor can determine any angular position in the full 0-360 degrees range. The sensor may be temperature compensated, and integrated with electronics such that sensor module only has two electrical leads, one for input power and one for input/output digital data. A method for converting capacitance measurements to an angle is also disclosed.
US09772172B2

A tool capable of creating and measuring circles and circular profiles of any size without the need for a pivoting center arm. Circle size can be selectively adjusted and held, and both the inside and outside of tool creates and measures circles of a near infinite number of size. The tool contains marking rules such as radius, diameter, arc length, circumference, sector area, area of a circle for any size circle, etc., obviating the need for calculating the same, and any or a combination of unit measure systems can be employed.
US09772170B1

An auxiliary cutting implement for attachment between a broadhead and arrow shaft includes preferably two or more coils each having two cutting edges formed along their opposite elongated side edges. As the coils pass through the animal they unroll and slice through animal flesh in all directions. The coils are biased toward their rolled position which increases the multi-directional movement of the coil and cutting edges through the animal resulting in a large cutting area and fast kill as compared to the broadhead alone.
US09772145B2

A plate heat exchanger that evenly distributes an inflowing fluid to heat exchange channels located within the plate heat exchanger. The plate heat exchanger includes a fluid distributor in order to evenly distribute the inflowing fluid throughout the heat exchange channels. The fluid distributor includes protruding resistors that decrease in size as each protruding resistor is located further away from the inflowing fluid inlet of the fluid distributor.
US09772141B2

A system capable of providing a liquid purification process using heat regenerating or recovering via heat exchangers (“HEs”). The system, in one embodiment, includes a first set of thermal conductive channels (“TCC”), a second set of TCC, and a third set of TCC. The first set of TCC configured in a first HE is arranged in cylindrical shape which is able to surround or enclose a boiler. A function of TCC is to guide a liquid flow traveling through an HE. The second set of TCC configured in a second HE guides a second liquid flow traveling through the second HE. The third liquid flow such as a cold water stream, for example, flows through the third set of TCC adjacent to the first set of TCC and extracts heat from the first liquid flow such as hot purified water via TCC.
US09772135B2

Example dispensers, refrigerators and methods to dispense objects are disclosed. A disclosed example dispenser includes a discharging lever to turn on/off discharge of the objects, a discharging shutter to open a discharging hole through which the objects are discharged, a discharge shutter driving part to operate the discharging shutter, a discharge driving part to discharge the objects, and a controller to sense a feedback signal from the discharge shutter driving part, and control the discharge driving part in response to the sensed feedback signal.
US09772134B2

The invention is a dual auto hydrant configured to interface independent pressurized water and compressed air sources with snowmaking equipment, such as a snowmaking gun and methods of using same.
US09772129B2

An ammonia plant system upgrade utilizing both a direct and indirect multistage chilling system in the ammonia plant air compression train to increase process air flow to the secondary ammonia reformer of an existing ammonia plant as well as upgrades to provide more pre-heating along with increased process air flow.
US09772127B2

A closed loop system utilizing a solar refrigerant turbocharger and pump in conjunction with a solar collector to operate a heating and cooling system for a building by utilization of a renewable energy source. The liquid pump within the solar turbocharger is used to boost the refrigerant pressures into the solar collector, the refrigerant absorbs heat inside the solar collector and changes phase from a liquid to a vapor. The vapor is expanded across the turbine causing the turbine to spin. The ability of the refrigerant to change phase or flash from a liquid to a vapor is due to the solar energy that is transferred from evacuated tubes into the solar collector manifold and into the refrigerant. The gas is routed to the solar turbo pump turbine to drive the compressor and liquid pump. The resulting fluid gas leaving the turbine is routed to the condenser for normal operation.
US09772126B2

A cooling system for transferring heat from a heat load to an environment has a volatile working fluid. The cooling system includes first and second cooling cycles that are thermally connected to the first cooling cycle. The first cooling cycle is not a vapor compression cycle and includes a pump, an air-to-fluid heat exchanger, and a fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger. The second cooling cycle can include a chilled water system for transferring heat from the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger to the environment. Alternatively, the second cooling cycle can include a vapor compression system for transferring heat from the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger to the environment.
US09772123B2

Systems and methods relating to a plural in-series pumped liquid refrigerant trim evaporator cycle are described. The cooling systems include a first evaporator coil in thermal communication with an air intake flow to a heat load, and a first liquid refrigerant distribution unit in thermal communication with the first evaporator coil. The cooling systems further include a second evaporator coil disposed in series with the first evaporator coil in the air intake flow and in thermal communication with the air intake flow, and a second liquid refrigerant distribution unit in thermal communication with the second evaporator coil. A trim compression cycle of the second liquid refrigerant distribution unit is configured to further cool the air intake flow through the second evaporator coil when the temperature of the first fluid flowing out of the main compressor of the second liquid refrigerant distribution unit exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature.
US09772122B2

An isothermal turbo-compressor-condenser-expander (ITCCE) arrangement includes heat-transferring fan blades that are mounted on, or surround, individual conduits to promote air exchange and heat transfer. The open framework rotates in free air to promote heat exchange. An ITCCE bladed assembly includes a driven central hub assembly with a first fluid coupling. A first inner plenum is in fluid communication with the fluid coupling. A plurality of compressor conduits extend radially, and pass fluid from, the first inner plenum to an outer plenum that acts as an equalizing line. A return path is provided to a second inner plenum from the outer plenum. The conduits can be formed as metal extrusions, including internal ribs separating a plurality of ports formed therebetween along an entire length of the conduits. The conduits can define an airfoil shape and/or are axially twisted, generating axial airflow. The return path can include return multiport conduits.
US09772114B2

A heat dissipating structure for an iron-sheet house includes two frames fixed to left and right sides of a roof. The frames define a ventilation space in communication with an inside of a house including the roof. Each frame includes a hollow interior, at least one lower opening communicating the hollow interior with an outside of the house, and at least one vent communicating the hollow interior with the ventilation space. The frames are interconnected by connecting members. Two adjacent connecting members respectively have two mutually facing grooves. A shielding plate is mounted between two adjacent connecting members and is fixed to upper ends of the frames to cover the ventilation space, with the shielding plate including front and rear ends respectively engaged in the two mutually facing grooves respectively of the two adjacent connecting members and bonded to the two adjacent connecting members by silicon glue.
US09772113B2

A portable and reusable installation platform for easing the installation or maintenance of an air conditioner on a vertical wall includes at least one support base upon which at least part of the air conditioner is positioned during the installation or maintenance thereof. At least one connector extends from the first end of the support base and is configured to releasably engage the wall. At least one support leg extends downwardly from the support base and is configured to abut the wall to support the weight of the air conditioner placed upon the support base.
US09772110B2

A gas control valve featuring magnetic control and a gas ignition system having the same are disclosed. The gas control valve includes a main body and a magnetic control assembly. The main body has a valve base and a control lever. The control lever is movably connected to the valve base. The magnetic control assembly has a magnetic member and a magnetic control switch. The magnetic member is installed in one of the valve base and the control lever, while the magnetic control switch is installed in the other of the valve base and the control lever. When the control lever moves to an ignition position, the magnetic control switch is affected by the magnetic member and forms a closed circuit. The magnetic control assembly is incorporated in the gas control valve in a modularized manner, and can be easily maintained and repaired.
US09772109B2

A process of producing a feed form a solid electrolyte oxygen separator and combusting the feed in a steam methane reforming furnace to produce a flue gas.
US09772108B2

Methods and systems for clean-up of hazardous spills are provided. In some aspects, there is provided a system for burning an water-oil emulsion that includes an enclosure configured to hold a water-oil emulsion; one or more conductive rods disposed throughout the enclosure, each rod of the one or more roads having a heater portion to be submerged in the water-oil emulsion and a collector portion to project above the water-oil emulsion, wherein the collector portion is longer than the heater portion; and a delivery system for supplying an water-oil emulsion to the enclosure, the delivery system is configured to maintain a constant level of the water-oil emulsion in the enclosure as the water-oil emulsion is burned. The enclosure may further include one or more adjustable air inlets.
US09772091B2

Various embodiments relate to a lens for omnidirectional illumination being rotationally symmetrical and including a light incident surface, a first refractive surface, a first reflective surface, a second refractive surface, and a third refractive surface. A first portion of light which passed through the light incident surface is refracted by the first refractive surface to produce first emergent light. A second portion of the light which passed through the light incident surface is reflected by the first reflective surface to the second refractive surface, and then is refracted by the second refractive surface to produce second emergent light. A third portion of the light which passed through the light incident surface is refracted by the third light refractive surface to produce third emergent light, the first emergent light, the second emergent light and the third emergent light jointly achieved omnidirectional illumination.
US09772088B1

A multiple light high intensity discharge (“HID”) array designed for retrofit aviation application. The present invention provide better light beams, reduces the energy needed to power landing/taxiing lights, and allows for customization of the beam through the depth of the HID bulb.
US09772086B2

Illuminating devices are disclosed having plastic light-transmitting article(s) formed from a thermoplastic composition including a polycarbonate having repeating structural carbonate units according to the formula: in which at least 60 percent of the total number of R1 groups contain aromatic moieties and the balance thereof are aliphatic, alicyclic, or aromatic. The composition also includes an epoxy additive having at least two epoxy groups per molecule and a phenolic diphosphite derived from pentaerythritol. The thermoplastic composition exhibits a dE (2000 hrs.) value of less than 1.5 after 2000 hours of heat aging at 130° C., measured according ISO 11664-4:2008(E)/CIE S 014-4/E:2007 using CIE illuminant D65 and a 2.5 mm thick molded plaque of the thermoplastic composition.
US09772085B2

An optical light emission system for a motor vehicle, the optical system comprising: a first light emission subsystem comprising a first set of light sources, and a second light emission subsystem comprising a second set of light sources and a light guide able to diffuse the light from said light sources of the second set of light sources outside the optical system. The light guide is arranged facing the first set of light sources such that the first set of light sources substantially radiates through the light guide outside the optical system.
US09772084B2

A system can include: a dividing unit which divides a light scanning within a rotation angle range into a right scan light of a first angle portion and a left scan light of a second angle portion; a right-side scan light generation unit which reflects the right scan light toward a right-side region portion of an irradiation region; and a left-side scan light generation unit which reflects the left scan light toward a left-side region portion of the irradiation region. Both end fields of the region are irradiated by the light from the middle part of the rotation angle range. A center field of the region is irradiated by the light from the end parts of the rotation angle range.
US09772080B2

An optical article for directing and distributing light including an optically transmissive layer having one or more arrays of TIR channels and a light diffusing element disposed in optical communication with the optically transmissive layer. The TIR channels define reflective surfaces extending perpendicular or near-perpendicular to a prevailing plane of the optically transmissive layer. The TIR channels and the light diffusing element operate concurrently to redirect and redistribute a beam of light received from a light source such as daylight or an LED over a broad angular range.
US09772078B2

