US07892375B2
The invention is an apparatus for forming an ultrasonic weld that includes a sonotrode having an ultrasonic actuator coupled to an elongate sealing end face for delivering ultrasonic energy to the webs in the sealing gap and a rotating cylindrical anvil having at least one raised portion extending longitudinally along an outer surface thereof. The raised portion has a radially outer surface, whereby the sealing gap is defined intermittently between the end face of the sonotrode and the radially outer surface of the raised portion of the anvil as the raised portion rotates past the end face of the sonotrode. The elongate sealing end face of the sonotrode has a substantially helical surface, whereby the sealing gap travels helically along the surface as the raised portion of the anvil cylinder rotates past the end face of the sonotrode.
US07892372B2
A method for ultrasonic debulking a composite laminate (105) includes the steps of defining a path (115) across the laminate, the path having a starting location and an ending location and applying a force (109) to and transmitting ultrasonic vibration (111) into the laminate along the path, beginning at the starting location and ending at the ending location. The method further includes determining a temperature of a surface (103, 123) of the laminate proximate to the path and varying at least one of an amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration, the applied force, a feed rate at which the force and the ultrasonic vibration are applied along the path, an angle at which the ultrasonic vibration is applied to the laminate, and an interval at which plies of the laminate are processed, based upon the determined temperature of the surface of the laminate.
US07892370B2
The invention relates to a heat treatment method for monocrystalline or directionally solidified structural components. Said method comprises a heat treatment which results in dissolving at least one crystalline phase of the material of the structural component, referred to in the following as component material. The inventive method is characterized by carrying out the heat treatment by heating the structural component to a dissolution temperature required for dissolving the crystalline phase only in at least one first component area in which the stresses within the component material do not exceed a predetermined value. In at least one second component area in which the stresses within the component material exceed the predetermined value the material is only heated to a temperature below the dissolution temperature.
US07892363B2
A method of cleaning a fuel injector of an engine includes providing a cleaning tool assembly having a chamber adapted to receive cleaner and fuel therein. The cleaning tool assembly is connected to the engine and to a transfer pump adapted to provide fuel to the engine from a fuel tank. The engine is started, and pressure is created in the chamber of the cleaning tool assembly, such that cleaner flows out of the chamber and is supplied to the engine. The cleaning tool assembly transitions from supplying cleaner or a mixture of cleaner and fuel to the engine to supplying fuel to the engine.
US07892353B2
Methods and compositions for grinding materials are provided. In an embodiment, the present invention provides a method of grinding solid materials. For example, the method can comprise mixing the solid material with the grinding aid, and using a grinding media such as steel balls to grind the solids. The grinding aid composition can comprise one or more glycerin by-products derived from a biodiesel manufacturing process. The grinding aid composition can also comprise one or more glycerin by-products of transesterification reactions involving triglycerides. The grinding aid can be added to the grinding process as a solution.
US07892351B1
A family of compounds has been developed containing a substantial quantity of boron in solution with other beneficial ingredients that has been heretofore unobtainable. These compounds are named and referred to herein as “Boroncitrates”. The individual Boroncitrates are: boron lithium citrate (BLiCit), boron potassium citrate (BKCit) and boron sodium citrate (BNaCit). These Boroncitrates can be used individually or in combination with one another. Alkali metals such as rubidium, cesium and francium could also be made into Boroncitrates; but, there is no advantage in using these very scarce and much more expensive alkali metals.Use of Boroncitrates provides a new and improved means for hydraulic cementitious compositions to take set faster or slower, as determined by the user and as the individual jobsite needs dictate; thereby providing the long-sought, unfulfilled flexibility required by today's rapidly expanding concrete industry. As discussed herein, the application and use of Boroncitrates can provide beneficial improvement in many hydraulic cement varieties, such as, but not limited to, Portland Cement, class C fly ash and blended hydraulic cements containing combinations of the above.
US07892347B2
The invention is related to a premixed putty calcium phosphate composition comprising at least two calcium phosphate minerals, at least one reaction retarding agent, at least one binding agent, at least one sodium phosphate, and at least one nonaqueous extender, wherein one of said at least two calcium phosphate minerals contains a stabilizing agent.
US07892335B2
The invention relates to an apparatus for the transfer of organic compounds from a first liquid phase to a gaseous phase and from said gaseous phase to a second liquid phase, comprising a packed stripping column (2), a housing (5), a shell (1), a means for introducing the gaseous phase at the bottom end of said packed stripping column (2), a distributor (4) for distributing said first liquid phase onto said packed stripping column (2), causing said first liquid phase to trickle down said packed stripping column (2) counter-currently to the flow of the gas phase and causing the gas stream leaving said packed stripping column (2) at its top end to have a higher content of organic compounds than the gaseous phase introduced at the bottom end of said packed stripping column (2), one or more ducts (9/26) allowing the gaseous phase leaving said packed stripping column (2) to flow downwards to the bottom end of a packed scrubber (3) enclosed in a housing (25), a distributor (12) on top of said packed scrubber (3) causing the second liquid phase to trickle down said packed scrubber (3) counter-currently to the flow of the gaseous phase and causing the gas stream leaving said packed scrubber from its top end to have a lower content of organic compounds than the gaseous phase entering the bottom end of said packed scrubber (3).
US07892326B2
The present invention provides an air-permeable filtration media that includes an air-permeable backing and an adsorbent. The adsorbent is at least partially embedded in the air-permeable backing. The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing an air-permeable filtration media. The present invention also provides a method of substantially removing contaminants from air, employing the air-permeable filtration media.
US07892325B2
A process for controlled conversion of at least two gases which form ignitable and/or explosive mixtures with one another, in which the gases are absorbed either separately or together in a carrier liquid which is inert in relation to the gases; the carrier liquid with the absorbed gases is fed to a degasser which comprises a closed degassing vessel (2) which comprises at least one feed line for the gas-laden carrier liquid (1) and at least one gas outlet (3) at its upper end, and also one or more drains for the carrier liquid below the feed line for the carrier liquid and in each case connected to a drain pipe (4), and in such a manner that the liquid flow rate in the degassing vessel (2) is less than 0.2 m/s, the gas mixture is removed from the carrier liquid in the degasser and, after leaving the degasser and optional drying, is reacted in a reaction zone; characterized in that the drain pipes (4) are designed as a closed riser line up to a height level between the exit cross section of the gas outlet from the degassing vessel (2) and the lowermost level of the reaction zone, and there is pressure equalization between gas outlet (3) and drain pipes (4) in this level region. Also described are suitable apparatus for performing the process and specific uses of the apparatus.
US07892320B2
Disclosed herein are an automatically replaceable apparatus for collecting byproducts in semiconductor producing equipment and a control method thereof. The apparatus includes several trap units mounted to a vertical shaft at regular angular intervals and rotating in response to a driving direction of a servo motor. Upper and lower plates support the vertical shaft, and connect byproduct inlet and outlet ports, cleaning-water supply and discharge ports, and dry-gas supply and exhaust ports to the respective trap units. Trap and plate coupling means are extended at normal times to air-tightly seal gaps between the upper and lower plates and the trap units, and contracted when the trap units are rotated in a predetermined direction for the replacement. The servo motor is mounted to a lower surface of the lower plate and rotates the trap units within a predetermined angular range. A control unit controls the operation of the components.
US07892319B2
A crust breaker and ore feeder device for electrolytic aluminum smelting employs an in-line three-position pneumatic cylinder capable of moving the plunger shaft to a fully raised position, to a fully lowered position, and to an intermediate, partly lowered position. The full stroke is used for a conventional combined ore dispensing and a crust breaking operation; a partial stroke between the fully raised position and the intermediate position permits ore dispensing without a crust breaking; and a partial stroke between the intermediate position and the fully lowered position permits crust breaking operation without ore feeding. The cylinder can take form of a tandem cylinder having upper and lower axially aligned cylinder portions, with rods not connected to one another.
US07892303B2
A first process step comprises creating a hot gas, containing some molecular oxygen, by burning gas fuel with air and subsequently adding air to the burned gases. A second process step passes these hot oxygen containing gases through a bed of coal chunks, to remove volatile matter from the coal, and partially oxidize some of the volatile matter, as well as to transform the coal chunks into coke chunks. These hot coke chunks are transferred into a coke reaction chamber, where air is passed upward through the coke bed and oxidizes the coke largely to carbon monoxide, a fuel gas. This carbon monoxide fuel gas is combined with the volatile matter gases, and this fuel gas combination can be cleanly burned with addition thereto of overfire air. These process steps create a clean hot gas suitable for use in various apparatus, such as, steam boilers, gas turbines, and cement kilns.
US07892298B2
The present invention contemplates for providing a producing method which can give highly pure caustic potash in a relatively simple process, in response to the above-described demand for increased high purity in caustic potash.A method to give highly pure caustic potash containing almost no impurities of sodium, chlorine, and heavy metals, such as iron, chromium and nickel, through crystallization, by bringing an aqueous caustic potash solution having a sodium content of 200 mg/kg or less and a chlorine content of 15 mg/kg or less when calculated in terms of a weight of potassium chloride, in which a caustic potash concentration of 48% is to be a standard, into a high temperature state.
US07892296B2
The present invention relates to photochromic benzopyrans and to the use thereof in plastics of all kinds, especially for ophthalmic purposes. The inventive compounds are photochromic benzopyran compounds in which a polycyclic aromatic is joined to the 5 and 6 positions of a benzopyran, where the bond in the 6 position is direct and the bond in the 5 position is via a mono- or diatomic bridge.
US07892277B2
Disclosed is a bifurcated tubular endoluminal vascular prosthesis, useful in treating, for example, an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The prosthesis comprises a self expandable wire support structure surrounded at least in part by a flexible tubular membrane. A delivery catheter and methods are also disclosed.
US07892275B2
A stent graft introducer has a nose cone dilator (8) and a distally opening capsule (18) on the nose cone dilator, a balloon guide (2, 30) extending into the capsule and affixed therein. Upon completion of deployment of a stent graft, a balloon catheter (96) including an inflatable balloon (98) thereon can be advanced over the balloon guide at least partially into the nose cone whereby the balloon can be inflated therein to provide a smooth transition from the nose cone to a delivery sheath (10) for retraction of the nose cone dilator through the deployed stent graft. The balloon guide can be a separate wire (30).
US07892272B2
An introducer deploys an endoluminal device in a distal location from a proximal location. The introducer comprises a retrograde portion, an anterograde portion axially moveable relative to the retrograde portion, a shaft having a distal tip and an anterograde sheath attached to the distal tip, and anchoring means in at least one of the retrograde portion or the anterograde portion for anchoring the device during deployment from its proximal end to its distal end. An inner sheath may be mounted concentrically over the shaft with the endoluminal device mounted concentrically over the inner sheath. The anchoring device may comprise an inflatable balloon mounted radially inside the retrograde portion, a tether, or an extended portion of the endoluminal device confined by a notch in the interface of two sheaths in the retrograde portion of the introducer, or may comprise a holder in the anterograde portion.
US07892267B2
A system for the treatment of a spine generally comprises an implant and an attachment device for securing the implant to a portion of a patient's bone. A first portion of the attachment device is sized for insertion into a hole in the bone, and a second portion of the attachment device is configured to be received in an opening of the implant. The first portion comprises a biocompatible material defined by a network of interconnected pores configured promote bone growth into the first portion.
US07892265B2
A surgical screw that includes a body portion that facilitates bone in-growth from a bone in which the screw is mounted so as to stabilize the screw in the bone. The body portion can have various configurations for facilitating bone in-growth, such as indentations, a roughened surface, such as by acid etching or abrasive media blasting, specialized coatings, such as hydroxyapetite, sintered beads, machined channels, etc. Because the body portion of the screw facilitates bone growth, the screw will be more firmly mounted to the bone so as to have a greater integrity in response to movement of the bone. The type of surgical screw can be any surgical screw that will benefit from being better anchored in bone, such as pedicle screws, long bone screws, cervical fusion screws, tendon anchoring screws, etc.
US07892263B2
A method for providing disc regeneration that includes at least partially restoring disc height using a vertebral disc annular fibrosis tensioning and lengthening device, and then injecting a biologic substance, such as stem cells, into the disc that differentiate into chondrocytes and/or notochordal cells that facilitate disc regeneration. Once the biologic substance has regenerated the disc, it may be possible to remove the vertebral disc annular fibrosis tensioning and lengthening device.
US07892260B2
Methods and devices are provided for spinal fixation. In one exemplary embodiment, the methods and devices provide one or more points of fixation located adjacent to a first fixation point at which a bone anchor is implanted in bone. For example, an extension member can be coupled, either directly or indirectly, to a bone anchor, and a fastener can be used to anchor the extension member to bone at a second point of fixation adjacent to the first point of fixation. The second point of fixation can be effective to prevent rotation or other movement of the bone anchor, thereby stabilizing the bone anchor. The methods and devices are particularly useful for unilateral fixation, in which one or more levels of the spine are stabilized along a single lateral side of the spine.
US07892258B2
Spine stabilization systems and integrated rods are disclosed. One spine stabilization system disclosed has at least four bone anchors and a stabilization member attached to the bone anchors. The stabilization member has first and second elongate portions interconnected by a connector portion. The first and second elongate members extend longitudinally and generally parallel to a central longitudinal axis and connector portion extends transverse to the central longitudinal axis from a first lateral end to a second lateral end. The connector portion is integrally connected to the first and second elongate portions such that there is no relative movement between the lateral ends and the respective elongate portion to which each end is attached.
US07892254B2
An embolization device for positioning in a blood vessel comprises an elongated wire body (1) which in its unloaded condition has a predetermined shape and has an elongated shape with a substantially straight center line during its insertion through a catheter (18) to a placement site in the blood vessel and after its release from the catheter assumes a complexly curved shape which depends on the predetermined shape and on the blood vessel impact on the wire body. In its predetermined shape the wire body has at least one section (4) located between its front and back ends in which the center line has substantially no curvature or such a small curvature that along a length of at least 20 mm it follows a helix-free path. The front end section (2, 2″, 2′″) of the wire body is adapted to be frictionally locked to the vessel wall when discharged from the catheter, before said helix-free section (4) has been discharged from the catheter. When the helix-free section (4) is discharged it will bend sideways and seek towards the middle of the vessel lumen and continue towards the opposite vessel wall where it is frictionally locked. At continued pushing out many such vessel-crossing wire portions (20) occur, which provides efficient occlusion of the vessel. One advantage of the embolization device is that it may be used to occlude blood vessel areas. Accordingly, a method is described for occluding a blood vessel area using the wire body (1).
US07892240B2
A femoral head center locating mechanism and method for using same. The femoral head center locating mechanism may include a frame and a plurality of lasers which emit laser beams which intersect to identify a reference point relative to a center of a femoral head.
US07892235B2
A drill bit including a shaft which has a pyramidal shaped end defining a drill tip with a plurality of edges defining the pyramidal shape. One or more recesses are provided for directing away debris produced whilst drilling, the at least one recess having a first portion extending along the shaft and a second portion which extends along the drill tip. The second portion of the at least one recess extends along an edge of the drill tip.
US07892220B2
An apparatus for achieving weight loss in a patient is disclosed. The apparatus has a barrier material and an applicator for dispensing the barrier material about the intestine. An injector is used to place the barrier material to block nutrient transfer from the intestine into the blood stream. The barrier material is a polymerizable adhesive that can be injected interstitially between layers of the intestine, or injected into vascular structures to partially block the flow of blood to the nutrient absorbing layers.
US07892212B2
A drive device for advancing an advancing element (2; 33) relative to a housing (1; 30) over a entire advancing distance (G) comprises a tensioning device having a tensioning element (3; 39) for tensioning a spring device (4). A predetermined distance (A) between the tensioning element (39) and the advancing element (33) or between the counter element (7) and the tensioning element (3) that engages with advancing element can be set according to the advancing of the advancing element (2; 33) by a partial advancing distance that is less than the entire advancing distance (G). According to a method for discharging a fluid product from a container (16) via an outlet (17), a plunger (18) is displaced inside the container (16) by means of a drive device provided with an advancing element (2; 33) and with a spring device (4), whereby the spring device (4) is tensioned by a tensioning device according to the advancing of the advancing element (2; 33) by a partial advancing distance.
US07892208B2
A medical tubing set sheath is provided which includes a retention portion for attaching the sheath to a collar of a connector attached to the medical tubing set. The sheath may serve as a handle to facilitate torque-locking of the connector to another connector. The sheath may also include a ratcheting mechanism in order to allow for the sheath to ratchet upon application of excess torque, when the tubing set is being attached to a peripheral tubing set. The sheath may also include a needle receiving portion, so that the sheath provides for a needle protector, which may be retained in a position displaced from the needle in order to insure that the needle is exposed when removed from its packaging, and can be quickly and easily inserted in a patient's arm.
US07892200B2
A surgical fastening system for implantable devices is disclosed. The implantable device may contain a plurality of fasteners in pre-deployment position, may have a housing fitted over or around it which contains a plurality of fasteners in pre-deployment position, or may be a part of a two-part system into which it fits. Accordingly, the present invention also encompasses a deployment system or tool that optionally positions the implantable device, and which causes the fasteners to move into post-deployment position. The fasteners may be staples, metal loops, coils, springs or hooks formed of biocompatible materials, including shape memory alloys such as NiTi.
US07892198B2
A device for the topical delivery of nitric oxide gas to an infected area of skin includes a source of nitric oxide gas, a bathing unit, a flow control valve, and a vacuum unit. The bathing unit is adapted to surround the area of the infected skin and form a substantially air-tight seal with the skin surface. The bathing unit is also in fluidic communication with the source of nitric oxide. The flow control valve is position downstream of the source of nitric oxide and upstream of the bathing unit. The flow control valve controls the amount of nitric oxide gas that is delivered to the bathing unit. The vacuum unit is positioned downstream of the bathing unit and is used to withdraw gas from the bathing unit. Application of nitric oxide gas to the infected area of skin reduces levels of bacteria in the infected area and promotes the healing process.
US07892197B2
A system for priming an extracorporeal blood circuit is described. The system includes a fluid circuit with an air venting mechanism, a reversible pump, arterial and venous lines, a prime waste bag and a switchable coupler selectively connecting the arterial and venous lines to the waste bag or alternatively interconnecting the arterial and venous lines. A priming fluid is connected to the circuit and circulated in the circuit under different configurations of the arterial and venous line connections.
US07892195B2
An orthopedic brace designed to immobilize the knee by preventing flexion/extension and limiting medial/lateral movement. The brace includes a main support structure embodied in a unitary, rigid stay member with slidable, semi-rigid cuffs at one or both ends to provide length adjustability. The stay member has no popliteal articulation in order to immobilize the knee joint, and further provides attachment for a Velcro strapping system for easy application to the posterior of the leg. A breathable foam softgood insulates the leg and knee from the main support structure and strapping system yet is completely detachable from the brace so it can be trimmed to any desired length or width, and washed as necessary.
US07892193B2
A head-and-neck support collar is provided that supports the cervical region of the spine and the base of the skull when the head is in a tilted-back position. The collar is designed to reduce head-and-neck stress, strain and pain during physical activities that require the wearer to look upwards, especially for extended periods of time. The collar includes an elongated neck cushion that is positioned behind the neck of the user. A harness is attached to either end of the elongated neck cushion and is routed over the shoulders, under the arms and across the back. A two part quick release mechanism is provided between the harness and each end of the cushion to facilitate quick and complete release of the cushion from the harness. This quick release mechanism is preferably a hook and loop type fastener.
US07892192B2
A massaging device having an applicator driven by a plurality of driving unit to move along two or more different axes to generate a combined massaging action to be applied to the user's body. A controller holds individual speed data each defining a speed at which each of the driving units reciprocates the applicator along each of the different axes, and to control the driving units to reciprocate the applicator in accordance with the associated speed data. The controller controls the speed of the applicator along one of the axes independently from the speed of the applicator moving along another of the axes. Accordingly, the applicator's movements along the different axes can be free from being interfered with each other even being subject to a load, thereby assuring to continue the combined massaging action.
US07892182B2
A system including an implantable neurostimulator device capable of modulating cerebral blood flow to treat epilepsy and other neurological disorders. In one embodiment, the system is capable of modulating cerebral blood flow (also referred to as cerebral perfusion) in response to measurements and other observed conditions. Perfusion may be increased or decreased by systems and methods according to the invention as clinically required.
US07892181B2
An improved apparatus for monitoring the intra-abdominal pressure of a hospitalized patient includes a urinary catheter connected to a urine valve having selectable communication positions between a discharge end of the urinary catheter and either a drain or a fluid source. Preferably, the urine valve has a housing adapted to resist patient discomfort from leg-valve contact. One operable protective housing may be embodied as a separate tray component. Plumbing structure desirably maintains fluid supply and drain conduits in a substantially parallel arrangement to assist routing those conduits between a patient's legs. When the urine valve is oriented for communication to the fluid source, an infusion pump may be used to introduce a known quantity of fluid through the urine valve and into the patient's bladder where the fluid's pressure can be measured. Desirably, a double check valve is included in a fluid supply path and arranged to permit repetitive operation of a syringe to inject a bolus of fluid into the patient's bladder. Subsequent to making a pressure measurement, the urine valve is returned to the bladder draining position.
US07892180B2
Structure and methodology involving mountable and head-wearable frame structure which is positionally stabilized, during use, relative a human subject's head, and which carries a selection of positionally anchored data sensors, and stimuli deliverers, that are relevant to the diagnosis and treatment of vestibular disorders. Special configurations are provided for two types of stimulators, one for sound application and air-pressure modification, and the other for the introduction of fluids to the ear. Stabilization enables tight and accurate correlation of data which is quickly analyzable by a connected, properly algorithmed computer, which can also be used for feedback control in a designed “expert” system. The invention enables, among other things, practical and significant differentiation between physiological and pathological nystagmus.
US07892179B2
A system, method and apparatus for determining a physiological condition within a mammal based on pH and/or temperature measurements. The invention is for determining vaginal health and/or fertility status in a female mammal based on pH and/or temperature measurements of vaginal and/or cervical fluids or tissue. The invention is suited for taking either in vivo or external measurements. In one aspect, the invention is an apparatus comprising an elongated probe portion and a handle portion. In one embodiment, the circuitry of the apparatus is strategically split between the probe portion and the handle portion to facilitate a plug-and-play type of device. In another embodiment, an elongated probe is provided that has a hermetically sealed internal cavity that houses the circuitry while leaving the temperature sensor and the pH sensor exposed for direct contact with the desired biological fluid. In a further embodiment, an ISFET is used as the pH sensor.
US07892169B2
An endoscope device obtains tissue information of a desired depth near the tissue surface. A xenon lamp (11) in a light source (4) emits illumination light. A diaphragm (13) controls a quantity of the light that reaches a rotating filter. The rotating filter has an outer sector with a first filter set, and an inner sector with a second filter set. The first filter set outputs frame sequence light having overlapping spectral properties suitable for color reproduction, while the second filter set outputs narrow-band frame sequence light having discrete spectral properties enabling extraction of desired deep tissue information. A condenser lens (16) collects the frame sequence light coming through the rotating filter onto the incident face of a light guide (15). The diaphragm controls the amount of the light reaching the filter depending on which filter set is selected.
US07892165B2
A scope navigation apparatus, method and a program embodied computer readable medium for navigating a scope end that is to be inserted into an object. The scope end includes at least one sensor that senses a spatial location of the scope end. An image pickup device records one or more images of a calibration device, which includes a sensor that senses a location of the calibration device. A processor calibrates the images recorded by the image pickup device and corrects for intrinsic and extrinsic parameters using a calibration matrix.
US07892163B2
A method for treating urinary incontinence includes the steps of inserting into the woman's vagina a first disposable device, removing the first disposable device, and inserting a second disposable device substantially identical to the first disposable device. The disposable devices have a working portion with opposed working surfaces to provide support to an associated urinary system and an anchoring portion to maintain the disposable device in place during use. The anchoring portion has at least one member extending beyond at least one end of the working portion.
US07892159B2
A variably configured exercise device may include a vertical support member having a longitudinal axis, a sliding member configured to move along the vertical support member in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, a pair of rails each having first and second end portions. The first end portion of each rail can be pivotally connected to the sliding member on the vertical support member. The exercise device can further include an actuation mechanism coupled to the sliding member where the actuation mechanism can be configured to selectively adjust the position of the sliding member relative to the vertical support member.
US07892155B2
The exercise devices disclosed herein are configurable to allow a user to perform various exercises. The exercise device can include an adjustable bench assembly connected with a frame supporting a cable-pulley assembly providing a user interface with a resistance system. A user can interface with an actuation component to pull resistance cables against resistance from the resistance system. Various exercise accessories can be provided that are easily connected with and removed from the exercise device to allow a user to perform different exercises. Some examples of exercise accessories are used to configure the exercise device for squat, abdominal, leg extension, leg curl, and arm curl exercises. The frame can also be configured to selectively place the exercise device in a stationary operating configuration supported by the frame on a support surface and a storage configuration wherein the exercise device is rollingly supported on the support surface by wheels.
US07892147B2
An abdominal exercise device is described that includes an alarm means to promote proper user positioning for abdominal muscle isolation. The exercise device includes a frame; a seat carried on the frame; a backrest attached to the frame, the backrest including a mounting plate and a backrest pad pivotally attached to the mounting plate; a user perceivable alarm; a first sensor associated with the backrest to sense the pressure exerted by the user on the backrest, the first sensor activating the alarm when the pressure is outside a preset range; and, optionally, a second sensor associated with the backrest to sense the angle of the backrest pad, the second sensor activating the alarm when the angle is outside a preset range.
US07892143B2
An ECU executes a program that includes the steps of performing neutral shift control, clutch release control, and engine torque control when a shift is required, the ste of moving a shift selector shaft in a selecting direction when a gear is disengaged and a shift position is neutral even if a drive torque TQ is greater than α and a clutch stroke C is less than β, the step of performing synchro control, the step of performing clutch engagement control, and the step of performing gear engagement control.
US07892140B2
In response to a change of a gearshift position from a parking position to a driving position, the control system of the invention connects a power shaft with a driveshaft linked to drive wheels (steps S310 and S380), while performing rotation restriction control to form a fixed magnetic field on a stator of a second motor and thereby prohibit rotation of a rotor in the second motor (step S300). This arrangement desirably restrains rotation of the power shaft and accordingly prevents the occurrence of a shock in the course of connection of the power shaft with an axle.
US07892137B2
The transmission includes input and output shafts, gearsets (RS1, RS2, RS3, RS4), shafts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), and elements (A, B, C, D, E). A carrier of gearset (RS4) couples the input shaft forming shaft (1). A carrier of gearset (RS3) couples the output shaft forming shaft (2). Sun gears of gearsets (RS1, RS4) couple forming shaft (3). Ring gears of gearsets (RS1, RS2) respectively form shafts (4, 8). A carrier and sun gear respectively of gearsets (RS2, RS3) couple forming shaft (5). A carrier and ring gear respectively of gearsets (RS1, RS3) couple forming shaft (6). Sun and ring gears respectively of gearsets (RS2, RS4) couple forming shaft (7). In the power flow, elements (A, B) are respectively between (3, 4) and a housing, element (C) between (1, 5), element (D) between either (2, 8) or (6, 8), shifting element (E) between two of (5, 7, 8).
US07892131B2
A method for lubricating an axle assembly can include: coupling a pair of bearing to opposite ends of a differential housing; placing the differential housing into a carrier housing assembly such that the bearings support the differential housing on the carrier housing assembly for rotation about a first axis; collecting a lubricant proximate a side of one of the bearings opposite the differential housing; and rotating the differential housing about the first axis to cause the one of the bearings to move a portion of the collected lubricant through the differential housing. A related axle assembly is also provided.
US07892128B2
A hybrid electric vehicle and powertrain includes an engine and an electric machine connected to each other in a power-split arrangement. The electric machine is operable as a motor or a generator, and is offset from the engine, thereby reducing the overall length of the powertrain. A power transfer arrangement includes a planetary gear set in which the carrier is directly connected to an output shaft of the engine. The electric machine is connected to the planetary gear set through an intermediate gear, thereby facilitating the offset of the electric machine and the engine and facilitating an easy change of gear ratio for the motor/generator.
US07892126B2
The present invention is a transverse element for a drive belt for a continuously variable transmission. The drive belt includes two endless carriers, wherein transverse elements are continuously arranged along the entire length of the carriers. The transverse elements are on both sides provided with recesses for at least partially receiving the carriers. Furthermore, the transverse elements include supporting surfaces for supporting the carriers, as well as pulley sheave contact surfaces for the purpose of contact between the transverse elements and pulley sheaves of the continuously variable transmission. A convex transition region which has two parts having different curvature radii is situated between a supporting surface and a pulley sheave contact surface, wherein a first curvature radius of a first part at the side of the supporting surface is larger than a second curvature radius of a second part at the side of the pulley sheave contact surface.
US07892119B2
A fletching system and method that allows for quick and easy attachment of a fletching member to an arrow shaft provides a slotted arrow shaft adapted to receive a fletching member projecting therethrough and an internal plug member disposed within a hollow center of the arrow shaft in pressing frictional fit engagement with a flanged base portion of the fletching member wherein the flanged base portion is secured between the plug member and an internal surface of a sidewall of the arrow shaft.
US07892118B1
A basketball goal provides a support that has upper and lower end portions. A backboard is affixed to the upper end portion of the support. A hoop or rim is affixed to the backboard. A jacking mechanism elevates the hoop when the hoop pivots downwardly when a player dunks a basketball through the hoop or rim. In such a case, the player typically contacts the rim or hoop with his or her hands or hand forcing it downwardly. With each such dunk shot, the rim or hoop is deflected downwardly and the jacking mechanism elevates the hoop about half an inch. A control positioned on the support enables the hoop to be selectively used in the jacking mode or in a fixed mode wherein the hoop or rim is affixed to a selected position in a selected elevation thus overriding the jacking mechanism. The control has multiple selectable positions including a position that engages the jacking mechanism and a fixed position that overrides the jacking mechanism. A third mode can be optionally provided that lowers the hoop or rim when the control is placed in the third, lowering position.
US07892117B2
A field-sport game modifies various aspects of rugby so as to be more appealing to the American audience. The playing field is substantially reduced in size, altering the strategy and play of the game. Moreover, walls may be provided in place of sidelines so as to eliminate out of bound rules. Alternatively, walls may be provided at opposite ends of the field which define in-goal areas to be touched by a ball in order to score.
US07892114B2
A method for golf club selection uses a behavior of the golf swing when a golf club is gripped and swung. The method for golf club selection has a step of obtaining information of a vertical movement direction relative to a horizontal plane of a golf club head immediately before striking a golf ball, and information of the horizontal movement direction of the golf club head immediately before striking the golf ball on a plane parallel to the horizontal plane, a step of classifying the golf swing step as a predetermined type using the information of the vertical movement direction and information of the horizontal movement direction obtained, and a step of selecting a golf club suited for the classification according to the classification result.
US07892112B2
A golf ball material composed of (A) an ionomer, (B) a resin composition which includes one or more selected from the group consisting of diene polymers, thermoplastic polymers and thermoset polymers, and (C) an acid group-bearing thermoplastic resin composition is prepared by melt-mixing components B and C so as to form a resin composition of components B and C, then melt-mixing this resin composition with component A while injecting water under pressure. The golf ball material has a good thermal stability, flow and processability, and can be used to produce high-performance golf balls endowed with durability, scuff resistance and optimal hardness without a loss of rebound.
US07892106B2
An iron-type golf club head has a face portion which comprises a central part, a face peripheral part surrounding the central part and protruding backward therefrom to form a cavity, and a badge disposed within the cavity. The central part comprises: a central thin region having a minimum thickness of the face portion and a rear surface to which the badge is attached; a thicker peripheral region surrounding the badge and having an inner circumferential surface raising from the rear surface of the central thin region to position the badge, the thicker peripheral region having at least one breaking part; and at least one radial thin region formed by the breaking part and extending from the central thin region to the face peripheral part.
US07892105B2
A golf club including a club head and an interchangeable shaft is disclosed herein. A connection assembly (44) comprises a sleeve insert (47), a hosel sleeve (48), a hosel tube (46), a ring mechanism (48) and a guide ring (49).
US07892101B1
A child swing chair provides a seat and a rigid harness operably connected thereto which can move from a loaded to an unloaded configuration for ingress and egress from the seat by a user. When the harness is secured relative to the seat, the swing chair preferably passes a rigid bounded opening test as defined by Standard F1487, Paragraph 6.1.1 and the a partially bounded opening test as defined by Paragraphs 6.1.4 of the ASTM Standard in at least some embodiments. In some embodiments, the rigid harness can be supported in an unloaded configuration whereby the harness is in a position allowing for ingress and egress until a predetermined force is overcome to move the harness towards the loaded configuration.
