Document	Document Title
US07974261B2	Basestation methods and apparatus for supporting timing synchronization A wireless terminal using OFDM signaling supporting both terrestrial and satellite base station connectivity operates using conventional access probe signaling in a first mode of operation to establish a timing synchronized wireless link with a terrestrial base station. In a second mode of operation, used to establish a timing synchronized wireless link with a satellite base station, a slightly modified access protocol is employed. The round trip signaling time and timing ambiguity between a wireless terminal and a satellite base station is substantially greater than with a terrestrial base station. The modified access protocol uses coding of access probe signals to uniquely identify a superslot index within a beaconslot. The modified protocol uses multiple access probes with different timing offsets to further resolve timing ambiguity and allows the satellite base station access monitoring interval to remain small in duration. Terrestrial base station location/connection information is used to estimate initial timing.
US07974260B2	Method of transmitting time-critical scheduling information between single network devices in a wireless network using slotted point-to-point links Timing control information, especially scheduling information, is transmitted between single network devices in a wireless network. Timing control information is usually time-critical information since communication parameters may be changing rapidly in wireless networks. The invention provides a method to transmit the time-critical and up-to-date timing control information to a recipient just-in-time.
US07974253B2	Methods and apparatus for implementing and using a rate indicator A base station selects and assigns uplink segments to specific wireless terminals. The base station estimates potential system interference levels, selects, assigns, and transmits a maximum uplink rate indicator value to a wireless terminal indicating the maximum uplink data rate that the wireless terminal is permitted to use. The wireless terminal receives the maximum data rate indicator and selects an uplink data rate to use which is less than or equal to the maximum data rate indicator level. The selection includes consideration of data amounts, data importance, communications channel quality, changes affecting the channel and/or power information. The wireless terminal encodes information indicative of the selected used rate with the user data/information to be transmitted by placing additional energy on a subset of the uplink signals. The base station receives the uplink signals including user data/information and data rate. The base station extracts the data rate used and utilizes the data rate to demodulate and decode the uplink user data/information.
US07974249B2	Virtual access point for configuration of a LAN A technique is disclosed for setting up and configuring a LAN. More particularly, secure communications may be configured between an access point (AP) and a client device. Virtual AP technology is utilized to assist the configuration of the network. In particular, at least two wireless networks are provided in a single A, a configuration LAN and an operational LAN, by utilizing virtual AP technology. The configuration LAN is utilized to provide communication between the AP and the client devices that is related to network setup, configuration, modification, etc. and the operational LAN provides normal LAN data communication. The configuration LAN may be provided in a relatively insecure manner that eases setup of that communication channel and the operational LAN may be provided in a more fully secure communication channel. Different types of service set identifiers (SSIDs) may be provided for configuration LANs and operational LANs so as to more easily identify the type of LAN through its SSID.
US07974240B2	Cellular network based on relay station and space division duplex communication method A cellular network that is based on relay station and a space division duplex communication method are disclosed. The cellular network based on RS includes a base station, a RS and a UE, wherein the base station has at least one antenna and the RS has at least two antennas. The base station allocates resources for the UE, transmits a downlink signal in a current slot and receives an uplink signal from the UE through the RS in a next slot; the RS receives the downlink signal from the base station and the uplink signal from the UE in the current slot and transmits the received downlink signal to the UE and the uplink signal to the base station in the next slot; the UE transmits the uplink signal in the current slot and receives the downlink signal through the RS in the next slot, wherein the uplink signal and the downlink signal transmitted in the same slot are orthogonal. With the cellular network and the communication method of embodiments of the present invention, the use efficiency of each channel can be improved effectively and the system complexity can be reduced.
US07974236B2	Approach for configuring Wi-Fi devices According to an approach for configuring Wi-Fi devices, a wireless access point changes its mode of operation from a normal operating mode to a configuration operating mode to configure one or more Wi-Fi devices. When operating in the configuration operating mode, it is more difficult for an eavesdropper to intercept messages between the wireless access point and the Wi-Fi devices being configured. Upon completion of the configuration process, the wireless access point changes its mode of operation from the configuration operating mode back to the normal operating mode. This approach reduces the likelihood of an eavesdropper intercepting configuration messages exchanged between a wireless access point and one or more Wi-Fi devices during the configuration process. The approach also allows automated configuration of Wi-Fi devices and reduces the amount of user interaction required to configure Wi-Fi devices.
US07974235B2	Secure location session manager A Secure Location Session Manager (SLSM) is an intelligent router for open mobile alliance (OMA) Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Version 1.0 (and later) messages best implemented when multiple, geo-diverse SUPL servers are deployed in a distributed environment, such as an active-active redundant configuration within a wireless carrier's network. In a standalone option, the SLSM acts as a “middleman” for all SUPL positioning messages between a mobile device and a responsible SUPL server. In an embedded option, the SLSM resides within an existing server. The SLSM manages and stores session information for all pending and ongoing SUPL positioning sessions in internal tables for routing and load balancing purposes. The external interfaces of the SLSM consist of OMA ULP messages.
US07974231B2	Communication control apparatus and communication control method A communication control apparatus (30, 10) used in a mobile communication system includes: means (32, 12) that derives a second target communication quality Q2 for TFs other than a reference format from a first target communication quality for the reference format in a plurality of TFs provide for communicating with an upper layer of a physical channel; means (33, 13) that derives a third target communication quality different from the first target communication quality from the first and the second target communication qualities; and means that sets the third target communication quality to be a target value of transmission power control.
US07974225B2	Providing extended range modes as part of the 802.11n standard An extended range preamble is disclosed, for transmission between extended range 802.11n devices. The extended range preamble consists of a high-throughput signal field, in which a modulation coding scheme rate and payload length are specified by the transmitting device. The extended range preamble also includes an expanded preamble, which is adjacent to the high-throughput signal field, and is not understood by non-extended range devices. The modulation coding scheme rate is specified as either one of the rates supported in non-extended range 802.11 devices or as a reserved modulation coding scheme not understood by the non-extended range devices. In either circumstance, the non-extended range device respects the preamble, and thus does not itself attempt a transmission during processing of the preamble.
US07974220B2	System and method for overlaying a hierarchical network design on a full mesh network A system and method are disclosed for overlaying a hierarchical network on a full mesh network. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a network element of a full mesh network (402) having a controller programmed to overlay (200, 400, 400) in part a hierarchical network on the full mesh network with an isolation protocol.
US07974205B1	Method and system for the distribution of internet protocol traffic in a communication system A method for operating a communication system is provided. The method includes receiving an arrival rate of a plurality of real-time packets, and receiving a real-time packet including a first plurality of identifiers, for transmission on a first link or a second link, where the first link has a first bandwidth. The method also includes processing the real-time packet to select a first selected link from the first link and the second link based on the first plurality of identifiers, the arrival rate of the plurality of real-time packets, and the first bandwidth, and transmitting the real-time packet on the first selected link.
US07974204B2	Quality of service management for message flows across multiple middleware environments A method of managing information system resources to provide a message flow having a consistent level of quality of service (QoS) within and across a plurality of interconnected middleware domains is described. The method includes receiving a QoS message from a first QoS manager expressing at least one QoS requirement, translating the at least one QoS requirement to at least one parameter specific to a messaging service that communicatively couples multiple middleware domains, creating a client connection between a first middleware domain and the messaging service for receiving the message flow, transmitting the QoS message to a second middleware domain, and creating a client connection between the messaging service and the second middleware domain for transmitting the message flow.
US07974202B2	Tunnel provisioning with link aggregation A method for processing data packets in a communication network includes establishing a path for a flow of the data packets through the communication network. At a node along the path having a plurality of aggregated ports, a port is selected from among the plurality to serve as part of the path. A label is chosen responsively to the selected port. The label is attached to the data packets in the flow at a point on the path upstream from the node. Upon receiving the data packets at the node, the data packets are switched through the selected port responsively to the label.
US07974194B2	Optimizing data traffic and power consumption in mobile unified communication applications Data traffic, latency, and power consumption in a mobile unified communication environment are reduced by optimizing communication between a mobile client application and a mobile data server through determining optimum delay between exchanged messages and/or filtering portions of data not relevant to the mobile client application at the server. Additional optimizations include providing mobile client application relevant updates in an intelligent fashion based on user activity, screen resolution or displayed information, relevant contacts and relevance of information, and similar characteristics.
US07974193B2	Methods and systems for resizing multimedia content based on quality and rate information In general, this disclosure describes techniques for exchanging information between a plurality of encoder modules and a multiplex module to combine segments of data from the encoder modules with an improved overall quality. In particular, the encoder modules associate their respective segments of data with quality and rate information and send at least the quality and rate information associated with the segments of data to the multiplex module. The multiplex module analyzes the quality and rate information to determine whether the segments of data that encoder modules desire to include in the current superframe fit within the available bandwidth of a transmission channel. If the multiplex module determines the plurality of segments of data do not fit within the available bandwidth, the multiplex module selects one or more of the segments to be resized based on the quality and rate information received from the encoder modules.
US07974185B2	Three fiber line switched ring A 3 fiber line switched ring (3FLSR) provides protection for (optical) transmission networking wherein N nodes are connected via 3 lines (or optical fibers) in a ring topology. Two of the three fibers form a main transmission line and may transmit in one direction in the ring whereas the third might transmit in the opposite direction. This architecture of the 3FLSR provides a dual protection scheme, including a bi-directional line switching coupled with a unidirectional line switching. Traffic is categorized based on the level of protection available for the particular traffic type. The first two transmitting fibers form a bi-directional ring, carrying primary and secondary traffic which can survive 2 and 1 failures on the ring respectively. The third fiber may form a unidirectional ring, carrying additional traffic that can be pre-empted in case of multiple failures in the bi-directional ring. The 3FLSR enables reconfiguration of existing 2/4 fiber rings and conforms to applicable standards.
US07974183B2	Method for restoration and normalization in a mesh network The present invention is directed to methods for signaling that enable bandwidth reservation, path restoration, path normalization, and path removal in a mesh network that supports shared mesh restoration.
US07974182B2	Evaluating the position of a disturbance The position of a disturbance on an optical link is evaluated, in particular where the disturbance is a time-varying disturbance. An optical time domain reflectometry technique is used in which a series of low coherence test pulses is launched by means of an optical pulse source into an the optical link, and the backscattered return signal is monitored. The test pulses pass through an unbalanced Mach Zhender interferometer with the result that for each test pulse, a pair of time-displaced pulse copies is launched onto the link. The backscattered return signal is passed through the same interferometer, which causes the pulse copies of each pair to become realigned and to interfere with one another. A time-varying disturbance is likely to affect each pulse copy of a pair differently. As a result, an abnormality such as a step is likely to occur in the backscattered signal. From the time position of an abnormality, the distance of the disturbance responsible is evaluated.
US07974179B2	Transmitting apparatus and method which transmit symbols in OFDM and receiving apparatus and method for use with OFDM communications A transmitting apparatus which transmits a transmit symbol in orthogonal-frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is disclosed. The transmitting apparatus includes a unit which provides a unicast channel; a unit which provides a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) channel; a unit which provides a specific pilot channel which is specific to a specified cell; a unit which provides one or more common pilot channels common to a plurality of cells; and a multiplexing unit which multiplexes the unicast channel, the MBMS channel, the specific pilot channel, and the one or more common pilot channels, and creates the transmit symbol, wherein the multiplexing unit time-division multiplexes, in the same frequency band, a unicast frame which includes the unicast channel, and an MBMS frame which includes the MBMS channel, and wherein an insertion density of the common pilot channel included in the MBMS frame is larger than an insertion density of the specific pilot channel included in the unicast frame.
US07974177B2	User equipment, base station apparatus, and method User equipment that is capable of transmitting at least an uplink control channel to a base station apparatus using a single carrier method and to which persistent scheduling is applied, the user equipment includes a unit providing data arrival acknowledgement information, a unit providing channel quality information, a control channel generation unit generating an uplink control channel including at least one of the data arrival acknowledgement information or the channel quality information, and a transmission unit transmitting the uplink control channel using a predetermined dedicated bandwidth, in which the uplink control channel includes at least one unit block including a sequence in which a same factor reported using an upper-layer signaling is multiplied to each chip of an orthogonal code sequence for the user equipment.
US07974176B2	Systems, methods and transceivers for wireless communications over discontiguous spectrum segments Methods of transmitting a plurality of communications signals over a plurality of discontiguous bandwidth segments in a frequency band include defining a plurality (NFFT) of orthogonal subcarriers across the frequency band, defining a plurality (N) of available physical subcarriers from among the orthogonal subcarriers. The available physical subcarriers are distributed among the plurality of discontiguous bandwidth segments. The methods further include multiplexing the plurality of communications signals onto the plurality of available physical subcarriers. Multiplexing the plurality of communications signals onto the plurality of available physical subcarriers may include assigning the communications signals to respective ones of a plurality (N) of logical subcarriers, and mapping the plurality of logical subcarriers to corresponding ones of the plurality of available physical subcarriers. Related transmitters, receivers and communications systems are also disclosed.