A toilet paper holder that is lighted to provide illumination in a darkened environment. The holder includes an elongated tube sized to fit within the interior of a roll of toilet paper. A light source and a battery are each mounted within the interior of the tube. The light source is configured to emit light to illuminate the interior of the tube. The tube is constructed such that at least a portion of the light is emitted from the tube to illuminate the surrounding exterior area.
US09772073B2

An optical cup which mixes multiple channels of light to form a blended output, the device having discreet zones or channels including a plurality of reflective cavities each having a remote phosphor light converting appliance covering a cluster of LEDs providing a channel of light which is reflected upward. The predetermined blends of phosphors provide a predetermined range of illumination wavelengths in the output.
US09772072B2

An illumination apparatus of the disclosure includes a semiconductor light-emitting element and a light conversion element. The semiconductor light-emitting element has a first optical waveguide and a second optical waveguide. The light conversion element has a first light converter and a second light converter. A first emitted light emitted from first optical waveguide enters the first light converter and a second emitted light emitted from the second optical waveguide enters the second light converter. First power applied to the first optical waveguide and second power applied to the second optical waveguide are independent.
US09772066B2

A supporting device includes a base, a fixing structure, a rotating structure, and a supporting structure. The fixing structure is mounted to the base. The rotating structure is rotatably mounted to the fixing structure. The supporting structure is configured to support a portable electronic device. The supporting structure is mounted to the rotating structure and rotates along with the rotating structure relative to the fixing structure.
US09772062B2

A thermal insulator includes a plurality of layers. At least some of the layers include phononic crystals having a phononic bandgap, wherein heat transporting phonons within a selected range of frequencies are substantially blocked by each phononic crystal layer. The plurality of layers thermally isolate a first region from a second region, wherein the first region is at one end of the plurality of layers and the second region is at the other end of the plurality of layers.
US09772061B2

The invention relates to an examination process for replicating hydrate forming conditions in a gas pipeline and monitoring the effect of a low dosage hydrate inhibitor (LDHI) in suppressing hydrate formation at temperatures encountered in gas pipelines for dynamically determining LDHI feed rate for inhibition of hydrate formation comprising the steps of: diverting from a gas well a sample gas stream at a preselected rate; introducing the diverted gas stream into a gas conduit through an inlet of the gas conduit; feeding LDHI into the diverted gas stream at one or more predetermined rates to produce a LDHI-containing gas stream; introducing the LDHI-containing gas stream into a coolable portion of the gas conduit, which coolable portion is provided with pressure sensors along the coolable portion; cooling the LDHI-containing gas stream passing through the coolable portion of the gas conduit to a predetermined temperature; and monitoring pressure of the LDHI-containing gas stream passing through the coolable portion of the gas conduit for a predetermined time range being at least as long as the gas residence time within the gas pipeline; whereby a substantially uniform pressure drop along the coolable portion of the gas conduit during the predetermined time range indicates a LDHI feed rate sufficient to suppress hydrate formation at the predetermined temperature.
US09772058B2

Device for the connection of a duct including a tubular body provided with an axial stop for a cylindrical sleeve that defines a tubular accommodating housing and has an end which delimits an annular inlet to the housing that is radially deformable elastically. The housing includes a maintaining member for maintaining the end of the sleeve in a deformed state, the member being designed to be movable between an active position in which it maintains the end in the deformed state and an inactive position in which it is carried by the duct during the introduction thereof and allows the end to return to its rest state.
US09772052B2

The invention describes a flexible tubular article for transport of volatile hydrocarbons comprising: (a) an inner layer of a polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) polymer or a polyvinylidene difluoride copolymer; (b) an intermediate thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) layer extruded in tubular form over the inner PVDF layer, and (c) a polyvinyl chloride polymer extruded in tubular form over the outside surface of the intermediate layer and being coextensive therewith. The tubular articles of the invention have a maximum permeation rating of 15 g/m2/day under SAE J1737 test conditions.
US09772047B1

A cross-wall indicator post is provided to control through a wall, open and closed configurations of a piping system control valve having a manual actuator with a valve-hand wheel. The indicator post includes a post body having a mounting flange to mount the post body to a wall separating the post body from the control valve. An operating stem extends through the post body and is adjustably, slidably, non-rotatably, telescopingly engaged with an extension rod. A post-hand wheel is engaged with the operating stem for rotation thereof. An engagement member is fixedly attached to the extension rod, configured to be selectively, mechanically engageable with, and releasable from, the valve-hand wheel to actuate the control valve between the open and closed configurations thereof. Rotation of the post-hand wheel rotates the operating stem, the extension rod, and the engagement member, to, in turn, rotate the valve-hand wheel.
US09772045B2

A valve cartridge for insertion into a valve block for a manifold valve for accommodating a valve in the valve cartridge includes at least one through opening for the passage of fluid flowing to the valve and a filter device for filtering the fluid. The valve cartridge includes a first part and a second part, which are interconnected in such a way that the through opening is formed by the first and second part, the filter device being arranged between the first part and the second part.
US09772042B2

Devices and systems which control the flow of fluid through a conduit are described herein. One flow control device that controls the flow of fluid through a conduit, includes a body having an axis and defining a passage that allows fluid to flow from an upstream position to a downstream position, the valve body having a converging portion in the upstream position with an inner surface that curves gradually inward, but having an annular rim formed by a portion that extends outward from the inward curving shape, and a throat between the converging and diverging portions; and, a flow regulator supported within the body for controlling the flow of fluid through the conduit, the flow regulator having an annular seating surface configured to contact the annular rim of the body.
US09772040B2

A faucet with two outlets includes a main body, an outlet pipe, a hot water inlet conduit, a cold water inlet conduit, a cold water conduit, a filtered water conduit and a switch member. The outlet pipe has an inner channel and an outer channel. Filtered water flows through the inner channel, running water flows through the outer channel. The switch member laterally formed a peripheral wall of the main body, and having a valve core being mounted inside the main body. The valve core has control filtered water or running water outlet from the outlet pipe. The faucet with two outlets respectively outputs filtered water and running water through two different waterways in the outlet pipe and ensures simple structure, convenient operation and multiple water output modes.
US09772039B2

A hydraulic pressure control valve is equipped to a cavity to control a communication state between a supply port and an outlet port to supply hydraulic fluid from the supply port through the outlet port to a controlled object. A tubular sleeve has a first port and a second port communicating with the supply port and the outlet port, respectively. A spool includes a land supported by the sleeve slidably in an axial direction to form a hydraulic chamber with an inner circumferential periphery of the sleeve. The spool is displaced in the axial direction to cause the land to control a communication state between the first port and the second port through the hydraulic chamber. A supply-side hydraulic passage is connected with the hydraulic chamber through multiple outflow holes to conduct hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic chamber through the second port to the outlet port.
US09772036B2

A rotary wheel assembly is configured for use with a system for conditioning air to be supplied to an enclosed structure. The rotary wheel is configured to be positioned within a supply air stream and an exhaust air stream. The assembly includes a cassette frame, a wheel rotatably secured within the cassette frame, and a self-adjusting seal subassembly configured to maintain sealing engagement with respect to a surface of the wheel. The self-adjusting seal subassembly includes at least one seal member.
US09772019B2

A fluid transmission device for a vehicle includes a cover and a positioning member. The cover is configured to be driven rotatably about the axis of the fluid transmission device integrally with a drive plate. The drive plate includes a positioning hole that positions the drive plate and the cover. The positioning member is a columnar member. The positioning member is provided on the surface side of the cover, which is opposed to the drive plate, at a radially outer position of the cover. The positioning member protrudes to a drive-plate side in a state where the positioning member is arranged in the positioning hole. The positioning member protrudes from the drive plate obliquely with respect to the axis direction of the fluid transmission device. A radially outermost position of the positioning member is located on the radially inner side relative to a radially outermost position of the cover.
US09772016B2

A transmission system for a motor vehicle includes two input shafts (11, 12), a mainshaft (15), an output shaft (5), a clutch arrangement (40) for connecting alternately the input shafts (11, 12), to a driveshaft, a first power transmission shaft (A1) provided with at least a first gearwheel (K1b) which is in engagement with a gearwheel (K17a) situated on either of the input shafts, and a second gearwheel (K3a) which is in engagement with a gearwheel (35b) situated on the mainshaft, and a second power transmission shaft (A1) provided with at least a first gearwheel (K4b) which is in engagement with a gearwheel (K4a) situated on either of the input shafts, and a second gearwheel (K5a) which is connected or connectable to the gearwheel (K35b) on the mainshaft via an intermediate gearwheel (K5c) to allow the establishment of a power transfer path for a reverse gear via these gearwheels (K5a, K5c, K35b).
US09772006B2

A double clutch transmission (DCT) provides eight forward speeds and one reverse speed while minimizing the number of gear trains used for changing speed and the whole length thereof. In particular, the DCT has a simple structure using four or five gear trains and four synchro devices and is capable of providing eight forward speeds and one reverse speed while reducing the entire weight thereof. In a conventional DCT, when a gear train is added to increase the number of speed stages, the whole length thereof is increased. The provided DCT can minimize the whole length and the weight thereof, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost, the number of parts, and the fuel efficiency.
US09771996B2

A vibration-damping device wherein a concave groove is provided on an opposing face of at least one of first and second stopper portions to another. An inner protrusion is formed on a rubber buffer layer overlapped with the opposing face so as to be inserted into the concave groove, and both sides of the inner protrusion in a lengthwise direction of the concave groove are free end faces. An outer protrusion is formed at a formation part of the inner protrusion on the rubber buffer layer so as to protrude outward from the concave groove A displacement regulating portion with a lower surface height than that of a distal end face of the outer protrusion is provided on the rubber buffer layer covering an area of the opposing face located away from the concave groove to both sides in a widthwise direction.
US09771993B2

An actuator arrangement for an electric parking brake or electric motor service brake, having a brake pad adjustment device which can be driven by the actuator arrangement. The invention has a modular construction, comprising: an electric motor, a gear unit, positioned in a housing, coupled to the electric motor and having a functional connection at its output end with the brake pad adjustment device, a means for fastening the actuator arrangement to the brake caliper or the brake pad adjustment device, and a plug receptacle for a plug connector used for the purpose of transmitting electrical signals to the electric motor. The housing has a motor tube molded joined thereto, housing the electric motor, and a motor cap to which is molded, as a single piece, the plug receptacle for a plug connector used for the purpose of transmitting electrical signals to the electric motor.
US09771992B2