US07892096B2
According to one aspect of the invention, a gaming machine for conducting a wagering game, comprising a physically configurable button panel and at least one mechanical button removably disposed in the button panel. The gaming machine also comprises an input panel disposed adjacent to the button to produce an output signal in response to a predetermined movement of the button and a controller for initiating a function in response to the output signal.
US07892086B2
A gaming system comprises: multiple slot machines each of which provides a basic game of a kind that differs from those of the other slot machines; and a second gaming device which is a separate device from the multiple slot machines, and which provides a roulette game. The gaming system further comprises a central controller. With such an arrangement, in the case that a “BONUS” symbol combination has come to a stop along an active pay line in a basic game at any one of the slot machines, the central controller receives a second game start signal from this slot machine. Also, the central controller receives payout data for the basic game from the multiple slot machines at a predetermined timing, and determines a payout for the second game based upon the payout data.
US07892079B2
Disclosed are a unique DPC (detect point click) based game system and method. The DPC based game system involves generating one or a plurality of DPC images, presenting them to a game participant, and collecting the participant's clicks (that identify which object in the DPC image the participant believes to be the correct DPC object), and determining whether the participant's clicks represent the correct object. DPC images can be created in part by selecting a base image, altering some portion of the base image to create at least one confusion image, mapping these images to a geometric model, and applying one or more distortion filters to at least one of the base or confusing image to obscure the DPC object from clear view. Locating the DPC object nearly hidden in the DPC image can advance the participant in the DPC based game or other game including DPC images as a part thereof.
US07892076B2
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for the differential and purposeful stimulation of an animal carcass, i.e. substantially an entire animal carcass, without the purge problems typically found in the anterior and posterior portions of the animal carcass. In one embodiment, the method includes electrically stimulating at least a first section of the animal carcass to a first degree and electrically stimulating at least a second section of the animal carcass to a second degree less than the first degree. In one embodiment, the muscles of the midsection are electrically stimulated to a first degree and the muscles of the anterior and posterior end sections are electrically stimulated to a second degree less than the first degree. An apparatus for carrying out the methods of the present invention are further provided.
US07892070B2
A polishing pad can include a first layer and a second layer. The first layer can have a first polishing surface and a first opening. The second layer can have an attaching surface and a second opening substantially contiguous with the first opening. The polishing pad can further include, a pad window lying within the first opening. The pad window can include a second polishing surface. When the pad would be attached to a platen, the first and second polishing surfaces can lie along a same plane, and an opposing surface of the pad window can abut an exterior surface of a platen window. In another aspect, a polishing apparatus can include an exterior surface of a platen window abutting the polishing pad. In still another aspect, a process of polishing can include polishing a workpiece such that the pad window contacts the workpiece and the platen window simultaneously.
US07892061B2
A hermetically sealed lamp having at least one seal-material-free bond. The seal material-free bond may be a material diffusion bond, a mechanically deformed bond such as a cold weld or crimp, a focused heat bond such as a laser bond, or any other such bond. For example, the hermetically sealed lamp may have one or more endcaps diffusion bonded to an arc envelope, such as a ceramic tube or bulb. The hermetically sealed lamp also may have one or more tubular structures, such as dosing tubes, which are mechanically closed via cold welding or crimping. Localized heating, such as the heat provided by an intense laser, also may be used to enhance any of the foregoing bonds.
US07892057B1
An idle exhaust relief passage is provided with a valve that can inhibit flow through the passage in response to certain operating conditions of an engine of an outboard motor. More particularly, operation above a predetermined threshold can be used to inhibit flow through the idle exhaust relief passage. A valve, configured for this purpose, can be a flapper valve.
US07892054B2
An outboard motor includes a water pump arranged to draw in cooling water, a pump drive mechanism that decelerates rotation of a drive shaft and transmits the rotation to the water pump, and an oil supply device (a main oil passage, oil ejection passages, a hollow portion, and an oil ejection hole) arranged to supply oil to lubricate a transmission to the pump drive mechanism. The outboard motor is able to prevent occurrence of cavitation in a water pump of a vane-type pump and to increase a discharge amount of the pump while an engine is running at high speed.
US07892053B2
A commonly actuated trim and reverse system for a jet propulsion watercraft is provided. The system includes a movable actuator connected to a movement transfer mechanism. The movement transfer mechanism is operable to adjust both the trim angle of the steering nozzle of the watercraft and the orientation of the reverse gate, as a function of the movement of the actuator. Control electronics evaluate the target steering for the trim angle and gate orientation and control the movement of the actuator accordingly.
US07892052B2
A boat propulsion system includes a power source, a propulsion unit, a propeller rotational speed detection section, a shift mechanism, an actuator, a control lever, a shift position detection section, an accelerator opening detection section, and a control unit. When the control lever is operated such that a shift position is changed from a first shift position to a second shift position, while the absolute value of accelerator opening varying speed becomes equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the control unit enables the actuator to maintain the first shift position until the rotational speed of a propeller becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined rotational speed and then to change to the second shift position. This minimizes a load generated on the power source, the power transmission mechanism, and other components of the boat propulsion system.
US07892051B2
A terminal cover includes a claw portion and a covering portion. The claw portion is able to engage with an opening provided on a terminal guard that is arranged to stand around a terminal protruding outward from the casing of a compressor. The covering portion covers all pathways to the terminal from the opening when the claw portion is engaged with the opening.
US07892047B2
A single pole cable connector includes a tamper-resistant locking system. The locking system includes a locking disk and a corresponding unlocking tool for removing the locking disk from the connector to provide access to the locking mechanism. Single pole cable connector systems include male and female single pole cable connectors in mating engagement. Disengagement of the male and female connectors involves removing the locking disk using the unlocking tool to access and release the locking mechanism.
US07892045B2
A connector that includes a main body having ends and sides with a passage extending between the ends. The passage is configured to receive at least one of conductors and cables and the main body includes a guide channel that extends from at least one end and a guide channel that extends from at least one side into the main body. The guide channels join each other at an intersection. The connector also includes a first accessory that has a projection inserted into one of the guide channels and a second accessory that has a projection inserted into another of the guide channels. The projections engage each other at the intersection to secure the first and second accessories to the main body. A connector having a clamp sub-assembly secured to one end is also provided.
US07892043B1
Key assemblies to mechanically key pluggable-module sockets are described. A disclosed example key assembly includes a key having a shaft, a first radial protrusion extending from the shaft and an annular guide surface on the shaft; and a key base having a plurality of fingers defining a plurality of radial slots and an opening to receive at least a portion of the shaft, wherein at least one of the fingers is to engage the annular guide surface to enable the key to rotate to a set position, and wherein the first radial protrusion is to engage one of the slots to rotationally hold the key in a set position when the at least one of the fingers forced out of engagement with the annular guide surface.
US07892030B2
A connector with control and storage functions includes a housing, a base, a terminal set, a control module and a cover. The housing includes an interface and an opening formed at front and rear ends of the housing respectively. The base inside the housing includes a stop block, a load carrying portion on the stop block, and through holes formed on the stop block. The terminal set in the load carrying portion and the through hole includes a slot at a rear side of the terminal set. The storage module electrically coupled to the terminal set includes a printed circuit board electrically coupled to a control unit and a storage unit. The cover includes first and second cover plates connected into the slot. The control module is provided for controlling the electronic product, storing data required by the electronic product, and increasing the storage capacity of the electronic product.
US07892009B2
An electrical connector includes a base having a number of passageways, a cover mounted to the base, a cam mounted between the base and the cover, and a protecting mechanism. The cover has a number of through holes corresponding to the passageways and is capable of slidably moveable relative to the base. The cam is able to rotate to drive the cover to move relative to the base. The protecting mechanism includes a cover plate mounted in the cover and a base element mounted in the base. The cover plate includes a planar main portion, a via hole defined in a middle thereof, and a pair of stoppers bent toward the cover to engage to restrict the cam to rotate within a certain angle.
US07892004B2
A connector assembly configured to sealably engage with a mating connector. The connector assembly includes a plug assembly that has a mating end configured to be inserted into the cavity of the mating connector. The connector assembly also includes a collar that surrounds the plug assembly. The connector assembly also includes a sleeve member that is positioned between the collar and the plug assembly. The sleeve member surrounds the plug assembly about the central axis and includes a plurality of fingers that extend toward the mating end. The sleeve member is stamped and formed from a common piece of sheet material. The fingers are biased away from the central axis in a flared arrangement when the collar is in the withdrawn position. The lingers press against the wall surface of the mating connector when the collar is moved from the withdrawn position to the locked position.
US07892001B2
A floating connector that utilizes multiple cables or ribbon cable is described, the connector has two termination ends, each with a housing and conductive terminals. The housings have a stepped configuration having at least two different levels on which free ends of the cables are terminated to the terminals of the housing. The terminals extend from the steps to terminating faces that are mate with opposing receptacle connectors. The two housing are flexibly interconnected so that they may deflect relative to each other.
US07891998B1
A card connector includes an insulating housing, a detection terminal unit, and a shielding shell. The insulating housing defines a channel at a rear portion of a first side wall thereof. The detection terminal unit is mounted to the first side wall of the insulating housing and includes a contact terminal and a detection terminal. The contact terminal has a first elastic portion located in the channel and a contact portion formed at a free end of the first elastic portion. The detection terminal has a second elastic portion located inside of the contact terminal and a detection portion formed at a free end of the second elastic portion. When an electronic card is fully inserted into the card connector, the electronic card presses against the detection portion of the detection terminal and makes the detection portion deflect outwardly to electrically contact with the contact portion of the contact terminal.
US07891994B2
A housing mechanism (100) includes a main body (10) and a shield (20). The main body includes a pair of guiding portions (142) and at least one port (146) defined through the sidewall (14) thereof. The shield includes a pair of guiding poles (242) provided on an inner surface (24) thereof. The shield cooperates with the main body. The guiding poles slide in the corresponding guiding portions and are selectively positionable/slidable between one of two ends of the respective guiding portions to allow the shield to cover/uncover the at least one port.
US07891983B2
A contact, above and below which two contact objects are present, comprises a first arm portion having a first contact portion at a tip end thereof, a first arcuate projection, a coupling portion, a second arcuate projection, and a second arm portion having a second contact portion at a tip end thereof. In the contact, the first arm portion and the coupling portion are connected to each other with the first arcuate projection therebetween to assume a substantially V-shaped configuration. The coupling portion and the second arm portion are connected to each other with the second arcuate projection therebetween to assume a substantially V-shaped configuration. The first arcuate projection is disposed below the first arm portion and outside an extension of the first arm portion. The second arcuate projection is disposed above the second arm portion and outside an extension n of the second arm portion.
US07891977B2
An apparatus is described, for endodontic treatment, whereby the operations for complete removal of connective, vascular and nervous tissues in the pulp cavity and in the root canals can be automatically carried out by chemical and pharmacological disintegration and by employing suitable enzymatic solutions such as trypsin at various degrees of dilution. The use of positive-displacement pumps guarantees that precise quantities of the chemical substances are used in the stages of emptying, disinfection, washing, drying and final filling of the root canals and of the pulp cavity. Temperature control of the fluids in circulation ensures that reaction times of the chemical substances used can be repeated at each cycle.
US07891976B2
The purpose of the present invention is to develop an apparatus that can examine the occlusal contact patterns during the sleep bruxism, which can not be evaluated by the observation of the interior of oral cavity or by means of the articulator, in order to establish a convenient evaluation means for employing bruxism in daily and clinical diagnosis. The present invention relates to a bruxism evaluation sheet having a layer comprising an aqueous solution composition of an organic solvent comprising a dye and a thermosetting resin on a base sheet made of a thermoplastic resin, and a method for producing a convenient bruxism evaluation apparatus comprising heating the bruxism evaluation sheet, vacuum pressing it onto a model and then molding, and the like.
US07891972B2
The aim of the invention is to create a gas regulating fitting which, once a gas stove has been successfully started up, can switch the pilot burner into the off position when the main burner is in the off position, in order to maintain the power consumption of the gas stove as low as possible. The aim of the invention is also to provide the gas regulating fitting with as simple a structure as possible. To this end, the gas regulating fitting comprises a sensor (34) by which means the operating state of the main burner (33) can be detected. The sensor (34) is connected to a thermoelectric safety pilot valve (17) in such a way that, when the operating state of the main burner (33) is switched from the on position into the off position by a signal emitted from the sensor (34), the thermoelectric safety pilot valve (17) assumes the closed position thereof. The gas regulating fitting can be used to ignite and to regulate a gas flow flowing to a burner.
US07891970B2
An apparatus for manufacturing products from material which is thermoplastically deformable, as from plastic, comprising: —a mold (2) with at least one mold cavity (3); —in the or each mold cavity (3) at least one slide (8); —movement means for moving each slide (8); —closing means for opening and closing the mold (2); —feed means for introducing, with the mold cavity (3) closed, said material in at least substantially plastic condition into the or each mold cavity; wherein the movement means (9) for moving the slide (3) are arranged for moving said slide forward at a relatively high speed relative to the movement speed of the mold parts upon opening and closing thereof, from a position at least partly retracted from the mold cavity, such that said material, as a result, is displaced in the mold cavity for obtaining the filling thereof, preferably at a speed high such that adiabatic heat development occurs in the or each mold cavity.
US07891968B2
A mold base for a blow- or stretch-blow molding of thermoplastic containers having a petaloid base with 5 stems which are separated by radiating troughs with convex radially curvilinear base, the base being connected to a body with a diameter Φ of 85 to 95 mm; the base includes 5 cavities separated by radiating ridge lines with concave radial ridge having a radius of 2 to 5 mm; the bases of the cavities have each a width of 1.5 to 3.5 mm and are distributed over a circular contour of diameter of base D of 60 to 66 mm; the height of the ridge line is 16.5 to 18 mm; the flanks of the ridge lines are axially concave and the tangent planes at origin form an angle of 52° to 88°.
US07891945B2
A method for plugging a turbine wheel hole in a turbine wheel. The method may include the steps of: 1) obtaining a turbine wheel hole plug that includes an approximate cylindrical body, a first flange at a first end of the body, and a hollow cylinder at the second end of the body, wherein the body, the first flange and the hollow cylinder are sized such that: a) the cylindrical body fits snuggly into the turbine wheel hole; b) the first flange comprises a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the turbine wheel hole; and c) the hollow cylinder protrudes from one end of the turbine wheel hole when the turbine wheel hole plug is inserted into the other end of the turbine wheel hole until the first flange abuts the turbine wheel; 2) positioning the turbine wheel hole plug into the turbine wheel hole; and 3) deforming the hollow cylinder so that the hollow cylinder flares outward.
US07891939B1
The specification discloses a rotating turbine tower. The tower rotates to maintain the turbine facing into the wind. This allows structural optimization. The tower structure is comprised of a leading edge and a trailing edge, with joining panels between the edge structures. The tower edges are the main structural components of the tower. The separation of the edges tapers to follow the thrust bending moment on the tower, reducing the need to taper material thickness. The tapering shape of the tower structure matches the primary edgewise moment distribution. The tower can be assembled on site from components, thereby facilitating transportation to the tower site. The material properties and shape can be selected based upon the tower maintaining a near constant orientation with the wind. This can save weight and costs. The tower architecture can be of differing shapes such as a triangle or a structure tapering at each end.
US07891933B2
A working machine includes a body and a ground engaging structure, the body mounting a prime mover and a first working arm, the first working arm being pivoted for up and down movement about a first generally horizontal axis, and extending beyond a first end of the body and carrying in use, at its outermost end, a first working implement, and the body carrying towards a second end of the body opposite to the first end, a superstructure which is rotatable relative to the body about a first generally upright axis, the superstructure providing a mounting for a second working arm, which mounting permits the second working arm to be pivoted up and down about a second generally horizontal axis and to be rotated about a second generally upright axis, and second working arm in use, carrying at an outermost end, a second working implement, the superstructure mounting an operator's cab which provides an operator position including an operator seat and controls operable by an operator when occupying the seat, and wherein the operator's cab is rotatable about a third generally upright axis relative to the superstructure.
US07891932B2
A working rod with a tip end extending into a vacuum process chamber and moving in the axial direction, two static-pressure gas bearings supporting the rod in the non-contact manner, and an internal moving body of a magnet coupling type driving mechanism driving the rod are housed in a rod housing cylindrical portion leading to the vacuum process chamber, and an exhaust portion by suction is provided at a part of the rod housing cylindrical portion so that the pressure of the rod housing cylindrical portion is lowered than the pressure of the vacuum process chamber by the exhaust from the exhaust portion.
US07891930B2
A residual feed pick-up system for poultry farming utilizes a tractor and trailer combination in which the blower for a pneumatic conveyor is mounted on the trailer. The hydraulic motor that drives the blower is also located on the trailer. Feed pick-up can be effected by the trailer accompanied by a standard over-the-road tractor equipped with a conventional and economically available hydraulic power takeoff unit commonly known as a PTO. The feed supplier to the poultry farm can use any of such commonly configured tractors in its normal operating fleet combined with the trailer having the onboard hydraulically driven blower for low-volume, residual feed pick-up service, thereby increasing reliability and availability of the service at advantageously low cost.
US07891929B2
A running rail 9 and a second overhead vehicle 12 are arranged parallel to a running rail 7 for a first overhead vehicle 10 and closer to inspection devices 20 than the running rail 7. A buffer 14 is provided below the running rail 7. The overhead vehicle 12 conveys a cassette 40 between load ports 24 and the buffer 14. The overhead vehicle 10 conveys the cassette 40 between the buffer 14 and other positions. The present invention can deal with inspection devices or the like which have a high throughput by locally improving their conveying capability.
US07891924B2
A low swage load fastening system is provided for installing swage-type fasteners to secure a plurality of workpieces together. The fastener includes a pin member, having an elongated pin shank to be located in aligned openings in the workpieces. An enlarged head at one end of the pin engages one side of the workpieces. A grooved pin portion extends past an opposite side of the workpieces. A collar includes a shank portion adapted to be swaged into the pin lock grooves in response to a relative axial swage load applied by an installation tool. As one aspect of the system, the collar is as-headed and does not require thermal processing yet provides an optimum balance of reduced collar shank wall thickness and increased hardness, whereby the swage load is minimized. A low swage load thread form for the lock grooves of the pin is also provided, a reduced diameter, relatively short pull portion pin extension, installation tool improvements, and an associated method of use are also disclosed. The collet has a protrusion from said collet thereby extending the length of the pull section in a direction towards the collar thereby to increase the contact area with said anvil. The end of the pull is not rolled down to a diameter position in line with the base of the groove thereby to increase the shear strength of the end pull crest of the pull. The last pull crest of the pull have a contour to conform with an enlarged puller radius of the last tooth of the collet.
US07891919B2
Apparatus, methods, and other embodiments associated with a key duplication machine are described. In one embodiment, an assembly for duplicating a master key includes an optical imaging device, a logic, a clamping assembly, and a cutting member. The optical imaging device is capable of capturing an optical image of at least a portion of the master key. The logic is capable of determining a key pattern of the master key from the optical image of the master key. The clamping assembly is capable of clamping a key blank and the cutting member is capable of cutting a key pattern into said key blank.
US07891918B2
A drill has a housing, a drivable drill spindle rotatably mounted in the housing, a chuck body coaxially connected and rotationally fixed to the drill spindle, a tightening sleeve rotatable on and relative to the chuck body, and jaws moveable relative to the chuck body by the tightening sleeve. A coupling between the housing and the tightening sleeve has a sleeve held on the housing so as not to rotate with the chuck body and movable relative to the chuck body chuck between a coupling position in which it connects the tightening sleeve to the spindle housing angularly in a friction-fit manner and a decoupling position into which it is urged by a decoupling spring when torque between the tightening sleeve and the coupling sleeve in the coupling position exceeds a predetermined value.
US07891913B2
A gabion deployment system comprising: a container (30) for retaining a gabion (22) and a gabion (22) of the folding type comprising hingedly attached, connected side walls (16 & 18) and cross-members (12) such that it can be folded for storage and deployed for use; a retaining means (50) associated with the container (30) for retaining the gabion (20) in the container; and at least one releasable attaching, connecting or retentive engaging means (66) for attaching, connecting or retentively engaging at least one part of the gabion (22) to the retaining means (50); wherein the at least one releasable attaching, connecting or retentively engaging means (66) is adapted to attach, connect or retentively engage a part of the gabion (22) to the retaining means (50) when the gabion (22) is folded but to release the gabion (22) from the retaining means (50) when the gabion (22) is deployed.
US07891905B2
A railing installation apparatus comprises a support platform adapted to be displaced alongside a road. An installation unit is connected to the support platform. The installation unit comprises a feed conveyor unit feeding rails to a carriage unit. The carriage unit is actuated to orient rails to an installation position against posts, and to twist a series of rails connected at one end to the posts to an overlapping position with rails in the feed conveyor unit for end-to-end attachment of the rails.
US07891900B2
An applicator system comprises a reservoir, a conduit extending from a first end at the reservoir to an opposite terminal end, an applicator connected with the conduit, a flow control engaging the conduit, and a holder releasably coupling with the applicator. The applicator has a liquid impermeable back, an opposite porous face, and a plenum. The plenum, situated between the back and face, releasably couples with the conduit terminal end and distributes fluid to the face. The face and plenum may be replaceable and disposable. The holder is a rigid member that releasably couples with the applicator, provides a structural foundation to the applicator, and includes a handle for manipulation by a user. An extension can be employed to connect the flow control to the handle, effectively extending the length of the handle. A helical coil portion of the conduit can be conveniently wrapped around the extension to prevent kinking.
US07891899B2
To prevent leakage, excessive discharge and stagnation of a liquid material applied by an applicator, the applicator comprises a core member 2 having a hole portion 2a, a projection portion 2f and a communication hole 2j, an application member 3 made of an elastic material having a discharge hole 3f, and an inside space 4 between the front end side of the core member 2 and the application member 3, and structured such that the liquid material flows to the discharge hole 3f through a roundabout way via the hole portion 2a, the communication hole 2j and the inside space 4 to cause fluid resistance and that the front face of the projection portion 2f is close to or in contact with the discharge hole 3f to control discharge port of the liquid material.
US07891898B2
A cleaning pad (28) is disclosed. The cleaning pad (28) includes a base sheet (202) bonded to a fiber mat (203) and exhibits improved debris retention when a liquid is applied to the pad (28) or the surface to be cleaned. The pad (28) is preferably used with a cleaning system that includes a fluid source (30) in communication with a cleaning tool (22) such that fluid may be selectively applied to a surface to be cleaned or directly to the fiber mat (203) of the cleaning pad (28).
US07891891B2
A blade drive device includes: a board having an opening; a blade for adjusting an amount of the opening; and first and second drive rings having a support structure for commonly supporting the blade for swinging, rotating in an identical direction with a given speed difference, and being arranged in a same plane.
US07891890B2
A shutter device includes first and second shutter blades, a shutter base plate rotatably supporting the first and second shutter blades, a partition plate arranged between the first and second shutter blades supported by the shutter base plate, and a cover plate fixed to the shutter base plate while the first and second shutter blades are supported by the shutter base plate and the partition plate is arranged between the first and second shutter blades. The first and second shutter blades, the partition plate, and the cover plate have conductivity. The cover plate is electrically connected to the partition plate. The cover plate has a potential at a ground level.
US07891878B2
The invention relates to a spherical plain bearing, having an inner ring with a spherically curved outer surface and an outer ring having a spherically curved inner surface, a seal being arranged in a continuous groove in the outer ring. The seal has an annular support and rubs against the outer surface of the inner ring. The seal has two mutually spaced resilient sealing lips facing in opposite directions. The first sealing lip being oriented outwards and the second sealing lip being oriented inwards.
US07891876B2
Linear rolling bearing, having a guide carriage (1) which can be provided so as to be longitudinally movable on a guide rail (2) and in which rolling bodies (4) circulate in an endless rolling body channel (3) which has a load section (5) and a return section (6) and deflecting sections (7) which connect the load section (5) to the return section (6) in an endless fashion and which are in each case provided on a head piece (10) of the guide carriage (1) and have in each case one outer deflection (12) for the deflection of the rolling bodies (4), with the outer deflection (12) being formed from a plastic whose flexibility is specified by a quotient determined from the ratio of fracture strain to fracture stress, which quotient is greater than 0.15 in magnitude, with the fracture strain being specified in percent and the fracture stress being specified in megapascals.
US07891873B2
The present invention relates to radiography, including medical radiography, specifically to the apparatus for controlling the technical characteristics of digital radiographic devices, and is intended to maintain self-diagnostics of digital X-ray detectors. The self-diagnostics system of digital X-ray detectors comprises a radiographic screen positioned in the radiation pathway from the radiographic source, an optical transfer system for transmitting an image from the screen to the photosensitive CCD-matrix-based sensor, and incorporates at least three test structures installed in the emission plane of a radiographic screen. The technical result is achieved due to the fact that the test structures are positioned outside the radiographic screen emitting surface and are provided with controlled sources of primary radiation installed so that each test structure is located in the direct ray path from the said sources.
US07891864B2
A heat control apparatus for a circuit includes: a heat detecting unit which acquires the heat generation condition of a semiconductor integrated circuit from an inspection image obtained by capturing an image of the semiconductor integrated circuit by an image capturing sensor; and a cooling control unit which controls a cooling means for cooling the semiconductor integrated circuit in accordance with the acquired heat generation condition.
US07891858B2
A display includes a display panel, a light guide plate arranged on the back side of the display panel, an LED arranged in the vicinity of the side surface of the light guide plate, a circuit board arranged on the back side of the light guide plate, and a plurality of TABs connecting the display panel and the circuit board. The LEDs are arranged between the plurality of TABs in the plan view, and the TAB is arranged to overlap the LED in the side view. In order to achieve uniform illumination with no unevenness in luminance, the TAB and the spot light source are preferably arranged alternately.
US07891856B2
The subject invention provides an optical film comprising a transparent substrate and a structured surface layer, wherein the structured layer is positioned on the upper surface of the substrate and comprises a plurality of non-parallel, adjacent columnar structures. The optical film according to the subject invention can effectively enhance the brightness of a liquid crystal display and reduce the optical interference.
US07891842B2
A heat-dissipating reflector for a lighting device having a reflecting surface for reflecting light from a light emitting source of the lighting device, and a plurality of ventilation openings formed through the reflecting surface for dissipating heat generated by the light emitting source.
US07891821B2
An original laser-radiation beam having a symmetrical M2 but poor beam quality is sliced in one transverse axis, by a fanned-out stack of parallel transparent plates, into a plurality of beam slices. The beam-slices are also spread by the stack of plates in another transverse axis perpendicular to the first axis. A fanned-out stack of glass blocks aligns the spread beam-slices in the first axis to form what is effectively a single beam having an asymmetric M2, with beam quality improved in one axis and degraded in the other compared with the original beam. The effective single beam is projected into a line of radiation by a cylindrical lens, or by a homogenizing projector including spaced apart cylindrical lens arrays followed by a spherical condenser lens.
US07891812B2
An aberrometer is provided for automatically measuring a human eye aberration, determining a subjective visual acuity associated with the selection of a best spherocylindrical correction, and investigating the influence of high orders aberrations on the visual acuity. The aberrometer includes a point light source which is projected on the eye retina, scattered back by the retina, and passes through the eye optical systems acquiring a phase modulation corresponding to the total eye optical aberration. The aberrometer also includes a wave front sensor whose output signal is transmitted to a device control system, an aberration compensation system which is disposed between the human eye and the wave front sensor and through which radiation coming out from the eye and projected on the eye retina passes, and a test picture projector which projects the test picture image on the eye retina through the aberration compensation system.
US07891801B2
An ultraviolet ray curable ink-jet ink comprising at least a mono-functional monomer, a bi-functional monomer, and a photo-polymerization initiator, wherein an amount of the mono-functional monomer is at least 35 weight % based on the total weight of the ink-jet ink, and an amount of the photo-polymerization initiator is at least 20 weight % based on the total weight of the mono-functional monomer.
US07891796B2
The present invention provides a liquid application device, an inkjet recording apparatus and a recording apparatus, which are capable of performing an adequate application initial operation according to the length of waiting time and power-off time, as well as a method of controlling the liquid application device. In the present invention, information on an end time of the previous processing for collecting liquid is read from a nonvolatile memory, current time information indicating the current time is obtained, and information on a lapse of time from the end time of the previous collection to a start time of the current application. Thereafter, the number of preliminary rotations R of an application roller is decided based on the information on the lapse of time with reference to a look-up table. Sequentially, the application roller is rotated by the decided number of preliminary rotations R to perform preprocessing operation.
US07891785B2
An upper surface of a piezoelectric layer in an area opposed to a pressure generating chamber and a side surface of the piezoelectric layer in an arrangement direction of the piezoelectric elements are covered with an upper electrode. In addition, on one end in a longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric layer extends up to an adhesive area of a flow passage forming substrate to which a circumferential portion of a piezoelectric element preserver of a joining substrate is adhered, and the lower electrode extends up to the outside of an end portion of the piezoelectric layer to form a terminal section in an end portion of the lower electrode.
US07891779B2
The current invention provides for an inkjet printhead for an inkjet printer. The inkjet printhead includes a wafer substrate defining an ink supply channel. Side wall portions extend away from one surface of the wafer substrate, and a nozzle layer supported on the side wall portions and extending parallel to said one surface of the wafer substrate. The nozzle layer and the side wall portions define an array of nozzle chambers for receiving ink. The nozzle layer defines ink ejection ports and etchant holes. The etchant holes are of sufficient diameter to retain ink in the nozzle chamber by surface tension. Each nozzle chamber has a thermal actuators cantilevered on the wafer substrate. The actuator partitions the nozzle chamber and has a heater layer which produces thermal expansion of said actuator upon activation.
US07891769B2
An ink jet printhead has a wafer substrate incorporating CMOS drive circuitry. A plurality of nozzle assemblies is arranged in an array on the substrate and is the product of dielectric and metal layers deposited on the wafer substrate and etched, such that the wafer substrate and layers define ink inlet apertures. Each nozzle assembly has a wall portion bounding a respective ink inlet aperture. A crown portion defines a nozzle opening. A skirt portion depends from the crown portion to form part of a peripheral wall of the nozzle assembly. The crown and skirt portions are displaceable with respect to the wall portion to alter a volume of a nozzle chamber defined by the wall, crown and skirt portions such that when the volume is altered, ink is ejected from the nozzle opening. A thermal actuator interconnects the crown and skirt portion with the substrate and is connected to the drive circuitry to displace the crown and skirt portions on receipt of an electrical signal from the drive circuitry. The crown portion defines a raised rim that surrounds the nozzle opening to facilitate the formation of a meniscus of ink.
US07891766B2
A printhead is provided which has a plurality of types of printheads modules. Each type of module is determined by its geometric shape in plan so that the combination of the determined module types forms the printhead to extend and print across a pagewidth. At least one row of printhead nozzles defined across the determined types of modules includes at least one displaced row portion.
US07891765B2
A printhead is provided having a plurality of nozzle rows which have displaced row portions. The displaced row portions of at least some of the rows are different in length than the displaced row portions of at least some of the other rows.
US07891762B2
When liquid materials are fed to inkjet heads, fluid pressures of liquid materials to be fed to inkjet heads are equalized so that a gas does not remain in liquid feed pipe lines without causing structures of the liquid feed pipe lines to be complicated. Separate liquid feed pipe lines (3) for feeding the liquid material, each of which communicates with each of a plurality of inkjet heads (4), are each connected to a common liquid feed pipe line (2) which stores one kind of the liquid material and communicates with an ink tank (1). Separate gas flow pipe lines (19), each of which is capable of feeding a gas and communicates with a connection portion between the common liquid feed pipe line (2) and each of the separate liquid feed pipe lines (3), with each of the inkjet heads (4), or with both the connection portion and each of the inkjet heads (4), are each connected to a bypass pipe line (18a) (common gas flow pipe line (18)) capable of being opened and closed with respect to the atmosphere.
US07891761B2
A printer is provided having a pagewidth printhead having a plurality of ejection nozzles located along the pagewidth, a capping mechanism having a pagewidth capping member, a first mechanism for moving the printhead in a first arc between first, second and third positions, and a second mechanism for moving the capping member in a second arc between capping and non-capping positions relative to the printhead. The capping member, in the capping position, caps the nozzles when the printhead is in the second position and permits purging of material from the nozzles when the printhead is in the third position.