US07974171B2	Optical recording method, optical reproduction method, optical recording apparatus, and optical recording medium The present invention provides an optical recording method including: recording information on a recording layer for holographically recording information in an optical recording medium by irradiating the optical recording medium with an information beam and a reference beam, and repetitively recording information on the recording layer while moving at least any one of the information beam and reference beam and the recording layer along the surface of the recording layer, thereby being capable of shift-multiplex recording operations, wherein the optical recording medium is irradiated on a recording pulse basis, the peak intensity of light of the recording pulse is 0.1 mW to 100 mW, the irradiation time is 0.05 nsec to 1×105 nsec, and the irradiation of recording pulse is performed 5 times to 1×107 times per 1 msec; and also provides an optical recording apparatus and an optical recording medium.
US07974169B1	Wobble channel clocking Devices, systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with wobble channel clocking are described. In one embodiment, an apparatus implemented with a clock generator, a clock scaling logic, radio frequency channel logic, and wobble channel log. The clock generator generates a clocking signal. The clock scaling logic scales the clocking signal to produce a scaled clocking signal. The radio frequency channel logic at least partially decodes a digital radio frequency signal from an optical disk. The wobble channel logic at least partially decodes a digital wobble signal from the optical disk. Either the clocking signal or the scaled clocking signal is used to clock the radio frequency channel logic, and the other clocking signal or the scaled clocking signal is used to clock the wobble channel.
US07974163B2	Optical disk device This optical disk device includes a read means which reads data from an optical disk upon which data is recorded at a variable bit rate for each sector. Moreover, this optical disk device includes a buffer memory which sequentially stores data which has been read by the read means, and a replay means which sequentially reads out and decodes data stored in the buffer memory, and replays that data. Furthermore, this optical disk device includes a control means which, when a command for special replay is issued, calculates the address of the sector currently being decoded by the replay means based upon the address of the sector currently being read by the read means, and upon the amount of data stored in the buffer memory. And the control means commands the read means to read out, from the optical disk, a sector to be jumped to.
US07974153B2	Three-dimensional seismic survey methods using a perturbation pattern to provide bin fractionation A receiver point arrangement is deployed having one or more receiver lines, each receiver line having receivers with substantially uniform inline spacing. A seismic source is triggered at each source point in an arrangement of source points along one or more source lines, each source line having source points with substantially uniform crossline spacing. Seismic data traces are collected, each trace having an associated midpoint. A perturbation pattern is applied to at least one of the receiver point arrangement and the source point arrangement to distribute the midpoints evenly within a bin having dimensions of half the receiver inline spacing and half the source crossline spacing across multiple locations within that bin. The fractionation in the crossline and inline directions is determined by the interaction between the number of offset positions in the receiver point arrangement and number of offset positions in the source point arrangement, respectively; phase shifts of the perturbation pattern between adjacent receiver lines and between adjacent source lines, respectively; and crossline and inline fold, respectively, of a recording patch employed.
US07974149B2	Thin-film memory system equipped with a thin-film address decoder and memory controller An electronic system includes at least one reduced-complexity integrated circuit memory coupled to a memory controller. By reducing the complexity of each integrated circuit memory and concentrating the complexity within the memory controller, overall system costs may be greatly reduced and reliability improved.
US07974148B2	Semiconductor memory device using only single-channel transistor to apply voltage to selected word line A semiconductor memory device has a memory cell array, a first transistor of a first conductivity type, a second transistor of a second conductivity type and a third transistor of the first conductivity type. A source or drain of the first transistor is connected to each of word lines. A drain of the second transistor is connected to a gate of the first transistor. A source of the third transistor is connected to the gate of the first transistor. The gates of the second transistor and the third transistor are not connected, a source of the second transistor is not connected to a drain of the third transistor, and the gate of the second transistor and the drain of the third transistor have different voltage levels corresponding to opposite logic levels each other.
US07974139B2	Non-volatile memory generating different read voltages In one aspect, a non-volatile memory is provided which includes a plurality of m-bit non-volatile memory cells and a plurality of n-bit non-volatile memory cells, where 1≦m
US07974135B2	Non-volatile semiconductor memory device and erasing method thereof A non-volatile semiconductor memory device including a NAND cell unit with a plurality of electrically rewritable and non-volatile memory cells connected in series, one end thereof being coupled to a bit line via a first select gate transistor while the other end is coupled to a source line via a second select gate transistor, wherein the memory device has an erase-verify mode for verifying an erase state of the memory cells in the NAND cell unit, the erase-verify mode including two verify-read operations adapted according to cell ranges to be erase-verified in the NAND cell unit.
US07974133B2	Robust sensing circuit and method A sense amplifier is disclosed. One embodiment is a sensing circuit that includes a sensing device and a sense transistor coupled to the sensing device. A first switch that is coupled to the sense transistor and to the sensing device causes the sensing device to be charged to a first voltage that is a function of the threshold voltage of the sense transistor. One or more second switches that are coupled to the sensing device and to a target element. The second switches couple the sensing device to the target element to modify the first voltage on the sensing device and decouple the target element from the sensing device during a sense phase in which the modified first voltage is applied to the sense transistor. A condition of the target element is determined based on whether or not the sense transistor turns on in response to applying the modified first voltage to the sense transistor.
US07974132B2	Shifting reference values to account for voltage sag A system and method, including software implemented techniques, can be used to adjust for sag in stored data values. Charge is applied to multiple memory cells, and each memory cell is charged to a target voltage corresponding to a data value. The memory cells include a reference cell that is charged to a predetermined voltage. A voltage level in the reference cell is detected, and voltage levels from a group of memory cells are also detected. An adjustment is performed based upon the difference between the detected voltage level in the reference cell and the predetermined voltage.
US07974122B2	Verification circuits and methods for phase change memory array A verification circuit for a phase change memory array is provided. A sensing unit senses a sensing voltage from a memory cell of the phase change memory array according to an enable signal. A comparator generates a comparing signal according to the sensing voltage and a reference voltage, so as to indicate whether the memory cell is in a reset state. A control unit generates a control signal according to the enable signal. An operating unit generates a first signal according to the control signal, so as to indicate whether the comparator is active. An adjustment unit provides a writing current to the cell, and increases the writing current according to the control signal until the comparing signal indicates that the memory cell is in a reset state.
US07974110B2	Switching power supply unit and method for setting switching frequency A switching power supply unit is provided which provides improved response for frequency switching with a smooth rise in voltage. The switching power supply unit includes: a rectifier circuit for rectifying an alternating current from an AC power source into a direct current; a switching circuit for switching the current rectified by this rectifier circuit using a switching device; a pulse oscillator circuit for outputting a switching signal to the switching device; and a transformer circuit for stepping a voltage up or down depending on the current switched by this switching circuit. A frequency switching unit is also used to detect a pulse output from the switching circuit. Based on the state of this pulse output, the frequency switching unit changes a resistance using resistors, thereby switching the frequency of the switching signal in the pulse oscillator circuit.
US07974102B2	Integrated circuit carrier assembly Provided is a carrier assembly for an integrated circuit. The assembly includes a printed circuit board (PCB), and a carrier fast with the PCB. The carrier has a matrix of island contacts interconnected by respective serpentine members to allow resilient deflection of such contacts relative to each other, the matrix surrounding a passage defined through the carrier. Also included is a retainer for operatively locating the integrated circuit within said passage so that the integrated circuit is electrically connected to the carrier.
US07974090B2	Portable medical device cooling system A cooling system cools an electrically rechargeable portable device accommodated in a docking station. The cooling system includes a docking station having a non-forced air active cooling unit and a housing. The cooling unit maintains a first heatsink surface at a temperature below an ambient temperature and a second heatsink surface at a temperature exceeding said first heatsink surface temperature. The housing accommodates an electrically re-chargeable portable device. The housing re-charges said portable device and seats said portable device in a position providing thermal contact between said docking station first heatsink surface and a heat spreader of said portable device while re-charging of said portable device.
US07974085B2	Foldable electronic device A foldable electronic device includes a main body, a hollow cylindrical shaft, a cover and a flexible circuit element. The shaft defines a first shaft slot and a second shaft slot, the first and second shaft slots aligned apart and extending from a part of the shaft to one end of the shaft along a direction substantially parallel to an axis of the shaft. The cover is pivoted to the main body via the shaft. The flexible circuit element includes a driving portion fixed to the main body, a controlling portion fixed to the cover, and a connecting portion interconnecting the driving portion and the controlling portion. The connecting portion of the flexible circuit element enters the shaft via the first shaft slot, and passes through the second shaft slot to be out of the shaft.
US07974071B2	Multilayer capacitor A multilayer capacitor includes a dielectric body 12 formed by stacking a plurality of dielectric layers 12a; a first internal conductor layer 21 led out straddling three side faces 12A, 12C and 12D of said dielectric body 12; a second internal conductor layer 22, stacked in the dielectric body 12 via dielectric layers 12a to the first internal conductor layer 21, led out straddling three side faces 12B, 12C and 12D; a first and a second terminal electrodes 31 and 32 formed on an outer face of said dielectric body 12, straddling the three side faces 12A, 12C and 12D, and 12B, and 12C and 12D, respectively. A first space pattern 41 is formed on the first lead portion at a position along with the first side face 12A, not connected with the first terminal electrode 31.
US07974067B2	Plasma processing apparatus and method of suppressing abnormal discharge therein In a plasma processing apparatus having an electrostatic chuck for holding a semiconductor wafer by an electrostatic adsorption force and a DC power supply for applying an electrostatic adsorption voltage to the electrostatic chuck, abnormal discharge in plasma is suppressed by providing the apparatus with a signal detector that detects a foresee signal that foresees occurrence of abnormal discharge in plasma, and a controller that controls ESC leakage current based upon the foresee signal. If the foresee signal is outside a prescribed range, control is exercised so as to reduce the absolute value of the electrostatic adsorption voltage, thereby suppressing the occurrence of an abnormal discharge.
US07974062B2	Internally overlapped conditioners The application discloses novel internal structures of energy conditioners, assemblies of external structures of energy conditioners and mounting structure, and novel circuits including energy conditioners having A, B, and G master electrodes.
US07974057B2	Inrush current limiter device and power factor control (PFC) circuit having an improved inrush current limiter device The present invention relates to an inrush current limiter device (4) for limiting inrushing current to a connectable load (3) comprising: at least one switchable IGBT-based limiter unit (5) for selectively limiting the inrushing current, having at least one current limiting conductor element for a limited leading of current and at least an IGBT-based switch (Q2), whereby the IGBT-based switch (Q2) is used as well as a controlled current limiter and as a by-pass element, and at least one control device (7) for controlling the IGBT-based switch (Q2), whereby the control device (7) comprises at least one IGBT-based switch supply (6) and means for realizing (8) a smooth flank of an output signal at the selected conductor element.
US07974054B2	Integrated circuit with electrostatic discharge protection circuit An integrated circuit with an electrostatic discharge protection circuit includes a first power pad, a second power pad, at least a circuit module, and a power clamp circuit. The circuit module includes a signal pad, an internal circuit and a first bipolar transistor. A first parasitical resistance is coupled between a collector of the first bipolar transistor and the second power pad. There is at least a metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor and at least a first parasitical bipolar transistor included within the power clamp circuit.
US07974053B2	ESD protection circuit for differential I/O pair An ESD protection circuit for a differential I/O pair is provided. The circuit includes an ESD detection circuit, a discharge device, and four diodes. The first diode is coupled between the first I/O pin and the discharge device in a forward direction toward the discharge device. The second diode is coupled between the second I/O pin and the discharge device in a forward direction toward the second I/O pin. The third diode is coupled between the discharge device and the positive power line in a forward direction toward the positive power line. The fourth diode is coupled between the discharge device and the negative power line in a forward direction toward the discharge device. Via an output end, the ESD detection circuit triggers the discharge device during ESD events.
US07974052B2	Method and apparatus for switched electrostatic discharge protection One embodiment includes an integrated circuit including an input circuit, a first diode including a first anode and a first cathode, with the first cathode coupled to a first voltage, the first anode coupled to the input circuit at a node via a first mechanical switch, a second diode including a second anode and a second cathode, with the second cathode coupled to the node via a second mechanical switch, the second anode coupled to a ground and a resistor coupled to the input circuit between the integrated circuit and the node, wherein in a first mode of operating, the first mechanical switch and the second mechanical switch are conducting, and in a second mode of operating, the first and second mechanical switches are nonconducting.
US07974048B2	Magneto-resistive effect device of CPP type having shield layers coupled with ferromagnetic layers The invention provides a magneto-resistive effect device of the CPP (current perpendicular to plane) structure, having a magneto-resistive effect unit, and a first shield layer and a second shield layer located and formed such that the magneto-resistive effect unit is sandwiched between them, with a sense current applied in a stacking direction.
US07974036B2	Time-shifted bits for write synchronization correction Systems and methods are provided for correcting write synchronization of a magnetic storage device with respect to magnetic storage media and its corresponding writable magnetic bits, or dots. In particular, these systems and methods involve using time-shifting principles to calibrate the magnetic storage devices to correct slow drifts of reader-writer timing. It is to be appreciated that time-shifting techniques can be applied in a variety of manners. For example, the very dots on the media can be positioned in time-shifted fashion. In another example, the writing to the dots can be time-shifted.
US07974031B2	Single-pass recording of multilevel patterned media A method of performing data/information recording and retrieval utilizing a multilevel patterned magnetic medium, comprises providing a magnetic recording system including a read/write head and a multilevel patterned magnetic recording medium including a plurality of spaced apart data/information storage elements each comprising a stacked plurality n of magnetic recording cells with different magnetic properties and magnetically decoupled from overlying and/or underlying cells; providing relative movement between the write head and magnetic recording medium; and writing to the medium by supplying the write head with a modulated write current comprising a plurality n of pulses of different magnitudes while the head passes over each element, thereby applying n different magnetic field strengths to each element, such that the writing occurs in a single pass of the write head over each element.