A brake apparatus (1) and method of operating the apparatus are disclosed. The apparatus (1) has a plurality of brake elements (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) with a combined thickness of Y. At least one of the brake elements (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) has a wear portion (22a, 22b) for tribological interaction with a wear portion (52b, 62a) of an adjacent element (5, 6) and is formed in two separable parts (21a, 21b) having thicknesses A1 and A2. The method includes operating an actuator (8) at an actuation extension length less than a maximum actuation extension length to cause the wear portions (22a, 22b, 52b, 62a) of the brake elements (2, 5, 6) to tribologically engage and thereby wear. This tribological engagement is such that as the elements (2, 5, 6) wear to a combined thickness of less than Y the extension length of the actuator is increased. A spacer (23) is inserted between the two parts (21a, 21b) of the brake element (2) to cause the wear portions (22a, 22b, 52b, 62a) to be tribologically engagable at a actuation extension length less than the increased actuation extension length.
US09771991B2

A brake lining arrangement for a vehicle brake with a friction lining and a lining backing plate, having a receiving portion arranged in its lateral edge region for receiving a separate damping element, which laterally grasps the lining backing plate, wherein the damping element has a contact portion for contacting a portion of a brake caliper corresponding with the contact portion, and the damping element is adapted to be deformable or/and displaceable at least in sections upon a contacting.
US09771978B2

A self-acting, sealed hydrodynamic bearing includes a bearing shaft; a bearing bushing arranged to seal a length of the bearing shaft; a lubricant provided in the sealed length of the hydrodynamic bearing; and a bearing arrangement between the shaft and bushing. The bearing shaft and/or the bearing bushing are configured to be rotatable. The bearing arrangement includes a primary bearing surface disposed on the bearing bushing, arranged to face a secondary bearing surface disposed on the bearing shaft. The primary and/or secondary bearing surfaces includes first regions having a first fluid slip characteristic, and second regions having a second fluid slip characteristic substantially different to that of the first fluid slip characteristic. The second and first regions are in a same plane of a cross-section of the primary and/or secondary bearing surfaces, and are disposed in an interleaved pattern over the primary and/or secondary bearing surfaces.
US09771968B2

A vaned wheel device traversed by a radial drive shaft includes radial arms, one of which contains the shaft, and stationary vanes manufactured separately from the casing and a ferrule and assembled thereto. A sleeve encompassing the shaft traverses the casing and serves to support a bearing for supporting the shaft with positional accuracy, and maintaining tightness by forming a single cavity with the radial arm cavities traversing the shaft.
US09771957B2

A hydraulic drive, preferably for a hydraulic press, having a first synchronized cylinder that comprises a piston between first and second pressure chambers; at least one hydraulic pump whereby the pump outlet is hydraulically connected with the first pressure chamber of the first synchronized cylinder and the pump inlet is hydraulically connected with the second pressure chamber of the first synchronized cylinder; at least a second synchronized cylinder that comprises a piston between first and a second pressure chambers; whereby the piston of the first synchronized cylinder is mechanically movably coupled with the piston of the second synchronized cylinder; whereby the first pressure chamber of the second synchronized cylinder is hydraulically connected with the pump outlet; and whereby the second pressure chamber of the second synchronized cylinder can be connected with the pump inlet when a pressure limit in the second pressure chamber of the second synchronized cylinder is exceeded.
US09771956B2

An actuator converts the pressure of a fluid into a change in the length of the actuator and is formed such that an elastic tube is spirally wound. The tube is wound around the axis of the actuator. One or more grooves are spirally formed on the outer surface of the tube along the axial center of the tube. When the fluid contained in the inside of the tube is pressurized, a torsional force is applied to the tube along the spirals of the one or more grooves and causes the actuator to contract in the axial direction. Even when an external force acts in a direction in which the actuator is bent, the volume of the inside of the tube is not substantially varied. Accordingly, the actuator can be allowed to freely move in a bending direction.
US09771952B2

A screw compressor includes a casing, a screw rotor, a low-pressure-side bearing, and a low-pressure-side bearing holder holding the low-pressure-side bearing. The screw rotor is housed in the casing to form a compression mechanism to compress a refrigerant. The low-pressure-side bearing is arranged in a low-pressure-side region inside the casing and rotatably supports a drive shaft of the screw rotor. The casing has a suction port with an opening facing the low-pressure-side bearing holder as viewed along an axial direction. A filter member is attached to the suction port to filter out contaminants contained in the refrigerant being sucked into the casing. The filter member has a cylindrical shape with a bottom. A peripheral portion of the filter member adjacent to an opening of the filter member is fixed to the suction port. The bottom of the filter member is fixed to the low-pressure-side bearing holder.
US09771942B2

An exhaust gas turbocharger includes a turbine housing in which a turbine wheel and a guide apparatus that guides an exhaust gas flow to the turbine wheel are disposed. The guide apparatus has two guide grate or screen rings that are rotatable relative to each other and each of which have guide vanes or blades. Conically running flow channels tapering in the direction of the turbine wheel are formed between the guide grate rings.
US09771941B2

A closing cover integrally includes a cover main body, and a ventilation cap body. The ventilation cap body has a connecting portion that is integrally connected to the cover main body, and at least one ventilation passage hole that is disposed in the connecting portion to perpendicularly extend, and has a depth smaller than a plate thickness of the cover main body. A ventilation recessed portion is formed at a location that is positioned on an inner surface of the ventilation cap body of the closing cover. An inner wall surface defining the ventilation recessed portion is formed in such a shape that a deep side of the ventilation passage hole is opened to the inner wall surface defining the ventilation recessed portion to form a ventilation passage. A ventilation filter is installed on an inner opening portion of the ventilation recessed portion.
US09771932B2

An apparatus, system, and method for reducing the warpage of a rotor of an aircraft engine. When the aircraft engine is placed in standby mode, a solenoid-operated bypass valve may receive a control signal to open. When open, the solenoid-operated bypass valve places an electric hydraulic pump in fluidic communication with an engine driven hydraulic pump. The engine driven hydraulic pump rotates because of the pressured provided by the electrical hydraulic pump. The mechanical linkage between the engine driven hydraulic pump and the rotor causes the rotor of the aircraft engine to rotate.
US09771930B2

Compressor unit (12) of a compressor (10) for compressing refrigerant, comprising a drive device, particularly a drive shaft (24), for driving one or more pistons (14) that are arranged in a radial direction and that can be moved back and forth in extension and retraction movements in corresponding cylinder bores (16), wherein the drive device is in operative engagement with an eccentric (28) that controls the extension movement of the pistons (14), said eccentric (28) also controlling the retraction movement of the piston (14), the invention further relating to a corresponding compressor (10).
US09771926B2

A Steam power plant comprising a steam turbine (3) and a condenser (5), wherein the condenser (5) is disclosed, comprising a first heat sink being a ground heat exchanger (29) is connected to the condenser during times when ground temperature is lower than air temperature; and a second heat sink being an above-ground heat exchanger is connected to the condenser during times when ground temperature is not lower than air temperature.
US09771924B2

A power transmission system for increasing the rotational speed from a rotor of a wind turbine comprises a main shaft configured to be driven by the rotor, a support structure, and a gearbox. The support structure includes at least one bearing supporting the main shaft for rotation about the main axis, with no other degrees of freedom between the main shaft and support structure. The gearbox includes a gearbox housing rigidly coupled to the support structure and a gearbox input member coupled to the main shaft. The gearbox housing supports the gearbox input member for rotation about the main axis without any other degrees of freedom, and the gearbox input member is coupled to the main shaft with translational degrees of freedom in all directions and rotational degrees of freedom about axes perpendicular to the main axis.
US09771923B1

A hub assembly permits a rotor portion of a horizontal axis, fluid-driven turbine (e.g., with three or more blades) to teeter relative to a hub shaft. An outer hub member configured to receive turbine blades is permitted to rotate relative to the inner hub member. Multiple rocker members interposed between the inner hub member and the outer hub member include curved end surfaces that are configured to permit pivotal movement between the rocker members and corresponding features protruding from a hub shaft of the inner hub member. Torque receiving surfaces associated with features protruding from the hub shaft are permitted to slide relative to torque transmitting surfaces of the rocker members.
US09771921B2

A free floating wave energy converter includes a flexible pine and an inlet. The flexible pipe floats on water surface, following the wave form. Slugs of water and air enter, one after the other, through the inlet. Because the flexible pipe follows the shape of the wave, water is transported through a manifold to a pressure chamber connected to a generator. The inlet consists of hollow, inflexible pipe attached to the throat of the flexible pipe. The inflexible pipe is fixedly attached to a buoyancy tank or plurality thereof. The buoyancy tanks are arranged in a vertical plane or in tandem, with the inflexible pipe passing along the plane vertical to the fore and aft axis of the buoyancy tank and the frontward portion projecting sufficiently ahead of the buoyancy tank with the flexible pipe terminating at a singular outlet.
US09771913B2

In a method for actuating a starting device for an internal combustion engine, for the case in which the rotational speed of the toothed ring is below a limit value, first a stroke armature in a starter relay is moved and an electric starter motor is switched on after the starter pinion has engaged. If the rotational speed of the toothed ring exceeds the limit value, the starter motor is switched on before the starter pinion contacts the toothed ring.
US09771909B2

Methods and systems are provided for controlling a low pressure pump in port fuel direct injection (PFDI) engines. One method includes, when operating a high pressure pump in a default pressure mode, pulsing the low pressure pump when pressure in a high pressure fuel rail decreases below a threshold. The method further includes, when operating the high pressure pump in a variable pressure mode, pulsing the low pressure pump based on presence of fuel vapor at an inlet of the high pressure pump.
US09771903B2

A fuel atomizer that includes a housing having a fuel inlet and at least one primary orifice positioned at the inlet, wherein the at least one orifice configured to disperse a stream of fuel into a plurality of fuel droplets. The plurality of fuel droplets contact a fuel impingement surface to break up the plurality of fuel droplets into a plurality of smaller secondary droplets and create a thin film of secondary droplets on the impingement surface. At least one pressurized air channel delivers an airflow into contact with the secondary droplets. The secondary droplets pass through a plurality of secondary outlet orifices to exit the housing. A size of the plurality of secondary droplets is reduced when passing out of the plurality of secondary orifices.
US09771900B2

A fuel vapor processing apparatus may include a canister. A negative pressure applying device for applying a negative pressure to the canister may be disposed in a purge passage communicating between the canister and an intake pipe of an engine. A pressure adjusting device may be disposed in a portion of the purge passage communicating between the fuel tank and the negative pressure applying device.
US09771897B2

A reaction propulsion device in which a first feed circuit for feeding a main thruster with a first propellant includes a branch connection downstream from a pump of a first turbopump, which branch connection passes through a first regenerative heat exchanger and a turbine of a first turbopump, and in which a second feed circuit for feeding the main thruster with a second propellant includes, downstream from a pump of a second turbopump, a branch-off passing through a second regenerative heat exchanger and a turbine of the second turbopump. At least one secondary thruster is connected downstream from the turbines of the first and second turbopumps.
US09771888B2