US07891757B2
A method of measuring a relative offset between a first array of marking elements and a second array of marking elements in a printer; a registration target; and a printer are provided. The method includes printing a target by printing a first group of pixels using a plurality of marking elements from the first array and printing a second group of pixels using a plurality of marking elements from the second array; scanning the target to measure an optical characteristic of the target as a function of position along the target; and identifying a position at which an extreme in the optical characteristic of the target occurs.
US07891742B2
A construction machine, in particular road milling machine, recycler or stabilizer, with a machine frame (4) that is carried by a chassis (2) with a working drum (6) and a drive train (8) comprising at the least a drive engine (10), a traction mechanism (12) for the mechanical drive of the working drum (6) with a drive element, an output element and a traction element (30), a device (14) for switching the torque between the drive engine (10) and working drum (6), and device (16) for driving at least one hydraulic pump; it is provided that elements of the drive train (8) are divided into at least two groups, the first group (3) shows at least the drive engine (10), the second group (5) shows at least the drive element (11) of the traction mechanism, and where the first and the second groups (3, 5) are connected to one another via an articulated coupling device (20).
US07891740B2
A vehicle seat and vehicle seat back frame are disclosed with a plastic frame substrate extending across a rear surface of a seat back. A steel frame portion is connected to the plastic frame substrate within the seat back. The steel frame portion has an upper cross member extending across an upper region of the substrate, an intermediate member extending from the upper cross member, and a lower cross member extending across the lower region of the substrate. The substrate structurally reinforces the steel frame portion with a reduced weight.
US07891738B2
A child seat includes a carrier, an armrest and a flexible connector. The carrier includes a loading surface and a connecting part. The flexible connector is connected between the carrier and the armrest. When the child seat is in an un-assembled state, the armrest is separated from the connecting part. When the child seat is in an assembled state, the armrest is fixed to the connecting part. Alternatively, the child seat includes a carrier, an armrest and a connector. The carrier includes a loading surface and a connecting part. The connector is connected with the carrier and the armrest. When the child seat is in an un-assembled state, the armrest is laid flat on the loading surface. When the child seat is in an assembled state, the armrest is fixed to the connecting part in an upright state.
US07891737B2
According to one embodiment of a seat assembly for a motor vehicle a seat back pivots about a hip axis, a seat bottom pivots about a knee axis, and at least one seat bottom leg is pivots about an ankle axis, so that the seat back folds down against the seat bottom and the seat bottom kneels on the floor to at least partially define a seating load floor. According to another embodiment, a seat bottom and a seat back are articulatable in a forward direction to fold the seat bottom and back down toward a floor of the vehicle to at least partially define a seating load floor.
US07891732B2
An all weather sunshade system for infant carriers includes a main sunshade that is pivotally attached to the infant carrier and an integrally provided sunshade extension. The main sunshade is selectively deployable and includes curved semi-rigid members which support a fabric material and includes a front edge. A rear edge of the sunshade extension is secured along the front edge of the main sunshade structure and is sized and shaped so that it may be selectively drawn forward, when the main sunshade is fully deployed, and secured around a front portion of the infant carrier. In doing so, the sunshade extension remains taut following the contours defined by the shape of the front edge of the main sunshade and the perimeter shape of the front edge of the infant carrier.
US07891699B2
A cover for a driver's side airbag module is provided, the cover having a central body portion with an opening disposed therein, the central body portion having a predetermined tear seam for defining a pair of deployable doors, the predetermined tear seam extending through the opening. The cover also includes a horn switch assembly inserted into the opening; and a tether secured to the horn switch assembly, the tether retaining the horn switch assembly with the cover after deployment of the pair of deployable doors along the predetermined tear seam, wherein the horn switch assembly is dislodged from the opening when the pair of deployable doors deploy along the predetermined tear seam.
US07891696B2
A foldable wheel chair or mobility base is disclosed that comprises a chair portion and a wheeled frame. The chair portion has a back hinged to a seat. The frame supports the chair portion, a spaced pair of front wheel caster assemblies and a spaced pair of rear wheels. A lower end of the back of the chair portion attaches to the frame via two spaced brackets which are slidably connected to upright curved rear support members such that they can be moved along the curved rear support members to permit adjustment of the chair tilt between predetermined stop positions along the curved rear support members without changing a seat to back angle. The chair portion is connected to the frame via front support members and diagonal struts connected to common pins fastened to each of the front wheel caster assemblies. The other end of each diagonal strut is hinged to one of the spaced brackets. The chair preferably provides a different distance between front and rear wheels at different seat to back angles and tilt positions of the chair portion. Further, the configuration permits virtually independent adjustment of chair portion tilt, seat to back angles and permits a separate dynamic movement of the seat to back angle to facilitate therapeutic exercise capability for a chair occupant.
US07891692B2
A camper alignment system for use in guiding a pickup under a camper for loading of the camper uses a light source and a target for alignment. The pickup has a pickup cab and a pickup bed having a bed length. The camper has a camper front portion and a camper base. There is a light source capable of emitting a beam of light in the visible light spectrum when in operation. The light source is affixed on the camper front. There is a beam target disposed along the bed length. The beam target is substantially perpendicular with respect to the rear edge of the pickup bed. When the beam of light is substantially parallel to and projecting on the beam target, the pickup can be safely backed up toward the camper front portion and under the camper base for transport of the camper with the pickup.
US07891661B2
A sheet stacking device includes a liftable/lowerable sheet stacking portion on which sheets to be ejected are stackable. The sheet stacking portion moves downward as an amount of stacked sheets increases. The sheet stacking device includes a movable member disposed below the sheet stacking portion with a space therebetween, and a detecting portion configured to output a signal in accordance with a position of the movable member. Ejection of the sheet to the sheet stacking portion is stopped on the basis of the signal output from the detecting portion in accordance with downward movement of the movable member.
US07891654B2
A sheet feeding unit includes a side warm-air mechanism that blows air toward a side surface of a sheet stack S from a warm-air outlet. The sheet feeding unit controls the lift mechanism so as to perform a sheet separating operation every time a predetermined number of sheets P are fed during a continuous sheet feeding operation.
US07891653B2
A bill recycle machine including a push plate exerting pressure on bills, which can apply separation pressure required for separating bills and also can be elevated upward and downward so as to prevent the push plate from being interfered with by a pickup roller when untaken bills is collected again. The bill recycle machine includes: a front plate forming a wall surface of a front side of a bill receiving space formed at a lower part of a shutter, a push plate which forms a first bill receiving space between the push plate and the front plate, a stack plate installed at an opposite side of the first bill receiving space, based on the push plate, so as to support bills stacked by a stack wheel; and a transfer plate forming a second bill receiving space between the transfer plate and the stack plate.
US07891647B2
A sheet processing apparatus includes a winding unit configured to wind a continuous sheet, a binding unit configured to bind the continuous sheet that is wound and stacked by the winding unit, and a first cutting unit configured to cut the continuous sheet that is bound by the binding unit in a state that the continuous sheet is wound by the winding unit.
US07891646B2
A Synchronous Positioning Frame Assembly Machine having a plurality of extension wings (48) arranged to precisely locate miter clamps (40) containing captive sliding rails (46) that create a secondary motion to connect small and large frame members. Artist canvas frames, picture frames and other rectangular or square frames such as mirror frames made from mitered members being joined with glue or other mechanical means are precisely brought together at right angles and in a flat plane. Rotary motion of a central rotating shaft (54) linked (50) to the sliding rails (46) positions the clamps (40). A mechanically or manually operated torque lever (56) with knob (58) provides the prime mover force that moves the clamps in a synchronized manner while applying a clamping force to hold the frame members A, B, C, D together with a ratchet (68) and pawl (88) stop for the required assembly time of glue cycle, manual or mechanical fasteners.
US07891645B2
An adjustable coil spring system placed within a leg of a vehicle such as a mountain bicycle fork. The spring system comprises an adjustable first soft spring seated on top of a second firm spring having greater length than the first soft spring. A coupler assembly is positioned between two springs comprised of a threaded bolt threadedly received within a coupler. A spring adjustment mechanism may comprise a knob connected to the threaded bolt through a non-round shaped shaft, wherein the threaded bolt is disposed within the first soft spring. As the knob rotates, the coupler is moved up along the threaded bolt, decreasing the length of the first soft spring, thereby increasing firm spring characteristics of the spring system. As the knob rotates in an opposite direction, the coupler moves down, increasing the length of the first soft spring, thereby increasing soft spring characteristics of the spring system.
US07891642B2
An emulsifier system includes a mixing pump, a water source, a water intake regulator for regulating the flow rate of water supplied by the water source to the mixing pump, an air intake regulator for regulating the flow rate of air being supplied to the mixing pump for enabling the mixing pump to output a high pressure flow of mixed fluid and gas, and an emulsifier for emulsifying the high pressure flow of mixed fluid and gas outputted by the mixing pump by means of a cavitation effect.
US07891631B2
The present invention relates to a supporting structure, includes a retractable connecting unit, a bottom pivotal shaft device, a top pivotal shaft device and at least one linking device. The retractable connecting unit is that a slide engaging sheet is provided on top of a fixed engaging sheet, and an adjusting member is provided between the fixed and the slide engaging sheets, a bottom end and a top end are respectively provided at the bottom portion and the top portion of the retractable connecting unit. The linking device is that a bottom shaft wheel and a top shaft wheel are respectively provided between the bottom end and the top end of the lateral side of the connecting unit and between bottom supporting racks of the bottom pivotal shaft device and top supporting racks of the top pivotal shaft device, and respectively and pivotally connecting to the bottom pivotal shaft device and the top pivotal shaft device, and a flexible band is provided between the top and the bottom shaft wheels; by adjusting the adjusting member, the slide engaging sheet can move alongside the fixed engaging sheet, so the lengths of the retractable connecting unit and the top and the bottom shaft wheels disposed at the lateral side of the retractable connecting unit are changed, and a proper tension is maintained by the flexible band.
US07891628B2
A load carrier has a rectangular bottom part and feet disposed at least in the corner regions of the bottom part. A groove for accommodating a load-securing belt is provided above the feet, encircling the bottom part. The front edge of each corner foot projects beyond the related bottom corner edge, and a nub-like elevation is provided on this projecting front edge.
US07891625B2
The invention concerns a medical machine (1) for transport of liquid, comprising at least one suspension means (10) intended to receive at least two bags (50) containing liquid, the suspension means having a suspension body (11), at least three fastening means (12, 13, 14) fixed to the suspension body (11), comprising at least two lateral fastening means (13, 14) and one intermediate fastening means (12), the intermediate fastening means (12) being placed between the two lateral fastening means (13, 14), and the intermediate fastening means (12) being placed vertically lower down than the lateral fastening means (13, 14). The first lateral fastening means and the intermediate fastening means are intended to receive a first bag, and the second lateral fastening means and the intermediate fastening means are intended to receive a second bag, so that the two bags are held against one another in a stable manner.
US07891617B2
A securing assembly for enabling a structure, such as a display case, to be mounted onto a slat wall is disclosed. The securing assembly includes a first and a second bracket which are securable to each other without the use of tools or adhesives. The first bracket includes a plurality of sections, secured together, which enable the first bracket to be secured to a slat wall without the use of tools or adhesives. The second bracket includes a first portion securable to the first bracket and a second portion which can be secured to a structure with fasteners. In order to mount a structure on a slat wall the second bracket secured to the structure, the first bracket is secured to the slat wall and then the first and second brackets are secured to each other.
US07891610B2
The rotary flap (1) is liable to turn about a longitudinal axis of rotation (4) defined according to the first span (5) of said flap (1), said flap (1) having a profile (6) extending along the chord (CO) and comprising a first leading edge (7), a first trailing edge (8), an inner surface (9) and an outer surface (10), The inner surface (9) and outer surface (10) have non-concave shapes, first leading edge (7) having a rounded shape provided with a curve radius (R) more or less constant or elliptical in shape whose first major axis to minor axis quotient is less than or equal to 1.5, with first trailing edge (8) having a main angle (α) that is included between 10° and 30°, and axis of rotation (4) is situated at a first distance (C1) from first leading edge (7), that is included between 15% and 35% of the chord (CO) of flap (1).
US07891594B1
A medicine crushing device for grinding medication tablets comprising a housing having a top half and a bottom half separated by an inner wall. The top half is for holding the medication tablets. A cap is removably attached to the top of the top half of the housing, a motor is disposed in the bottom half of the housing, and one or more blades operatively connected to the motor are disposed in the top half of the housing.
US07891586B2
Disclosed is a fuel injection valve (4) comprising a control member (70) that is provided with a control passageway (114) which is arranged eccentrically relative to the housing axis (8) and can be opened and closed by a closure piece (96) with the aid of an actuator assembly (26) in order to obtain intermittent injections. The control member (70) is positioned by means of a centering pin (124) in order to define the circumferential position of the eccentric control passageway (114). The centering pin (124) is guided within a pocket bore of the control member (70) as well as within a bore of an intermediate plate (12), a cylindrical element (13), or a spacing sleeve (202). The actuator assembly (26) is designed as an electromagnetic actuator (80) in which the stop (98; 99) for limiting the lift of the pilot valve member is designed as a monolithic component of the intermediate plate (12) or as a flat stop disk (97) in a separate workpiece. The eccentric position of the actuator assembly (26) and the design of the stop (98; 99) allow for a very compact design of the fuel injection valve. The compact design makes it possible to mount a suitable storage chamber in the monolithic housing body (10) of the fuel injection valve, above the high-pressure inlet bore (20).
US07891585B2
A fuel injection valve is provided that includes an electromagnetic actuator (A1) that moves a valve body (10) in an inwardly-opening direction, and a magnetostrictive actuator (A2) that, by passing current therethrough, elongates a movable part assembly (43) extending from the valve body (10) to a movable core (24) of the electromagnetic actuator (A1), wherein the magnetostrictive actuator (A2) is formed from a solid magnetostrictive element (15) provided between the valve body (10) and the movable core (24) of the electromagnetic actuator (A1) so as to couple the valve body (10) and the movable core (24), a preload spring (13) provided between the valve body (10) and the movable core (24) so as to apply a compressive preload in the axial direction of the valve body (10) to the magnetostrictive element (15), and a second coil (42) mounted on a valve housing (H) housing the valve body (10), the movable core (24), the magnetostrictive element (15), and the preload spring (13), the second coil (42) elongating the magnetostrictive element (15) against the preload by the passage of current. By combining in this way the electromagnetic actuator and the magnetostrictive actuator equipped with the solid magnetostrictive element, a fuel injection valve of an inwardly-opening type that has good responsiveness and is capable of operating at low power consumption can be provided.
US07891580B2
A high volume piezoelectric atomizer for use with common consumer spray products is disclosed. The piezoelectric atomizer may include an actuator, a substrate and a supply of a liquid product to be dispensed. The substrate may include a plurality of tapered perforations in direct contact with the supply of a liquid product. A control circuit vibrates the actuator, substrate and its tapered perforations against the supply at velocities of at least 500 mm/s. Droplets are dispensed at a delivery rate of approximately 0.2 g/s resulting in plumes of at least 2 feet in length resulting in a Valpey factor of at least 51.0.
US07891568B2
A media processing device may include a frame with a transport passage in which information recording media are transported and a magnetic head for processing magnetic information signals on the information recording media. The magnetic head may be embedded in the frame and part of the frame may be interposed between the magnetic head and the transport passage.
US07891557B2
A system and method is provided for managing multiple smart card sessions with multiple communications or computing devices in association with a single smart card reader. A wireless smart card reader is provided for communicating with a plurality of devices requiring smart card functionality in a number of smart card sessions, in which each smart card session is addressed with an identifier identifying a single device. The smart card session is secured by a wireless connection pairing and by a secure pairing, such that each connection between the smart card reader and a device is secured against all other devices in communication with the smart card reader using a master connection key, which is unique for each device.
US07891553B2
Disclosed is a cash transaction machine. The cash transaction machine includes a main body including a medium inlet formed on a side of a lower portion thereof and a medium outlet formed on a side of an upper portion thereof, and providing a paper medium fed from the medium inlet to the medium outlet, a transfer module including a driving device mounted on the main body, and a plurality of circulation transfer belts cooperating with the driving device and transferring the paper medium, the plurality of circulation transfer belts being extended to the lower portion of the main body via the medium inlet, and an auxiliary adapter including an adapter box directly or indirectly mounted on the lower portion of the main body, and a belt guidance shaft mounted on the adapter box and positioning an extra part of the circulation transfer belt in the auxiliary adapter.
US07891551B2
A two-stage lock structure of an ATM is described that can prevent an operator from being injured during the removal of a currency note jam.
US07891540B2
The invention relates to a soldering work piece made of aluminium and/or aluminium compounds, to a soldering method, in addition to a heat exchanger soldered in said manner. One surface of the soldering work piece is provided with an artificially applied oxide layer.
US07891530B2
In a method for axial correction in a processing machine (100), which has at least two driven transport axles (110, 115) for transporting and processing a product web (101), at least one non-driven or driven processing axle (111, 112, 113, 114), and at least one additional non-driven axle (102, 121, 122, 123, 124), wherein the product web (101) is divisible into at least one web-tensioning segment, a web-tensioning segment is delimited by two clamping points (110-115). The clamping points are embodied in the form of driven transport or processing axles. During a rotation speed change of a clamping point (110-115) a web-tensioning segment is delimited, a pilot control of this clamping point (110-115) delimiting the web-tensioning segment and/or of a processing axle (111-114) situated in this web-tensioning segment is carried out, taking into account a moment of inertia of a non-driven axle (102, 121-124) situated in this web-tensioning section, and a corresponding processing machine (100).
US07891528B2
A dispenser for dispensing a liquid onto a substrate includes a dispenser body having an output and a reservoir in fluid communication with the output, the reservoir being defined by a wall and adapted to hold a supply of liquid to be dispensed. A piston is disposed in the reservoir and adapted to pressurize the liquid so that an amount of liquid is dispensed from the output of the dispenser. The piston includes a base portion having an outer periphery and having a first hardness, and a skirt portion integrally molded to the outer periphery of the base portion and having a second hardness lower than the first hardness. A two-shot molding operation may be used to form the piston with the base portion being, for example, formed in the first shot of the molding operation and the skirt portion being formed in the second shot of the molding operation.
US07891523B2
A method and apparatus for dispensing of a product based on weight as a load cell (22) which supports a structure holding the product (20a) to be dispensed. The weight of the product (20a) that is dispensed is determined by use of a controller (23).
US07891516B2
A container is thermoformed from a multilayer sheet, which includes a container body and a flange extending outward from a circumference of an opening of the container body. An end of the first layer extends over an edge of a peeled surface toward a bottom side on an outer end surface of the flange. When a lid is heat-sealed to the flange of the container, even if a seal resin is melted and flowed toward the end surface of the flange, since the edge of the peeled surface is covered with the end of the first layer, the seal resin will not adhere to the edge of the peeled surface.
US07891514B1
A food and liquid container is disclosed having a base and lid and providing for an air-tight seal between the base and lid when they are attached to each other. The seal is achieved at several points which create two air-pockets. The securing portion associated with the base can be substantially J-shaped in cross section, while the securing portion of the lid can be substantially u-shaped in cross section. A first ridge on the J-shaped section abuts with a second ridge on the u-shaped section when the lid is attached to the base with the second ridge disposed above the first ridge. The lower outer end of the u-shaped section can be rounded and a lip can extend outward for easier gripping when removing the lid from the base.
US07891508B2
The present invention, in one embodiment, is a system for receiving and delivering into a base the radial loads imposed on a crane where the crane has a center post operably connected to the base with a generally cylindrical outer bearing surface and the crane rotates in at least a partial circle around the axis of the center post. The system comprises three or more radial load rollers arranged in a linked sequence in an arc at the outer bearing surface of the center post. Each radial load roller includes an axle and an axis of rotation that is generally parallel to the axis of the center post. The system also comprises a means for anchoring a first radial load roller at one end of the arc and anchoring a second radial load roller at the other end of the arc. The system also comprises links connecting each roller between the first and the second radial rollers to its adjacent rollers to form a flexible chain of said rollers. Finally, the system comprises a means for tensioning the linked radial load rollers to draw each radial load roller into rolling contact with the outer bearing surface and to equalize substantially the radial forces exerted by the radial rollers on the outer bearing surface.
US07891502B2
A circuit board carrier has main frame, at least one first holder, at least one slide and at least one second holder. The first and second holders are mounted on and selectively slide on the main frame. The slide is mounted on and selectively slides on the corresponding first holder. The slide has a first pin and the second holder has a second pin. The circuit board is held on the circuit board carrier by the pins. Therefore, the circuit board is kept from being contacted to the delivering wheels during manufacturing and is not polluted and trapped by the delivering wheels.
US07891500B2
The present invention provides for a method of producing an integral multilayered porous membrane by simultaneously co-casting a plurality of polymer solutions onto a support to form a multilayered liquid sheet and immersing the sheet into a liquid coagulation bath to effect phase separation and form a porous membrane. The support can be a temporary support or form an integrated support for the membrane. The plurality of layers may be of the same polymer or different, same concentration or viscosity or different and may be subjected to the same processing conditions or different ones to form unique structures.
US07891494B2
Disclosed is a unitary product cushioning device for supporting shock sensitive products during transport in an exterior container, comprising a product support region having a platform; a flap hingedly connected on either side of the product support region for folding upwards and towards the product support region; a plurality of ribs on each flap and product support region, the ribs defining product-supporting cavities therebetween for receiving and supporting the products; a cutout between each flap and product support region. Fold stops may hingedly connect each flap and product support region, the fold stop being angled to facilitate folding of the flap towards the product support region to form a generally “U” shape in the exterior container.
US07891482B2
The object of the present invention is to improve the productivity and make the assembling operation easier in a carrier apparatus for carrying a work while performing an assembling operation by making effective use of an inside region, even in the case where a conveyor line is provided in the form of a circling route.In a free flow type conveyor line (1) in which a work is loaded on a pallet (2) having a floor surface which travels substantially at the same level as a floor surface (5) for operation, a horizontal curved section (3) is provided in a section of the line (1), and the pallet (2) is divided into a first, a second and a third divided pallet elements (2A, 2B, 2C) in the carrying direction. The respectively divided pallet elements (2A, 2B, 2C) are mutually turnable in the horizontal plane by connecting the first divided pallet element (2A) to the second divided pallet elements (2B), and the second divided pallet element (2B) to the third divided pallet elements (2C), respectively through vertically extending pivot pins (9).
US07891481B2
A conveyor belt and a method for providing a conveyor belt with rollers that rotate on axes oblique to the direction of belt travel. Axles are mounted on rods extending perpendicular to direction of belt travel. The axles have cylindrical outer bearing surfaces that define a central axis that is oblique to the direction of belt travel when mounted on the rods. Rollers mounted on the axles rotate on the outer bearing surfaces in a direction oblique to the direction of belt travel.
US07891480B2
A rail element conveys suspended objects, such as bottles or preforms. The rail element includes two guide rails which are separated by a pre-defined distance and which form lateral support surfaces for the objects being conveyed along a conveyor passageway, such as preform sub-neck guides. A helically-curved conveyor section consists of a frame on which the guide rails are helically arranged. At least one guide rail includes a flat band that can be removed from the frame.
US07891462B2
A protective cover for a stethoscope head and an apparatus for quickly and easily interconnecting the protective cover with the stethoscope head. The apparatus includes a cover-positioning device that positions the protective cover so that it can be quickly and easily interconnected with the stethoscope head. The cover positioning device includes a base having a planar portion and an upstanding rim connected to the planar portion. Following examination of the patient using the stethoscope with the protective head covering, the protective covering can be quickly and easily removed from the stethoscope head and suitably disposed of so as to prevent skin bacteria and like contaminants that may have contaminated the protective cover during patient examination, from undesirably being transmitted to the next patient.
US07891460B2
According to an active front steering system (AFS) of the invention, an actuator assembly that receives steering input from a driver and AFS input from a motor is mounted to a gear box that reciprocates a rack bar connected to tie rods that are connected to wheels. Therefore, the entire size of the AFS is reduced and a decelerator that changes the steering ratio includes a single planetary gear that outputs final steering through rack bar after the steering input from the driver and the AFS input from motor are inputted across each other.
US07891457B2
A material handling vehicle includes an operator compartment having a floor. A step is disposed in the operator compartment and spaced above the floor. A first deadman switch is disposed in the floor for actuation by an operator standing on the floor in the operator compartment. A second deadman switch is disposed in the step for actuation by an operator sitting in the operator compartment, wherein simultaneous actuation of the first deadman switch and the second deadman switch disables operation of both deadman switches.
US07891452B2
The automobile rear structure includes a diffuser which is arranged on a vehicle-body rear side of a muffler and is configured to interfere with exhaust gas discharged from the muffler so as to make a portion of the exhaust gas flow downwardly, and a flow rectification plate which is arranged below the muffler and guides the downwardly flowing exhaust gas in the direction along an air flow flowing below the floor of the vehicle body to merge the exhaust gas into the air flow. The exhaust gas discharged downwardly from a space defined between a front end portion of the diffuser and a body portion of the muffler is guided in the direction inclined downwardly toward the rear side of the vehicle body and, thereafter, is guided in the direction along the air flow flowing below the floor of the vehicle body, and is merged into the air flow.
US07891437B2
The invention relates to a method for breaking rock to be drilled in rock drilling, in which method the rock to be drilled is subjected to successive stress pulses via a tool. The method comprises stress pulses being exerted on the rock at a high frequency, and the load proportion calculated on the basis of the values of the frequency and the length (tp) of the stress wave being at least 0.075.
US07891436B2
A furrow opener comprises an opener body including a shank mount arranged to support the opener body on an agricultural implement shank for movement in a forward working direction and a tip body readily separable from the opener body and arranged for forming a furrow in the ground in the working direction. The tip body includes a furrowing portion extending downwardly and forwardly beyond the opener body so as to be arranged to form the furrow in the ground. A retainer member is supported on the opener body to retain a portion of the tip body adjacent the top end thereof on the opener body to provide support to the tip body against a moment acting on the tip body from the rearward force on the furrowing portion during furrow formation.
US07891433B2
A resettable antiextrusion system including a backup ring, a ramp in operable communication with the backup ring, and a gauge ring attached to the ramp. A method for sealing a tubular.
US07891429B2
A subsea well intervention system that permits dynamic disconnection from subsea well intervention equipment without removing any of the equipment during a drive-off condition is provided. The system includes a blowout preventer module operatively connected to a subsea tree and a subsea control system. The subsea control system is connected via electrical jumper to an ROV's tether management system. The subsea control system is connected via hydraulic jumpers to a multipurpose fluid-injection skid and one or more hydraulic accumulation banks. A fail-safe disconnect assembly is utilized with respect to the electrical jumper in order to provide easy removal during a drive-off condition.
US07891428B2
A safety valve for use in well bore operations, for example, in cooperation with a progressive cavity pump or rodpump. One version of a safety valve (1) is designed for use with upper and lower conduits in the form of upper and lower pump rod strings (16, 18) located in wellbore production tubing (50). The safety valve comprises a housing (2) having a longitudinal bore (3) extending therethrough; a coupling member (14) for coupling the upper rod string to the lower rod string, the coupling member sealably mounted within the longitudinal bore; an annular flow passage (8) bypassing the coupling member; and a valve sleeve (23) located in the annular flow passage. In use, the valve sleeve is utilised to control flow of fluid through the flow passage bypassing the coupling member.
US07891425B2
A method of limiting or preventing fluid flow through a portion of a subterranean formation comprises the steps of: (a) forming a treatment fluid comprising: (i) a water-swellable, water-insoluble elastomer in the form of discrete particles, wherein the particles of the water-swellable, water-insoluble elastomer have a characteristic of being capable of sticking together to form an agglomeration when exposed to water; and (ii) a carrier fluid for the water-swellable, water-insoluble elastomer; and (b) injecting the treatment fluid through a well into the subterranean formation to deposit the discrete particles of the water-swellable, water-insoluble elastomer in the subterranean formation.
US07891422B2
A sensor system includes a carrier configured for a specific application; an electronics module mountable in a number of individual carriers; a feedthrough mountable in a number of individual carriers and in operable communication with the interface; a sensor mounting mountable in a number of individual carriers and in operable communication with the feedthrough; and a sensor array articulated to the sensor mounting.
US07891415B2
A heat exchanger has a heat exchange part that includes a heat supply medium channel with at least one heat supply passage and a heat recovery medium channel surrounding the heat supply medium channel. The heat exchange part is arranged such that, during operation, a heat supply medium passing through the heat supply medium channel exchanges heat with a heat recovery medium passing through the heat recovery medium channel. Cross-sectional space available to accommodate heat recovery medium flow in different sections of the heat recovery medium channel varies according to an amount of heat to be transferred from the heat supply medium to the heat recovery medium in each of the different sections.
US07891414B2
A heat dissipator having heat pipes includes a heat-conducting base, a first heat pipe and a second heat pipe. The heat-conducting base has an accommodating trough. After the first heat pipe is accommodated in the accommodating trough, it is deformed so as to abut against the inner wall face of the accommodating trough. Further, the second heat pipe and the first heat pipe are provided in the same accommodating trough, and the second heat pipe is overlapped vertically on the first heat pipe. As a result, the second heat pipe is deformed so as to abut against the first heat pipe and the interior of the accommodating trough, thereby enhancing the heat-conducting performance of the heat dissipator.
US07891411B2
A heat dissipation device for at least two heat-generating electronic components, includes a base, a fin set and a plurality of heat pipes. The base includes a supporting frame and at least two plates attached to a bottom of the frame for contacting with the at least two heat-generating electronic components. The fin set includes a plurality of fins on the base. The heat pipes respectively and thermally connect the at least two plates and the fin set together. A single fan is attached to the heat dissipation device for generating an airflow through the fin set to dissipate heat in the fin set absorbed from the at least two heat-generating electronic components.
US07891408B2
A method of producing an immersion nozzle for continuous casting, which includes integrally molding a first zirconia-graphite compound applied to a powder-line portion of the nozzle, and a second compound applied to at least an inner hole portion of the nozzle. The second compound includes 10 mass % or more of clinker particles each containing CaO as a mineral phase, and the surface of at least a part of the clinker particles is subjected to an anti-hydration treatment, such as a heat treatment to be performed under a CO2 atmosphere to convert CaO to CaCO3. The method can suppress volume expansion caused by the reaction between CaO and water released from resin added as binder, so as to prevent the occurrence of cracks during a burning process of the molded piece.
US07891406B2
Ingot mold for casting ultra thin slabs to be used, for instance, in a manufacturing plant for the manufacture of metal strips, having two wide concave walls (11) in the center and two flat portions (12) parallel to the plane of symmetry X in the end zones connected by two convex connecting zones (13) wherein the ratio between the lengths d/l is between 10 and 60% and the ratio h/f is between 10% and 60%.
US07891405B2
A water-cooled mold for continuous casting includes two water-cooled wide copper plates arranged opposite to each other in a front and back direction and two water-cooled narrow copper plates arranged opposite to each other in a left and right direction. The upper portion of the cavity of the mold is a sprue area and the lower portion of the cavity is a mold cavity area. The sprue area is gradually narrowed in the casting direction and smoothly transited into the mold cavity, corresponding to the shape of a slab to be cast. The inside surfaces of the water-cooled narrow copper plates are smooth planar surfaces. A portion of the inside surface of the water-cooled wide copper plates in the sprue area is a curved surface and another portion in the mold cavity area is a planar surface. The curved surface and the planar surface portions form a continuous smooth surface.
US07891401B2
Equipment and techniques for bracing roll down doors of a building having a plurality of horizontal door panels against severe winds and security against burglary use a horizontal cross bar mounted to the building at connector locations on either side of the door panels. At least one vertical support bar connects to the horizontal cross bar at locations intermediate to the ends of the horizontal cross bar and is secured to the floor using a floor mount. The vertical support bar is connected to door panels using a rotatable hook. The equipment can be provided in a kit form for easy installation.
US07891400B2
Overhead door assemblies having both interlocking and releasable guide assemblies, and guide track assemblies for use with same are disclosed herein. An overhead door track configured in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes a first side portion spaced apart from a second side portion to define a channel or gap region therebetween. The first side portion has a first guide surface and a first retention surface. Similarly, the second side portion has a second guide surface and a second retention surface. In this embodiment, the first and second guide surfaces diverge outwardly from the gap region in a first direction, and the first and second retention surfaces diverge inwardly from the gap region in a second direction, opposite the first direction. An overhead door configured in accordance with another embodiment of the invention can include a first guide member configured to extend through the gap region and movably engage the first and second retention surfaces, and a second guide member configured to be removably engaged with the first and second guide surfaces.