US07974030B2	Systems and methods for dibit correction Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for providing a corrected dibit signal. As an example, various embodiments of the present invention provide dibit correction circuits. Such dibit correction circuits include a dibit sample buffer, a maximum sample detector circuit, a side sample detector circuit, and a dibit correction circuit. The dibit sample buffer includes a plurality of samples of an uncorrected dibit signal. The maximum sample detector circuit identifies a maximum sample of the plurality of samples of the uncorrected dibit signal, and the side sample detector circuit identifies a first side sample prior to the maximum sample on the uncorrected dibit signal and a second side sample following the maximum sample on the uncorrected dibit signal. The dibit correction circuit applies a correction factor calculated based at least in part on the maximum sample, the first side sample and the second side sample to at least a subset of the plurality of samples of the uncorrected dibit signals to yield a plurality of corrected dibit signals.
US07974023B1	Wafer level optical lens substrate, wafer level optical lens module and fabrication method thereof A wafer level optical lens substrate including a substrate and at least one lens is provided. The substrate has at least one through hole and at least one flange, wherein each flange is located on a side wall in each through hole. Each lens located in each through hole is embedded with each flange. A method of fabricating a wafer level optical lens substrate and a wafer level optical lens module are also provided respectively.
US07974018B2	Optical element, production method therefor, and composite component provided with an optical element An optical element (14) is specified which is suitable for an optoelectronic component and has a carrier part (1) and a beam shaping part (12), wherein the beam shaping part is molded onto the carrier part, or vice versa. A corresponding production method and a composite device comprising the optical element are furthermore specified.
US07974017B2	Zoom lens and image pickup apparatus A zoom lens includes, in order from its object side, a first lens unit having a negative refracting power, a second lens unit having a positive refracting power, a third lens unit having a negative refracting power, and a fourth lens unit having a positive refracting power. The zoom lens further includes an aperture stop disposed between the first lens unit and the third lens unit. During zooming from the wide angle end to the telephoto end, distances between the lens units change, the first lens unit moves first toward the image side and thereafter toward the object side, the second lens unit moves in such a way as to be located closer to the object side at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end, the distance between the second lens unit and the third lens unit is larger at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end, and the aperture stop moves in such a way as to be located closer to the object side at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end. The second lens unit and the third lens unit satisfy certain conditions.
US07974009B2	Image fluctuation correcting apparatus An image fluctuation correcting apparatus rotates a first rotary apex angle prism held in a first prism holding member around a first shaft in a direction for canceling an amount of horizontal fluctuation by electromagnetic force generated between a first drive coil and a first magnet by flowing electric current in the first drive coil. Also, the image fluctuation correcting apparatus rotates a second rotary apex angle prism held in a second prism holding member around a second shaft, which is located 180-degree angle away from the first shaft, in a direction for canceling an amount of vertical fluctuation by electromagnetic force generated between a second drive coil and a second magnet by flowing electric current in the second drive coil.
US07974001B2	Display element and electronic paper There are provided a display element and electronic paper. The display element includes a structure having a cylindrical shape and including a void inside, and at least two display regions formed on a side face of the structure and colored with different colors. The use of the display element for electronic paper can improve a response rate while lowering driving voltage, and can improve a contrast ratio by increasing a packing fraction.
US07973997B2	Transparent structures Transparent structures, electrochromic devices, and methods for making such structures/devices are provided. A transparent structure may include a transparent substrate having a plurality of micro- or nano-scale structures, at least one substance configured to block near-infrared or infrared radiation and partially cover at least substantial portions of the substrate and the plurality of micro- or nano-scale structures, and at least one photocatalyst configured to at least partially cover an outermost surface of the transparent structure.
US07973993B2	Flat panel display and manufacturing method thereof A flat panel display includes a first substrate, a thin film transistor formed on the first substrate, a second substrate facing the first substrate, and a light controller formed on the second substrate, wherein the light controller is electrically connected to the thin film transistor, wherein the light controller includes an opening plate having a plurality of first openings and a light blocker moving horizontally with respect to the opening plate to selectively pass light through the first openings.
US07973990B2	Optical scanning device, optical writing device, and image forming apparatus An optical scanning device includes a first optical system for guiding light beams emitted from a plurality of light emitting units to an optical deflector, and a second optical system for focusing the light beams to optically scan a surface to be scanned. At least one of the first optical system and the second optical system includes a resin lens having a diffractive surface. The diffractive surface includes a diffractive portion and a refractive portion. A power of the diffractive portion and a power of the refractive portion cancel each other.
US07973986B2	Image reading apparatus for detecting noise in image data An image reading apparatus includes: three line sensors mutually spaced in a sub scanning direction; a platen arranged between the original and the three line sensors; a mover moving the platen relative to the three line sensors at a rate relative to the three line sensors, the rate being different from that of the original relative to the three line sensors; a lightness difference detector extracting a feature pixel having a predetermined feature from each of three data output from the three line sensors; and NOR and AND devices comparing the three data corresponding to a single location on the original to detect the feature pixel extracted from one of the three data, as a noise pixel if the feature pixel is not a feature pixel for the other data.
US07973985B2	Scanning device A scanning device scans both sides of a document. The document is fed between a first image sensor module and a second image sensor module. The second image sensor module is moved with respect to the first image sensor module so that a separation distance between the second image sensor module and the first image sensor module is based on a thickness of the document. A first side of the document is scanned using a first scan line located in the first image sensor module. A second side of the document is scanned using a second scan line located in the second image sensor module. When the document is fed between the first image sensor module and the second image sensor module, the document does not reach the first scan line and the second scan line simultaneously.
US07973983B2	Light guide device and illumination module using the same An illumination module is provided in the invention. The illumination module includes a light source having a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a linear array and a light guide device. The light guide device receives light from the light source and generates uniform light which is transmitted onto an article to be scanned, has a longitudinal direction, and includes a diffraction structure and a reflection portion. The diffraction structure has a shape inducing light to be scattered and deflects the scattered light toward the longitudinal direction. The reflection portion reflects the light scattered and deflected by the diffraction structure, and is inclined to have an inclined angle with the light propagating direction. In addition, the reflection portion is formed on the diffraction structure or apart from it.
US07973977B2	System and method for removing semi-transparent artifacts from digital images caused by contaminants in the camera's optical path A method and system for retouching digital images for a motion picture removes semi-transparent artifacts or ‘blotches’ caused by contaminates in the optical path of the camera. This approach provides the benefit of only having to retouch a single average image that is than automatically applied via a correction power map to the entire sequence of images for the affected scene. The formation of an average image tends to reinforce the artifacts making them easier to identify and reduce background detail making it easier to retouch the artifact.
US07973975B2	Image processing apparatus and image processing method An image processing apparatus includes an image input device to convert image data into uncompressed data of CMYK, a gradation processing device to perform a gradation process on the uncompressed data to generate a halftone image, a rearrangement determination device to determine necessity of rearrangement of pixels of the halftone image, a selector to select an output destination based on a rearrangement necessity determination result, a rearrangement device to rearrange the pixels by using a threshold table used at a time of execution of the gradation process of the halftone image, and a coding device to output data obtained by coding data of the halftone image. According to the image processing device, coding efficiency can be improved more than in the related art while a harmful effect (reduction in code amount) due to the rearrangement process is suppressed.
US07973967B2	Pseudo-multithread framework for XPSDrv filter pipeline A method is provided for allowing a single threaded filter in a print driver to execute feature commands in a parallel mode, thereby creating a pseudo-multithreaded infrastructure which decreases overall processing latency for a print job. The method includes getting and parsing a document sequence print ticket for a document sequence for the print job; creating a feature command list of document sequence scoped feature commands based on the document sequence print ticket; getting a document part and parsing a document print ticket for the document part; inserting document scoped feature commands, based on the document print ticket, in the front of the feature command list; getting a page part and parsing a page print ticket for the page part; inserting page scoped feature commands, based on the page print ticket, in the front of the feature command list; and sequentially executing the feature commands in the feature command list.
US07973948B2	Multifunction office device enabling input scanning before entering machine instructions In operating a multifunction office apparatus, the apparatus including a user interface, an input scanner, and at least one of a printer, finisher, disc recorder, facsimile transmitter, network transmitter, or electronic mail transmitter, images from a document are recorded as image data in a memory. Simultaneous with the recording, instructions are accepted through the user interface for applying the image data to the multifunction office apparatus.
US07973941B2	Reference signal generating configuration for an interferometric miniature grating encoder readhead using fiber optic receiver channels A reference mark configuration for an interferometric miniature grating encoder readhead using fiber optic receiver channels is provided. The readhead may include primary fibers that provide reference mark primary signals processed to generate a reference signal with accuracy of approximately 0.2 microns. In some embodiments, a zone grating type reference mark may be embedded in a periodic scale grating, and configured such that it provides strong reference mark primary signals without disrupting periodic incremental measurement signals associated with the periodic scale grating. In one embodiment, the readhead may include secondary fibers used to generate reference mark secondary signals processed to generate a reference signal with accuracy of approximately 20 nanometers.
US07973939B2	Differential-phase polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography system A differential-phase polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography system includes a polarized heterodyne interferometer for generating a reference beam to be reflected by a movable mirror unit, and a signal beam to be reflected by an imaging plane in a specimen. The interferometer further generates a first electrical signal output corresponding to first linear polarized waves of the reference and signal beams, and a second electrical signal output corresponding to second linear polarized waves of the reference and signal beams. A differential amplifier receives the first and second electrical signal outputs, and generates a differential signal output therefrom. A data acquisition unit is used to measure amplitudes of the first and second electrical signal outputs and the differential signal output. A computing unit computes the amplitudes measured by the data acquisition unit to determine a reflectivity, a phase retardation, and a fast axis angle of the imaging plane in the specimen.
US07973935B2	Reflection characteristic measuring apparatus for sheet specimen and method of calibrating reflection characteristic measuring apparatus for sheet specimen A reflection characteristic measuring apparatus capable of scanning a specimen surface of a sheet specimen at a high speed is provided. The reflection characteristic measuring apparatus includes a group of illuminating and light-receiving systems for directing illuminating light onto the specimen surface of the sheet specimen held by a specimen holding roller pair and for receiving reflected light from the specimen surface. The illuminating and light-receiving systems measure a spectral characteristic of the received reflected light. The illuminating and light-receiving systems are disposed over one-dimensional arrays of color samples which extend in the longitudinal direction of the sheet specimen, and scan the one-dimensional arrays in a direction opposite to a direction in which the sheet specimen is transported.
US07973933B2	Method for spectroscopy of surface plasmons in surface plasmon resonance sensors and an element for the use of thereof A method and system for spectroscopy of surface plasmons is presented. An electromagnetic wave is made incident on a diffraction grating. Surface plasmons are excited on a medium coincident to the diffraction grating and dispersion of a wavelength spectrum of the electromagnetic wave are simultaneously performed through diffraction. Changes in spatial distribution of intensity in the wavelength spectrum of the diffracted electromagnetic wave due to the excitation of the surface plasmons are measured.
US07973929B2	System and method for calibration verification of an optical particle counter Described herein is a portable, low power consuming optical particle counter calibration verification system and reliable and sensitive methods for verifying the calibration status of a gas or liquid particle counter. The calibration verification systems described herein are useful for quickly determining the calibration status of an optical particle counter at its point of use, as well as for allowing the end user to determine if an optical particle counter is in need of a recalibration before the recommended calibration schedule suggests.
US07973927B2	Two-photon microscope with spectral resolution A microscope for generating an image of a sample, the microscope includes a light source for generating a pulsed light; a scanning mirror receiving the pulsed light and transmitting the pulsed light to the sample to be imaged causing the sample to emit energy; a dispersive element that receives the emitted energy from the sample, disperses the energy into its spectral elements and transmits the spectrally dispersed energy; and a camera that generates a spectrally resolved image of the sample based on the spectrally dispersed energy from the dispersive element. Also described is a method of generating spectrally resolved images of the sample.
US07973917B2	Method using concentrator for measuring luminous flux of LED The present invention relates to the technical field of measuring light source, specifically, to the method for measuring the luminous flux of LED. In the present invention, a reflecting cup is used as a collector of the luminous flux of LED. The collector has two sectional openings in the direction perpendicular to the symmetric axis thereof, which are positioned in the front and in the rear respectively, one of them positioned at the bottom end of the collector and having a smaller radius is used to input the light emitted by LED to be measured, the other positioned in the front end of the collector and having a larger radius is used to output the light to the detector placed in this position. Specifically, LED is fixed at the bottom end of the collector with a fixture, the light emitted by LED is directed toward the large opening of the collector, and the photometer is fixed closely at the large opening of the collector to receive light signals. LED is driven with a constant current power supply, and the total luminous flux emitted by LED is concentrated by the collector, collected and measured by the detector, then corrected by using a calibrating coefficient, in order to achieve the numerical readings of the value of the total luminous flux. The method of the present invention is simple and has a high measuring accuracy.