A system according to the principles of the present disclosure includes a storage capability module and at least one of an engine speed control module and a spark control module. The storage capability module determines a capability of a catalytic converter to store oxygen. The engine speed control module controls a speed of an engine based on the oxygen storage capability of the catalytic converter. The spark control module controls a spark timing of the engine based on the oxygen storage capability of the catalytic converter.
US09771881B2

A method controls an internal combustion engine having a drive output shaft that is coupled to an input shaft of a transmission. The internal combustion engine and the transmission are encompassed by a drivetrain for the drive of a motor vehicle. The method includes determining a rotational speed of the drive output shaft of the internal combustion engine and determining a rotational acceleration of the drive output shaft based on the rotational speed of the drive output shaft. A dynamic torque of the internal combustion engine is determined as a product of the rotational acceleration and a dynamic moment of inertia of the internal combustion engine. A maximum combustion torque of the internal combustion engine is determined from a sum of a predetermined maximum torque at the input shaft of the transmission and the dynamic load torque of the internal combustion engine.
US09771879B2

Systems and methods for improving engine torque response are presented. In one example, engine idle speed is increased to shorten engine torque response based on engine operating conditions. The methods and systems may be useful for operating an engine that is supplied a gaseous fuel.
US09771878B2

A thrust scheduling method for a gas turbine engine that includes a plurality of blades having a variable pitch beta angle is provided. The method can include receiving into a control system at least one condition input from a respective sensor; receiving into a control system a low pressure shaft speed from a low pressure shaft speed sensor; receiving a control command from a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) in the control system; generating a low pressure shaft speed base reference from a first schedule logic in the control system based upon the at least one condition input received and the control command received; generating a beta angle base reference from a second schedule logic from the at least one condition input received, the low pressure shaft speed, and the control command received; and supplying the low pressure shaft speed base reference and the beta angle base reference to an engine control system, wherein the engine control system adjusts at least the pitch angle of the plurality of fan blades or a fuel flow to the engine.
US09771866B2

An inlet for an aircraft nacelle may comprise a nanoreinforced polyimide composite lip skin. The nanomaterials may increase thermal conductivity and decrease microcracking in the lip skin. A lip skin for an inlet with an electric heater may comprise a surface layer, an outer composite skin, an electric heater, an inner composite skin, and a thermal barrier coating. A lip skin for an inlet with a pneumatic deicing system may comprise a surface layer, a composite skin, and a thermal barrier coating.
US09771865B2

An inlet bleed heat (IBH) system manifold for a compressor inlet housing is provided. The manifold includes: a plurality of feed pipes for delivering a compressor discharge air, each feed pipe extending across a duct of the compressor inlet housing. Each feed pipe includes: an elongated inner feed pipe for delivering the compressor discharge air, the inner feed pipe including a plurality of orifices along at least a portion of a length of the inner feed pipe, each orifice extending through a wall of the inner feed pipe allowing the compressor discharge air to exit the inner feed pipe; and a noise attenuating material disposed about the inner feed pipe and the plurality of orifices, the noise attenuating material configured to attenuate noise created by the compressor discharge air exiting the plurality of orifices.
US09771861B2

In one configuration, the present disclosure provides a cylinder including a first housing, a second housing, and an insert. The first housing includes a first body portion and a first collar portion. The first body portion has a first inner diameter, and the first collar portion has a second inner diameter that is greater than the first inner diameter. The second housing includes a second body portion and a second collar portion. The second body portion has a third inner diameter and the second collar portion has a fourth inner diameter that is greater than the third inner diameter. The second housing is coupled to the first housing such that the first and second collared portions cooperate to form an annular channel. The insert is disposed within the annular channel formed by the first and second collared portions.
US09771859B2

A hydrogen generating apparatus and control system for use in an internal combustion engine of a vehicle for increasing the efficiency of the engine and decreasing emissions from the engine in a safe manner for a moving vehicle, having close-spaced metal electrolysis plates in the generator housing, configured to inject hydrogen into the intake manifold or alternatively into the combustion chamber, and monitoring and controlling gas level, liquid levels, temperature, pressure, flow rate, electric current, and tachometer, with monitoring and overriding control from the cab of the vehicle.
US09771846B2

A method of calculating an ammonia (NH3) mass generated in a lean NOx trap (LNT) of an exhaust purification device includes sequentially calculating a NH3 mass flow at a downstream of each slice from a first slice to an n-th slice, and integrating the NH3 mass flow at the downstream of the n-th slice over a predetermined time, wherein the calculation of the NH3 mass flow at the downstream of the i-th slice comprises calculating a NH3 mass flow flowing into the i-th slice, calculating a NH3 mass flow generated at the i-th slice, and adding the NH3 mass flow generated at the i-th slice to a value obtained by subtracting the NH3 mass flow used to reduce the NOx and the O2 at the i-th slice from the NH3 mass flow flowing into the i-th slice.
US09771845B2

A regeneration system includes a first module, a mode selection module and an adsorber regeneration control (ARC) module. The first module monitors at least one of (i) a temperature of a first catalyst of a catalyst assembly in an exhaust system of an engine and (ii) an active catalyst volume of the first catalyst. The mode selection module is configured to select an adsorber regeneration mode and generates a mode signal based on the at least one of the temperature and the active catalyst volume. The ARC module at least one of activates an air pump and cranks the engine to regenerate an adsorber of the catalyst assembly while the engine is deactivated based on the mode signal.
US09771835B2

A heat energy recovery device 1, which recovers heat energy of a heat medium by utilizing a Rankine cycle of a working medium, comprises a first heater 2, a second heater 3, an expander 4, an oil separation unit 12, a condenser 6, a working medium pump 7, and an oil-leading passage 10. When the height of a liquid level in the oil separation unit 12 is less than a lower limit value, a control unit 16 first performs a speed reduction control of the working medium pump 7 to reduce an inflow rate of a working medium into the second heater 3, and after a fixed period of time, performs an opening control for opening an on-off unit 11. By the opening of the on-off valve 11, oil L1 in the second heater 3 is led out to the oil separation unit 12 through the oil-leading passage 10.
US09771833B2

A hydrostatic test device for a turbine may include a plurality of feeding holes having a groove part formed with a greater diameter. Sealing members may be fitted into feeding holes in upper or lower casings of a turbine to seal the feeding holes.
US09771828B2

A turbine frame for a turbine engine having an axial centerline, includes an inner hub, an outer hub encircling the inner hub, a plurality of struts extending between the inner and outer hubs, at least one vane segment comprising at least first and second fairings mounted to the inner and outer hubs and encircling one of the struts and a single piece outer retaining ring that is operably coupled to the vane segment to fix a radial position of the vane segment relative to the inner and outer retaining rings and methods of assembling at least one vane segment having at least one vane formed from a pair of fairings to an exhaust frame.
US09771827B2

A damping device for being situated between a housing wall of a housing of a thermal gas turbine and a casing ring is provided. The casing ring includes an area radially internal with regard to a rotation axis of a rotor of the thermal gas turbine and facing rotating moving blades of the gas turbine. The damping device includes at least sectionally a porous damping structure. A method for manufacturing this type of damping device as well as to a thermal gas turbine, in particular an aircraft engine, in which this type of damping device is situated in a housing of the gas turbine between a housing wall and a casing ring are also provided.
US09771825B2

Provided is a steam turbine plant activation control device that can flexibly handle an initial state amount of a steam turbine plant and activate a steam turbine at a high speed. The activation control device 21 for the steam turbine plant includes a heat source device 1 configured to heat a low-temperature fluid using a heat source medium and generate a high-temperature fluid, a steam generator 2 for generating steam by thermal exchange with the high-temperature fluid, a steam turbine 3 to be driven by the steam, and adjusters 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 configured to adjust operation amounts of the plant.
US09771813B2

A transition duct system (100) for routing a gas flow from a combustor (102) to the first stage (104) of a turbine section (106) in a combustion turbine engine (108), wherein the transition duct system (100) includes one or more converging flow joint inserts (120) forming a trailing edge (122) at an intersection (124) between adjacent transition ducts (126, 128) is disclosed. The transition duct system (100) may include a transition duct (126, 128) having an internal passage (130) extending between an inlet (132, 184) to an outlet (134, 186) and may expel gases into the first stage turbine (104) with a tangential component. The converging flow joint insert (120) may be contained within a converging flow joint insert receiver (136) and disconnected from the transition duct bodies (126, 128) by which the converging flow joint insert (120) is positioned. Being disconnected eliminates stress formation within the converging flow joint insert (120), thereby enhancing the life of the insert. The converging flow joint insert (120) may be removable such that the insert (120) can be replaced once worn beyond design limits.
US09771810B2

A method of making a fiber preform, and the preform, for fabricating a turbine engine blade out of composite material, the method including: making a single-piece fiber blank by three-dimensional weaving with layers of longitudinal yarns interlinked by yarns of layers of transverse yarns; and shaping the fiber blank to obtain a single-piece fiber preform including a portion forming an airfoil preform and at least one portion forming a platform preform. During weaving, yarns of a first group of longitudinal yarns are extracted from the fiber blank beside one of side faces of the blank to form a portion corresponding to a blade platform preform, and yarns of a second group of longitudinal yarns are inserted into the fiber blank with mutual crossing of the yarns of the first group and the yarns of the second group.
US09771805B2

A gas or steam turbine is disclosed herein. The turbine may include a throat area formed between adjacent buckets. The turbine also may include a variable throat device associated with at least one of the adjacent buckets. The variable throat device may be configured to vary the throat area between the adjacent buckets for improved part load performance.
US09771785B2

A method of treating a subterranean shale formation includes placing a first treatment fluid comprising a fracturing fluid in the formation; forming fractures; placing a second fluid including a sloughing agent or eroding agent in the formation; allowing gaps in the fracture faces to form; placing a third fluid including a formation stabilizer and an agglomerating agent into the fractures; and allowing the third fluid to absorb into the formation, thereby stabilizing the shale formation fracture faces and transforming the solid shale particulates into proppant clusters.
US09771783B2

A well fracturing fluid is shown which includes an aqueous base fluid, a hydratable polymer, such as a guar gum, and a suitable crosslinking agent for crosslinking the hydratable polymer to form a polymer gel. The hydratable polymer has a higher molecular weight which is achieved by improvements in the processing of the guar split. The higher molecular weight polymer provides improved performance in well fracturing operations.
US09771773B2

Systems and methods for modifying rheology of a cement slurry are described. Methods may include forming a cement slurry composition and placing the cement slurry composition in a subterranean formation. The cement slurry composition contains water, diutan, and a magnesium oxychloride-based Sorel cement and can have specified properties for a ratio of diutan to water, a thixotropic index value, and a yield point.
US09771771B2

