US07822602B2
An audio input signal is filtered using an adaptive filter to generate a prediction output signal with reduced noise, wherein the filter is implemented using a plurality of coefficients to generate a plurality of prediction errors and to generate an error from the plurality of prediction errors, wherein the absolute values of the coefficients are continuously reduced by a plurality of reduction parameters.
US07822597B2
A linguistic rewriting rule for use in linguistic processing of an ordered sequence of linguistic tokens includes a token pattern recognition rule that matches the ordered sequence of linguistic tokens with a syntactical pattern. The token pattern recognition rule incorporates a character pattern recognition rule to match characters contained in an ambiguous portion of the ordered sequence of linguistic tokens with a character pattern defining a corresponding portion of the syntactical pattern.
US07822596B2
A user interface for displaying source data and a translated copy of a segment of the source data is provided. The user interface includes a first display portion for displaying at least a subset of the source data on the display. The user interface includes a second display portion for displaying a translated copy of a selected segment of source data on the display.
US07822590B2
A system and method for performing circuit simulation is described. Revisions and history of the operating parameters of circuit designs subject to simulation are tracked. Mechanisms are provided that allow for viewing, measurement or other manipulation of signals at specific locations in a circuit design for simulation, such as parameters that include observation points which are implemented using probes. One approach to executing a measurement is via a controllable and flexible control statement, which in one embodiment is the “run” statement. Improved interfaces for viewing, controlling, and manipulating simulations and simulation results are also provided.
US07822581B2
The invention relates to a method based on a CAD system consisting of producing a skeleton (14) satisfying pre-defined stability specifications on the basis of a positive template. For this purpose, the control surfaces, which are calculated on the basis of predetermined coordinates of said positive template, are represented on an output device together with the modified surface shape of an implant.
US07822579B2
A method and apparatus for measuring electrical signals measures an electromagnetic wave having an interference component at a center frequency and at multiple times to obtain data points. The positions of the data points on a complex plane are calculated. Chords of a circle on the complex plane, wherein the chords passing between pairs of the data points, and the circle fit to the data points are calculated. The chords are used to determine an approximate center of the circle wherein the position of the approximate center of the circle on the complex plane represents the electromagnetic wave with the interference component removed. An indication of the measured electromagnetic wave having the interference component removed is output from the apparatus.
US07822576B2
A method of monitoring the health of a gas turbine engine 10 comprising a fuel system 30 having a fuel metering valve 36 and a fuel pump 40 for supplying fuel to a combustor apparatus 15. The method comprising the steps of: monitoring the fuel metering valve percentage open, detecting and sending a warning message when the fuel metering valve percentage open is at 97% or greater and within a predetermined time from when the first percentage open is at 97% or greater, replacing the fuel pump 40. In this way scheduling of servicing and replacement of the fuel pump may be made without disruption to the aircraft operator particularly where the operator has a fleet of aircraft.
US07822575B2
A vehicular tilt-angle detecting apparatus includes a steering-angle sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a lateral-G sensor, a turning-radius calculation unit, a base tilt-angle calculation unit, a transient tilt-angle calculation unit, and a transient tilt angle calculation unit. The turning-radius calculation unit determines a turning radius corresponding to a steering angle based on a predetermined relationship between a steering angle and a turning radius. The base tilt-angle calculation unit calculates a current instantaneous tilt angle of a vehicle body during short-term steady-state turning based on the turning radius and the vehicle speed. The transient tilt-angle calculation unit corrects the initial calculated tilt angle of the vehicle body based on a transient turning radius when a variation of the steering angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. When the variation is less than the predetermined value, the transient tilt-angle calculation unit calculates the lateral-G corrected transient tilt angle.
US07822564B2
A system and method is described herein for managing power consumption by a plurality of sensors in a proximity-based ad hoc network. The system and method receives sensor data that is provided from a plurality of sensors and constructs a proximity-based ad hoc network among the plurality of sensors based on the sensor data. The system and method also receives and analyzes power status information from each sensor in a group of spatially and temporally proximate sensors in the proximity-based ad hoc network. Based on the analysis, the system and method then modifies a manner in which at least one sensor in the group provides sensor data.
US07822558B2
A fluorescence detecting device irradiates an object to be measured with a laser beam, receives fluorescence generated from the object and processes a fluorescence signal generated when receiving the fluorescence. The device includes a laser light source section outputting the laser beam for irradiating the object, a light receiving section outputting the fluorescence signal of the fluorescence generated by the irradiated object, a light source control section generates a modulation signal having a frequency in order to time-modulate an intensity of the laser beam, and a processing section that calculates a fluorescence relaxation time of the fluorescence of the object based on the fluorescence signal output from the light receiving section. From the detection values acquired by the device including the phase information on the fluorescence, the intensity of the fluorescence is calculated.
US07822556B2
Methods and applications of Global Patter Recognition (GPR), including a system for analyzing the results of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) experiments employing micro-titer and/or microarray plates and robotic plate readers is described. The system employs a set of self-normalizing housekeeping primers or oligonucleotides on the plates/arrays and an algorithmic approach to normalizing expression data from all primers on the plate based on the reaction products of several of the self-normalizing gene primers oligonucleotides. Normalization is accomplished using simplex reactions involving these self-normalizing primers/oligonucleotides; the normalization parameters are then useable across all control and experimental reactions of the plate/array. A ranked list of genes whose amount of change is statistically significant can be determined. The accuracy of this list is enhanced by the data normalization aspect of the system. Other applications of GPR are also disclosed herein.
US07822555B2
Methods of identifying allele-specific changes in genomic DNA copy number are disclosed. Methods for identifying homozygous deletions and genetic amplifications are disclosed. An array of probes designed to detect presence or absence of a plurality of different sequences is also disclosed. The probes are designed to hybridize to sequences that are predicted to be present in a reduced complexity sample. The methods may be used to detect copy number changes in cancerous tissue compared to normal tissue. The methods may be used to diagnose cancer and other diseases associated with chromosomal anomalies.
US07822553B2
A method for determining formation electrical properties includes deploying one or more receivers for electromagnetic logging; obtaining measurement data indicative of the formation electrical properties using the deployed receivers; correcting the measurement data for receiver imperfection; and inverting the corrected measurement data to obtain one or more parameters of formation electrical properties.
US07822548B2
A navigation apparatus of the invention includes a display portion that displays a guidance screen and a removably installed recording medium, the navigation apparatus being provided in a vehicle and guiding the vehicle along a guidance path. When candidate site data created in an external apparatus has been stored on the storage medium, a screen for selectively setting the end point of the guidance path based on the candidate site data is displayed in the display portion, and when setting the end point, a guidance path that arrives at the end point is calculated. The candidate site data includes information related to one or a plurality of locations that have been designated in advance by a user of the navigation apparatus, and the end point is selected from the one or plurality of locations.
US07822543B2
A video display system suitable for use in a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having an electrochromic transflective element. A video display is disposed to the rear of the transflective element. When the video screen is backlit, the video display emits light that passes through a transflective mirror reflector of the transflective element. Information displayed by the video display is visible to the driver of the equipped vehicle viewing said transflective element only when the video screen is backlit. A rearward facing camera is mounted at or near the rear of the equipped vehicle and, during a reversing maneuver of the equipped vehicle, video images captured by the camera of the scene rearward of the equipped vehicle are displayed so as to assist the driver of the equipped vehicle in reversing the equipped vehicle.
US07822541B2
A map creation device includes a simple-ground-information creating unit, an on-ground-structure-information creating unit, and a map-information creating unit. The simple-ground-information creating unit creates, based on the ground object, a simple ground object expressing the three-dimensional shape with less amount of data than the ground object. The on-ground-structure-information creating unit creates, based on the simple ground object, an on-ground-structure object expressing a three-dimensional shape of an on-ground structure that is present on a surface of the ground by adding height information to a two-dimensional on-ground-structure object expressing a two-dimensional shape of the on-ground structure. The map-information creating unit creates map information in which the on-ground-structure object is superimposed on the ground object.
US07822529B2
Operation of an internal combustion engine selectively operative in a controlled auto-ignition combustion mode is monitored. The engine is equipped with a pressure sensing device operative to monitor in-cylinder pressure. An analog signal output from the pressure sensing device is monitored during a combustion cycle. A peak cylinder pressure and a corresponding crank angle are detected and captured during the combustion cycle. A state for a combustion parameter for the cylinder for the combustion cycle is determined based upon the peak cylinder pressure and the corresponding crank angle.
US07822513B2
Described is a mobile computing arrangement having a sensor detecting first motion data of the arrangement and a memory to store second motion data, the second motion data including a threshold value. A comparison module compares the first motion data to the second motion data and an actuation module initiates an action for the arrangement when the first motion data exceeds the threshold value.
US07822505B2
To dispense an article in a limited space within a tray appropriately with no useless operation, the present invention provides an article dispensing device, including a control means (61) which calls, from a storage means (64), an article map of an article (D) to be dispensed by a dispensing means (3) and a container map of a container (5) for accommodating the article (D), which searches for a vacant region by searching each container virtual region of the container map in a predetermined order, which specifies a dispensing position for the article (D) according to the article map, and which drive-controls the dispensing means (3) based on the specified dispensing position for causing the article (D) held to be accommodated in the container (5).
US07822499B2
Cooperation management means for cooperating and managing an assembly procedure data formed by showing a combination of assembly enabled components and an assembling order thereof and a component object data for displaying the components in a virtual space as a component object; object display means for displaying the component object in the virtual space based on the component object data; coordinate data acquisition means for acquiring coordinate data of the component object displayed in the virtual space by the object display means; and element working time output means for outputting the element working time required for an assembly of the components, based on assembly procedure data related to the above objects and cooperatively managed by the cooperation means are provided.
US07822498B2
The present invention records a loudness-level-reference segment of audio when creating speech audio files and audio files including background sounds. The speech audio files can then be combined with the background sound containing audio files in any desirable combination. When combining the files, the relative audio level of the files is matched, by matching the loudness-level-reference segments with each other. Any of a variety of known digital signal processing techniques can be used to normalize the component audio files. The combined audio files containing speech and background sounds (e.g. ambient noise) having matching relative audio levels can be used to test and/or train a speech recognition engine or a speech processing system.
US07822489B2
A device communication portion receives operational status data, and an operational status accumulation portion accumulates the operational status data. A link information management portion manages operational status link information containing trigger device information to specify the operational status of a single home appliance among plural home appliances and linked device information to specify another home appliance that activates in association with the operational status of the single home appliance. An operational status read portion extracts operational status data corresponding to the operational status in the trigger device information and extracts operational status data corresponding to the linked device information. An associated control information setting portion generates associated control information containing the operational status of the single home appliance and used as the condition to start the associated control of a single electronic device and another electronic device and the content of control on the another home appliance.
US07822483B2
The disclosure describes a method and system that generates an electrical field model of defined stimulation therapy and displays the electrical field model to a user via a user interface. The electrical field model is generated based upon a patient anatomy and stimulation parameters to illustrate which areas of a patient anatomical region will be covered by the electrical field during therapy. In addition, a neuron model may be applied to the electrical field model to generate an activation field model. The activation field model indicates which neurons will be activated by the electrical field in the anatomical region. These field models may be used by a clinician to determine effective therapy prior to stimulation delivery. In particular, the field models may be beneficial when programming non axi-symmetric, or three-dimensional (3D), leads which allow greater flexibility in creating stimulation fields.
US07822482B2
An implantable electrical lead may include a rounded array of electrodes. The array of electrodes may be distributed across a rounded surface to position the electrodes in various positions and orientations relative to a target stimulation site. The lead may be useful in a variety of applications such as spinal cord stimulation to alleviate chronic pain, gastrointestinal stimulation to alleviate gastroparesis or obesity, pelvic floor stimulation to alleviate incontinence or sexual dysfunction, or deep brain stimulation to alleviate neurological disorders.
US07822481B2
Systems and methods for adjusting a therapy delivered to a patient include detecting a value of at least one sensed patient parameter and adjusting a therapy program to accommodate different patient parameter values. A data structure including a plurality of patient parameter values and associated therapy programs may be stored within a medical device or a programming device. Upon detecting a patient parameter value, an associated therapy program from the data structure may be selected. If no therapy program is associated with the detected patient parameter value, an intermediate program that best suits the detected patient parameter value may be generated by interpolating between the most recently implemented therapy program and a stored therapy program. In some embodiments, the rate of shifting between parameters of two stored or interpolated therapy programs may be based on the rate of change of the patient parameter value over time.
US07822467B2
A method is for producing CT images of at least one second organ cyclically excited to move by a first organ moving on its own, or examination area with rest phases and activity phases of a patient. The second organ or the examination area is scanned, preferably spirally. A three-dimensional image of the absorption coefficient is determined with the aid of a multiplicity of cutting planes on the basis of the data obtained by scanning in the rest phase of the second organ or examination area, and the movement information required to determine the rest phase is collected from the first organ.
US07822465B2
Devices and methods for providing in vivo performance measurements of an orthopedic implant involve an orthopedic implant having at least two radiopaque markers associated with a movable portion of the implant. The markers are positioned at known locations and in a first known and predetermined relationship to each other. The markers provide visible references upon application of a medical imaging technique to show the relative position of the markers according to a second, changed relationship to each other after implantation of the orthopedic implant. At least one measurement of performance of the implant can be determined from the first and second relationships of the markers.
US07822458B2
Disclosed is a system for percutaneously steering a surgical needle. Needle steering is accomplished by taking advantage of a deflection force imparted on the bevel tip of the needle by the tissue medium as the needle is pushed through the tissue. By controlling the translation speed and rotation angle of the bevel, a flexible needle may be steered substantially without deflecting or distorting the tissue. The control inputs (translation speed and rotation angle) are computed based on a “bicycle” non-holonomic kinematic model that is a function of mechanical properties of the tissue medium. The system may be used with image-based feedback, which may provide for feedback-based refinement of the model as the needle propagates through the tissue.
US07822455B2
An analyte sensor system including a substrate, a first electrode disposed on a first surface of the substrate, a second electrode disposed on a second surface of the substrate, a third electrode provided in electrical contact with at least one of the first or second electrodes, where at least a portion of the first electrode and the second electrode are subcutaneously positioned in a patient, and where the third electrode is substantially entirely positioned external to the patient, and corresponding methods are provided.
US07822454B1
An assembly is described that combines blood chemical analysis with lancing in a single multiple-test disposable cartridge. The penetrating members can be assembled and sterilized without damaging the analytical chemistry, and the functioning of the present radical disc cartridge mechanism is not substantially modified.
US07822448B2
The invention provided a protective apparatus for a portable device and accessories of the portable device. The protective apparatus includes a sleeve housing for accommodating the portable device, a cable retainer for coiling at least part of a cable portion of the accessory of the portable device, and a receptacle for receiving at least part of a bulky portion of the accessory of the portable device. The cable retainer is fixed on a back panel of the sleeve housing includes a cable holder for coiling the cable portion therearound, and a slidable ring movable relative to the cable holder and configured for securing the coiled cable portion in position around the cable holder. The protective apparatus has a simple design for easy manipulation and removal of the cable portion as well as the bulky portion.
US07822444B2
A plurality of operation portions are arranged at a surface on a sub-display side of a cellular phone with a camera so that various kinds of setting, selection and control can be performed without opening the cellular phone in its folded state, and the cellular phone can achieve improved operability and convenience. Cellular phone includes a first display portion at a surface of a first body opposed to a second body in the folded state, and includes a second display portion, an image taking portion and a plurality of operation portions arranged at a rear surface of the first body remote from the first display portion.
US07822442B2
A system and method are provided for configuring an antenna array having a predetermined number of antennas. After providing an antenna correlation matrix for all antennas with regard to a mobile terminal, the antenna array is virtually partitioned into two or more sub-arrays based on the antenna correlation matrix such that correlations among antennas within each sub-array are higher than correlations among antennas belonging to different sub-arrays. One or more beamforming weights are generated corresponding to each antenna within the sub-arrays for applying to one or more signals transmitted therefrom, and at least one predetermined multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) mechanism is further applied among the sub-arrays by treating each sub-array as a virtual antenna.
US07822439B2
A primary appliance, reversibly engageable with a secondary appliance for sharing credentials, including: a credentials module configured to enable the primary appliance to make/receive phone calls; and an interface with the secondary appliance, the interface including: a physical interface for physically reversibly engaging the primary appliance and the secondary appliance; and a conductive interface for enabling the secondary appliance to communicate with the module upon being physically engaged. A secondary appliance, reversibly engageable with a primary appliance having a credentials module enabling the primary appliance to make/receive phone calls, including: a service module configured to be enabled by the credentials module; and an interface, for the primary appliance, including: an interface for physically reversibly engaging the secondary appliance with the primary appliance; and a conductive interface for enabling communication of the secondary appliance with the credentials module upon the secondary appliance being physically engaged with the primary appliance.
US07822438B2
An apparatus and method for responding to unlicensed network failure. A failure in a connection to an unlicensed wireless local area network controller can be detected. A wireless local area network access point connection to the unlicensed wireless local area network controller can be released. An attempt can be made to access wireless wide area network services.
US07822434B2
A method of automatically establishing an input language for a handheld electronic device includes receiving a request to initiate the composition of a new message, receiving a selection of a particular contact that is the intended recipient of the message, and determining whether the particular contact has a stored preferred input language. If a preferred input language is stored, the method includes determining whether the preferred input language is different than the current input language (which may be a pre-established default input language). If the preferred input language is different, the method further includes switching the current input language to the preferred input language. Also provided is an improved handheld electronic device having one or more routines adapted to implement the method. Also provided is a method of indicating a preferred language in association with a call received by or placed to the device.
US07822433B2
A communications system having a pre-defined calling group with a plurality of members is disclosed. A plurality of personal communication devices (PCDs) each have a system ID and a group ID, and each member of the group is assigned one of the PCDs. The system ID and the group ID both have a predetermined characteristic, where each system ID has a first variation thereof and each group ID has a second variation. A first group-member having a first PCD contacts a second member having a second PCD by entering into the first PCD the second PCD group ID. The first PCD transmits the first PCD system ID and the second PCD group ID to a communications switch. Based on the first PCD system ID, the communications switch locates a record for the first PCD in a switch database and determines therefrom that the first PCD can contact the second PCD by way of the second PCD group ID. A group database in switchable communication with the communications switch has the system ID and group ID for each group member PCD. The communications switch forwards the contact and the second PCD group ID to the group database for further processing. The group database determines that the second PCD group ID is located therein, locates the second PCD system ID based on the second PCD group ID, and forwards the attempted contact and the second PCD system ID to an appropriate communications switch for further processing.
US07822416B2
Techniques are provided to allow global roaming between different devices in different networks, using different protocols. A system may contain one or more protocol dependent logic servers (PDLSs), in which each PDLS is associated with a particular network/network protocol. The networks may comprise one or more wired telecommunications networks, wireless communications networks, or Internet-based networks. When a first PDLS receives an incoming, protocol-dependent message comprising a first protocol from a first network intended for a user currently registered on another network, the first PDLS converts the protocol-dependent message into an incoming, protocol-independent message and forwards it to another network element, such as a core logic server (CLS). The CLS processes the incoming, protocol-independent message, generates an appropriate outgoing protocol-independent message and forwards this message to a second PDLS. The second PDLS converts the outgoing, protocol-independent message to an appropriate outgoing, protocol-dependent message and forwards it to a second network operating using a second protocol. The conversion of incoming, protocol-independent messages into outgoing, protocol-independent messages eventually enables a link to be established between the two networks operating using different protocols.
US07822415B2
Military systems in particular face two specific problems: field casualties typically increase as unit visibility decreases and it is often difficult for ground stations and/or headquarters to maintain control and visibility of geographically dispersed assets. The system provides satellite communications such as two-way messaging, Voice over Packet, and global positioning information and reporting for fixed and rotary wing aircrafts where traditional methods of communications are not otherwise practical. The system provides communications between remote users and other remote users as well as between remote users and control stations. In some embodiments there is an in-flight transceiver system that includes an antenna, an aviation box, and a switch. The aviation box conforms to a one-half, ½ short Air Transport Rack (ATR) form factor and includes a transceiver, an interface card, and a global positioning system (GPS) unit. The switch is located between the aviation box and the antenna for controlling a data signal between the antenna and the transceiver of the aviation box.
US07822389B2
Methods and apparatus to provide an auxiliary receive path to support transmitter functions are disclosed. An example transceiver includes an antenna and a duplexer coupled to the antenna. A transmitter is coupled to the duplexer to output a transmit signal at a transmit frequency. A receiver is coupled to the duplexer to receive a received signal at a receiver frequency. A signal processor is coupled to the transmitter and receiver. An auxiliary receiver is communicatively coupled to the signal processor to receive the transmit signal output from the transmitter and send an auxiliary receiver signal to the signal processor. The signal processor adjusts the transmit signal based on the auxiliary receiver signal.
US07822386B2
A method, according to various aspects of the present invention, for improving a data throughput between the wireless cell and the client. A wireless cell performs the method. The method includes in any practical order (1) determining a primary direction of data flow between the wireless cell and the client, wherein if the primary direction of data flow is from the wireless cell to the client, denominating the wireless cell as a transmitting device and the client as a receiving device, otherwise, denominating the client as a transmitting device and the wireless cell as a receiving device; (2) the receiving device detecting a factor that reduces data throughput for each one channel of the plurality of channels; and (3) assigning one channel of the plurality of channels to the transmitting device and the receiving device responsive to detecting thereby improving data throughput.
US07822382B2
A scanning apparatus and method in a multi-hop relay Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) communication system are provided. In the scanning method, a Mobile Subscriber Station (MSS) sends a scan request message requesting scanning to a Base Station (BS) via a Relay Station (RS). The BS sends a scan response message containing information for the scanning of the MSS to the MSS via the RS. The BS then sends a scan notify message indicating the scanning of the MSS to the RS.
US07822373B2
A developer conveying device includes a first guide member, a second guide member, and a plurality of electrodes arranged on the first guide member and the second guide member. The first guide member forms a first section of a conveying path of a charged developer. The second guide member forms a second section of the conveying path which continues from the first section of the conveying path. The plurality of electrodes generate a traveling wave electric field that conveys the charged developer along the conveying path. A following rate at which the developer follows travel of the traveling wave electric field in the second section is different from the following rate in the first section.
US07822369B2
A developer supplying apparatus of the present invention includes a toner bottle, a bottle supporting member that is in the shape of substantially a cylinder, and a shutter mechanism for opening and closing a toner discharging opening formed on the bottle supporting member. The shutter mechanism includes (i) a shutter member which is slidably provided on the bottle supporting member and opens/closes the toner discharging opening, and (ii) a protruding portion which is provided on the toner bottle, and when the shutter member is located at such a position that the toner discharging opening is closed, engages with a part of the shutter member so as to stop rotation of the toner bottle. Thus, it is possible to realize the developer supplying apparatus which can stably supply a toner to a development device at high speed.
US07822366B2
An image forming apparatus to enhance a user's convenience by adequately designing developer storage capacities of developing devices in consideration of an amount of consumed developer includes an image carrier, and plural developing devices arranged along a rotational direction of the image carrier to supply a developer to the image carrier. The plural developing devices include a first developing device having a largest developer storage capacity, and a second developing device disposed in a most downstream side with respect to the rotational direction of the image carrier. The second developing device has a second largest developer storage capacity.
US07822363B2
An image forming apparatus includes: an image supporting member; a charge member for charging a surface of the image supporting member; an exposure member for forming a latent image on the surface of the image supporting member charged by the charge roller; a developer supporting member for developing the latent image formed by the exposure member to form a toner image; and a transfer member for transferring the toner image formed by the developer supporting member to a medium. The image supporting member has a dark decay characteristic ratio of 95% or less relative to charges having a polarity opposite to that of a charge voltage applied by the charge member.
US07822359B2
An image forming apparatus that can improve the workability during maintenance, and the compactness and neatness of the signal line and the power source line, and moreover can lower the cost by eliminating the fall preventing member. The image forming apparatus has: an engine main body which has an image forming device, a transfer device, a fixer, and a transporter. There is a rear surface unit which has housed items such as a power source device, a control device, and an exhaust device, and which is configured to be detachable from the engine main body. One end of the control device is rotatably linked to the engine main body while the other end thereof is rotatably linked to the unit main body.
US07822347B1
A chirped pulse amplification (CPA) system and method is described wherein the dispersion of the system is tuned by actively tuning one or more system components, for example, using a temperature or strain gradient, or using actinic radiation. In other embodiments, an additional element, such as a modulator, is added to the CPA system to actively to tune the pulse. A pulse monitor is added to the system to measure an output pulse and provide feedback to one or more active tuning elements.
US07822346B2
This disclosure generally concerns modules. In one example, a module includes a housing, a printed circuit board, and an optical subassembly. The housing has a first part and a second part, with the second part holding the printed circuit board and optical subassembly. The printed circuit board has a contact element located near one end of the printed circuit board. The optical subassembly includes a connector which has a free end. The free end of the connector and the contact element of the printed circuit board are pinched together when the first and second parts of the housing are joined, thus forming an electrical connection.
US07822345B2
An output stage for WDM information transmission transmits a plurality of carrier waves modulated by an information signal and a filling lightwave. A first control circuit controls a desired power signal which determines the power of the filling light source so that the total power of carrier and filling lightwaves detected by a photodetector is held constant at a predetermined reference level. The filling light source is part of an assembly which is replaceably mounted at a first mounting location of the output stage. At a second mounting location of the output stage a second assembly comprising a second filling light source is mounted or adapted to be mounted. An auxiliary circuit is adapted to provide one of the two filling light sources with a continuously decreasing second desired power signal.
US07822340B2
An arrangement in a fiber optic network device for analyzing a set of optical signals traversing the fiber optic network device is provided. The arrangement includes a set of ports for receiving and outputting the set of optical signals. The arrangement also includes a set of photodiodes, which is configured at least for receiving and forwarding the set of optical signals. The arrangement further includes a splitter, which is configured at least for receiving the set of optical signals from a first photodiode, splitting the set of optical signals into at least a first part and a second part, and forwarding the first part to a second photodiode and the second part to a third photodiode. The set of optical signals is configured to traverse the fiber optic network device irrespective whether power is provided to circuitry of the fiber optic network device.
US07822339B2
An interchangeable lens which can communicate with a camera body to which the interchangeable lens is detachably attached to exchange data of the interchangeable lens, includes a logic IC serving as an interface via which the interchangeable lens communicates with the camera body; a memory which is provided independent of the logic IC, connected to the logic IC, and stores the data of the interchangeable lens; and a controller, connected to the logic IC, for controlling operations of the interchangeable lens. The logic IC selectively switches connections of terminals thereof with the memory and the controller for communication therewith upon receiving a communication signal from the camera body.
US07822330B2
An image blur correction device includes: a blur correction optical system that corrects for image blur by moving in first and second directions on a plane that is orthogonal to an optical axis; a first actuator that drives the blur correction optical system in the first direction; a second actuator that drives the blur correction optical system in a second direction that is approximately orthogonal to the first direction; and a position measurement device that measures move amount of the blur correction optical system; and in the image blur correction device, the blur correction optical system, the first actuator, the second actuator and the position measurement device are arranged in series approximately along an imaginary straight line that is parallel to the first direction.
US07822321B2
An image pickup device includes an image pickup including an image pickup lens system and an image pickup element operable to obtain a pickup image; a recording device operable to record image data based on the pickup image to a predetermined recording medium; a reproducing section operable to reproduce the image data recorded in the recording medium; and a reproduction controller operable to control switching between an image pickup mode in which the image pickup operation by the image pickup and recording of the image data by the recording device are possible, and a reproduction mode in which the reproduction of the image data by the reproducing section is possible, to control the reproduction of the image data based on a last recorded image when the mode is changed to the reproduction mode for the first time after recording of the image data in the image pickup mode, and to control the reproduction of the image data based on a point at which the reproduction has been terminated in the previous reproduction mode when the mode is changed to the reproduction mode other than the first time after recording of the image data in the image pickup mode.
US07822316B2
A DVD recorder acquires a time code from a DV camcorder that is in process of rewinding a DV tape in response to a rewind command, and calculates a difference between a current rewind position and a beginning position on the DV tape. When the difference is smaller than a first reference value, the DVD recorder changes a command to be issued to the DV camcorder into a step reverse command. Subsequently, the DVD recorder acquires time codes before and after the DV camcorder executes a step reverse operation, and compares the two time codes. When no change is found between the two time codes six consecutive times as a result of comparisons, the DVD recorder determines that the DV tape in the DV camcorder has been completely rewound. This allows the DVD recorder to correctly recognize the completion of the rewind of the DV tape in the DV camcorder.
US07822291B2
A computer-implemented method for non-rigid multi-modal registration, includes providing trained data corresponding to previously registered images captured by different modalities, receiving two or more images captured by the different modalities, and registering the two or more images according to context information determined based on the trained data.
US07822288B2
The present invention is a method and system for deriving histograms for neighborhoods of pixels in an image that uses subtractive image regions to increase the size of overlapping regions of regions of series of adjacent image pixels to a size equal to the size of a full neighborhood. Each neighborhood (except for a central neighborhood) is viewed as a combination of the central overlapping neighborhood and one or more additional regions, at least one of which comprises a “subtractive” region, and which vary in size depending on the distance of a pixel from the pixel that is the basis for the central neighborhood. The histogram for each neighborhood is derived by adding the histograms of the central neighborhood and the histograms for the relevant additional region or regions, which may have one or more negative element values. The method and system of the invention allows the processing time for implementing a median filter to be improved to approximately the order of log(r), where r is the “radius” of the median filter being applied.
US07822287B2
A method for removing a stationary noise pattern from digital images uses an adaptive noise estimation algorithm to calculate a prediction of the fixed pattern noise and a confidence estimate for the prediction. In one embodiment, a predicted noise value is obtained from the captured image and a predicted image derived from spatial and temporal pixel value prediction techniques. The predicted noise value is used to update a fixed pattern noise estimate only when the confidence estimate for the predicted image is high. In another embodiment, the confidence estimate is used as a weight factor for blending the noise prediction into the noise estimate. In yet another embodiment, the adaptive noise estimation algorithm is applied to a prediction area in the image for calculating scaling parameters which scaling parameters are used to calculate a noise estimate for the entire image based on a reference noise image.
US07822271B2
A false-color suppression method for correcting a pixel value of a target position of an output frame corresponding to a target field is disclosed. The false-color suppression method includes determining whether the target position has motion; determining whether image corresponding to the target position meets a predetermined condition; and if the target position is determined to have motion and the image corresponding to the target position meets the predetermined condition, performing at least one false-color suppression operation to correct the pixel value of the target position of the output frame.
US07822265B2
An image processing system for performing a transformation of an input image associated with an input viewpoint to an output image associated with an output viewpoint. The input image is a pre-filtered 2D representation of 3D objects as seen from the input viewpoint, and comprises for each input pixel an associated input pixel value and an associated input pixel depth. Additional to the input image a hidden image is received, being another 2D representation of the 3D objects and comprising information, which information is occluded from the input viewpoint.The system comprises a video processor being operative to create the output image by transforming each input pixel to a transformed input pixel. The transformation is a function of the input pixel depth. The output image is created, based on the transformed input pixels, using hidden image pixels for filling de-occluded areas and for at least one pixel position adjacent to the de-occluded areas. As a consequence ghost line artifacts, caused by transformation of the pre-filtered input image, are prevented.
US07822252B2
A method for detecting an object within a structure includes performing tobogganing on image data to obtain one or more voxel clusters and to provide a rough indication of the structure. Each of the obtained voxel clusters is characterized as an object candidate and a set of features are determined for each object candidate. Correlations between pairs of the object candidates are measured. Each of the object candidates is classified as either a true object or a non-object based on the set of features and the measured correlations.