US07973916B2	Inclination detection methods and apparatus Apparatus and methods for detecting inclination employ a point source of light from which light is emitted through a lens toward a reflective surface of a liquid contained in a vessel. Light reflected from the surface passes through the lens to form a defocused image of the point source on a two-dimensional array of detector elements. Data acquired from the array represents intensity of the light incident on each of the detector elements. A center of gravity representing inclination of the vessel is determined from the data.
US07973915B2	Method and apparatus for inverting a flexible molding A method for providing a flexible molding, in particular an ophthalmic lens such as a contact lens, in a predetermined orientation, comprises the steps of determining the actual orientation of the molding, and in case the molding has been determined as not having the predetermined orientation, inverting the flexible molding to the predetermined orientation.
US07973899B2	Thin film transistor array panel with capacitive coupling between adjacent pixel areas A thin film transistor array panel according to one embodiment of the invention comprises: first, second, and third pixel electrodes arranged sequentially, the second pixel electrode including first and second sub-pixel electrodes, the second pixel electrode occupying an area comprising a first area and a second area that is disposed closer to the third pixel electrode than the first area; first, second, and third thin film transistors connected to the first, the second, and the third pixel electrodes, respectively; first, second, and third gate lines connected to the first, the second, and the third thin film transistors, respectively; and a data line connected to the first, the second, and the third thin film transistors, wherein the second sub-pixel electrode is capacitively coupled to the third pixel electrode, and the second sub-pixel electrode is present in both the first and the second areas.
US07973893B2	Method of manufacturing a substrate for a liquid crystal display device The present invention is a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, wherein light having an exposure energy is irradiated on the surface of a photo-sensitive resin layer having a predetermined film thickness, and a distribution of thermal deformation characteristics in the thickness direction (or the plane direction) of the photo-sensitive resin layer is formed, then heat treatment is performed to form random undulation (micro-grooves or micro-wrinkles) on the surface of the photo-sensitive resin layer.
US07973888B2	Liquid crystal display device having minimized outer region The LCD device comprises a display region defined by a plurality of gate and data lines, and having a plurality of thin film transistors (TFTs), for displaying an image; a frame region disposed outside the display region, and composed of a first region having a reflection layer for displaying a color having a set brightness by reflecting incident light in a reflective mode, and a second region having a driving circuit pattern and a driving circuit for shielding incident light; and an outer region formed outside the frame region and having the driving circuit.
US07973886B2	Four color liquid crystal display and panel therefor Thin film transistors are formed on a lower substrate, and red, green, blue and transparent color filters are formed thereon. An organic insulating layer is formed on the color filters, and pixel electrodes are formed thereon. A black matrix and a common electrode are formed on an upper substrate facing the lower substrate.
US07973881B2	Plane light source apparatus and liquid crystal display apparatus The present invention provides a plane light source apparatus includes a light guide plate having a flat face portion and an end face portion. A plurality of point light sources are disposed in an opposing relationship to the end face portion of the light guide plate. The light guide plate mixes light from the point light sources incoming from the end face portion thereof and emit the mixed light as illumination light from the flat face portion thereof. The point light sources are a combination of point light sources having chromaticities different from each other within a predetermined standard chromaticity range, and mix light from the point light sources so that the chromaticity of the resulting illumination light fits into a target chromaticity range which is narrower than the standard chromaticity range.
US07973880B2	Illumination device and liquid crystal display device A transparent substrate 2, into which light from a light source 9 is introduced through at least one side, includes a transparent first glass substrate (substrate body) 5a and a low refractive index layer 6 that is disposed on the first glass substrate 5a and has a lower refractive index than the first glass substrate 5a. Moreover, a high refractive index layer 7 having a higher refractive index than the low refractive index layer 6 is disposed on the low refractive index layer 6, thereby preventing the generation of light that leaks from the first glass substrate 5a to the outside through the low refractive index layer 6.
US07973877B2	Illumination device and liquid crystal display apparatus An object of the invention is to provide an illumination device that can make it easy to detect a disorder of a light emitting element, and a liquid crystal display apparatus including the illumination device. Each light emitting element array (S) is constituted by light emitting elements (T) which are connected in series. To the light emitting elements (T) are individually connected in parallel current bypass elements (U) that are changed from a disconnected state where no current flows to a connected state where current flows when a predetermined voltage higher than that applied to the light emitting elements in an lighting state is applied thereto. Each power source unit (P) is connected to each light emitting element array (S) in series, and supplies constant current to each light emitting element (T). Terminal units for voltage detection (11) are connected to an anode (A) of each light emitting element (T).
US07973876B2	Backlight module having frame accommodating light source driver and liquid crystal display using same An exemplary backlight module (2) includes a light guide plate (23), a light source (25), a light source driver (27), and a frame (21). The light source is provided adjacent to the light guide plate. The light source driver is directly connected with the light source. The frame includes an upper frame (211) and a lower frame (212). The upper frame and the lower frame cooperatively form a space to accommodate the light guide plate, the light source, and the light source driver.
US07973874B2	Flat panel display and backlight module thereof A flat panel display and backlight module thereof. The backlight module comprises a frame, a flexible printed circuit board, and at least one electrical connection port. The flexible printed circuit board is encircled by the frame. The electrical connection port is disposed on the flexible printed circuit board, connecting the flexible printed circuit board and an external printed circuit board.
US07973859B2	Apparatus, network device and method for video/audio data transmission Embodiments of the present invention disclose an apparatus for transmitting video/audio data, including a receiving decoding module, configured to receive remote video/audio data and a stream media transmitted from an IP network, respectively decode the received remote video/audio data and the stream media, input the decoded video data to the video synchronization module, and input the decoded audio data to the mixer; a video synchronization module, configured to combine and a synchronize the received video data; a mixer, configured to mix the received audio data. Embodiments of the present invention also disclose a network device and a method for transmitting video/audio data. Through the technical scheme disclosed in the embodiments of the invention, a user terminal may make an audio/video call while watching a stream media program via the same display screen and speaker.
US07973857B2	Teleconference group formation using context information Teleconferencing and, in particular, distributed teleconferencing may use methods and systems for location grouping to reduce feedback and other audio anomalies. Terminals and users connected to the same teleconference and in the same location might not need to receive audio signals from the other terminals and users in the same location. As such, by detecting and analyzing the location of each participating terminal, the terminals (and thus, the users thereof) may be organized into location groups to provide proper audio mixing. In one example, first and second terminals in the same location might not receive each other's audio in a downstream teleconference signal. The location and grouping of terminals may be processed using context fingerprint information derived from sensor readings of each terminal. Sensors may include GPS sensors, cameras, BLUETOOTH sensors and the like. Context fingerprint information may further be synchronized to enhance location determination and grouping.
US07973843B2	Active pixel sensor with reduced fixed pattern noise An image sensor includes pixels each of which is designed to transfer charge, accumulated in a photoactive region of the pixel during a first period, through a second active region of the pixel to a power supply node, and to transfer charge, accumulated in the photoactive region during a second period, through the second active region to a sense node in the pixel. Passing charge through the second active region prior to transferring it either to the power supply node or the sense node can help reduce fixed pattern noise. The image sensor can be operated in snap-shot mode.
US07973836B2	Camera, image sensor, and method for decreasing undesirable dark current A method for lowering dark current in an image sensor pixel, the method includes the steps of providing a photosensitive area for receiving incident light which is converted into a charge; providing a gate for transferring charge from the photosensitive area; wherein the gate is held at a voltage which will accumulate majority carriers at a semiconductor-dielectric interface during integration for the photosensitive area. Alternatively, a potential profile can be provided under the gate to drain the dark current away from the photogeneration diffusion.
US07973831B2	Solid-state image sensor and imaging apparatus using the same An objective is to provide a solid-state image sensor which can reduce the pixel rate while restraining the reduction in the angle of view and the deterioration in image quality when image data is output from the image sensor, and an imaging apparatus using the image sensor. A solid-state image sensor includes: plural photoelectric conversion elements which respectively have color filters being divided into plural groups each including color filters of plural colors, the groups being cyclically provided; and an signal output unit which mixes up digital signals, which are output via the A/D converter, at predetermined sampling positions and at predetermined different rates, and outputs signals which are smaller in number than the photoelectric conversion elements, and sampling gravity centers of the signals output from the signal output unit are at equal intervals.
US07973829B2	Image sensing apparatus, image sensing method, recording medium, and program for controlling exposure by correcting a brightness value when an optical filter is manually inserted An object of the invention is to provide an image sensing apparatus capable of sensing an image in consideration of the influence of inserting/removing an optical filter, an image sensing method, a recording medium, and a program. To achieve this object, a brightness value calculation unit calculates the first brightness value representing the brightness of part or all of an object which is imaged on a CCD image sensing element. A brightness value correction unit calculates the second brightness value by correcting the first brightness value calculated by the brightness value calculation unit on the basis of the light reduction amount generated by inserting an ND filter. A system controller controls an optical system and signal processing in a DSP circuit by using the second brightness value calculated by the brightness value correction unit.
US07973827B2	Image data generating apparatus, method and program for generating an image having high spatial and high temporal resolution The shooting, recording and playback system 100 of the present invention receives incoming light 101, stores an image shot, and then subjects the image shot to be reproduced to resolution raising processing, thereby outputting RGB images with high spatial resolution and high temporal resolution (ROUT GOUT BOUT) 102. The system 100 includes a shooting section 103, a color separating section 104, an R imaging sensor section 105, a G imaging sensor section 106, a B imaging sensor section 107, an image shot storage section 108, an image shot writing section 109, a memory section 110, an image shot reading section 111, a spatial resolution upconverter section 112, a temporal resolution upconverter section 113, an output section 114, and a line recognition signal generating section 185. The system can get image data with high spatial resolution and high temporal resolution without getting the camera configuration complicated and without decreasing the optical efficiency.
US07973824B2	Digital camera that uses object detection information at the time of shooting for processing image data after acquisition of an image A digital camera includes an object detecting unit which analyzes an analysis target image including a through image data taken in from an image pickup device to compose a shot of an object, a shot image, or a reduced image, based on a feature appearing in an image representing a subject of shooting, and detects at least one main object captured in the analysis target image, a subject information extracting unit which extracts, for each image of object detected by the object detecting unit, subject information including a position in a screen corresponding to the analysis target image and its expansion, and a tag data writing unit which writes the subject information, as a part of tag data corresponding to the shot image, to a storage medium, thereby enabling use of the information acquired by object detection at the time of shooting, also after the acquisition of the image.
US07973823B2	Method and system for image pre-processing An imaging architecture has a memory module to store raw images for the pre-processing stage. The raw image from the output of the pre-processing block may be compressed by a compressor before the image is stored in the memory module. Furthermore, the raw image in the memory is subject to pre-processing as many times as needed or desired. Thus, a decompressor may be operatively connected to the memory module to retrieve the stored image and to decompress the retrieved image before providing the image to the pre-processing block. In the imaging architecture, a loop formed by the memory module, the decompressor, the pre-processing block and the compressor allows the image to be pre-processed multiple times. The imaging architecture can be coupled to the main processor and post-processor in an imaging device for further processing the image data for display or for transmission.
US07973813B2	Thermal transfer printer and method of removing ink cassette A thermal transfer printer according to the present invention includes; a head mounting base with a thermal head attached thereto, and disposed so as to oppose a platen roller, a locomotion board including a supporting system for supporting the head mounting base so as to be spaced apart from and approaching to the platen roller, and being movable in an extending direction of the thermal head, a slider provided in connection with the supporting system, and being movable in the extending direction of the thermal head, wherein the head mounting base is spaced apart from and approaching to the platen roller by the supporting system as the slider moves.
US07973807B2	Snap to element analytical tool An analytical tool for measuring spacing between elements in a web page is provided. In one implementation, the analytical tool identifies locations indicated on a web page and automatically determines one or more elements in proximity to those indicated locations. The analytical tool automatically identifies points on the determined elements associated with the indicated locations and calculates the distance between those points. The calculated distance is displayed on the web page. The automatically identified points and a graphical representation of a measuring ruler between the points may also be displayed to enhance usability.
US07973806B2	Reproducing apparatus capable of reproducing picture data A reproducing apparatus includes a graphics processing unit that outputs graphics data of an RGB color space, a video decoder that outputs video data of a YUV color space, a conversion unit that converts a color space of the graphics data from the RGB color space to the YUV color space, a blending process unit that executes a blending process in which the graphics data that is converted to the YUV color space and the video data of the YUV color space are blended on the YUV color space, and a picture data output unit that outputs picture data, which is obtained by the blending process, to a display apparatus.
US07973804B2	Image processing with highly threaded texture fragment generation A circuit arrangement and method support a multithreaded rendering architecture capable of dynamically routing pixel fragments from a pixel fragment generator to any pixel shader from among a pool of pixel shaders. The pixel fragment generator is therefore not tied to a specific pixel shader, but is instead able to utilize multiple pixel shaders in a pool of pixel shaders to minimize bottlenecks and improve overall hardware utilization and performance during image processing.
US07973796B1	Natural framing system In one embodiment, a method of displaying a representation of a frame includes identifying a molding type capable of being used in a frame. A set of digital images is obtained, wherein each one of the set of digital images represents molding of the molding type in a different one of a plurality of orientations. A representation of the frame is then displayed using the set of digital images.
US07973789B2	Dynamic model generation methods and apparatus A method for a computer system includes opening a model of an object, wherein the model comprises a plurality of geometric elements, determining a subset of geometric elements from the plurality of geometric elements of the model, modifying properties of one or more of the geometric elements in the subset of geometric elements to form a modified subset of geometric elements, and using the modified subset of geometric elements to represent the model of the object in the computer system.