The invention discloses a test joint assembly for testing subsea BOP stack valves and annulars in one trip. The test joint assembly has an outer mandrel and a telescopically extendable inner mandrel. The inner mandrel seals against a bottom sub member using a bullnose sealing member.
US09771762B2

A downhole separation apparatus for releasing a pipe string from a bottom hole assembly is disclosed. The apparatus has a tubular collet body, a tubular bottom sub, and a piston collet positioned within the collet body. The collet piston has a plurality of collet fingers threadedly engaging an internal profile of the bottom sub. Separation is accomplished by pumping a circulation ball through the pipe string until it lands on a ball seat inside the collet piston. Increasing fluid pressure then shifts the piston collet axially downward within the collet body thereby causing the collet fingers to collapse to disengage the bottom hole assembly from the pipe string.
US09771761B2

Apparatus and method for increasing the torque capacity of threaded connections between tubular members. The apparatus may include a first tubular end coupled with a second tubular end, and a torque member wherein the torque member is torqued against the second tubular member and wherein tapered surfaces are engaged between the torque member and the first tubular member at a tapered surface interface.
US09771760B2

A rotary drill bit may include a bit body rotatable about a central axis. The rotary drill bit may also include at least one cutting element coupled to the bit body. The at least one cutting element may have a cutting face, a cutting edge adjacent the cutting face, and a back surface opposite the cutting face. The at least one cutting element may be oriented so that a substantial portion of the cutting edge has a positive clearance angle, which may be defined by a first vector that is normal to the cutting face and a second vector that is tangential to a helical path traveled by the cutting edge during drilling.
US09771754B2

Example seals for insulated doors are disclosed. An example seal for a door includes a first mounting rail and a second mounting rail spaced apart from the first mounting rail. The example seal further includes a flexible sheet extending between the first mounting rail and the second mounting rail. The flexible sheet is to be biased away from the first and second mounting rails to sealingly engage the door when the door is in a closed position.
US09771753B2

A prefabricated flashing product for an opening in an exterior surface of a structure includes a generally planar flange shaped to conform to the exterior surface, the flange extending outwardly from an entire perimeter of an aperture therein that corresponds to the opening, and a return that seals to the flange about the aperture and extends substantially perpendicularly therefrom toward an inward direction of the opening. The flange and the return are monolithically formed of a waterproof material. A method of integrating a fenestration product into an opening of an exterior surface of a structure includes inserting the flashing product described above into the opening, and inserting the fenestration product at least partially into the aperture of the flashing product.
US09771751B2

The present invention includes three off-set hinges adapted to utilize the weight of the door to cause the door to self position and allow manual operation of the door. A center hinge includes a top leaf, a center pin, and a bottom leaf. The center pin includes an upper pin-portion adapted to slidably insert into an inverted slot on a top socket of the top leaf and an oppositely disposed lower pin-portion adapted to slidably insert into an upright cylindrical slot of the bottom leaf. A gear is disposed intermediate to the upper pin-portion and lower pin-portion. The gear is fixed or otherwise coupled to the pin whereby rotation of the gear results in corresponding rotation of the pin including both the top portion and the bottom portion. The lower pin-portion further includes a beveled lower (distal) end. This bevel matches a corresponding bevel in the bottom leaf.
US09771746B2

A window regulator includes a guide and an elongated carrier attached to the guide. A drive cable is driven by an actuator to move the carrier relative to the guide. A support cable includes a first end that is attached to a forward edge of a window opening of a door structure. The support cable includes a second end that is attached to a lower end of the guide. A first direction control device is attached to and rotatably supported by the carrier, proximate to a forward edge of the window opening. A second direction control device is attached to and rotatably supported by the carrier, and is disposed rearward of the first direction control device, between the first direction control device and the guide. The support cable is engaged with and guided by the first direction control device and the second direction control device.
US09771745B2

The present invention relates to a closed force transmission device in which an insertion depth of a latch bolt inserted into a latch bolt insertion groove can be adjusted to improve safety and components are simplified to allow for ease of assembly and to improve durability. The present invention also relates to a safety door lock using the device. The closed force transmission device of the present invention includes: a cylindrical body housing of which both sides are opened to penetrate a door; a main body slidably arranged within the body housing such that the main body moves in a straight line direction by the force applied from an external source, the main body having at least one tilt surface and a main body movement space formed orthogonally to the straight movement direction in a portion corresponding to the tilt surface.
US09771739B1

A lock key comprising of (3) pieces. A head, a key blade and a snap lock. These pieces are interlocked together, so that separation is not possible in normal usage. The head is made of precious metal or non precious metal set with or without stones and may consist of various esthetic and ornamental forms. The snap lock engages the head and the key blade in a way to inhibit the removal of the head from the key blade in normal use. The key blade can be easily removed from the head and exchanged with another key blade as needed.
US09771736B1

A modular, movable, barricade which has, along its bottom edge, a one or more of supporting feet configured to allow stacking during storage and/or transport. Individual, similar barricade modules may be easily assembled into customized configurations for use by complementary attachment means along the side edges. After use, an assembled customized configuration may be easily disassembled into individual barricade modules by detaching the attachment means. The modules may then be stacked for storage and/or transport until further use.
US09771731B2

The present invention relates to a building construction that includes an internal entertainment venue or event area. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention provide for a building with transient lodging, offices, residential space, or similar living spaces that surround an entertainment venue, event area, or recreational space in manner that allows the entertainment venue, event area, or recreational space to be viewable from those occupied areas of the building.
US09771728B2

This disclosure describes devices and methods for forming voids in or adjacent concrete structures. In some embodiments, a device may include a structure. The structure may be substantially planar. The structure may include a plurality of channels extending therefrom. In some embodiments, the channels are closed at a first end distal from the structure. In some embodiments, the channels are open at a second end proximal to the structure. In some embodiments, the device may be formed from a molded pulp. The molded pulp may be configured to inhibit penetration of water. In some embodiments, the device may be configured to substantially support poured concrete during at least a portion of a curing process of the poured concrete.
US09771726B2

A flooring product includes a first oriented strand board layer, an acoustic barrier layer, and a second oriented strand board layer, where the acoustic barrier layer is secured between the first and second oriented strand board layers to form the flooring product. The plurality of flooring products can be positioned adjacently to comprise a complete flooring assembly. Such a flooring assembly can be facilitated by including features along edges of the flooring product for securing or engaging one flooring product to adjacent flooring products. For example, the flooring product can be arranged with one edge as a tongue and an opposing edge as a groove, where the tongue of one flooring product can be fitted into the groove of an adjacent flooring product to secure or engage the two flooring products together. In another example, edges of the flooring products can be arranged to form lap joints upon engagement.
US09771724B2

In a floor panel provided with upper and lower members which have concave spaces and side surfaces having heights and are formed as a box shape, and structured such that the upper and lower members are combined up and down so as to communicate the respective concave spaces so as to form an internal space in an inner portion, the floor panel has a joint portion in which height leading end portions of the side surfaces of the upper and lower members are folded so as to enwrap each other so as to be connected, and the joint portion is arranged in a height midstream portion of the side surface of the floor panel, and is arranged at a position which is retreated to an inner side of the floor panel in relation to the side surface in both height end sides of the floor panel.
US09771714B2

A manufactured apparatus formed via a deep drawn stamping process for use within a building as an insulation device applied both to the exterior sheathing of an existing or new edifice and also above the ceiling plane below its roof structure; which consists of two half vessels made from malleable material, each containing similar structural appurtenances on their exterior faces, which when bonded together encase a cruciform rigid plastic grid-like lattice having many apertures therein for the complete removal of air within this subsequently sealed vessel. This complete state of vacuum totally prevents or drastically stops the transmigration of heat energy loss via conduction and convection from the interior of a building's space to the outside environment during the winter months; and vice versa, thus also retarding any interior gain of ambient heat during the hot summer months.
US09771710B2

A system and method for treating contaminated water are provided. The system can include one or more collecting basins for collecting water, such as rain water, runoff water, etc. The system can further include one or more containment basins, one or more polishing basins, and a pumping system for moving water through the system. The containment basins and polishing basins can utilize techniques for reducing a contaminant concentration in the water. The system can further include a source for adding process water to the system and combining it with the collected water to form a system water in order to reduce a contaminant concentration in the system water and accommodate higher volumes of collected water and/or higher pollutant concentrations therein. The system can also include an ultraviolet emitting device and/or a heating device for reducing the level of living bacteria in the system water.
US09771706B2

One or more devices for being received within a downspout of a rain gutter assembly are provided. The one or more devices may be provided for collecting rainwater flowing through the gutter assembly. One or more collection tanks for storing collected rainwater are also provided. One or more accessory devices for use with the one or more collector devices and the one or more storage tanks are also provided.
US09771697B2

A pet waste collector includes a bag body and a waste collecting apparatus. The bag body, which is made of flexible material, has a top opening and a waste collecting cavity. The waste collecting apparatus includes two elongated scraper arms spacedly affixed at the bag body to partition the bag body into a first bag portion and a second bag portion. When the bag body is reversibly flipped inside out from the top opening to form a temporary waste cavity within the first bag portion of the bag body, the scraper arms are moved toward each other for enclosing the temporary waste cavity within the first bag portion of the bag body and for scraping a pet waste within the temporary waste cavity. Therefore, the bag body is flipped back for automatically retaining the pet waste in the waste collecting cavity from the temporary waste cavity.
US09771691B2

An integral melter and pump assembly or system, and a method of making the same, is disclosed wherein the pump assembly comprises a melter housing having a melter container defined within the melter housing. A pump mounting plate is integrally mounted within a side wall portion of the melter container and an output dispensing supply pump is mounted directly upon an external surface portion of the pump mounting plate in a surface-to-surface manner such that heat generated internally within the melter container is effectively transferred by conduction from the melter container and through the pump mounting plate such that the temperature level of the output pump is elevated to, and maintained at, a predeterminedly desired level even when the pump, is not disposed in its output dispensing mode. In addition, since the output dispensing or material supply pump is disposed externally of the melter container and the melter housing, the output dispensing or material supply pump is easily and readily accessible in case maintenance becomes necessary. Optionally, an oil jacket or chamber can surround the melter container so as to more evenly or consistently provide heating of the melter container.
US09771687B2