US07891391B2
The invention relates to a tire having a lug and groove configured rubber tread having an outer rubber cap layer with a running surface and an underlying specialized transition rubber layer. The transition rubber layer is specialized in a sense of containing at least one of partially depolymerized rubber, particulate pre-cured rubber and coal dust. The outer tread cap layer is comprised of ground-contacting tread lugs with the tread running surface and associated tread grooves positioned between said tread lugs. The tread grooves may extend radially inward through the outer tread cap layer and, optionally, into the transition tread layer. The rubber tread configuration may also optionally also include a tread base rubber layer underlying the transition rubber layer.
US07891390B1
A tree pusher for safely felling a tree. The tree pusher includes (a) a base; (b) a frame mounted on the base; (c) a mechanism for pushing the frame against the tree to fell the tree; and (d) a mechanism for connecting the base of the tree pusher to the tree, so that the base will not move while the tree is being pushed over to fell the tree. The frame includes a detachable pronged head which engages the trunk of the tree, and which disengages itself from the frame of the tree pusher and remains with the trunk of the tree as the tree falls. The frame includes a series of tubes connected end-to-end by locking pins, making it very easy to assemble and disassemble the tree pusher. If a tree has accidentally fallen against a house, a building, or an electrical power line, two tree pushers are positioned on opposite sides of the fallen tree and used to lift the fallen tree.
US07891383B2
Ringed tubular sheath comprising two open shells (33, 37), termed the outer (33) and inner (37) shells, both of the same diameter (D), one of which, the outer shell (33), has an opening (E1) smaller than the diameter (D) so as to engage by elastic deformation over the inner shell (37) in a closed position. In the course of this engagement, the opening (E1) of the outer shell (33) becomes stretched until it passes a point corresponding to the diameter (D) of the inner shell (37) and, beyond this point, returns to the unstretched position. In the invention, the two shells (33, 37) are connected to a hinge (17) so as to engage by pivoting about the hinge (17), the opening (E1) of the outer shell (33), which is smaller than the diameter (D), extending from the hinge (17) to an opposite edge (34) of the shell.
US07891355B2
A patient monitor has multiple sensors adapted to attach to tissue sites of a living subject. The sensors generate sensor signals that are responsive to at least two wavelengths of optical radiation after attenuation by pulsatile blood within the tissue sites. A patient monitor uses the sensor signals to determine changes in constant oxygen consumption as an indication of changes in metabolism at the tissue cite.
US07891351B2
A man-made island [10], adaptable for land-based or sea-based operation holds solar energy collection facilities and is rotatable to optimize the angular orientation thereof relative to the position of the sun. More particularly, the man-made island [10] uses a platform [12] that includes a large outer ring [14] that floats on a fluid, and a flexible cover [16] attached to the ring [14] to define an airtight volume [30] below the cover [16]. A plurality of rows [19] of solar radiation collector modules are located above the cover [16], and carry steam generating heat pipes [21]. The rows [19] of modules are supported above the cover [16] by an upper support structure, either a space frame [27], a plurality of cables [46] or a honeycomb [75]. A compressor [32] creates an over-pressure within the enclosed volume [30] to assist in supporting the cover [16] and the other components mounted thereabove. This structure for supporting the rows [19] of the solar radiation collector modules enables the man-made island [10] to be constructed with a very large surface area, eventually up to several kilometers in diameter, to better utilize the full potential of the solar concentrators [22], thereby to produce electricity at an economically viable cost. The man-made island [10] includes a number of other structural features that enhance the practical application of solar radiation collection technology.
US07891346B2
A blowby gas returning device is arranged to allow blowby gas leaking from a combustion chamber of an engine to flow in an intake passage through a returning passage and return to the combustion chamber, and arranged to regulate a flow rate of the blowby gas by a PCV valve provided in the returning passage. This blowby gas returning device comprises an outside-air passage for mixing outside air into the blowby gas before being introduced into the PCV valve; and an open-close valve for opening and closing the outside-air passage. An electronic control unit controls the open-close valve to open when the operating state detected by sensors is an idle state.
US07891341B2
A fuel supply system includes a first non-return valve for a low-pressure delivery connection pipe and a second non-return valve for a pump supply pipe. The former non-return pipe does not allow fuel to flow from the low-pressure delivery pipe to the low-pressure supply pipe. The second non-return valve does not allow fuel to flow from pump supply pipe to the low-pressure supply pipe. Upon determining that air purging is necessary, an engine ECU operates a feed pump for approximately one second and then opens, for dummy injection, an in-cylinder injector and an intake manifold injector.
US07891338B2
The injection system (1) includes a storage volume (6) of pressurized fuel supplied by a high-pressure pump (7) along a delivery pipe (8); and a control unit (16) for defining the required fuel pressure of the storage volume (6) as a function of the operating conditions of the engine (2). The regulating device includes a bypass solenoid valve (14); and a pair of non-return valves (32, 33) connected antiparallel and located between the bypass valve (14) and the storage volume (6). One of the non-return valves (32, 33) permits fuel drainage from the storage volume (6) to the bypass valve (14) when the control unit (16) defines a predetermined reduction (Δp) in the fuel pressure of the storage volume (6).
US07891335B2
A control system for an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders and a cylinder halting mechanism for halting operation of at least one of the plurality of cylinders by stopping operation of at lease one intake valve of the at least one cylinder. The control system includes an intake air control valve for controlling an amount of air supplied to the engine. An opening of the intake air control valve is changed when performing an increase in a number of operating cylinders in an idling condition of the engine. A basic opening of the intake air control valve is switched from a first basic opening corresponding to the number of operating cylinders before the increase in the number of operating cylinders to a second basic opening corresponding to the number of operating cylinders after the increase in the number of the operating cylinders. The basic opening is corrected in the closing direction during a predetermined time period when increasing the number of operating cylinders.
US07891330B2
An engine starting method for starting an engine by causing first fuel injection when a crankshaft is reversely rotated by a predetermined angle at the start, and then rotating the crankshaft forward to perform first ignition, the method comprising the steps of immediately stopping driving of a starter motor when a starter switch is turned off before the first fuel injection at the start; and continuously driving the starter motor forward until a cylinder into which an air/fuel mixture is supplied by the first fuel injection performs at least one exhaust stroke and then stopping the driving of the starter motor when the starter switch is turned off after the first fuel injection at the start.
US07891320B2
A pet sheet 1 including a topsheet 2, a backsheet 3, an absorbent core 41 located between the sheets 2 and 3, and a compression molded product 5 of a ground material of plant origin located between the topsheet 2 and the absorbent core 41. The compression molded product 5 is designed to swell and disintegrate upon water absorption. The compression molded product 5 is preferably designed to form a rewet barrier layer between the topsheet 2 and the absorbent core 41 as a result of swelling and disintegration upon water absorption, the rewet barrier layer being formed of water-containing bulky material disintegrated from the compression molded product 5. The compression molded product preferably further contains inorganic powder, particularly zeolite.
US07891319B2
A liquid bird feed is provided with a liquid container having a sealable top opening and a bottom opening, a liquid tray adapted to immerse the bottom opening in liquid, and a valve mechanism adapted to close the bottom opening to enable the liquid container to be filled through the sealable top opening.
US07891310B2
Freeze indicators providing a visual indication of exposure of the freeze indicator to a freezing or near-freezing temperature and their manufacture are disclosed. The freeze indicators employ colloidal dispersions as active elements and include flexible freeze indicators, freeze indicators protected against drying out and freeze indicators employing core shell composites, for example gold coated pigments as active indicator elements. Also disclosed are: a combination freeze indicator and threshold temperature indicator; a combination threshold indicator and cumulative temperature indicator; and three-way combination indicators that can provide indications of cumulative past temperature exposure, exposure to freezing temperatures and exposure to a temperature above a threshold.
US07891307B2
A sewing thread (20) can be captured certainly with a thread capturing open eye (13a) of an open eye needle (13) and the stitches are formed in the inner space of a sewing machine bed (3). A handstitch and a locked stitch are formed, respectively, on the front surface and the back surface of a fabric workpiece (21) as a skip stitch set through cooperation of the open eye needle (13), a shuttle hook (200) and a thread draw out actuator (401). A feed dog (601) feeds the fabric workpiece by a stitch length (P1) for handstitch during a first stroke of the open eye needle (13), and feeds the fabric workpiece by an inter-stitch pitch (P2) between the handstitches during a second stroke of the open eye needle (13).
US07891306B2
A stool includes a seat board, a plurality of legs, and a connecting board. The plurality of legs is attached to the seat board so as to protrude from the seat board in a downward direction, and to support the seat board such that the seat board is horizontally held. The connecting board is disposed such that one surface thereof faces a bottom surface of the seat board. The connecting board is surrounded by and secured to the plurality of legs.
US07891303B2
A system for guiding a vehicle along a guiding rail includes a guide roller device, with at least one rolling bearing roller and at least one lateral roller having a diameter and shape contacting the rail so that the lateral roller has the same speed at a point of contact with the rail as the central bearing roller on a rolling surface on the rail. The system can be used for tramways.
US07891300B2
The invention relates to a cable derailing prevention device for carrier/traction cables of cable car systems in an installation including: a carrier/traction cable; a multitude of rollers which flank a coupling rail and are located at the exit from the station; a multitude of clamps from which the driving means are suspended; at least one roller that has a couple and clamp and supports the cable, and a support roller or hold-down roller battery according to the cable guide, the coupling rail forming a coupling area between the cable and the clamps. According to the invention, an aligning device is mounted in front of the coupling area of the clamps on the cable before the coupling rail and limits the deviation of the cable due to a derailing on the roller battery so that the cable is always located inside the opening of the clamp.
US07891299B2
A frangible projectile for expelling from an industrial ballistic tool may be formed by a powder metallurgy process. A preferred embodiment of slug consists essentially of compacted and optionally sintered material and comprises up to 35% ferrotungsten in particulate form, up to 3% lubricant, and the balance iron in particulate form with inevitable impurities.
US07891284B1
A gas-operated firearm has a barrel defining a bore with a gas block defining a chamber communicating with the bore via a gas passage. A gas regulation element has a first position and a second position, and serves to provide different gas flow characteristics in the different positions. The latch element gives the user audible or tactile feedback upon installation of an accessory device when the gas regulation element is a correct position suited to use of the accessory, and not when in the other position unsuited to accessory usage. The accessory may be a sound suppressor, and the latch may serve to secure the gas regulation element against position change. The latch may engage a circular array of elements on the rear face of the suppressor, and may have an angled cam face to provide ratcheting engagement for installation, and to resist removal or loosening without deliberate actuation of the latch.
US07891268B2
Disclosed is a telescoping-tilting device of a steering column for a vehicle, the telescoping-tilting device including a distance member which has an elongated hole formed at each side of the distance member in parallel to a steering shaft and a guide groove formed on each inner surface of the both sides of the distance member in parallel to each elongated hole, and a supporting block positioned within the distance member, the supporting block having a through hole shaped to be engaged with a bolt and a wing which can be inserted into each guide groove and extends out from both sides of the supporting block in each side direction. When impact is applied, the distance member does not move respective to the mounting bracket. Therefore, there is an advantage in that collision energy is generated as planned and a desired impact absorption mechanism can be achieved.
US07891267B2
An AT selector cover is disclosed having a base member having a select gate for an automatic mode and a manual mode gate formed along a vehicle's longitudinal direction, a first slide plate slidably held on the base member for sliding capability in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, and a second slide plate held on the first slide plate for sliding capability in a vehicle's lateral direction, wherein the second slide plate has a guide member protruding toward the base member, which has a guide recess for guiding the guide member, movable with the shift lever, which is inserted to the guide recess.
US07891259B2
A human dummy system for evaluating the comfort of a seat comfort includes sensor units and a data processing unit. The sensor units are attached to the relevant joints of a human dummy, and detect the angles of the relevant joints. The data processing unit calculates information about relative locations of adjacent joints on the basis of the information about the angles of the relevant joints, and calculates the absolute location of a specific joint through coordinate system transformation between the information about relative locations and the joints of the human dummy.
US07891238B2
A flow sensor apparatus and method. A seal with a conductive interconnect is provided that includes a mass flow sense element mounted to a housing containing a thick film and/or thin film bridge structure for sensing media (e.g., mass flow) within a flow tube. The seal effectively isolates wirebond pads and electrical connections from the sensed media. The media, whether liquid or gas, can contain ionics that eventually contaminate the top of the mass flow sense element. The use of the seal with the conductive interconnect thus seals off the electrical connections and prevents exposure to the sensed media.
US07891231B2
This invention relates to impact sports, and to articles of clothing and for detection systems used to monitor and registering the intensity, location and sources of impacts in contact sports such as boxing, martial arts, fencing, and so forth.
US07891225B2
A bending machine for bending elongated workpieces supplied from a magazine is disclosed. The bending machine comprises a base support; two bending robots arranged on a common guideway centrally mounted to the base support, such that the robots are displaceable parallel to the longitudinal direction of the base support. A holding clamp is positioned on the front face of the base support, with one auxiliary gripper on either side of the holding clamp. The holding clamp is displaceable in parallel with the bending robots. A discharge gripper is positioned on the rear surface of the base support, laterally offset with respect to the holding clamp.All grippers and clamps are pivotable to an inner pivoting position, in which they can hold a workpiece in the working area of the bending machine between both bending robots; and to an outer pivoting position away from the base support.
US07891219B1
A lock guard protects a padlock with a shackle and the ends of a securing connector. The device comprises a five-sided housing with an open bottom. Two opposing sides of the housing have opposing openings therethrough for inserting the ends of the securing connector. Inside the housing is a retaining tab having an opening therethrough dimensioned to receive the end of the shackle. The housing can also contain an abutment providing a surface against which to drive the top of the shackle when locking the padlock within the lock guard. When the retainer tab is vertical, the top edge of the hole in the retainer tab can act as an abutment.
US07891218B2
Object of the present invention is to provide a drum type washing machine having a new drain system, which can eliminate inconvenience of user to squat down for mounting/dismounting a drain filter, and damage to electric components following overflow of washing water during water supply.To achieve above object, the present invention provides a drum type washing machine including an outer case, a tub in the outer case having a drain hole at a lowest portion, and an overflow hole at a predetermined position of an upper portion, a drum rotatably mounted in the tub, a driving motor for transmission of power for rotating the drum through a rotation shaft connected to the drum, a filter case mounted on a front of the outer case, a drain pipe connected between the drain hole in the tub and the filter case for draining water from an inside of the tub toward the filter case, a drain valve mounted to control drainage of washed water, rinsed water, extracted water, condensing water in drying from the tub through the drain pipe, a drain filter between a drain inlet and a drain outlet in the filter case, and a drain hose connected to the drain outlet in the filter case for draining water from the filter case to an outside of the washing machine.
US07891216B2
A method for producing an optical fiber having low polarization mode dispersion, by the steps of a) providing an optical fiber perform of glass material; b) heating the glass material of an end portion of the optical fiber perform; c) drawing the heated glass material at a drawing speed V to form an optical fiber, the drawn glass material having a viscous zone; and d) applying to the optical fiber a substantially sinusoidal spin, which is transmitted to the viscous zone, the spin function frequency ν, the viscous zone length L and the drawing speed V being such that both a torsion and at least a 50% detorsion are applied to the viscous zone.
US07891212B2
A magnetic disk glass substrate including compressive stress layers at main surfaces and a tensile stress layer between the compressive stress layers formed by chemical strengthening. When the glass substrate has a thickness of less than 0.5 mm and the tensile stress layer has a thickness L and a tensile stress of Pt (kg/mm2), the following relation holds: 0.4 (kg/mm)≦L·Pt≦2.0 (kg/mm).
US07891202B1
An absorption system includes a generator, a condenser, an evaporator, and an absorber configured to circulate a solution of an absorber and a refrigerant. A purge system removes a non-condensable gas from the absorber. The purge system includes a first pump to remove the solution from the absorber, a connection to remove the refrigerant vapor and the non-condensable gas from a low pressure region of the absorption system, an eductor to receive and mix the solution, a separator to receive the solution and remove the non-condensable gas from it, a tank to receive the non-condensable gas from the separator, a controller to monitor a pressure level of the tank, and a second pump to remove the non-condensable gas from the tank in response to the monitored pressure level in the tank being greater than a predetermined pressure level.
US07891185B2
An internal combustion engine incorporating a turbo-generator and one or more variably activated exhaust valves. The exhaust valves are adapted to variably release exhaust gases from a combustion cylinder during a combustion cycle to an exhaust system. The turbo-generator is adapted to receive exhaust gases from the exhaust system and rotationally harness energy therefrom to produce electrical power. A controller is adapted to command the exhaust valve to variably open in response to a desired output for the turbo-generator.
US07891184B2
A 4-cycle Stirling engine is for carrying out thermal power processes or heat power and cold and heat pumping processes with two double piston units which move with a phase offset to each other.
US07891181B2
A hydraulic unit, in particular for lifting and lowering loads in stacking trucks, has at least one working cylinder (10). The piston/rod unit (12) of the cylinder is guided movably in a housing (22). By a hydraulic pump (25), the piston/rod unit can be extended in its one drive direction (30) and can be retracted in its other opposite drive direction (32). A control device (20) actuates the displacement movements to that effect. A storage device (38) is fed energy in one drive direction (32). The energy fed in can be called up from the storage device (38) to assist a displacement movement in an opposite drive direction (30).
US07891180B2
An actuator displacement servo-control for aircraft flight controls is assisted by a hydraulic circuit, configured to deliver a hydraulic failure indication. The servo-control is generated from an actuator position indication and a position set-point indication computed by a computation unit. An alarm phase is opened on detection of a servo-control operating error and is kept open as long as the error is present. During the alarm phase it is determined whether the actuator is in blocked or divergent states. If blocked, it is determined whether the duration of the alarm phase exceeds a value Tconf2; If divergent, it is determined whether the duration of the alarm phase exceeds a value Tconf1. When blocked and the duration of the alarm phase does not exceed Tconf2, it is determined whether the hydraulic circuit indicates a hydraulic failure.
US07891170B2
In order to control an internal combustion engine, a fuel mass that is to be supplied to the respective cylinder is determined according to a load variable. An additional fuel mass to be measured once is determined, when the measuring signal of an oxygen probe arranged downstream from a three-way catalytic converter is characteristic of at least one pre-determined residual oxygen part, according to the course of the measuring signal. A once reduced fuel mass is determined, when the measuring signal is characteristic of at least one pre-determined residual fuel part, according to the course of the measuring signal. A corrected fuel mass to be measured is determined according to the fuel mass to be supplied and optionally less the once reduced fuel mass or the fuel mass to be measured once. An actuating signal for controlling the injection valve is generated according to the corrected fuel mass to be supplied.
US07891163B2
In prop fan and contra fan gas turbine engines particularly utilized with regard to pusher configurations towards the aft of an aircraft, there is a significant problem with regard to debris and bird strikes resulting in particulate matter which may damage the engine thrust core. By providing an inlet rotor which fragments and creates a centrifugal aspect to the inlet flow, particulate matter can be directed to a bypass chute normally in the form of an annular section extending into a number of chute exits. In such circumstances, the particulate matter is removed continuously from the inlet flow and the chutes are normally angled to project any particulate matter towards propellers of the engine at robust positions.
US07891161B2
Apparatuses and methods are provided for actuating a control component of a power machine. A two-step bail can be attached to a handle for controlling the power machine. The two-step bail can include a base member and a control member, wherein the control member can be slidably attached to the base member which can be pivotably mounted to the handle of the power machine. The control member can be depressed, by an operator first action, into the base member, which can be followed by an operator second action wherein the base member and control member can be pulled reward toward the operator to actuate a control component of the power machine.
US07891160B2
The invention relates to a method and a device for gas filling and sealing of a duct intended to be filled with gas and positioned in a container of a collapsible type. The duct is defined by two opposite side walls which are joined along a connecting portion and comprises an inlet arranged in one of the side walls. A part of the container that comprises the inlet is clamped between an abutment and a gas module which is axially movable towards the abutment. Clamping occurs in such a manner that one of the two side walls included in the duct is allowed, in response to a gas flow supplied from the gas module and entering the duct through said inlet, to bulge to form a free passage into the duct for filling the same with gas. After completion of the gas filling, the duct is sealed. The invention also relates to a container blank having a duct which is specially developed for the method and the device.
US07891158B2
A case packing system concurrently accumulates a plurality of different product ensembles and sequentially packs cases thereof, generally by way of (a) concurrently accumulating a plurality of different product ensembles utilizing a plurality of product conveyer lines, each of which is adapted to separately convey distinct products to one or more transfer points; (b) sequentially transferring different accumulated product ensembles from the conveyer lines to a case-packer, the case-packer including a packing section as well as multiple magazines for receiving different case-blanks; (c) controlling transfer of the product ensembles to the case-packer and selection of the appropriate case-blank. Preferably, substantially continuous operation of the case-packer at a production rate higher than an accumulation rate of any individual product conveyer is maintained. A preferred construction employs a 4-axis robotic arm to select KDF cases and shuttle conveyers to transfer product from the conveyers to the case-packer.
US07891157B2
A machine and method for shrink-fitting shrink film onto packaged goods, in particular for packaging packing units, having a conveyor for transporting the packaged goods. In order to reduce the energy consumption and simultaneously to improve the shrinking result, the machine has hood type shrink devices which are moved along at least a part of the path with the packaged goods moved on the conveyor.
US07891154B2
The energy-free refrigeration door of the present application provides a way to control condensation when the door of a refrigeration unit is opened by providing thermal insulation to the door with glass panels which have a low emissivity coating. The door includes a door frame housing and an insulating glass unit comprising inner, middle and outer sheets of glass. A first sealant assembly disposed around the periphery of the inner and middle sheets of glass forms a first chamber between the inner and middle sheets of glass. A second sealant assembly disposed around the periphery of the middle and outer sheets of glass forms a second chamber between the middle and outer sheets of glass. A gas, such as krypton, air, or argon is held in the first and second chambers. The outer sheet of glass and inner sheet of glass each have an unexposed surface that faces the middle sheet of glass. A low emissivity coating is disposed on the unexposed surfaces of the inner and outer sheets of glass so that the glass door as a whole avoids formation of condensation on the outer surface of the outer sheet of the glass door, without the application of electricity to heat the door, while also providing the desired evaporation rate of condensation from the inner side of the inner sheet of the glass door. An anti-fog or anti-frost coating is included on a surface of one of the sheets of glass.
US07891142B1
A gutter protection system includes a rear margin formed to avoid contact with a fastener securing a gutter to the structure and to better inhibit collapse of the protection system.
US07891141B2
The present invention relates to a rotatable gutter support assembly that can rotate the gutter from an operational position where the gutter is used to collect and divert water from a roof, to a cleaning or rotated position in which the gutter is sufficiently rotated downwardly so that its inside may be accessed from ground level. The cleaning position then enables one to clean the gutter by using a suitable brush or even simply by hosing with water. The present invention also relates to a gutter system using the above assembly.
US07891136B1
A removable draft blocker, for blocking drafts by sealing a gap between a bottom surface of a door and an underlying floor surface, includes first and second elongated draft blocking bodies, a base member extending between a bottom of the first draft blocking body and a bottom of the second draft blocking body to join the first and second draft blocking bodies in a spaced apart parallel relationship, and a retaining member disposed between ends of the first and second draft blocking bodies. The draft blocker is adapted to be positioned at the bottom of a door, with the draft blocking bodies on opposite sides of the door, and with the retaining member engaged behind or against a side edge of the door, such that the draft blocker is prevented from moving out of position as the door is opened and closed.
US07891134B2
A method of producing a horticultural display containing more than one variety of the same or different species of plant is disclosed. The plants are produced from unrooted cuttings that are rooted in a single growth cell and cultivated in a single container so that the final product includes more than one plant species or more than one plant variety or both. A plant growth cell having rooting media and more than one plant cutting from more than one plant species or plant variety or both rooted therein is also disclosed. Further, a horticultural display having more than one plant of more than one plant species or plant variety or both initially rooted together from unrooted plant cuttings in a single growth cell is disclosed.
US07891127B2
An electronic weapon impedes locomotion by a target by conducting a current through an electrode and through the target to produce contractions in skeletal muscles of the target. The weapon may include a deployment unit to deploy one or more electrodes in trajectories toward the target. The deployment unit may include covered tubes for the electrodes. Removing the cover may be accomplished with a ram urged against the interior of the cover by an electrode. The cover may include frangible material with grooves for repeatable material separation. The cover may include fasteners that simplify assembly of the cover onto the body of the deployment unit. The fasteners may include hooks with grooves that disjoin from the cover enabling a more repeatable removal of the cover. Electrode trajectories are more accurate as a result of operation of the rams and the structures of the frangible cover.
US07891124B1
A frame hanger apparatus including a rectangular wall piece for attachment to a wall and a frame piece attachable to a picture frame. The wall piece has front and back surfaces, the front surface having a lower lip and an upper lip formed thereon. The lower lip has an arced top surface, and the upper lip has first and second elongated horizontally disposed mounting slots positioned therein. The frame piece has a lip projecting from the front surface which has an arced surface thereon. The arced top surface of the wall piece is dimensioned to dovetail with the arced surface of the lip of the frame piece and an overhanging lip on the wall piece is positioned so as to lock the wall piece and frame piece together.
US07891123B1
An insert for framing a standard sized DVD face paper insert/standard compact disc picture/booklet insert inserted into a standard jewel box case and for hanging the standard jewel box case, including a generally rectangular single sheet of paper. The generally rectangular single sheet of paper includes a hanging portion and a framing portion. The hanging portion is separatable from the framing portion along a cut line. The framing portion has a frame. In a first embodiment, the frame folds over the standard sized DVD face paper insert at all four sides once the standard sized DVD face paper insert is placed on the framing portion, to thereby form a framed standard sized DVD face paper insert for insertion into a front half of a DVD case. In a second embodiment, an inner side of the frame does not overlap the standard compact disc picture/booklet insert, but rather folds onto itself to form a flap that abuts the standard compact disc picture/booklet insert and covers a hinge portion of the front half of the standard jewel box when slid into a front half of the standard jewel box case.
US07891116B1
A rubberless neoprene boot waterproofed from the inside comprised of a composite sock fabricated from a neoprene foam, coated with a polyurethane film sandwiched by an inner boot liner and a stretchable external layer that may be stretched and formed upon a shoe last. A composite upper shaft section made of neoprene foam, polyurethane film and an inner boot liner, and a semi-stretchable external durable fabric extending from said sock. An external foot jacket jacketing the sock forming an upper boot unit having internal seams with a series of thermoplastic heat sealing tapes to collectively seal all said internal seams against the penetration of moisture and a toe reinforcing stiffener and a heel reinforcing stiffener located between the stretchable external layer of said sock and the foot jacket. An inner sole secured to the sock and an outer sole securely anchored to a bottom end of the inner sole.
US07891114B2
This invention pertains to a bio-mass processing system, and method of processing waste bio-mass, wherein one or more mixers mixes a bed of bio-mass material such as manure at substantially any and all locations in a defined length and width portion of the bed, in a dryer. Heated air percolates upwardly through the bed. Separation apparatus separates a relatively dryer fraction of the bio-mass material from the dryer. The separated finished product from the dryer is optionally fed to a boiler where the dried bio-mass material is burned. Heat of combustion from the boiler is used as dryer heat for drying the bio-mass feed material in the dryer. Excess heat is optionally used to produce steam, which powers a turbine, which powers an electrical generator. Residual ash from the combustion process comprises about 2% by weight of the solids content of e.g. a feed stream coming into the dryer.
US07891113B2
A clogging degree deciding method for a dryer, which can accurately determine a clogging degree of an air passage, even when there is an influence of external environments, is disclosed. The clogging degree deciding method includes reading information as to clogging of an air passage, and displaying a clogging degree of an exhaust duct or a clogging degree of a filter in accordance with the read clogging information. The clogging information includes an ON/OFF duty ratio of a temperature control member. The displaying step includes comparing a difference between two ON/Off duty ratios finally stored with a filter-clogging determination reference value, and determining the clogging degree of the filter, based on a result of the comparison. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the clogging degrees of the exhaust duct and filter to the user.
US07891110B2
A self-checking anchor bolt suspension assembly includes an array of suspension segments each including equally sized openings distributed in a spaced relationship therein for engaging in suspension resilient tubular caps provided with annular tapered cavities communicating through annular apertures at the lower ends thereof. The aperture size and the cavity taper are selected so that the threaded shank of an anchor bolt of only a singular dimensional increment is receivable and resiliently grasped therein and the caps are each color coded in accordance with the shank size of the bolt. In this manner the color coding provides a quick visual assurance that only the properly sized anchor bolts are deployed for immersion into the poured concrete.
US07891109B2
Contact sensing probe apparatus includes a workpiece contacting stylus, a transducer mechanically coupled to the stylus and an oscillator for supplying an alternating current to the transducer to induce vibration of the stylus. A contact sensor is also provided for monitoring the phase difference between the voltage supplied to the transducer and the current flow to the transducer. The oscillator is arranged to supply the transducer with an alternating current of a first frequency during contact sensing. This first frequency is selected to induce mechanical resonance but to be away from the maximum of the mechanical resonance peak. The probe may be used with co-ordinate positioning machines, such as portable articulated measuring arms, co-ordinate measuring machines (CMM) and the like.
US07891108B1
This application describes a device for making where to locate and to cut the opening for a utility box, windows, panels or other openings on a sheet of building material. This marking device comprises a metal wire mesh screen mounted to or within a rigid peripheral frame and a magnetic template, which mimics the size of the opening to be cut or the object to be measured. This template is magnetically or removably attached to the planar or flat wire mesh screen and aligned with a mounted utility box. Once the flat magnet or template is appropriately placed on the first surface or area to be measured, the marking device is placed upon the second surface or on the sheet of building material (including without limitation plywood or drywall), and the user can trace the location of the opening to be cut using a pen, pencil or other marking implement.
US07891101B2
A powered jamb saw is provided which is ideally suited for making corner cuts. A cylindrical housing for the shaft of the circular saw blade is mounted in a split bushing tensioned by a threaded bolt secured to and for rotation by a handle positioned so as to permit the workman to use both hands to position the jamb saw during its use in making cuts.
US07891100B2
A system for opening encased articles has a cutting apparatus that includes a channel formed from spaced-apart parallel walls. A cutting member having a cutting edge extends from one wall into the channel. A protrusion disposed in the channel at least partially overlaps and at least partially obstructs the cutting member. The channel is adapted for receiving the flanged edge of the article and the protrusion is displaceable to expose the cutting edge of the cutting member. A system further has the cutting apparatus juxtaposed with a container for storing at least one encased article.
US07891085B1
A lead assembly and a method of making a lead are provided. The method of making a multi-contact lead assembly comprises providing conductive contacts located at an end of a lead body, disposing conductive wires in conductor lumens formed in the lead body, and connecting the conductive wires to the conductive contacts. The method further includes placing spacers between pairs of conductive contacts and inserting monofilament in at least a portion of at least one of the conductor lumens not occupied by the conductor wires. The method also includes reflowing at least one of the spacers or monofilament into at least one portion of at least one of the conductor lumens by heating the spacers and monofilament to a temperature to cause thermal flow or melting of at least one of the spacers or monofilament.
US07891083B2
An assembling apparatus is disclosed. The assembling apparatus includes a base, an assembling platform, and a driving part. The assembling platform and the driving part are fixed on the base. The assembling platform defines a receiving space for receiving a semiconductor chip module, a lever chamber for receiving clips of the semiconductor chip module, and a driving groove for connecting the receiving space and the lever chamber. The assembling platform further includes a lever bar removably placed in the lever chamber for expanding the clips. The driving part includes driving shafts. An end of each of the driving shafts is in the driving groove and is movable to pass through the lever chamber and reaches the receiving space. The assembling apparatus is used to assemble a semiconductor chip module conveniently and safely.
US07891070B2
A method and device for handling an elongate strength member. In the method, an elongate strength member with a plurality of elongate composite rods, or metal wires or plastic fibers are bundled together with the composite rods, or metal wires, or plastic fibers in a generally parallel and untwisted and un-spiraled arrangement when the elongate strength member is extended along a generally straight path, wherein the composite rods are longitudinally and rotatably moveable relative to each other. It is then twisted relative to a longitudinal dimension of the elongate strength member and the path of the elongate strength member is curved, such as by coiling.
US07891064B2
A piezoelectric inkjet head and a method of manufacturing the piezoelectric inkjet head. The piezoelectric inkjet head includes three single crystal silicon substrates bonded to each other. An upper substrate includes an ink inlet, a plurality of pressure chambers, and a plurality of piezoelectric actuators, a middle substrate includes a manifold, a plurality of restrictors, and a plurality of first dampers, and a lower substrate includes a plurality of nozzles. The middle substrate also includes a membrane that is formed under the manifold to mitigate a rapid pressure change in the manifold and if formed of a material different from the material used for forming the middle substrate. A cavity located under the membrane and at least one venting channel that connects the cavity to the outside are formed in the middle substrate or the lower substrate. Due to the above configuration, the membrane having flexibility mitigates a rapid pressure change in the manifold caused by backflow of ink, and thus, cross-talk between adjacent pressure chambers during ink ejection can be effectively prevented.