US07973787B2	Method for picking on fused 3D volume rendered images and updating views A method of point picking on a fused volume rendered view of multiple registered volumes having the following steps: selecting a rendered pixel, finding the projection ray through the rendered pixel, finding the intersection segment of the projection ray with the fused volume, traversing the intersection segment according to a traversing intersection point, calculating the intermediate fused volume rendered value at each traversing intersection point, evaluating a stop condition at each traversing intersection point leading to a final fused volume rendered value, outputting the coordinates of the traversing intersection point where the stop condition was reached as the picked point.
US07973770B2	Method and user interface for entering characters The invention relates to a method for entering characters in a user interface of an electronic device. The method according to the invention comprises: detecting the direction of movement indicated by the input device when the start of the character entering function has been detected; showing the character of the character area on the display, towards which character area the direction of movement indicated by the input device is proceeding; detecting the termination of the character entering function; interpreting the character towards whose character area the direction of movement was last detected to proceed as the character to be entered next, when the termination of the character entering function is detected.
US07973769B2	Localized haptic feedback A surface for generating an isolated haptic feedback includes an isolated region having a perimeter and a gap surrounding the perimeter, with the gap separating the isolated region from the rest of the surface. The surface further includes a deformable sealing material that is filled within the gap.
US07973767B2	Manual pointing device for a computer system with inertial click-event detection and corresponding click-event detection method A manual pointing device for a computer system, the device having at least one key that can be actuated manually by a user, and a click-event detection module coupled to the key for detecting actuation thereof. The click-event detection module is provided with an inertial sensor for detecting mechanical stresses generated by actuation of the key.
US07973763B2	Electronic devices with sensible orientation structures, and associated methods An electronic device includes a faceplate having a faceplate surface and a display at or near the faceplate surface for providing content to a user. The electronic devices can also include an input device proximate to the display for accepting input from the user. The electronic devices can further include a sensible orientation structure carried by the faceplate and at a fixed relative position relative to the input device. The sensible orientation structure is configured to provide the user with positional feedback relative to the input device via touching.
US07973761B2	Method of driving information display panel In a method of driving an information display panel of a passive matrix driving type, in which display media are sealed in a space between two substrates, at least one substrate being transparent, and, in which an electrostatic field, which is generated from an electrode at scan side and an electrode at data side arranged respectively to the opposed substrates in an intersected manner, is applied to the display media so as to display information such as an image, at least two or more voltage values or an open state (including a connection state under a high-impedance state) are applied to at least one electrode. According to the invention, it is possible to obtain a method of driving an information display panel, which can reduce a cross-talk occurring voltage generated between the electrode at scan side and the electrode at data side and thus improve a display quality.
US07973757B2	Liquid crystal display A liquid crystal display replaces the common electrodes of a conventional LCD with a plurality of switch electrodes. The plurality of switch electrodes is grouped into several switch electrode sets. Each of the switch electrode sets' potential is modulated by a different driving circuit. The driving circuits can also separately modulate the potentials of the switch electrode sets according to the scanning sequence of the LCD.
US07973754B2	Display substrate and display panel having the same A display substrate includes a base substrate, a gate line, a data line, a pixel electrode and a shielding electrode. The base substrate includes a plurality of unit pixel areas arranged in a matrix shape. The gate line extends between the unit pixel areas. The data line crosses the gate line. The data line extends between the unit pixel areas. The pixel electrode is disposed in the unit pixel area. The pixel electrode is electrically connected to an output electrode of a switching element electrically connected to the gate and data lines. The shielding electrode is disposed the gate and data lines. The shielding electrode has an opening an opening formed therein, the opening disposed above and extending along a direction of the gate line.
US07973748B2	Datadriver and method for conducting driving current for an OLED display A data driver for an OLED display has a resistor string, digital-to-analog converters and converting transistors. The resistor string provides a set of gamma voltages. Each of the digital-to-analog converters converts an input word into an output voltage selected from the gamma voltages. Each of the converting transistors conducts a driving current and having a gate-to-source voltage determined by the output voltage from one of the digital-to-analog converters. A method of data driving for an OLED display is also disclosed.
US07973746B2	Pixel and organic light emitting display using the same A pixel includes a light emitting diode, and a switching circuit that is coupled to a data line and a compensation power source line, and includes a transistor including a control terminal, a first main terminal coupled to a power source line, and a second main terminal coupled to the light emitting diode. The switching circuit generates a control signal based on at least a voltage of a data signal transmitted through the data.
US07973744B2	Display device A display device uses an organic actuator as a pixel, and an under-layer substrate is formed underneath the actuator. A surface of the actuator is set to a black and a surface of the substrate is set to a white. Seeing the actuator from an outside, the surface of actuator is visible in a black when the actuator is a planar state and visible in a white when the actuator is inflected, which realizes a display. In addition, the actuator has a memory effect by utilizing a shape memory effect and Coulomb force of the organic material.
US07973740B2	Method of driving information display device A method of driving an information display device including displaying information of one frame by performing a scanning operation with respect to line electrodes on one substrate and column electrodes on another substrate, such that a voltage is applied to the line electrodes from one end to the other end. Then, a voltage for generating a cross-talk in the first color and a voltage for generating a cross-talk in the second color is applied to all cells one or more times respectively after the one frame is displayed. The information of the one frame is an image, and two or more lines of line electrodes are added at the end of the scanning operation, and a drive, in which a display of the first color and a display of the second color are performed one or more times respectively, is performed after the scanning operation is finished.
US07973737B2	Storage device with illuminated panel Different peripheral devices of the present invention include: a display panel interface to which is reversibly operationally attachable a display panel and a power interface for receiving power from a host; a display panel to which are individually reversibly operationally attachable display panels for displaying respective aspects of the device's operation; a display panel for providing a semantic display of the device's mode of operation and a power interface for receiving power from a host; or a display panel, a controller for operating the display panel in accordance with ambient conditions, and a power interface for receiving power from a host. A system includes an appliance, an ornament dock and a peripheral device, reversibly operationally attachable to either the appliance or the ornament dock, that operates a display panel in accordance with data received from the appliance.
US07973736B2	Varying angle antenna for electromagnetic radiation dissipation device The present invention is a varying angle antenna design to be used with an electromagnetic radiation dissipation device that reduces exposure to undesirable electromagnetic radiation. The dissipation device uses a varying angle antenna to capture radiation from an active emission source, such as a cellular telephone when it is transmitting. The device converts the captured radiation into an electric current and dissipates the collected current by spending it to operate a thermal, mechanical, or electrical device. The varying angle antenna is a printed circuit board trace antenna comprising a microstrip having several serially connected meandering segments. One or more meandering segments include 90-degree bends in the microstrip, and one or more meandering segments include bends of more and less than 90 degrees. Portions of the microstrip that are horizontally oriented are all parallel, while portions of the microstrip that are vertically oriented can be parallel or angled, depending on the bend angle. Additionally, near the center of the varying angle antenna, the microstrip segments are narrower than the microstrip segments near the ends of the antenna. In general, the meandering segments include varying angles, which maximizes the operation of the antenna for absorbing undesirable electromagnetic radiation from cellular telephones.
US07973735B2	Extendable swivel antenna Disclosed is an extendable swivel antenna, specifically a swivel antenna with enhanced durability, which can prevent deformation of a hinge unit and an outermost antenna covering the hinge unit. The swivel antenna includes: a power feeding unit 110 electrically connected to a terminal 200; an antenna unit 120 for transmitting a radio wave received from an external to the power feeding unit 110, which is folded in multiple stages and can extend; and a hinge unit 130 for connecting between the power feeding unit 110 and the antenna unit 120 and for swiveling the antenna unit 120, wherein the hinge unit 130 includes an insertion portion 131 connected to the antenna unit 120, a recess portion 132 connected to the power feeding unit 110 and having a step portion 132s whose diameters of one side and the other side are different from each other, and a hinge pin 133 for fixing the an insertion portion 131 and the recess portion 132, wherein the antenna unit 120 includes a whip antenna 121 fixed to the insertion portion 131, one or more road antennas 122, 123, and 124 to be folded about the whip antenna 121, and wherein one side 132c of the recess portion 132 whose internal diameter is smaller than that of the other side 132d of the recess portion 132 is housed in the outermost road antenna 124 of the folding one or more road antennas 122, 123, and 124.
US07973728B2	Radio transceiver communicating in a plurality of frequency bands The present invention relates generally to computer devices utilizing removably radio frequency communication devices used for transmitting and receiving information and more particularly to an improved apparatus for connecting an appropriate antenna to the radio frequency communication device using an antenna cap, and to an improved method and apparatus for connecting a communication card device such as a radio or modem to an appropriate antenna or telephone line.
US07973727B2	Mobile communication terminal There is provided a mobile communication terminal including: a housing of the mobile communication terminal; a film type antenna provided on the surface of the housing; a printed circuit board disposed inside the housing; and a connector electrically connecting the film type antenna and the printed circuit board.
US07973725B2	Mobile wireless communications device with selective load switching for antennas and related methods A mobile wireless communications device may include a plurality of antennas, a plurality of wireless transceivers, and signal processing circuitry. The device may further include a controller for selectively switching the signal processing circuitry to a desired one of the wireless transceivers, and for selectively switching a desired one of the antennas to the desired one of the wireless transceivers. Moreover, the controller may also be for selectively connecting and disconnecting the at least one other one of the antennas to an unused one of the wireless transceivers.
US07973724B2	Wireless chip and wireless device The present invention discloses a wireless chip comprising a circuit layer above which a microstrip antenna is provided, and a wave-absorbing body is provided between the circuit layer and the microstrip antenna. Since the microstrip antenna is disposed above the circuit layer, the wave-absorbing body capable of absorbing energy is utilized to isolate the circuit from the antenna, and the metal film in the microstrip antenna functions not only as the RF ground of the antenna but also as a shield against any interference, it is possible to effectively address the problem of the antenna interfering with the circuit; by selecting the medium with suitable dielectric constant, the height of the chip can be prevented from being unduly increased, thereby ensuring that the chip and the wireless device using the same are both small in size. The present invention also discloses the wireless device containing the wireless chip.
US07973706B2	SBAS navigation data update notifying system and method used in GBAS To maintain the safety by avoiding deterioration in the positioning accuracy through making SBAS satellite navigation data used in a ground system and in an airborne system consistent by employing GBAS. The system includes: a ground system which estimates errors contained in ranging signals received from the navigation satellites, and formats and transmits correction information for correcting the estimated errors; and an airborne system which calculates differential GPS positioning based on the ranging signals received from the navigation satellites and the formatted correction information, and displays a displacement from a regulated route. The ground system notifies update, when SBAS satellite navigation data used for generating the correction information is updated, by adding information regarding update of navigation data to the correction information. The airborne system detects the transmitted update notification of the SBAS satellite navigation data, and calculates the differential GPS positioning by switching to the updated navigation data.
US07973705B2	Marine bump map display A plotting system and method for plotting radar and/or sonar signals on a bump map, with a simulated height of each data point representing a corresponding signal strength. The plotting system may comprise a processing device for associating particular signal strengths with normal vectors. The normal vectors may be used to determine the simulated heights to be illustrated on the bump map. The plotting system may also comprise a display for graphically displaying the bump map. Furthermore, the processing device may also associate particular signal strengths with particular colors, such that both color and simulated height may illustrate the strength of the plotted signals.
US07973701B2	Automotive radar sensor blockage detection system and related techniques A blockage detection system and method for use in a sensor such as a side object detection (SOD) sensor in an automotive radar system is described. The sensor emits signals and receives return signals (i.e. reflected signals) from a passing object. If the passing object is within a virtual detection zone, the sensor uses the information from the passing object to determine if a blockage condition exists in the sensor. The technique utilizes statistics related to the passing object to determine whether a blockage condition exists within the sensor. In one embodiment, a SOD sensor mounted in a first vehicle uses information from a second passing vehicle (e.g. radar return information) to determine whether a blockage condition exists within the SOD sensor itself.
US07973698B1	System and method for using a radar to estimate and compensate for atmospheric refraction An aircraft weather radar system includes an input for receiving data associated with weather radar returns received by an antenna. The aircraft weather radar system further includes processing electronics for performing a routine to analyze radar returns associated with terrain. The processing electronics are configured to determine atmospheric refraction characteristics based on a range and/or an angle to terrain. The routine is based on the determination of atmospheric refraction characteristics.
US07973694B2	Analog-digital converter An analog-digital converter according to the present invention includes an input polarity switching unit, an integrator that integrates an input signal, an integrator output adjusting circuit that adjusts an output voltage of the integrator, a window comparator, and a controller that controls the input polarity switching unit, the integrator output adjusting circuit, and the window comparator, and generates a digital signal. When the output voltage of the integrator reaches a first reference voltage, the controller resets reference voltage of a high-voltage side comparator to a second reference voltage. Further, when the output voltage of the integrator reaches a third reference voltage, the controller resets reference voltage of a low-voltage side comparator to a fourth reference voltage. According to the analog-digital converter of the present invention, it is possible to prevent device breakdown and occurrence of through current due to fluctuation of the output voltage of the integrator.