A pulp in accordance with a particular embodiment includes crosslinked cellulose fibers. The pulp can have high brightness, reactivity, and intrinsic viscosity. The pulp, therefore, can be well suited for use as a precursor in the production of low-color, high-viscosity cellulose derivatives. A method in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present technology includes forming a pulp from a cellulosic feedstock, bleaching the pulp, crosslinking cellulose fibers within the pulp while the pulp has a high consistency, and drying the pulp. The bleaching process can reduce a lignin content of the pulp to less than or equal to 0.09% by oven-dried weight of the crosslinked cellulose fibers. Crosslinking the cellulose fibers can include exposing the cellulose fibers to a glycidyl ether crosslinker having two or more glycidyl groups and a molecular weight per epoxide within a range from 140 to 175.
US09771684B2

A woven-fabric belt for a fibrous web machine includes longitudinal and cross threads forming crossing points, top and bottom sides and a seam segment. Each longitudinal thread has end segments with ends. A segment is formed by weaving end segments with cross threads. Some end segments follow a weaving path with the cross threads, along which an end segment forms floats on the sides in alternation in direction of the thread end and a float is disposed on the bottom side between two adjacent floats on the top side and vice versa. A last float before the thread end is formed on one side and the end segment switches from one side to the other following the last float before the thread end. The end segment is bonded to a cross thread at one thread crossing point in one float lying before the last float in the weaving path.
US09771676B2

The present disclosure discloses a front-loading washing machine including a cabinet, having a from panel, in which the front panel is provided with an opening; a tub having an access port for loading and unloading laundry, in which the tub is disposed in the cabinet and configured in such a manner that the access port is capable of being moved up and down in the opening; a rotatable drum, disposed in the tub; a door unit, mounted to the tub, and configured to cover the access port; and a driving mechanism configured to drive the tub to rotate, in which the driving mechanism is provided in the cabinet and coupled to the tub. The front-loading washing machine according to embodiments of the present disclosure has advantages of user-friendliness, little abrasion clothes and water conservation.
US09771665B2

A process for forming graphene, includes: depositing at least a first and a second metal onto a surface of silicon carbide (SiC), and heating the SiC and the first and second metals under conditions that cause the first metal to react with silicon of the silicon carbide to form carbon and at least one stable silicide. The corresponding solubilities of the carbon in the stable silicide and in the second metal are sufficiently low that the carbon produced by the silicide reaction forms a graphene layer on the SiC.
US09771663B2

The invention discloses an anodization sealing process for an aluminum or aluminum alloy element for vehicles, including the steps for rinsing with pure water, electrolysis, rinsing once again, electrical deposition sealing, rinsing with pure water several times and baking. The aluminum or aluminum alloy element for vehicles obtained thus has improved alkali resistance and erosion resistance.
US09771644B2

A method for applying an aluminide coating includes applying an aluminum-based slurry onto an elongated member. The elongate member is introduced through an opening of a component and positioned within a cavity of the component at a location that is spaced apart from the internal surfaces of the component. Heat is applied to generate vaporized aluminum which diffuses into the internal surfaces of the component. Aluminum reacts with the internal surfaces to form an aluminide coating.
US09771627B2

A lance (10), for conducting a pyrometallurgical operation by top submerged lancing (TSL) injection, wherein the lance (10) has at least an inner pipe (12) and outer pipe (14) which are substantially concentric. The lower outlet of the inner pipe (12) is set at a level relative to the lower, outlet end of the outer pipe (14) required for pyrometallurgical operation. The lance (10) further includes a shroud (22) through which the outer pipe (14) extends and which is mounted on and extends along an upper portion of the outer pipe (14) to define with the outer pipe (14) a passageway (28) along which gas is able to be supplied for flow towards the outlet end of the outer pipe (14) for discharge exteriorly of the lance (10). The shroud (22) is longitudinally adjustable relative to the outer pipe (14) to enable substantial maintenance of, or variation in, a longitudinal spacing between the outlet ends of the shroud (22) and the outer pipe (14).
US09771624B2

The multiple embodiments described herein comprise the genome of a probiotic Bifidobacterium longum bifidobacteria strain and genes encoded by the genome. Various novel Bifidobacterium longum are described.
US09771617B2

The invention provides a method of diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease in a subject, by determining the level of at least one miRNA in a sample derived from the subject, wherein a change in the level of the at least one miRNA relative to a suitable control is indicative of Alzheimer's Disease in the subject. Methods for monitoring the course of Alzheimer's Disease, methods of treating a subject having Alzheimer's Disease, and kits for diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease are also provided.
US09771608B2

The present invention relates to an isolated DNA molecule encoding a fagopyritol synthase. A method for producing a fagopyritol, an insulin mediator, an insulin mediator analog, an insulin mediator homolog, or an insulin mediator inhibitor is also described. The method includes providing a fagopyritol synthase, providing a substrate comprising a galactosyl donor and a galactosyl acceptor, and combining the fagopyritol synthase with the substrate under conditions effective produce a fagopyritol, an insulin mediator, an insulin mediator analog, an insulin mediator homolog, or an insulin mediator inhibitor.
US09771602B2

Provided herein are recombinant yeast host cells and methods for their use for production of fermentation products. Host cells provided herein comprise a pyruvate-utilizing pathway and a competitive growth advantage over other microorganisms in solution.
US09771596B2

Compositions and methods for increasing plant yield are provided. The methods comprise increasing the expression of an anxin synthase gene or coding sequence in the shoot meristem and inflorescence of a plant. The compositions comprise DNA constructs comprising an auxin synthase coding sequence operably linked to a promoter that preferentially drives expression in the shoot meristem and inflorescence of a plant. Also provided are plants, plant cells, plant tissues, and seeds that have been transformed with the DNA construct.
US09771592B2

The invention features therapeutic compositions comprising agents useful for the treatment or prevention of pruritis, and methods useful for identifying such agents.
US09771591B2

The invention relates to double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) compositions targeting the ANGPTL3 gene, as well as methods of inhibiting expression of ANGPTL3 and methods of treating subjects having a disorder of lipid metabolism, such as hyperlipidemia or hypertriglyceridemia, using such dsRNA compositions.
US09771590B2

Described herein are methods of identifying host factors that modulate Hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication in mammalian, e.g., human cells, as well as factors identified by those methods, and methods of treating HBV infections by targeting those factors. Zinc finger, CCHC domain containing 14 (ZCCHC14) is an exemplary host factor.
US09771583B2

Modification formats having modified nucleotides are provided for siRNA. Short interfering RNA having modification formats and modified nucleotides provided herein reduce off-target effects in RNA interference of endogenous genes. Further modification formatted siRNAs are demonstrated to be stabilized to nuclease-rich environments. Unexpectedly, increasing or maintaining strand bias, while necessary to maintain potency for endogenous RNA interference, is not sufficient for reducing off-target effects in cell biology assays.
US09771576B2

The present invention provides materials and methods useful for error correction of nucleic acid molecules. In one embodiment of the invention, a first plurality of double-stranded nucleic acid molecules having a nucleotide mismatch are fragmented by exposure to a molecule having unidirectional mismatch endonuclease activity. The nucleic acid molecules are cut at the mismatch site or near the mismatch site, leaving a double-stranded nucleic acid molecule having a mismatch at the end or near end of the molecule. The nucleic acid molecule is then exposed to a molecule having unidirectional exonuclease activity to remove the mismatched nucleotide. The missing nucleotides can then be filled in by the action of, e.g., a molecule having DNA polymerase activity. The result is double-stranded nucleic acid molecules with a decreased frequency of nucleotide mismatches. Also provided are novel nucleic acid sequences encoding mismatch endonucleases, polypeptides encoded thereby, as well as nucleic acid constructs, transgenic cells, and various compositions thereof.
US09771575B2

The present disclosure provides methods for barcoding a plurality of DNA samples using a microarray of barcode-containing transposase complexes. In some embodiments, the DNA samples and transposase complexes are present in aqueous droplets on the surfaces of opposing substrates, which allows a single DNA sample droplet to be combined with a single transposase-complex droplet. The barcoded DNA in the combined droplets can be used for any number of purposes, including as templates for amplification and sequencing.
US09771574B2

Aspects of the disclosure relate to an apparatus for continuous directed evolution of a gene of interest. In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises a cellstat and a turbidostat. In some embodiments, the apparatus is useful in methods of passing a nucleic acid from cell to cell in a desired function-dependent manner.
US09771569B2

The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having xylanase activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
US09771567B2

Disclosed are Klotho variant proteins in which residue Glu414 and/or residue Asp238 is substituted with an amino acid different than L-Glu or L-Asp, respectively, as well as polynucleotides encoding the variant proteins, and the use thereof in therapy, especially for the treatment of cancers, especially breast cancer and pancreatic cancer.
US09771565B2

The present invention is in the fields of molecular and cellular biology. The invention is generally related to reverse transcriptase enzymes and methods for the reverse transcription of nucleic acid molecules, especially messenger RNA molecules. Specifically, the invention relates to reverse transcriptase enzymes which have been mutated or modified to increase thermostability, decrease terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase activity, and/or increase fidelity, and to methods of producing, amplifying or sequencing nucleic acid molecules (particularly cDNA molecules) using these reverse transcriptase enzymes or compositions. The invention also relates to nucleic acid molecules produced by these methods and to the use of such nucleic acid molecules to produce desired polypeptides. The invention also concerns kits comprising such enzymes or compositions.
US09771564B2

The present invention provides a novel influenza virus wherein both the NS and the PB1 gene segments are modified and wherein the PB1-F2 open reading frame is modified by introduction of at least one stop codon. Specifically, the influenza virus is lacking functional NS1 and PB1-F2 proteins. Additionally, a vaccine formulation comprising the modified influenza virus is provided and its use for prevention of influenza vaccination.
US09771563B2

The present invention provides for identification and use of small molecules to induce pluripotency in mammalian cells as well as other methods of inducing pluripotency.
US09771551B2

A liquid cleaning and/or cleansing composition comprising abrasive cleaning particles; one or more surfactants selected from the group consisting of anionic, nonionic, cationic, amphoteric and mixtures thereof; and a first acidic component wherein said acidic component consists of one or more chelating acids; wherein at least one nonionic surfactant is comprised in said composition and the total level of nonionic surfactant is less than 2% by weight of the total composition and/or at least one anionic surfactant is comprised in said composition and the total level of anionic surfactant is less than 2% by weight of the total composition.
US09771546B2

Fabric care compositions comprising a cationic polymer, a silicone, and a surfactant system. Methods of making and using such compositions.
US09771539B2

The present invention aims to provide solid particles with improved lubrication, a solid lubricant including the solid particles, and a metal member including, on the surface thereof, the solid particles or the solid lubricant. The solid particles of the present invention include base particles and carbon fluoride particles attached to surfaces of the base particles.
US09771523B2