US07822234B2
Within a digital acquisition device with a built in flash unit, the exposure of an acquired digital image is perfected using face detection in the acquired image is provided. Groups of pixels that correspond to plural images of faces are identified within a digitally acquired image, and corresponding image attributes to the group of pixels are determined. An analysis is performed of the corresponding attributes of the groups of pixels. It is then determined to activate the built-in flash unit based on the analysis. An intensity of the built-in flash unit is determined based on the analysis. Alternatively based on similar analysis, a digital simulation of the fill flash is performed on the image.
US07822224B2
Method and system for image data analysis, by making use of a Terrain Map Summary Element (TMSE) data structure, in which a Terrain Map data structure provides processed primitive data about each 2×2 kernel of pixels from an original image. The new TMSE is a hierarchical multiple-level or tiered structure of such Terrain Map elements, in which each successive Terrain Map level summarizes, for example, 16 lower level elements or member. By providing such a hierarchical nature of the map elements, richness is enhanced by each higher element because every element of each successively higher level map summarizes the data from elements of the lower level map. For example, in a five-level Terrain Map Summary Element structure according to the disclosure, each element or member of the fifth level contains information summarizing data about 256K pixels.
US07822222B2
A loudspeaker is provided, which has a configuration in which suspension holder extending in a cylindrical shape widening downward is provided on the rear surface of diaphragm so as to be integrated with diaphragm, and the periphery of suspension holder is coupled to frame via second edge. With such a configuration, adhesion work between the suspension holder and the diaphragm as well as heating and drying work of adhesive are not required, thus enabling the productivity to be considerably improved and production equipment and space to be reduced.
US07822211B2
A stereo decoding system comprises an oscillator, a bandpass filter, a PLL unit and a stereo decoder. The oscillator generates a first signal with a center frequency. The bandpass filter receives a stereo multiplexed signal and the first signal to filter out a pilot signal. The PLL unit receives the pilot signal to generate a PLL output signal. The stereo decoder receives the stereo multiplexed signal and the PLL output signal to separate a left channel signal and a right channel signal from the stereo multiplexed signal.
US07822207B2
A method of protecting secret key integrity in a hardware cryptographic system includes first obtaining an encryption result and corresponding checksum of known data using the secret key, saving those results, then masking the secret key and storing the masked key. When the masked key is to be used in a cryptographic application, the method checks key integrity against fault attacks by decrypting the prior encryption results using the masked key. If upon comparison, the decryption result equals valid data, then the key's use in the cryptographic system can proceed. Otherwise, all data relating to the masked key is wiped from the system and fault injection is flagged.
US07822202B2
The invention discloses a new modulation scheme to prevent illegal copy in movie theaters. None of the existing modulation schemes make the right assumptions to modelize a camcorder device. In such classical schemes, camcorders are always considered as sampling devices without taking into account the effects of shutter speed. The shutter of the camcorder is classically compared to a low-pass filter. As a result, modulation effects can be easily removed by setting up shutter speed to low values (low cutoff frequency). The right mathematical modelization of the shutter effect shows that, in the spectral domain, the behavior of the camcorder is close to a cardinal sine function with a main lobe and sidelobes. Consequently, according to the invention, it is proposed to select a modulation frequency that not only generates visual artifacts once recorded by the camcorder under shutter-free conditions, but that can also generate artifacts despite low shutter speed settings by going through sidelobe of the shutter spectrum.
US07822172B2
The invention relates to a method for beam hardening correction in medical image. Beam hardening within the context of medical imaging projection image profiles are split up into a basic profile which is assigned to a homogeneous object area and into a detailed profile which is assigned to an inhomogeneous object area. On the basis of the basic profile and of the difference profile the mass occupancy of the different components in the object to be examined can be approximately determined. On the basis of the approximately determined mass occupancy the correction of the beam hardening can then be performed directly on the projection data.
US07822158B2
A phase comparison circuit detects a phase difference between a data signal and the output from a variable delay circuit. A Code Operator detects a value of a control code corresponding to a delay equal to one period of an output clock. Then, when a delay amount of the variable delay circuit exceeds one period of a clock during synchronization of the output clock with the data signal while the control code is changed in accordance with the detection result by the phase delay circuit, a control code corresponding to a delay equal to one period of the output clock is added or subtracted to/from the control code at a time. Therefore, even if there is a difference in frequency between a data signal and a clock, it becomes possible to synchronize the data signal and the clock with application of the same clock phase.
US07822152B2
A symbol timing detection method, executed in a processor, is provided where, upon detecting a symbol timing from a received signal composed of a packet having a preamble with periodically allocated symbols placed at a head of data, correlation results indicating a correlation between the received signal and a fixed pattern of the preamble are obtained, a maximum value in the correlation results are updated and held, and a timing of the maximum value is determined as a symbol timing on a condition that a maximum value currently held by the correlation peak detection unit is not updated in a symbol timing determination period having a predetermined length from the timing and that a number of occurrences of a correlation result exceeding an error detection determination threshold is smaller than a predetermined number in an error detection determination period defined within the symbol timing determination period.
US07822148B2
Methods and systems for carrying different signals required for MIMO communication using a single coaxial cable between two endpoints of a distributed antenna system (DAS) network. Original MIMO signals having the same frequency are frequency-separated at a first endpoint of the network. The frequency-separated signals are propagated together over the single coaxial cable and then reconstructed to their original frequency at a second endpoint of the network.
US07822138B2
A calculator for use in a maximum likelihood detector, including: a receiver for receiving convolution encoded data which may include noise; first calculator for calculating a first component of a first path metric difference between two possible sequences of states corresponding to the convolution encoded data, the two sequences each having a length equal to a constraint length of the convolution encoded data, and the two sequences starting at a same state and ending at a same state, adapted to calculate the first component using the convolution-encoded data and using convolution encoding parameters of the convolution-encoded data, wherein the first component is independent of the two sequences; and second calculator for calculating a second component of the first path metric difference using the two sequences, wherein the second component is independent of the convolution encoded data; and using the first and second components to obtain the first path metric difference.
US07822136B2
The present disclosure presents a predictive signal producing method that effectively levels transmitter output power in a multi-carrier communication system and results in approaching amplifier performance normally associated with constant carrier waveforms. Embodiments of the disclosed solution offers >10 dB reduction in the peak-to-average power required to support the transmission of, for example, orthogonal frequency division modulation (“OFDM”) modulation techniques. Embodiments of the novel system and method maximize peak-to-average power ratio (“PAPR”) reduction with selective mapping and soft clipping, which may include filtering, combined. This novel approach also minimizes overhead, bit error rate, retransmissions, and increases latency as well as implementing processing cycles with a number of iterations. The disclosed system and method improves the total system DC power efficiency and provides an optimal solution for PAPR reduction in multi-carrier communication systems such as, for example, OFDM.
US07822124B1
A modem employing feedback control coding to dynamically control signal-to-noise ratios and to identify errored codewords for retransmission. The receive path components of the modem include a signal-to-noise estimator, a feedback controller and a dynamic demapper. The signal-to-noise estimator repeatedly determines a difference between a target signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and actual SNR in communications received from an opposing modem. A feedback controller responds to each determination by the signal-to-noise controller to send to the opposing modem a set of modified transmit control parameters for reducing the difference between the target and actual SNRs. The dynamic demapper dynamically alters constellation size or power spectral density for demapping communications received from the opposing modem responsive to a change in transmission parameters thereof resulting from the modified set of transmit control parameters.
US07822122B2
Interpolations for a picture is done after edge detections in a de-interlace processor. By doing so, an amount of computing processes and a total time for the computing are saved; an efficiency of the computing is improved; and, a visual quality of the picture is enhanced.
US07822116B2
Described herein is a method and system for rate estimation in a video encoder. The method and system use estimation metrics that can also be part of motion estimation and spatial prediction. A rate controller may utilize the system for rate estimation in two ways. The rate controller may supply a quantization parameter and receive a bit estimate from the rate estimator. Alternatively, the rate controller may supply a bit estimate and receive a quantization parameter from the rate estimator.
US07822111B2
Example embodiments relate to a receiving apparatus and method thereof. In an example, the receiving apparatus may include a clock generating unit generating a plurality of internal clock signals based on a received external clock signal and an equalization receiving unit receiving the plurality of internal clock signals and an input signal. The equalization receiving unit may determine an offset value and an equalization coefficient in an initial setting mode and may adjust the received data signal based on the determined offset value and equalization coefficient.
US07822105B2
A receiver capable of receiving a spread spectrum signal and having a crosscorrelator that enables a carrier wave (CW) jamming to be identified, tracked, replicated and removed from the received spread spectrum signal after demodulation of a weak signal has occurred.
US07822104B2
Multipath components of a signal transmitted through a time-varying digital radio channel are received with individual delays (τ) within a range of possible delay values. An instantaneous delay profile indicating an instantaneous magnitude (g(τ)) for each of a number of individual delays (τ) is calculated repetitively, and an averaged delay profile indicating an averaged magnitude for the individual delays is generated from a number of repetitively calculated instantaneous delay profiles. The averaged delay profile is limited to comprise only delay values in a subset (W1, W2, W3) of the range of possible delay values. The delay of each individual multipath component is estimated from the averaged delay profile; and at least some estimated delays are used for RAKE combining. In this way, the benefits of an averaged delay profile are achieved without the need for the additional storage and computational resources normally required by a general averaged delay profile image.
US07822102B2
Aspects of a method and system for an efficient channel quantization method or MIMO pre-coding systems may include quantizing channel state information in a MIMO pre-coding system onto a codebook, which comprises one or more unitary matrices, using a cost function; selecting a quantization function that enables the quantizing based on a number of receive antennas and a number of transmit antennas associated with the MIMO pre-coding system; and selecting the cost function from a set of cost functions based on the number of receive antennas and the number of transmit antennas. The channel state information may be a matrix Ĥ. The set of cost functions may comprise function f(A), which may be defined by the following relationships: f ( A ) = ∑ i = 1 N ∑ j = 1 , j ≠ i N a i , j 2 and / or f ( A ) = ∑ i = 1 N ∑ j = 1 , j ≠ i N a i , j 2 - ∑ i = 1 N a i , i where A is a matrix of size N by N and aij is element (i,j) of matrix A.
US07822100B2
A method of pulse shaping a spread signal of serially formatted in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) waveforms, where each waveform includes a predetermined number of chips per symbol, includes (a) examining adjacent chips of the I and Q waveforms at a symbol boundary; and (b) determining that one of the I or Q waveforms, includes two adjacent first and second chips separated by a single chip period, where the first chip belongs to a previous symbol and the second chip belongs to a present symbol. If the chips are of the same value, the method extends a peak value between the first and second chips, and zeros the other waveform of the I or Q waveform during the extended duration. If the chips are of opposite values, then the method zeroes one of the chips and inserts a chip into the other waveform.
US07822098B2
A method generates a radio signal to be used for ranging. For each of one of multiple frames to be transmitted as a ranging symbol, a first time interval and a second time interval are allocated. The ranging symbol is then transmitted as a set of pulses in each of the frames only during the first time interval, and the second time interval has a length to reduces inter-frame interference.
US07822093B2
The apparatus for extending or lengthening a laser pulse has a beam splitter. An incident laser pulse is split by the beam splitter into at least one first partial pulse and a second partial pulse. The first partial pulse is conducted through a delaying travel path section with a number of reflectors. The apparatus is characterized by a plurality of the variable delaying travel path sections which produce different length laser beam pulses from a single incident laser pulse.
US07822091B2
The present invention pertains to a composite slab laser gain medium with an undoped core and at least one doped gain medium section disposed on at least one side of that core. The gain medium is constructed so as to mitigate the effects of thermal and mechanical stresses within it and also allow for impingement cooling of the doped gain medium section.
US07822090B2
A semiconductor device includes an optical semiconductor element, a package including a base made of a metal for mounting the optical semiconductor element, and a cap for encapsulating the optical semiconductor element and a gas by covering the package and the optical semiconductor element. The gas encapsulated with the package has an oxygen concentration not less than 15% and less than 30% and has a dew-point not less than −15° C. and not more than −5° C.
US07822089B2
The semiconductor layer structure comprises a superlattice (9) composed of alternately stacked layers (9a, 9b) of III-V semiconductor compounds of a first composition (a) and at least one second composition (b). The layers (9a, 9b) of the superlattice (9) contain dopants in predetermined concentrations, with regard to which the concentrations of the dopants are different at least two layers of a same composition in the superlattice (9), the concentration of the dopants is graded within at least one layer (9a, 9b) of the superlattice (9), and the superlattice (9) comprises layers that are doped with different dopants or comprise at least one layer (9a, 9b) that is undoped. The electrical and optical properties of the superlattice (9) can be adapted to given requirements in the best possible manner in this way.
US07822088B2
A nitride semiconductor light emitting device operating on a low voltage and excelling in reliability and performance is to be provided. It has a multi-layered p-type clad layer of at least two layers of a first p-type clad layer and a second p-type clad layer, wherein the second p-type clad layer contains a p-type impurity in a higher concentration the first p-type clad layer does, has a thickness ranging from 2 to 20 nm, and is formed of AlYGa1-YN whose Al content has a relationship of X≦Y to the first p-type clad layer doped with a p-type impurity containing at least an AlXGa1-XN (0
US07822087B2
A semiconductor laser device capable of improving planarity of cleavage planes of an optical waveguide thereof is obtained. This semiconductor laser device includes a support substrate, a semiconductor laser element portion having a pair of cavity facets provided with ends of an optical waveguide extending in a first direction and a bonding layer bonding the support substrate and the semiconductor laser element portion to each other, while the bonding layer has void portions formed on regions close to at least the ends of the optical waveguide in the vicinity of the cavity facets.
US07822082B2
The present invention relates to a laser transmitter capable of being configured to transmit one of a plurality of wavelengths. Specifically, the laser transmitter may be reconfigured using the resonance passbands of a tunable microresonator coupled with a fixed grating.
US07822080B2
A high power fiber laser includes a pump source optically coupled to a first fiber laser, which is in turn optically coupled to a second fiber laser. The pump source is adapted to generate light, which is received by the first fiber laser and used to generate a first pulsed output. The first pulsed output is directed into the second fiber laser and is used to generate a second pulsed output. The first fiber laser includes a multi-mode fiber, while the second fiber laser includes a single mode fiber.
US07822078B2
A method of producing green light signals, comprising coupling pump signals from at least one pump source into at least one erbium doped fiber (EDF) which cause ground state absorption (GSA), and excited state absorption (ESA) in erbium ions of the EDF, which produces green light signals, wherein the majority of the pump signals have a wavelength at which the probability of occurrence of ESA in the EDF is greater than the probability of occurrence of GSA in the EDF. The majority of the pump signals may have a wavelength in the range approximately 920 nm to approximately 980 nm, or in the region of 960 nm. An erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) (1) for amplifying traffic-carrying signals may be pumped by green light signals produced by this method. A laser which produces green light signals may be constructed, which comprises at least one EDF, coupled to at least one pump source to receive pump signals therefrom, which cause GSA, and ESA in erbium ions of the EDF, which produces green light signals, the majority of the pump signals having a wavelength at which the probability of occurrence of ESA in the EDF is greater than the probability of occurrence of GSA in the EDF.
US07822076B2
One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus that selectively multiplexes a plurality of signal lines through an I/O pin on a semiconductor chip. This apparatus includes an I/O pin, for coupling a signal line within the semiconductor chip to a signal line outside of the semiconductor chip. A transmitting circuit is configured to selectively multiplex the plurality of signal lines onto the I/O pin. A receiving circuit is configured to receive multiplexed data from the I/O pin, and to reverse the multiplexing so that values originally from the multiplexed signal lines are separated into distinct signals in the receiving circuit. Note that the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit are driven by a common clock signal. The apparatus additionally includes an initialization circuit that selectively configures the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit to multiplex at least one of the plurality of signal lines through the I/O pin.
US07822072B2
Disclosed are a method and system to estimate the maximum error in the clock offset and skew estimation between two clocks in a computer system. The method comprises the steps of obtaining a first set of data values representing a forward delay between the first and second clocks, and obtaining a second set of data values representing a negative backward delay between the first and second clocks. The method comprises the further step of forming a lower convex hull for said first set of data values, and forming an upper convex hull for said second set of data values. First and second parallel lines are formed between the upper and lower convex hulls, and these parallel lines are used to estimate the worst case error for the offset, skew rate and dispersion of said first and second clocks.
US07822064B2
One embodiment includes tracking utilization of the backhaul wireless bandwidth of a mesh network related to time sensitive packet data, receiving a call admission request for a call from a client station of a first mesh access point of the mesh, ascertaining using the tracked utilization whether to approve the call admission request using a backhaul call admission control method, and approving the call by sending a positive call admission response if the backhaul call admission control method approves the call and if an access level call admission control method ascertains to approve the call admission request at the access level.
US07822061B2
A method and system for controlling power consumption in a fiber channel switch element having a plurality of ports and plural links to communicate over a network is provided. The switch element includes, a power control module that is used to provide power to only active ports after firmware of fiber channel switch element determines the active ports. The method includes, determining active ports of the fiber channel switch element, after all the ports are shut down in a known state; and providing power to only the active ports. All ports are powered up during fiber channel switch element reset and then powered down (except a common port) so that the ports are shut down in a known state.
US07822053B2
A TCP buffer copy distributed parallel processing apparatus includes: a TCP reception processing section (TCPRPS); one or more TCP buffer copying sections (TCPBCS); a socket processing section; a reception packet buffer (RPB); and an application buffer. The TCPRPS executes packet receiving and TCP protocol processes. When packet receipt order matches transmission order from a counter host, the received packets are stored in an in-order queue provided in the RPB. Copy destination regions in the application buffer are determined based on TCP sequence numbers of the received packets. A buffer copy request is issued to copy the received packets from the RPB into the application buffer. Any TCPBCS is selected to send the buffer copy request to the selected TCPBCS, such that buffer copy of the received packets is executed as a distributed parallel process. Out-of-order received packets are stored in an out-of-order queue provided in the RPB.
US07822052B2
A communication processing apparatus appends group information representing a group to received communication frames. Group information to be appended to the communication frames is changed on a predetermined cycle. The communication frames processed in each processing unit are counted separately for each of the group information appended, and the count value is collected in each processing unit. With a communication processing apparatus, such as a switch and a router, which has a plurality of processing units (device), performs processing by each of the processing units on the communication frames received from a receiving unit, and transmits the processed communication frames from a transmitting unit, it is possible to realize a communication processing apparatus and a totalizing system capable of accurately counting and collecting the communication frames while performing an operation when totalizing the number of communication frames processed in each of the processing units.
US07822049B1
A system and method which enables a provider network to run a loop detection protocol in a customer network communicably coupled to it. The provider network runs a loop detection protocol and the customer network either runs a different protocol or none. The provider network determines its root bridge, or designated customer bridge, which is used to control loop detection decisions for the customer network. A BPDU or other protocol packet received from the customer network is tunneled through the provider network to the designated customer bridge. The designated customer network then processes the received BPDU in accordance with a loop detection instance for the customer network. The designated customer bridge then produces control messages in response to the processing and forwards those messages to the customer network. The control messages may include port state controls for ports in the customer network.
US07822037B2
Upstream requests such a bandwidth requests, are processed by CMTS out of order on a priority basis to reduce latency in responding to the request. Specifically, a cable modem termination system (CMTS) is connected to a plurality of cable modems by a cable plant. The CMTS has a burst receiver adapted to be connected to the cable plant to process upstream data packet units and bandwidth requests transmitted by the cable modems. Each packet includes a header that uniquely distinguishes the bandwidth requests from other data types. Packet data units are arranged in a first memory queue. Bandwidth requests are arranged in a second memory queue. The headers of the packets processed by the burst receiver are inspected as they arrive at the CMTS to determine if the packets are packet data units or bandwidth requests. Packet data units are routed to the first memory queue. Bandwidth requests are routed to the second memory queue. Bandwidth allocation MAP messages are generated from the bandwidth requests stored in the second queue and transmitted downstream to the cable modems. The packet data units stored in the first queue are coupled to a data output for further distribution.
US07822034B2
A receiving unit receives a frame from any one of a plurality of ports. When it is determined that there is no entry to which a correspondence relation for a transmission-source address of the received frame can be registered in a management table, a selecting unit detects an indicator bit located at an oldest generation in a bit string obtained by rearranging generation-management bit strings of all entries of the management table, and selects an entry corresponding to the detected indicator bit as an overwriting target entry. An updating unit registers the correspondence relation to the selected overwriting target entry.
US07822032B1
A processor readable medium storing a data structure for supporting one or more packet modification operations is provided. The data structure has a pointer to a sequence of one or more commands stored in a first memory area and implementing one or more packet modification operations. The data structure also has a pointer to a burst of one or more data or mask items stored in a second memory area for use by the one or more commands. A method of performing one or more packet modification operations on a packet is also provided. This packet is associated with a data structure link. In this method, a data structure corresponding to the data structure link is retrieved. This data structure has the format described above. A packet modification system utilizing a data structure having this format is also provided.
US07822030B2
A system and method for introducing in-band network management packets (INMPs) in a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network. MPLS is an emerging technology, which integrates Internet Protocol (IP) routing with label switching techniques. MPLS intends to provide new capabilities in the area of traffic engineering for IP networks. These traffic engineering capabilities will have to be combined with a set of complementary operation, administration and maintenance (OA&M) functions for effectively managing and operating MPLS-based networks. This invention uses INMPs for carrying OA&M information to label switching routers (LSRs) for effectively managing and operating MPLS-based networks. This invention also includes techniques for distinguishing INMPs from user packets in an MPLS network. This invention further includes using a predetermined code in a shim header of an MPLS packet to determine whether an MPLS packet is an INMP or a user packet. The predetermined code may be provided in an experimental field or a time-to-live field in the shim header of the packet. Alternatively, a label may be reserved for distinguishing an INMP from a user packet.
US07822027B2
In one embodiment, detecting data traffic from a host device in a data forwarding domain, injecting a host route associated with the detected data traffic, and updating a forwarding table associated with the host route are provided.
US07822025B1
A network device architecture and method for centralized packet processing is disclosed. The network device architecture's operation includes receiving a packet from a lower-layer network device at an upper-layer network device and performing packet processing on the packet. The packet processing includes lower-layer protocol processing and upper-layer protocol processing. The packet is received irrespective of a destination of the packet.
US07822024B2
A router for interconnecting external devices coupled to the router. The router comprises: 1) a switch fabric; and 2) a plurality of routing nodes coupled to the switch fabric, wherein each of the plurality of routing nodes comprises packet processing circuitry for transmitting data packets to, and receiving data packets from, the external devices and for transmitting data packets to, and receiving data packets from, other ones of the plurality of routing nodes via the switch fabric. The packet processing circuitry comprises: i) a first network processor comprising a first plurality of microengines, each of the first plurality of microengines capable of performing security and classification functions associated with the data packets; and ii) a second network processor comprising a second plurality of microengines, each of the second plurality of microengines capable of performing security and classification functions associated with the data packets.
US07822021B2
A media over packet networking appliance provides a network interface, a voice transducer, and at least one integrated circuit assembly coupling the voice transducer to the network interface. The at least one integrated circuit assembly provides media over packet transmissions and holds bits defining reconstruction of a packet stream having a primary stage and a secondary stage. The secondary stage has one or more of linear predictive coding parameters, long term prediction lags, parity check, and adaptive and fixed codebook gains. The packet stream has an instance of single packet loss, and the reconstruction includes receiving a packet sequence represented by P(n)P(n−1)′, [Lost Packet], P(n+2)P(n+1)′, and P(n+3)P(n+2)′, obtaining as information from the secondary stage one or more of the linear predictive coding parameters, long term prediction lags, parity check, and adaptive and fixed codebook gains, and performing an excitation reconstruction utilizing said packet sequence thus received.
US07822020B2
A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system includes two or more VoIP terminals, a monitoring server (30), and a soft switch device (10). The soft switch is capable of determining whether or not phone number associated with at least one of the two or more VoIP terminals is predetermined to be monitored, amending information associated with communication between the two or more VoIP terminals, and establishing the communication between the two or more VoIP terminals through the monitoring server. The monitoring server is capable of reading voice data packets sent between the two or more VoIP terminals.
US07822014B2
A voice communication system transfers voice information stored in a protocol data unit under a predetermined communication protocol over a network, and includes end voice terminals for transferring and receiving the voice information, and a management server for managing said end voice terminal. The management server includes a manager for storing subscriber information indicative of whether or not the end voice terminals are provided with the capability of predetermined broadband voice communication. A user is informed, at the latest before the user initiates a call from the end voice terminal, of whether or not a telephone set of a called party is provided with the capability of the broadband voice communication through the end voice terminal based on the subscriber information. running in a network under a predetermined communication. This increases the satisfaction of the user and allows a business model justifying charging customers to be built.
US07822013B2
The invention relates to a method for call diversion in a telecommunication network, comprising a data network (1), a voice network (2), for the transmission of speech, a network server (7), for the speech network (2) and a management server (6), for the data network (1). According to the invention, the management server is interrogated about the state of a call from the user terminal (8) to the data network (1) and where an error in said call occurs a call transfer to a stored address is carried out by the network server (7).
US07822009B2
A system for data communication in a wireless mesh network that comprises a wired gateway, and a plurality of nodes stationary with respect to each other being disposed in a pattern including at least one path, each of the plurality of nodes located in the at least one path having a transmission range overlapped with that of an immediate adjacent node located in the at least one path, further comprising a node connected to the wired gateway, and an end node located at one end of the at least one path remote from the gateway-connected node, wherein each of a subset of the plurality of nodes, wherein said subset excludes the gateway connected node and the end node, operates in one of a first state in which a first node of the subset is ready to transmit a data frame, a second state at which a second node in the subset is prohibited from transmitting or receiving a data frame and a third state at which a third node in the subset is ready to receive a data frame.
US07822008B2
Mesh communications based on a plurality of time-slots in which every time slot is associated with communications between a pair of nodes, in which at least one time-slot is associated with communications between a first node and a second node, and in which at least a second time-slot is associated with communications between the first node and a third node. The first node and the second node communicate during the at least one time-slot, while the third node awaits communications with the first node during the second time-slot. If the first node is still communicating with the second node during the second time-slot the first node does not communication with the third node.
US07822005B2
Methods and apparatus for data communication are disclosed. An example method includes encoding a first plurality of transmitting frames, where a header segment of each frame is encoded in accordance with a fixed set of header encoding parameters and a payload segment of each frame is encoded in accordance with a first set of a variable set of payload encoding parameters. The example method also includes transmitting the first plurality of transmitting frames to a receiving station and receiving a request from the receiving station to change the first set of payload encoding parameters to a second set of the variable set of payload encoding parameters. The example method further includes selecting the second set of payload encoding parameters based on the request and encoding a second plurality of transmitting frames, where a header segment of each frame of the second plurality of transmitting frames is encoded in accordance with the fixed set of header encoding parameters and a payload segment of each frame of the second plurality of transmitting frames is encoded in accordance with the second set of payload encoding parameters. The example method still further includes transmitting the second plurality of transmitting frames to the receiving station.
US07822003B2
Method and system for providing system information in a communication network. According to an embodiment, the present invention provides a method for providing networking routing in compliance with a Mobile IP protocol. The method includes providing a mobile node, which includes a plurality of interfaces. The plurality of interfaces includes a first interface and a second interface. The first interface is associated with a first service, a second service, and a first address. The second interface is associated with a third service and a second address. The method also includes providing a home agent that is configured to store a plurality of entries associated with mobile nodes. The method additionally includes sending a first packet from the mobile node to the home agent. The first packet includes at least a first entry and a second entry.
US07821998B2
An equalizing apparatus for an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) wireless communication receiving system includes a channel estimation block, a first equalizer, and an error compensation block. The channel estimation block performs channel estimation by extracting a pilot signal from a signal supplied to the first equalizer. The first equalizer performs first channel equalization based on the channel estimation from the channel estimation block. The error compensation block outputs an error compensation value of the first equalizer, based on data signals from the first equalizer. The error compensation value may be used by the first equalizer and/or a second equalizer. Related methods and computer program products are also described.
US07821997B2
Systems and methods applicable, for instance, in wireless communications. For example, a wireless node and/or other computer may act to create a candidate signal list and/or may act to measure strength for one or more candidate list signals. As another example, the wireless node and/or other computer may act to calculate average difference between the strength of the strongest signal of the candidate list and the strength of a currently-received signal. As yet another example, the wireless node and/or other computer may act to perform one or more operations to employ the strongest signal of the candidate list in place of the currently-received signal.
US07821989B2
A call management method makes a call management system perform a process of releasing resources that are secured for a terminal device that has become a communication disable state among resources in the call management system that are secured for each of the terminal devices under speech communication (#103 and #108), and sending a message for finishing speech communication to a terminal device on the other end of the speech communication without transmitting it to the terminal device that has become a communication disable state (#112), when it is detected that one of the terminal devices under speech communication with each other has become a communication disable state in a mobile communication network (#102).
US07821988B1
A dispatch client device that also has a local wireless transceiver will monitor the energy level on the local transceiver side and use the energy level as a basis to function as a floor control client on a dispatch side. For example, upon receipt of a dispatch-session invitation from a dispatch server, the client may accept the invitation only if the energy level is low enough (indicating that no one is currently talking on the local side) and may then bridge the dispatch communications with the local communications, and otherwise the client may reject the invitation. As another example, if the device detects sufficient energy on the local side (indicating someone on the local side has begun talking), the device may responsively request the floor on the dispatch side and then bridge the local communications with the dispatch communications. The device may apply a standard non-squelch circuit for energy detection.
US07821982B2
A base station includes a channel quality detecting unit that detects channel quality between the base station and a mobile station, a buffered data amount monitoring unit, and a modulation and coding set determination unit. The modulation and coding set determination unit determines a modulation and coding set, as a downlink modulation scheme for packet communications, such that a prescribed communication condition corresponding to the channel quality is satisfied, and that padding added to the data buffered in a transmission buffer for subsequent transmission to the mobile station becomes the minimum.
US07821980B2
A method including transmitting a binary vector from a source node to a relay node and receiving a signal vector at the relay node. The method also includes compressing the signal at the relay node by multiplying the signal with a matrix using probabilities and converting output probabilities from the multiplying into retransmission signal amplitudes, the signal amplitude depending not only on a probability of a bit but on a transmission power constraint at the relay node. The method also includes transmitting, by the relay node, estimates of information from the source node to a destination node.
US07821970B2
A router identifies transit links and non-transit links. Only the non-transit links are advertised as routes to adjacent routers, thereby protecting the transit links from edge traffic which terminates on a network on one of the transit links. In another aspect of the invention, an administrative whitelist supplements the routes which identify the transit link network routes. In another aspect of the invention, a method for advertising routes identifies entries in a router table as broadcast or point-to-point. Only the router table entries for point-to-point links which are not transit or broadcast links that are not for a neighboring router are advertised, whereas the point-to-point transit links or broadcast transit links are advertised as transit links if an administrative whitelist is enabled.
US07821966B2
Improved network topology discovery techniques. For example, an automated method for discovering a topology of a network, having a plurality of nodes, includes the following steps. A first traceroute process is performed for a given source node and one or more destination nodes listed in a target list so as to discover one or more paths through one or more intermediate nodes between the given source node and the one or more destination nodes. The one or more intermediate nodes discovered during the first traceroute process are added to the target list. A second traceroute process is performed for the given source node and the one or more intermediate nodes discovered during the first traceroute process so as to discover one or more paths through one or more additional intermediate nodes between the given source node and the one or more intermediate nodes discovered during the first traceroute process.