US07973683B2	Apparatus and method for lossless coding and decoding A lossless coding and/or decoding apparatus and method. The lossless coding apparatus may read a probability model corresponding to each of a plurality of context groups. Here, the probability model stored in a memory may be generated by grouping a context. The lossless coding apparatus may code a symbol using the probability model and generate a bitstream. The lossless coding apparatus may enhance coding efficiency and reduce an amount of space utilized by the memory.
US07973682B2	Configurations for data ports at digital interface for multiple data converters A data converter includes N analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) to sample multiple analog signals in response to an input clock to produce N signal samples per sample period. For each sample period, the bits of the N signal samples are multiplexed to M sets of multiplexed bits where 1
US07973679B2	Encoding/decoding of digital signals, especially in vector quantization with permutation codes The invention relates to the encoding/decoding of digital signals, especially using permutation codes involving a calculation of combinatorial expressions. According to the invention, the combinatorial expressions are represented by prime factor power decompositions, and determined by a preliminary reading of pre-recorded representations of decompositions of selected integers.
US07973673B2	Automated meter reader direct mount endpoint module An automated meter reader module can be operably connected to an existing utility meter to provide an endpoint for use in an automated meter reader system. The automated meter reader module can utilize an index attachment drive mechanism to electronically and mechanically monitor consumption of a utility such as water, gas, or electricity. The index attachment of the existing utility meter is attached so that it does not physically impede reception or transmission of radio frequency communications by a patch antenna integrated into a printed circuit board located inside the automated meter reader module. A gasket around the edge of the housing sealingly interfaces with the existing utility meter and a multi-faced cover that allows the registered dials located on the index attached to be viewed from a plurality of vantage points.
US07973666B2	Graphical patient movement monitor A lack of patient movement monitor and method. The monitor and method patient support includes a plurality of sensors located beneath a patient support to determine movement of a patient. An alarm is activated when patient movement over time is determined to be lacking.
US07973658B2	Illumination and detection architecture An illumination and detection architecture that illuminates a target for detecting a material of interest. The architecture includes an illumination component that illuminates the target using a predetermined light wavelength known to energize and thereby cause a detectable change in the desired chemical and/or compounds associated with the target in a particular way. The change is then captured by an image capture system and processed to determine the presence or absence detected of the desired material of interest at the target.
US07973653B2	Vehicular abnormality notification system, method and apparatus, and vehicle-mounted apparatus An apparatus, a method and a system of vehicle abnormality notification in which predetermined information is transmitted to a predetermined subject when an abnormality in the vehicle state is detected in a vehicle are constructed so that even when an abnormality in the vehicle state has been detected in the vehicle, the aforementioned predetermined information is not transmitted to the predetermined subject if the vehicle is in a predetermined area.
US07973651B2	Transmitter apparatus and system for remote signaling An electronic system is described for controlling vehicle message lighting including turn and stop indicator signal lights, which system does not require any pre-existing wiring harness in either a towing vehicle 101 or any towed vehicle 104 to be in serviceable condition. In one embodiment the system implements a reliable wireless detection method based on feedback to confirm the state of operation of any such pre-existing “vehicle indication signal drive line” and includes a control apparatus that wirelessly transmits 230 instructions to at least one local receiver 150 controlling a number of message devices, including, but not limited to, vehicle indication signal lights. Another embodiment of the system bypasses any pre-existing wiring harness and permits the operator to manually over ride its detector. Advantageously, the portable control transmitter apparatus and each receiver apparatus 150 of the invented system are easily installed by a nontechnical person requiring minimal tooling and then operated by an unskilled user.
US07973649B2	Method of an apparatus for sensing the unauthorized movement of vehicles and the like and generating an alarm or warning of vehicle theft An improved motion sensing and alarm technique and apparatus for monitoring unauthorized movement of vehicles or the like and notifying the owner thereof, wherein the motion sensors in the vehicle are microprocessor controlled to be automatically armed when the owner is not in the vicinity of the vehicle, but disarmed or de-activated in the presence of the owner and the owner's radio-coded identification transmitter associated with the owner's key fob, and with energy saving features as well.
US07973633B2	DC to DC converter module Lower surface terminals are disposed at the lower surface of a magnetic substrate. An upper surface electrode is disposed at the upper surface of the magnetic substrate. A control circuit, an input capacitor, and an output capacitor are mounted on the upper surface electrode. The control circuit contains a switching element. A smoothing choke is disposed inside the magnetic substrate. The connection wiring of connecting the upper surface electrode and at least one of the input terminal, the output terminal, and the ground terminal is constructed using an inner conductor passing through the inside of the magnetic substrate, and the connection wiring forms an inductor.
US07973626B2	Apparatus for position recognition The invention relates to an apparatus for position detection having a magnet and a sensing element which has switched states or parameter values depending on the magnetic field generated by the magnet, with the apparatus furthermore having a means for influencing the magnetic field, with the means being made and arranged such that different switched states or parameter values of the sensing element can be generated in dependence on the position of the magnet, the sensing element and the means for influencing the magnetic field with respect to one another.
US07973625B2	Tool free contact block The present invention relates to an auxiliary contact block. The auxiliary contact block comprises a housing and a tool free latching mechanism. The tool free latching mechanism further comprising a stationary member integral to the housing and a latching bar. The latching bar comprising a button in communication with a moveable member by a central body.
US07973624B2	Electromagnetic switch for an E-machine An electromagnetic switch is described as including a starter relay, in particular, for an electrical starter motor for controlling a starter pinion when starting an internal combustion engine, having a housing, an armature electromagnetically controllable therein, for controlling a control lever, and having a flexible protective cap which seals a transition from the housing to the armature, the protective cap being developed to be pot-shaped and having a pot floor and a pot opening, the pot floor having a circular opening having a thickened ring for the form-locking connection to the armature, and the pot opening being developed reinforced at its circumferential edge for the form-locking connection to the housing, the pot floor having a setpoint bending region, as seen in cross section. In order to create a small installation space, the protective cap has an arrangement or structure, on its inner wall, for connecting to the housing, which are able to be connected to the housing in a form-locking manner.
US07973618B2	Phase shifter, method of fabricating the same, and duplexer having the same A phase shifter fabricated by a simple process and having a simple structure, a method of fabricating the same, and a duplexer having the same are disclosed. The duplexer includes a transmitting-end filter capable of passing only a signal in the range of a transmission frequency, a receiving-end filter capable of passing only a signal in the range of a reception frequency, and a phase shifter interposed between the transmitting-end filter and the receiving-end filter to isolate a transmitted signal of the transmitting-end filter and a received signal of the receiving-end filter from each other. The phase shifter includes a substrate provided with an input port and an output port, an inductor formed on the substrate and connected to the input and output ports, and a capacitor provided on the substrate, wherein the capacitor and inductor share a region of the substrate.
US07973616B2	Post-wall waveguide based short slot directional coupler, butler matrix using the same and automotive radar antenna A short slot directional coupler includes a dielectric substrate having both surfaces each covered by a metal film, a first via-hole string and a second via-hole string, each of which has via-holes penetrating through the substrate, and formed so that a distance between the first via-hole string and the second via-hole string is narrow at a center of a length direction of the string and wider along directions of both ends of the string, and a pair of third via-hole strings each having via-holes penetrating through the substrate, and formed between parts adjacent to both ends of the first via-hole string and parts adjacent to both ends of the second via-hole string to form a first post-wall waveguide along with the first via-hole string and a second post-wall waveguide along with the second via-hole string.
US07973609B2	Digitally-controlled oscillator, frequency synthesizer and radio communication device A frequency synthesizer includes a digitally-controlled oscillator and an oscillation frequency control unit. The digitally-controlled oscillator includes a loop-shaped transmission line path having an odd number of parallel portions in each of which two conductors are arranged in parallel to each other with a space therebetween, and an odd number of intersection portions in each of which two conductors intersect spatially, an active circuit coupled between the two conductors, and a first variable capacitance unit and a second variable capacitance unit. The oscillation frequency control unit includes a ΣΔ modulation circuit for subjecting to ΣΔ modulation a first control signal for switching a high capacitance state and a low capacitance state of a first variable capacitance element included in the first variable capacitance unit.
US07973595B2	Power switch circuit A power switch circuit includes a first switch transistor connected to a main power supply, which supplies a first voltage, a second switch transistor connected in series to the first switch transistor and to a backup power supply, which supplies a second voltage. A switch control unit controls activation and deactivation of the first and second switch transistors so that either one of a voltage corresponding to the first voltage and a voltage corresponding to the second voltage is selectively output to a connection node between the first and second transistors. The first switch transistor includes a first diode, which is formed so that a direction from the main power supply toward the connection node defines a forward direction, and a second diode, which is formed so that a direction from the connection node toward the backup power supply defines a forward direction.
US07973589B2	Micro-controller-based electronic switch using a proximity detector to facilitate hands-free control of an AC device This system is a no touch single pole single throw (spst) two wire electronic light switch that uses an Infrared Proximity Detector to create a working system designed to replace existing mechanical switches common in households. The use of a Micro Controller enables the system to adapt to different loads and load types while requiring a minimum number of parts to perform the necessary tasks.
US07973583B2	A/B-phase signal generator, RD converter and angle detection unit An A/B-phase signal generator wherein an up/down count unit 52C counts up by an up-count command or counts down by a down-count command at fixed intervals, an angle comparison unit 51 compares the count result ACNT of up/down count unit 52C with an input rotation angle θ and generates a count request, which is an up-count request or a down-count request, a count request comparison unit 52B compares a previous count request with a next count request and generates an up-count command or a down-count command only when the previous count request and the next count request are both up-count requests or down-count requests, respectively, and an A/B-phase pulse generator 53 receives a least significant bit and a second least significant bit of up/down count unit 52C and generates and outputs an A-phase pulse signal and a B-phase pulse signal.
US07973581B2	Phase detector, phase comparator, and clock synchronizing device A flip-flop circuit includes: a first latch circuit that receives input of a data signal and a rise delay clock signal, raises a signal of a first node according to the fall of the rise delay clock signal, and lowers the signal of the first node according to the rise of the rise delay clock signal; a second latch circuit that receives input of the signal of the first node and the clock signal and lowers a signal of a second node at timing when the clock signal falls; a third latch circuit that receives input of the signal of the second node and the clock signal and generates an output signal for maintaining the data signal; and a pull-down circuit that pulls down the signal of the first node with the rise delay clock signal.
US07973578B2	Time-to-digital converter and all-digital phase-locked loop A time-to-digital converter (TDC) includes a converter which receives a first signal and a second signal, delays the second signal in phases using a plurality of delay elements which are coupled in series, compares the delayed second signal with the first signal, and outputs a phase error of the second signal with respect to the first signal, a phase frequency detector which receives the first signal, and a third signal from one of the nodes in the plurality of delay elements, and outputs a phase difference between the first signal and the third signal, and a frequency detector which outputs a frequency error of the second signal with respect to the first signal as a digital code using an output signal of the phase frequency detector and the second signal.
US07973577B2	Control of a variable delay line using line entry point to modify line power supply voltage Disclosed herein is a VDL/DLL architecture in which the power supply to the VDL, VccVDL, is regulated at least as a function of the entry point of the input signal (ClkIn) into the VDL. Specifically, VccVDL is regulated to be higher when the delay through the VDL is relatively small (when the entry point is toward the right (or minimum delay) edge of the VDL) and is reduced when the delay is relatively high (when the entry point is toward the left (or maximum delay) edge of the VDL). This provides for graduated delays across the stages of the VDL, but without the need to design each stage separately. Other benefits include a VDL/DLL design operable over a wider range of frequencies, and a reduced number of stages, including a reduced number of buffer stages. Moreover, when the disclosed technique is used, buffer stages may be dispensed with altogether. Additionally, the disclosed VDL architecture can be used in any situation where it might be advantageous to delay a signal through a variable delay as a function of VDL entry point.
US07973571B2	Multichannel drive circuit The invention provides a multichannel drive circuit by which, even when there occurs a variation between channels in circuit characteristics of each channel including current source due to the semiconductor manufacturing process and the like, loads of each channel constituting a load array can be driven under conditions uniform between all the channels. The invention includes; an interchannel common connection line (5) for making conduction between respective current paths of each channel for connecting the respective current sources of each channel constituting a current source array (11) with respective input switches of each channel constituting an input switch array (13); and current blocking means (12) for blocking output current of the current source of that channel of the plurality of channels in which the input switch is in an OFF state from flowing into the interchannel common connection line.
US07973570B2	Sample-and-hold (S/H) circuit A sample-and-hold circuit (100) is provided that that includes a sample-and-hold switch (125), an integrator circuit (180) designed to generate an output voltage (VOUT) signal, and a bias voltage (VBIAS) source (185). The sample-and-hold switch (125) incldues a first switch (130), a second switch (140), and a third switch (150). The first switch (130) has a first gate (132), a first source (134) and a first drain (134), the second switch (140) has a second gate (142), a second source (144) electrically coupled to a bulk region (147), and a second drain (146), and the third switch (150) has a third gate (152), a third drain (154), and a third source (156) coupled to the first source (136). The integrator circuit (180) includes an output operational amplifier (170) having an inverting input (V−) (172) coupled to the second drain (146) and a non-inverting input (V+). The bias voltage (VBIAS) source (185) applies a bias voltage (VBIAS) to the third drain and the non-inverting input (V+) to drive a gate-to-source voltage (VGS) of the second switch (140) to an optimum negative value that reduces a sub-threshold leakage current (IDS) and a Gate Induced Drain Lowering (GIDL) leakage current in the second switch (140), and to drive a drain-to-source voltage (VDS) of the second switch (140) is biased at a low value equal to an offset voltage (VOFFSET) of the output operational amplifier (170) to minimize a drain-to-bulk current (IDB) in the second switch (140).