US07891061B2
A zipper head includes a puller, a horse hook, an elastic piece, a cap and a pulling piece. The puller has guiding grooves there inside and an accommodating portion and a penetrating hole on top thereof. The end portion is disposed under the horse hook. One end of the elastic piece is fixed on the puller. Both sides in the interior of the cap are provided with a protrusion respectively. The two protrusions of the cap are located above the fulcrum portion of the horse hook. Via the above arrangement, a function of blocking and restricting the position of the fulcrum portion of a horse hook can be provided, and thus the fulcrum portion of the horse hook cannot be displaced excessively due to an extreme pulling force of the pulling piece. Therefore, the horse hook can be prevented from getting deformed or deviating from a predetermined position.
US07891050B2
A handle assembly for a cleaning appliance includes a handle portion and a tubular wand having an open end configured to receive tools or other accessories when the cleaning appliance is in use. The handle assembly also includes a wand cap which is movable between a first position in which the wand cap covers the open end of the tubular wand and a second position in which the open end of the tubular wand is not covered by the wand cap. The wand cap is releasably connected to the handle portion or the tubular wand in a snap-fit manner. This provides an advantageous construction which reduces the risk of damage and the cost of repair.
US07891038B2
Disclosed herein is an improved rotary drain cleaning machine having an improved support structure that prevents walking of the machine when in use. The machine is supported upon two rear mounted wheels and a forward pedestal.
US07891037B2
A motorized waterproof fluid dispenser and applicator is disclosed. The device manually dispenses at least one liquid from a filled container through one or more openings in the device's moving applicator surface. The device itself is waterproof, and designed to be used in a shower or bathtub. Pressure applied by a user during fluid application does not appreciably dampen applicator movement. The motor moving the applicator is suspended within the device allowing motion to be transmitted directly to the applicator while motion is only weakly transmitted to the outside of the device held by a user. Removable or disposable pads may be affixed to the applicator surface to present a variety of applicator surfaces or heat. The batteries may be replaced, providing for a long overall lifetime of the device while also providing for its inexpensive manufacture.
US07891034B2
A door mountable infant change table comprising a base structure and a changing area platform structure hingedly attached to each other and capable of vertical mounting on the surface of a door or similar structure through the use of straps secured by brackets to the top and bottom rims of a door or other structure that allow for sliding the change table and securing it to a height suited to the person changing the infant at the change table by means of clips provided near the holes of the change table through which the straps are threaded.
US07891029B2
A bedpan for collecting waste includes a seating area and a plurality of cavities. The seating area is located in a main body of the bedpan. The plurality of cavities is formed within the seating area and includes a first cavity for collecting liquid waste and a second cavity for collecting solid waste. The first cavity and the second cavity are separated by a divider.
US07891022B2
Moisture retentive gloves characterized by using fibers treated with a moisture retentive component as fibers of an internal surface of gloves fabricated of a rubber or a synthetic resin. In particular, moisture retentive gloves wherein the fibers of an internal surface of gloves are staple fibers bonded to the internal surface of glove base material fabricated of a rubber or a synthetic resin, some or all of the staple fibers treated with a moisture retentive component; and moisture retentive gloves wherein the fibers of an internal surface of gloves are fibers of gloves fabricated of a cloth as a raw material of the gloves, some or all of the fibers constituting the cloth gloves treated with a moisture retentive component.These moisture retentive gloves, even if used repeated times and used for a prolonged period of time, do not affect the normal bacteria on the skin by virtue of the action of the moisture retentive component retained on the fibers, so that hand skin chapping or the like can be prevented. Further, excellent moisture retentive effects can be exerted thereby.
US07895641B2
A probe attached to a customer's network collects status data and other audit information from monitored components of the network, looking for footprints or evidence of unauthorized intrusions or attacks. The probe filters and analyzes the collected data to identify potentially security-related events happening on the network. Identified events are transmitted to a human analyst for problem resolution. The analyst has access to a variety of databases (including security intelligence databases containing information about known vulnerabilities of particular network products and characteristics of various hacker tools, and problem resolution databases containing information relevant to possible approaches or solutions) to aid in problem resolution. The analyst may follow a predetermined escalation procedure in the event he or she is unable to resolve the problem without assistance from others. Various customer personnel can be alerted in a variety of ways depending on the nature of the problem and the status of its resolution. Feedback from problem resolution efforts can be used to update the knowledge base available to analysts for future attacks and to update the filtering and analysis capabilities of the probe and other systems.
US07895639B2
Methods and systems for controlling access to objects of a distributed computing environment are described. In one configuration, a computing device receives a request from a principal to access a protected object and evaluating the transitive closure of the list of group identifiers. The protected object is associated with an access control list and has a time-invariant list of group identifiers. The list of group identifiers includes the access list is associated with the protected object to identify at least one principal authorized to access the protected object.
US07895636B2
In a content output apparatus which is connected to at least one content playback apparatus, lists of content which are respectively reproducible by the connected content playback apparatuses are acquired. When the acquired lists of the content are output in order for a user to select any of the listed content, the content playback apparatus capable of playing back the selected content is specified, and a playback instruction signal for instructing the specified content playback apparatus to play back the selected content is output so as to output a signal which is pertinent to the content played back by the content playback apparatus. As a result, the content output apparatus is more convenient to use.
US07895635B2
Systems and methods of assembling an elementary stream from an encapsulated multimedia transport stream are disclosed. An exemplary method includes: receiving a command from a user mode video playback component; in response, processing layer-2 packets received through a network interface driver binding to assemble, into an MPEG elementary stream, multimedia transport packets encapsulated within; and supplying the stream to a decoder. The receiving and processing steps are performed in kernel mode. Also disclosed is an exemplary digital home communication terminal that includes a network interface, memory, and a processor. The processor executes code to: receive a command from a user mode video playback component; process layer-2 packets received through a network interface driver binding, in order to assemble into an MPEG elementary stream multimedia transport packets encapsulated within the received layer-2 packets; and supply the elementary stream to a decoder. The receive and process operations are performed in kernel mode.
US07895633B2
A method and apparatus for secure transfer and playback of multimedia content enables the secure transfer of multimedia content from a digital video recorder (DVR) to a personal computer (PC) and further to a handheld device. A DVR determines which devices on a Local Area Network (LAN) are authorized to share and/or retrieve content from the DVR. The DVR receives a connection request from a PC on the LAN, authorizes the connection request and establishes a secure connection between the DVR and the PC. Once the secure connection is established, the DVR receives a request for multimedia content from the PC, prepares the multimedia content for transfer and transfers the multimedia content to the PC.
US07895632B2
A cable television diagnostic method for a cable television network consistent with certain embodiments involves sending a polling message to a plurality of modems forming a part of a plurality of television set top boxes from a cable television headend via a cable television cable connection to the set top boxes; wherein the polling message instructs the cable television set top boxes to obtain at least one operational parameter of each of the television set top boxes; receiving a plurality of response messages from the cable television set top boxes, each containing the at least one operational parameter of the television set top boxes; determining that one of the operational parameters from one of the television set top boxes is outside of a specified range of values; and aggregating the operational parameters of the plurality of set top boxes received in the response messages to determine if the same operational parameter is outside the range of specified values for more than the one of the television set top boxes. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
US07895614B2
A method for controlling access to content, the method comprising: receiving content in an area in which access to the content is blacked out, the content corresponding to a blacked out event; preventing display of the content at the time of receipt; recording the received content; and allowing access to the recorded content after a time criterion is met, wherein the time criterion comprises an elapse of a predetermined period of time measured from a specified one of the following: commencement of the blacked out event and termination of the blacked out event.
US07895608B1
One embodiment of the invention is an architecture for improving the performance of a computer system containing a plurality of hardware input/output devices. The architecture implements an operating system configured to perform all related input/output operations within the operating system kernel. Thus, the operating system enables a first device driver that produces data to pass data directly to a second device driver that consumes data, without a context switch. One advantage of this approach is that computer system performance may be substantially increased due to a reduction in context switching.
US07895603B1
A mechanism is disclosed for enabling virtual method dispatch structures (vstructures) to be created on an as-needed basis. When an object class is loaded, a vstructure specific to that object class is not created. Rather, the vstructure for that object class is created only if and when a virtual method of that object class is invoked. By creating vstructures on an as-needed basis, the number of vstructures created during the execution of a program is minimized. This in turn reduces the number of vstructures that need to be updated whenever a reference to a method is changed (for example, as a result of a garbage collection operation). To further optimize the efficiency of the vstructure update process, vstructure entries that point to the same method may be linked. That way, when the reference to a method is changed, all vstructures affected by that change can be quickly identified.
US07895600B2
A method of optimizing propagation of non-persistent messages from a source database management system (DBMS) to a destination database management system (DBMS) is described and provided. The method comprises receiving one or more nonpersistent messages from a source non-persistent message queue of the source DBMS at a destination non-persistent message queue of the destination DBMS. The nonpersistent messages are consumed from the destination non-persistent message queue such that consumed non-persistent messages are removed from the destination non-persistent message queue. Further, at least a portion of the non-persistent messages are spilled from the destination non-persistent message queue to a destination persistent message queue of the destination DBMS based on at least one parameter selected from a group consisting of a sparseness factor, number of nonpersistent messages in the destination non-persistent message queue, and amount of memory resources utilized by the destination non-persistent message queue. Moreover, to the source DBMS is sent an acknowledgment including a watermark indication of consumed non-persistent messages from the destination non-persistent message queue. Spilled non-persistent messages are characterized as consumed.
US07895596B2
To assign a plurality of processes to a plurality of processors in a multi-processor computer system, a plurality of processes are attached to a memory segment shared between a plurality of processors. A spin cycle is initiated in the plurality of processes, where initiating the spin cycle causes a processor-intensive operation to be performed by each of the processes, and wherein performing the processor-intensive operation by the processes induces rescheduling to be performed. As part of the rescheduling, one or more of the processes are reassigned among the processors during the spin cycle.
US07895574B2
A method and a computer product executing the method are provide for automatically verifying management packs by an operations manager. The method includes receiving a management pack containing configuration information enabling an operations manager to remotely manage computer systems and computer software, and automatically verifying the management pack by determining whether the management pack satisfies a set of requirements.
US07895567B2
A method, apparatus and computer-readable medium for assembling objects in an IDE is presented. The method includes the steps of creating a pre-drop assembly area in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE); combining multiple component descriptors in the pre-drop assembly area, wherein the multiple component descriptors are interpreted through an extensible language mechanism that contains a plurality of extensible solutions; and upon a determination that combined multiple component descriptors have met a pre-defined condition, committing the combined multiple component descriptors to execution. In one embodiment, only one solution from the plurality of extensible solutions is used to interpret the multiple component descriptors, wherein the one solution is selected according to a user role of a user who is utilizing the IDE. The multiple component descriptors may be combined in the pre-drop assembly area by dragging the multiple component descriptors individually and sequentially to the pre-drop assembly area.
US07895566B2
A system and method for assembling an application bundle representing an application including a first component having definitions expressed in a structured definition language and optionally a second component having a series of instructions, such that the application bundle is for provisioning on a device for assisting in message communication over a network between the device and a datasource. The system and method comprises a build service interface for receiving a series of elements of the application, the elements including mapping and interface information of the datasource and a description of the first component. The system and method also have a build engine coupled to the build service interface for assembling the received elements as the application bundle, wherein the application bundle is subsequently deployable to an application bundle storage.
US07895565B1
The system and method presented provides a multi-phase, end-to-end integrated process for testing application software using a standard software testing tool. The system and method involve integrating the functional, automated regression and performance phases of software application testing by leveraging deliverables at each phase so that the deliverables may be efficiently reused in subsequent test phases. Deliverables such as functional and technical test conditions and manual test scripts are used as inputs for each phase of the integrated tests. The use of leveraged requirements-based deliverables between test phases significantly reduces much of the repetitive testing typically associated with functionality and performance testing and minimizes repetition of testing errors discovered in earlier test phases. This integrated system and method for validating the functionality and performance of software applications by leveraging deliverables provides enhanced efficiencies, test procedure consistency throughout multiple test phases, consistent test results and high quality software applications.
US07895561B2
A system and method that uses a text-based script file to capture a circuit design and allows a circuit designer to manipulate the script file. The circuit designer can add, delete, or move components using various tags and commands that are stored in the script file. When the design is complete, or ready to be tested, the script file is processed creating a layout representation file that is readable by a graphics-based circuit design tool.
US07895560B2
A processing space contains an array of operational transistors interconnected by circuit and signal pass transistors that when supplied with selected enable bits will structure a variety of circuits that will carry out any desired information processing. The Babbage/von Neumann Paradigm in which data are provided to circuitry that would operate on those data is reversed by structuring the desired circuits at the site(s) of the data, thereby to eliminate the von Neumann bottleneck and substantially increase the computing power of the device, with the apparatus conducting only non-stop Information Processing on a steady stream of data and code, with no repetitious Instruction and data transfers as in the normal computer being required. A code is defined that will identify the physical locations of every transistor in the processing space, which code will then enable only selected ones of the pass transistors therein so as to structure the circuits needed for any algorithm sought to be executed. The circuits so structured, operating independently of and in parallel with every other circuit so structured, are then restructured after each step into another group of circuits, so that almost no transistor will ever “sit idle,” but all of the processing space can be devoted entirely to information processing, thereby again to increase enormously the computing power of the device. The apparatus is also super-scalable, meaning that an Instant Logic Apparatus built around that processing space could be built to have any size, speed, and level of computer power desired.
US07895557B2
A method and system for concurrent buffering and layer assignment in integrated current layout. Buffers are inserted and metal interconnects or “wires” are sized for every net, which consists of one driver and one or more receivers, such that timing skew constraints can be met. Long nets are promoted to a higher level if the slew violation can be fixed only by a promotion of the net or if the “slack” gain available by this promotion is equal to or greater than a predesignated layer of promotion threshold. In response to determining these layer assignments, the method and system then systematically demotes nets that are not critical and which do not impact the circuit and electrical constraints in order to minimize the use of high layer wire resources.
US07895555B1
Systems and methods provide improved techniques directed to simultaneous switching output (SSO) noise, which for example may be applied during the programmable logic device design process. For example in accordance with an embodiment, a method of structuring simultaneous switching output (SSO) noise data for an electronic device includes collecting hardware data on SSO noise conditions; generating additional data on SSO noise conditions based on the hardware data; and structuring the hardware data and the additional data to form data tables for SSO noise calculations.
US07895552B1
In the field of functional verification of digital designs in systems that use an abstraction for portions of a circuit design to perform the verification proof, a tool is described for resolving inconsistencies between the design and abstractions for the design. The tool provides information to a user about intermediate steps in the verification process. In response, the user may provide insight about the design to allow the tool to adjust the verification analysis of the design. The information provided to the user, including possible conflicts between the design and its abstractions, may include visualization techniques to facilitate the user's understating of any inconsistencies.
US07895549B1
An electric design automation (EDA) tool for generating a design of a system on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) includes a library that includes a processor interface block selectable by a designer to represent a component in the design that is accessible to a processor. The EDA tool also includes a processor interface circuitry generation unit to automatically generate circuitry in the design to support the processor interface block without input from the designer.
US07895548B2
A system and method are provided for laying out an integrated circuit design into a plurality of circuit layout cells having gaps therebetween, and inserting into each given one of at least a subset of the gaps, a corresponding filler cell selected from a predefined database in dependence upon a desired effect on a performance parameter of at least one circuit cell adjacent to the given gap. The circuit layout cells may be arranged in rows, and in some embodiments the selection of an appropriate filler cell for a given gap depends upon effects desired on a performance parameter of both circuit cells adjacent to the given gap. The predefined filler cells can include, for example, dummy diffusion regions, dummy poly lines, N-well boundary shifts and etch stop layer boundary shifts. In an embodiment, circuit layout cells can be moved in order to accommodate a selected filler cell.
US07895547B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for performing lumped-process model calibration. The method includes creating a plurality of sub-process models for a set of sub-processes; creating a lumped-process-model incorporating said set of sub-processes; calculating a first set of output patterns from a set of test patterns by using said plurality of sub-process models; calculating a second set of output patterns from said set of test patterns by using said lumped-process-model; and adjusting process parameters used in said lumped-process-model to calculate said second set of output patterns to match said first set of output patterns. A computer system for performing the lumped-process model calibration is also provided.
US07895544B2
A method for identifying latches in physical designs with unbalanced slack, comprising: creating a netlist describing a logical design, the logical design having a plurality of latches therein; performing a placement of the logical design to obtain a physical design; measuring a slack difference of each of the plurality of latches; selecting a color for each of the plurality of latches based on the slack difference correspondingly measured for each of the plurality of latches; and generating a graphical image identifying each one of the plurality of latches with slack difference in color, the color selected for each one of the plurality of latches with slack difference being indicative of the severity of the slack difference.
US07895531B2
A floating command object is provided for offering a set of commonly or frequently used commands in close proximity to a selected text, data or other object in a document. When a given object is selected for editing, the floating object automatically displays near the object to allow easy selection of relevant commands such as formatting property commands. The object remains displayed to allow multiple command selections until it is closed by user action. If a mouse or touchpad pointer is moved away from the displayed object, the displayed object becomes increasingly translucent to visually deemphasize the relevance of the object to the new position of the pointer.
US07895529B1
A system and method for retrieving, storing and displaying featured content. In one embodiment, featured content is queried from a database storing a list of featured content items. The featured content items stored in the database may include any type of data, such as text data, hyperlink text data, markup document data, computer code, or other types or combinations of data related to a particular topic. Responsive to the query, a set of featured content items is stored in a cache file. A predetermined number of featured content items stored in the cache file are selected and stored in a system registry. Upon receipt of a display command, featured content items are read from the system registry and displayed on an interface. The displayed featured content items can be used to display hyperlinks, announcements, or other information, without inhibiting the efficiency of the boot process of a software application.
US07895527B2
Illustrative embodiments comprise systems, user interfaces, machine-readable media, and/or methods for automatically acquiring data representing a plurality of different types of medical parameters of a patient, processing the data for presentation to a user via a display device, and initiating display of one or more different image windows, which present processed data representing and corresponding to the plurality of different types of medical parameters of the patient on the display device. Each of the plurality of different image windows is referenced to a single variable scale timeline and is arranged on the display device to permit the user to view values for each of the plurality of different types of medical parameters corresponding to a substantially common time from the single variable scale timeline. A plurality of user interface elements are implemented using object oriented executable code. Each of the plurality of user interface elements are adapted to provide a user with selectable single setting of image display format characteristics shared by the plurality of image windows.
US07895512B2
A source markup language document and a modification to the source markup language document can be identified. One or more delta documents specifying the modification to the source markup language document can be created. The delta document can be independent of the source markup language document and can be coded in a different language than the source markup language document. The source markup language document and the delta document can be stored within a data storage device.
US07895508B2
A network scanning method and device are provided that allow an image scanning device to scan documents and transmit the scan data to a server. The image scanning device checks a connection between the image scanning device and a server, generates scan data by scanning documents, stores the generated scan data in a storage unit if a connection error exists between the image scanning device and the server, and checks whether the connection error between the image scanning device and the server is corrected. The image scanning device transmits the scan data stored in the storage unit to the server when the connection error has been corrected. Transmission of scan data is delayed until the connection error to the server is corrected, thereby reducing inconvenience in having to reset network settings after waiting until the connection error to the server has been corrected.
US07895504B2
According to one embodiment, a system is provided that allows a receiver to determine that an initial error message (such as a NAK message) was not correctly received by a transmitter, and to cause the transmitter to continue transmitting information corresponding to data that has not yet been successfully decoded by the receiver. In accordance with another embodiment, the receiver can generate a message (e.g., a continue previous packet message) to correct the transmitter and initiate full recovery at the physical layer.
US07895499B2
A method and an apparatus for checking a pipelined parallel cyclic redundancy is disclosed. In accordance with the method and the apparatus of the present invention, after an entire CRC (cyclic redundancy check) logic is divided into a feedback portion and an input data portion, the input data portion is divided using a pipelined structure such that the input data portion is designed to have the pipelined structure based on an algorithm that maintains a logic level of each stage to be lower than that of the feedback portion and an algorithm that optimizes a size of a register inserted during the division to improve a speed thereof and to detect an error of a received data in a high speed data communication apparatus.
US07895494B2
A method and system for implementing hybrid automatic repeat request (H-ARQ)-assisted automatic repeat request (ARQ) in a wireless communication system are disclosed. When an H-ARQ negative acknowledgement (NACK)-to-positive acknowledgement (ACK) error occurs, the H-ARQ receiver sends an H-ARQ NACK-to-ACK error indicator to the H-ARQ transmitter unless a maximum retransmission limit has reached, a maximum time for delivery has expired or a lifespan of the failed packet has expired. The H-ARQ transmitter sends a local NACK to the ARQ transmitter so that the failed packet is recovered at an ARQ level. The H-ARQ receiver sends a local NACK to the ARQ receiver if the H-ARQ receiver does not receive the failed packet before certain conditions occur. The ARQ receiver may send a status report to the ARQ transmitter for recovery of the failed packet.
US07895490B2
A method for testing an electronic circuit comprises selecting a plurality of test patterns arranged in an order. The method tests an electronic circuit by applying to the electronic circuit a first subset range of the plurality of test patterns sequentially in the order, from a first test pattern to a first log interval after the first test pattern, thereby generating a first associated output. The method compares the first associated output with a first known output of the plurality of known outputs. In the event the first associated output does not match the first known output, the method stores indicia of the first mismatch; causes the electronic circuit to appear to assume the first known output state; and proceeds with additional test procedures.
US07895489B2
An aspect of the present invention is drawn to a system that includes an automatic test engine, a decompressor, a first scan chain, a second scan chain, a compactor and a debug output. The automatic test engine is operable to output a test output, to receive a resultant input, to receive a debug input, to monitor the debug input and to compare the test output with the resultant input. The decompressor is arranged to receive a decompressor input based on the test output, to output a decompressor output. The scan chains are arranged to receive input based on the decompressor output, and each scan chain includes at least one flip-flop. The compactor is arranged to receive input based output from the flip-flops, and to output a compactor output. The debug output line is arranged to receive the flip-flop output.
US07895488B1
A system and method for detecting transition delay faults decouples the test enable pins of the clock gating cells from other elements in the circuitry. The test enable pins are controlled during test mode by a unique signal, allowing the tester to independently control the clock gating logic of the circuitry. By being able to ungate the clock, the tester can ensure that the two clock pulses needed to check for transition delay faults will always be present.
US07895483B2
A computerized method, program product, and a service that allocates and isolates leaky memory during the execution of an application in a data processing system. A memory controller having several components first identifies a leaky section of memory and delegates to an allocation component to allocate more memory if possible. If, however, the problematic memory section should not be allocated more memory, an isolator component can isolate the memory section and further divide the memory section into subsections and so on. Each section and each subsection may then be tested to determine if more memory can be allocated, tested to determine if memory resources are strained so as to identify the application or its component causing the strain and then binding the memory. Each section and subsection and further divided and isolated until the leaky portion of memory is identified, and as a result, the software component causing the leak can also be identified. The software component associated with the leaky memory section or subsection can also be taken out-of-service.
US07895482B2
A memory repair circuit for repairing one or more failures in an embedded memory includes at least one fuse register and state machine circuitry coupled to the fuse register. The state machine circuitry implements a first state machine operative: (i) to receive status information regarding the one or more failures in the embedded memory; (ii) to determine whether the memory is repairable based on the status information; (iii) when the memory is deemed repairable, to store an address corresponding to a failed memory cell of the memory; (iv) to burn the address corresponding to the failed memory cell into the fuse register using a voltage source supplied to the memory repair circuit; and (v) to verify that the address corresponding to the failed memory cell was burned into the fuse register. The state machine circuitry further implements a second state machine operative: (i) to download information stored in the at least one fuse register into at least one repair register associated with the embedded memory; and (ii) when an address is received in the circuit corresponding to a failed memory instance in the embedded memory, to reroute access to the failed memory instance to the at least one repair register.
US07895481B1
A system and method are provided for non-causal channel equalization in a communications system. The method comprises: establishing three thresholds; receiving a binary serial data stream; comparing the first bit estimate in the data stream to a second bit value received prior to the first bit; comparing the first bit estimate to a third bit value received subsequent to the first bit; data stream inputs below the first threshold and above the third threshold are a “0” if both the second and third bits are “1” values, and as a “1” if either of the second and third values is a “1”; data stream inputs above the second threshold and below the third threshold are a “1” if both the second and third bits are a “0” value, and as a “0” if either of the second and third values is a “0”.
US07895479B2
Systems, controllers and methods are disclosed, such as an initialization system including a controller that receives patterns of read data coupled from a memory device through a plurality of read data lanes. The controller is operable to detect any lane-to-lane skew in the patterns of read data received through the read data lanes. The controller then adjusts the manner in which the read data received through the read data lanes during normal operation are divided into frames. The controller can also couple patterns of command/address bits to the memory device through a plurality of command/address lanes. The memory device can send the received command/address bits back to the controller through the read data lanes. The controller is operable to detect any lane-to-lane skew in the patterns of command/address bits received through the read data lanes to adjust the manner in which the command/address bits coupled through the command/address lanes during normal operation are divided into frames.
US07895465B2
A method, system and computer program product for preserving data in a storage subsystem having dual cache and dual nonvolatile storage (NVS) through a failover from a failed cluster to a surviving cluster, the surviving cluster undergoing a rebooting process, is provided. A memory preserved indicator associated with a cache of the surviving cluster is detected. The memory preserved indicator designates marked tracks having an image in an NVS of the failed cluster to be preserved through the rebooting process. A counter in a data structure of the surviving cache is incremented. If a value of the counter exceeds a predetermined value, a cache memory is initialized, and the marked tracks are removed from the cache to prevent an instance of repetitive reboots caused by a corrupted structure in the cache memory.
US07895464B2
A RAID system includes a pair of RAID controllers adapted to operate in active-active mode, each controller including a cache memory and at least one SAS/SATA I/O chip connected to a plurality of hard disk drives. Each SAS/SATA I/O chip includes more SAS/SATA ports than required to carry data to the hard drives. The caches in the respective controllers are synchronized via the extra SAS/SATA ports in each controller.
US07895463B2
Redundant application network appliances using a low latency lossless interconnect link are described herein. According to one embodiment, in response to receiving at a first network element a packet of a network transaction from a client over a first network for accessing a server of a datacenter, a layer 2 network process is performed on the packet and a data stream is generated. The data stream is then replicated to a second network element via a layer 2 interconnect link to enable the second network element to perform higher layer processes on the data stream to obtain connection states of the network transaction. In response to a failure of the first network element, the second network element is configured to take over processes of the network transaction from the first network element using the obtained connection states without user interaction of the client. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.
US07895459B2
A design structure for a system and method of predicting power events in intermittent power environments and dispatching computational operations of an integrated circuit accordingly. A power management prediction system includes a controller executing a prediction algorithm, an arrangement of computation circuitry, a non-volatile storage device containing a power requirements log and a power history log, a clock generator, an intermittent power source, and a power monitor circuit. A method of predicting intermittent power events and dispatching computational operations includes: storing power requirements of each computational operation, monitoring the intermittent power source to generate a history log, predicting a subsequent power event based on the history log, retrieving actual power requirements of one or more computational operations, comparing the predicted power event with actual power requirements, determining whether actual power requirements are satisfied, dispatching one or more computational operations that correspond to one or more actual power events, or performing an error recovery operation.
US07895457B2
A memory system includes power saving arbitrator responsive to a clock oscillator and having a first clock rate. The power saving arbitrator includes an active enable circuit responsive to a host clock and a host command and operative to generate an active enable signal for causing the power saving arbitrator to generate a core logic/memories signal having a second clock rate that is adjustably lower in rate than the first clock rate, said active enable circuit operative to detect the absence of a host command for a predetermined period of time and when the predetermined period of time exceeds a threshold value, the power saving arbitrator operative to reduce the second clock rate.
US07895456B2
A method of controlling a power over Ethernet system, the method comprising: sequentially powering a plurality of powered devices over communication cabling; determining a first total power consumption responsive to the powering of the plurality of powered devices; in the event that the determined first total power consumption exceeds a predetermined maximum power level, disabling power from at least one of the powered plurality of powered devices thereby reducing power consumption to less than the predetermined maximum power level; responsive to the disabling power, defining a connection power limit lower than the maximum power level by a guard band; monitoring a second total power consumption subsequent to the disabling power; and enabling power to a powered device only in the event the monitored second total power consumption is less than the connection power limit.
US07895454B2
A method for compensating for dynamic IR (voltage) drop for instruction execution. In a data processing system having a memory, and a central processing unit (CPU), where the CPU includes an adaptive power supply, a method is provided for determining the power required for instruction execution, adjusting power supplied by the adaptive power supply to the CPU to execute the instruction, and dispatching the instruction from the memory to the CPU for execution.
US07895445B1
Data transfer between remote and home locations over a network is effected using an electronic token to facilitate access to the data. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a network-based server facilitates the generation of a token specifying conditions upon which data access to a registered user's data can be made. When a request for data transfer is received in connection with a token, information in the token is used together with the request to selectively authenticate and serve the request.
US07895444B2
A method and an apparatus for preventing illegal access by using a prohibit key in an electronic device, is provided. The method includes determining a variable prohibit key which is dynamically varied according to a predetermined variable factor, if a password is input to access a system, determining the existence of the determined variable prohibit key in the input password, and rejecting an access of a user to the system, if the variable prohibit key exists in the input password.
US07895443B2
A method and apparatus for secure authentication of a hardware token is disclosed. In one embodiment, a host computer fingerprint is used to generate a partial seed for a challenge-response authentication which is performed on the hardware token. In another embodiment, the host computer fingerprint is used as a personal identification number for the hardware token.
US07895438B2
Disclosed are a method and apparatus capable of reducing the number of computations required to generate a digital signature by a digital signature generator. A digital signature generator generates a code word for a received message by a function F for generating a code word having a set weight value and generates a digital signature based on the generated code word and an inverse of a public parity check matrix H, the parity check matrix H is one way function. A digital signature receiver converts the received message using the function F for generating a code word, and multiplies a public parity check matrix H by a received digital signal, the public parity check matrix H is a one way function, and comparing the converted value with the multiplication result.
US07895434B2
The present invention provides a method of integrating existing strong encryption methods into the processing of a .ZIP file to provide a highly secure data container which provides flexibility in the use of symmetric and asymmetric encryption technology. The present invention adapts the well established .ZIP file format to support higher levels of security and multiple methods of data encryption and key management, thereby producing a highly secure and flexible digital container for electronically storing and transferring confidential data.
US07895433B2
A method, for use in a processor context, wherein instructions in a program executable are encoded with plural instruction set encodings. A method wherein a control instruction encoded with an instruction set encoding contains information about decoding of an instruction that is encoded with another instruction set encoding scheme. A method wherein instruction set encodings are randomly generated at compile time. A processor framework wherein an instruction is decoded during execution with the help of information provided by a previously decoded control instruction.
US07895420B2
A method for reducing operations in a processing environment is provided that includes generating one or more binary representations, one or more of the binary representations being included in one or more linear equations that include one or more operations. The method also includes converting one or more of the linear equations to one or more polynomials and then performing kernel extraction and optimization on one or more of the polynomials. One or more common subexpressions associated with the polynomials are identified in order to reduce one or more of the operations.
US07895418B1
There is disclosed an operand queue for use in a floating point unit. The floating point unit comprises floating point processing units for executing floating point instructions that write operands to an external memory and for executing floating point instructions that read operands from the external memory. The floating point also comprises an operand queue for storing a plurality of operands associated with one or more operations being processed in the floating point unit. The operand queue stores a first operand being written to an external memory by a floating point write instruction executed by a first one of the plurality of floating point processing units and supplies the first operand to a floating point read instruction executed by a second one of the plurality of floating point processing units subsequent to the execution of the floating point write instruction.
US07895415B2
Apparatus and computing systems associated with cache sharing based thread control are described. One embodiment includes a memory to store a thread control instruction and a processor to execute the thread control instruction. The processor is coupled to the memory. The processor includes a first unit to dynamically determine a cache sharing behavior between threads in a multi-threaded computing system and a second unit to dynamically control the composition of a set of threads in the multi-threaded computing system. The composition of the set of threads is based, at least in part, on thread affinity as exhibited by cache-sharing behavior. The thread control instruction controls the operation of the first unit and the second unit.