US07821963B2
A method for root path calculation in a shortest path bridge, including: in the case that there are a plurality of equivalent paths whose total path cost to a root bridge is equal, determining a root path corresponding to the root bridge based on the minimum/maximum value of bridge ID in the plurality of equivalent paths. The method can generate symmetric paths for different root bridges under a multiple spanning tree circumstance of shortest path bridge.
US07821961B2
A terminal including a packet detecting unit, a user input/output unit, a CID managing unit, and a data storing unit is disclosed. The packet detecting unit determines whether a packet can be classified by a pre-established packet classification rule or a packet cannot be classified by the rules. For packets that cannot be classified, the user input/output unit receives QoS information from a user. The CID managing unit generates a new packet classification rule for the unclassified packet, checks a CID in a data storing unit, the CID having the same QoS class as that of the QoS parameter input through the user input/output unit, and determines whether to generate a new CID or to add the new packet classification rule to the pre-established CID. The data storing unit storing unit Stores the new packet classification rule generated by the CID managing unit and information on the CID.
US07821955B2
A Universal Plug-and-Play (UPnP) device (200) determines a latency and propagation delay period (LPDP) that is added to a UPnP network (100) response time, based on UPnP network (100) conditions. The UPnP device (200) transmits a search command when connecting to the UPnP network (100), and waits a period of time based on the LPDP for a response to the search command from other UPnP devices (113) in the UPnP network (100) before the UPnP device (200) stops listening for other UPnP devices (113).
US07821950B2
In an evaluation apparatus of a hub unit, a signal processing unit outputs frequency analysis signals which indicate such a result obtained by that an output signal of an acceleration sensor fixed on a hub unit by a magnet is processed via an A/D converting unit and an envelope detecting unit, and thereafter, the processed sensor signal is analyzed for a frequency analysis by an FFT unit. Then, an evaluation output unit evaluates damage conditions of the hub unit based upon signal strengths of specific frequencies, and overall values, which are acquired from the frequency analysis signals, and then, outputs the evaluated damage condition to a display unit.
US07821945B2
A method of downloading data in a peer-to-peer service on a wired and wireless integrated network and a node therefore includes downloading the data to a requester node only through wired nodes among a plurality of nodes located in a download path between the requester node which requests the data and a holder node which has the data. Thereby, the file download rate can be improved, without reducing the retrieval success ratio according to the peer-to-peer method, and the storage space for the data of each node can be saved.
US07821940B2
A maintenance component of an apparatus in one example employs one or more packets that are communicated over an active packet connection to evaluate the active packet connection.
US07821939B2
Congestion is adaptively controlled in a data center Ethernet (DCE) network. Packets are received over at least one virtual lane in the DCE network. An absolute or relative packet arrival rate is computed over a time period. The absolute or relative packet arrival rate is compared to at least a first threshold and a second threshold. If the absolute or relative packet arrival rate increases beyond the first threshold, the packet transmission rate is caused to decrease. If the absolute or relative packet arrival rate is less than a second threshold, the packet transmission rate is caused to increase.
US07821938B2
A method for communication includes accepting input data from two or more data sources, one or more of which include continuous synchronous tributaries, for transmission over a wireless communication link having a variable data rate. Relative priorities are assigned to the respective data sources. A currently-available data rate of the communication link is determined. The input data accepted from the data sources is multiplexed to produce a composite data stream. The input data of at least one of the tributaries is selectively omitted from the composite data stream based on the respective relative priorities, in order to match the data rate of the composite data stream to the currently-available data rate of the communication link. The composite data stream is transmitted over the communication link.
US07821936B2
Systems and methods are presented for partitioning end-to-end performance effects using network tomography. In one embodiment, a method for partitioning end-to-end performance effects within a network is presented. The method includes determining a network topology between at least two test points, obtaining an unrelated approximation of edge effects between the test points, measuring end-to-end performance data between the test points corresponding to a target application, regularizing an estimate of edge effects for the target application using the unrelated approximation of edge effects, and computing the estimate of edge effects for the target application to partition the end-to-end effects.
US07821932B2
A system for signal routing in a television production studio includes a core router operatively coupled to a plurality of peripheral routers, each of the plurality of peripheral routers having an associated control system, and a core router control system coupled to the core router and to coupled to the plurality of peripheral routers, the core router control system configured to allow any peripheral router to communicate with any other peripheral router through the core router and irrespective of the control system associated with each peripheral router.
US07821926B2
A scalable access filter that is used together with others like it in a virtual private network to control access by users at clients in the network to information resources provided by servers in the network. Each access filter use a local copy of an access control database to determine whether an access request made by a user. Changes made by administrators in the local copies are propagated to all of the other local copies. Each user belongs to one or more user groups and each information resource belongs to one or more information sets. Access is permitted or denied according to of access policies which define access in terms of the user groups and information sets.
US07821924B2
A technique for avoiding spurious TCP timeouts through delay injection which requires no modification of, or access to, the TCP protocol itself. More particularly, injection of additional random delay or jitter at some point in a packet's roundtrip path across a wireless communications network is employed so as to increase the variance in round trip times, without significantly increasing the average value thereof. Spurious TCP timeouts are avoided through the artificial delay injection which occurs at a network element along the communications path and without modification of, or requiring access to, the TCP protocol. Further, the injection of artificial delay is applied on a transaction-by-transaction basis. That is, the decision to inject, or not inject, the artificial delay as well as the value of the injected delay are applied to each TCP connection or TCP flow.
US07821923B2
Session initiation protocol (SIP) control traffic routing decisions, such as rapid failure detection and recovery mechanisms, are based on detection of events and/or conditions that may result in suboptimal performance. The disclosed approach ensures that the SIP traffic is routed or rerouted on an optimal basis. Sample inputs to the SIP routing decisions, include integration with BFD, system metrics and other criteria to determine network and systems conditions, for dynamic decisions on where to optimally route SIP traffic. Examples leverage the B2BUA model, which maintains call state and participates in call processing, however, the examples introduce an improved routing model that is able to not only reroute SIP traffic based on failures but also upon the detection of other suboptimal conditions, e.g. excessive cost. The exemplary techniques provide significant savings by ensuring SIP peering decisions are automatically performed considering costs of peering arrangements, congestion and/or other criteria.
US07821919B2
Each of memory bridges and I/O bridges, cross-linked to one another, is provided with an interface circuit section which performs data transmission and reception according to an PCI-Express interface. Each interface circuit section has a communication error processing section. When an error occurs in data received from the I/O bridge, the communication error processing section of the memory bridge cancels the received data and sends a communication error signal to the memory bridge. When receiving the communication error signal, the memory bridge stops receiving the data. Then, the communication error processing section of the memory bridge requests the I/O bridge to resend data.
US07821917B2
Techniques for transmitting data in a manner to facilitate equalization at a receiver are described. Guard intervals are appended to data blocks such that each data block has a guard interval at the beginning of the data block and a guard interval at the end of the data block. Each guard interval may be discontinuous transmission (DTX), a polyphase sequence, or some other known sequence. Pilot is appended to each set of at least one data block. The data blocks, pilot, and guard intervals may be sent using various slot structures and are processed for transmission. The processing may include mapping the data blocks to at least one physical channel, channelizing the data blocks for each physical channel with a channelization code, combining all physical channels, and scrambling the combined data, pilot, and guard intervals with a scrambling code.
US07821916B2
An apparatus, logic, and method of performing timing and frequency estimation in a MediaFLO™ mobile multimedia multicast system comprising a receiver and a transmitter, wherein the method comprises receiving a wireless data stream comprising a MediaFLO™ mobile multimedia multicast system superframe comprising Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; estimating a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) trigger point for each of the received OFDM symbols; estimating a fine carrier frequency offset of each OFDM symbol; determining the start of the MediaFLO™ mobile multimedia multicast system superframe by locating a Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) pilot symbol in the superframe; estimating a coarse carrier frequency offset of each of the received OFDM symbols; and synchronizing the receiver to the start of the MediaFLO™ mobile multimedia multicast system superframe and the transmitted OFDM symbols based on the fine carrier frequency offset, the TDM pilot symbol, and the coarse carrier frequency offset.
US07821909B2
An optical recording medium includes a main-information area in which a metal reflection film is formed on a substrate where a row of pits is formed as main data, and a sub-information area in which is recorded medium identification information, which is used to identify the optical recording medium individually, by removing the metal reflection film partially and forming a plurality of reflection-film removed areas. Information is reproduced by irradiating the metal reflection film with a beam of light. In the sub-information area, a row of pits or a guide groove is formed on the substrate, and a track pitch of the row of pits or the guide groove is at least 0.24 μm wide and at most 0.45 μm wide.
US07821906B2
An objective lens for an optical pick-up which is used to record data to and/or to reproduce data from at least three types of optical discs by selectively using one of at least three light beams having different wavelengths is provided. When thicknesses of a first, second and optical discs are represented by t1, t2 and t3, respectively, a relationship t1≦t2
US07821899B2
The present invention provides an optical pickup device requiring no position adjustment of a diffraction grating at the time of assembling the optical pickup device, and capable of suppressing fluctuations in a differential push-pull signal amplitude and cancelling a push-pull offset.An optical pickup device 200 of an embodiment of the present invention has a diffraction grating 230 of a special shape including predetermined grooves and two kinds of lattice grooves arranged at a pitch determined on the basis of a pitch of grooves formed in the surface of an optical disk 50, numerical aperture, wavelength of a light beam, and effective diameter of the light beam applied on the optical disk 50. To suppress push-pull signals generated in the ± first-order diffraction rays, reflection rays from the optical disk 50 of a zeroth-order diffraction ray and ± first-order diffraction rays are detected, and signals corresponding to light reception results are output to a reproduction unit 150, a control unit 130, and an actuator servo circuit 140.
US07821887B2
A method is used for adjusting a tilt of an optical pickup head. The method includes: identifying initial coordinates of the first static spot, the second static spot, and the dynamic spot in an image generated from three reflected light beams from the optical pickup head; turning one of the adjustable screws a predetermined calibrated rotation angle; recording current coordinates of the first static spot, the second static spot, and the dynamic spot in another image generated from three reflected light beams from the optical pickup head; calculating a total needed rotation angle of the one adjustable screw according to the initial coordinates, the predetermined calibrated rotation angle, and the current coordinates; and turning the one adjustable screw a remaining rotation angle computed by subtracting the predetermined calibrated rotation angle from the total needed rotation angle. An adjusting system is also disclosed.
US07821885B2
Disclosed is a TE signal polarity determining method, which includes: (a) obtaining a detection signal from an optical disc; (b) obtaining characteristics of the detection signal corresponding to different polarities of the TE signal; and (c) determining whether an original polarity of the TE signal should be changed or not according to the obtained characteristics.
US07821880B2
A first alignment mark member is exposed at both of a mounting surface and a bonding surface, and thus can be seen from two directions by image sensors. While a semiconductor laser device is mounted on the mounting surface of a light source supporting substrate with reference to the first alignment mark member observed from the direction of the image sensor, the first alignment mark member can also be observed from the direction of the image sensor. With reference to the first alignment mark member observed from the latter direction, the light source supporting substrate is bonded to the slider substrate. Namely, though observed from different directions, the alignment mark member is used for a common reference for two securing operations, whereby attachment errors can be suppressed.
US07821873B2
The present invention includes a method, a kit and an apparatus for prompting a user of an urination event. The present invention includes a portable incontinence prompting apparatus having a timer mechanism for timing an interval disposed within a housing and a time interval selection mechanism in communication with the timer mechanism for selecting a preset time interval. The apparatus includes a prompting mechanism in communication with the timer mechanism for issuing a prompting signal in response to a signal from the timer timing mechanism.
US07821864B2
A method of managing power states of memory modules while performing memory access operations is disclosed. Memory modules are in a power saving state until an access operation involving the module is to be performed. The module is placed in an operational mode, then the access operation is performed, then the module is returned to the power saving state. Apparatus and systems using the method are also disclosed and claimed.
US07821862B2
The present invention provides a semiconductor memory circuit capable of reducing current consumption at non-operation in a system equipped with a plurality of chips that share the use of a power supply, address signals and a data bus. The semiconductor memory circuit has an internal circuit which is capable of selectively performing the supply and stop of an operating voltage via switch means and includes a memory array. An input circuit, which receives a predetermined control signal therein, controls the supply and stop of the operating voltage by the switch means to reduce a DC current and a leak current when no memory operation is done, whereby low power consumption can be realized.
US07821861B2
A memory device and a refresh method are provided herein. The memory device includes a memory array having memory rows. When an array refresh strobe (ARS) signal is received, it is determined whether the memory rows are required to be refreshed according to tag flags and reset statuses corresponding to the memory rows. When a row refresh strobe (RRS) signal is received, it is determined whether to refresh one of the memory rows according to a plurality of parameters including a value of a row to refresh counter, a value of a refresh deadline counter and/or a queue. When it is decided to start a refresh operation, one of the memory rows is selected according to the tag flag and the status, and the status of the selected memory row is updated after the selected memory row is refreshed.
US07821858B2
In an embodiment of the present invention, a hierarchical differential sensing approach is effectuated wherein an array of 1T DRAM cells are organized in rows and columns in which the rows represent words and the columns represent bits of the word, each bit column having more than one pair of balanced, true and complement local bit lines, the local bit lines being connected to a pair of balanced, true and complement global bit lines by way of CMOS transistor switches.
US07821855B2
A multi-port memory device includes: a bank having a plurality of matrices; a plurality of test data input/output units where data is input/output using a test mode for detecting a defective memory cell; a plurality of ports converted into a decoding device for decoding a command/address at the test mode; a plurality of data transfer lines for transferring data between the matrices and the test data I/O units, wherein the data transfer lines is grouped into the number of matrices; and a plurality of temporary storing units included between the data transfer lines and the matrices for temporarily storing data.
US07821849B2
A configurable processor architecture uses a common simulation database for multiple processor configurations to reduce the cost of producing customized processor configurations. An unchanging core portion is used in each processor configuration. To support different memory modules, identification signals are provided from the memory modules or an identification module to configure the core portion.
US07821845B2
A write driver circuit of a semiconductor memory to provide an unmuxed bit line scheme which reduces a height of an unmuxed Y-path so as to reduce an area of a chip in the memory. The write driver circuit can include an input latch circuit which latches input data, in response to an input enable signal; a first write driver which receives write data output from the input latch circuit, in response to a write enable signal, and outputs data to a bit line; and a second write driver which receives inverse data of the write data output from the input latch circuit, in response to the write enable signal, and outputs data to a complementary bit line, wherein the first and second write drivers have a NAND gate type structure and function as a write driver and a precharge driver.
US07821841B2
A memory device having a plurality of memory cells employs a method to detect a light attack on the memory device. The method utilizes at least one memory cell to detect a light attack when the memory cell is in an inactive state, and outputs a signal indicating whether a light attack is detected. In one case, the method includes turning off all of the memory cells of memory blocks of the memory device that are not currently being accessed for a read/write operation; sensing a leakage current of at least one of the memory cells of the memory blocks that are not currently being accessed for a read/write operation; and detecting a light attack on the memory device when a leakage current of the one of the memory cells of the memory blocks that are not currently being accessed for a read/write operation is greater than a threshold.
US07821836B2
A flash memory device which includes a memory cell array which stores data and trim information, and control logic which controls programming, erasing, and reading modes of the memory cell array. The control logic is operative to receive the trim information from the memory cell array in a power-up mode, and to optimize operational time periods of the programming, erasing, and reading modes in accordance with the trim information.
US07821827B2
A threshold voltage distribution scheme for multi-level Flash cells where an erase threshold voltage and at least one programmed threshold voltage lie in an erase voltage domain. Having at least one programmed threshold voltage in the erase voltage domain reduces the Vread voltage level to minimize read disturb effects, while extending the life span of the multi-level Flash cells as the threshold voltage distance between programmed states is maximized. The erase voltage domain can be less than 0V while a program voltage domain is greater than 0V. Accordingly, circuits for program verifying and reading multi-level Flash cells having a programmed threshold voltage in the erase voltage domain and the program voltage domain use negative and positive high voltages.
US07821810B2
Some embodiments include methods and apparatus having a module configured to program a memory cell using a signal to cause the memory cell to have a programmed resistance value, to adjust a programming parameter value of the signal if the programmed resistance value is outside a target resistance value range, and to repeat at least one of the programming and the adjusting if the programmed resistance value is outside the target resistance value range, the signal including a different programming parameter value each time the programming is repeated.
US07821803B2
A memory module having a start-type topology and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The memory module includes a substrate. Memory devices are mounted on the substrate in at least two rows and at least two columns. A star-type topology is disposed to be electrically connected to the memory devices. One or more pairs of adjacent ones of the memory devices have a point-symmetric structure.
US07821798B2
Provided is a high voltage power supply which includes a controller to provide a PWM signal and a power signal, an input unit to receive the PWM signal provided from the controller, a comparison unit to control output of the power signal supplied from the controller by comparing a signal filtered to a DC voltage by the input unit to a voltage reference signal, a transformation unit to transform the power signal output from the comparison unit, and a rectification unit to rectify the signal output by the transformation unit, wherein the high voltage power supply further includes a power input delay unit to delay the supply of the power signal to the comparison unit by a predetermined time from when the power supplied from the controller for input into the comparison unit. The high voltage power supply can prevent components of a device from being damaged due to sudden voltage surge in an output power output from an output terminal, which can occur when a time at which a PWM signal is transitioned to a HIGH state. The power signal is delayed with respect to a time at which a high voltage driving power 24 [V] is initially supplied.
US07821794B2
The present invention relates to a thin, layered, variable label structure with built-in electronic functionality. The display and/or other functional elements in the structure may be formed by printing processes. The label structure includes a thin, layered structure with an active display, comprising a base layer and a cover layer of material and a display component situated between the base layer and the cover layer. The display is formed with a layer of electrochromic ink and a pair of spaced apart electrodes. The cover layer includes a window to allow for the layer of electrochromic ink to be visible through the cover layer. The label also is configured to respond to an actuating event by completing an electrical connection between a power source and the pair of spaced apart electrodes of the display component, thereby causing the display to change its appearance. The actuating event may include a variety of occurrences, such as: pressing a switch on the label, introducing a power source to activate the display, and a sensor sensing a condition near the label.
US07821791B2
A circuit arrangement includes a power module combined with a printed circuit board. The power module and the printed circuit board are disposed between a heat sink and a pressing device and are contact-connected to one another by pressure contact elements. The power module has at least one module board element and a housing formed with shafts for the pressure contact elements. The shafts open out from the housing base facing printed circuit board at opening orifices. The base is formed with orifice sealing ribs around the opening orifices. Moreover, the base of the housing may have a peripheral edge sealing rib along its outer edge. Furthermore, a sealing area element can be provided between the printed circuit board and the base of the housing.
US07821790B2
A modular chassis arrangement for electronic modules that is configurable into a mechanically and electrically interconnected structure capable of delivering scalable mechanical, electrical and environmental functionality for a multiplicity of electronic modules. In one embodiment, the electronic modules are compliant with AdvancedTCA or MicroTCA standards in a modular Pico-Shelf configuration that support stackable and/or back-to-back multiple unit chassis.
US07821775B2
Disclosed is a racking mechanism for a drawout circuit breaker including a cross shaft movably positioned in an enclosure and at least one input link in operable communication with the cross shaft via at least one connecting link. At least one racking cam is movably positioned in the enclosure and is in operable communication with the input link. Each racking cam has at least one cam slot receptive of a portion of the circuit breaker. Movement of the cross shaft about an axis of the cross shaft is capable of moving the at least one racking cam from an open position toward a closed position with the portion of the circuit breaker disposed in the at least one cam slot, thereby securing the circuit breaker in the enclosure and the at least one racking cam is in the closed position. A method for securing a circuit breaker in an enclosure and a circuit breaker assembly are also disclosed.
US07821773B2
Particles of a valve metal and a binder are mixed and kneaded together. The mixed-kneaded matter obtained thereby is molded, and a through-hole is formed in the molded body. An anode body is formed by sintering the molded body. A dielectric layer is formed on the surface of the anode body thus formed. Subsequently, an conducting polymer layer is formed on the dielectric layer.
US07821764B2
A voltage converter having a sealed case, a pair of opposing, spaced apart planar electrodes located within the sealed case, a pack of porous dielectric powder filled between the planar electrodes, and an auxiliary electrode electrically connected to one of the planar electrodes and having a portion extending through the pack of porous dielectric powder toward the other planar electrode. When a DC high voltage is applied to one of the planar electrodes, a DC source voltage containing a specific pulsating component is outputted from the other planar electrode.
US07821758B1
Protection circuits for protecting equipment connected to a telecommunication wire pair is disclosed. A protection circuit in one embodiment utilizes a series arrangement of solid state protectors wherein at least some of the solid state protectors are biased. The protection circuit reduces the level of intermodulation distortion in broadband signals that is caused by nonlinear capacitance of solid state protectors.
US07821757B2
A device (1) for providing protection for an electrical installation against overvoltages including at least one protection component (2), the device having a first mounting (14) delimiting a first interstitial space (14′) with a dimension fixed by construction that at least partially houses a first conducting element (10) and a second conducting element (11) to make the electrical connection between the first conducting element and the second conducting element, the device also having a second mounting (15) delimiting a second interstitial space (15′) with a dimension fixed by construction that at least partially houses a third conducting element (12) and a fourth conducting element (13) so as to make the electrical connection between the third conducting element and the fourth conducting element.
US07821755B2
A resettable short circuit protection configuration includes a power input terminal, a power output terminal, a first electrically controlled switch, which has a control end and two conducting ends, the two conducting ends being respectively electrically connected to the power input terminal and the power output terminal, a second electrically controlled switch, which has a control end and two conducting ends, the two conducting ends being respectively electrically connected to the power input terminal and the control end of the first electrically controlled switch, a first resistor, which has two opposite ends respectively electrically connected to the control end of the first electrically controlled switch and a grounding terminal, and a second resistor, which has two opposite ends respectively electrically connected to the control end of the second electrically controlled switch and the power output terminal.
US07821748B2
A magneto-resistance effect element, a magneto-resistance effect head, a magnetic storage and a magnetic memory, in which noise caused by a spin-transfer torque is reduced, are provided. In a fixed magnetization layer or a free magnetization layer of a magneto-resistance effect element including the fixed magnetization layer, a spacer layer and the free magnetization layer; a layer containing one element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, La, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt and Au is disposed.
US07821747B2
A method and apparatus for providing improved pinning structure for tunneling magnetoresistive sensor is disclosed. A three layer pinned structure is used, wherein the second pinned layer is designed to balance the effects of the first and third pinned layers.
US07821745B2
A thin-film magnetic head is provided. The thin-film magnetic head includes a return-yoke layer formed on an opposed surface such that a maximum length of the return-yoke layer is shorter than a longer length of the length of the upper shield layer and the lower shield layer. The length sets in the range of 0 to 2 μm, and more preferably 2 μm. Accordingly, magnitudes of leakage magnetic fields leaked from each front end surface of return-yoke layer, the upper shield layer, and the lower shield layer toward the record medium are balanced and reduced. An advantage of the invention is to provide a thin-film magnetic head so as to prevent a record data recorded in a record medium from being erased.
US07821740B2
A ramp for hard discs which is obtained by molding a resin composition containing (A) a polyoxymethylene resin, and (B) at least one polymeric lubricant selected from the group consisting of (b-1) a polyolefin resin, and (b-2) a polymer obtained by polymerizing an isocyanate compound and a polyalkylene oxide, and which has an excellent sliding property and no deterioration of sliding property due to solvent washing.
US07821738B2
Data track pattern regions, in which data track patterns are formed by concave/convex patterns, and servo pattern regions, in which servo patterns are formed by concave/convex patterns, are provided on a magnetic recording medium so as to be alternately disposed in a circumferential direction. At least one predetermined region that differs to the data track pattern regions is provided between two servo pattern regions that are adjacent in a circumferential direction. A concave/convex pattern including a plurality of first convex parts formed continuously in a radial direction is formed in each predetermined region.
US07821737B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a thin film magnetic head suitable for high density recording having a small erase band ΔE and a small fringe magnetic field, and a large recording magnetic field. In one embodiment, a width LW of a lower magnetic pole piece protuberance of a leading side magnetic pole piece, at a face in contact with a write gap layer, is made smaller than a width TW of an upper magnetic pole piece front layer of a trailing side magnetic pole piece, at a face in contact with the write gap layer, and the width of the lower magnetic pole piece protuberance adjacent to the write gap layer is made larger, in a direction from the write gap layer.
US07821727B2
A lens driving device, comprises a base; a casing fixed to the base; a coil bracket disposed within the casing; a coil wound on the coil bracket, a spring disposed within the casing, a drive rod; and a lens holder; wherein, one end of the spring is fixed to the base; one end of the drive rod is fixed to the other end of the spring, and the other end of the drive rod extends out of the casing. The lens holder is slidably fixed to the exposed portion of the drive rod. The lens holder is held stationary with respect to the drive rod by static friction between the drive rod and the lens holder. A driving signal may be applied to the coil to move the lens holder. The driving signal has the characteristic of making the current flowing through the coil slowly increase and then rapidly decrease, or to rapidly increase and then slowly decrease. The drive current is preferably a sawtooth pulse train, with each pulse causing movement of the lens holder in the micron range or below.
US07821719B2
An optical element includes a first lens; a cover; and a cured matrix polymer sandwiched between the first lens and the cover; the matrix polymer, prior to curing, having a monomer mixture dispersed therein; the matrix polymer being selected from the group consisting of polyester, polystyrene, polyacrylate, thiol-cured epoxy polymer, thiol-cured isocyanate polymer, and mixtures thereof; and the monomer mixture comprising a thiol monomer and at least one second monomer selected from the group consisting of ene monomer and yne monomer.
US07821714B1
An apparatus for measuring an image of a pattern to be formed on a semiconductor by scanning the pattern using a scanner, the apparatus including an EUV mask including the pattern, a zoneplate lens on a first side of the EUV mask and adapted to focus EUV light on a portion of the EUV mask at a same angle as an angle at which the scanner will be disposed with respect to a normal line of the EUV mask, and a detector arranged on another side of the EUV mask and adapted to sense energy of the EUV light from the EUV mask, wherein NAzoneplate=NAscanner/n and NAdetector=NAscanner/n*σ, where NAzoneplate denotes a NA of the zoneplate lens, NAdetector denotes a NA of the detector, and NAscanner denotes a NA of the scanner, σ denotes an off-axis degree of the scanner, and n denotes a reduction magnification of the scanner.
US07821709B2
An apparatus is disclosed which may include a sheet of reflective material suitable for forming a display screen; a screen control mechanism operable to move the reflective material into extended and retracted positions, wherein the apparatus is portable and configured to receive image data from a hand-held projection device.
US07821705B2
The exposure time for obtaining a bright image in an image-acquisition optical system can be reduced, and shifting of an image visually observed in an observation optical system is prevented, thus enabling stable observation. A microscope including an image-acquisition optical path for recording an image focused by an objective lens and an observation optical path for visually observing an image split-off from the image-acquisition optical path; and including an aperture stop, in the observation optical path, for stopping down the numerical aperture thereof to smaller than the numerical aperture of the image-acquisition optical path.
US07821701B2
An electrophoretic display device employs an electrophoretic display (100) and a display driver (110). The electrophoretic display (100) includes a matrix of display elements (30,40,50; P00-P99), and the display driver (110) establishes a homogenous distribution of electrically charged particles among the display elements (30,40,50; P00-P99), based on one or more generations of an in-plane electric force (INEF) for moving a homogeneous batch of electrically charged particles between two or more display elements (30,40,50; P00-P99).
US07821700B2
In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a device for modulating light. The device comprises a plurality of nano-scale particles; a conformal structure defining a surface to which the nano-scale particles conform under influence of a displacement force; and a displacement mechanism to apply the displacement force to the nano-scale particles; wherein the nano-scale particles when they conform to the conformal structure change the optical characteristics of the conformal structure.
US07821699B1
The invention provides an electrowetting display and a method for fabricating the same. The electrowetting display comprises a first electrode formed on a first substrate. A dielectric layer is formed on the first electrode. A plurality of ribs are formed on the dielectric layer. A hydrophobic layer is formed on the dielectric layer and between the ribs. A second substrate is disposed oppositely to the first substrate. A second electrode is formed on the second substrate. A plurality of supporting members are formed on the second electrode and aligned to the ribs to form an enclosed space. A polar solution and a non-polar solution are disposed in the enclosed space.
US07821698B2
A light pulse positioning apparatus with dispersion compensation includes an acousto-optical device and a dispersive element optically coupled thereto. The dispersive element is placed and oriented in relation to the acousto-optical device to spatially and temporally disperse the light pulse and thus compensate, respectively, a spatial dispersion and a temporal dispersion caused by the acousto-optical device. The acousto-optical device can include one or more acousto-optical deflectors for one-dimensional or two-dimensional laser pulse positioning. The dispersive element can be a prism placed in front of the acousto-optical device. In a two-dimensional configuration, a single prism, if properly oriented, is sufficient for dispersion compensation of both acousto-optical deflectors.
US07821695B2
A method and apparatus involve: using beam influencing structure to cause a converging beam of radiation to propagate along a first portion of a path of travel; supporting an optical part so that the path of travel extends through the optical part, the converging beam arriving at the optical part along the first portion of the path of travel, and the path of travel having a second portion along which the converging beam travels away from the optical part; and selectively tilting the optical part about a pivot axis lying in an imaginary plane extending transversely to the first portion of the path of travel, pivotal movement of the optical part about the pivot axis causing a change in the orientation of the second portion of the path of travel with respect to the first portion thereof.
US07821687B2
A method for dynamically compensating for a faulty pixel in a scan line of a scanner having an image sensor with a plurality of sensor pixels includes generating digitized scan data; processing the digitized scan data to compensate for any faulty pixels of the plurality of sensor pixels to form compensated scan data; processing the compensated scan data to apply offset and gain correction to the compensated scan data to form calibrated scan data; processing the calibrated scan data to adjust the calibrated scan data to compensate for human visual perception to form final scan data; and storing the final scan data in a scanner image memory.
US07821680B2
Disclosed is an image sensor capable of improving the resolution of images without modifying the resolution of a photoelectric conversion semiconductor device for sensing images and an image sensing method using the same. The image sensor is adapted to sense images through photoelectric conversion and includes a scanner unit adapted to move on a plane; a photoelectric conversion semiconductor device fixedly mounted on the scanner unit and having a number of pixels being arranged on a front surface; and an array of color filters arranged on the photoelectric conversion semiconductor device so as to correspond to the pixels. The image sensor improves the resolution of sensed images by sensing data of images, which cannot be sensed according to the related art, while using a conventional photoelectric conversion semiconductor device without modification, and without incurring further cost or degrading the performance.
US07821678B2
An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier and an optical scanning device. The optical scanning device generates an optical scanning beam and includes an enclosure. The enclosure includes a pair of arch-like-shaped supporting members. Inside the enclosure there are provided a light source for emitting a light beam, a light deflector for deflecting the light beam emitted from the light source so as to convert the light beam into the optical scanning beam, and at least one reflecting mirror for reflecting the optical scanning beam deflected by the light deflector to scan the image carrying surface of the image carrier. At least one of the reflecting mirrors includes a specific reflecting mirror having a light reflecting surface and mounted on the pair of arch-like-shaped supporting members at a position to reflect the optical scanning beam with the light reflecting surface toward the image carrying surface of the image carrier.