US07973569B1	Offset calibration and precision hysteresis for a rail-rail comparator with large dynamic range A rail-rail comparator having an input stage with independent positive and negative differential voltage offset compensation tracks changes in Gm (transconductance) of the input stage. By tracking the changes in Gm (transconductance) of the input stage, hysteresis of the rail-rail comparator becomes insensitive to the input common mode voltage. A two-stage rail-rail comparator may be used for adding hysteresis to a second stage. The first stage of the two-stage rail-rail comparator operates at substantially unity gain. The second stage of the two-stage rail-rail comparator operates as a regular high gain amplifier with hysteresis. Additional circuitry tracks the Gm (transconductance) change of the first stage to make the second stage hysteresis insensitive to the input common mode voltage at the first stage. This also makes it easier to create a programmable hysteresis that is accurate over all input voltage values.
US07973561B2	Receiver particularly for a meter-bus A receiver particularly suited for an M-BUS is described. During transmission, the receiver is disabled. After each transmission, nodes and states in the receiver are set to prepare the receiver to receive a signal. Once data is sensed, a feedback loop clips the input signal to the receiver to limit the swing of the input signal. The line of the power supply at the lower potential is modulated, rather than modulating the line at the higher potential, for the transmission of data.
US07973558B2	Integrated circuit with delay selecting input selection circuitry Some embodiments provide an integrated circuit (IC) with a delay select input selection circuit. The delay select input selection circuit comprises a first input selection circuit, a first storage element, a second storage element, and a first input line branching into multiple input lines. The multiple input lines include at least a second, third, and fourth input line. The second input line is communicably connected to a first input of the first input selection circuit. The third input line enters the first storage element. The fourth input line enters the second storage element. An output from the first storage element is communicably connected to a second input of the first input selection circuit. An output from the second storage element is communicably connected to a third input of the first input selection circuit.
US07973557B2	IC having programmable digital logic cells An integrated circuit (IC) includes at least one programmable digital logic cell that includes first dedicated digital logic cell having a plurality of transistors including at least one PMOS transistor and at least one NMOS transistor configured to perform at least one digital logical function. The first dedicated digital logic cell includes a plurality of nodes including at least one input node and at least one output node that reflects performance of a digital logical function. Programmable tuning circuitry includes at least one tuning input and at least one tuning circuit output. Circuitry for coupling or decoupling the tuning input or tuning circuit output to at least one of the plurality of nodes of the first dedicated digital logical cell is provided, wherein the coupling or decoupling is operable to change the processing speed for the first reprogrammable digital logic cell.
US07973550B2	Semiconductor device test apparatus including interface unit and method of testing semiconductor device using the same A semiconductor device test apparatus is provided. The semiconductor device test apparatus includes a test unit on which a semiconductor device under test is disposed, and an automatic test equipment (ATE) unit that inputs a test signal to the test unit and reads a test result signal output by the test unit. The semiconductor device test apparatus includes an interface unit that is interposed between the test unit and the ATE unit, and that compares the test signal with the test result signal and outputs to the ATE unit comparison signals indicating whether the semiconductor device is a failure or not or whether a specific bit failure has occurred or not.
US07973549B2	Method and apparatus for calibrating internal pulses in an integrated circuit A method and circuit for measuring internal pulses includes an enable circuit configured to receive a control signal from an on-chip built-in tester to enable measurement of internal circuits. A delay chain is configured to receive a pulse signal from an on-chip circuit component. Sampling latches each include a data input coupled between adjacent delay elements of the delay chain and synchronized with the clock signal such that a transition in the pulse signal is indicated by comparing adjacent digital values in an output sequence.
US07973543B2	Measurement apparatus, test apparatus and measurement method Provided is a measurement apparatus that measures a current flowing through a load, including a power supply section that outputs a current supplied to the load; a current measuring section that measures a load current flowing between the load and the power supply section; a switch that is connected in parallel with the current measuring section between the load and the power supply section; and a control section that disconnects the switch during measurement of the load current and connects the switch when the load current falls outside of a predetermined reference range.
US07973542B2	Methods and systems for guarding a charge transfer capacitance sensor for proximity detection Methods, systems and devices are described for determining a measurable capacitance for proximity detection in a sensor having a plurality of sensing electrodes and at least one guarding electrode. A charge transfer process is executed for at least two executions. The charge transfer process includes applying a pre-determined voltage to at least one of the plurality of sensing electrodes using a first switch, applying a first guard voltage to the at least one guarding electrode using a second switch, sharing charge between the at least one of the plurality of sensing electrodes and a filter capacitance, and applying a second guard voltage different from the first guard voltage to the at least one guarding electrode. A voltage is measured on the filter capacitance for a number of measurements equal to at least one to produce at least one result to determine the measurable capacitance for proximity detection.
US07973532B2	Downhole spread spectrum induction instruments A plurality of transmitters on a logging tool are activated simultaneously at substantially the same frequency. When the transmitter outputs are phase-modulated using a mutually orthogonal set of modulating functions, it is possible to recover, from the signal at each receiver, a response corresponding to each of the transmitters.
US07973531B2	Detuning a radio-frequency coil For detuning of radio-frequency coils (in magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy, for example), a conducting element (102) of a transmission cable is configured to form a primary resonant circuit tunable to at least one first resonance frequency. A second conducting element (104) of the transmission cable is configured to form a switching circuit that is electrically insulated from and reactively coupled via inductive coupling and/or capacitive coupling to the primary resonant circuit, and is adapted to tune the primary resonant circuit to at least one second resonance frequency, thereby detuning the primary resonant circuit.
US07973525B2	Constant current circuit Provided is a constant current circuit capable of supplying a stable constant current. Even when K values of NMOS transistors vary due to manufacturing fluctuations in semiconductor devices, a voltage generated across a resistor is always a threshold voltage difference between the NMOS transistors, and thus hardly varies. Even when the K values of the NMOS transistors vary due to a change in temperature, the voltage generated across the resistor is always the threshold voltage difference between the NMOS transistors, and thus hardly varies.
US07973523B2	Reverse current sensing regulator system and method A reverse current sensing (RCS) regulator system and method is provided. One embodiment of the invention includes a RCS regulator system. The system comprises a RCS comparator that monitors a drain voltage of a LS FET and is configured to switch states at a zero crossing point to provide an indication of the start of a reverse current condition. The system further comprises a RCS evaluator that measures a drain voltage of the LS FET upon receiving an indication that the LS FET has been turned off by the driver logic circuit and adjusts an offset to the RCS comparator to adjust the trip point of the RCS comparator relative to the drain voltage if the measured drain voltage falls outside a predetermined threshold.
US07973521B2	Voltage regulators Voltage regulators are provided. In one embodiment of the voltage regulators, a differential amplifier receives a reference voltage and a feedback voltage, to generate a control signal according to a voltage difference between the feedback voltage and the reference voltage. An output transistor has a first terminal coupled to a power voltage, a control terminal coupled to the differential amplifier for receiving the control signal, and a second terminal coupled to an output terminal. A voltage feedback circuit is coupled between the output terminal and a ground voltage to generate the feedback voltage. A discharge transistor has a first terminal coupled to the ground voltage, a control terminal coupled to a first control signal, and a second terminal coupled to the output terminal through a first resistor in the voltage feedback circuit.
US07973520B2	Piezoelectric transformer type high-voltage power apparatus and image forming apparatus A piezoelectric transformer type high-voltage power source apparatus to control an output voltage from a piezoelectric transformer to a load, and an image forming apparatus including the same, the piezoelectric transformer type high-voltage power source apparatus including: an output voltage detection unit to compare the output voltage with an output control voltage, and to output a digital value according to the comparison; and a driving control unit to control a driving frequency and a duty rate of the piezoelectric transformer according to the digital value. Accordingly, the piezoelectric transformer type high-voltage power source apparatus can stably perform frequency and duty rate control without experiencing an abnormal oscillation or uncontrollable state due to a manufacturing irregularity of particular components and/or a change in temperature, and a high voltage can be output within a short rise time.
US07973519B2	Device for transforming a primary AC voltage in a lower AC voltage in a lower AC voltage for supplying an electrical load A device for transforming an AC voltage to a lower AC voltage includes a generator of a PWM control signal and a first bidirectional switch to couple a load to the AC voltage during a conduction-phase. A second bidirectional switch discharges energy from the load during an off-phase of the first bidirectional switch. A first driving circuit of the first bidirectional switch is input with the PWM control signal and generates a first PWM signal, applied between control and conduction terminals of the first bidirectional switch. A second driving circuit for the second bidirectional switch is input with the PWM control signal and generates a second PWM signal, in phase opposition to the first PWM signal, applied between control and conduction terminals of the second bidirectional switch. An electric decoupling circuit is between the generator and second driving circuit. A transformer is between respective conduction terminals of the bidirectional switches.
US07973516B2	Sliding conductor transmission cable Methods and devices for connecting a current source to a target storage device via a transmission cable extendable and/or retractable via a conduit that may be repositioned.
US07973510B2	Apparatus for controlling inverter The apparatus for controlling an inverter is disclosed which detects a rotation angle of a load using a current supplied to the load when the inverter utilizes a voltage/frequency control to control the driving of the load, and accurately drives the load using the detected rotation angle, where the current supplied to the load by the inverter is detected by a current sensor, and a rotation speed of the load is estimated by the detected current to be used for the driving of the load.
US07973507B2	Raindrop detecting device and method of determining raindrop amount A raindrop detecting device includes a raindrop sensor, and a controller. The raindrop sensor is disposed in a wiping area of a wiper blade on a front windshield, and outputs a detection signal regarding a raindrop amount. The controller activates the wiper blade based on the detection signal, and sets a prohibition period for which the raindrop sensor is prohibited from determining the raindrop amount. The raindrop sensor outputs signals when raindrop collected by the wiper blade passes above the raindrop sensor in a reciprocating wiping operation. The controller calculates the prohibition period of a second reciprocating wiping operation based on the signals of a first reciprocating wiping operation.
US07973502B2	Drive unit and manufacturing method thereof A drive unit includes a rotating electrical machine; a rotation sensor that detects a rotational position of a rotor of the rotating electrical machine, and a storage medium. In an inspecting step of measuring a counter electromotive force by mechanically driving the rotating electrical machine after the rotating electrical machine and the rotation sensor are assembled together, positional error information of the rotation sensor obtained based on information of the counter electromotive force and output information from the rotation sensor is stored in the storage medium. The storage medium is integrally provided to the drive unit in such a state that the storage medium is readable upon assembling a control device that controls the rotating electrical machine.
US07973497B2	Discharge tube lighting apparatus A discharge tube lighting apparatus includes a converter that converts a voltage received from an alternating-current or direct-current power supply into a predetermined direct-current voltage and an inverter that converts an output voltage of the converter into an alternating-current voltage having a predetermined frequency. The inverter performs burst control based on an externally input dimming signal. The converter operates regardless of the active or inactive period of the burst control of the inverter and performs negative feedback control in response to a detection signal of a tube current in the active period of the inverter.
US07973495B2	Adaptive control apparatus and method for a solid state lighting system The present invention provides a method and apparatus for adaptive control of a solid-state lighting system consisting of one or more groups of one or more light-emitting elements The invention comprises a voltage control device to provide each group with an independently controllable voltage A feedback system to detect and generate a signal representative of drive currents through the one or more groups A computing device then adaptively evaluates, based on the signal, a required voltage that achieves a desired respective drive current in each of the one or more groups.
US07973493B2	Discharge lamp lighting device, and illuminating device In order to enhance stability of a discharge lamp at the time of dimming lighting even in the case where a light output is lowered, a direct current superimposing circuit superimposes a direct current voltage on an alternating current voltage applied to a fluorescent lamp, and a dimming signal correction circuit receives a detection value of a direct current voltage detection circuit and a dimming signal that is from an outside, outputs a dimming signal higher in level than the dimming signal in the case where the detection value of the direct current voltage detection circuit exceeds a first threshold value, and decreases the level of the outputted dimming signal to the level of the inputted dimming signal in the case where the detection value of the direct current voltage detection circuit falls down below a second threshold value that is equal to or less than the first threshold value. Then, an amount of alternating current power supplied to the fluorescent lamp by an inverter circuit is increased and decreased in response to fluctuations of the level of the dimming signal outputted by the dimming signal correction circuit, whereby the fluorescent lamp is dimmed.
US07973489B2	Lighting system for illumination using cold cathode fluorescent lamps A lighting system for illuminating a chamber in a building includes a lighting fixture suitable for being mounted onto a surface of the chamber, so that light emitted by at least one CCFL device mechanically supported by the fixture illuminates the chamber. The one CCFL device includes at least one transformer. A driver adapted to be connected to a surface of the chamber is capable of converting input power from a power source to an AC power having a voltage in the range of about 5-400 volts and a current at a frequency in the range of about 1kc-100 kc. The at least one transformer is suitable for converting the AC power to an output power suitable for operating the at least one CCFL, causing the at least one CCFL to emit light.
US07973485B1	Particle controller A particle controller is disclosed. In some embodiments, a particle controller includes an input port configured to receive a particle stream and a set of cells configured to form a tube through which at least a portion of the particles comprising the particle stream are directed. In some such cases, each cell in the set of cells comprises at least a portion of a semiconductor die.