A system and method for cleaning sulfur and other pollutants from bunker oil to be used for fuel in large cargo ships is described. Preferably, the system includes two or more stages having a mixer to create an emulsion of oil and water. One or more treatment chemicals are added to the water before it is mixed with the oil in order to assist in separating the sulfur from the oil and freeing it up so that it can combine with various other molecules present in the water or be dissolved in the water. The emulsion may pass through a microcavitation chamber as well as an electrolysis reactor chamber in order to further clean the fuel oil by removing additional sulfur content. The clean fuel is sent to a fuel service tank for use in a diesel engine combustion cycle.
US09771519B2

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device including a pair of a substrate arranged opposite to each other, an electrode group disposed on one side or both sides of the pair of substrates facing each other, a plurality of active devices connected to the electrode group, a liquid crystal alignment film disposed on each facing side of the pair of substrates, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the pair of substrates, wherein the liquid crystal alignment film is manufactured by irradiating linearly polarized light to a film obtained from polyamic acid or a derivative thereof having a photoisomerization structure in the main chain or a film being subject to heat-baking so as to provide alignment-controlling capability, and the liquid crystal layer is a liquid crystal composition having negative (−) dielectric anisotropy. By the present invention, a liquid crystal display device having improved image sticking characteristics and good alignment stability is provided.
US09771513B2

A method of making a sintered ceramic proppant may include providing a kaolin clay. The kaolin clay may include an Al2O3 content no greater than about 46% by weight, and a K2O content no greater than 0.1% by weight. The kaolin clay may have a particle size distribution such that greater than 70% of the particles have an equivalent spherical diameter of less than 0.5 microns as measured by Sedigraph, and a shape factor less than about 18. The method may further include blunging the kaolin clay, agglomerating the kaolin clay, and sintering the agglomerated kaolin clay to produce a sintered ceramic proppant. The kaolin clay may have an A-bob Hercules viscosity of at least about 3,300 rpm at 18 kilodyne-cm and 70% solids.
US09771509B1

The present invention relates to the technical field of petroleum drilling. An intermediate product of a reservoir protecting agent, a reservoir protecting agent, a preparing method and use thereof, a drilling fluid and use thereof are disclosed. The intermediate product of a reservoir protecting agent is made of raw materials comprising acrylamide, a cationic monomer, a cross-linking agent, an initiator, a toughening material and water, and based on the raw materials of 100 parts by weight, the use amounts of the acrylamide, the cationic monomer, the cross-linking agent, the initiator and the toughening material are respectively 8-30, 1-10, 0.01-0.5, 0.01-0.1, 5-25 parts by weight. The reservoir protecting agent includes the intermediate product of the present invention, base, salt, and water, and based on the reservoir protecting agent of 100 parts by weight, the use amounts of the intermediate product, base, and salt are respectively 5-40, 1-10, and 1-12 parts by weight. The reservoir protecting agent of the present invention has a good blocking effect and can improve the capability of the drilling fluid to protect the reservoir, enhance the capability of the drilling fluid to stabilize well walls.
US09771504B2

Shaped ceramic abrasive particles include a first surface having a perimeter having a perimeter comprising at least first and second edges. A first region of the perimeter includes the second edge and extends inwardly and terminates at two corners defining first and second acute interior angles. The perimeter has at most four corners that define acute interior angles. A second surface is disposed opposite, and not contacting, the first surface. A peripheral surface is disposed between and connects the first and second surfaces. The peripheral surface has a first predetermined shape. Methods of making the shaped ceramic abrasive particles, and abrasive articles including them are also disclosed.
US09771503B2

A tire puncture sealant according to the present technology is a tire puncture sealant containing a latex and/or an emulsion and an anti-freezing agent, the latex and/or emulsion containing, as solids, at least a polymer and/or an organic compound (other than the polymer), a content of solids being from 20 to 65% by mass with respect to the total mass of the sealant, and the difference between the specific gravity of the solids and the specific gravity of a mixture of water and anti-freezing agent in the tire puncture sealant being within ±0.1.
US09771499B2

An adhesive composition that provides improved structural integrity and insulative properties when applied to a substrate is provided. The adhesive composition includes an emulsion-based polymer, a plurality of microspheres; and optionally, water and plasticizer.
US09771495B2

There is provided a method of synthesizing and using a segmented copolymer that includes mixing one or more α,ω (alpha, omega) amine or α,ω (alpha, omega) hydroxyl terminated polysiloxane first soft segments having an average molecular weight of between about 2500 grams per mole to about 10,000 grams per mole, and one or more diisocyanate species, together to form a first reaction product; mixing the first reaction product and one or more low molecular weight diol or diamine chain extenders each having an average molecular weight of less than 400 grams per mole, together in a solvent to form a segmented copolymer in solution; and applying the segmented copolymer in solution to one or more surfaces via spray coating directly from the solution with the segmented copolymer, wherein the segmented copolymer formed has a high flexibility at an environmental temperature of down to about −100 degrees Celsius.
US09771493B2

The invention relates to the use of an acidic aqueous composition for pretreating cans, wherein an inorganic-organic conversion layer is formed in the course of the pretreatment, said conversion layer, as such, offering an excellent adhesive base for wax which improves sliding of the formed can and for the subsequent coating. The invention relates to a wet-chemical pretreatment method in which a can cylinder is first contacted with an acidic aqueous composition that contains water-soluble inorganic compounds of Zr, Ti, Si, Hf or Ce, and water-soluble polymers comprising carboxyl groups or hydroxyl groups; and subsequently is contacted with an aqueous wax dispersion. The invention further relates to an acidic aqueous composition suitable for the pretreatment method comprising water-soluble polymers selected from condensation products of glycoluril and aldehydes. The invention further relates to a method for producing can cylinders, said method including the pretreatment according to the invention.
US09771477B2

To provide a polycarbonate resin composition excellent in the surface hardness, the heat resistance, the moldability and the flame retardancy.A polycarbonate resin composition comprising at least a polycarbonate resin (a) and a polycarbonate resin (b) having structural units different from the polycarbonate resin (a), which satisfies the following requirements: (i) the pencil hardness of the polycarbonate resin (a) as specified by ISO 15184 is higher than the pencil hardness of the polycarbonate resin (b) as specified by ISO 15184; (ii) the glass transition point Tg(a) of the polycarbonate resin (a) and the glass transition point Tg(b) of the polycarbonate resin (b) satisfy the relation of the following (Formula 1): Tg(b)−45° C.
US09771476B2

A polycarbonate resin composition and a molded article manufactured using the same. The polycarbonate resin composition includes: (A) a polycarbonate resin; (B) a vinyl cyanide compound-aromatic vinyl compound copolymer; (C) an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene graft copolymer including (C-1) a first acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene graft copolymer, a rubbery polymer of which has an average particle diameter of about 200 nm to about 350 nm and (C-2) a second acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene graft copolymer, a rubbery polymer of which has an average particle diameter of about 400 nm to about 600 nm; and (D) a compatibilizer.
US09771475B2

A liquid crystal polyester composition contains: a liquid crystal polyester in an amount of 100 parts by mass as well as a fibrous filler and a plate-like filler in an amount of not less than 65 parts by mass and not more than 100 parts by mass in total. The fibrous filler in the composition has a number average fiber diameter of not less than 5 μm and not more than 15 μm and a number average fiber length of more than 200 μm and less than 400 μm. The mass ratio of the fibrous filler to the plate-like filler in the composition is not less than 3 and not more than 15. The flow starting temperature of the composition is not lower than 250° C. and lower than 314° C.
US09771471B2

Disclosed is a latex composition for dip molding comprising a carboxylic acid-modified nitrile copolymer latex and starch and an article produced therefrom. Advantageously, a dip-molded article having low syneresis, less stickiness and superior tensile strength can be obtained by using the carboxylic acid-modified nitrile latex in conjunction with starch.
US09771470B2

Disclosed are a rubber latex and a method of preparing the same. The rubber latex comprises a diene based rubber polymer core and a multilayer shell structure wherein an aromatic or non-aromatic polymer having an unsaturated double bond and a diene based polymer are alternatively laminated on the core. When a rubber reinforced graft copolymer is prepared through emulsion polymerization of the rubber latex, a product having excellent impact resistance and colorability may be provided.
US09771464B2

An insulating material and its method of use of insulating material for rotating machines such as motors and generators. The insulating material includes a resin embedded with a filler that is not based only on a monomodal nanoparticle size particle distribution. Radiation erodes the material and is conductive to the formation of in situ protective layers on the body to be insulated.
US09771460B2

The present invention is directed to a method for adjusting the tack value of a binder material formed from a composition comprising an emulsion that comprises an emulsifiable prepolymer that is the reaction product of (i) an isocyanate compound, (ii) a polyol compound, and (iii) a monol compound, and wherein the method comprises: (a) determining a desired tack profile for the emulsion, wherein the tack profile comprises a tack value ranging from 1 to 4 as measured by the TACK TEST METHOD for a particular time value, and adjusting the reactive group ratio of component (i) to (ii) to achieve the desired tack value profile; (b) introducing water to components (i), (ii), and (iii) to form the emulsion composition; and (c) applying the emulsion composition to a lignocellulosic substrate thereby forming a mixture having a moisture water content ranging from 7% to 25% based on the total weight of the mixture.
US09771459B2

There is provided herein a curable polysiloxane composition comprising a reactive polysiloxane having the general structural formula (I): as described herein. There is provided a method of making the polysiloxane. In addition there is provided a curable composition including the polysiloxane.
US09771453B2

Provided are a complex prepared from ammonium salt-containing ligands and having such an equilibrium structural formula that the metal center takes a negative charge of 2 or higher, and a method for preparing polycarbonate via copolymerization of an epoxide compound and carbon dioxide using the complex as a catalyst. When the complex is used as a catalyst for copolymerizing an epoxide compound and carbon dioxide, it shows high activity and high selectivity and provides high-molecular weight polycarbonate, and thus easily applicable to commercial processes. In addition, after forming polycarbonate via carbon dioxide/epoxide copolymerization using the complex as a catalyst, the catalyst may be separately recovered from the copolymer.
US09771449B2

A method for nanoencapsulation of an amine adduct in a polymeric shell includes steps of emulsifying a first aqueous solution including the amine adduct into an organic solution including an organic solvent and a polymer to obtain a primary emulsion; emulsifying the primary emulsion into a second aqueous phase including a stabilizer to obtain a secondary emulsion; removing the organic solvent by evaporation to form solid nanocapsules; and separating the formed solid nanocapsules by centrifugation. The nanocapsules have an average size of between about 30 nm and about 597 nm.
US09771442B2

A method for producing highly reactive olefin polymers wherein at least 50 mol % of the polymer chains have terminal double bonds, and a novel polymerization initiating system for accomplishing the same includes contacting isobutene or an isobutene-containing monomer mixture, wherein a Lewis acid catalyst is complexed with an oxygen and/or sulfur-containing Lewis base, in an apolar solvent, and wherein an initiator is employed to initiate polymerization of the isobutene or isobutene-containing monomer mixture.
US09771440B2