US07821675B2
An article is marked with image indicia for authentication, information, or decoration by providing a plurality of inks having a plurality of fluorescence colors when exposed to excitation energy, separating colors of the image indicia into a plurality of image levels in accordance with the fluorescence colors of the inks, and printing each image level in mutual registration on the article using the corresponding ink. The image printed with each ink may be substantially invisible under illumination within the visible spectrum. The invisibly printed images have multiple authentication features, including the use of covert UV-fluorescent materials, IR-fluorophores, microparticles, and other chemical taggants. Ink compositions, methods for making the inks, and methods and apparatus for using the inks are also disclosed.
US07821670B2
An image processing apparatus comprises: a first calculation section that calculates a plurality of spectral reflectances at a plurality of wavelengths based on intensities of light irradiating an object and reflected from the object, the light having a certain spectral energy distribution; a second calculation section that calculates color descriptor values of the object based on the spectral reflectances calculated by the first calculation section; a third calculation section that calculates a set of factors when the color descriptor values are expressed using a linear combination of a predetermined plurality of eigenvectors, factors associated with the respective eigenvectors, and either spectral energy of a reference light or theoretical spectral energy of a virtual light; and an output section that outputs the factors calculated by the third calculation section.
US07821668B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for determining a complexity for a subregion of an electronic document page that includes one or more objects. In one aspect, a method includes dividing a subregion of an electronic document page into a plurality of cells, where the electronic document page includes one or more objects, the objects include one or more transparent objects, the subregion includes at least part of a transparent object, and each cell has an associated cell complexity. The method includes, for each object partly or completely located in the subregion, identifying cells that are overlapped by the object, and increasing the associated cell complexity for each of the identified cells. The method includes combining all cell complexities associated with all cells in the subregion to determine a complexity for the subregion.
US07821664B2
A printer cable that is configured for coupling to a printer having an enclosure and a printer port. The printer cable includes a first connector for connecting to the printer port and a second connector for coupling to a host device (e.g., a personal computer (PC)). The printer cable includes a printer formatter for providing formatting services to the printer via the first connector. Since the printer formatter is integrated into the printer cable, the printer formatter is external to the printer enclosure and is easily removable and configurable by a user.
US07821661B2
An imaging apparatus (1), including: a recording unit (11) configured to record as an image file (200) an image data generated by conversion from an optical image representing a subject to an electrical signal in an imaging device (12); an interface (15) for connecting the imaging apparatus (1) to an external device; an information adding unit (10) configured to add information to the image file (200); and an print request unit (10) configured to issue a request to a printer (2) to print out only the image file (200) to which the information is added by the information adding unit (10) when the image file (200) is printed out.
US07821658B2
An imaging device with an improved controller is disclosed wherein the controller eliminates duplicated circuitry and provides multiuser circuitry that efficiently replaces multiple dedicated circuit blocks. In one aspect, duplicated same-function circuit blocks are replaced with a switch controlled by an alignment control signal to operate as a multiplexer or demultiplexer. In another aspect, multiple different-function circuit blocks which generally have no temporal overlap of their active operation are replaced with a programmable logic device that is reconfigured dynamically to perform some subset of the different functions on an as-needed basis.
US07821653B2
A portable electronic device for measuring a distance D1 between two points E1, E2, includes a visible and rotatable light emitter, an angle computing unit, a distance computing unit and an output unit. The light emitter generates a rotatable light beam capable of rotating from pointing in an initial direction to project to the point E1. The initial direction is substantially perpendicular to a line defined by the points E1, E2. A distance H1 between the light emitter and the line, and a distance S1 from the point E2 to the point of intersection of the line defined by the first and second points E1, E2 with the initial direction, are known. The angle computing unit computes an angle defined by the visible light beam projecting to the point E1 and the initial direction according to the rotatable light beam. The distance computing unit computes the distance D1 based on the angle, the distance H1 and the distance S1.
US07821651B2
An apparatus for measuring distances includes a lens module, a light sensor, and a calculation module. The lens module is used for imaging an object to be measured. The lens module has a focal plane which is non-vertical to the light axis thereof. The light sensor is used for receiving the image of the object through the lens module, and generating a corresponding signal accordingly. The calculation module is used for calculating the distance of the object based on a high frequency part of the signal. A relative method for measuring distances is provided as well.
US07821645B2
A microstructural feature and material property monitoring device for a metallic material that can easily adjust relative position between an irradiation position of laser beams applied to the metallic material to propagate pulsed ultrasonic waves in the metallic material and detection position of a laser interferometer, and therefore can accurately monitor the microstructural feature and material property of the metallic material. The device relatively moves the irradiation position of the laser beams generated by a laser oscillator and the detection position of the laser interferometer. The irradiation position of the laser beams generated from a laser oscillator and the detection position of the laser interferometer are controlled to be aligned with a relative position according to the microstructural feature and material property of the metallic material based on the time from the transmission of the pulsed ultrasonic waves to the detection by the laser interferometer. After the alignment, the microstructural feature and material property of the metallic material is calculated based on the waveform of the pulsed ultrasonic waves generated as an electrical signal by the laser interferometer.
US07821622B2
An optical refractometer is provided for measuring the refractive index of a liquid. Such a refractometer includes a first optical block having a transparent material whereto is secured a light source, a second optical block having a transparent material whereto is secured a position sensor. The optical blocks are arranged on either side of a conduit wherein the liquid flows.
US07821616B2
In immersion exposure, a resist pattern forming method suppressing resist pattern defects comprises mounting a substrate formed a resist film thereon and a reticle formed a pattern thereon onto an exposure apparatus, supplying a first chemical solution onto the resist film to selectively form a first liquid film in a local area on the resist film and draining the solution, the first liquid film having a flow and being formed between the resist film and a projection optical system, transferring the pattern of the reticle to the resist film through the first liquid film to form a latent image, supplying a second chemical solution onto the resist film to clean the resist film, heating the resist film, and developing the resist film to form a resist pattern from the resist film.
US07821610B2
Although portions of electrodes in proximity to a driver IC are covered with an insulating film, part of the electrodes is not covered with the insulating film. Thus, this insulating film absent region functions as an external voltage supply region that receives, from the outside, application of a voltage which is different from an output voltage from a driving unit. When the alignment of the initial state is disarranged, an alignment process is performed by short-circuiting all electrodes of the driving unit and applying a voltage from the outside, through the external voltage supply region, whereby the alignment is restored to the initial state with the driving unit being mounted on a liquid crystal panel.
US07821606B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel which is configured to hold a liquid crystal layer between an array substrate and a counter-substrate. The array substrate includes, on an insulating substrate, a switching element which is disposed in association with each of pixels, a pixel electrode which is connected to the switching element, and a common electrode which is separated from the pixel electrode and is common to the pixels. The counter-substrate includes a shield electrode disposed on an inner surface of an insulating substrate, which is opposed to the liquid crystal layer, and a dielectric layer disposed between the shield electrode and the liquid crystal layer.
US07821600B2
A projection display apparatus for combining image lights formed by two or more of different liquid crystal panels through a prism, and projecting the combined image light onto a projection plane through a projection optical system. The apparatus comprises a first optically transmissive substrate opposite an exit plane of the liquid crystal panel, a second optically transmissive substrate opposite an entrance plane of the prism, and at least one third optically transmissive substrate disposed between the first optically transmissive substrate and the second optically transmissive substrate, wherein the first optically transmissive substrate, second optically transmissive substrate, and third optically transmissive substrate are each provided with a polarizer for absorbing a predetermined polarized light component in a predetermined proportion, and the second optically transmissive substrate is adhered to the entrance plane of the prism.
US07821598B2
A method of manufacturing a polarizer is provided that makes it possible to manufacture a polarizer prevented from curling even when a liquid is brought into contact with a hydrophilic polymer film by being sprayed. A method of manufacturing a polarizer includes a swelling step A for swelling a hydrophilic polymer film 1 by bringing it into contact with a swelling liquid 2, a dyeing step B for dyeing the hydrophilic polymer film 1 by bringing it into contact with a dye liquid 3 containing a dichroic material, and a crosslinking/stretching step C for crosslinking the hydrophilic polymer film 1 by bringing it into contact with a crosslinking liquid 4 and further stretching it. In the method, the contact with the swelling liquid in the swelling step A is carried out in the gas phase by spraying the swelling liquid 2 onto both surfaces of the hydrophilic polymer film 1.
US07821593B2
A backlight module includes a frame, a lamp stationary barrier, and at least one lamp. The lamp stationary barrier has at least one side wall formed by oblique lines. The lamp is disposed in the frame, and at least a portion of an electrode end of the lamp is covered by the side wall. The oblique side wall may effectively improve the luminance uniformity of the backlight module, and thus a liquid crystal display using this backlight module has good display quality.
US07821582B2
A DTV operating screen is displayed on the CRT display screen of a DTV which is the controlling apparatus of a network. In the event that the user selects the DVHS from the buttons displayed on the DTV operating screen, data corresponding to the DVHS operation screen is input to the DTV, and a DVHS operation screen is displayed on the CRT display screen 61. The user operation executed regarding the DVHS operation screen are notified from the DTV to the DVHS, so the DTV can execute control corresponding to the operations of the user, without transmitting commands for directly controlling the DVHS.
US07821576B2
An image processing device includes a synchronizing signal separation section, a counting section, a synchronizing signal determination section, and a video format determination processing section. The synchronizing signal separation section separates a horizontal synchronizing signal from a received broadcasting signal. The counting section counts the pulse number of the separated horizontal synchronizing signal. The synchronizing signal determination section determines presence/absence of a synchronizing signal based on the counted value by the counting section. The video format determination processing section determines a video format of the received broadcasting signal based on the number of scan lines. The video format determination processing section determines the video format only when it is determined that there is a synchronizing signal by the synchronizing signal determination section.
US07821573B2
An imaging device outputs video data with an image signal obtained from imaging an object, records video data onto a record medium, reproduces video data therefrom, outputs first time information from a clock section, communicates with another device through a first communication interface according to a predetermined protocol, and exchanges video data with the other device. A video-device automatically obtains second time information as reference from the outside of the video-device, processes a video signal, communicates with the other device through a second communication interface according to the protocol, and exchanges video data with the other device. When connected through the first and second communication interfaces, the video-device transmits the second time information to the imaging device. The imaging device receives the second time information and sets a time for the clock section with the received second time information.
US07821572B2
This invention relates to an apparatus for processing an information signal etc. that, when converting, for example, SD signal into HD signal, enables well to be obtained pixel data of HD signal no matter whether the dynamic range DR is large or small. DR in a class tap is detected. If DR≧Th, items of pixel data y1-a−y4-a calculated by using item of coefficient data Wi-a corresponding to a class code Ca are estimated as items of pixel data of HD signal. If DR
US07821571B2
A solid-state imaging device includes: a pixel array section having a plurality of unit pixels, each including a photoelectric conversion element, arranged therein; driving means for performing a shutter operation for removing charge stored in the photoelectric conversion element and a read operation for reading the charge of an electric signal that is obtained by the photoelectric conversion of the photoelectric conversion element and is then stored in the photoelectric conversion element; and control means, when a unit pixel driving mode is changed from a first driving mode to a second driving mode in the units of frames, for changing the shutter operation to the second driving mode while keeping the read operation in the first driving mode for a period corresponding to one frame in the current frame, and changing the read operation to the second driving mode in the next frame.
US07821563B2
A control method for an image processor having an operation member and an image display unit that displays images, wherein it is determined whether a touch wheel button has been operated according to a first operation method or whether it has been operated according to a second operation method, wherein functions executable by instructions from the touch wheel button include a first function allocated if it is determined to be the first operation method and a second function allocated if it is determined to be the second operation method, and wherein an image is displayed in the first display mode on the display unit if it is determined to be the first operation method and an image is displayed in the second display mode different from the first display mode if it is determined to be the second operation method.
US07821558B2
An image sensor including an assembly of pixels each having a photodetector, and having circuitry for detecting, at a given time, pixels receiving a light intensity value substantially equal to a given value and coding circuitry providing an address for each of said pixels.
US07821557B2
Techniques are disclosed for enhancing the speed at which pixel levels are read out and sampled for processing. A method of processing pixel levels includes clamping a pixel readout line to a voltage level less than a voltage corresponding to a signal sensed by an n-MOS pixel. Subsequently, the pixel readout line is coupled to an output of an n-MOS source-follower and the pixel signal is read out onto the pixel readout line through the n-MOS source-follower. The pixel signal that was read out is passed through a p-MOS source-follower to a processing circuit. Before passing the pixel signal through the p-MOS source-follower to the processing circuit, a capacitive storage node in the processing circuit is clamped to a voltage greater than a signal at an input to the p-MOS source-follower. Subsequently, an output of the p-MOS source-follower is coupled to the processing circuit, and a signal corresponding to the pixel signal is stored by the processing circuit. Similar techniques are provided for reading out and sampling p-MOS pixels.
US07821544B2
A method and system for providing instant review of a last image in an image capture device is disclosed. The image capture device includes a viewfinder for displaying a live image and each image of a plurality of previously captured images. The method and system include selecting instant review of the last image captured by the image capture device, determining the status and location of the last image, and providing the last image to the viewfinder for display. Therefore, the image capture device is capable of displaying the last image substantially immediately after the last image has been captured. In another aspect, the image capture device contains an image processing system. In this aspect, the method and system include allowing a user to access a play mode and a review mode while the last image captured undergoes processing by the image processing system.
US07821531B2
To provide an interface apparatus capable of achieving noncontact and unrestricted arm pointing actions of multiple users in an indoor space, and facilitating the recognition of all typical arm pointing actions in standing, sitting, and lying postures and the operation of indoor units in the indoor space by the arm pointing actions. The interface apparatus includes: image processing means for picking up images of the interior of an indoor space 5 with a plurality of stereo cameras 1-1 to 1-n, and producing a distance image based on the picked-up images within the visual field on a camera-by-camera basis and the coordinate system of the indoor space 5; means for extracting the posture and arm pointing of a user 4 from the distance information from the stereo cameras 1-1 to 1-n; and means for determining, when the arm pointing has been identified, whether the arm pointing is an intended signal, from the direction pointed by the arm and the motion of the arm.
US07821521B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a seamless way to emulate legacy graphics processing on modern graphics hardware. In particular, in some embodiments, the present invention provides a way for modern GPUs to emulate the bitwise operations and rendering processes of previous generations of graphics hardware. The present invention utilizes a novel pixel shader program. The pixel shader program provides a texture lookup functionality that compensates for any missing bitwise functionality. When a bitwise operation is requested, the system will copy out the destination area to a temporary image. This temporary image is fed to the pixel shader program along with a precomputed texture. The texture is precomputed by the CPU for the various bitwise operations and acts as a lookup table for the requested operation. With the temporary image and precomputed texture, the shader program on the GPU can then emulate the legacy graphics operations seamlessly. Accordingly, all temporaries, and the emulation of the bitwise operations themselves are done using the three dimensional engine of the GPU.
US07821512B2
In apparatus for generating an analog driving voltage, a ripple amplitude determining unit compares the analog driving voltage with a reference voltage to determine a ripple level of the analog driving voltage and an analog driving voltage generating unit adjusts an analog driving voltage level based on the determined ripple level. In an apparatus for generating a common electrode voltage, a common electrode voltage ripple detecting unit compares ripple amplitude of the common electrode voltage with a ripple reference voltage to generate a common electrode voltage control signal and a common electrode voltage generating unit controls the common electrode voltage level based on the common electrode voltage control signal. Therefore, the analog driving voltage and the common electrode voltage are adjusted to appropriate voltage levels for reducing current consumption and flicker.
US07821501B2
A touch screen driver includes a conditioner module for conditioning a first input/output port of a touch screen. The conditioner module includes a precharge module for charging the first input/output port to a precharge voltage in response to a precharge signal, and a pull-up module for maintaining the precharge voltage for detecting a touch event.
US07821495B2
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for selectively controlling one or more display devices among a plurality of video display devices constituting a multivision by using a remote controller; a video display device; and a multivision system. The method for controlling the video display device in accordance with a present invention includes the steps of: displaying a predetermined access code when control data for canceling an OSD locking function is received from the outside; receiving control data including an access code from the outside; and entering a control mode using an OSD menu if the access code contained in the received control data is equal to the predetermined access code.
US07821487B2
There is a need for decreasing a variation in times for writing to TFT elements for pixels in a direction along the extension of a gate line in a liquid crystal display apparatus. A display apparatus includes a display panel having multiple gate lines and multiple drain lines arranged in a matrix and a data driver for outputting a display data signal to each drain line. The data driver includes: an internal control signal generation circuit for generating an internal control signal for setting a timing to output a data signal to a drain line of each block on a block basis by dividing the plurality of drain lines into multiple blocks; and a register circuit for recording a setting for division of the block, a setting for a delay direction and a delay width of a timing to output the data signal, and a setting for rising and falling of an internal control signal.
US07821486B2
A drive circuit of a display device and a method for driving the display device are disclosed. The drive circuit includes at least one data transfer line to receive analog data signals including information for an image; a first latch to sequentially sample analog data signals transferred from the at least one data transfer line and to sequentially store the sampled analog data signals; and a second latch to receive the sampled analog data signals from the first latch and to simultaneously supply the sampled analog data signals to a display.
US07821482B2
An active matrix display has a column driver for providing signals to the pixels for driving the display elements, the column driver comprising digital to analogue converter circuitry providing a first number of display element drive levels. Within each pixel, the first number of display element drive levels is converted into a second, greater number, of pixel grey levels. This combines multi-level digital to analogue conversion with in-pixel level generation and enables the complexity of the DACs to be reduced so that they can be integrated onto the display substrate, for example using low temperature polysilicon processing.
US07821475B2
The image display apparatus is capable of reducing moire fringe when electric inverse-correction is performed on an image output to an image display element. The apparatus includes an optical system for observation of an image displayed on an image display element, a processor performing distorting processing that electrically provides to an input image a distortion in a direction inverse to that of distortion as aberration generated by the optical system, and a filter providing a low-pass filter effect to the image observed through the optical system. When a first image region including a first number of pixels in the input image is converted into a second image region including a second number of pixels by the distorting processing, the filter provides the low-pass filter effect depending on the relationship between the first and second numbers of pixels to the second image region.
US07821472B2
Aspects of a method and system for FM transmit and FM receive using a transformer as a duplexer may include communicating radio frequency signals via an antenna coupled to primary windings of a radio frequency transformer, wherein secondary windings of the radio frequency transformer may be utilized for receiving and/or transmitting the communicated radio frequency signals. The receiving and transmitting may be operated in time division duplex mode or simultaneously. A number of windings between a pair of connector terminals of the secondary windings used for transmitting of the radio frequency signals may be less than or equal to a number of windings of the primary windings. A number of windings between a pair of connector terminals of the secondary windings used for receiving of the radio frequency signals may be greater than or equal to a number of windings of the primary windings.
US07821471B2
An asymmetrical flat antenna contains an insulation layer. The antenna also contains a conductive power supply pattern that is provided on the insulation layer and a conductive antenna pattern that extends from the power supply pattern and is provided on the insulation layer. The conductive antenna pattern has an asymmetrical configuration with respect to the power supply pattern.
US07821467B2
A tunable antenna module with frequency correction circuit having an antenna element, a variable capacity means connected to the antenna element, and a frequency control source that generates a controlling voltage for varying the capacity of the variable capacity means to vary a tuning frequency according to the frequency of radio wave received by the antenna element. The module further has a voltage divider circuit comprised of resisters for dividing the controlling voltage, and connected between the frequency control source and the variable capacity means. The tuning frequency is corrected by the voltage divider circuit.
US07821466B2
A mobile computing device and corresponding method are disclosed. The mobile computing device includes an RF MEMS switch circuit including at least one normally open RF MEMS switch and a normally closed RF MEMS switch and a controller connected to the RF MEMS switch circuit. The RF MEMS switch circuit applies a default condition to the mobile computing device through the normally closed RF MEMS switch, and the controller causes application of control signals to one of the at least one normally open RF MEMS switches and to the normally closed RF MEMS switch to apply an alternate condition to the mobile computing device instead of the default condition.
US07821463B2
There is provided a mobile telephone assuring a high reception sensitivity over a wide band without deteriorating the design of the mobile telephone. In the mobile telephone, a helical antenna (4) operating as an antenna for television reception is formed by winding a conductive element along the external surface of the case several times at the upper end of the upper case (1). The helical antenna (4) is impedance-matched by a matching circuit (5) in a range of the order from 470 MHz to 700 MHz which is the television broadcast frequency. The matching circuit (5) is connected to a broadcast reception circuit (6). The broadcast reception circuit (6) operates as a reception circuit for receiving the television broadcast wave.
US07821460B2
An improved tunable antenna of planar construction is distinguished by the following features: in plan view perpendicular to the effective surface (7), the electrically conductive structure (13, 113) completely or partially covers the effective surface (7), the electrically conductive structure (13, 113) is coupled and/or connected galvanically or capacitively or serially and/or with interposition with at least one electrical component (125) with the ground surface (3) and/or a chassis (B) located on a potential or ground.
US07821456B2
An apparatus for location determination includes a location determination receiver configured to receive location determination signals, a location determination signal quality assessment component configured to assess a quality of received location determination signals, and a location determination processor responsive to an output of the location determination signal quality component. The apparatus determining a location of the location determination receiver based on the location determination signals that are received during time periods when the location determination signal meets or exceeds a location determination signal quality threshold. A method for location determination is also disclosed.
US07821454B2
Systems and methods for detecting global positioning system (GPS) measurement errors are provided. In this regard, a representative system, among others, includes a navigation device that is configured to receive GPS signals from signal sources, the navigation device being configured to calculate pseudoranges (PRs) and delta ranges (DRs) based on the received GPS signals, the navigation device including a consistency check algorithm that is configured to: determine mismatches between the respective calculated PRs and DRs, and indicate that an error exists in the respective calculated PRs and DRs based on their mismatch and mismatch accumulations. This algorithm can be independent of navigation state and is capable of detecting slow-changing errors.
US07821446B2
An ultra low power, long range, robust radar system, for applications such as ionospheric sounding. The HF transmit signal and the received (reflected) signal are both unswitched and high frequency and share a path to a common loop antenna. The transmit signal originates at a local oscillator (LO), and is sufficiently low power to not saturate the receive signal path. A balun divides the local oscillator signal between the transmit path forward to the antenna and a mixer path, and also divides the received signal between the mixer path and the LO path. A mixer converts the mixed LO and received signal to baseband.
US07821443B2
One embodiment relates to a dual mode radar transceiver. The dual mode transceiver includes a plurality of transmit channels. Each of the plurality of transmit channels is adapted to switch between a first mode and a second mode. The first mode includes a first combination of the plurality of transmit channels adapted to concurrently transmit outgoing signals. The second mode includes a plurality of different combinations of the plurality of transmit channels. Each of the plurality of different combinations has fewer transmit channels than the first combination. Other methods and systems are also disclosed.
US07821438B2
A digital-to-analog converter circuit layout includes a ratiometric digital-to-analog converter. The ratiometric digital-to-analog converter includes a digital data input, a converter voltage output, a voltage controlled oscillator, and a pulse width modulation module. The a digital data input, a converter voltage output, a voltage controlled oscillator, and a pulse width modulation module is configured in a controllable manner for converting digital data received at the input to a converter output voltage at the output using a reference voltage, an adjustable current as a reference current, and an adjustable impedance value. The circuit layout is characterized in that the voltage controlled oscillator includes circuit components which multiply the reference voltage by a quotient between the adjustable impedance value and the adjustable current, and which apply the multiplication results to the pulse width modulation module.
US07821435B2
The present invention discloses a background calibration system and method for calibrating the non-linear distortion of the amplifier. The calibration method in the present invention includes: generating random sequences and inputting the random sequences in different amount and different sets into an amplifier; amplifying the random sequences and detecting linear and non-linear coefficients; quantizing the output linear signal from the amplifier, and generating a digital output signal; multiplying the digital output signal to generate a high-order signal; generating an estimated non-linear error for the amplifier by multiplying the high-order signal with the estimated non-linear coefficient; adding the non-linear signal with the digital output signal to generate a linear output signal; calculating the random value from the parameter extractor to determine the occurrence of non-linear distortion in the circuit, and further adjusting the non-linear coefficient to calibrating the amplifier.
US07821432B2
Provided is an AD converting apparatus that converts an analog input signal into a digital output signal, comprising a plurality of AD converters supplied with sampling clocks differing from each other by prescribed phase amounts, each AD converter outputting an individual signal obtained by digitizing the input signal according to the supplied sampling clock; a plurality of amplitude-dependent characteristic correcting sections that are provided to correspond to the plurality of AD converters, each amplitude-dependent characteristic correcting section generating a corrected individual signal by correcting the individual signal output by the corresponding AD converter using a correction factor corresponding to an amplitude of the individual signal; and a combining section that generates the output signal by combining a plurality of the corrected individual signals.
US07821428B2
An integrated circuit comprises a first microcontroller unit for executing instructions in accordance with a first clock frequency. The microcontroller located on a first die and includes a first processing core for providing a parallel stream of data in accordance with the first clock frequency. A second microcontroller unit executes instructions in accordance with the first clock frequency. The second microcontroller is located on a second die and includes a second processing core for receiving the parallel stream of data in accordance with the first clock frequency. Capacitive isolation circuitry connected with the first microcontroller unit and the second microcontroller unit provides a high voltage isolation link between the first and the second microcontroller units. The capacitive isolation circuitry distributing a first portion of a high voltage isolation signal across a first group of capacitors associated with the first microcontroller unit and distributes a second portion of the high voltage isolation signal across a second group of capacitors associated with the second microcontroller unit. The capacitive isolation circuitry further transmits data from the parallel data stream between the first microcontroller and the second microcontroller in a serial data stream in accordance with the second clock frequency.
US07821426B2
A system stores compressed literal symbols in a first data block and encoded literal symbols in a second data block. The compressed literal symbols correspond to a first group of literal symbols and the encoded literal symbols correspond to a second group of literal symbols. Each of the second group of literal symbols occurs subsequently in a symbol stream to a literal symbol with the same value in the first group of literal symbols.
US07821424B2
An asset is located in a facility via triangulation. When the user enters the facility with the asset, the user receives a base and code from a base/code booth. The code may be stored on a removable card. The user secures the asset by entering the code. While the user is away from the facility, the base is monitored for movement detected by the motion sensor. When the user returns to the facility, a locator panel displays the location of the asset determined by triangulation using the locators.
US07821418B2
This invention relates to a safety system comprising an elongate signal carrying device having a first end and a second end. At least a part of the elongate signal carrying device is selectively manipulable at a manipulation point to generate a measurable non-electric signal that can be carried by the signal carrying device. The safety system further comprises an output device for causing an audible or visible alarm signal or an electric signal to be outputted in response to the non-electric signal.
US07821417B2
The present invention provides a system and method of detecting the correct and complete loading of parts in one or more assembly fixtures. A missing or incorrectly loaded part results in an airflow from a respective part cavity in an assembly fixture and a switch assembly, which can be located distal from the assembly fixtures, detects the airflow and provides a signal indicating that the fixture is not correctly loaded. Conversely, if each and every part is correctly loaded into the assembly fixtures, no airflow occurs and the switch assembly outputs a signal indicating that the assembly fixtures are correctly loaded and that subsequent manufacturing/assembly operations can be performed.
US07821416B2
The invention relates to a goods transport vehicle including a detector system for detecting the direction in which an item passes through a loading/unloading door on the vehicle, the detector system including: a first read-interrogate element including a first antenna having a first detection lobe, the first read-interrogate element monitoring a first region situated on one side of the loading/unloading door; a second read-interrogate element including a second antenna having a second detection lobe that does not overlap the first detection lobe, the second read-interrogate element monitoring a second region situated on the other side of the loading/unloading door; and processor means connected to the first and second read-interrogate elements, the processor means determining the direction in which the item passes through as a function of the order in which the two regions are crossed.
US07821415B1
A pneumatic patient bed monitor comprises a hermetically sealed flexible outer shell that contains a porous foam core having a certain volume of air. A flexible tube places the foam core in communication with a pneumatic pressure switch. The tube is hermetically sealed to both the outer shell and the switch. The pressure switch is in a normally open position. When a weight of a patient compresses the foam core, air contained in the foam core flows in a controlled manner into the tube, thereby causing a rise in pressure within the tube and actuating the pressure switch. When the weight of the patient is removed, air flows out of the tube in a controlled manner and back into the foam core, causing a drop in pressure within the tube and de-actuating the pressure switch. The foam core returns to its decompressed state.
US07821412B2
A smoke detector replaces the americium source of alpha particles with a field emission device using carbon nanotubes as the field emitters, or some other field emitter, in order to provide an ionization of the air potentially caring smoke particles through the smoke detector.
US07821404B2
According to some embodiments, systems, apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture may provide for improved health care compliance. Embodiments may comprise, for example, identifying an occurrence of an event associated with the taking of a substance by a patient, determining output information associated with a game, and providing the output information to the patient. Some embodiments may comprise receiving a code associated with a patient, wherein the code includes encoded information that is indicative of an occurrence of an event associated with the taking of a substance by a patient, decoding the code to determine the information, determining whether the occurrence of the event is compliant with a condition associated with the taking of the substance, and providing, in the case that compliance with the condition is determined, one or more rewards to the patient.
US07821401B2
An RFID tag is disclosed adapted to be read by an interrogator including a reader antenna having a carrier frequency. The tag includes a first circuit including a first inductor and a first capacitor, wherein the first circuit is tuned to a frequency above the carrier frequency to compensate for detuning in the presence of a plurality of tags. The RFID tag includes a second circuit including a second inductor and a second capacitor wherein the first and second inductors are arranged to be coupled electromagnetically with a coupling factor less than unity and the second circuit is tuned to increase coupling between the first circuit and the reader antenna. A method of reading an RFID tag in the presence of a plurality of tags is also disclosed.
US07821393B2
A multivariate environmental sensing system with redundant transmission pathways with a network of nodes detecting environmental conditions and processing a transmissible signal. Nodes use predetermined criteria to make periodic detections, maintaining a low power state between detections. Power is conserved by deciding whether detections are transmitted immediately, or may be stored for periodic transmission. The nodes power up and immediately transmit urgent detections, storing routine detections for delayed batch transmission. Nodes may transmit signals received from other nodes, passing along signals received from more distant nodes. Transmission may have a predetermined pattern, but the system alters this pattern if there is disruption to the system or pattern. Gateways process data from nodes and pass data to other gateways, on an immediate or deferred basis, to a control center, where data is analyzed. Control centers transmit programming instruction to the gateways and nodes in a retrograde fashion along the transmission pathways.
US07821391B2
A radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking device, that includes a global positioning satellite (GPS) interface and an RFID interface. The RFID interface is capable of communicating with an RFID tag on an RFID item and reading the RFID. The device is capable of detecting the RFID item, obtaining a GPS location via the GPS interface, and associating the GPS location with the RFID and the RFID item and storing the associated GPS location with the RFID item.
US07821382B2
A vehicular user hospitality system recognizes a situation concerning vehicle use according to a combination of a disturbance stimulation type and hospitality intention category. With an intention estimation table, the system determines a reference intention parameter value for providing an intensity reference of a hospitality intention for each of safety, convenience, and comfort categories. The system settles an intention intensity reference using a reference intention parameter value specific to each situation. The system supplements the reference intention parameter value with the current disturbance stimulation value to determine an intention intensity parameter value to be appropriately used as a function selection reference value while considering a disturbance stimulation magnitude. Using a function specification table, function specification information for specifying a function of a hospitality operating portion is extracted according to a combination of the disturbance stimulation type and the hospitality intention category to thereby determine a control content.