US07895411B2
One embodiment of the invention sets forth a hardware-based physics processing unit (PPU) having unique architecture designed to efficiently generate physics data. The PPU includes a PPU control engine (PCE), a data movement engine and a floating point engine (FPE). The PCE manages the overall operation of the PPU by allocating memory resources and transmitting graphics processing commands to the FPE and data movement commands to the DME. The FPE includes multiple vector processors that operate in parallel and perform floating point operations on data received from a host unit to generate physics simulation data. The DME facilitates the transmission of data between the host unit and the FPE by performs data movement operations between memories internal and external to the PPU.
US07895408B2
A method and apparatus for managing a memory are provided. It is possible to rapidly recover the area allocated or desired to be returned by easily recognizing a range of the area allocated or desired to be returned over the entire area of the memory by recognizing an original area of a predetermined memory chunk interrupted by a neighboring memory chunk among a series of memory chunks that make up the memory by considering an original area of the neighboring memory chunk and by recovering the predetermined memory chunk and the recognized area to their original areas, when the area allocated to or returned by an application program is interrupted.
US07895404B2
A microcontroller system, such as a system-on-a-chip integrated circuit, including a processor (e.g., a Von Neumann processor), memory, and a memory protection unit (MPU), where the MPU provides execute-only access rights for one or more protected areas of the memory. The MPU can allow instructions fetched from within a protected area to access data in the protected area while preventing instructions fetched from outside the protected area from accessing data in the protected area.
US07895403B1
A method of securely deleting data from a storage medium includes generating a bitmap that corresponds to unused locations on the storage medium; initiating a wiping process that wipes the unused locations, where the wiping process runs asynchronously with a application; wiping the unused locations; and updating the bitmap to reflect that the unused locations have been wiped. The wiping replaces data at the unused locations with random sequences, with pseudo-random sequences, with data generated by a secure deletion algorithm, with application data from the application, or with all zeros. The wiping includes repeated writing of predetermined sequences to the unused locations. The wiping replaces data at unused locations that represent portions of any of blocks, clusters and sectors, and can wipe any metadata associated with files previously stored at any of the unused locations. Upon a request for access of data from a wiped location, data that does not correspond to data originally stored at the wiped location can be returned.
US07895399B2
A processor reads a program including a prefetch command and a load command and data from a main memory, and executes the program. The processor includes: a processor core that executes the program; a L2 cache that stores data on the main memory for each predetermined unit of data storage; and a prefetch unit that pre-reads the data into the L2 cache from the main memory on the basis of a request for prefetch from the processor core. The prefetch unit includes: a L2 cache management table including an area in which a storage state is held for each position in the unit of data storage of the L2 cache and an area in which a request for prefetch is reserved; and a prefetch control unit that instructs, the L2 cache to perform the request for prefetch reserved or the request for prefetch from the processor core.
US07895398B2
A system and method is disclosed for the adaptive and dynamic adjustment of the characteristics of a cache on a basis that is specific the operation of each logical unit. A storage controller may include a cache. The cache is subdivided so that a portion of the cache is associated with each logical unit that is coupled to the storage controller. A cache management utility monitors the data access commands transmitted to each logical unit of the storage array. The size of the portion of the cache dedicated to each logical unit may be adjusted on the basis of the data access commands directed to the logical unit. The size of the read cache subportion and the size of the write cache subportion of a cache portion associated with a single logical unit may be adjusted on the basis of the read and write commands directed to the logical unit.
US07895396B2
Provided is a storage system having improved access performance. The storage system includes: a hard disk drive, and a storage controller for reading/writing data from/to the hard disk drive, the storage controller including: at least one interface connected to a host computer through a network; and a plurality of processors connected to the interface through an internal network. The storage system is characterized in that: the processor provides at least one logical access port to the host computer; and the interface stores routing information including a processor which processes an access request addressed to the logical access port, extracts an address from the received access request upon reception of the access request from the host computer, specifies the processor which processes the received access request based on the routing information and the extracted address, and transfers the received access request to the specified processor.
US07895381B2
A data accessing system bridges a first master device and a second master device to a first slave device and a second slave device. The data accessing system includes a register, a first multiplexer, a second multiplexer and a control unit. The amount of data that the first master device can process each cycle is less than which of the second slave device. The data accessing system can solve the problem when the first master device writes data to the second slave device via merging two different data. Also, the data accessing system can solve the problem when the first master device reads data to the second slave device via extracting part of the data.
US07895376B2
A method for determining configuration information to be reported comprises accessing a table corresponding to a configuration resource associated with the configuration information, wherein the table comprises an entry for each hardware configuration definition to be built for the configuration resource, identifying a seed value in the table corresponding to the configuration resource, and modifying the seed value based on a result of processing each entry indicated by the table.
US07895372B2
A system and method for universal serial bus mass storage device asynchronous file and file system update while connected to a PC or other device employs setting error flags and timestamp change flags when a file is changed, and returning the error conditions in reply to a REQUEST_SENSE command.
US07895368B2
Wireless communication equipment which associates with a plurality of sets of peripheral equipment present in a prescribed range through wireless communication stores identification code information regarding the associated peripheral equipment, acquires identification code information from the peripheral equipment present in the prescribed range, and determines whether or not the peripheral equipment has already associated on the basis of the identification code information. If the peripheral equipment has not been associated, the wireless communication equipment stores the identification code information by associating them with an image. If the peripheral equipment has been associated, the wireless communication equipment displays the associated image stored by associating them with the acquired identification code information, and connects to the corresponding peripheral equipment in response to the selection of the displayed and associated image.
US07895359B2
A message routing system that allows applications at either end of the system to run as-is without modification. The system functions in a multithreaded environment and is capable of handling complex routing rules and message transformation. It is also capable of learning and executing new routing rules and message transformations in formats previously unrecognized by the system. The system enables precise and reliable logging of messages throughout processing and supports publication of enterprise-wide broadcast messages. The system further preferably employs cooperating inbound and outbound transport processes for consuming, routing, processing, safely storing and publishing messages in batches of logical units of work to ensure that the logical units of work are not lost in system transactions. The system also preferably utilizes a replay server for preserving and replaying messages that might otherwise fail to reach their intended destinations.
US07895351B2
An information recording/reproducing system has a data storage device that stores a data stream with a predetermined data format and an information recording/reproducing apparatus, which is connected with the data storage device, for recording and reproducing the data stream. The apparatus includes information recording/reproducing portion and memory portion that stores plural species of empty data file bodies each in which additional information corresponding to a species of data format and data are assigned to loading regions. The apparatus also has selection portion that selects an empty data file body with a specified data format from the plural species of empty data file bodies. The apparatus further has information-loading portion that loads the additional information and the data into predetermined loading regions assigned in the empty data file body that has been selected by the selection portion.
US07895331B1
A method for providing network services includes the ability to dynamically and flexibly configure resources in a network server platform to service classes and sets of network traffic. According to one aspect, a programmable network server platform can be configured to bind multiple traffic classes in a mixture of inline and tap modes to a group of CPUs. Traffic having the associated classes can be configured to pass directly through while sending a copy down to one or more CPUs, as well as load balanced to a group or sub group of CPUs. According to another aspect, different applications or configurations can be run on different groups or sub groups of CPUs allowing complete flexibility.
US07895329B2
In a flow control method, operation flow is controlled on a per connection basis. The method comprises managing a sending peer to prevent overflow of a receiving peer's receiver credits and allocating a number of send buffers at the sending peer greater than or equal to the maximum number of receiver credits that can be indicated by the receiving peer. The technique prevents the sending peer from overflowing its set of send buffers, arising due to re-use, without taking completions on operations queued to a Send Queue.
US07895325B2
An event history server system stores event data descriptive of user-specific events that occur in browsing sessions of users. A query interface of the event history server system enables applications to selectively retrieve the event data based on various event parameters such as event type, event time of occurrence, and user identifier. The applications may, for example, include one or more personalization applications that generate personalized content for users.
US07895323B2
A system for predicting an occurrence of a critical even in a computer cluster includes: a control system that includes an event log, a system parameter log, a memory for storing information related to occurrences of critical events, and a processor. The processor implements a hybrid prediction system; loads the information from the event log and the system performance log into a Bayesian network model; uses the Bayesian network model to predict a future critical event; makes future scheduling and current data migration selections; and adapts the Bayesian network model by feeding the scheduling and data migration selections.
US07895319B2
An address resolver such as a DNS service may use the identity of a requesting client device to determine a response of a network address for a hostname in a request. A requesting client device may transmit a hardware or user identifier to an address resolving server in order to authenticate the client. The server may determine if the requesting client is authorized to have access to the requested hostname, and respond with the network address when the client is authorized. The address resolver may be used to limit access for users to various devices or hosts across a network and in some cases may track which users are accessing which hosts.
US07895314B1
Instant messages are sent to and from a device. For example, one embodiment of a method involves detecting an instant message on a port associated with a device and performing an action corresponding to an administrative command, where the instant message includes information indicative of the administrative command. Another embodiment of a method involves detecting a trigger condition during operation of a device and sending an instant message to an administrator, where the instant message includes information indicative of the trigger condition.
US07895306B2
A Message Storage and Deliver System (MSDS) is connected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and receives incoming calls with these calls being facsimile, voice, or data transmissions. The MSDS detects the type of call and stores the message signal in a database. The MSDS is also connected to the Internet and has a hyper-text transfer protocol deamon (HTTPD) for receiving requests from users. The HTTPD forwards requests for certain files or messages to a network server which transmits at least part of the message to the HTTPD and then to the user. In addition to requests for certain documents, the HTTPD may also receive a request in the form of a search query. The search query is forwarded from the HTTPD to an application program for conducting the search of the database. The results of the search are forwarded through the HTTPD to the user. The user may then select one or more files or messages from the search results and may save the search for later reference.
US07895301B1
A hypertext document containing a selection criterion for a desired codeset is transmitted from a web server to a web client on the computer of a user of an electronic consumer device. The user selects a desired codeset and sends a designation of the selection criterion from the web client on his computer back to the web server. The designation of the selection criterion is used to select the desired codeset from a central database of codesets. The desired codeset is then transmitted from the web server to the web client on the user's computer. A pin of an integrated circuit in the user's remote control device is coupled to a single-wire communication bus. The user's remote control device is coupled to the user's computer via the single-wire communication bus. The desired codeset is then transmitted from the user's computer over the single-wire communication bus to the remote control device.
US07895289B2
Device and method for storing / retrieving objects with multidimensionally addressed electronic data
The invention provides for devices and methods for storing/retrieving objects comprising multidimensionally addressed electronic data in a system of several data processing units, in particular as regards the economy of time, even if individual units of the data processing units are unreliable.
US07895284B2
Devices, systems, and methods are directed towards ranking of messages based on a hop distance a forwarded message travels through a social network. As a message is forwarded by a member of the social network the hop distance increases. As the message is forwarded, recipients and/or senders may view the hop distance in real-time. The hop distance may reflect a number of times the message is forwarded to reach a recipient, or the maximum number of times the message is forwarded. The message may be displayed to a member in a rank ordering based on the hop distance, and messages with hop distances below a defined value may be deleted from a displayed list after a period of time. In one embodiment, a message may be forwarded anonymously to, for example, encourage members to forward the message.
US07895276B2
A method and system for removing metadata from email attachments sent from mobile devices includes receiving an email with an attached document. The attached document has metadata removed to create a cleansed version of the attached document. The attached document is replaced by the cleansed version of the attached document, and the email is sent according to the address or addresses included in the email.
US07895271B1
A system and method for managing and compacting electronic mail messages to preserve storage space on a computer and to enhance the efficiency of an electronic mail application. A user or electronic mail system administrator may define a screening criteria to identify messages to be compacted according to compacting procedures. Compacting procedures may include compressing the message and attachments, detaching the attachments from the message and inserting references or pointers in place of the attachments in the message.
US07895262B2
Described is a Web Services Application Protocol (WSAP) comprising a SOAP-based protocol that defines a web service application model based on a set of common message operations. WSAP provides a foundation for defining web services in terms of how they interact with each other. In WSAP, the behaviors of a service are each provided with an individual port, (e.g., URI), whereby the service's behaviors may be interacted with directly. WSAP also defines shared semantics for operations that identify what a message is, what the processing of message is, and how it affects the state/behavior of the receiver. The ordering of messages also provides context to what is occurring. As a result of the known characteristics of the operations and the ordering, an intermediary can process exchanged messages to add value to communications. A SOAP processing model defines composing multiple web services to run in parallel or sequentially.
US07895260B2
Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for processing data access requests among a plurality of compute nodes. One compute node operates as a processing node, and one compute nodes operates as a requesting node. The processing node receives, from the requesting node, a data access request to access data currently being processed by the processing node. The processing node also receives, from the requesting node, a processing directive. The processing directive specifies data processing operations to be performed on the data specified by the data access request. The processing node performs, on behalf of the requesting node, the data processing operations specified by the processing directive on the data specified by the data access request. The processing node transmits, to the requesting node, results of the data processing operations performed on the data by the processing node on behalf of the requesting node.
US07895256B2
A messaging system, method, and computer program product includes a client device having stored therein a client application, which is adapted to be executed by the client device, a server having stored therein a server application, which is adapted to be executed by the server, a plurality of wireless networks, each of which is adapted to: communicate messages between the client device and the server; and support one or more wireless network protocols, and a protocol gateway encapsulating a fundamental network protocol. The fundamental network protocol underlies each of the one or more wireless network protocols and includes a protocol stack that corresponds substantially to an Open System Interconnection (OSI) model and incorporates a simple network transport layer (SNTL). In such a manner, the invention further includes means for communicating a message between the client application and the server application, over a selected wireless network protocol through the protocol gateway, independent of the selected wireless network protocol. Moreover, the present invention features methods of communicating such messages over wireless networks efficiently, without requiring significant bandwidth, a valuable resource in wireless networks.
US07895248B2
A clip without UMID is transmitted to a disc drive from an editing device. The disc drive generates the UMID and NRT with respect to the transmitted clip, and stores the UMID in association with the NRT. The editing device edits the NRT, and transmits the NRT that is edition results to the disc drive. The disc drive overwrites the NRT that has been transmitted from the editing device on the generated NRT, and stores the NRT in association with the clip with the UMID. The present invention can be applied to a disc recording and reproducing device.
US07895245B2
Methods, systems and machine readable medium storing a machine readable program for managing data stored on a contactless flash memory device are disclosed. A compiled version of a hierarchical data model defined using a high level data structure definition language is provided at a host unit. The host unit is operable to run on a host platform. The compiled version of the hierarchical data model is compiled for the host platform. A first representation of a first hierarchical data structure is received from a contactless flash memory device at the host unit via a contactless communication channel. The first hierarchical data structure is a first instantiation of the hierarchical data model. A second representation of the first hierarchical data structure is generated in accordance with the compiled hierarchical data model at the host unit.
US07895242B2
In accordance with one or more aspects, compressed storage management in a system includes determining which of multiple data units stored in an uncompressed portion of the storage resource are to be compressed and stored in a compressed portion of the storage resource. The management can further include returning one or more regions of the compressed portion for use in the uncompressed portion in response to storage resource pressure in the system, as well as compacting regions in the compressed portion to fill empty gaps in the compressed portion.
US07895239B2
A queue descriptor including a head pointer pointing to the first element in a queue and a tail pointer pointing to the last element in the queue is stored in memory. In response to a command to perform an enqueue or dequeue operation with respect to the queue, fetching from the memory to a cache only one of either the head pointer or tail pointer and returning to the memory from the cache portions of the queue descriptor modified by the operation.
US07895238B2
A method, computer system, computer program product and graphical interface for generating and displaying an information catalog relating to a business model. The method includes accessing technical metadata from a data warehouse, accessing business metadata from a first source outside of the data warehouse, accessing presentation metadata from a second source outside of the data warehouse, and applying the presentation metadata to the technical metadata and the business metadata to generate the information catalog. The information catalog comprises the technical metadata and the business metadata in accordance with the presentation format specified by the presentation metadata. The technical metadata is associated with data used by computer applications. The computer applications support business processes of the business model.
US07895237B2
Files can be reassembled from fragments by (a) accepting adjacency scores for each pair of fragments from the set of fragments, (b) identifying header fragments from among the fragments of the set of fragments, and (c) for each of the header fragments identified, reconstructing a corresponding one of the two or more files from the fragments of the set of fragments such that the sum of the adjacency scores are optimized, wherein each of the fragments is permitted to belong to only one of the at least two files, and wherein at least two files are reconstructed such that the results are independent of the order in which the files are reconstructed.
US07895230B2
A server find process by which a user enters a search term for a document attachment into his/her mobile communication device. If no occurrences of the term are found on the device, the device then prompts the user to initiate a server side search. If the user accepts, then the server searches the document attachment and returns the first section of text that contains the search term to the device for viewing by the user. This process can then be repeated until the server find feature reports that no further instances of the search string have been found on the server.
US07895229B1
Exemplary systems and methods for conducting cross-checks on legal matters across an enterprise system are provided. In exemplary embodiments, search parameters are received from a user to search for custodians across the plurality of legal matters that are affected. A cross-check module then accesses legal matter information. An analysis of whether a custodian is common to more than one legal matter based on the search parameters, tracked relationships, and the legal matter information is performed. Results are then provided to the user. In further embodiments, the cross-check module may also provide a listing of collected data based on the cross-check analysis.
US07895213B2
A method for providing cascaded trie-based network packet search engines is provided. A search command is received at one of the network packet search engines. The search command comprises a specific search key. A determination of a longest prefix match based on the specific search key is made at the network packet search engine. A determination is made at the network packet search engine regarding whether the longest prefix match comprises an overall longest prefix match among the cascaded network packet search engines such that any of the cascaded network packet search engines may comprise the overall longest matching prefix independently of position relative to the other cascaded network packet search engines.
US07895208B2
Device, system, and method of creating virtual social networks based on web-extracted features. For example, a method for creating virtual social networks based on web-extracted data includes: accessing through a global communication network a first content item and a second content item, wherein each one of the first and second content items is selected from the group consisting of: an image, a video, text, and metadata; extracting data corresponding to a first feature from the first content item; extracting data corresponding to a second feature from the second content item; and based on a common attribute of the first and second features, clustering into a cluster a first identifier of a first user associated with the first content item and a second identifier of a second user associated with the second content item.
US07895207B2
Even when the number of apparatuses and GUI terminals increase, the load of data retrieval processing does not increase in the group administration apparatus, and hence data retrieval and display onto the GUI terminals are to be performed rapidly. Data pieces transmitted from apparatuses are classified for each group by a group administration apparatus. Thus, for example, when temperature information is to be displayed on a GUI terminal, a temperature information group is set into a retrieval condition for each display item, while a temperature setting value and a temperature monitor value are set into types. Then, these data pieces are transferred to the group administration apparatus. Then, with reference to the retrieval conditions of a plurality of display items acquired from the GUI terminal, the group administration apparatus merges display items of the same condition into one retrieval item. By virtue of this, data acquisition for the data stored in the group administration apparatus is achieved by a request on a group basis. This reduces the number of times of retrieval for the apparatus data.
US07895197B2
A computer-implemented method of locating information in a database of electronic documents includes defining fragments of the documents, associating the fragments with the document from which the fragments originated, and associating metadata with the fragments, where the metadata associated with a fragment includes metadata related to one or more topics of the fragment. A query for one or more documents containing information about a topic is received, and a document is located from the database based on a comparison of the query with the metadata associated with a fragment of the document.
US07895192B2
In a method for estimating a loaded execution runtime of database query, a database query for a database is received for a loaded database. Load information for the database is received. A prediction of query runtime tree is accessed. The prediction of query runtime tree is built from historical query information regarding historical database queries previously executed on the database. The prediction of query runtime tree includes a classifier function adjusted for an historical impact of loading of the database. The database query is processed through the prediction of query runtime tree, such that a loaded execution runtime of the database query is estimated based upon information pertaining to historical database queries similar to the database query.
US07895190B2
A method is disclosed for indexing and querying XML documents stored in a relational database. A user is allowed to choose columns of a database table for storing XML data of a known structure. The user has to input one or more XML paths for indexed data. Each path is stored in a static index table. In response to the input of the user defined paths, at least one dynamic index table is created for each static index table. The dynamic index table is updated upon data being entered into the database table. When a user's query is intercepted, any XML expression part of the query is processed and converted into one or more rows in the static index table. A new query is generated against the dynamic indexing tables, using the values obtained from the static index table, and executed. The user's query is then rewritten by transforming the XML path part of the user's query expression into a format understood by the database query engine. Finally, after the rewritten query is executed, the result is returned to the user, together with any non-XML part of the user's query, executed by the database query engine.
US07895184B2
A method and system for customizing a search of a data source linked to a computer in response to a search request from a user. A search tool application (STA) is executed on a client computer in response to the search request received from the user. The STA determines the context of a software application active when the STA is executed. The STA determines a scope of data to search based on the determined context. A user-interface is responsive to a search term received from a user to initiates a search the determined scope of data for content that matches the received search term. The results of the search are displayed in the UI.
US07895183B2
This invention relates to an advertisement machine which provides advertisements to a user searching for desired information within a data network. The machine receives, from a user, a search request including a search argument corresponding to the desired information and searches, based upon the received search argument, a first database having data network related information to generate search results. It also correlating the received search argument to a particular advertisement in a second database having advertisement related information. The search results together with the particular advertisement are provided by the machine to the user.
US07895182B2
The present invention is related to methods and systems for processing search requests and for performing searches over a network. In an embodiment, a recipient designation is received from a user over a network. The designation indicates that future searches performed by the user are to be associated with the recipient (even if the subject matter of the search is not related to the recipient). A search request is received from the user; causing a search to be performed in response to the search request. An identifier corresponding to the recipient is stored in association with an indication regarding the occurrence of the first search request.
US07895175B2
A method and apparatus for client-side federated search is provided. The user subscribes to a number of information providers, wherein a list of the information providers for the user is stored at a search engine. When the user at a client device submits a search query to the search engine, the search engine responds by sending general search results to the client device, along with search instructions that instruct the client device how to automatically initiate a search at information providers in which the user is interested. Without any further input from the user, the client device uses the search instructions to initiate searches at information providers in which the user is interested. When the client receives search results from the information providers, the client device displays the general search results concurrently with the information provider search results.
US07895174B2
Embodiments are provided to define relationships for merging template or database part tables with one or more database tables in a computer system. A database application may utilize a schema to receive metadata associated with a target database part table in one or more markup language elements. The database application may then receive metadata associated with a source database table to be joined with the target table in the schema elements. The database application may then receive join type metadata in the schema elements. The join type metadata may specify whether fields from the source table are to be merged into the target table or whether fields from the target table are to be merged into the source table. In response to receiving the target table metadata and the source table metadata, the database application may then merge the target and source tables utilizing the join type metadata.
US07895171B2
A method, information processing system, and computer readable storage product estimate a compression factor. A set of key values within an index are analyzed. Each key value is associated with a record identifier (“RID”) list comprising a set of RIDs. The index is in an uncompressed format and includes a total byte length. A number of RIDs associated with each key value is estimated for each key value in the set of key values. A total byte length for all RID deltas between each at least two consecutive RIDs within a RID list is estimated for each RID list based on the number of RIDs that have been determined. The total byte length estimated for each RID list is accumulated. A compression factor associated with the index is determined by dividing the total byte length that has been accumulated by the byte length of the index.
US07895166B2
The exchange of documents for execution can be performed efficiently using an automated system that routes and archives documents. The system may facilitate the exchange of drafts between parties by highlighting changes of the current draft with respect to the previous draft. Documents may be conveniently archived for efficient document storage and access by providing one or more central archive databases accessible through a shared network to a plurality of organizations. The operating system of the database may provide systematic access to individuals associated with an organization with the privilege to access documents according to a specific organizational hierarchy. Routing and archiving documents may be accomplished through a central exchange server.
US07895161B2
The storage system includes a file server connected to a host apparatus and configured to provide a directory in a file system having a directory structure to the host apparatus, a storage subsystem connected to the file server and configured to provide a volume for storing the file system, and a management apparatus connected respectively to the file server and the storage subsystem and configured to manage backup/restoration of an arbitrary directory contained in the file system. The storage system selects one of backup methods of a directory designated as a backup target by the management apparatus, and executes backup processing to the designated directory. The storage system also includes a restoration controller configured to control execution of restoration processing to backup data based on the backup processing.
US07895155B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a method for managing and updating documents containing specialized content in a content management system (CMS) by chaining plug-ins. Rather than create a unique rule for each specialized scenario, a CMS may be configured to apply a plug-in chain in an order based upon a type of document encountered and/or configured criteria.
US07895153B2
An embodiment of the invention allows a software developer or administrator to use their knowledge and/or development of a particular application, to optimize the performance of data access and updates to the database. In order to do this, an embodiment of the invention makes use of the developers knowledge of particular transaction and transaction operations that can be performed in a commutative manner. The overall effect is to perform the operations in a parallel fashion so that one operation does not block or restrict the processing of a second operation. The result is an increase in database access or performance, without any resulting decrease in database reliability.
US07895148B2
A classification system trains a classifier to classify blocks of the web page into various classifications of the function of the block. The classification system trains a classifier using training web pages. To train a classifier, the classification system identifies the blocks of the training web pages, generates feature vectors for the blocks that include a linguistic feature, and inputs classification labels for each block. The classification system learns the coefficients of the classifier using any of a variety of machine learning techniques. The classification system can then use the classifier to classify blocks of web pages.
US07895143B2
A risk assessment method and system. The method includes receiving by an inference engine, first sensor cohort data associated with a first cohort located within a security perimeter area surrounding an airport. The inference engine receives first group technology inferences associated with the first cohort. The inference engine generates first risk cohort inferences based on the first group technology inferences and the first sensor cohort data. The inference engine receives first inference data comprising a first plurality of inferences associated with the first cohort. The inference engine generates second inference data comprising a second plurality of inferences associated with the first cohort. The second inference data is based on the first inference data and the first risk cohort inferences. The inference engine generates a first associated risk level score for the first cohort. The computing system stores the second inference data and the first associated risk level score.
US07895139B2
Data spiders, provide an automated system that can take a file or file store of historic transaction data and create the best set of variables from that data, where “best” means highly predictive. Genetic algorithms are used to parameterized transactions to form groups, which are subjected naïve Bayes score ranking. Variable groups are generated and ranked accord to the score. Data spiders span the full information available, are uncorrelated with previous methods, and are easily interpretable.
US07895123B1
A method and system for receiving digital content and metadata associated with the digital content. In an embodiment, the method and system inputs publication information associated with the digital content, produces protected digital content, stores the protected digital content, and sends a message including the metadata and the publication information.
US07895119B2
A method and system are disclosed for pushing credit payments as buyer initiated transactions. The buyer communicates payment instructions to initiate payment of accounts payable items so that the existing credit card infrastructure can be used to make payments to merchants without a credit card transaction being initiated by the merchants. In this way, a buyer can push credit payments into the system without having to communicate with the merchant, and these transactions can be processed as credit transactions with respect to standard settlement procedures, for example, as used by credit card receipt acquirers. This ability to push credit payments provides an advantageous, efficient and powerful solution to handling accounts payable operations, particularly in a corporate environment. And a purchasing management system can be used to manage and control these activities and to allow selection, or automatic selection based upon merchant profiles, of whether to make payments as pushed credit payments or cash/debit transactions.
US07895116B2
An improved seller automated engine architecture methodology particularly (though not exclusively) for use in automated real-time iterative reverse auctions over the Internet and the like for the purchase and sale of goods and services, providing a choice of architectural implementations while enabling price optimization on market share-directed considerations, specific sales target-directed implementations, seller utility derivative-following implementations, model optimizer implementations and explorations, mathematical optimization-oriented and rules-based implementations.
US07895110B1
An investment index is generated by selecting a predetermined number of geographic regions having the highest ranked projected population growth and selecting a predetermined number of companies that have at least a predetermined percentage of the company's revenue derived from at least one or a combination of the selected number of geographic regions. The stock prices of the selected companies are then weighted.
US07895109B2
One embodiment of the invention is a method for providing a financial instrument including determining a current account balance for a financial account, calculating a liability ratio for the financial account, and determining whether to transfer at least a portion of the account balance from a variable sub-account to a low-risk sub-account based on the liability ratio.
US07895099B2
Methods and systems for facilitating transactions (200) between commercial banks and pooled depositor groups are disclosed. Employees of a control center determine interest rate return needs of pooled depositor groups (210), such as trust departments at commercial banks. The control center employees aggregate (204) the funds to produce a stable funds source and communicate the availability of the stable funds source to commercial banks for core deposits (210). The commercial banks communicate cash needs to the control center (202). The control center sets an interest rate (206) to be paid to the pooled depositor groups for use of the funds to at least the depositor groups'expected rate of return and below and the rate that commercial banks are willing to pay for the funds. The banks post master NOW accounts and the pooled depositor groups deposit funds in the master NOW accounts (212).
US07895098B2
A system and method for quantifying the working capital benefit of pooling a number of separate cash accounts. The average (mean) cash balance of the pooled account is determined to be the sum of the means of each of the individual accounts. Similarly, the standard deviation of the pooled account is determined to be the square root of the sum of the squares of the standard deviations of the individual accounts. Accordingly, the minimum cash level of the pooled account is 2.3 times the square root of the sum of the squares of the standard deviations of the individual accounts. In order to determine the benefit of pooling, the present invention determines the difference between the minimum aggregate cash required by the separate companies and the minimum cash required in the pooled account. If pooling is to be beneficial, from a working capital perspective, the minimum cash required in the pooled account will be significantly less than the aggregate cash required by the separate companies.
US07895095B2
A hybird Notes/DB2 environment provides a requisition catalog on the Web. Client browsers are connected to a GWA infrastructure including a first network dispatcher and a virtual cluster of Domino.Go servers. The network dispatcher sprays out browser requests among configured .nsf servers in virtual server cluster. Communications from this virtual server cluster are, in turn, dispatched by a second network dispatcher servers in a Domino cluster. External objects, primarily for a GUI, are served in a .dfs and include graphic files, Java files, HTML images and net.data macros. The catalog is built from supplier provided flat files. A front end is provided for business logic and validation, as also is a relation database backend. HTML forms are populated using relational database agents. A role table is used for controlling access both to Notes code and DB2 data. Large amounts of data is quickly transferred using an intermediate agent and window.
US07895088B2
Commercial advertisers, such as consumer product companies and the advertising agents that represent them, directly access a network of thousands of large, high resolution electronic displays located in high traffic areas and directly send their own advertisements electronically to the network to be displayed at locations and times selected by the advertisers. In another application, operators of digital movie theaters have ongoing, continuous access to tens of thousands of movies that can be ordered in digital form for display on selected screens at their theaters at selected times.
US07895084B2
A method and system for processing purchases from a wireless device. The method includes, responsive to a search command received from the wireless device, executing a search in a retailer database. The method includes transmitting a search result to the wireless device for display. The method includes, responsive to a purchase command received from the wireless device, processing a sales transaction with a selected retailer.
US07895082B2
According to the present invention, there is provided a method to facilitate propagating a plurality of transaction listings to a network-based transaction facility. An input interface is presented at a seller application to receive from a user, a plurality of transaction listings, each transaction listing including an associated start time. Also, a data file is composed at the seller application to include the plurality of transaction listings. Moreover, the data file is propagated, using the seller application, from the client computer to the network-based transaction facility.
US07895074B2
A method that provides a motion picture promotional item using digital data at an exhibition site. The method includes receiving motion picture digital data at the exhibition site; and receiving supplemental data transmitted along with the motion picture digital data, the supplemental data to be used for forming the promotional item. Additionally the method stores the supplemental data in a memory accessible from the exhibition site, and forms the promotional item according to the supplemental data in response to a user command.
US07895071B2
Described is a system for multi-mission scheduling. The system is configured to compile a list of missions, where each mission includes at least one task. Additionally, each mission has a mission value associated with it such that the mission value reflects an ordering priority of the mission. The system also compiles a list of available resources that can be utilized to complete the tasks. The resources have, varying capabilities of completing tasks. Based on the lists, the system allocates and schedules the resources to complete tasks within the missions to maximize a total mission value of completed missions. Thus, the system schedules multiple missions to maximize the value of completed missions given available resources, whereby a mission is scheduled when the totality of its tasks have been allocated a sufficient amount of resources.
US07895070B2
In one embodiment, a method for providing multiple views of a business process definition includes storing a model of a business process, and providing different view points of the model to different classes of users.
US07895069B2
A system, computer-implementable method, and computer-readable medium for processing a collection of work items in a data processing system. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an agent monitor assembles a work items list that includes a collection of work items, wherein at least one work item among the collection of work items is a work item that is unassigned to at least one agent among a collection of agents. The agent monitor assigns the at least one work item to the at least one agent. In response to determining that the at least one agent has entered into a hang state, the agent monitor releases the at least one work item from the at least one agent.