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of a particulate ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UH-MWPE), comprising the steps of preparing a magnesium containing carrier, loading the carrier with a organometallic compound forming a supported catalyst and contacting the supported catalyst with at least ethylene under polymerization conditions, wherein the organometallic compound is of the formula R33P═N—TiCpXn.
US09771439B2

A process for the preparation of polyolefins by polymerizing olefins at temperatures of from 20 to 200° C. and pressures of from 0.1 to 20 MPa in the presence of a polymerization catalyst and an antistatically acting composition in a polymerization reactor, wherein the antistatically acting composition is a mixture comprising an oil-soluble surfactant and water and the use of an antistatically acting composition comprising an oil-soluble surfactant and water as antistatic agent for the polymerization of olefins at temperatures of from 20 to 200° C. and pressures of from 0.1 to 20 MPa in the presence of a polymerization catalyst.
US09771430B2

The present invention relates to methods of treating or preventing a metabolic disorder in a subject, methods of treating or preventing coronary artery disease in a subject with a metabolic disorder, as well as methods of reducing hepatic glucose production in a subject. Such methods include, but are not limited to, the administration to the subject of inhibitors or activators of CaMKII, IP3Rs, calcineurin, p38, MK2/3, HDAC4, Dach1, Dach2, or any combination thereof. The invention also provides methods of identifying a compound that inhibits the activity of CaMKII, IP3Rs, calcineurin, p38, MK2/3, HDAC4, Dach1 or Dach2, or reduces the activity and/or activation of CaMKII, IP3Rs, calcineurin, p38, MK2/3, HDAC4, Dach1 or Dach, or activates CaMKII, IP3Rs, calcineurin, p38, MK2/3, HDAC4, Dach1 or Dach2.
US09771426B2

Methods and compositions involving polypeptides having an aglycosylated antibody Fc domain. In certain embodiments, polypeptides have an aglycosylated Fc domain that contains one or more substitutions compared to a native Fc domain. Additionally, some embodiments involve an Fc domain that is binds some Fc receptors but not others. For example, polypeptides are provided with an aglycosylated Fc domain that selectively binds FcγRIIa, but that is significantly reduced for binding to the highly homologous FcγRIIb receptors. Furthermore, methods and compositions are provided for promoting antibody-dependent cell-mediated toxicity (ADCC) using a polypeptide having a modified aglycosylated Fc domain and a second non-Fc binding domain, which can be an antigen binding region of an antibody or a non-antigen binding region. Some embodiments concern antibodies with such polypeptides, which may have the same or different non-Fc binding domain.
US09771416B2

The present invention is directed to Clostridium difficile toxin-specific antibodies, compositions, and uses thereof. The anti-toxin antibodies may be specific for either TcdA or TcdB. The invention also includes methods of treating a Clostridium difficile infection, methods of capturing Clostridium difficile toxins, and methods of detecting Clostridium difficile toxins.
US09771398B2

Methods for producing a protein extract from cells, such as cells containing viral proteins, are provided. In general terms, the methods involve: increasing the pH of the cells to a pH of at least about pH 10.0 to produce an intermediate composition, and then, in the presence of a non-ionic detergent, neutralizing the pH of the intermediate composition to produce the protein extract. Kits and compositions for practicing the subject methods are also provided.
US09771387B2

The present disclosure relates to novel platinum compositions having a heterocycle ligand and nanoparticles and methods using such compositions, e.g. for treating cancer.
US09771382B2

Described herein are compounds and compositions that modulate the activity of beta-lactamases. In some embodiments, the compounds described herein inhibit beta-lactamase. In certain embodiments, the compounds described herein are useful in the treatment of bacterial infections.
US09771378B2

The present disclosure relates to Fused Morpholinopyrimidines, pharmaceutical compositions comprising an effective amount of a Fused Morpholinopyrimidine and methods for using a Fused Morpholinopyrimidine in the treatment of a neurodegenerative disease, comprising administering to a subject in need thereof an effective amount of a Fused Morpholinopyrimidine.
US09771372B2

A compound of formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and a pharmaceutical composition comprising the compound. The compound is an inhibitor of interactions between S100A9 and interaction partners such as RAGE, TLR4 and EMMPRIN and as such is useful in the treatment of disorders such as cancer, autoimmune disorders, inflammatory disorders and neurodegenerative disorders.
US09771369B2

Compounds active on c-kit protein kinases or mutant c-kit protein kinases having any mutations are described, wherein the compounds are of Formula (I): Methods of making and using such compounds to treat diseases and conditions associated with aberrant activity of the c-kit protein kinases and/or mutant c-kit protein kinases are also described.
US09771367B2

The invention discloses a method for preparation of alkylated or fluoro, chloro and fluorochloro alkylated compounds by a heterogeneous Pt/C-catalyzed alkylation or fluoro, chloro and fluorochloro alkylation with alkyl halides or with fluoro, chloro and fluorochloro alkyl halides in the presence of Cs2C03 or CsHC03.
US09771366B2

Described herein are carboxamide derivatives of Formula (II) that are useful as inhibitors of p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK), pharmaceutical compositions comprising the derivatives, and methods of using the derivatives in treating diseases or conditions associated with RSK activity: wherein R2, R4a, R4b, R11, R12, and n are defined in the specification.
US09771363B2

Provided herein are heterocyclic compounds of Formula (I), pharmaceutical compositions containing such a compound and their therapeutic uses, methods for their preparation, intermediate compounds, pharmaceutical compositions containing such a compound, and their therapeutic uses.
US09771361B2

Polymorphic forms of Compound (1) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein Compound (1) is represented by the following structural formula: are Form A of HCl salt of Compound (1).½H2O, Form F of HCl salt of Compound (1).3H2O, Form D of HCl salt of Compound (1), Form A of Compound (1), and Form A of tosylate salt of Compound (1). Such polymorphic forms are employed for treating influenza, inhibiting the replication of influenza viruses, or reducing the amount of influenza viruses in a biological sample or in a subject.
US09771359B1

The invention relates to oxazole and thiazole-based carboxamide and urea derivatives as vanilloid receptor ligands, to pharmaceutical compositions containing these compounds and also to these compounds for use in the treatment and/or prophylaxis of pain and further diseases and/or disorders.
US09771357B2

The present invention provides a compound having ALXR agonist activity. Specifically, the invention provides a compound having ALXR agonist activity represented by general formula (I) wherein all the symbols are as defined in the specification, a salt thereof, a solvate thereof, or a prodrug thereof as well as an agent containing the same as an active ingredient for preventing and/or treating an ALXR-associated disease, such as an inflammatory bowel disease, an autoimmune disease, a chronic inflammatory disease, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, atopic dermatitis, ischemia-reperfusion injury, myocardial infarction, or Alzheimer's disease.
US09771348B2

The present invention relates to a method for preparing N-[[1-{3-(1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)propyl}piperidin-4-yl]methyl]-4-amino-5-chloro-2-methoxybenzamide, which is a novel benzamide derivative as a 5-HT4 receptor agonist, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; to a novel intermediate capable of being used in the preparation of the compounds; and to a method for preparing the same. The preparation methods of the present invention can be useful for mass production since a low-priced reagent and intermediate are used and the number of reaction processes is decreased, thereby saving preparation costs and improving the yield.
US09771344B2

The present invention provides new therapeutic compounds for treatment of diseases caused or influenced by microtubule stability, such as proliferative diseases. The compounds are phenyl-analogs of the naturally occurring peloruside. The analogs are easier to synthesize, and hence open up the possibility to produce said compounds in large quantities for therapeutic use.
US09771338B2

The present invention relates to 1,2,4-oxadiazole and 1,2,4-thiadiazole compounds as therapeutic agents capable of inhibiting the programmed cell death 1 (PD1) signaling pathway. The invention also refers to derivatives of the therapeutic agents. The invention also encompasses the use of the said therapeutic agents and derivatives for treatment of disorders via immunopotentiation comprising inhibition of immunosuppressive signal induced due to PD-1, PD-L1, or PD-L2 and therapies using them.
US09771333B2

Disclosed are compounds, compositions and methods for treating diseases, syndromes, conditions and disorders that are affected by the modulation of the activity of, e.g., the inhibition of, one or more members of the TAM family kinases.
US09771332B2

Myeloperoxidase inhibitor, pharmaceutical compositions containing the inhibitor and the use of the inhibitor to treat, for example, cardiovascular conditions.
US09771328B2

The present disclosure provides processes for the preparation of a compound of formula: which exhibits apoptosis signal-regulating kinase (“ASK1”) inhibitory activity and is thus useful in the treatment of diseases such as kidney disease, diabetic nephropathy and kidney fibrosis. The disclosure also provides compounds that are synthetic intermediates.
US09771322B2

A method for treating phytophotodermatitis including the steps of applying an isothiocyanate functional surfactant to an area affected by phytophotodermatitis, wherein said isothiocyanate functional surfactant comprises at least one isothiocyanate functional group associated with an aliphatic and/or aromatic carbon atom of the isothiocyanate functional surfactant.
US09771320B2

Described are RORγ modulators of the formula (I), or stereoisomers, tautomers, pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates, or prodrugs thereof, wherein all substituents are defined herein. Also provided are pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same. Such compounds and compositions are useful in methods for modulating RORγ activity in a cell and methods for treating a subject suffering from a disease or disorder in which the subject would therapeutically benefit from modulation of RORγ activity, for example, autoimmune and/or inflammatory disorders.
US09771314B2

The invention relates to a process for preparing acrylic acid from formaldehyde and acetic acid, comprising (i) providing a gaseous stream S1 comprising formaldehyde, acetic acid and acrylic acid, where the molar ratio of acrylic acid to the sum total of formaldehyde and acetic acid in stream S1 is in the range from 0.005:1 to 0.3:1; (ii) contacting stream S1 with an aldol condensation catalyst in a reaction zone to obtain a gaseous stream S2 comprising acrylic acid.
US09771312B2

Process for the co-production of acetic acid and dimethyl ether with reduced formic acid content by distilling a mixture containing dimethyl ether, methanol and methyl formate, separating methyl formate from the mixture to recover dimethyl ether and methanol, and catalytically reacting the methanol and methyl acetate to produce a reaction product of acetic acid an dimethyl ether.
US09771306B2

The present invention provides a method for using a new liquid fertilizer comprising potassium from a potassium source selected from the group consisting of potassium acetate, potassium formate, potassium citrate, potassium succinate, potassium propionate, potassium phosphate, organic sources of potassium, animal manure, and combinations thereof, and having a slightly alkaline pH and relatively low salt index compared to other sources of potassium for liquid fertilizer products. The fertilizer composition may further comprise additives such as sulfur, zinc, boron, calcium, manganese, iron, copper, cobalt, magnesium, or a combination thereof.
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