US07821380B1
A warning light comprising a base member, a dome removeably connected to the base member, and at least one light module having a top and bottom surface positioned within the dome with the top surface being positioned against the inside of the top surface of said dome. A bracket member secures the warning light to the dome. The bracket includes a cross bar engaging the bottom surface of the warning light and legs extending upward from the cross bar and terminating in a foot portion which is attached to the inside of the top surface of the dome.
US07821375B2
A multiple phase buck converter or boost converter, or buck-boost converter has an inductor in each phase. The inductors are inversely coupled. In a first embodiment, the converter includes a toroidal magnetic core with inductors extending under and over opposite sides of the toroidal magnetic core. The coupled inductors are thereby inversely coupled and have a relatively low ohmic resistance. In a second embodiment, the converter comprises a ladder-shaped magnetic core (i.e. having parallel sides, and connecting rungs). In this case, the inductors extend under the sides, and over the rungs. Each inductor is disposed over a separate rung. The ladder-shaped magnetic core is preferably disposed flat on a circuit board. Inverse coupling and low ohmic resistance are also provided in the second embodiment having the ladder structure.
US07821370B1
A connector includes: an insulative housing having a mating port formed between a pair of front wall and rear wall, and a pair of side walls thereof, the mating port defining a first direction for mating/un-mating a corresponding plug, and a second direction extending transversely and perpendicular to said first direction, and a third direction extending vertically and perpendicular to both said first and second directions; a shutter mechanism pivotally mounted to the insulative housing and having a pair of axles extending from two sides thereof in the second direction; wherein the side wall defines a first slot at an inner side thereof and a second slot at an outer side thereof, the second slot extending in the first direction, the first slot extending in a direction different from the second slot and overlapping with the second slot in the second direction to form an opening to receive the axles.
US07821366B2
In a magnetic circuit for providing magnetic anisotropy in the in-plane radial direction of a soft magnetic under layer, magnets for perpendicular magnetization are respectively provide on the north and south poles of a magnet for horizontal magnetization. When magnetic circuits configured thus are stacked in a plurality of stages, a magnetic field (air-gap magnetic field) formed in a gap between the magnetic circuits is superimposed by magnetic fields from the magnets for perpendicular magnetization as well as a magnetic field from the magnet for horizontal magnetization (in-plane magnetization). The pole faces of the magnets for perpendicular magnetization are disposed closer to the gap between the magnetic circuits, so that a stronger magnetic field can be formed in the gap.
US07821365B2
To provide a magnetizing apparatus and magnetizing method in which, even in preparation of a ring-shaped permanent magnet having a narrow magnetization pitch with multiple poles magnetized on an extremely small diameter, sufficient magnetization and high magnetization quality can be achieved and powerful magnetization can be carried out efficiently and quickly at low cost.A permanent magnet magnetizing apparatus includes a heating section 10, a magnetizing section 12 axially disposed as a discrete structure from the heating section 10, and a holding member 22 for holding magnetization object 20 and movable relative to the heating section and the magnetizing section. The magnetization object heated in the heating section is transferred to the magnetizing section and is magnetized therein.
US07821364B2
A connecting system includes an electromagnetic switchgear, especially contactor, and a connector. In at least one embodiment, the system makes it easier to connect auxiliary and control lines. For this purpose, the connecting system, in at least one embodiment, includes at least one electromagnetic switchgear, especially a contactor. The switchgear includes a plurality of auxiliary contact connections and a coil connection terminal block. The coil connection terminal block is configured in such a manner that the coil connections lie in a plane with at least one auxiliary contact connection. The connecting system also includes, in at least one embodiment, a connector for simultaneously contacting the coil and auxiliary contact connections of one or more switchgears which connections lie in one plane. The connector has an internal wiring for electrically interconnecting the coil and/or auxiliary contact connections.
US07821358B2
An electrical component with a filter circuit is specified that includes a first bandstop filter and a second bandstop filter. The first bandstop filter includes at least one resonator operating with acoustic waves and has a first stop band. The second bandstop filter includes LC elements and has a second stop band that lies at least one octave higher than the first stop band.
US07821353B2
A directional coupler includes two parallel coupled lines and two sector metal plates. The two sector metal plates are connected to a middle portion of each of the two coupled lines. Central angles of the two sector metal plate are less than 90 degrees.
US07821348B2
A crystal oscillator includes an oscillator circuit, a main body, a first switching circuit, a second switching circuit, and a voltage detecting circuit. The oscillator circuit includes an IC chip including an output circuit and a function circuit. The crystal element includes a first excitation electrode and a second excitation electrode. The main body houses the oscillator circuit and the crystal element and includes a power supply terminal, a ground terminal, an output terminal, and a function terminal. The output terminal is electrically connected to the output circuit and the first excitation electrode via the first switching circuit. The function terminal is electrically connected to the function circuit and the second excitation electrode via the second switching circuit. The first switching circuit and the second switching circuit are operated on the basis of a switching signal from the voltage detecting circuit connected to the power supply terminal.
US07821344B2
A VCO driving circuit and a frequency synthesizer wherein the impedance viewed from a VCO control terminal is reduced to prevent the VCO phase noise characteristic from degrading. A VCO driving circuit and a frequency synthesizer having the VCO driving circuit, which comprises a coarse adjustment DAC that receives a digital data, which has a coarse adjustment frequency, to output an analog signal; a fine adjustment DAC that receives a digital data, which has a fine adjustment frequency, to output an analog signal; a low response speed LPF5 that removes noise from the output signal from the coarse adjustment DAC and then provides the resultant signal as an input to a VCO control terminal; a high response speed LPF7 that converts the output signal from the fine adjustment DAC to a voltage, thereby smoothing the signal; a resistor that connects an input stage of the LPF5 to that of the LPF7; and a capacitor used for providing a capacitive coupling such that the output of the LPF7 is added to that of the LPF5.
US07821340B2
An output stage circuit is disclosed, which includes a first PMOS transistor, a second PMOS transistor, a first NMOS transistor, and a second NMOS transistor. By using twin-well CMOS transistors and a specific circuit configuration, the invention supports a HALF AVDD structure, reduces power consumption and saves the cost of triple-well CMOS process.
US07821335B2
The variable gain amplifier includes a bias circuit (BC) 1, a matching circuit (MC) 2, a variable gain resistive feedback amplifier (FA) 3 and an output follower (EA) 4. The resistance values of the load resistance Rc and feedback resistance Rf are changed in cooperation. In a case of making the load resistance Rc a high resistance to set the low noise amplifier to a high gain, the feedback resistance Rf is also made a high resistance, the feedback time constant τfb(c1)≈2π·RfCbe/(1+gmRc) of the closed loop of the resistive negative feedback amplifier 3 becomes substantially constant, and then the amplifier has a gain small in frequency dependency over a wide bandwidth. In a case of making the load resistance Rc a low resistance to set the low noise amplifier to a low gain, the feedback resistance Rf is also made a low resistance. The feedback resistance Rf with the low resistance increases the negative feedback quantity, and thus the amplifier is set to a low gain. Also, the load resistance Rc is made a low resistance, and the feedback time constant τfb(c1) becomes substantially constant. The gain is not lowered further in a high frequency region.
US07821334B2
The present invention is aimed at realizing an amplifying circuit whose chip size is prevented from being significantly increased even if the number of compatible frequencies increases, and which has a wide dynamic range when it operates under a low voltage. The amplifying circuit includes a plurality of impedance converting circuits connected to each other by a switching circuit of a first type having a signal cutting-off function, a switching circuit of a second type connected to a path branched from an input side of the switching circuit of the first type, the switching circuit of the second type having a signal cutting-off function, amplifiers connected respectively to an output side of one of the impedance converting circuits in a final stage and to an output side of the switching circuit of the second type, and a control signal generating circuit for controlling connection/disconnection between said switching circuit of the first type and said switching circuit of the second type; wherein either one of the paths is selected to input a signal to one of the amplifiers.
US07821331B2
An apparatus and a method to reduce temperature dependence of a reference voltage have been presented. In one embodiment, the method includes generating a reference voltage associated with a difference between a first threshold voltage of a first transistor and a second threshold voltage of a second transistor. The method may further include biasing the first transistor and the second transistor at a predetermined ratio of currents of the first and the second transistors to reduce temperature dependence of the reference voltage.
US07821325B2
In one embodiment, a charge pump converter is formed to use various values of an output voltage to selectively control a value of a charging current during a charging cycle of the charge pump converter.
US07821317B2
A clock generating apparatus includes a clock generator and a controllable delay line. The clock generator receives an external clock signal and generates multiple clock signals having different phases by delaying the external clock signal. The controllable delay line receives one of the multiple clock signals as a first clock signal and delays the first clock signal by a first interval in response to an externally applied control signal. The delayed first clock signal is input to the clock generator.
US07821306B2
A gate voltage detecting circuit 201 detects a gate voltage Vgs of a switching device 11, and when the gate voltage is less than a predetermined voltage that is set to be less than a threshold voltage of the switching device 11, outputs an H-level boost instruction signal. A voltage control circuit 103, when the boost instruction signal is at the L level, outputs a predetermined voltage V1 of a control power supply 102 as it is, and when the boost instruction signal is at the H level, outputs a voltage V2 obtained by boosting the predetermined voltage V1. The drive signal output circuit 104 amplifies a voltage of a PWM pulse output from a PWM pulse output circuit 111 to a voltage output from the voltage control circuit 103. Therefore, a drive signal from the drive signal output circuit 104 to the switching device 11 initially becomes the boosted voltage V2 when the PWM pulse goes to the H level, and then becomes the predetermined voltage V1 when the gate voltage Vgs of the switching device 11 increases to a predetermined voltage. Therefore, a switching loss of the switching device can be suppressed.
US07821302B2
A method and system for monitoring a frequency of a clock signal is disclosed. The method and system comprise dividing a clock signal into a plurality of clock signal components. The method and system further comprise adding a delay to each of the clock signal components and comparing the plurality of signal components with each of the delayed clock signal components to monitor whether the clock signal is within a predetermined frequency range. The method and system includes providing an output signal indicative of a condition of the clock signal based upon the comparing step.
US07821293B2
An embodiment of the present invention relates to a asynchronous interconnection system comprising a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit inserted between inserted between respective first and second voltage references and having respective transmitter and receiver nodes coupled in a capacitive manner. The receiver circuit comprises: a recovery stage inserted between the first and second voltage references of the receiver circuit and connected to the receiver node; and a state control stage, in turn inserted between the first and second voltage references of the receiver circuit connected to the recovery stage correspondence with a first feedback node providing a first control signal and having a second feedback node connected in a feedback manner to the recovery stage. The recovery stage comprises a first feedback loop connected to the first feedback node and acting in such a way to recover a received voltage signal and a feedback loop connected to the second feedback node of the state control stage and acting in such a way to deactivate the recovery feedback on the receiver node and guarantee that the receiver node is let in a high impedance state.
US07821288B1
A circuit protecting apparatus is provided. The circuit protecting apparatus comprises a selecting module, a routing module, a processing module, and a controlling module. The selecting module selects for each of a plurality of a minimum-sized routing region a routing pattern from a plurality of predetermined routing patterns, and generates an input signal. The routing module then generates the routing comprising the selected routing patterns on a to-be-protected region to form a circuit protecting layer. The routing receives the input signal and outputs an output signal. The processing module decodes the output signal into a restored signal a compares the restored signal with the input signal to generate a comparison result, according to which the controlling module selectively fails a chip.
US07821280B2
A method and system for monitoring and compensating the performance of an operational circuit is provided. The system includes one or more integrated circuit chips and a controller. Each integrated circuit chip includes one or more operational circuits, each operational circuit having at least one controllable circuit parameter. Each integrated circuit chip also includes a process monitor module at least partially constructed thereon. The controller is coupled to each process monitor module and to each operational circuit. The controller includes logic for evaluating the performance of an operational circuit based on data obtained from process monitor module and operational circuit related data stored in a memory. Based on the evaluation, the controller determines whether any deviations from desired or optimal performance of the circuit exist. If deviations exist, the controller generates a control signal to initiate adjustments to the operational circuit to compensate for the deviations.
US07821275B2
An anti-pinch sensor, particularly for detecting an obstacle in the path of an actuating element of a motor vehicle is provided, having a sensor body, a measuring electrode, which is disposed in the sensor body and to which a measuring potential can be applied, a calibrating electrode, which is electrically disconnected and disposed in the sensor body adjacent to the measuring electrode, and a control unit. The control unit controls the measuring electrode and the calibrating electrode such that the measuring potential and the calibrating potential are equal in a measuring phase, and differ from each other in a calibrating phase.
US07821273B2
The invention refers to a circuit and a method for detecting the impedance of a load, whereby the circuit and the method can be used by an impedance matching circuit. Impedance matching circuits need a complex algorithm to adjust the impedance accordingly. This algorithm renders the response time to be long. It has been found out that the complexity partially stems from the fact that the phase of the reflection coefficient is not known over the full range of 0° to 360°. A quadrature phase detector is used to provide the full phase information.
US07821265B2
A method for acquiring magnetic resonance (MR) data for a pulse sequence with periodic signal modulation and a set of views having at least two phase encode directions includes selecting a direction of modulation. Each view in the set of views is assigned a readout number based on a position of each view along the direction of modulation resulting in a plurality of readout number groups, each readout number group having a plurality of views. Each view within each readout number group is assigned a train number based on a position of each view along a second direction in k-space. MR data for the set of views is acquired based on the assigned readout number and train number for each view.
US07821259B2
The invention concerns a device and a method for examining magnetic properties of objects, in particular of sheet material such as for example bank notes. Therein the invention proceeds from a device and a method for examining magnetic properties of objects with a magneto-optical layer having magnetic domains, the optical properties of the magneto-optical layer being influenced by the magnetic properties of the object to be examined, at least one light source for the generation of light incident upon the magneto-optical layer, and at least one sensor for the reception of light which is transmitted and/or reflected by the magneto-optical layer, with a magnetic filed in the area of the magneto-optical layer which extends substantially parallel to the surface of the magneto-optical layer.
US07821257B2
A method and device for forecasting/detecting a polishing end point and for monitoring a real-time film thickness to suppress Joule heat loss due to the eddy current to the minimum, to precisely forecast/detect a polishing end point, to precisely calculate the remaining film thickness to be removed, and polishing rate. An inductor 36 in a sensor is arranged adjacent to a predetermined conductive film 28, and a magnetic flux change induced in the conductive film 28 by a magnetic flux formed by the inductor 36 is monitored, and by use of a magnetic flux change when a film thickness becomes corresponding to skin depth in which a film thickness in polishing is determined by the material of the predetermined conductive film 28 as a factor, a magnetic flux change part to forecast a polishing end point in the magnetic flux change process is detected, and a polishing end point is forecasted from the magnetic flux change part, and a polishing rate and a remaining film thickness amount to be removed are calculated on the spot.
US07821250B2
A clamp assembly for bringing an RF sensor into electrical contact with an RF current carrier is provided herein. The clamp assembly (101) comprises a first wedge-shaped element (103), and a second wedge-shaped element (105) which is slidingly engaged with said first wedge-shaped element. Preferably, the clamp assembly also comprises a collar (113) within which the first and second wedge-shaped elements are disposed. The clamp assembly preferably further comprises a fastener (111), such as a screw, which adjoins the first and second elements, in which case the clamp assembly is adapted such that, as the screw is rotated in a first direction, at least one of the first and second elements expands against the collar and/or the RF current carrier.
US07821245B2
A voltage transformation circuit comprising a first input, a second input, a first output, first and second impedances and a current mirror having master and slave terminals, wherein the first impedance is connected between the first input and the master terminal of the current mirror, the second impedance is connected between the second input and the slave terminal of the current mirror, and the first output is connected to the slave terminal of the current mirror.
US07821243B2
In a non-isolated DC/DC converter, a reference potential for a low-side pre-driver which drives a gate of a low-side MOSFET is applied from a portion except for a main circuit passing through a high-side MOSFET and the low-side MOSFET so that a parasitic inductance between a source of the low-side MOSFET and the pre-driver is increased without increasing the sum of parasitic inductances in the main circuit and negative potential driving of the gate of the low-side MOSFET can be performed and a self turn-on phenomenon can be prevented without adding any member and changing drive system.
US07821241B2
An apparatus and method of providing a pulse width modulated signal that is responsive to a current are disclosed. An integrated circuit according to aspects of the present invention regulates an output of a power supply and includes a switch coupled to receive an external current. The integrated circuit also includes a controller coupled to the switch to control a switching of the external current by the switch in response to an external control signal and an internal current sense signal. The internal current sense signal is proportional to a current in the switch. The output of the power supply is also regulated in the absence of the internal current sense signal.
US07821240B2
A voltage regulator for providing a voltage regulated output to a load comprises a first loop and a second loop. The first loop comprises a first active device coupled to a first pass device and configured to provide a first, relatively high current output to the load. The second loop comprises a second active device coupled to a second pass device and configured to provide a second, relatively low current output to the load. This provision of two independent loops reduces the quiescent current provided by the voltage regulator under low load conditions.
US07821232B2
The invention discloses a method for precisely estimating the remaining capacity of a rechargeable battery in a practical system. To evaluate the remaining capacity of a battery through a calibrated current which is calculated from a predictable capacity close to the end of discharge or to the end of full charge, so that the remaining capacity of battery will approach end points smoothly. A system can thus detect battery status and take necessary actions safely. Battery aging problem is considered while calculating the remaining capacity and the full charge capacity (FCC) of battery is also updated according to the total cumulated charges during a charge or discharge stage.
US07821231B1
A rechargeable battery, battery set or battery pack having a circuit or a plurality of circuits for providing self-discharging thereof electrically connected in parallel are used to form rechargeable battery assemblies and electric power supply systems for use in electric and hybrid vehicles and the like.
US07821229B2
A system and method for cell balancing with smart low-voltage control circuit. The cell balancing system comprises a plurality of battery cells, an external bypass path for each cell, an internal bypass path for each cell, an input terminal receiving an enable signal for each cell, an input terminal receiving a selection signal, and a cell balancing unit for generating a configuration signal to conduct the external bypass path or internal bypass path. The enable signal is configured to enable a bypass current of each cell, and the selection signal is configured to select the external bypass path or internal bypass path. The cell balancing unit is employed to receive signals from input terminals, and generate a configuration signal to control the conductance of external bypass paths or internal bypass paths.
US07821220B2
A system, in one embodiment, includes a drive having a housing, a stator disposed in the housing, a rotor disposed in the stator, and a programmable logic controller disposed inside, mounted on, or in general proximity to the housing. In another embodiment, a system includes a network, a first motor having a first integral programmable logic controller coupled to the network, and a second motor having a second integral programmable logic controller coupled to the network. In a further embodiment, a system includes a rotary machine having a rotor and a stator disposed concentric with one another, a microprocessor, memory coupled to the microprocessor, a power supply coupled to the microprocessor and the memory, and a machine sensor coupled to the microprocessor.
US07821211B2
A drive circuit is provided for selectively driving a driven element. The drive circuit includes a discharge section for discharging charges, which are accumulated in the driven element when the drive element is turned on, when the drive element is turned off. The drive circuit may include a drive element for driving the driven element. The drive element includes a first ground route disposed separately from a second ground route of the driven element. The first ground route is connected to the second ground route through a connection cable. A diode may be disposed between the connection cable and at least one of the first ground route and the second ground route.
US07821210B2
Disclosed is a control system for several distributed lamp-operating devices, comprising at least one control station (1), a control line (2) that connects the control station (1) to each lamp-operating device, and a receiver which is allocated to each lamp-operating device and is used for communicating with the control station (1). Each lamp-operating device in said control system is part of a first or a second type while lamp-operating devices of the first and the second type can be combined into functional couples. The lamp-operating devices of the first type (20-1, 20-2) are configured and connected to the respectively allocated lamp-operating device of the second type (10-1 to 10-4) so as to be able to selectively activate or deactivate the lamp-operating devices of the second type (10-1 to 10-4) in accordance with a request by the control station (1).
US07821197B2
Disclosed are an organic light emitting display device and a method of making the same. A first mother substrate includes a first display array and a second display array. A second mother substrate is attached to the first mother substrate in order to seal the arrays. A frit is formed at non-pixel regions of the first mother substrate and the second mother substrate. The frit interconnects the first and second mother substrates to each other. A reinforcing member is formed along the frit. A metal pattern is formed on the first substrate and extends along the reinforcing member.
US07821194B2
A solid state lighting apparatus includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs). Each of the LEDs includes an LED device configured to emit light having about a first dominant wavelength and a phosphor configured to receive at least some of the light emitted by the LED device and responsively emit light having about a second dominant wavelength. A combined light emitted by the LED device and the phosphor of a first one of the plurality of LEDs has a first color point and a combined light emitted by the LED device and the phosphor of a second one of the plurality of LEDs has a second color point that falls outside a seven step Macadam ellipse around the first color point.
US07821190B2
An image display apparatus includes a display unit including a substrate having an outer surface and an image display area, a conductive layer disposed on the substrate via an adhesive layer, and a conductive tape disposed on the outer surface of the substrate. In addition, a member holds the conductive layer against the substrate. Part of the adhesive layer is layered between the conductive tape and at least a part of the conductive layer, with the conductive tape including a projection portion contacting the conductive layer such that the conductive layer and the conductive tape are electrically connected. The member sandwiches the conductive layer, the conductive tape having the projection portion, and the display unit, and the conductive tape is a ground potential.
US07821189B2
This invention provides a method for maintaining vacuum of a panel module and a structure of the panel module. A sealing material is suspended inside the panel module right above an exhaust opening of the panel module connecting with an exhaust tube. After exhausting the inside of the panel module, the sealing material is heated and molten so as to drop down to seal the exhaust tube. As such, the panel module becomes vacuum-tight. During a subsequent annealing process to heat the exhaust tube to its melting temperature, ambient air is prohibited from flowing into the panel module.
US07821186B2
A spark plug includes an outer electrode including an outer electrode tip of which a distal end surface is spaced from an outer peripheral surface of a leading end portion of a center electrode to define a spark discharge gap. A protruding insulator portion of a cylindrical insulator protrudes at least 1.0 mm from a leading end surface of a cylindrical metal shell. A protruding center electrode portion of the center electrode protrudes at least 3.5 mm from the leading end surface of the cylindrical metal shell. A relationship (θ1+θ2)/2≧75 degrees is satisfied where the angle θ1 is defined as a central angle (degrees) of a first circular sector having a point B1 as a center thereof, and the angle θ2 is an average value (degrees) of the central angles of two second circular sectors having the point B1 as a center thereof.
US07821180B2
A curved two-dimensional array transducer includes a layer of piezoelectric material overlaying a layer of ASICs which is attached to a backing wing. The piezoelectric material is diced in orthogonal azimuth and elevation directions to form a two-dimensional array of transducer elements, with the dicing cuts in the elevation direction extending through the ASIC layer so that the piezoelectric layer and the ASIC layer can be bent in the azimuth direction. The backing wing provides a flexible substrate which can be bent while supporting the ASIC layer and piezoelectric elements. In a second example the piezoelectric layer and ASIC layer are attached to opposite sides of flex circuit which provides the flexible substrate after the piezoelectric layer and ASIC layer are diced.
US07821173B2
In at least one embodiment of the present invention a bell-armature coil for an electric motor is provided. The bell-armature coil comprises a hollow-cylindrical coil winding which forms a coil opening at one end and is wound from a winding wire. The bell-armature coil further comprises a coil former plate. The coil former plate includes a printed circuit board. Into the coil opening the coil former plate is inserted. The coil winding has conductor ends which are connected to the printed circuit board.
US07821166B2
A dynamoelectric machine insulator includes, a body having a plurality of holes therethrough at least some of the plurality of holes being receptive of a lead such that a lead extending through each of the plurality of holes is electrically isolated from a lead extending through each of the other of the plurality of holes, and at least one channel in the body extending arcuately along a perimetrical extent of the body. The at least one channel configured and dimensioned to insulate at least one lead routed therein.
US07821164B2
A generator including: an annular armature connectable to rotate with blades of a wind turbine; an annular stationary field winding assembly coaxial with the armature and separated by a gap from an inside surface of the armature, wherein the field winding include superconducting coils, and support structure connectable to an upper region of a tower of the wind turbine.
US07821162B2
The invention relates to a device for generating low-voltage dips in an electrical power generator (2), particularly an aerogenerator, consisting of: a circuit which is disposed between the control cabinet (4) of the generator and the output transformer (3) to the network (30), comprising a transformer (31) and a plurality of in-series impedances (11, 14, 17; 12, 15, 18; 13, 16, 19) for each phase, having switches (24, 25, 26; 20, 21, 22; 27) associated therewith; and short-circuit generator means, selectively actuating the switches as a function of the type of voltage dip required.
US07821153B2
A system for generating electricity including a vertical oriented tower comprising an intake opening for receiving fluid flow, a scoop that is moveably mounted to a base for directing the fluid flow to the intake opening, a fluid-activated mechanism that is automatically oriented in response to direction of the fluid flow, the fluid-activated mechanism being operatively connected to the scoop so that orientation of the fluid-activated mechanism in response to the fluid flow angles the scoop in the direction of the fluid flow, and a turbine that receives the fluid flow directed by the scoop to generate electricity.
US07821146B2
A starter system for starting internal combustion engines including a plurality of starters connected in parallel, each having a starter motor and an engaging relay. This parallel starting system may be implemented simply and cost-effectively if at least one of the starters includes a power relay which switches the primary current path to the associated starter motor, and the engaging relay, the power relay, and the starter motor are implemented as a structural unit.
US07821144B2
An electrical generator including a magnetic field generator and at least one energy converter for converting energy present in fluid flows into vibrations or oscillations. The converter includes a flexible membrane having at least two fixed ends. The membrane vibrates when subject to a fluid flow. One of the electrical conductor and the magnetic field generator is attached to the membrane and configured to move with the membrane. The vibration of the membrane caused by the fluid flow causes a relative movement between the electrical conductor and the applied magnetic field. The relative movement causes a change in the strength of the magnetic field applied to the electrical conductor, and the change in the strength of the magnetic field applied to the electrical conductor induces a current flowing in the conductor.
US07821143B2
A control system for use with an ultrasonic surgical instrument includes a generator supplying electrical energy to an ultrasonic surgical instrument, the electrical energy supplied by the generator being controlled such that power applied by the instrument is maintained constant once a predetermined pressure threshold is met. The control system operates by assigning a nominal power at which the ultrasonic instrument is to operate and adjusting the current and voltage applied to the ultrasonic surgical instrument so as to maintain the power applied by the ultrasonic surgical instrument at approximately the nominal power.
US07821136B2
Methods for forming conductive layers. A layer of metal composite is applied on a substrate, comprising a plurality of metal flakes, a plurality of nanometer metal spheres, and a plurality of mixed metal precursors. The plurality of mixed metal precursors comprises a mixture of inorganic salts and organic acidic salts. The layer of metal composite is cured to induce an exothermic reaction, thereby forming a conductive layer on the substrate at a relatively low temperature (<200° C.).
US07821124B2
Semiconductor die packages and methods of making them are disclosed. An exemplary package comprises a leadframe having a source lead and a gate lead, and a semiconductor die coupled to the source and gate leads at a first surface of the leadframe. The source lead has a protruding region at a second surface of the leadframe. A molding material is disposed around the semiconductor die, the gate lead, and the source lead such that a surface of the die and a surface of the protruding region are left exposed by the molding material. An exemplary method comprises obtaining the semiconductor die and leadframe, and forming a molding material around at least a portion of the leadframe and die such that a surface of the protruding region is exposed through the molding material.
US07821119B2
A semiconductor device is disclosed which includes a tab (5) for use in supporting a semiconductor chip (8), a seal section (12) as formed by sealing the semiconductor chip (8) with a resin material, more than one tab suspension lead (4) for support of the tab (5), a plurality of electrical leads (2) which have a to-be-connected portion as exposed to outer periphery on the back surface of the seal section (12) and a thickness reduced portion as formed to be thinner than said to-be-connected portion and which are provided with an inner groove (2e) and outer groove (2f) in a wire bonding surface (2d) as disposed within the seal section (12) of said to-be-connected portion, and wires (10) for electrical connection between the leads (2) and pads (7) of the semiconductor chip (8), wherein said thickness reduced portion of the leads (2) is covered by or coated with a sealing resin material while causing the wires (10) to be contacted with said to-be-connected portion at specified part lying midway between the outer groove (2f) and inner groove (2e) to thereby permit said thickness reduced portion of leads (2) and the outer groove (2f) plus the inner groove (2e) to prevent occurrence of any accidental lead drop-down detachment.
US07821116B2
A semiconductor die package is disclosed. The semiconductor die package comprises a leadframe structure with a die attach pad including a die attach surface, a folded edge structure and an opposite surface opposite to the die attach surface. A plurality of leads extending laterally away from the die attach pad. A semiconductor die comprising a first surface and a second surface is attached to the semiconductor die, and a molding material is around at least a portion of the leadframe structure and at least a portion of the semiconductor die. The opposite surface is exposed through the molding material and terminal ends of the leads do not extend past lateral edges of the molding material.
US07821108B2
Methods and circuitry for lowering the capacitance of interconnects, particularly Through Wafer Interconnects (TWIs), using signal level adjustment are disclosed. Embodiments of the invention seek to bias the midpoint voltage level of the signals on the TWIs towards inversion, where at high frequencies capacitance is at its minimum. In one embodiment, reduced swing signals are used for the data states transmitted across the TWIs, in which the reduced swing signals use a midpoint voltage level tending to bias the TWI capacitance towards inversion. In another embodiment, signals are AC coupled to the TWI where they are referenced to an explicit bias voltage directly connected to the TWI. This allows signals to propagate through the TWI while the TWI is biased towards inversion. In a third embodiment, the potential of the substrate is explicitly lowered with respect to the TWI potential. Regardless of the particular embodiment used, raising the midpoint-voltage level of the signals on the TWIs relative to the substrate decreases capacitance, which increases the frequency of the data which can propagate through the TWIs while potentially reducing the signaling power.
US07821106B2
A process for producing electrical contact connections for a component integrated in a substrate material is provided, the substrate material having a first surface region, and at least one terminal contact being arranged at least partially in the first surface region for each component, which is distinguished in particular by application of a covering to the first surface region and production of at least one contact passage which, in the substrate material, runs transversely with respect to the first surface region, in which process, in order to form at least one contact location in a second surface region which is to be provided, at least one electrical contact connection from the contact location to at least one of the terminal contacts is produced via the respective contact passages.
US07821104B2
A package device has a package substrate, a semiconductor die on the package substrate, and a molding compound on the package substrate and over the semiconductor die. The semiconductor die has a last passivation layer, an active circuit region in an internal portion of the die, an edge seal region along a periphery of the die, and a structure over the edge seal region extending above the last passivation layer, covered by the molding compound, and comprising a polymer material. The structure may extend at least five microns above the last passivation layer. The structure stops cracks in the molding compound from reaching the active circuit region. The cracks, if not stopped, can reach wire bonds in the active region and cause them to fail.
US07821101B2
A semiconductor device includes a lower electrode provided on a semiconductor substrate, an upper electrode provided on the lower electrode to overlap a part of the lower electrode, a first insulating film provided between the lower electrode and the upper electrode, and a second insulating film provided in contact with an upper part of the upper electrode and on the upper part of the lower electrode, and having a density higher than that of the first insulating film, the second insulating film covering a side surface and a top surface of the upper electrode.
US07821099B2
A diode having a capacitance below 0.1 pF and a breakdown voltage of at least 500V. The diode has an anode of a first conductivity type and a cathode of a second conductivity type disposed below the anode. At least one of the cathode and anode have multiple, vertically abutting diffusion regions. The cathode and anode are disposed between and bounded by adjacent isolation regions.