US07895068B2
Methods, data structures, and systems by which entities can efficiently discover, extend, validate and establish business relationships over a digital network are disclosed. A transitive trust system can be utilized by any number of interconnected entities in which at least two of the entities are capable of sharing information. One or more entity trust lists contain, for at least two of the entities, at least one characteristic. Each characteristic can, for example, describe or pertain to the actual or perceived dependability, reliability and/or credibility of an entity. The system also includes at least one transactional trust list that contains at least one parameter relative to an exchange between at least two of the entities through at least one degree of separation between the entities. The transactional trust list can, for example, be a listing of any type of parameters that define or describe business exchanges within a particular industry segment. The transactional trust list can also list information about the types of transactional activities that can take place and proxy actions available to cooperating entities. The system retrieves information from the entity trust list and the transactional trust list in order to provide a framework for at least two of the entities to establish relationships with one another.
US07895067B2
In one such aspect, the invention provides a method for optimizing merchandise profitability that includes the step of modeling gross margin as a function of product breadth and depth for each of at least one class of goods retailed by each of at least one retail site in a group of sites of the retail enterprise, and as a function of the expected discount price for each such class of goods at each such retail site. The method further includes maximizing the gross margin so modeled to the enterprise and, from that maximization, determining for at least one such retail site an optimal breadth, depth, and/or discount price, for at least one such class of goods retailed by it.
US07895064B2
A graphical display in an insurance processing system is disclosed. The graphical display may include a representation of a human body. The representation of the human body may provide information to a user that is helpful in specifying insurance claim information. For example, the representation may provide information regarding body parts, information regarding injury codes, information regarding common injuries, information regarding common treatments and/or information regarding treatment codes. The representation may also be used to provide input into the insurance processing system.
US07895063B2
Computer-implemented methods and systems for creating pre-configured claim reports including estimated liability for a vehicle accident are provided. In an embodiment, claim information on a computer system required by a pre-configured claim report for an accident may be accessed from a database. In some embodiments, the claim information may be accessed if a user-specified condition is met. In other embodiments, the claim information may be accessed periodically following a user-specified time period. A pre-configured claim report may be created from the accessed claim information. In certain embodiments, the pre-configured claim report may be sent to a user-specified location.
US07895054B2
A method for providing insurance coverage to a subscriber comprises offering an insurance policy to said subscriber wherein said insurance policy comprises providing allowances to pay for one or more expenses covered by said insurance policy and providing monetary credits to said subscriber for any unused portion of a given allowance where said monetary credits can be used to cover the cost of a subsequent allowed expense. The insurance policy may be a pharmacy benefits plan. The covered expenses may be pharmacy expenses. The allowed expenses may be medical expenses which qualify under section 213 of the US Internal Revenue code for payment by an employer without said subscriber having to declare said payment as taxable income.
US07895049B2
Embodiments are directed towards managing an adaptive media object to dynamically represent a persona reflecting a group's (or individual's) online and/or offline activities and behaviors. The group selects the adaptive media object to represent their persona digitally. The group may indicate which activities, actions, and/or behaviors are to be used to adapt the persona, and may further specify at least one mapping of a selected activity, action, and/or behavior to a change in the configuration of the adaptive media object. In one embodiment, the various activities, actions, and/or behaviors may be input to a machine learning algorithm that dynamically determines the changes to the adaptive media object. The adaptive media object may serve as a single point of contact for the group or individual for communications. The adaptive media object configuration may also change based upon the client device used to access the adaptive media object.
US07895040B2
According to an embodiment, voice recognition apparatus includes units of: acoustic processing, voice interval detecting, dictionary, collating, search target selecting, storing and determining, and voice recognition method includes processes of: selecting a search range on basis of a beam search, setting and storing a standard frame, storing an output probability of a certain transition path, determining whether or not the output probability of a certain path is stored. Number of times of calculation of the output probability is reduced by selecting the search range on basis of the beam search, calculating the output probability of the certain transition path only once in an interval from when the standard frame is set to when the standard frame is renewed, and storing and using thus calculated value as an approximate value of the output probability in subsequent frames.
US07895032B2
A system and method to modify entry of text is provided. The system includes an input device, a display device, and a processor configured to store a correlation between at least one word with at least one candidate phrase; receive at least one word into the input device; identify the at least one candidate phrase correlated to the at least one word; replace the at least one word with a selected phrase from the at least one candidate phrase; and store the selected phrase in a computer readable storage medium.
US07895029B2
A system and method for modifying a simulation model and optimizing an application program to produce valid hardware-identified operating conditions that are matched with simulator-identified operating conditions in order to modify a simulator accordingly is presented. A critical path coverage analyzer includes critical path measurement logic into a simulation model that injects errors into the critical path and provides visibility into the number of times that an application program exercises the critical path. The critical path coverage analyzer uses the critical path measurement logic to optimize an application program to adequately exercise and test the critical paths. Once optimized, the critical path coverage analyzer runs the optimized application program on a hardware device to produce hardware-identified operating conditions. The hardware-identified operating conditions are matched against simulator-identified operating conditions. When discrepancies exist, the simulator is modified accordingly to match the hardware-identified operating conditions.
US07895026B1
A computer-implemented method of scheduling a multi-rate, synchronous circuit design for simulation within a high-level modeling system. The method can include determining a component clocking rate for each of a plurality of synchronous components of the circuit design and classifying each of the plurality of synchronous components into a plurality of schedules according to component clocking rate. For each clock cycle during simulation, the method can include selecting one of the plurality of schedules and executing each synchronous component of the selected schedule. A value determined through execution of a synchronous component of the circuit design can be output.
US07895021B1
A process is provided for disposing a sensor in an environment for optimally obtaining characteristic measurements. The process includes modeling covariant sets of environment elements that correspond to conditions of the environment and of sensor elements that correspond to characteristic functionalities of the sensor. The process further includes covariantly coupling the environmental elements with the sensor elements to produce a third set of configuration elements; and combining the configuration elements to obtain a fitness function parameter. The process may additionally include adjusting the environment elements and the sensor elements; repeating operations for covariantly coupling and combining until obtaining the fitness function parameter over a defined region of the environment within a set of fitness function parameters. Also, the process may include determining an extreme value within the set of fitness function parameters, which may also include optimizing the fitness function parameter as an optimum value with a genetic algorithm over the set of fitness function parameters.
US07895019B2
A method of designing a fire suppression system that includes displaying one or more components of the fire suppression system on a visual display, wherein the displayed one or more components of the fire suppression system are formatted so as to printable in a form acceptable for a majority of state and local regulatory authorities empowered to regulate installation of the fire suppression system.
US07895018B2
A method for event monitoring for a wind turbine is described. The method includes measuring a first signal pattern representing a characteristic selected from a characteristic group, the characteristic group consisting of: a mechanical characteristic of a wind turbine, emitted noise of a wind turbine, emitted noise of a part of a wind turbine; power output of a wind turbine, surface conductivity of parts of a wind turbine, operational data of a wind turbine, temperature of parts of a wind turbine, outside temperature, wind velocity, wind direction, and outside air humidity or other weather conditions; measuring at least a second signal pattern representing a different characteristic selected from the characteristic group; analyzing the first and the second signal pattern or a combination of the first and the second analyzed signal pattern with an analyzing method, wherein analyzed data is generated; and evaluating the analyzed data, wherein the evaluation provides a result indicative for an event.
US07895016B2
A controller for use in managing an operational lifetime of at least one wind turbine is communicatively coupled to at least one wind turbine and a server sub-system. The controller is configured to receive operational data from the wind turbine, transmit the operational data to the server sub-system, and transmit a request for historical data corresponding to the wind turbine to the server sub-system. The controller is further configured to receive a response from the server sub-system, wherein the response includes historical data corresponding to the wind turbine, and to determine an estimate of a time failure of the wind turbine based on at least one of the operational data and the historical data.
US07895012B2
One embodiment includes a method for tracking usage of system components such that for each system component to be tracked the value of that component is measured on a successive time unit basis and the measured value is stored together with the number of successive time units that value repeats. Another embodiment includes a system for handling data representative of system conditions in which rapidly changing data values are received from at least one of the monitored sources such that each data value is representative of system conditions with respect to a small period of time; and such that the data is compressed while preserving the data values for each of the small periods of time.
US07895010B2
A resolver apparatus having a high detection precision detecting angle signals from signals detected at a resolver (7) and detecting a velocity signal from the detected angle signals. Utilizing the fact that an error waveform of a resolver is comprised of predetermined n-th order components inherent to the resolver and has reproducibility, an angle error estimator (13) applies a frequency transform, for example, a Fourier transform, to high frequency components of velocity signal including error generated from detected angle signals including error to calculate a magnitude of error for each of a plurality of divided components and combining the calculated errors to reproduce the detected error and generate an error waveform signal. An angle signal correction circuit (14) uses this error waveform signal to correct an angle signal including error detected at the resolver.
US07895004B2
A method and system for measuring electric current in a plurality (n) of conductors. According to the invention, the method comprises the following steps: an electric current transducer is place substantially opposite to each conductor (I, i=1, . . . , n); a decorrelation matrix ([G]), which is a function of the position of the transducers in relation to the conductors, is constructed; the current (Imesi) in each conductor (i) is measured with the aid of electric current transducers and real currents (Iréeli) are deduced with the aid of the decorrelation matrix ([G]) and the measured currents (Imesi).
US07895001B2
Accurate, dependable methods for analyzing operational parameters of subsea control systems and diagnosis/prediction of failures are provided, in particular, methods for detection of leaking and/or clogging in hydraulic control system using recorded pressure signals and evaluating response communication strength (signal amplitude) of field equipment from, for example, subsea control systems. Prediction of failure(s) allows an opportunity to prepare for intervention to minimize the impact of failure before failure occurs, for example, by ordering equipment, tools and/or scheduling an intervention vessel. Similarly, diagnosing a failure drastically shortens the intervention time.
US07894999B2
The present invention provides a new class of peptides related to rapid replication and high human mortality, and their use in diagnosing, preventing and treating disease including vaccines and therapeutics for emerging viral diseases and methods of identifying the new class of peptides and related structures.
US07894995B2
Adaptive threading models for predicting an interaction between two or more molecules such as proteins are provided. The adaptive threading models have one or more learnable parameters that can be learned from all or some of the available data. The available data can include data relating to known interactions between the two or more molecules, the composition of the molecules and the geometry of the molecular complex.
US07894989B2
A method is disclosed for determining earth vertical electrical anisotropy from offshore electromagnetic survey measurements. The method requires both online and offline data, which includes at least one electromagnetic field component sensitive at least predominantly to vertical resistivity and another component sensitive at least predominantly to horizontal resistivity. Using a horizontal electric dipole source, online EZ and offline HZ measurements are preferred. For a horizontal magnetic dipole source, online HZ and offline EZ data are preferred. magnetotelluric data may be substituted for controlled source data sensitive to horizontal resistivity. Maxwell's equations are solved by forward modeling or by inversion, using resistivity models of the subsurface that are either isotropic or anisotropic.
US07894986B2
An improved method and system for specifying physical locations when using applications run on navigation systems or other computer platforms that provide navigation- or map-related functions. When requesting a navigation- or map-related function from such an application, a user specifies a physical location using a keyword instead of specifying the physical location conventionally, such as by street address. A keyword database relates keywords to physical locations. The application uses the keyword database, or a copy thereof, to find data indicating the physical location associated with the keyword specified by the user. Preferably, physical locations are defined in the keyword database in terms of data in a corresponding geographic database. The application then performs the requested navigation- or map-related function using the data indicating the physical location associated with the keyword. The keyword database is built using input from users. An on-line system is provided that users can access to associate keywords with physical locations. A user accessing the on-line system is presented with a map from which a physical location can be selected. A keyword, which may be selected by the user, is associated with the selected physical location. The keyword is stored in the keyword database along with data indicating the associated physical location.
US07894985B2
A facility searching technique easier to operate and having high degree of freedom. A facility searching device is constructed from a database on map information, a database relating to various kinds of facilities and including positional information of the facilities, a display unit for displaying, based on the map information, a map of a predetermined area, a pointing device for inputting a position located on the displayed map, a voice input unit for inputting by voice an instruction relating to search for facilities, and unit (25, 29, 30, 31) for performing the search for facilities upon receiving the input of a position or the input of an instruction (steps 21-22, 24, 26, 27, 28), the search being based on the inputted position and the instruction.
US07894978B2
A tamper detection system for a control module of a vehicle comprises first nonvolatile memory that stores N rewriteable components including at least one of calibration and software that is used to operate a controlled device of the vehicle, wherein N is an integer greater than zero. The N rewriteable components include an embedded part number (EPN) and an embedded verification number (EVN). Second nonvolatile memory includes a history buffer. A tampering detection module includes a calculated verification number (CVN) generator that generates a CVN for at least one of the N rewriteable components and that stores the CVN in the history buffer. A locking module selectively locks the history buffer under certain conditions.
US07894976B2
A method for controlling a homogeneous-charge compression-ignition capable engine, operating with spray-guided spark ignition stratified combustion at low load, includes monitoring a speed of the engine, monitoring a load of the engine, determining a desired fuel pressure based upon the speed of the engine and the load of the engine, and utilizing the desired fuel pressure to control fuel injection into the engine, wherein the desired fuel pressure is calibrated to the speed and the load based upon increased stability of the engine at lower fuel pressures and lower soot emissions from the engine at higher fuel pressures.
US07894974B2
A two-stroke engine has a cylinder with a combustion chamber delimited by a reciprocating piston, wherein the piston drives in rotation a crankshaft, and wherein a spark plug projects into the combustion chamber and ignites a fuel/air mixture. The two-stroke engine further has devices for supplying fuel and combustion air to the combustion chamber and a control unit that determines the ignition timing based on an ignition map. The ignition map indicates the ignition timing as a function of the engine speed for at least one first and one second operating states and for at least one first and one second engine speed ranges. The engine is controlled in that for an engine cycle the ignition timing is set in the second operating state at least within the first engine speed range based on the engine speed and on the number of engine cycles since the last combustion.
US07894971B2
A vehicle control apparatus is used to control a driving force to be given to a vehicle. A driving force calculating device calculates the driving force to be given to the vehicle, on the basis of a deviation between a vehicle speed of the vehicle and a target speed. A driving force correcting device performs correction of increasing the driving force calculated by the driving force calculating device, when the vehicle speed reduces to a predetermined value or less. Specifically, the driving force correcting device performs the correction of increasing the driving force, when the vehicle speed reduces to the predetermined value or less as the vehicle comes in contact with an obstacle, such as a bump. By this, it is possible to reduce a stop time length of the vehicle due to the contact with the obstacle, to thereby quickly make the vehicle run over the obstacle.
US07894969B2
A control apparatus includes a torque-boost control portion that boosts torque output from the engine, and corrects the operation amount of an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the amount of air taken into the engine to increase the amount of air during a torque phase when the automatic transmission upshifts; and an inertia-phase determination portion that determines whether an inertia phase has started. The torque-boost control portion includes a torque-boost end control portion that executes a torque-boost end control that gradually decreases a correction amount, by which the operation amount is corrected, to zero when the inertia-phase determination portion determines that the inertia phase has started.
US07894961B2
A dump cycle counting system is provided for a work machine. The system may include a payload carrier configured to contain a payload of material and a dump actuator configured to effectuate dumping of the payload out of the payload carrier. The system may also include a controller configured to control actuation of the dump actuator and a dump control device operatively coupled to the controller. The system may further include a load counter configured to record at least one dump cycle based on a command state of at least one of the dump control device and the controller.
US07894956B2
A vehicle steering control device which prevents overshoot or a phase delay of a vehicle position from a target position when an actuator of a steering mechanism is controlled so that an integral control reduces a positional deviation of a vehicle from the reference position of a traffic lane. An FB control unit (60) which calculates a corrected steering assist torque (Tb) of a motor so as to reduce a positional deviation (Yd) and an angular deviation (Ah) includes an integral element determination unit (64), which determines an integral gain (Ki), by which the positional deviation (Yd) is multiplied in an integral gain operation unit (62), according to the positional deviation (Yd) and which determines a limit value (Icnt_lmt) of an integral controlled variable (Icnt) according to the positional deviation (Yd), and an integral controlled variable limiting unit (63) which limits the integral controlled variable (Icnt) to within a range set by the limit value (Icnt_lmt) and outputs the current integral controlled variable (Icnt_rel).
US07894954B2
A power control system for car computer includes a power switching circuit located between a power input terminal of a computer host and an external power source, such that the computer host outputs a keep-power-on signal when a key power is supplied thereto; a power ON/OFF circuit receiving the keep-power-on signal to thereby connect the external power source to the computer host; a key power detection circuit for constantly detecting whether the key power is ON, so that the computer host outputs a shut-down signal when the key power is OFF; a computer shut-down circuit for receiving the shut-down signal from the computer host and thereby driving the computer host to execute shut-down procedures; and a power OFF circuit for sensing an OFF state of the key power and outputting a control signal to drive the power ON/OFF circuit to disconnect the external power source from the computer host.
US07894953B2
Systems and methods are provided for managing an interior component of a vehicle. A system includes a device for monitoring a passenger, a vehicle speed detector, and a controller in communication the interior component, the passenger monitoring device, and the vehicle speed detector, wherein the controller is configured to disable at least one function of the interior component if the rate of speed is greater than a predetermined threshold speed and enable the disabled function(s) when the passenger attempts to actuate the function(s). One method includes the steps of determining a rate of speed the vehicle is traveling, disabling at least one function of the interior component when the rate of speed is greater than a predetermined threshold speed, and enabling the disabled function(s) when the rate of speed is greater than the threshold speed if a passenger attempts to actuate the function(s).
US07894945B2
A movable data center is disclosed that comprises a portable container in which an operable computer system is assembled. A data link, power supply link and cooling system are provided through ports on the exterior of the container. The computer system is assembled to a rack that is secured to the container with a shock absorbing mechanism.
US07894944B2
Processes and techniques for environmental monitoring in a data facility are described. A network of environmental sensors is arranged to monitor a variety of environmental conditions of the facility. The sensors can be queried to generate data describing specific environmental conditions, and the data can be processed to generate an environmental image of all or part of the data facility. The environmental image can optionally be viewed by data facility personnel and can be used to manipulate one or more environmental conditions of the data facility.
US07894936B2
According to one embodiment of the disclosed invention, an apparatus determines a current price of a product for sale by the vending machine. It then determines, for the product, a price increment, a predetermined price, and a demand threshold, that are defined by data stored in at least one data table. A rate of units of the product that are sold are determined. The rate is compared with the demand threshold.Based on the comparison of the rate with the demand data, it is determined whether the new price should be greater than or less than the current price. The new price is set to the predetermined price if the new price should be greater than the current price. If the new price should be less than the current price, a price increment amount is subtracted from the current price to yield the new price. The determined new price is displayed.
US07894926B2
A global predictive monitoring system for a manufacturing facility. The system may be employed in an integrated circuit (IC) device fabrication facility to monitor processing of semiconductor wafers. The system may include deployment of a swarm of individually separate agents running in computers in the facility. Each agent may comprise a genetic algorithm and use several neural networks for computation. Each agent may be configured to receive a limited set of inputs, such as defectivity data and WIP information, and calculate a risk from the inputs. A risk may be a value indicative of a production yield. Each agent may also generate a quality value indicative of a reliability of the risk value. New agents may be generated from the initial population of agents. Outputs from the agents may be collected and used to calculate projections indicative of a trend of the production yield.
US07894921B2
The invention describes device and method for producing a three-dimensional object by solidifying a solidifiable material under an action of electromagnetic radiation by means of energy input via an imaging unit comprising a predetermined number of discrete imaging elements (pixels). The energy input related to a specific cross-sectional area of the three-dimensional object is controlled by exposure by means of multiple successive raster masks (bitmaps; e.g. bitmap 1 and bitmap 2 and possibly additional ones). The imaging unit is suitably controllable such that at least two masks can be generated, including a first overall mask covering the cross-sectional area (bitmap 1; with pixel-specific area elements exposing in white light) and a partial mask (bitmap 2; in which only a fraction of the area elements are exposed pixel-specifically with white light) within the overall mask. A voxel matrix may be formed. A hardness depth per voxel (volume pixel) can be specifically and precisely influenced in the solidifyable material.
US07894913B2
Systems and methods use an external and/or implantable pulse generator system for neuromodulation stimulation to treat sexual dysfunction by the unilateral or bilateral stimulation of a target nerve A and/or a target nerve B using one or more leads and electrodes implanted in tissue in the pelvic region. The electrical stimulation waveform may be conveyed to the target nerve A electrode for a first predetermined amount of time, and conveyed to the target nerve B electrode for a second predetermined amount of time.
US07894910B2
Systems and methods are disclosed to enable hearing in the deaf by stimulating sites in the cochlea. The invention uses electrical stimulation in the cochlea, where vibrational energy from a source is received by an implanted device and converted to electrical energy and the converted electrical energy is used by implanted electrodes to stimulate the cochlear nerve. The vibrational energy is generated by a controller-transmitter, which could be located either externally or implanted. The vibrational energy is received by a receiver-stimulator, which contains multiple electrodes to stimulate along selected sites in the cochlea.
US07894908B2
An implantable medical device (IMD) delivers neurostimulation therapy to a patient according to a parameter set, which may consist of a number of programs that are delivered substantially simultaneously. When programming the IMD, a clinician programmer may maintain a session log for the patient that includes a listing of programs delivered to the patient and rating information provided by a clinician and the patient for programs of the list. The listing may be ordered according to the rating information in order to facilitate the selection of programs for a parameter set. A program library that may include particularly effective programs organized according to a directory structure may be stored in a memory. The IMD and/or a patient programmer may store usage information that provides an objective assessment of therapy use by the patient, and allows a clinician to later improve the therapy based on the usage information.
US07894907B2
Systems and methods are disclosed to stimulate nerves to treat medical conditions such as pain, and other conditions, such as, CHF, obesity, incontinence, etc., that could be controlled by the stimulation of the vagal nerves. The invention uses electrical stimulation of the nerve, where vibrational energy from a source is received by an implanted device and converted to electrical energy and the converted electrical energy is used by implanted electrodes to stimulate the pre-determined nerve site. The vibrational energy is generated by a controller-transmitter, which could be implanted or located externally. The vibrational energy is received by a receiver-stimulator, which could be located in the various regions on or around the nerve that needs to be stimulated. The implantable receiver-stimulator stimulates different nerves and regions of a nerve to provide therapeutic benefit.
US07894901B1
A patient's response to therapy such as CRT is assessed by cross correlation of a patient's evoked response and physical activity surrogates. Based on the cross correlation, a determination may be made as to whether or how much the therapy is helping the patient's physical activity. For example, the degree of cross correlation index between IEGM parameters and activity threshold parameters may be used to assess whether the patient's heart condition improves the patient's physical activity. The therapy may then be modified as necessary in the event the patient is not sufficiently responding to the therapy.
US07894900B2
A device for monitoring cardiac pacing rate having a measuring unit for receiving an electrical signal representing the patient's cardiac demand, and a computing unit for determining the myocardial energy balance by calculating energy consumed by the myocardium for both an external dynamic work for pumping blood into a vascular system, and an internal static work of the myocardium. Volume and time based measurements are used, and in one embodiment, volumes are estimated and volume ratios are calculated from volume estimates. In another embodiment, volumes are estimated from bioimpedance measurements. A further aspect is a rate adaptive pacemaker, wherein the maximum pacing rate is determined from the myocardial energy balance such that the energy supplied to the myocardium approximately equals the energy consumed by the myocardium for both an external dynamic work for pumping blood into a vascular system and an internal static work of the myocardium.
US07894899B2
An implantable device for terminating ventricular tachycardia is disclosed. The device includes a processor configured to determine a first antitachycardia pulse routine of N pulses. In the routine the first N−1 pulses are separated by a first cycle length and the Nth pulse is separated by a second cycle length that is shorter than the first cycle length. The device also comprises a lead coupled to the processor. The lead comprises an electrode configured to sense a tachycardia and further configured, under control of the processor, to administer the antitachycardia pulse routine.
US07894897B1
An implantable cardiac stimulation device recognizes and accommodates fusion beats without compromising autocapture or threshold searches. The device comprises a pulse generator that provides first and second pacing pulses to a chamber of a heart. The first pacing pulses have a normal operating output level and the second pacing pulses have an output level sufficient to assure capture. The device further comprises a fusion beat predicting circuit that predicts when a next paced event of the chamber will likely be a fusion beat and a fusion beat control that causes the pulse generator to provide a second pacing pulse to the chamber in response to the fusion beat predicting circuit predicting that a next paced event will likely be a fusion beat. Thereafter, the fusion beat is confirmed.
US07894896B2
A pacing system delivers cardiac protection pacing to protect the heart from injuries associated with ischemic events. The pacing system detects an ischemic event and, in response, initiates one or more cardiac protection pacing sequences each including alternative pacing and non-pacing periods. In one embodiment, the pacing system initiates a cardiac protection pacing sequence in response to the detection of the onset of an ischemic event, such that a pacing concurrent conditioning therapy is applied during the detected ischemic event.
US07894892B2
An implantable heart-monitoring device comprising one or more leads for sensing electrical signals of a patient's heart a therapy circuit for delivering pharmaceuticals to the patient; and a monitoring circuit coupled to the one or more leads and to the therapy circuit, the monitoring circuit for monitoring heart activity of the patient through one or more of the leads, the monitoring circuit operable to: determine a minimum interval from a set of two or more intervals based on sensed heart activity, determine a range parameter based on a difference between a first subset and second subset of the intervals, determine a dispersion parameter quantifying dispersion of a subset of the intervals, and to determine an assessment value for the set of intervals, based on the minimum interval, the range parameter, the dispersion index.
US07894891B2
A method of in vitro or in vivo nuclear magnetic resonance and/or magnetic resonance imaging, to determine bone properties by measuring the effects of molecular diffusion inside the bone specimen to derive parameters that are related to the structure of the trabecular bones. The method is a non-invasive probe that provides topological information on trabecular bone without requiring a full high-resolution image of its structure, and is compatible with clinical use.
US07894887B2
A signal-to-noise ratio and measurement precision is increased in electrode units disposed on the left and right sides of a steering wheel. A plurality of electrode units is disposed in the left and right handholds of a steering wheel. The contact impedances of all the electrode units are measured. A pair of left and right electrode units to be used to measure an electrocardiographic signal is designated from among the electrode units whose measured contact impedances are less than or equal to a first threshold. The results of measurement of an electrocardiographic signal by the designated electrode units are added in order to minimize noise. An electrode unit with high contact impedance is used to measure induction noise and remove the induction noise component from the electrocardiographic signal measurement result.
US07894884B2
An implantable medical device monitors ST segment data collected from EGM. ST trends are established and monitored over time. The IMD is able to discern whether the data indicate supply ischemia, demand ischemia, or other physiological causes. The IMD is then able to provide appropriate information and alerts.
US07894883B2
A system and method for post-processing of sensing data generated by a medical device that includes transmitting a plurality of stored sensing data generated by a medical device to an access device, the stored sensing data including sensed atrial events and sensed ventricular events. The access device determines, in response to the transmitted data, instances where the medical device identified a cardiac event being detected in response to the sensing data, and verifies, in response to the transmitted data, whether the determined instances should have been identified by the medical device as a cardiac event being detected.
US07894881B2
The design of a compact, handheld, solid-state and high-sensitivity imaging probe and a micro imager system is reported. These instruments can be used as a dedicated tool for detecting and locating sentinel lymph nodes and also for detecting and imaging radioactive material. The reported device will use solid state pixel detectors and custom low-noise frontend/readout integrated circuits. The detector will be designed to have excellent image quality and high spatial resolution. The imaging probes have two different embodiments, which are comprised of a pixelated detector array and a highly integrated readout system, which uses a custom multi-channel mixed signal integrated circuit. The instrument usually includes a collimator in front of the detector array so that the incident photons can be imaged. The data is transferred to an intelligent display system. A hyperspectral image can also be produced and displayed. These devices are designed to be portable for easy use.
US07894880B2
Renal extraction fraction (EF) is determined through use of computed tomography (CT) measurements of arterial blood before and after injection of a radiographic contrast agent into the blood and CT measurements of renal vein blood after injection of the radiographic contrast agent.
US07894873B2
A method is disclosed for automatically determining the rectum distance in a patient's colon, the path in the colon between a selected site, preferably a lesion, and the rectum being determined by processing 3D image data records. At least two 3 image data records are recorded with the patient being differently positioned. Further, the path between the rectum and selected site is determined from the common perusal of the at least two 3D image data records.
US07894867B2
A narrowband filter comprises an input terminal, an output terminal, and an array of basic resonator structures coupled between the terminals to form a single resonator having a resonant frequency. The resonator array may be arranged in a plurality of columns of basic resonator structures, with each column of basic resonator structures having at least two basic resonator structures. The basic resonator structures in each column may be coupled between the terminals in parallel or in cascade. Two or more resonator arrays may be coupled to generate multi-resonator filter functions.
US07894860B2
A method and an apparatus for displaying a plurality of different images in a mobile terminal in an external display device and a display unit in various modes. The mobile terminal operates according to a Different Image In and Out (DIIO) mode when the external display device is connected to the mobile terminal. When the external display device is not connected to the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal displays the plurality of different images in the display unit of the mobile terminal by operating according to a Picture-In-Picture (PIP) mode or an Overlay mode, so as to take into consideration size limitations of the display unit of the mobile terminal.
US07894851B2
An integrated circuit (IC) includes a baseband processing module and a radio frequency (RF) section. The baseband processing module is coupled to convert outbound data or an outbound voice signal into at least one of amplitude modulation information, phase modulation information, and frequency modulation information. The RF section includes an oscillation module, a frequency divider, and power amplifier modules. The oscillation module produces an RF oscillation that it modulates based on the phase or frequency modulation information to produce a modulated RF signal. The frequency divider divides the frequency of the modulated RF signal to produce a frequency divided modulated RF signal. The first power amplifier module amplifies the modulated RF signal in accordance with the amplitude modulation information or a constant to produce a first frequency band outbound RF data or voice signal. The second power amplifier amplifies the frequency divided modulated RF data signal in accordance with the amplitude modulation information or a constant to produce a second frequency band outbound RF data or voice signal.
US07894848B2
There is disclosed a system and method for providing a standby mode in a handheld electronic device. In an embodiment, the method comprises initiating a standby mode upon actuation of a standby key in the handheld electronic device; displaying a confirmation message of entry into the standby mode; and disabling at least one feature of the handheld electronic device upon entry into the standby mode. The standby mode may be initiated by a single action actuation of the standby key.
US07894845B2
The present invention performs an outer loop transmission power control in a more stable manner by preventing a status of being unable to detect an Enhanced Dedicated Physical Control Channel (E-DPCCH). A transmission power control method according to the present application includes: generating, at a mobile station UE, a transport block having a predetermined minimum transport block size, when information to be transmitted to a radio base station Node B does not exist; transmitting, from the mobile station UE to the radio base station Node B, the transport block by a transmission timing predetermined by a mobile communication system or a transmission timing notified from a radio network controller RNC; receiving, at the radio base station Node B, the transport block in accordance with the transmission timing; and controlling, at the radio base station Node B, the transmission power, according to a reception quality of the transport block.
US07894833B2
The present invention relates to a method and system for transmitting a multimedia message, which reconstructs a multimedia message to be appropriate for the receiving mobile station and transmits the reconstructed message, when the multimedia message is requested to be transmitted from a transmitting station of a higher version to the receiving station of a lower version and the multimedia message may not be transcoded into a form which can be processed by the receiving mobile station. The present invention enables to transmit various types of multimedia message without being limited by the specification of the receiving mobile station.
US07894829B2
A wireless mobile communication terminal and method that can check a service area using GPS are provided. The wireless communication terminal using a position detection system and a wireless communication system having at least one connection node for providing a network connection service to a plurality of wireless communication terminals includes a communication module, a position detection module, and a network connection module which includes a service map specifying the availability of communication in an area determined according to a state of radio waves that have arrived from the connection node. The network connection module manages network connection using the position information about the wireless communication terminal and the service map. Therefore, the wireless communication terminal can determine if its current position is in an available WiBro service area using the GPS and WiBro service map information, thereby preventing power consumption due to unnecessary connection attempt in the unavailable service area.
US07894828B2
Systems and methods for establishing peer-to-peer bandwidth sharing ad hoc networks. A method includes: determining a first location and a second location of data; instructing a first device to download a first portion of the data from the first location; instructing a second device to download a second portion of the data from the second location; and receiving the first portion of the data from the first device and the second portion of the data from the second device.