US07821090B2
An image capturing apparatus has a plurality of solid-state image capturing devices each having light receiving sections laminated in a depth direction of a semiconductor substrate. The devices are sequentially arranged in a direction along a substrate surface. Incident light waves having wavelength bands corresponding to depths of respective light receiving sections are detected there and generate signal charges. Bands are associated with light receiving sections by the wavelength dependence of the optical absorption. Trench sections each reach from a light incident surface or an opposite substrate surface to respective light receiving sections that do not overlap each other in a plane view. Electric charge transfer sections transfer electric charges independently from the light receiving sections via side wall portions of their respective trenches to the light incident surface side or the opposite substrate surface side at the time of driving readout gate electrodes at each trench section.
US07821088B2
A method and system for providing a magnetic element that can be used in a magnetic memory is disclosed. The magnetic element includes pinned, nonmagnetic spacer, and free layers. The spacer layer resides between the pinned and free layers. The free layer can be switched using spin transfer when a write current is passed through the magnetic element. The free layer includes a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer. The second ferromagnetic layer has a very high perpendicular anisotropy and an out-of-plane demagnetization energy. The very high perpendicular anisotropy energy is greater than the out-of-plane demagnetization energy of the second layer.
US07821083B2
A semiconductor device includes a structure of a gate electrode/a high-k dielectric insulating film containing aluminum and having a dielectric constant greater than that of a silicon oxide film/the silicon oxide film/a silicon substrate, and is provided with a diffusion layer formed by diffusing an aluminum atom or an aluminum ion to the silicon oxide film or an interface between the silicon oxide film and the silicon substrate by a heat treatment. A laminated film or a mixed film of hafnium oxide and aluminum oxide having a ratio of hafnium and aluminum ranging from about 2:8 to 8:2 is used as the high-k dielectric film. The heat treatment is performed at any temperature from about 500 to 1000° C. for any period of time from about 1 to 100 seconds.
US07821061B2
A method to provide a transistor or memory cell structure. The method comprises: providing a substrate including a lower Si substrate and an insulating layer on the substrate; providing a first projection extending above the insulating layer, the first projection including an Si material and a Si1-xGex material; and exposing the first projection to preferential oxidation to yield a second projection including a center region comprising Ge/Si1-yGey and a covering region comprising SiO2 and enclosing the center region.
US07821058B2
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nonvolatile semiconductor memory including: a columnar semiconductor; a charge storage insulating film including: a first insulating film formed around the columnar semiconductor, a charge storage film formed around the first insulating film, and a second insulating film formed around the charge storage film; an electrode extending two-dimensionally to surround the charge storage insulating film, the electrode having a groove; and a metal silicide formed on a sidewall of the groove.
US07821040B2
A thin film transistor substrate and fabricating method thereof by which the size of the thin film transistor substrate is reduced by constructing data signal supply lines, each of which supplies a pixel data voltage to a data line, with different metal lines, respectively includes gate and data lines crossing each other on a substrate, with a gate insulating layer disposed therebetween, a thin film transistor formed on each intersection between the gate and data lines, a display area on which a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor is formed, a first data signal supply line comprising a first conductive layer connected to the data line in a non-display area located at a periphery of the display area, and a second data signal supply line alternating with the first data signal supply line, with the gate insulating layer disposed therebetween, the second data signal supply line comprising a second conductive layer connected to the data line.
US07821036B2
A semiconductor device (10) comprises a substrate (11), a semiconductor layer (12), an insulation film (13), a protective film (15), a source electrode (21), a drain electrode (22), a gate electrode (23). The semiconductor device (10) comprises a protective film (15) formed so as to cover at least an upper surface of the insulation film (13). This enables preventing aluminum contained in the source electrode (21) and the drain electrode (22) from reacting with material contained in the insulation film (13). Accordingly, the increase of the resistance of the electrode and the increase of current collapse are prevented. Accordingly, the semiconductor device (10) has a satisfactory electric performance characteristics.
US07821031B2
A switch circuit includes: a first FET that is connected to one of an input terminal and an output terminal, and performs ON/OFF operation under the control of a gate electrode connected to a control terminal; and a second FET that is connected between the first FET and the other one of the input terminal and the output terminal, and performs ON/OFF operation under the control of a gate electrode connected to the control terminal. The first FET has a higher gate backward breakdown voltage than that of the second FET. Alternatively, the first FET has lower OFF capacitance than that of the second FET.
US07821030B2
A semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor layer which is formed above a substrate, a Schottky electrode and an ohmic electrode which are formed on the first semiconductor layer to be spaced from each other and a second semiconductor layer which is formed to cover the first semiconductor layer with the Schottky electrode and the ohmic electrode exposed. The second semiconductor layer has a larger band gap than that of the first semiconductor layer.
US07821023B2
An LED component comprising an array of LED chips mounted on a planar surface of a submount with the LED chips capable of emitting light in response to an electrical signal. The LED chips comprise respective groups emitting at different colors of light, with each of the groups interconnected in a series circuit. A lens is included over the LED chips. Other embodiments can comprise thermal spreading structures included integral to the submount and arranged to dissipate heat from the LED chips.
US07821012B2
A thin film transistor includes a first insulating layer covering the gate electrode layer; source and drain regions which at least partly overlaps with the gate electrode layer; a pair of second insulating layers which is provided apart from each other in a channel length direction over the first insulating layer and which at least partly overlaps with the gate electrode layer and the pair of impurity semiconductor layers; a pair of microcrystalline semiconductor layers provided apart from each other on and in contact with the second insulating layers; and an amorphous semiconductor layer covering the first insulating layer, the pair of second insulating layers, and the pair of microcrystalline semiconductor layers and which extends to exist between the pair of microcrystalline semiconductor layers. The first insulating layer is a silicon nitride layer and each of the pair of the second insulating layers is a silicon oxynitride layer.
US07821011B2
An LDD structure is manufactured to have a desired aspect ratio of the height to the width of a gate electrode. The gate electrode is first deposited on a semiconductor substrate followed by ion implantation with the gate electrode as a mask to form a pair of impurity regions. The gate electrode is then anodic oxidized to form an oxide film enclosing the electrode. With the oxide film as a mask, highly doped regions are formed by ion implantation in order to define lightly doped regions between the highly doped regions and the channel region located therebetween.
US07821000B2
An apparatus has a crystalline organic semiconducting region that includes polyaromatic molecules. A source electrode and a drain electrode of a field-effect transistor are both in contact with the crystalline organic semiconducting region. A gate electrode of the field-effect transistor is located to affect the conductivity of the crystalline organic semiconducting region between the source and drain electrodes. A dielectric layer of a first dielectric that is substantially impermeable to oxygen is in contact with the crystalline organic semiconducting region. The crystalline organic semiconducting region is located between the dielectric layer and a substrate. The gate electrode is located on the dielectric layer. A portion of the crystalline organic semiconducting region is in contact with a second dielectric via an opening in the dielectric layer. A physical interface is located between the second dielectric and the first dielectric.
US07820998B2
A device and method for manipulating a direction of motion of current carriers are presented. The device comprises a structure containing a two-dimensional gas of current carriers configured to define at least one region of inhomogeneity which is characterized by a substantially varying value of at least one parameter from the following: a spin-orbit coupling constant, density of the spin carriers, and a mobility of the gas. The device may be configured and operable to perform spin manipulation of a flux of the spin carrying current carriers to provide at least one of the following types of deviation of said spin-carrying current carriers: spin dependent refraction, spin dependent reflection and spin dependent diffraction on desired deviation angles of a direction of motion of the spin-carrying current carriers being incident on said at least one region of inhomogeneity. The device may also be configured and operable to allow emission of the current carriers from a diffusive region at one side of the region of inhomogeneity to a ballistic region at the opposite side of the region of inhomogeneity to provide the current carriers propagation in multiple directions in the ballistic region with a wide angular range of these directions.
US07820996B2
A nonvolatile memory device using a resistance material and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The nonvolatile memory device includes a switching element, and a data storage part electrically connected to the switching element. In the data storage part, a lower electrode is connected to the switching element, and an insulating layer is formed on the lower electrode to a predetermined thickness. The insulating layer has a contact hole exposing the lower electrode. A data storage layer is filled in the contact hole and the data storage layer is formed of transition metal oxide. An upper electrode is formed on the insulating layer and the data storage layer.
US07820993B2
The invention relates to a multi-layered radiation protection wall for shielding against gamma and/or particle radiation of a reaction site of an accelerator facility, wherein the radiation protection wall comprises a sandwich-like structure with at least a first and a second layer arrangement, wherein the first layer arrangement has at least a primary shielding layer and the second layer arrangement has at least a secondary shielding layer. Thereby, at least one of the first and the second layer arrangements is sub-divided into a plurality of wall segments, whereby a selective disposal is made possible. Thus an increased cost efficiency is achieved and the environmental impact is lowered.
US07820989B2
A method is provided for determining and monitoring parameters of a radiation treatment. The method comprises producing a first image of a region of a patient body to be radiated using a medical imaging process, determining a parameter setting of a radiation system using the first image, and providing the radiation treatment to the body region to be radiated using the radiation system with the determined parameter setting. The method further comprises producing a second image of the body region radiated with the parameter setting, automatically comparing the first image and the second image, and generating a deviation signal when a difference between the first image and the second image exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
US07820982B2
Disclosed is a moon grid for transmission electron microscopy tomography, including a mesh sheet for protecting an upper objects and a support film formed on the mesh sheet and having nanoparticles dispersed throughout, in which the nanoparticles dispersed throughout the support film are used as reference points in the reconstruction of two-dimensional transmission electron microscopy images into a three-dimensional image, thus omitting a process of attaching markers in the course of preparation of a sample and easily forming reference points even on a sample to which it is impossible to attach markers. A method of fabricating such a moon grid is also provided.
US07820977B2
A method of improving energy determination of a Gamma event which interacts with a segmented scintillation detector, the method comprising: identifying radiation events detected by a detector that are likely not to have deposited their full energy in the detector, based only on characteristics of said detected events; and treating the identified radiation events differently from other radiation events that are likely to have deposited their full energy in the detector.
US07820974B2
A method of assembling a detector includes conditioning a rare-earth halide scintillator crystal in a sealed container, wherein the conditioning process includes heating the scintillator crystal, reducing the pressure within the sealed container for an evacuation period while heating, and flowing a purging gas through the sealed container for a flowing duration while heating. The method further includes assembling a detector comprising the scintillator crystal in an assembly environment comprising an inert gas.
US07820973B2
A method of identifying the energy range of radiation includes a system having a detector with energy differentiation characteristics, an electronic amplifier of a dual energy window, a data acquisition card, a digital threshold controller, a database, and a radiation energy range display. The system calculates the energy range of radiation through logical comparison, condition correction and mathematical fitting.
US07820971B2
A detector of incident infrared radiation has a first region with a first spectral response, and a second region with a second, different spectral response. The second absorption region is stacked on the first and may be separated therefrom by a region in which the chemical composition of the compound semiconductor is graded. Separate contacts are provided to the first and second absorption regions and a further common contact is provided so as to permit the application of either a bias voltage or a skimming voltage across the respective pn junctions. The detector may be operated such that a preselected one of the absorption regions responds to incident infrared radiation of a predetermined waveband while the other absorption region acts as a skimmer of dark current, thereby enhancing the signal to noise ratio of the detector.
US07820969B2
A target with a thermal imaging system comprising a layer of corrugated plastic, a layer of bifurcated metallic foil, a layer of clear plastic, a wire grid, two strips of carbon tape, a front cover sheet, and a power lead. The layer of bifurcated metallic foil is situated on top of the layer of corrugated plastic. The layer of clear plastic is situated on top of the layer of bifurcated metallic foil. The wire grid is situated on top of the layer of clear plastic. One strip of carbon tape is adhered to the right side of the wire grid, and the other strip of carbon tape is adhered to the left side of the wire grid. The power lead is connected to the carbon tape. The front cover sheet is adhered to the target so that it covers the wire grid and carbon tape.
US07820966B2
A mass spectrometer is disclosed comprising a High Pressure Liquid Chromatography system (10) which is interfaced to a combustion chamber (16) and isotope ratio mass analyser (19) by means of an Electrospray Ionisation ion source (11) and a Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometry device (13). Analyte and solvent molecules are ionised by the ion source (11). Desired analyte ions are substantially onwardly transmitted by the Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometry device (13) to the combustion chamber (16) whereas undesired solvent ions are substantially attenuated by the Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometry device (13).
US07820964B2
A composition adapted for mass spectral analysis is disclosed as are methods of its use in mass spectral analyses. A contemplated composition contains a mass spectrally-determinable amount of each of (i) at least one analyte to be assayed and (ii) a standard compound. Each of the molecules of the standard compound contains one or the other of a pair of two stable isotopes of the same element that differ in molecular weight by at least two atomic mass units. Those two isotopes are present in the molecules of the standard compound in a predetermined ratio that is other than the naturally occurring ratio of those isotopes.
US07820963B2
A method for identifying a biological analyte that is affected by a stressor is disclosed in which two substantially identical biological samples are provided, with a first sample being a control sample and a second sample being an experimental sample. The control sample is grown with a nutrient having an isotope of a first atom, whereas the experimental sample is grown with a nutrient having a second isotope of the first atom. The experimental sample is grown with a stressing agent and regimen. The samples are admixed, and the formed composite is mass spectroscopically assayed for analyte peaks. The ratio of first isotope to second isotope is determined for the peaks, as is a sample median isotopic ratio. The ratio for assayed analyte peaks is compared with the median ratio. An analyte whose isotopic ratio significantly deviates from the median ratio is an analyte affected by the stressing agent.
US07820960B2
The subject matter described herein includes methods, systems, and computer program products for measuring the density of a sample construction material. According to one aspect, a nuclear density gauge is disclosed for measuring the density of a sample construction material. The material measurement gauge includes a radiation source positioned for emitting radiation into a sample construction material. A radiation detector is positioned apart from the radiation source and configured to detect radiation from the sample construction material and to produce a signal representing the detected radiation. A non-nuclear moisture property detector is configured to determine a moisture property of the sample construction material and to produce a signal representing the moisture property. A material property calculation function is configured to calculate a property value associated with the sample construction material based upon the signals representing the detected radiation and the moisture property.
US07820959B2
A photodetector to be incorporated in an optical pickup device, comprising: a photodiode that a laser light emitted from a laser diode is applied to and that outputs a signal corresponding to light amount of the laser light; and a translucent resin member configured to cover the photodiode, including a light receiving portion that the laser light is applied to and that causes the laser light to be applied to the photodiode, and a peripheral portion provided around the light receiving portion, the light receiving portion being smaller in thickness than the peripheral portion.
US07820957B2
This optical encoder includes a light emitting section and a plurality of light receiving elements placed so as to be aligned in one direction in an area where a light beam from the light emitting section may reach. The moving object includes a light-ON section and a light-OFF section. The light receiving element detects movement of the moving object when the light-ON section and the light-OFF section of the moving object pass through a predetermined position corresponding to the light receiving element A light receiving signal processing section receives inputs of a plurality of light receiving signals with different phases from a plurality of the light receiving elements, performs signal processing including at least one signal processing among a logical operation processing, an addition processing, and a subtraction processing on a plurality of the light receiving signals, and outputs an output signal containing a plurality of signal components which are different in phase and different in signal level with respect to a predetermined threshold level.
US07820953B2
There is provided a microwave oven. In the microwave oven, a screw covering part is protruded toward an inside of a waveguide for an installation of a motor, a convergence preventing part is formed at a portion of a cavity with a shape corresponding to that of the screw covering part and at a location corresponding to that of the screw covering part, and an elevated portion formed by modifying a portion of the cavity in order to uniformly distribute microwave scattered by a stirrer fan. Therefore, the microwave can be distributed more uniformly about the cavity and thereby food can be cooked more evenly and speedily.
US07820950B2
The invention relates to a pressure-sensitive supporting material, which can be (intrinsically) heated by an inner heat source, and to the use thereof. The heatable supporting material is characterized in that the supporting material comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer inside of which heat is generated. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is a pressure-sensitive adhesive compound, which can be heated by electric current, induction, a chemical reaction or by a physical phase transition. The heatable supporting material has a high heating capacity and is suited for producing pressure-sensitive tapes for adhering heatable mirrors.
US07820947B2
A cooking appliance for cooking a foodstuff over a period of time including a shell having a heating cavity and a heating element to heat the heating cavity. A container is removably positionable within the heating cavity and includes a food cavity for receiving the foodstuff. A temperature probe is removably insertable into the foodstuff and a controller is mounted to the shell. The controller controls operation of the cooking appliance in a probe mode wherein the temperature probe is inserted into the foodstuff and transmits foodstuff temperatures to the controller for controlling the heating of the foodstuff, a program mode wherein the controller actuates the heating element to heat the container at a temperature for a selected amount of time and subsequently at a lower temperature and a manual mode wherein the controller actuates the heating element to heat the container at a selected temperature.
US07820942B1
An automatic leveling fixture includes a base, at least one jaw slidably connected to the base, a base plate slidable relative to the base. The at least one jaw has a base plate camming surface engaging the base plate and causing the at least one jaw to move a preselected distance relative to a distance moved by the base plate.
US07820940B2
A laser engraving mechanism (100) for engraving a workpiece (16) includes an image receiver (12), an image processor (13), an engraving controller (14), and a laser emitting member (15). The image receiver screens the workpiece to form an image of the workpiece and transforms the image of the workpiece into electronic image signals. The image processor is connected to the image receiver. The image processor saves a group of datum coordinates, forms a group of engraving coordinates according to the electronic image signals, and compares the engraving coordinates with the datum coordinates. The engraving controller is connected to the image processor. The laser emitting member is connected to the engraving controller, and the engraving controller instructs the laser emitting member to engrave the workpiece based on a comparison of results between the engraving coordinates and the datum coordinates.
US07820933B2
A circuit breaker comprises a puffer volume (9) and at least one overpressure valve (16) for discharging gas from the puffer volume (9), if the pressure therein exceeds a given threshold. The overpressure valve (16) is formed by a piston (17) and a spring (19) as well as by a cavity (18) in the stationary support body (10) of the moveable contact assembly (2). The overpressure valve (16) is of compact and simple design, has low hysteresis and large cross-section.
US07820931B2
A device includes a trigger arrangement activating a function of the device. The trigger arrangement includes a trigger mechanism movable between a first position and a second position. The device also includes a feedback mechanism exerting a force biasing the trigger mechanism to the first position. The feedback mechanism produces a tactile feedback response when the trigger mechanism is moved from the first position.
US07820922B2
This disclosure is directed to electrical connectors, and more specifically to various types of electrical connectors, including an offset nipple connector assembly having an integrally formed connector body having opposed end openings provided with an outer surface that slopes downwardly toward the outlet opening and having a complementary sloping or frustro-conical, snap fit, outer, retaining ring with locking tangs for snap locking the end portion of the connector body to an associated electric box or panel, and grounding tangs engaging the inner periphery of a knock out hole of an electric box or panel for effecting a positive electrical ground therebetween.
US07820915B2
A tinsel wire is provided, which has a high mechanical strength as an electric power supplying conductor wire, hardly breaks with respect to a vibration of the diaphragm, has small dynamic resistance even in a vibrating atmosphere, has excellent flexing characteristics, thereby improving quality and reliability as a product, enables a thin designing of a product, and increases the freedom of the designing. The tinsel wire includes an assembled wire which includes a plurality of element wires each including core threads and a metal foil wound up around the core threads, the plurality of the element wires twisted, bundled or woven together constituting the assembled wire, wherein a cross section of the tinsel wire has a shape of a polygon selected from the group consisting of a quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon and octagon.
US07820913B2
The present invention provides a bonding wire improved in formability of a ball part, improved in bondability, good in loop controllability, improved in bonding strength of a wedge connection, securing industrial production ability as well, and mainly comprised of copper which is more inexpensive than gold wire, that is, provides a bonding wire for a semiconductor device comprised of a bonding wire having a core material having copper as its main ingredient and a surface covering layer over the core material and of a conductive metal of a composition different from the core material, characterized in that the surface covering layer has as its main ingredients two or more types of metals selected from gold, palladium, platinum, rhodium, silver, and nickel and the surface covering layer has a concentration gradient of one or both of a main ingredient metal or copper in the wire radial direction.
US07820891B1
A novel maize variety designated PHV6K and seed, plants and plant parts thereof. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprise crossing maize variety PHV6K with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PHV6K through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. Hybrid maize seed, plant or plant part produced by crossing the variety PHV6K or a trait conversion of PHV6K with another maize variety. Inbred maize varieties derived from maize variety PHV6K, methods for producing other inbred maize varieties derived from maize variety PHV6K and the inbred maize varieties and their parts derived by the use of those methods.
US07820884B2
The invention relates to a diploid watermelon having fruit with approximately ⅓ lower sugar content than common watermelons found in the market place, and plant characteristics favorable for use as a pollenizer for commercial production of seedless watermelons. In addition to reduced sugar, fruit characteristics of the invention include a tough rind, firm flesh, distinct rind color, and small fruit. The watermelon plant of the invention has the characteristics of extended flowering duration, thin leaves, and long sprawling vines. The invention combining the above mentioned fruit and plant characteristics can serve the dual purpose of producing reduced sugar watermelon fruit, and pollinating seedless watermelons. This will in effect produce reduced sugar watermelons which are beneficial for consumers with type 2 diabetes as a byproduct of commercial seedless watermelon production making the product more economically feasible.
US07820880B2
Compositions and methods to stack multiple nucleotide sequences of interest in the genome of a plant
Methods and compositions for the stacking of multiple nucleotide sequences at precise locations in the genome of a plant or plant cell are provided. Specifically, transfer cassettes comprising nucleotide sequences of interest flanked by non-identical recombination sites are introduced into a plant comprising a target site. The target site contains at least a set of non-identical recombination sites corresponding to those on the transfer cassette. Exchange of the nucleotide sequences flanked by the recombination sites is effected by a recombinase. The transfer cassettes and target sites are designed so as to allow for the stacking or ordering of nucleotide sequences at precise locations in the plant genome.
US07820876B2
The invention concerns a non-human mammal carrying a mutation in the gene coding for the alpha6 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), said mutation preventing expression of said nAChR alpha6 subunit in a functional form in the mammal.The invention also concerns synaptosome preparations obtained from said animals and cell cultures obtained by mutation of the alpha6 subunit as defined above.
US07820875B2
Absorbent articles having a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between said topsheet and said backsheet are disclosed. The backsheet has a physical variation along at least one axis, wherein said physical variation defines a first backsheet zone and a second backsheet zone, and at least one elastomeric element having at least one primary direction of stretch, said elastomeric element at least partially overlapping and joined to first and/or second backsheet zone, wherein a relaxed pathlength of said elastomeric element in the primary direction of stretch is less than a total pathlength of said backsheet in the region of overlap. The physical variation is a measurable difference as measured by a physical property selected from the group consisting of basis weight, thickness and density.
US07820870B2
A method, apparatus and system for the transferring a container for receiving high level radioactive waste into and/or out of a pool. The instant invention utilizes a specially designed container in order to make effective use of a stand placed within the pool. In one embodiment, the invention is a system for transferring high level radioactive waste comprising: a container for receiving high level radioactive waste, the container having a support structure; a stand comprising a cavity for receiving the container and an opening forming a passageway into the cavity; wherein the support structure is sized, shaped and/or arranged so that: (i) when the container is substantially vertically oriented in a first rotational position, the support structure can not pass through the opening due to contact between the support structure and the stand; and (ii) when the substantially vertically oriented container is rotated an angle about a vertical axis to a second rotational position, the support structure can pass through the opening in an unobstructed manner.
US07820869B2
Adsorbents and methods for the adsorptive separation of para-xylene from a mixture containing at least one other C8 aromatic hydrocarbon (e.g., a mixture of ortho-xylene, meta-xylene, para-xylene, and ethylbenzene) are described. Suitable binderless adsorbents (e.g., formulated with the substantial absence of an amorphous material that normally reduces selective pore volume), particularly those with a water content from about 3% to about 5.5% by weight, improve capacity and/or mass transfer. These properties are especially advantageous for improving productivity in low temperature, low cycle time adsorptive separation operations in a simulated moving bed mode.
US07820866B2
An improved process for the manufacture of a polyphenol compound such as bisphenol-A by introducing into a reaction zone a phenolic compound reactant, a carbonyl compound reactant, and a catalyst promoter comprising bismethylthiopropane added to the reaction system in certain specific locations, and reacting the ingredients within the reaction zone in the presence of an acid catalyst.
US07820864B2
Novel processes for preparing arylsulfur pentafluorides are disclosed. Processes include reacting at least one aryl sulfur compound with a halogen and a fluoro salt to form an arylsulfur halotetrafluoride. The arylsulfur halotetrafluoride is reacted with a fluoride source to form a target arylsulfur pentafluoride.
US07820861B2
A substitute aniline compound represented by the following formula (6): wherein, R1, R2 and R3 are each independently an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an alkoxyalkyl group, a haloalkyl group, a carboxyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an alkyl-carboxamide group, a nitro group, an aryl group, an arylalkyl group, an aryloxy group, a halogen atom or a hydrogen atom; and X and Y are each independently a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an alkoxyalkyl group, a haloalkyl group, a carboxyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group or halogen. A process for producing the compound formula (6) is also discussed.
US07820853B2
This invention provides an integrated three step economical process for the production of vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) from acetic acid in the vapor phase. First, acetic acid is selectively hydrogenated over a hydrogenating catalyst composition to form ethyl acetate which is cracked to form ethylene and acetic acid in the second step and in a subsequent step so formed ethylene and acetic acid is reacted with molecular oxygen over a suitable catalyst to form VAM. In an embodiment of this invention reaction of acetic acid and hydrogen over platinum and copper supported on silica selectively produces ethyl acetate in a vapor phase at a temperature of about 250° C., which is cracked over a NAFION catalyst to form ethylene and acetic acid at a temperature of about 185° C., which is mixed with molecular oxygen and reacted over a palladium/gold/potassium catalyst supported on titania to form VAM at a temperature of about 150° C. to 170° C.
US07820849B2
A process is provided, in particular a continuous process for the carbonylation of butadiene by reacting the butadiene with carbon monoxide and a hydroxyl group-containing compound in the presence of a palladium catalyst system in a reaction zone to form a reaction mixture, said catalyst system comprising (a) a source of palladium cations, (b) a mono-, bi- or multidentate phosphine ligand, containing at least one phosphorus atom which is directly bound to two or three aliphatic carbon atoms, as process ligand to produce a palladium-phosphine ligand complex catalyst, and (c) a source of anions, said process ligand (b) containing the moiety shown in formula (I), wherein A1 and A2 each represent an aliphatic carbon atom which can be connected to one or more aliphatic or aromatic carbon atoms or both A1 and A2 are part of an at least 5-membered ring including the phosphorus atom, and X represents an aliphatic or aromatic carbon atom which can be connected to one or more aliphatic or aromatic carbon atoms or X is part of an organic bridging group connecting another identically or differently substituted phosphorus atom, and said source of anions (c) containing a carboxylic acid and, optionally, halide ions, wherein said process ligand is fed continuously or periodically to the process as ligand make-up at a temperature 50° C. or lower.
US07820848B2
A novel process for the preparation of resveratrol and piceatannol and esters thereof involving a Heck type reaction is disclosed. Also disclosed are novel intermediates in that process.
US07820847B2
The present invention relates to butenoic acid derivatives of the formula I: in which R, R1, R2 and R3 are as defined in the description, and also to processes for the preparation thereof, to pharmaceutical compositions comprising them and to their use for the treatment of dyslipidaemia, atherosclerosis and diabetes.
US07820845B2
The invention describes a process for preparing propoxylated, phosphorus-containing compounds using aluminium chloride catalyst.
US07820844B2
The present invention discloses conjugated compounds containing heteroatom-centered arylsilane derivatives and their applications as host materials, electron transport materials, or hole transport materials in an organic electroluminescent device. The general structure of the conjugated compounds containing heteroatom-centered arylsilane derivatives is as follows: where X1, X2, X3, and X4 can be identical or different and X1, X2, X3, and X4 are independently selected from the group consisting of the following: H, B, N, P═O, Si—R9; and R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, and R9 can be identical or different and R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, and R9 are independently selected from aryl group or heterocyclic aryl group containing one or more substituents.
US07820837B2
The present invention aims at providing a novel fused ring compound having a GPR40 receptor function modulating action and being useful as an insulin secretagogue or a pharmaceutical agent for the prophylaxis or treatment of diabetes, more particularly, a compound represented by the formula: wherein Ar is an optionally substituted cyclic group, ring A is a ring optionally further substituted (provided that the ring is not thiazole, oxazole, imidazole and pyrazole), Xa and Xb are each independently a bond or a spacer having a main chain of 1 to 5 atom(s), Xc is O, S, SO or SO2, ring B is a 5- to 7-membered ring, Xd is a bond, CH or CH2, is a single bond when Xd is a bond or CH2, or a double bond when Xd is CH, and R1 is an optionally substituted hydroxy group, and a salt thereof.
US07820819B2
The present invention provides 2,4-pyrimidinediamine compounds that inhibit the IgE and/or IgG receptor signaling cascades that lead to the release of chemical mediators, intermediates and methods of synthesizing the compounds and methods of using the compounds in a variety of contexts, including in the treatment and prevention of diseases characterized by, caused by or associated with the release of chemical mediators via degranulation and other processes effected by activation of the IgE and/or IgG receptor signaling cascades.
US07820816B2
The present invention provides 3-benzyloxy-2-aminopyridine (BOPA), 3-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-9-hydoxy-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine-4-one (HMBP), 3-(2-Chloroethyl)-2-methyl-9-hydoxy-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine-4-one (CMHP) and 3-(2-chloroethyl)-6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-9-hydroxy-2-methyl-4H-pyrrido[1,2-a]-pyrimidin-4-one (CMHTP) useful as intermediates for the preparation of paliperidone. The present invention also provides processes for preparing these intermediates and for preparing paliperidone.
US07820810B2
The present invention provides an improved process for the synthesis of 2′-O-substituted purine nucleosides. The process includes anhydro or thioanhydro ring opening of a selected 8,2′-cyclopurine nucleoside with a weak nucleophile in the presence of a Lewis acid ester, followed by reduction to afford the desired 2′-O-substituted purine nucleoside.
US07820803B2
The invention relates to immobilized phosphatidic acid probes which can be used to identify important proteins for signal transduction, housekeeping and diagnosis.
US07820791B2
The invention relates to an isolated or recombinant Na+/H+ exchanger comprising an isolated or recombinant Na+/H+ exchanger, particularly to the PBO-4 Na+/H+ exchanger. Also disclosed is an isolated or recombinant protein component of an H+-gated channel which can be affected by extracellular Ca2+ concentration. In particular, the invention relates to PBO-5 and/or PBO-8 and/or a H+-gated channel composed of PBO-5 and PBO-8. The invention relates to compounds isolated from a vertebrate organism, wherein said compounds comprise at least a part of a H+-gated channel or Na+/H+ exchanger. The invention also relates to a method for identifying a component of a H+-gated channel in a vertebrate organism.
US07820790B2
Polypeptides comprising monomer domains that bind to IL-6, or portions thereof, are provided.
US07820786B2
Aspects of the present invention are related to a synthetic polypeptide comprising a plurality of different segments from one or more parent polypeptides, linked together in such a way that is different from their linkage in the one or more parent polypeptides, in such way as to impede, abrogate or otherwise alter at least one function associated with the linkage in the one or more parent polypeptides, and in such a way that their product is not similar in function and/or structure to at least a portion of the one or more parent polypeptides. Additional aspects include a synthetic polynucleotide encoding the synthetic polypeptide, methods of production, a synthetic construct and methods of using the synthetic polypeptide, nucleotide construct and compositions comprising the above. Another aspect is directed towards a computer program product for designing these synthetic polypeptides and polynucleotides.
US07820781B2
A polymer additive for improving the reheat characteristics of a polymer or polymeric composition comprises an inorganic material which is such that a 2.5 mm thick polyethylene terephthalate plaque incorporating the inorganic material has, when tested, an absorption ratio of less than 0.9, wherein the absorption ratio is either the ratio of A1/A2 or the ratio A1/A3, wherein: A1 is the maximum absorption between 400 nm and 550 nm; A2 is the maximum absorption between 700 to 1100 nm; A3 is the maximum absorption between 700 to 1600 nm. Preferred inorganic materials are titanium nitride, indium tin oxide and lanthanum hexaboride.
US07820770B2
Crosslinkable organosilicon compositions with controllable modulus can be prepared using organosilicon compounds composed of units of the formula (HO)aRbSiO(4-a-b)/2 (I), where R is identical or different and is a monovalent, optionally substituted hydrocarbon radical optionally interrupted by heteroatoms, a is 0 or 1, and b is 0, 1, 2 or 3, with the proviso that the organosilicon compound has a single unit of the formula (I) where a=1, and has a viscosity of from 5 to 1000 mPas at 25° C.
US07820765B2
A functionalized polymer includes a polymer chain and, bonded thereto, an functional group having the general formula —NHAR1 where A is an oxygen atom, a sulfinyl (thionyl) group, a sulfonyl group, a quaternary phosphonium group, or a secondary amino group and where R1 is a hydrogen atom or a moiety of the general formula —CH2Z where Z is H or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl, alkyl, alkenyl, alkenaryl, aralkenyl, alkaryl, or aralkyl group. The material can be the reaction product of a living polymer and a compound that includes protected imine functionality. The functional group can interact with particulate filler such as, e.g., carbon black.
US07820759B2
A novel micellar preparation in which the solubility of a sparingly water-soluble anticancer agent has been heightened and which after intravenous administration, enables a high blood concentration to be maintained. The preparation has high medicinal activity and/or is reduced in side effects. The micellar preparation is formed from a block copolymer represented by the following general formula (1): [wherein R1 represents hydrogen or C1-5 alkyl; R2 represents C1-5 alkylene; R3 represents methylene or ethylene; R4 represents hydrogen or C1-4 acyl; R5 represents hydroxyl, optionally substituted aryl C2-8 alkoxyl, substituted C1-4 alkylamino, or amino having a residue of either an amino acid or a peptide derivative; n is an integer of 5 to 1,000; m is an integer of 2 to 300; and x is an integer of 1 to 300; provided that the proportion of hydroxy in the R5's is 0 to 99% and x is not larger than m] and a sparingly water-soluble anticancer agent.
US07820755B2
A resin based fluorescent paint with decreased drying time and improved fluorescent durability is formulated from a resin present in a concentration of about 55 percent to about 65 percent, by weight, an active solvent, for and compatible with the resin, present in a concentration of about 5 percent to about 10 percent, by weight, a gelative additive present in a concentration of about 1 percent to about 5 percent, by weight, a rheological additive present in a concentration of about 1 percent to about 5 percent, by weight, an anti-skinning additive present in a concentration of about 1 percent to about 5 percent, by weight, a fluorescent pigment present in a concentration of about 20 percent to about 30 percent, by weight, a synthetic drier in a concentration of less than 1 percent, by weight, and a wetting agent in a concentration of about less than 1 percent, by weight. The paint of the present invention is particularly suited for the purpose of detection of vibration loosening or tampering.
US07820750B2
The present invention herein provides silica powder which can be incorporated into a sealing material at a high content to thus give a sealing material having excellent moldability. The silica powder at least has, in the volume-based frequency distribution of particle size as determined by the laser diffraction-scattering technique, a maximum frequency value for a mode peak 1present in a particle size range extending from 1 to 4 μm and a maximum frequency value for a mode peak 2 present in a particle size range extending from 15 to 55 μm, wherein the maximum frequency value for the mode peak 2 is greater than that for the mode peak 1, the mode peak 2 has a shoulder, and the content of particles whose particle size ranges from 15 to 55 μm is larger than that of particles whose particle size ranges from 1 to 4 μm.
US07820747B2
An aqueous composition that includes (A) a butadiene polymer latex that is prepared by an emulsion polymerization in the presence of a styrene sulfonate stabilizer and (B) a phenolic resin. A preferred aqueous butadiene polymer latex is one that is prepared by emulsion polymerization of at least 60 weight percent dichlorobutadiene monomer (based on the amount of total monomers used to form the butadiene polymer), in the presence of a styrene sulfonate stabilizer.
US07820737B2
The present invention describes a new approach to producing hybrid composite materials with multiscale morphologies. We doped polymer submicrometer spheres with semiconductor or metal (e.g. CdS or Ag, respectively) nanoparticles and used these doped microspheres as the functional building blocks in production of hybrid periodically structured materials. The preparation of hybrid polymer particles included the following stages: (i) synthesis of monodisperse polymer microspheres, (ii) in-situ synthesis of the inorganic nanoparticles either on the surface, or in the bulk of the polymer beads, and (iii) encapsulation of hybrid microspheres with a hydrophobic shell. We demonstrated that by changing the composition of the polymer beads good control could be achieved over the size of the nanoparticles.
US07820728B2
The present invention pertains to carpet and methods of making and recycling carpet. In one aspect, the carpet includes: a primary backing which has a face and a back surface; a plurality of fibers attached to the primary backing and extending from the face of the primary backing and exposed at the back surface of the primary backing; an adhesive composition backing; and an optional secondary backing adjacent to the adhesive backing. The method of making carpet includes extrusion coating the adhesive composition onto the back surface of a primary backing to form the adhesive composition backing. The method of recycling carpet can recover one or more polymeric carpet components.
US07820716B2
The present invention is directed to two new polymorph Form V and Form F of desvenlafaxine succinate, to processes of their preparations, pharmaceutical composition comprising such materials and their use in therapy. Form V is prepared from recrystallizing desvenlafaxine succinate in a mixture of tetrahydrofuran and ethanol. Form F is obtained from recrystallization of desvenlafaxine succinate in a mixture of cyclohexane and polar solvents such as ethanol, THF, methanol or isopropyl alcohol.
US07820715B2
Crystals comprising (2R)-2-propyloctoic acid and an amine which retain the pharmacological effect of (2R)-2-propyloctoic acid and can be safely used as a medicinal raw drug for peroral solid preparations. Of these crystals, the crystals especially with dibenzylamine are advantageous because not only the crystals themselves are useful as a medicinal raw drug but also use of the crystals as an intermediate can yield (2R)-2-propyloctoic acid having an optical purity exceeding 99.5% e.e., which has not been obtained hitherto.
US07820706B2
A method of inducing ovulation in a female suffering from anovulatory infertility which comprises administering to said female two or more daily doses of at least one aromatase inhibitor. A method for augmenting ovulation in an ovulating female suffering from unexplained infertility or another type of ovulatory infertility which comprises administering to said female two or more daily doses of at least one aromatase inhibitor early in one or more menstrual cycles. A method of substantially reducing dosage levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) for administration to a female undergoing infertility treatment which comprises administering a combination of two or more daily doses of at least one aromatase inhibitor (AI) with a plurality of daily doses of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). A method of increasing response to a follicle stimulating hormone from a female who is a poor responder to follicle stimulation, which comprises administering a combination of two or more daily doses or at least one aromatase inhibitor (AI) with a plurality of daily doses of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Also disclosed are related pharmaceutical preparations and uses.
US07820704B2
The present invention provides substituted heteroaryl derivatives of Formula (I), methods of their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds of Formula (I), and methods of use in treating human or animal disorders. The compounds of the invention can be useful as inhibitors of action of AgRP on a melanocortin receptor and thus can be useful for the management, treatment, control, or the adjunct treatment of diseases which may be responsive to the modulation of melanocortin receptors including obesity-related disorders.
US07820703B2
The present invention is directed to compositions comprising lysophosphatidic acid analogs and methods of using such analogs as agonist or antagonists of LPA receptor activity. In addition the invention is directed to LPA receptor agonists that vary in the degree of selectivity at individual LPA receptors (i.e. LPA1, LPA2 and LPA3). More particularly the present invention is directed to LPA analogs wherein the glycerol is replaced with ethanolamine and a variety of substitutions have been linked at the second carbon atom.
US07820697B2
1-Oxo- and 1,3-dioxo-2-(2,6-dioxopiperidin-3-yl)isoindolines substituted in the 4- and/or 7-position of the isoindoline ring and optionally further substituted in the 3-position of the 2,6-dioxopiperidine ring reduce the levels of inflammatory cytokines such as TNFα in a mammal. A typical embodiment is 1,3-dioxo-2-(2,6-dioxopiperidin-3-yl)-4-methylisoindoline.
US07820692B2
A kind of tetrahydro isoquinoline derivatives (I), their preparation methods, medicine compositions and medicinal uses thereof, especially their uses as κ-opioid receptor excitant in pain relieving, which belongs to the medicine chemistry. The substituents R1, R2, R3, R4 of general formula (I) are defined as the description.
US07820684B2
Pharmaceutical formulations comprising salts of a protein kinase inhibitor and methods of using same
The present invention relates to pharmaceutical formulations comprising the protein kinase inhibitor, MP470, and methods of using same in treating conditions involving undesirable cell proliferation, such as cancer.
US07820678B2
Provided are methods of increasing hydration of mucosal surfaces by topically administering sodium channel blocking pyrazinoylguanidine compounds.
US07820676B2
Drug delivery systems have been developed based on the formation of diketopiperazine carboxylate salts and microparticles containing the same. The systems may further comprise a bioactive agent. Related methods for making and using the biologically active agent delivery compositions are also provided. In certain embodiments, the pharmaceutically acceptable salts described can be formed by removal of solvent by methods including distillation, evaporation, spray drying or lyophilization.
US07820672B2
The compounds are indolylmaleimide derivatives comprising either a substituted pyridyl or indolyl residue. The compounds have interesting pharmaceutical properties, e.g. in the treatment and/or prevention of T-cell mediated acute or chronic inflammatory diseases or disorders, autoimmune diseases, or acute or chronic transplant rejection.
US07820668B2
The present invention relates to diazabenzo[de]anthracen-3-one compounds which inhibit poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (“PARP”), compositions containing these compounds and methods for using these PARP inhibitors to treat, prevent and/or ameliorate the effects of the conditions described herein.
US07820658B2
Compounds of formula (1) are inhibitors of HSP90 activity in vitro or in vivo, and of use in the treatment of inter alia, Cancer: wherein R2 is a group of formula —(Ar1)m-(Alk1)P-(Z)r-(Alk 2)S-Q wherein Ar1 is an optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl radical, Alk′ and Alk 2 are optionally substituted divalent C1-C3 alkylene or C2-C3 alkenylene radicals, m, p, r and s are independently 0 or 1, Z is —O—, —S—, —(C═O)—, —(C═S)—, —SO2—, —C(═O)O—, —C(═O)NRA—, —C(═S)NRA—, —SO2NRA—, —NRAC(═O)_, —NRASO2- or —NRA—wherein RA is hydrogen or C1-C6 alkyl, and Q is hydrogen or an optionally substituted carbocyclic or heterocyclic radical; R3 is hydrogen, an optional substituent, or an optionally substituted (C1-C6)alkyl, aryl or heteroaryl radical; and R4 is a carboxylic ester, carboxamide or sulfonamide group.
US07820657B2
Compounds, compositions and methods are provided for modulating the activity of receptor kinases and for the treatment, prevention, or amelioration of one or more symptoms of disease or disorder mediated by receptor kinases.
US07820651B2
Preparation of antimicrobial formulations using 7-oxa-2-thia-1,5-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-2,2-dione
Use of 7-oxa-2-thia-1,5-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-2,2-dione (“cyclotaurolidin”) for the preparation of antimicrobial formulations, in particular antimicrobial solutions for technical or medical purposes and of aqueous lock solutions for catheters and port systems for preventing infections and sepsis of patients.
US07820649B2
Disclosed herein are quinazolinone or isoquinolinone derivatives of formula I, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts or solvates thereof, wherein each of the substituents is given the definition as set forth in the specification and claims. Also disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions comprising quinazolinone or isoquinolinone according to the present invention and its use in therapy.
US07820641B2
The present invention pertains, at least in part, to novel substituted tetracycline compounds. These tetracycline compounds can be used to treat numerous tetracycline compound-responsive states, such as bacterial infections and neoplasms, as well as other known applications for minocycline and tetracycline compounds in general, such as blocking tetracycline efflux and modulation of gene expression.
US07820639B2
Ophthalmic compositions are provided that include a lubricant, a deturgescent agent, a glycosaminoglycan, and water. Methods of using the ophthalmic compositions are also provided.
US07820631B2
A nucleoside analogue compound is provided which has a six-membered aromatic ring system, the aromatic ring system being substituted in the para position with an unbranched unsubstituted alkyl or alkoxy moiety, wherein the alkyl or alkoxy moiety, in total, has from 3 to 8 carbon atoms. This compound shows anti-vira1 activity, for example with respect to varicella zoster virus and can thus be used in therapeutic methods for the prophylaxis and treatment of viral infections such as varicella zoster virus.
US07820628B2
The present invention discloses that an intratumoral injection of: i) glycolipids with α-gal epitope; ii) gene vectors comprising an α1,3galactosyltransferase gene; or iii) a mixture of α1,3galactosyltransferase, neuraminidase, and uridine diphosphate galactose results in tumor regression and/or destruction. Binding of the natural anti-Gal antibody to de novo expressed tumoral α-gal epitopes induces inflammation resulting in an anti-Gal antibody mediated opsonization of tumor cells and their uptake by antigen presenting cells. These antigen presenting cells migrate to draining lymph nodes and activate tumor specific T cells thereby converting the treated tumor lesions into in situ autologous tumor vaccines. This therapy can be applied to patients with multiple lesions and in neo-adjuvant therapy to patients before tumor resection. In addition to the regression and/or destruction of the treated tumor, such a vaccine will help in the immune mediated destruction of micrometastases that are not detectable during the removal of the treated tumor.
US07820622B2
TNF binding polypeptides based on human tetranectin C-type lectin like domains (CTLD) with improved binding characteristics and improved efficacy. The polypeptides comprise a TNF binding domain having the amino acid sequence KRWS-RYF (SEQ ID NO:1). Also provided are methods of preparing the polypeptides of the invention. The polypeptides may be used for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions, and for treatment of a subject having a pathology mediated by TNF, such as treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
US07820620B2
Cripto, a developmental oncoprotein, antagonizes activin and TGF-b signaling by forming a complex with activin and TGF-b and their type II receptors. This complex precludes the formation of a functional activin/TGF-b•type II•type I complex, thereby blocking the signaling of activin and TGF-b. Cripto may be generally capable of blocking antiproliferative Smad2/3 signals and provides a novel mechanism of oncogenic action with multiple therapeutic implications. Inhibiting the formation of Cripto and activin/TGF-b complex may enhance antiproliferative effects of activin and TGF-b.
US07820617B2
The invention relates to the field of immunology. Specifically, the invention relates to the field of immune-mediated disorders such as allergies, auto-immune disease, transplantation-related disease or inflammatory disease. The invention provides for an immunoregulator (IR), use of an IR in preparing a pharmaceutical composition for treating an immune-mediated disorder and a method for treating an immune-mediated disorder.
US07820610B2
An alkaline laundry detergent for hand washing a fabric contains a sudsing surfactant, a polyethyleneimine suds collapser having the empirical formula (PEI)a(EO)b(PO)c where a is about 100-100,000, b is about 0-60, and c is about from 0-60, and a pH control system When diluted to form a laundry liquor and during washing the pH control system maintains the pH of the laundry liquor above about 8.
US07820609B2
A mild, multi-phase cleansing composition is described that includes a cleansing phase including a structured surfactant component has a first density; a benefit phase includes an emulsion, the benefit phase has a second density and a density modifier; wherein the first density differs from the second density by less than 0.15 g/cm3; the structured surfactant component includes at least one surfactant and provides a Total Lather Volume of at least about 600 ml. The emulsion is either an oil in water or an oil in water emulsion.
US07820604B2
An oil-soluble lubricating oil additive composition prepared by the process which comprises reacting a copolymer, with at least one polyether aliphatic amine compound.
US07820603B2
The invention relates to lubricant compositions, and methods especially as lubricants for the transport of glass, aluminum, and PET containers. The lubricant compositions contain a phosphate ester, an amine salt, and a nonionic surfactant.
US07820597B2
The invention pertains, at least in part, to a method for forming an ordered structure of amphiphilic molecules, such as proteins. The method includes contacting a population of amphiphilic molecules with a interface; compressing said population laterally to an appropriate pressure, such that an ordered structure at the interface is formed. The invention also pertains to the two- and three-dimensional ordered structures that are formed using the planar membrane compression method of the invention.
US07820595B2
Penoxsulam, 2-(2,2-difluoroethoxy)-N-(5,8-dimethoxy[1,2,4]-triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidin-2-yl)-6-(trifluoromethyl)benzenesulfonamide, provides synergistic herbicidal control with dicamba, the mixture of 2,4-D, triclopyr and clopyralid, or the mixture of 2,4-D and mecoprop-P.
US07820594B2
This invention relates to agricultural compositions, particularly pesticidal compositions which find particular use as a fungicide or herbicide composition. The pesticidal composition can include one or more fatty acids and one or more organic acids different from the fatty acid. The organic acid can but need not exhibit any fungicidal activity; however, when combined with a fatty acid, the organic acid functions as a potent synergist for the fatty acid as a fungicide. Additionally, the pesticidal composition can include other components such as emulsifiers, adjuvants, surfactants and diluents. The pesticidal composition significantly reduces or prevents the fungal infection of cash crops including vegetables, fruits, berries, seeds, grains and at higher application rates, can also be used as a herbicide and/or harvest aid or desiccant for harvested crops such as potatoes. The addition of an emulsifier further enhances the herbicidal properties of the compositions.
US07820586B2
The invention concerns a composition based on zirconium and cerium oxides in an atomic ratio Zr/Ce>1, and further comprising lanthanum oxide or an oxide of a rare earth other than cerium and lanthanum. The invention is characterized in that after calcination for 6 hours at 1150 .C it has a specific surface area of not less than 10 m;/g. The composition is obtained by forming a mixture containing a sol of a zirconium compound and cerium, lanthanum, said rare earth compounds, contacting said mixture with a basic compound solution, while heating and calcining the resulting precipitate. The composition can be used as catalyst.
US07820584B2
Disclosed is a photocatalyst which is excited when irradiated with visible light and exhibits high photocatalytic activity stably. This photocatalyst has a white hue with little yellow tint. Specifically, titanium oxide particles and a halogenated platinum compound are heated and mixed in a liquid medium, so that the surfaces of the titanium oxide particles are loaded with the halogenated platinum compound; then the pH of the liquid medium is adjusted to 5 or less; and after that, the liquid medium is neutralized if necessary. By such a process, there can be produced a photocatalyst having a specific surface area of 10-100 m2/g, wherein the surfaces of the titanium oxide particles are loaded with the halogenated platinum compound and the b* value of the powder color according to the Hunter color system is not more than 6.
US07820583B2
A nanocomposite particle, its use as a catalyst, and a method of making it are disclosed. The nanocomposite particle comprises titanium dioxide nanoparticles, metal oxide nanoparticles, and a surface stabilizer. The metal oxide nanoparticles are formed hydrothermally in the presence of the titanium dioxide nanoparticles. The nanocomposite particle is an effective catalyst support, particularly for DeNOx catalyst applications.
US07820574B2
A grain-finished leather-like sheet having a fibrous substrate layer, a polyurethane non-porous layer and a polyurethane surface layer which are successively laminated in this order. The polyurethane surface layer contains a binder polyurethane and polyurethane fine particles having a particle size of 1 to 50 μm. The total thickness of the polyurethane non-porous layer and the polyurethane surface layer is 150 μm or more. The polyurethane surface layer contains the polyurethane fine particles in an amount of 10 to 40 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the binder polyurethane. The polyurethane fine particles are not exposed to the surface. The grain-finished leather-like sheet characterized by the above features has a smooth and luster surface, a good hand, and excellent scratch resistance, abrasion resistance and buckling wrinkle resistance. The sheet hardly damages or soils an object which is in contact with its surface by friction.
US07820559B2
An interconnect structure in which the adhesion between an upper level low-k dielectric material, such as a material comprising elements of Si, C, O, and H, and an underlying diffusion capping dielectric, such as a material comprising elements of C, Si, N and H, is improved by incorporating an adhesion transition layer between the two dielectric layers. The presence of the adhesion transition layer between the upper level low-k dielectric and the diffusion barrier capping dielectric can reduce the chance of delamination of the interconnect structure during the packaging process. The adhesion transition layer provided herein includes a lower SiOx— or SiON-containing region and an upper C graded region. Methods of forming such a structure, in particularly the adhesion transition layer, are also provided.
US07820554B2
A process for producing a silicon wafer by conveying a (100) face silicon wafer into and from a treating furnace of a single wafer heat-treating apparatus or a vapor phase growth apparatus with a conveying blade having a mounting face capable of mounting only a specified region of the wafer inclusive of a center position of its rear face for subjecting the wafer to a heat treatment or a vapor phase growth, in which <010> or <001> orientation is shifted by a predetermined angle with respect to a transverse direction of the mounting face of the conveying blade.
US07820544B2
A method for forming a metal wiring of a semiconductor device, includes forming a first metal layer on a wafer, partially etching a portion of the first metal layer where a metal wiring is to be formed, sequentially forming a first copper barrier layer, a copper seed layer, and a copper layer on the first metal layer, annealing the copper layer, polishing the resulting structure until the first metal layer is exposed, patterning the first metal layer and the first copper barrier layer to form a portion of a metal wiring, forming a second copper barrier layer, forming a second metal layer, and patterning the second metal layer and the second copper barrier layer to form the metal wiring.
US07820541B2
A method for forming a low defect density heterojunction between a first and a second compound, the first and second compounds each includes a group III element combined with a group V element in the periodic table, the method includes the steps of introducing in the deposition chamber the flux of the group III element for the first compound at substantially the same time while introducing in the deposition chamber a flux of the group V element for the second compound, stopping the flux of the group III element for the first compound after a first predetermined time period, stopping the flux of the group V element for the first compound after a second predetermined time period, and introducing in the deposition chamber a flux of the group III element the group V element for the second compound.
US07820538B2
A polycrystalline silicon layer is deposited on a gate dielectric and then a portion thereof is re-oxidized so as to form a thin layer of oxide between the poly-Si layer and the underlying gate dielectric. Subsequently, the poly-Si layer is converted to a fully-silicided form so as to produce a FUSI gate. The gate dielectric can be a high-k material, for example a Hf-containing material, or SION, or another non-SiO2 dielectric. The barrier oxide layer is preferably less than 1 nm thick.
US07820526B2
To provide a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device in which manufacturing cost can be reduced, and a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device with reduced manufacturing time and improved yield. A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device is provided, which includes the steps of forming a first layer containing a metal over a substrate, forming a second layer containing an inorganic material on the first layer, forming a third layer including a thin film transistor on the second layer, irradiating the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer with laser light to form an opening portion through at least the second layer and the third layer.
US07820518B2
Methods of fabricating transistors and semiconductor devices and structures thereof are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of fabricating a transistor includes forming a gate dielectric over a workpiece, forming a gate over the gate dielectric, and forming a stress-inducing material over the gate, the gate dielectric, and the workpiece. Sidewall spacers are formed from the stress-inducing material on sidewalls of the gate and the gate dielectric.
US07820504B2
Embodiments of this invention relate to a method for manufacturing isolation structures with different depths in a monolithically integrated semiconductor electronic device. An inventive method according to an embodiment of the invention comprises a first step of defining active areas on a semiconductor material substrate, a second step of forming isolation structures by realising trenches in said substrate and then filling them with field oxide, a third step of defining lithographically at least a first device area, and a fourth step of realising a digging in the substrate and in the field oxide of said first device area.
US07820501B2
Accordingly, in one embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for reducing stacking faults in an epitaxial semiconductor layer. In accordance with such method, a substrate is provided which includes a first single-crystal semiconductor region including a first semiconductor material, the first semiconductor region having a <110> crystal orientation. An epitaxial layer including the first semiconductor material is grown on the first semiconductor region, the epitaxial layer having the <110> crystal orientation. The substrate is then annealed with the epitaxial layer at a temperature greater than 1100 degrees Celsius in an ambient including hydrogen, whereby the step of annealing reduces stacking faults in the epitaxial layer.
US07820498B2
A backside illuminated imaging sensor includes a semiconductor having an imaging pixel that can include a photodiode region, an insulation layer, and a reflective layer. The photodiode is typically formed in the frontside of the semiconductor substrate. A surface shield layer can be formed on the frontside of the photodiode region. A light reflecting layer can be formed using silicided polysilicon on the frontside of the sensor. The photodiode region receives light from the back surface of the semiconductor substrate. When a portion of the received light propagates through the photodiode region to the light reflecting layer, the light reflecting layer reflects the portion of light received from the photodiode region towards the photodiode region. The silicided polysilicon light reflecting layer also forms a gate of a transistor for establishing a conductive channel between the photodiode region and a floating drain.
US07820495B2
An object is to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device which suppresses an influence on a semiconductor element due to entry of an impurity element, moisture, or the like from outside even in the case of thinning or removing a substrate after forming a semiconductor element over the substrate. A feature is to form an insulating film functioning as a protective film on at least one side of the substrate by performing surface treatment on the substrate, to form a semiconductor element such as a thin film transistor over the insulating film, and to thin the substrate. As the surface treatment, addition of an impurity element or plasma treatment is performed on the substrate. As a means for thinning the substrate, the substrate can be partially removed by performing grinding treatment, polishing treatment, or the like on the other side of the substrate.
US07820486B2
A method includes: mounting a plurality of semiconductor elements on a substrate having wirings; connecting electrically electrodes of the semiconductor elements and the wirings; sealing the semiconductor elements with a resin, which is carried out by bringing a thermal conductor having a concavity and the substrate to be in contact with each other so that the semiconductor elements are positioned within the concavity and by filling the concavity with the resin; and separating respective semiconductor elements 1. In the resin-sealing step, in a state where the thermal conductor is arranged with its concavity facing up and the concavity of the thermal conductor is filled with a liquid resin, the semiconductor elements are dipped in the liquid resin in the concavity and the liquid resin is solidified. Due to these steps, a semiconductor device can be manufactured without experiencing troubles such as short circuit of the metal thin wires or imperfect filling of resin during the manufacturing steps, and thus semiconductor devices with stable quality can be manufactured.
US07820485B2
A method of forming a semiconductor package includes forming a coating over a first device, attaching the first device to a substrate using an adhesive, encapsulating the first device using an encapsulant material, releasing the first device from the substrate using the adhesive, removing a portion of the encapsulant material that is over the first device to expose the coating, and removing the coating over the first device to expose a portion of the first device.
US07820482B2
A method for producing an electronic component with an electronic circuit and electrical contacts, disposed at least on a first surface of the electronic component, for the electrical bonding of the electronic circuit includes at least one flexible elevation of an insulating material disposed on the first surface, at least one electrical contact disposed on the flexible elevation, and a conduction path disposed on the surface or in the interior of the flexible elevation between the electrical contact and the electronic circuit.
US07820471B2
A paste in which semiconductor fine grain such as titanium oxide fine grain or the like and a binder made of a polymer compound are mixed is coated onto a transparent conductive substrate and sintered, thereby forming a semiconductor layer made of the semiconductor fine grain, after that, ultraviolet rays are irradiated to the semiconductor layer and, by using a photocatalyst effect of the semiconductor fine grain, an organic substance remaining in the semiconductor layer is removed.
US07820466B2
A flat panel display device includes a substrate including a pixel area having a plurality of pixel parts and a peripheral circuit area disposed adjacent to the pixel area to drive the pixel parts, a circuit TFT disposed in the peripheral circuit area, the circuit TFT including a first semiconductor layer having a first crystal growth in a lateral direction, and a pixel TFT disposed in the pixel area, the pixel TFT including a second semiconductor layer having a second crystal isotropic growth.
US07820464B2
The light emitting device according to the present invention is characterized in that a gate electrode comprising a plurality of conductive films is formed, and concentrations of impurity regions in an active layer are adjusted with making use of selectivity of the conductive films in etching and using them as masks. The present invention reduces the number of photolithography steps in relation to manufacturing the TFT for improving yield of the light emitting device and shortening manufacturing term thereof, by which a light emitting device and an electronic appliance are inexpensively provided.
US07820463B2
A light emitting device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: an n-type cladding layer; a p-type cladding layer; an active layer interposed between the n-type cladding layer and the p-type cladding layer; and an ohmic contact layer contacting the p-type cladding layer or the n-type cladding layer and comprising a first film that comprises a transparent conductive zinc oxide having a one-dimensional nano structure, wherein the one-dimensional nano structure is at least one selected from a nano-column, a nano rod, and a nano wire.
US07820462B2
A method for providing an encapsulated optoelectronic chip is provided. The optoelectronic chip is secured on a substrate. A translucent coating substance is then applied on said optoelectronic chip and the translucent coating substance is then polished away to enable an optical coupling.
US07820461B2
A method for making a semiconductor device with vertical electron injection, including: transferring a monocrystalline thin film onto a first face of a support substrate; producing at least one electronic component from the monocrystalline thin film; forming at least one recess in a second face of the substrate to enable electric or electronic access to the electronic component through the monocrystalline thin film; and producing a vertical electron injector configured to inject electrons into the electronic component.
US07820455B2
A method for manufacturing a magnetoresistive sensor that provides increased magnetoresistive performance. The method includes forming a series of sensor layers with at least one layer containing CoFeB, and having a first capping layer thereover. A high temperature annealing is performed to optimize the grains structure of the sensor layers. The first capping layer is then removed, such as by reactive ion etching (RIE). An antiferromagnetic layer is then deposited followed by a second capping layer. A second annealing is performed to set the magnetization of the pinned layer, the second annealing being performed at a lower temperature than the first annealing.
US07820451B2
An analytical test element for determining at least one analyte in a liquid is provided comprising a support, at least one detection element, and a channel capable of capillary liquid transport which is at least partially formed by a hydrophilic network, one side of which is at least partially in contact with the inner space of the channel and the opposite side of which is at least partially in contact with the detection element such that liquid can be transported from the channel across the network to the detection element. The invention also concerns the use of the analytical test element to determine an analyte in a liquid and a method for determining at least one analyte in the liquid with the aid of an analytical test element.
US07820448B2
A bulk sample is fed with a liquid into a mixing tank (1) where it is stirred to form a dispersion. A proportion of the dispersion is recycled from the bottom of the tank through a line to the top of the tank so that at least the dispersion in the recycle loop (3) is substantially homogeneous, and a representative sample of the dispersion is taken from the recycle loop, e.g. using a slurry sampler (5).
US07820445B2
This invention describes gas-solid, liquid-solid and gas-solid-liquid processes in microchannels devices including such processes as heterogeneous catalysis, particle formation, particle attrition, particle separation and adsorption or desorption of selected species. Various processes can be enhanced by the unique properties of microchannels such as the predominance of laminar flow, high rates of shear, high rates of heat transfer and high rates of mass transfer. Also encompassed by this invention are methods for the introduction to and removal from microchannels of particle containing fluid streams.