US07894823B2
A method and system for controlling wireless communication between a mobile terminal and a plurality of wireless access points. Link status and quality data is determined about each communication link between the mobile terminal and each wireless access point that is currently detectable by the mobile terminal. A priority list of the detected wireless access points is also generated. Also determined are access point status and quality data about the wireless access points themselves and/or a network connecting them. This access point data may not be accessible to the mobile terminal. The access point data can also include status and/or quality of neighboring wireless access points that are near the detected wireless access points, but not yet detected by the mobile terminal. The link data, access point data and another ranking are used to select a best wireless access point with which the mobile terminal will communicate.
US07894815B2
The present invention relates to a device for providing a quality of service (QoS) of a hand-off between heterogeneous networks, and a method thereof. According to the present invention, the device includes a device for performing a QoS management function for each access system and a device for performing a QoS management function between heterogeneous access systems in a network including a plurality of interlocked access systems. The device for performing the QoS management function for each access system manages a user service session, a local QoS of the access system, and a QoS context of the service session. The device for performing the QoS management function between the heterogeneous access systems negotiates the QoS of the service session and manages the QoS context when the hand-off is performed between the heterogeneous access systems, and performs a QoS mapping operation.
US07894813B2
A method and apparatus for selecting a base transceiver station from a plurality of available base transceiver stations. The method comprises identifying an incremental value associated with an adjacent base transceiver station; selecting, from a plurality of available margin values, a selected margin value according to the incremental value associated with the adjacent base transceiver station; acquiring, from the adjacent base transceiver station, an adjacent signal having an adjacent signal level; acquiring, from the serving base transceiver station, a reference signal having a reference signal level; and selecting a communications channel with the adjacent base transceiver station and incrementing the incremental value whenever the adjacent signal level exceeds the reference signal level plus the selected margin value.
US07894791B2
The present invention discloses a multi-channel multi-media data processing method, comprising the steps of: providing a demodulator circuit and a multi-media processing circuit, the multi-media processing circuit including a DRAM; receiving multi-channel analog signals, and performing analog-to-digital conversion and demodulation on the signals by the demodulator circuit; storing the converted and demodulated multi-channel signals in the DRAM; and reading the signals of at least one channel from the DRAM.
US07894789B2
Methods, systems, and apparatuses for down-converting an electromagnetic (EM) signal by aliasing the EM signal, and applications thereof are described herein. Reducing or eliminating DC offset voltages and re-radiation generated when down-converting an electromagnetic (EM) signal is also described herein. Down-converting a signal and improving receiver dynamic range is also described herein.
US07894772B2
A limiter for minimizing an amount of phase change caused by input amplitude variation includes a variable gain amplifier configured to receive a signal having an amplitude component and a phase component and having a gain controlled by a compensation capacitance and a variable resistance, in which the compensation capacitance minimizes an effect of parasitic capacitance and the variable resistance adjusts a gain in the variable gain amplifier such that the amplitude component at an output of the variable gain amplifier remains substantially constant.
US07894759B2
When residual toner on the surface of an image carrier belt is removed with an elastic cleaning blade, a blade wear piece which is adhered to a blade edge is removed. When a blade edge of a cleaning blade is brought into sliding contact with a surface of an intermediate transfer belt which runs in a determined direction to remove residual toner on the belt surface, a step section having a predetermined height is provided on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt. The step section is able to pass from a rear face side to a front face side of the blade edge while allowing the blade edge to run thereon, when the belt runs in a reverse direction such that the blade edge is in sliding contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt. The intermediate transfer belt is moved, with a prescribed timing, in the reverse direction until the step section passes from the rear face side to the front face side of the blade edge at least once in the state that the blade edge is in sliding contact with the belt surface.
US07894757B2
An image forming device includes: a transfer roller; two registration rollers feeding a recording medium to a transfer nip where the transfer roller is in contact with an image bearing member; a transfer conveying-path through which the recording medium is fed from a registration nip formed by the registration rollers to the transfer nip; a lower guide defining a lower side of the transfer conveying-path and having an uppermost portion protruding upwardly at a position upstream of the transfer nip; and a biasing member provided at an upper side of the transfer conveying-path and between the uppermost portion and the registration rollers, and biasing the recording medium downwardly when it is fed through the registration rollers. The biasing member is movable upwardly relative to a pressing force of the recording medium that is fed through the transfer conveying-path.
US07894746B2
An electrophotographic device is provided for transferring a copy of an image from at least one first media sheet to at least one second media sheet. The device has a height, a width, and a depth defining a device external dimension, and also a width and depth defining a horizontal footprint of the device. The device includes a body adapted to receive therein at least one interchangeable media output module, which module when placed at a predetermined operating position is integrated into the path of travel of a media sheet passing through the device. A variety of interchangeable media output modules may be provided, including without limitation a multi-bin mailbox module, an automated media fastener module, an offset media stacker module, and combinations thereof. Advantageously, inclusion of one or more of the interchangeable media output modules does not alter the electrophotographic device external dimension and/or footprint.
US07894743B2
An image-forming device includes: a plurality of components that cooperate to form an image on a recording medium; and a housing that accommodates the components therein. The housing has a side wall unit. The side wall unit includes: a resin frame defining, on its one side, an opened accommodating space; and a first sheet metal frame that is fixed to one side of the resin frame, on which the opened accommodating space is defined, to close the accommodating space. At least one of the components is accommodated in the accommodating space enclosed by the resin frame and the first sheet metal frame.
US07894742B2
An image forming apparatus includes a horizontal carrying mechanism that collects a waste developer in the horizontal direction, relay carrying mechanisms that carry the waste developer collected by the horizontal carrying mechanism to a desired position, a vertical carrying mechanism that carries the waste developer, which is carried by the relay carrying mechanisms, in the vertical upward direction, and a relay carrying mechanism that feeds the waste developer carried by the vertical carrying mechanism into a storage case. A waste developer flow rate of a waste-developer carrying mechanism at a post stage is equal to or larger than a waste developer flow rate of a waste-developer carrying mechanism at a pre-stage thereof.
US07894738B2
An image recording apparatus, including: a main body; a display device including an image-display screen and pivotably provided in an outer surface of the main body so as to selectively take a closed posture in which the image-display screen is opposed to the main body and an open posture in which the image-display screen is visible; and an operable portion which includes a plurality of operable buttons provided on the outer surface of the main body, and which is configured such that a part of the plurality of operable buttons is disposed at a location where the part of the plurality of operable buttons is covered by the display device in the closed posture and such that an input operation by the part of the plurality of operable buttons is possible in relation to an image displayed on the image-display screen of the display device in the open posture.
US07894733B2
A process cartridge detachably is mountable to a main assembly of the apparatus of an image forming apparatus including an urging member and a positioning portion. The cartridge includes a photosensitive drum; a positionable portion positioning the cartridge by engaging the positioning portion when the cartridge is mounted to the apparatus; first and second urgable portions being urged respectively, by first and second urging portions of the urging member to urge the positionable portion to the positioning portion during cartridge mounting; and an electrical contact, provided between the first and second urgable portions with respect to a horizontal direction crossing an axis of the drum, for connecting electrically to an electrical contact portion in the urging member, when the cartridge is mounted to the apparatus.
US07894731B2
A method of changing a color developer in a developer housing of xerographic marking system are disclosed, and may include supplying a chart divided into a plurality of color family sections or quadrants, selecting a new color to be installed in a developer housing corresponding to the color family section, purging old toner from the developer housing until a concentration of old toner is reduced to about 0.1% to 6.0% from its nominal concentration, installing a container of a new color developer in the developer housing, and running the marking system until the required concentration of the new color developer is attained.
US07894728B1
A method of compensating phase error between parallel digital signals of a received optical signal, in a coherent optical receiver. A phase differential between the digital signals is determined. A digital skew is imposed between the digital signals, an amount of skew imposed being an integer number of sample periods calculated to most nearly compensate the phase differential. The skewed digital signals are then digitally processed, in the frequency domain, to compensate a residual portion of the phase differential.
US07894723B2
An optical transmission control circuit includes: an analog input section which receives optical transmission states as an analog values; an A/D conversion section which converts the analog values into digital values; a value storage section which stores maximum value of the digital values provided by the A/D conversion section; an output register which outputs a value to a host apparatus; and a control section which controls the maximum value storage section to store the maximum value of the digital values therein and controls the output register to output the maximum value to the host apparatus.
US07894722B2
A packaged stack of optical devices includes two or more WDM optical devices, the stack having a reduced per-channel manufacturing cost and an improved mean time between failure relative to individual optical devices. WDM optical devices, which may be contained in a packaged stack, include wavelength selective switches, optical add-drop multiplexers, and dynamic gain equalizers. The optical switching devices in the stack may be configured so that one or more optical elements are shared by multiple switching devices. Optical components that may be shared between the switching devices contained in the stack include cylindrical lenses, diffraction gratings, mirrors, and beam steering units.
US07894720B2
A shooting system includes a main body, a recording/reproducing unit, and an interface box. The main body includes a first housing having a plurality of outer surfaces of different orientations. Two different outer surfaces of the first housing provide first and second attachment parts, each attachment part having main-body-side connectors. The recording/reproducing unit has a second housing which constitutes an exterior thereof and provides a recording/reproducing-unit-side attachment part attachable to both the first and second attachment parts. The recording/reproducing-unit-side attachment part provides recording/reproducing-unit-side connectors connectable to the main-body-side connectors. The interface box has a third housing which constitutes an exterior thereof and provides an interface-box-side attachment part attachable to both the first and second attachment part. The interface-box-side attachment part provides interface-box-side connectors connectable to the main-body-side connectors.
US07894717B2
A switching transistor is connected to the primary coil of a transformer. A first resistor is provided such that one end thereof is connected to the switching transistor, and the other end thereof is grounded. A first voltage comparator compares a first detection voltage with a first threshold voltage. A second voltage comparator compares a second detection voltage with a second threshold voltage. A switching control unit controls the ON/OFF state of the switching transistor according to the output signals of the first voltage comparator and the second voltage comparator. A first electrode pad through a fourth electrode pad are provided to the respective nodes of the switching transistor and the first resistor.
US07894705B2
A PLL controller for controlling the tracking rate of a phase-locked loop (PLL), in particular, controlling coefficients to be input to a device such as a multiplier of the phase-locked loop. A PLL controller receives a phase error between a horizontal sync signal in a video signal and a reference signal. Then an error amount detector measures the phase error using the N thresholds to output a control signal indicating any of N+1 levels. A coefficient selector outputs one of the N+1 gains as a coefficient signal, the one gain corresponding to the level indicated by the control signal, so that the tracking rate of the phase-locked loop is controlled in response to the input video signal, and thus a high-quality video image with less jitter can be provided.
US07894702B2
A method of obtaining directivity in an optical waveguide includes the steps of falling incident light on surface of diffuse reflection members arranged at a center portion of the optical waveguide, generating a first table relative to an amount of emitted light that is acquired at a circumference of the optical waveguide by controlling at least one of an image control factor for changing an image of the incident light and a coordinate control factor for changing coordinates of the incident light with them being changed, and generating a second table relative to a pattern of the light which is incident to the diffuse reflection member by seeking for a combination of the image and the coordinates of the light based on the generated first table.
US07894701B2
A fiber optic enclosure assembly includes a housing having an interior region and a bearing mount disposed in the interior region of the housing. A cable spool is connectedly engaged with the bearing mount such that the cable spool selectively rotates within the housing. A termination module disposed on the cable spool so that the termination module rotates in unison with the cable spool. A method of paying out a fiber optic cable from a fiber optic enclosure includes rotating a cable spool, which has a subscriber cable coiled around a spooling portion of the cable spool, about an axis of a housing of the fiber optic enclosure until a desired length of subscriber cable is paid out. A termination module is disposed on the cable spool.
US07894688B2
The present invention relates to a method for creating an icon (11, 12), representing a group of images comprising a plurality of images (1, 2, . . . , N). The icon is composed of a selection of images from that group of images. The method comprises: —determining a relative importance (I1, . . . IN) of each image (1, 2, . . . N) and —generating an icon composed of a selection of images based on the determined relative importance of each image.
US07894680B2
There is provided an image compressing method, which comprises: partitioning a frame into a plurality of code blocks, each code block having consecutive coding passes; sequentially coding the code passes at each code block, wherein said coding at said each code block comprises: a) coding a first coding pass to produce code bits; b) calculating a rate of the code bits and a distortion; c) calculating a slope of the rate and the distortion; d) checking whether the calculated slope is smaller than a predetermined reference value; and e) if it is determined that the calculated slope is not smaller than the predetermined reference value, then coding the next coding pass and repeating step b) to step e).
US07894677B2
A unique multi-stage classification system and method that facilitates reducing human resources or costs associated with text classification while still obtaining a desired level of accuracy is provided. The multi-stage classification system and method involve a pattern-based classifier and a machine learning classifier. The pattern-based classifier is trained on discriminative patterns as identified by humans rather than machines which allow a smaller training set to be employed. Given humans' superior abilities to reason over text, discriminative patterns can be more accurately and more readily identified by them. Unlabeled items can be initially processed by the pattern-based classifier and if no pattern match exists, then the unlabeled data can be processed by the machine learning classifier. By employing the classifiers in this manner, less human involvement is required in the classification process. Even more, classification accuracy is maintained and/or improved.
US07894673B2
A certainty calculating circuit calculates certainties representing to what degrees of confidence respective ones of images representing a predetermined plurality of types of subject are contained in an image represented by accepted image data, the calculation being performed for every prescribed type of subject based upon a feature value obtained from the accepted image data. A density correction value calculating circuit calculates density correction values with regard to respective ones of the plurality of subject types. Upon being weighted by respective ones of weights that are based upon the calculated certainties of each of the subject types, the plurality of density correction values are unified in a density correction value unifying circuit. The density of the image represented by the accepted image data is corrected in an image correcting circuit using the unified density correction value.
US07894671B2
A system for estimating the orientation of digital ink is provided which has an optically imaging pen and a processor. The processor measures the azimuth of the pen at a sampling rate during writing by the pen on a surface printed with tags and estimates the orientation of the digital ink using the measured azimuth of the pen at the sampled points. Each tag encodes data on an identity of the surface associated with a digital description of the surface and on the respective location of that tag on the surface. The digital ink is generated by associating the digital description with the data encoded by the tags optically imaged by the pen during the writing.
US07894670B2
A system for processing text captured from rendered documents is described. The system receives a sequence of one or more words optically or acoustically captured from a rendered document by a user. The system identifies among words of the sequence a word with which an action has been associated. The system then performs the associated action with respect to the user.
US07894667B2
Automatic image correction is performed for a moving image while maintaining a fade-in or fade-out effect. Hence, a frame image included in the moving image is corrected by using a correction condition for brightness which is set based on the frame image, whether or not the frame image is included in a period of a fade-in or fade-out effect is determined, and the correction of the frame image is controlled in accordance with the determination result.
US07894666B2
An eye region is extracted from an input image. A poor pupil hue quality region is extracted from the eye region. A high brightness region is extracted from the poor pupil hue quality region. A region obtained by excluding the high brightness region from the poor pupil hue quality region is extracted as a red-eye region. The high brightness region is corrected by using a method different from that for the red-eye region.
US07894658B2
An apparatus for processing a defect candidate image, including: an imager for taking an enlarged image of a specimen; an image processor for processing the image taken by the imager to detect defect candidates existing on the specimen and classify the detected defect candidates into one of plural defect classes; a memory for storing information of the defect candidates including the images of the defect candidates and the classified defect class data outputted from the image processor; and a display unit having a display screen for displaying information stored in the memory, wherein the display unit displays an image of the defect candidates together with the defect class data stored in the memory and the displayed defect class data is changeable on the display screen, and the memory changes the stored defect class data of the displayed defect candidate to the changed defect class data.
US07894655B2
A method of operating a check processing system includes scanning a check on a first occasion to generate a first image of the check. The first image is transmitted to a financial institution. The check is scanned on a second occasion later than the first occasion to generate a second image of the check. The second image of the check is transmitted to the financial institution. The second image of the check is examined to determine whether the check was cancelled prior to the second occasion.
US07894652B2
A method for correcting PET emission data for prompt gamma emission background components present in non-pure positron-emitting isotopes uses a two component fit of modeled scatter and modeled prompt gamma emission in the area of scatter tails in a normalized emission sinogram. The method allows a PET scan using non-standard PET isotopes to be quantitative and thus more clinically useful.
US07894650B2
An image processing system extracts parts or characteristics of interest from prepared biological samples One suitable use of the image processing system is to find biomarkers. But many other suitable uses are possible. Some components of the system include image preprocessing (data interpolation, retention time alignment, image noise filtering, background estimation, and formation of a composite image); image feature extraction (peaks, isotope groups, and charge groups); and computation of feature characteristics and expression statistics, differential expression, and non-differential expression. Outputs of the system include a candidate list of parts or characteristic of interest for aiding further discovery.
US07894649B2
Systems, methods and apparatus for directly tracking radiation targets during image-guided radiation treatment using 2D contouring and adaptive windowing.
US07894646B2
A medical image diagnosis support device comprises an organ region setting means, a deformation degree calculating means for calculating the deformation degree of the organ region set by the organ region setting means, a reference value storing means, a lesion detecting means for comparing the stored reference value with the deformation degree calculated by the deformation calculating means and for detecting existence of a lesion of the organ region from the comparison result, and a presenting means for presenting the existence to the examiner at least either visually or auditorily. Thus, the device can make a diagnosis selectively only on an organ region deformed because of a lesion and present it to the examiner visually such as by means of an image display or auditorily such as by means of speech, thereby improving the efficiency of diagnosis.
US07894644B2
Described is a fingerprinting device with a translucent top layer (8) which forms a finger rest and between which and a light-emitting layer (9) a layer (1) of light-sensitive elements is provided in a matrix arrangement, and with an evaluation circuit (7) connected to the light-sensitive elements. In order to provide advantageous design conditions, it is proposed that the layer (1) of light-sensitive elements have a translucent, photoactive layer (2) based on organic semiconductors between two translucent electrode layers (3, 4) consisting of intersecting strip conductors (5, 6).
US07894641B2
An ink manager running at a computer system receives ink information entered at a pen-based input/display device and accumulates the ink information into ink strokes. The ink manager communicates with a handwriting recognition engine and includes an ink phrase termination engine that is configured to detect the occurrence of one or more ink phrase termination events by examining the ink information. Upon the occurrence of an ink phrase termination event, the ink manager notifies the handwriting recognition engine and organizes the preceding ink strokes into an ink phrase data structure. The ink manager may also pass the ink phrase to an application executing on the computer system that is associated with the ink information, and it, in response, may return a reference pointer and a recognition context to the ink manager. The reference pointer and recognition context are then appended to the ink phrase data structure.
US07894638B2
One of a plurality of prepared given expressions is displayed on a screen. After the given expression is presented to the user, the position of a face feature point is detected from a face image of the user taken by a camera cartridge. Based on the detected position of the face feature point, the user's expression in the face image is expressed in accordance with the evaluation criteria corresponding to the given expression, and an image representing the evaluation result is displayed on the screen. Thus, the user can effectively train the mimetic muscles.
US07894636B2
In an embodiment, a method for image recognition of an object having a three-dimensional shape, from a photographed image of the object, comprising: inputting the image; storing three-dimensional shape information as an origin of a three-dimensional model of the object; creating the three-dimensional model by using the input image and the three-dimensional shape information; creating plural pattern images in which the three-dimensional model is projected on a plane in different directions; extracting a feature quantity from the plural pattern images; holding a dictionary feature quantity of the object; and calculating a similarity degree between the extracted feature quantity and the dictionary feature quantity of the object to recognize the object based on the calculated similarity degree.
US07894629B2
A method of associating an electronic object with a sticker placed on a surface is disclosed. The sticker has first and second regions. The first region has disposed thereon coded data encoding an identity of the sticker. The second region exposes a position on the surface. The position on the surface has disposed thereon coded data which encodes an identity of the surface and data identifying the position on the surface. A sensing device senses the coded data on the first region and, through the second region, the coded data on the surface, and then generates indicating data from the sensed coded data. The indicating data is indicative of the identity of the sticker, the identity of the surface and the position on the surface exposed by the second region. The method receives the indicating data from the sensing device, and identifies, using the indicating data, the identity of the sticker, the identity of the surface and the position on the surface exposed by the second region. The electronic object is also identified. Finally, the electronic object is associated with the identity of the sticker, the identity of the surface, and the position on the surface exposed by the second region.
US07894614B2
A system and method for achieving extended low-frequency response and increased low-frequency sound pressure output capability in a loudspeaker system is provided. The system and method comprise mounting a low-frequency driver in a ported box, tuning the ported box to a sufficiently low frequency so as to result in a frequency response that can be modeled substantially as a second-order response, and equalizing the response of said driver-box combination with a second-order biquadratic filter function to achieve the desired frequency response characteristic.
US07894606B2
An embedded program on an embedded device determines whether a security key has been assigned to the embedded device. If the security key has not been assigned, the embedded program uses a random number that is provided by a manufacturer of the embedded device and that is stored in memory of the embedded device to obtain the security key for the embedded device. The security key is stored in the memory of the embedded device. The security key is used to establish secure connections with other devices.
US07894600B2
To propose an encryption device and encryption method capable of improving reliability of an encryption function. An element-specific parameter unique to a solid imaging element is created based on a uniform image signal S2 output from the solid imaging element as a result of imaging a uniform imaging target with the imaging unit 11, and identification information D1 is encrypted with encryption key information D2 extracted from this element-specific parameter, thereby being capable of ensuring confidentiality of the identification information D1 and thus improving reliability of an encryption function.
US07894593B2
A method provides callback services in a communications system to a first party from a second party. The method includes supplying the second party with a telephone number of the first party in a first format. The method also includes selecting a numbering plan out of plurality of numbering plans based on at least one of the country and network where the second party is located. The method also includes converting the telephone number from the first format to a second format using the selected numbering plan.
US07894592B2
A subscriber implements and accesses telecommunications services, using a graphical user interface (GUI) via the Internet, and an interactive voice response (IVR) system via the public switched telecommunications network (PSTN). The subscriber can create preferences for calls placed to operator assistance.
US07894591B2
Disclosed are methods and systems for re-terminating telephone calls. A telephone call is established between a caller and a member of a subscriber. During the call, a sequence of key strokes is received from the member who uses customer premises equipment during the call. A subscriber list related to the subscriber is reviewed, based at least in part on the sequence of keys. The call is transferred to a component in the telephone network, and the call from the component is re-terminated.
US07894590B2
A technique is disclosed that enables a voice call to be initiated on the Public Switched Telephone Network and directed to a VoIP telephone on the Internet without the association of a unique telephone number to the VoIP telephone. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a user who has a PSTN wireline telephone or a PSTN cell phone associates his or her VoIP telephone with the telephone number of the PSTN wireline telephone or the PSTN cell phone or with both numbers. In other words, the VoIP telephone is not assigned its own telephone number but shares the telephone number of the PSTN telephones of its owner.
US07894589B2
A method and system for identifying telemarketer communications directed to a subscriber of a call screening service is provided. A link monitoring system monitors all inbound and outbound calls of a carrier network collecting data such as calling and called telephone directory numbers, and a termination status for at least each inbound call to a calling number. The data is analyzed at a telemarketer detection module to determine calling patterns of calling numbers. If a calling pattern of a calling telephone number matches a profile of telemarketer communications, the calling number is stored in a database of telephone directory numbers associated with telemarketer communications. A call is received from a calling party directed to a subscriber of the call screening service. Then a determination is made as to whether a telephone directory number of the calling party is known. If the telephone number of the calling party is known, a determination is made as to whether the telephone number of the calling party matches a telephone number stored in the database of telephone numbers associated with telemarketer communications. If a match exists, the call is intercepted from reaching the subscriber of the call screening service.
US07894587B1
A system and related techniques enhance the generation and delivery of dialed number identification service (DNIS) data to automatic call distributors and other destinations. Unlike conventional DNIS-based (800) or other call centers or other resources whose available DNIS-based identifications can become overtaxed during comparatively high call volumes, according to embodiments of the invention DNIS numbers are dynamically generated from an available pool on a per-call basis under call router supervision. According to embodiments of the invention in one regard, the dynamic DNIS may be associated with that call to the call's particular destination, such as an automatic call distributor, interactive voice response unit or other resource, during the duration of the call for the operative destination, with other calls being locked out from using that DNIS assignment while the call is in progress. The DNIS digits along with other tag or label information may likewise be used as a temporary key to access associated call data, such as dialed number, caller entered or other data or information, which may be stored in a data store for access by customer service representatives (CSRs) or others. After the call is completed, the temporarily assigned DNIS number may be released back to the pool for use by other calls to that destination.
US07894570B2
A weight (22) and height (24) of a patient who is to undergo a calcium screening examination in an x-ray diagnostic scanner (10) is used to calculate an appropriate x-ray dose in terms of tube current (mAs) for the calcium screening examination in accordance with the formula: mAs=c(BMI)2, where BMI is a patient's body mass index defined as: BMI=patent weight_(patient height)2.and C is a constant selected in accordance with a target required noise. In this manner, patients can be scanned with a minimum dose necessary to achieve the target noise, e.g., 20 HU. The images can be compared with earlier (and subsequent) images that have the same target noise.
US07894568B2
The reconstruction of the energy distribution at a detector with a detector element that consists of many small pixels, which count the number of photons above certain thresholds, is performed with a Maximum Likelihood analysis, according to an aspect of the present invention. Thus, the reconstruction scheme may use the redundancy in the measurement and may treat the Poisson statistics accordingly.
US07894566B2
A shift register apparatus is provided. Each of shift registers within the shift register apparatus of the present invention is only constituted by a few of active and passive elements without using conventional digital logic elements, and even the passive element are not required at some conditions. Therefore, the layout area occupied/consumed by each of the shift registers of the present invention is relatively smaller than that of the conventional shift register constituted by a CMOS D-flip-flop, and thus a fabrication cost can be reduced.
US07894565B2
A method of determining the spatially corrected inverse count ratio (SCICR) used to determine reactor criticality, which subtracts a background noise signal from the source range detector output. The method monitors the source range detector signal at two different core temperature levels during a transient portion of the detector output as the power output of the reactor is increased in the source range. This information is employed to analytically determine the background noise signal, which is then subtracted from the detector outputs to obtain the SCICR reactivity measurement.
US07894550B2
A method and apparatus for decompressing data in a data-compression system with decoder-only side information is provided. In one aspect, the method comprises generating side information using a source reconstruction and decoding using the generated side information to generate a new source reconstruction. The method further includes iterating the steps of generating and decoding, the generating step using at least the new source reconstruction output by the previous decoding step, and the decoding step using the side information output by the previous generating step. The method may stop the iteration when one or more predetermined criteria are met.
US07894547B2
In-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) signals are corrected for both amplitude and phase imbalances by passing the I and Q signals successively through a first amplitude correction stage, a sum-difference stage, and a second amplitude correction stage. The first amplitude correction stage balances the signal levels of the I and Q signals. The sum-difference stage produce a sum of the input I and Q signals, and a difference of the input I and Q signals, resulting in ideal quadrature in the outputs produced. The second amplitude correction stage corrects the amplitude differences from the sum-difference stage. Circuit configurations are used that minimize errors produced by the signal processing stages.
US07894544B2
In a communication system, a signal transceiver generates an upper pre-encoding symbol stream and a lower pre-encoding symbol stream by pre-encoding an upper transmission vector and a lower transmission vector according to a pre-encoding scheme when the upper and lower transmission vectors to be transmitted are input. The signal transceiver generates a space-time mapping matrix by space-time mapping the upper and lower pre-encoding symbol streams according to a space-time mapping scheme based on the number of transmit antennas to be used in the signal transceiver. The signal transceiver generates and transmits a codeword according to whether a null transmission is present in the space-time mapping matrix.
US07894541B2
At the transmitter side, carrier waves are modulated according to an input signal for producing relevant signal points in a signal space diagram. The input signal is divided into, two, first and second, data streams. The signal points are divided into signal point groups to which data of the first data stream are assigned. Also, data of the second data stream are assigned to the signal points of each signal point group. A difference in the transmission error rate between first and second data streams is developed by shifting the signal points to other positions in the space diagram. At the receiver side, the first and/or second data streams can be reconstructed from a received signal. In TV broadcast service, a TV signal is divided by a transmitter into, low and high, frequency band components which are designated as a first and a second data stream respectively. Upon receiving the TV signal, a receiver can reproduce only the low frequency band component or both the low and high frequency band components, depending on its capability.
US07894537B2
An apparatus including a transmit circuit, a receive circuit, and a control circuit. The control circuit may be configured to present a plurality of transmit data lanes in response to (i) a plurality of transmit data sources and (ii) a plurality of first skew control signals. The receive circuit may be configured to generate a plurality of receive data lanes in response to (i) the plurality of transmit data lanes and (ii) a plurality of second skew control signals. The control circuit may be configured to generate the first skew control signals and the second skew control signals in response to an alignment of the plurality of receive data lanes. The control circuit may adjust a timing of the receive data lanes and the transmit data lanes to achieve arrival of the receive data lanes across a transmission medium within a skew parameter.
US07894535B2
Video distribution methods include providing a primary video data stream having a first image size and formatted in a first video display format. A transmission data stream is formed having a plurality of blocks of data including at least first and second data fields. The first data field includes a secondary video data stream extracted from the primary video data stream and is formatted for display in a second video format. The second data field includes supplemental data extracted from the primary video data stream and configured to provide, when combined with the data of the first data field, a tertiary video data stream formatted for display in a third video format. The transmission data stream is multicasted from a wireless communication transmitter to a plurality of wireless communication terminals. Wireless communication terminals and systems are also disclosed.
US07894531B1
A system and method for varying the level of detail encoded in a video. In a preferred embodiment, some regions of a wide-angle video scene are encoded in an almost lossless manner, while other regions are encoded with less detail. Regions of interest can be determined in many ways, including a priori, automatically in real time, or by the selection of human operators.
US07894526B2
The motion vector estimation unit (106) is comprised of: an error calculation unit (202) that calculates errors SAD1 to SAD9 that are differences between the current block data tar_img and the respective neighboring reference block data ref_img; a minimum-error block determination unit (203) that determines, as a minimum-error block, a reference block that includes the smallest error of all the errors SAD1 to SAD9, and outputs a motion vector mvmin corresponding to the position of the determined minimum-error block; an end judgment unit (204) that judges whether or not the motion estimation should be ended; and a search center determination unit (205) that determines, as a reference block serving as the next search center, a reference block that is two pixels or more away from the current search center, according to the position of the minimum-error block.
US07894525B2
A method (800, 820 ), device (900 ) and program product for compression video information is presented. The method comprises the following steps: projecting (803 ) points of a next image to a three-dimensional space using camera parameters and depth map and projecting (805 ) projected points from the three-dimensional space to reference image surface, thereby obtaining motion vectors for estimating changes between the next image and the reference image.
US07894512B2
A communications device includes a time/frequency error measurement circuit that receives a communications signal and measures its timing and frequency errors. A Kalman filter receives the communications signal from the time/frequency error measurement circuit and processes the signal using a multi-level state error covariance matrix P for controlling the Kalman gain in the Kalman filter. An on-line monitoring circuit is operative with the Kalman filter for monitoring the actual state errors in time and frequency and controlling the state error covariance matrix P based on a measured error threshold.
US07894504B2
A hybrid spread spectrum system includes a signal combiner for (a) receiving a plurality of spread spectrum encoded data signals and (b) forming a plurality of combined signals. A first set of mixers is included for (a) receiving the plurality of combined signals and at least two carriers, and (b) forming at least a two-carrier, constant envelope signal. A second set of mixers is also included for (a) receiving the at least two-carrier, constant envelope signal and a transmitter hopping signal and (b) forming a hybrid spread spectrum signal. The combined signals include (a) [s1(t)−s1(t)s2(t)s3(t)] and (b) [s2(t)+s3(t)], where si(t) are three separate spread spectrum encoded data signals. The transmitter hopping signal is a sequence of tones having (a) a duration Tc, where Tc is a chip duration, and (b) frequencies fn taken from a set of 2k values, where k is a number of bits from a pseudo-random noise (PRN) sequence.
US07894501B2
Laser light emission across a wide bandwidth emission spectrum is enabled in a laser device equipped with solid gain media. The laser device is equipped with: a resonator; a plurality of solid gain media, having fluorescent spectra that at least partially overlap with each other, provided within the resonator; and pumping means, for pumping the plurality of solid gain media. The entire fluorescent spectrum width of the plurality of solid gain media is greater than the fluorescent spectrum width of each solid gain medium.