US07820443B2
The invention relates to a fast method of transforming competent cells, comprising: a. mixing a plasmid DNA with the competent cells suspending within ionic solution to form a mixture; b. plating the mixture on a warm selective medium; and c. culturing the mixture on the medium; wherein the ionic solution comprises divalent cation selected from the group consisting of Ca2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, Fe2+, Sr2+ and Co2+, and provided that the ionic solution does not include Ca2+ alone.
US07820442B2
The present invention identifies that the expression of Activation Induced Deaminase (AID) or its homologues in cells confers a mutator phenotype and thus provides a method for generating diversity in a gene or gene product as well as cell lines capable of generating diversity in defined gene products. The invention also provides methods of modulating a mutator phenotype by modulating AID expression or activity.
US07820440B2
The invention relates to methods and means for producing adenoviral vectors on complementing cell lines, wherein the early region 4 open reading frame 6 (E4-orf6) encoding nucleic acid is present in the adenoviral vector and wherein the E4-orf6 gene product is compatible with one or more products of the E1 gene products provided by the complementing cell, such that the adenoviral vector can be efficiently produced by the complementing cell.
US07820422B2
The present invention relates to the enzymatic synthesis of oligosaccharides, particularly, sialylated oligosaccharides comprising the carbohydrate moeities of the gangliosides GM3, GD3, and GT3.
US07820421B2
The present disclosure provides engineered ketoreductase enzymes having improved properties as compared to a naturally occurring wild-type ketoreductase enzyme. Also provided are polynucleotides encoding the engineered ketoreductase enzymes, host cells capable of expressing the engineered ketoreductase enzymes, and methods of using the engineered ketoreductase enzymes to synthesize a variety of chiral compounds.
US07820413B2
A series of methods that utilize the incremental truncation of nucleic acids are described to create a plurality of modified nucleic acids and hybrid polypeptides. A plurality of substantially all possible single base-pair deletions of a given nucleic acid sequence is created. A method of making shuffled incremental truncated nucleic acids, which is independent of nucleic acid sequence homology, is also described. These methods can be used in protein engineering, protein folding, protein evolution, and the chemical synthesis of novel hybrid proteins and polypeptides.
US07820406B2
Functional oxygen-sensitive proteins are expressed in a heterologous diazotrophic cyanobacteria cell in the presence of ambient extracellular oxygen.
US07820403B2
The invention provides isolated nucleic acid molecules, designated ACTR-1 nucleic acid molecules, which encode novel acyltransferase family members. The invention also provides antisense nucleic acid molecules, recombinant expression vectors containing ACTR-1 nucleic acid molecules, host cells into which the expression vectors have been introduced, and nonhuman transgenic animals in which an ACTR-1 gene has been introduced or disrupted. The invention still further provides isolated ACTR-1 proteins, fusion proteins, antigenic peptides and anti-ACTR-1 antibodies. Diagnostic methods utilizing compositions of the invention are also provided.
US07820399B2
The present invention provides methods for isolating and characterizing the glycosylation sites of a glycoprotein, such as a glycosylated antibody. In particular, the methods employ affinity capture, liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry to determine, for example, the location of the glycopeptide, the heterogeneity of the glycan attached to the glycopeptide, the mass of the glycopeptide, and/or the peptide sequence.
US07820385B2
A method for preserving information about cytosine methylation status in amplified nucleic acid molecules is disclosed. The method includes contacting a sample that contains nucleic acid molecules, such as nucleic acid molecules having or suspected of having methylated cytosines, with a modifying agent that converts the unmethylated cytosines to produce converted nucleic acid molecules. The converted nucleic acid molecule retains information about cytosine methylation. The method further involves contacting the sample with a DNA polymerase to amplify the converted nucleic acid molecules by multiple strand displacement amplification. The sample is not contacted with a nucleic acid ligase or an RNA polymerase. Also disclosed are methods for detecting cytosine methylation in a sample. Such methods include detecting the presence of the signature of cytosine methylation in a bisulfite treated DNA sample that has been amplified by multiple strand displacement.
US07820383B2
The kits and methods of the present invention relate to the diagnosis of cardiovascular disorders. In one aspect, the invention discloses a method and a kit for determining whether a subject has a fragile plaque disorder. In one aspect, the invention discloses a method and a kit for determining whether the subject has an occlusive disorder. In one aspect, the invention discloses a method and a kit for determining whether the subject has a restenosis disorder. Other methods of the present invention relate to the selection of therapeutics for a patient with a cardiovascular disease.
US07820378B2
Fragmentation-based methods and systems, particularly mass spectrometric methods and systems, for the analysis of sequence variations are provided.
US07820377B2
A method for the identification of DNA sequence elements in complex and highly variable sequences is described. The method consists of identifying a short sequence element of several DNA bases (2-6 bases) at a given position in the genome simultaneously on all parental alleles. The method allows differentiating mini-haplotypes on different alleles in one analysis. The method consists of carrying out an enzymatic primer extension reaction with a combination of extension primers (pool of primers) and analysing the products by mass spectrometry. The pool of primers is assembled in such a way that the primer extension product allows unambiguous identification of both the primer of the pool that was extended and the base that was added. The method is of great utility for DNA sequences harbouring many SNPs close to each other with many possible haplotypes. Such sequences are known in the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC). This method is particularly well suited for DNA-based HLA typing and in combination with a suitable selection of sites tested, it is superior in ease of operation to conventional HLA typing methods. We have identified sets of these assays for HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DRB 1 that allow unambiguous four-digit HLA of each of these genes with between 11 and 28 queried markers.
US07820373B2
The present invention relates to a method for determining a risk whether an individual will suffer from a cardiovascular adverse event as a consequence of cardiac stress testing, comprising the steps of (a) measuring, preferably in vitro, the level of placenta growth factor, wherein (b) if the level of the placenta growth factor is at least increased, then the individual is at least at risk of suffering from an adverse event as a consequence of cardiac stress testing. In a further embodiment, additionally another marker is measured, particularly a natriuretic peptide, most particularly NT-proBNP. The present invention allows to stratify patients according to the environment and conditions under which cardiac stress testing should be carried out.
US07820367B2
The object of the present invention is to provide a process for forming a resist pattern that is capable to utilize excimer laser beam, the thickening level of the resist pattern is controllable uniformly, constantly and precisely, without being affected substantially by environmental changes such as temperatures and humidity, and storage period, and space pattern of resist may be formed with a fineness exceeding exposure limits or resolution limits of available irradiation sources. The process for producing a semiconductor device is characterized in that forming a resist pattern on a surface of workpiece, coating a resist pattern thickening material on the resist pattern, thickening the resist pattern to form a thickened resist pattern, and patterning the surface of workpiece by etching using the thickened resist pattern as a mask, wherein the resist pattern thickening material comprises a resin, and exhibits a pH value of above 7 and not over 14 at coating or after coating on the resist pattern.
US07820357B2
There is provided a polymerizable composition comprising (A) a binder polymer, (B) a polymerizable compound having an unsaturated group, and (C) a diaryl iodonium salt having at least two electron-donating groups. The iodonium salt (C) preferably has three or more electron-donating groups. This polymerizable composition is useful as a recording layer of a negative type planographic printing plate precursor.
US07820353B2
A method for producing a toner, including at least the following steps: step (A): pulverizing a negatively chargeable charge control resin that does not soften at a temperature of 180° C. or lower to an average particle size of from 0.05 to 2 μm; step (B): melt-kneading at least a pulverized product of the negatively chargeable charge control resin obtained in the step (A), a resin binder, and a colorant; and step (C): pulverizing a melt-kneaded product obtained in the step (B) and classifying the pulverized product. The toner obtained according to the present invention is suitably used in, for example, the development of a latent image formed in electrophotography, electrostatic recording method, electrostatic printing method or the like.
US07820348B2
To provide a toner recovery apparatus including: a toner transporting duct; and an endless toner transporting belt; wherein the toner transporting belt is rotated in a loop form in such a way that it descends in a region where the outer circumferential surface faces a ceiling surface of the toner transporting duct and that it rises in a region where the outer circumferential surface of the toner transporting belt faces a bottom surface of the toner transporting duct, the toner recovery apparatus transports the residual toner to the outlet by holding the toner by the convex parts, spaces formed between convex parts and the bottom surface of the toner transporting duct, and the toner comprises a binding resin, releasing agent, coloring material and external additive, and torque T (mNm) measured by torque measurement method using a conical rotor in a space ratio of 50% to 60% is 1.0 to 2.5.
US07820345B2
Disclosed herein are an exposure mask and a method of making a semiconductor device using the mask. The exposure mask includes a transparent substrate; and a light blocking pattern having first and second patterns, and an assist feature disposed between the first and second patterns and including a dot pattern arranged into two rows deviated from each other. The exposure make can improve the depth of focus margin to allow for the high integration of a semiconductor device.
US07820344B2
A method of forming a line pattern array comprises the steps of setting a layout which includes first continuous line patterns arranged to have a first line width and a second continuous line pattern arranged to have a second line width larger than the first line width and positioned outside the first continuous line patterns; transferring the layout on a wafer; and inducing light scattering by changing an outermost pattern of the first continuous line patterns, which is most closely adjacent to the second continuous line patterns, into a plurality of dotted line patterns, wherein the plurality of the dotted patterns are arranged in a line form in order that a line pattern, which is different from the first continuous line patterns in line width, is formed based on a size of the dotted patterns.
US07820343B2
Methods for producing a photomask or layer or stack patterning include applying two resists to a layer, a layer stack, or a mask substrate (collectively “the layer”). Sensitivity of the first resist with respect to the exposure dose is greater than sensitivity of the second. Both resists are subjected to an exposure dose in defined regions of the layer surface, the dose varying locally between first and second doses. The first dose is chosen to expose the first resist but not the second. The second dose is chosen to expose the second resist. After a first development of the second and of the first resist the layer is etched at the uncovered locations for a first time. After complete removal of the second resist and a second development of the first resist, the layer is etched. As a result, it is possible to produce structures of different depths in the layer.
US07820342B2
In order to produce doping regions (DG) in a substrate (S) having different dopings with the aid of a single mask (DM) different mask regions are provided which have elongated mask openings (MO) having different orientations relative to the spatial direction of an oblique implantation. The substrate is rotated between the first and second oblique implantations, wherein during the first oblique implantation maximum and minimum shadings in the different mask regions are opposite one another and the conditions are precisely reversed during the second oblique implantation after the rotation of the substrate.
US07820338B2
A liquid fuel cartridge of a direct liquid feed fuel cell for storing liquid fuel, supplying the liquid fuel to a fuel cell, and recovering water from the cathode of the fuel cell stack. The liquid fuel cartridge has a liquid fuel supplying hole formed at one end, a recovery hole formed at a second end, and a moveable wall that separates the water from the liquid fuel. When water is pumped in through the recovery hole, the moveable wall slides in the fuel cartridge and expels the liquid fuel into the fuel cell stack. The fuel cartridge also includes a transparent window or a metal detector for determining the position of the moveable wall and, thus, the quantity of liquid fuel remaining in the fuel cartridge.
US07820335B2
A unitized plate such as a bipolar plate for a fuel cell assembly is provided. The unitized plate includes a plurality of active regions electrically insulated from one another, and a plurality of inlet and outlet apertures formed in the plate. Each of the active regions is in fluid communication with a dedicated inlet aperture adapted to selectively deliver gaseous reactants thereto. A fuel cell assembly having a plurality of independently operable fuel cell stack units, and a method for operating the fuel cell assembly, is also provided.
US07820330B2
An alkaline storage battery includes: a positive electrode containing nickel hydroxide; a negative electrode; a separator layer intervening between the positive electrode and the negative electrode; and an alkaline electrolyte. The separator layer includes a water-absorbing polymer, a water repellent, an alkaline aqueous solution, and a scavenger capable of trapping an element which leaches from the negative electrode into the alkaline aqueous solution. The scavenger comprises an oxygen-containing metal compound. The negative electrode is a hydrogen storage alloy electrode, a cadmium electrode or a zinc electrode. The water-absorbing polymer comprises a cross-linked polymer having at least one kind of monomer unit selected from the group consisting of an acrylate unit and a methacrylate unit.
US07820327B2
An active material suitable for use in lithium cells comprises lithium titanate having a surface and a material disposed on the surface is provided. The material is non-reactive with an electrolyte within a range of potential vs. lithium of from 0 V to 4 V. A variety of lithium cells including lithium titanate are also provided. The lithium titanate is typically of the general formula: Li4Ti5O12-x, wherein x is greater than 0. Further, a cell module is provided. The cell module comprises a plurality of lithium cells each having a soft outer packaging and assembled in an environment where water content in the environment is controlled.
US07820320B2
A method of forming an electrochemical cell is disclosed. The method comprises contacting a negative pole layer and a positive pole layer one with the other or with an optional layer interposed therebetween. The pole layers and the optional layer therebetween are selected to self-form an interfacial separator layer between the pole layers upon such contacting.
US07820316B2
A membrane electrode assembly includes a fluorine-based ion exchange resin membrane, a diffusion layer and a catalyst layer that supports a battery reaction. The catalyst layer is formed from Pt-carrying carbon nanotubes that is oriented on the fluorine-based ion exchange resin membrane, and non-Pt-carrying carbon nanotubes that is oriented on the diffusion layer.
US07820315B2
A fuel cell stack having stacked unit fuel cells, each having a pair of separators between which a membrane electrode assembly is provided, which includes an anode and a cathode. Each separator has protruding lines arranged vertically in a zigzag manner, which protrude in a direction going away from the membrane electrode assembly. A space between the anode and the protruding lines of the separator facing the anode is used as a fuel gas passage. A space between the cathode and the protruding lines of the separator facing the cathode is used as an oxidant gas passage. At least part of the separators are each arranged in close contact with another separator so that a coolant passage through which a coolant flows horizontally is formed between both separators. A lower area of the coolant passage has a larger flow resistance than that of an upper area thereof.
US07820307B2
A recording paper having a magnetic material-containing layer, that includes a magnetic material that generates a large Barkhausen effect and a filler, and is disposed between pulp layers containing a pulp.
US07820298B2
An antifriction composite system (1) for a bearing part (2), such as a sliding bearing part, with a metallic backing (3) and a functional coating (4), which comprises a top layer (5) with a friction-reducing effect. The functional coating (4) has an elastomer layer (6) lying directly under the top layer (5). The invention also relates to a bearing part (2) with an antifriction composite system (1) of this type.
US07820285B1
Provided is a solid rocket motor (SRM) insulation, wherein carbon nano fibers (CNF) are blended into a polyurethane matrix so as to disperse the CNF in the polymer. The so blended material is then extruded, injection molded or sprayed on or into the desired shape. Such SRM insulation has reduced ablation over prior art insulations, resulting in reduction in weight of the insulation needed in such rockets, permitting increase of payload therein.
US07820278B2
A refractory mortar cured material is formed in the surface or joint portions of a ceramic refractory material, such as fire bricks used in the lining of melting furnace or firing furnace used at high temperature, and includes ceramic particles with an inorganic binder having silanol group that are kneaded together with water. The kneaded mortar is applied on the surface of a ceramic base material. The average particle size of ceramic particles in the refractory mortar is 10 to 50 μm, and the difference between the 90% particle size and the 10% particle size is 10 μm or more to 60 μm or less. The average pore size of the refractory mortar cured material is 5 to 25 μm, and the width of pore size distribution is 20 to 80 μm, so that the cracks are suppressed. In addition, the bulk density is 0.9 to 1.5 g/cm3.
US07820276B2
A single-layer matte film or sheet which comprises a filler and a biodegradable resin (A) comprising a blend of a biodegradable polyester (a1) having a glass transition temperature Tg of 10° C. or lower and a biodegradable polyester (a2) having a glass transition temperature Tg of 30° C. or higher, and in which at least one side thereof has a surface gloss (45-degree gloss) as measured in accordance with ASTM-D2457-70 of 60% or lower.
US07820272B2
An image transfer sheet for electrophotography comprising a substrate and an image receiving layer provided on at least one side of the substrate, wherein the image receiving layer includes particles having a volume average particle diameter which is greater than a thickness of the image receiving layer, and both surfaces of the image transfer sheet have surface resistivities at 23° C. 55% r.h. which are within the range of 1.0×108 to 1.0×1013Ω. Also provided are an image recorded medium and a method for manufacturing the image recorded medium which use the image transfer sheet for electrophotography.
US07820266B2
A method of manufacturing a protective cover (24) for a component of a vehicle includes assembling multiple layers to form a charge (22). The charge (22) is formed within a mold (50) of the component to form a multi-contoured laminate (58). The protective cover (24) is separated from the multi-contoured laminate (58). A method of forming a down stream part structure or mold (167) for a component includes assembling multiple layers to form a charge (78). The charge (78) is formed within an original mold of the component to form a multi-contoured laminate (76). A splash is separated from the multi-contoured laminate (76). A protective cover, such as the cover (24), is for a vehicle component and includes a contour holding layer (36) and a protective laminate layer (34). The contour holding layer (36) and the protective laminate layer (34) are formed within a mold of the vehicle component to form the protective cover.
US07820263B2
The present invention relates to a volume hologram laminate with low generation of spotty hologram flaws in the volume hologram layer even when kept under pressurized conditions during storage, and to a volume hologram laminate-fabricating label. The volume hologram laminate 1 of the invention has a first adhesive layer 3, a volume hologram layer 5, a second adhesive layer 4 and a surface protective film 6 formed in that order on a substrate 1, wherein the volume hologram layer is a hologram recording in a recording material comprising a matrix polymer and a photopolymerizable compound, having a glass transition point of 30° C.-70° C. and a dynamic storage elastic modulus of 5×105 Pa-5×107 Pa at 50° C. when measured at 6.28 rad/s, and the second adhesive layer has a dynamic storage elastic modulus of no greater than 5×104 Pa or at least 2.5×105 Pa at 50° C. when measured at 6.28 rad/s.
US07820237B2
A system for manufacturing a granule covered roofing shingle includes establishing at least two sources of granules. A standardized process for manufacturing granules having a standardized appearance is then established, wherein a color of the granules from one of the sources of granules is substantially identical to the color of the granules from the others of the sources of granules, thereby defining at least one standardized granule color. Granules of the standardized granule color are then manufactured according to the standardized process. The manufactured granules are transported to at least one shingle manufacturing facility, and granule covered roofing shingles are then manufactured using the manufactured granules of the standardized granule color.
US07820236B2
A low fringing film coating includes a transparent polymeric layer having a surface, and a plurality of projections extending away from the surface. The projections have a mean height of 0.05 to 1 μm and a mean distance between projections of 0.5 to 2 mm. The coating can be produced by coating a polymeric composition onto a substrate. The polymeric composition includes a polymeric material, a good solvent for the polymeric material and a poor solvent or the polymeric material. The solvents are at least partially evaporated to form a low fringing transparent polymeric layer.
US07820235B2
The method of cleaning a coated sheet according to the present invention is characterized in that dry wind is brown along the traveling direction of a film onto the surface of a coating layer wherein the solid content and the viscosity of the coating solution are within specified ranges. By this method, the thickness precision of the coating film can be improved in its large area, and the evenness of its in-plane optically functional property can be made even therein. The speed of the dry wind, the temperature of the wind, and the thickness of the dried coating film are preferably within specified ranges. In particular, the coated sheet is very useful as an optical material having good properties in an optically functional layer which is frequently used as a large-area coated sheet, an optical device having such an optically functional layer, an optically compensating layer, or an optically compensating plate. The coated sheet is particularly effective for an image display on which they are mounted.
US07820227B2
A method for biolithographical deposition of molecules is provided. According to an embodiment of the method, a reactive layer (e.g., a polysaccharide mass) having a surface region coated with a biologically compatible resist is provided. A portion of the biologically compatible resist is selectively removed to expose an exposed portion of the reactive layer. Molecules, such as biomolecules and/or cellular species, are then conjugated to the exposed portion of the reactive layer. Also provided are materials and devices related to the method.
US07820212B2
The present invention relates to a method for treating a cardiovascular disease, such as hyperlipidemia or atherosclerosis, with a pharmaceutically effective amount of an extract of Torreya nucifera or abietane diterpenoid compound or terpenoid compound isolated from the same as an effective ingredient. Torreya nucifera extracts, abietane diterpenoid compound, or terpenoid compound isolated from the extracts were prepared by extracting Torreya nucifera leaves, stems, or seeds with water, alcohol, or mixed solution of water and alcohol, which is further fractionized with n-hexane, chloroform and etheyl acetate in that order. Further, the present invention provides a method for inhibiting an oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and inhibiting Acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) using an extract of Torreya nucifera or abietane diterpenoid compound or terpenoid compound isolated from the same as an effective ingredient.
US07820209B2
The present invention is directed to pest-controlling compositions comprising as active ingredients one or more β-diones, particularly β-diketones and β-triketones, and to the use of these compositions inter alia for preventing, eradicating, destroying, repelling or mitigating harmful, annoying or undesired pests including insects, arachnids, helminths, molluscs, protozoa and viruses. The present invention is further directed to processes of preparing β-diones by de novo synthesis or from natural sources such as volatile oil-bearing plants from families including Alliaceae, Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Cannabinaceae, Lamiaceae, Pteridaceae, Myrtaceae, Myoporaceae, Proteaceae, Rutaceae and Zingiberaceae.
US07820206B2
A natural formulation of compounds that would to modulate inflammation is disclosed. The formulation would also inhibit expression of COX-2, inhibit synthesis of prostaglandins selectively in target cells, and inhibit inflammatory response selectively in target cells. The compositions containing at least one fraction isolated or derived from hops.
US07820204B2
A vector for targeted delivery of drugs into estrogen receptors over-expressed cells is disclosed. The vector of the present invention is mainly about an active targeting delivery carrier which consists of a plurality of nanoparticles including: (i) a plurality of targeted moiety conjugated to the outer surface of the nanoparticles, the moiety being capable of binding with the estrogen receptor of a target cell, and (ii) bioactive agents encapsulated in the nanoparticles or forming complex with the nanoparticles. The targeted moiety of the present invention can also be conjugated to parent drugs for prodrug design.
US07820203B2
A unit dosage form, such as a capsule or the like, for delivering a skeletal muscle relaxant, such as cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride, into the body in an extended or sustained release fashion comprising one or more populations of drug-containing particles (beads, pellets, granules, etc.) is disclosed. At least one bead population exhibits a pre-designed sustained release profile. Such a drug delivery system is designed for once-daily oral administration to maintain an adequate plasma concentration—time profile, thereby providing relief of muscle spasm associated with painful musculoskeletal conditions over a 24 hour period.
US07820202B2
The invention relates to extended release compositions that can be advantageously used as drug products, plant protection agents, in foods or other products. The invention especially relates to liquid compositions in which extended release particles are dispersed. The compositions according to this invention are available in the form of single-dose or multi-dose compositions and as such are produced from liquid preproducts. The invention further relates to kits and methods for producing the compositions and to the preproducts thereof.
US07820190B2
Coatings, particularly primer coatings, for implantable devices or endoluminal prosthesis, such as stents, are provided, including a method of forming the coatings. The coatings can be used for the delivery of an active ingredient or a combination of active ingredients. The primer coatings include diacrylates and polyacrylates.
US07820184B2
Methods for detecting a microorganism or cell in a subject and methods for detecting, imaging or diagnosing a site, disease, disorder or condition in a subject using microorganisms or cells and methods that microorganisms or cells for treating a disease, disorder or condition are provided. Sites, diseases and disorders include sites of cell proliferation, proliferative conditions, neoplasms, tumors, neoplastic disease, wounds and inflammation. Also provided are microorganisms and cells for use in the methods and compositions, combinations and kits, including diagnostic and pharmaceutical compositions, containing a microorganism or cell.
US07820181B2
Recombinant human parainfluenza virus type 2 (HPIV2) viruses and related immunogenic compositions and methods are provided. The recombinant HPIV2 viruses, including HPIV2 chimeric and chimeric vector viruses, provided according to the invention are infectious and attenuated in permissive mammalian subjects, including humans, and are useful in immunogenic compositions for eliciting an immune responses against one or more PIVs, against one or more non-PIV pathogens, or against a PIV and a non-PIV pathogen. Also provided are isolated polynucleotide molecules and vectors incorporating a recombinant HPIV2 genome or antigenome.
US07820178B2
An isolated VEGF polypeptide having anti-angiogenic activity, said polypeptide including the amino acid sequence of SEQ. ID NO. 1, or variants thereof.
US07820172B1
Multi-domain peptides including a heparin-binding peptide sequence covalently linked to a linker sequence, which linker sequence is covalently linked to a trifunctional amino acid residue forming a branch with two arms, with substantially similar (homodimeric) cellular attachment peptide sequences covalently linked, directly or through an intermediate, to each branch arm, where the sequences are cell binding analogs of or derived from laminin or a portion of laminin. Further provided are preparations for medical devices, pharmaceutical compositions and methods of using the same.
US07820171B2
Herein, it is shown that strong specific anti-methanogen avian antibodies can be produced when chickens are immunized with an optimal dose of methane producing bacterial antigen (methanogen) formulated with an appropriate adjuvant. The antibodies can in turn be used to reduce methane gas production from an animal by administering an effective amount of the anti-methanogen antibodies to the animal, thereby reducing methane gas evolved by the animal compared to an untreated or mock treated control animal of similar age and condition.
US07820170B2
Methods of therapy for B-cell malignancies are provided. The methods comprise administering a therapeutically effective amount of an antagonist anti-CD40 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof to a patient in need thereof. The antagonist anti-CD40 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof is free of significant agonist activity when the antibody binds a CD40 antigen on a normal human B cell, exhibits antagonist activity when the antibody binds a CD40 antigen on a malignant human B cell, and can exhibit antagonist activity when the antibody binds a CD40 antigen on a normal human B cell. Antagonist activity of the anti-CD40 antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof beneficially inhibits proliferation and/or differentiation of malignant human B cells.
US07820166B2
The present invention relates to a polypeptide construct comprising at least one CDR3 region, wherein at least one of the at least CDR3 regions comprises at least one substitution in the amino acid sequence YYDDHY (SEQ ID NO.1) and wherein the at least one substitution comprises: in the first position of SEQ ID NO.1 a substitution from Y to H; in the second position of SEQ ID NO. 1 a substitution from Y to S, from Y to N, from Y to F or from Y to H; in third position of SEQ ID NO. 1 a substitution from D to N or from D to E; in the forth position of SEQ ID NO. 1 a substitution from D to Q, from D to A, from D to V, from D to E or from D to G; in the fifth position of SEQ ID NO. 1 a substitution from H to Q, from H to P, from H to Y, from H to R or from H to N; or in the sixth position a substitution from Y to N.
US07820160B2
The present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of angiostenosis, comprising a compound inhibiting the function of midkine (MK) in blood vessel tissues as an effective ingredient. The present invention is useful for the prevention or treatment of angiostenosis attributed to arteriosclerosis or restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). As compounds inhibiting the function of MK, antisense oligonucleotides that bind to a segment of a single-stranded mRNA transcribed from the MK gene to inhibit the synthesis of MK protein in cells, antibodies against the MK protein, and such can be used.
US07820146B2
The invention relates to a care and/or make-up cosmetic composition comprising a liquid fatty phase comprising at least one silicone oil, structured with a gelling system comprising1) at least one polymer having a weight-average molecular mass ranging from 500 to 500 000, containing at least one moiety comprising: at least one polyorganosiloxane group consisting of 1 to 1 000 organosiloxane units in the chain of the moiety or in the form of a graft, and at least two groups capable of establishing hydrogen interactions, the polymer being solid at room temperature and soluble in the liquid fatty phase at a temperature of 25 to 250° C., and 2) at least one non-polymeric organogelling agent.
US07820145B2
The invention relates to stable oleaginous cosmetic or therapeutic foam compositions containing certain active agents, having unique therapeutic properties and methods of treatment using such compositions. The foamable composition includes at least one solvent selected from a hydrophobic solvent, a silicone oil, an emollient, a co-solvent, and mixtures thereof, wherein the solvent is present at a concentration of about 70% to about 96.5% by weight of the total composition, at least a non-ionic surface-active agent at a concentration of about 0.1% to less than about 10% by weight of the total composition; at least one gelling agent at a concentration of about 0.1% to about 5% by weight of the total composition; a therapeutically effective amount of at least one active agent; and at least one liquefied or compressed gas propellant, at a concentration of about 3% to about 25% by weight of the total composition.
US07820138B2
At least one basic precipitant selected from the group consisting of NaOH, KOH, NH4OH, NH3, NH4HCO3 and (NH4)2CO3 is added to an indium salt solution, which contains 0.1 to 3 M of indium, in an adding time of not longer than 24 hours, while the solution is maintained at a temperature of 5 to 95° C. until the equivalent of the basic precipitant reaches an equivalent of 0.5 to 3. Then, a precipitate obtained from the solution by a solid-liquid separation is dried and calcined at a temperature of 570 to 780° C. in an non-oxidizing atmosphere which contains ammonia gas and water vapor.
US07820135B2
A process and apparatus is disclosed for converting heavy hydrocarbon feed into lighter hydrocarbon products. The heavy hydrocarbon feed is slurried with a catalyst comprising iron oxide and alumina to form a heavy hydrocarbon slurry and hydrocracked to produce lighter hydrocarbons. The iron sulfide crystallites have diameters in the nanometer range.
US07820125B2
The phosphorus effusion cell arrangement according to the present invention comprises a first vacuum container for red phosphorus, a second vacuum container for white phosphorus, said first and second vacuum containers being interconnected, means for providing vacuum, a thermal cracker in connection with said second vacuum container, as well as a control valve between said second vacuum container and said thermal cracker. The present invention is characterized in that it further comprises a separating valve between said first and second vacuum containers, provided that there is no direct connection between said first vacuum container and said thermal cracker. The invention also relates to a method for producing molecular phosphorus P2.
US07820119B2
The present invention involves a system and method of making ferric chloride with reduced amounts of hydrochloric acid for water treatment. The method comprises preparing a reactant batch comprising ferric oxide and hydrochloric acid at a predetermined molar ratio. The method further includes mixing the reactant batch with an impeller rotating between about 60 and 150 revolutions per minute. The method further includes maintaining the reactant batch at a temperature between about 70° Fahrenheit and 180° Fahrenheit. The method forms a reaction product including ferric chloride and a reduced amount of hydrochloric acid.
US07820113B2
The present invention relates to filtering a collected sample for water analysis, and a device where filtered water is collected so that filtered water can be contained in a sample container and where the collecting rate of the sample can be controlled. The collecting device comprises at least one filter funnel part, an upper plate on which the funnel part placed, mounting device comprising a supporting rod wherein one side of the supporting rod is combined with the edge of the upper plate and a waste box fixing the supporting rod, several base container parts wherein the sample container is inserted and a outlet port is formed, and a vacuum pump connected to the vacuum connecting port by a pump tube. Accordingly, the step of transferring filtered water into the sample container can be omitted, and the collection time can be reduced by controlling the collecting rate of the sample.
US07820111B2
A blood specimen dispenser is provided which dispenses a precise amount of collected blood from a blood specimen collector onto filter paper or the like for screening or evaluation.
US07820110B2
The invention relates to a device for catching drops from a pipette mechanically attached to a pipetting device in the field of nucleic acid purification and amplification. Furthermore, a method for pipetting a liquid with a decreased potentiality of contamination of an analytical instrument as well as liquids or/and samples placed on said analytical instrument is provided. Moreover, an analytical instrument at least comprising a pipetting device, and a device for catching drops from a pipette mechanically attached to said pipetting device wherein the movement of the device for catching drops is coupled to the movement of said pipetting device is illustrated.