US07973481B2	Nitride sintered body and method for manufacturing thereof An insulating material high both in thermal conductivity and light reflectance, and a submount high in heat radiatability for mounting an LED element thereon, capable of raising a light utilization factor and quickly radiating heat generated from the element. For example, used as a substrate material of a submount is a nitride sintered body having a reflectance of light in the wavelength region of from 350 nm to 800 nm of 50% or more and a reflectance of light with a wavelength of 700 nm of 60% or more, obtained by sintering a preform consisting of a composition containing 100 parts by mass of aluminum nitride powder and 0.5 to 10 parts by mass of a compound containing an alkaline earth metal such as 3CaO×Al2O3 in an inert atmosphere containing a specific quantity of carbon vapor, or by burning a coat of a nitride paste applied on a base substrate having a heat resistance at a predetermined temperature.
US07973480B2	High-pressure discharge lamp having an outer envelope arranged around a discharge vessel A high-pressure discharge lamp has an outer envelope (1) in which a discharge vessel (11) is arranged. The discharge vessel encloses a discharge space (13) with an ionizable filling. The discharge vessel has two mutually opposed neck-shaped portions (2,3) through which current supply conductors (4,5) extend to a pair of electrodes (6,7) in the discharge space. A lamp base (8) of electrically insulating material supports the discharge vessel. The lamp base also supports the outer envelope (1). The outer envelope encloses the current supply conductors and is connected to the lamp base in a gas-tight manner. By controlling the atmosphere in the outer envelope, a simplified and compact high-pressure discharge lamp is provided with an accurate positioning of the discharge vessel with respect to the optical axis of the lighting system. The high-pressure discharge lamp can be suitably applied in an assembly with a reflector.
US07973478B2	Electrode rod holder in a high-pressure discharge lamp The invention relates to an improved electrode rod (1) holder with the aid of a metal tube piece 5 and a metal plate 6 connected in a fixed manner to the metal tube piece for a mercury ultra-high pressure discharge lamp.
US07973475B2	Organic light emitting display device and method for fabricating the same An OLED device and a method for fabricating the same are disclosed, capable of improving yield and preventing decomposition of organic layers by moisture. An organic passivation layer having excellent morphology is applied to prevent a short circuit between an anode electrode and a cathode electrode. A Ca layer is applied to remove moisture from the inside of the device, thereby increasing the lifespan of the device. Accordingly, generation of dark sports by the short circuit caused by protrusions on a poor-morphology layer can be prevented. In addition, moisture absorbent layers are formed between the passivation layers and the partitions to remove outside moisture and the moisture outgassed from the inside, that is, partitions and organic layers, thereby elongating the lifespan of the OLED device.
US07973474B2	Electroluminescent display including conductive film coupled to connector An electroluminescent (EL) display includes a substrate, an EL pixel array with a light emitting diode (LED) on the substrate, a connector electrically coupled to the EL pixel array, an encapsulant on the substrate and surrounding the EL pixel array, an encapsulation substrate attached to the substrate, the EL pixel array enclosed between the encapsulation substrate and the substrate, and a conductive film electrically coupled to the connector, the conductive film being in communication either with the substrate or the encapsulation substrate.
US07973466B2	Organic electroluminescent display device with light-shielding means and method of fabricating the same An organic electroluminescent display device includes: a substrate having a pixel region and a non-pixel region surrounding the pixel region; a first electrode on the substrate in the pixel region; an organic luminescent layer on the first electrode; a second electrode on the organic luminescent layer; and a light-shielding means corresponding to the non-pixel region.
US07973464B2	Field emission element having carbon nanotube and manufacturing method thereof A given field emission element includes a carbon nanotube field emission wire and at least one supporting protective layer coating an outer surface of the carbon nanotube field emission wire. The carbon nanotube field emission wire is selected from a group consisting of a carbon nanotube yarn, a wire-shaped CNT-polymer composite, and a wire-shaped CNT-glass composite. A method for manufacturing the described field emission element includes the steps of: (a) providing one carbon nanotube field emission wire; (b) forming one supporting protective layer on an outer surface of the carbon nanotube field emission wire; and (c) cutting the carbon nanotube field emission wire to a predetermined length and treating the carbon nanotube emission wire to form the field emission element.
US07973463B2	Electron-emitting device, electron source, image display apparatus and method of fabricating electron-emitting device There are provided a stable electron-emitting device with less fluctuation in electron-emitting properties and a method of fabricating the electron-emitting device. The electron-emitting device has a substrate; a plurality of columnar first regions respectively orientated substantially perpendicular to the surface of the substrate; a second region provided between the respective first regions higher than the first regions in resistance; and an electron emission layer covering the columnar first regions and the second region.
US07973458B2	Piezoelectric vibrating pieces having progressively narrowed vibrating arms An exemplary piezoelectric vibrating piece comprises a base formed of a piezoelectric material; and a pair of vibrating arms extending from one end of the base in a designated direction; wherein the vibrating arm comprises an arm portion in which only the inner side slopes as it becomes narrower to the distal end and a hammer-head portion that is formed wider than the arm portion at the distal end of the vibrating arms.
US07973456B2	Piezoelectric ceramic and piezoelectric element employing it The piezoelectric element 20 of the invention comprises a pair of electrodes 2,3 and a piezoelectric ceramic 1 comprising as the major component a solid solution of the two components KNbO3 and BaTiO3. In the solid solution, the molar ratio of KNbO3 is 0.5-0.9 with respect to the total of the two components.
US07973455B2	Ultrasonic sensor having stable anisotropy in directional properties A case member of an ultrasonic sensor includes an outer case member having a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom surface and an inner case member. Cutout portions having a predetermined size are arranged so as to face each other in a lower portion of a sidewall of the inner case member. The inner case member is made of a metal material having a density that is greater than that of the outer case member. Consequently, an elliptical vibrating-surface amplitude profile can be formed in a vibrating surface of the ultrasonic sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor having stable anisotropy in directional properties can be provided. Further, the ultrasonic sensor has a small amount of displacement of side vibration.
US07973452B2	Vibration actuator A vibrator (3) is sandwiched between a base block (1) and a stator (2), and a substantially lower half of a substantially spherical rotor (6) is received in a recess (5) of the stator (2). A support member (7) is placed on an upper portion of the stator (2). A preload portion (10) is supported at an end of an angle portion (9) of the support member (7). A spherical member (11) rotatable about multiple axes of the preload portion (10) abuts against a top portion of the rotor (6) to apply a preload to the rotor (6). Driving the vibrator (3) rotates the rotor (6), whereby an output shaft (12) is moved between the preload portion (10) and an annular portion (8) of the support member (7) as a movable range.
US07973449B2	Transducer for surface acoustic waves and a resonator and a filter having said transducer A transducer for surface acoustic waves, and a resonator and a filter for surface acoustic waves having the transducer are provided. The transducer for surface acoustic waves has cells containing two electrode fingers per cell, wherein the transducer exhibits unidirectional behavior for propagation directions of the surface acoustic waves parallel to highly symmetrical directions of the crystal substrate. Each of two electrodes have a plurality of electrode fingers, the electrode fingers having center axes extending parallel to their longitudinal axes and being spaced apart from center axes of adjacent electrode fingers of the same electrode by a distance which equals the ratio of the velocity of the surface acoustic wave and the cut-off frequency of the transducer. The electrode fingers of both electrodes define a plurality of cells each consisting of two fingers.
US07973443B2	Magnetic field element A magnetic field element includes magnetic field portions and a coupling portion and is rotatable on a rotation axis along a given direction. Each magnetic field portion includes a magnet and magnetic plates. The magnet includes first and second pole faces having different polarities from each other in the given direction. The magnetic-material plates are provided on the first and second pole faces. The magnetic field portions are annularly arranged along a circumferential direction around the rotation axis and spaced in the circumferential direction from one another. The coupling portion is made of a non-magnetic material and couples the magnetic field portions to one another.
US07973435B2	Electrical linear drive An electrical linear drive device comprises an outer housing consisting of a housing tube and two housing covers disposed at the ends thereof The outer housing defines in the interior thereof a receiving space, into which the drive part of a drive unit in the form of an electrodynamic linear direct drive like a cartridge is placed, and an output drive rod extends outward through the front housing cover. From a drive coil arrangement of the drive unit an electrical operation cable extends to an central electrical interface means. The electrical interface means is disposed laterally on the housing tube and the operation cable and the signal cable extend in a cable channel formed in the wall of the housing tube.
US07973429B2	Apparatus with speaker An apparatus includes two DC/DC converters including two conversion circuits for converting a power supply voltage to first and second output voltages, respectively, two driving circuits for driving the respective conversion circuit based on first and second pulse wave modulated signals, and two pulse width modulation circuits for performing pulse width modulation on a thinned wave signal formed from a first wave signal and on a second wave signal to generate the pulse wave modulated signals, respectively. One DC/DC converter includes a thinning circuit for removing portions of a first wave signal to form the thinned wave signal. The apparatus includes a speaker for generating sound by inputting a signal based on the voltages.
US07973423B2	On-vehicle electric power source system In an on-vehicle electric power source system, a power source control device is configured to supply an electric power from an electric power supply source to an actuator by means of a dual-circuit power supply line. The dual-circuit power supply line includes a bypass line and a charge-up line arranged in parallel with the bypass line. A first shut-off circuit is disposed in the bypass line. A booster circuit, an electricity storage device, and a second shut-off circuit are disposed in the charge-up line. The storage device is provided for storing an electric power boosted up by the booster circuit. Also provided is a control unit, which is configured to perform switching between an electric power supply through the bypass line and an electric power supply through the charge-up line by a changeover of a shutoff-circuit established/blocked state between the first and second shut-off circuits.
US07973422B2	Device for producing electrical power in a two-spool gas turbine engine A device for producing electrical power in a multi-spool gas turbine engine is disclosed. The device includes at least one first rotary spool and a second rotary spool which drives an electrical machine. The electrical machine is of the twin-rotor type with a first rotor and a second rotor. The first rotor is mechanically connected to the first rotary spool and the second rotor is mechanically connected to the second rotary spool.
US07973412B2	Semiconductor device using lead-free solder as die bonding material and die bonding material not containing lead In a semiconductor device bonded to a motherboard with a bonding material having a melting point of 200° C. to 230° C., a bonding material 15 which is a die bonding material for bonding a semiconductor element 13 to a semiconductor substrate 11 is a Bi alloy containing 0.8 wt % to 10 wt % of Cu and 0.02 wt % to 0.2 wt % of Ge, so that the bonding material 15 for bonding the semiconductor element 13 to the semiconductor substrate 11 is not melted when the semiconductor device is bonded to the motherboard by reflowing. It is therefore possible to suppress poor connection on the semiconductor element 13, thereby securing the mountability and electrical reliability of the semiconductor device.
US07973403B2	Adhesive sheet for light-emitting diode device and light-emitting diode device [Problem] To provide an adhesive sheet which is used for a light-emitting diode device, and which is free from cracks and peeling off of the adhered portions.[Means for Solving the Problem] An adhesive sheet for a light-emitting diode device, which comprises a thermoplastic polymer containing epoxy groups and a compound containing functional groups which are addition reactive with the epoxy groups or a polymerization catalyst which can effect a ring opening polymerization of the epoxy groups, and in which said thermoplastic polymer is cross-linked so that its flowability is restrained.
US07973399B2	Embedded chip package An embedded chip package includes a substrate, a semiconductor structure, an encapsulating material layer and a plurality of conductive vias. Herein the substrate includes at least a dielectric layer and at least a patterned circuit layer disposed on the dielectric layer. The semiconductor structure is disposed on the substrate and has a plurality of electrical bonding pads, and the electrical bonding pads contact the dielectric layer. The encapsulating material layer is disposed on the substrate and around the semiconductor structure. In addition, a plurality of conductive vias is disposed in the substrate to electrically connect the patterned circuit layer to the electrical bonding pads.
US07973396B2	Electronic price tag device, pop device, management system for electronic price tag device, and method and program for controlling management system for electronic price tag device The present invention provides a solution to the following problem: when using an electronic price tag device attached to a POP panel, an advertising content of the POP panel may be inconsistent with a price displayed on the electronic price tag device, and such inconsistency is left as is until a person in charge of a store site notices that. An electronic price tag device 1 includes detecting elements SW1 to SW3. A POP panel 30 is provided with a projected and recessed part 33 at a position, with the electronic price tag device 1 attached thereto, facing a detecting unit 16. The projected and recessed part 33 is formed to have different shapes corresponding to the types of the POP panel. Type information of the POP panel based on a signal output from the detecting elements SW1 to SW3 engaged with the projected and recessed part 33 is output to a display 4.
US07973393B2	Stacked micro optocouplers and methods of making the same Disclosed are packages for optocouplers and methods of making the same. An exemplary optocoupler comprises a substrate having a first surface and a second surface, a plurality of optoelectronic dice for one or more optocouplers disposed on the substrate's first surface, and a plurality of optoelectronic dice for one or more optocouplers disposed on the substrate's second surface. The substrate may comprise a pre-molded leadframe, and electrical connections between optoelectronic dice on opposite surfaces of the substrate may be made via one or more leads of the leadframe.
US07973387B2	Insulated gate bipolar transistor An insulated gate bipolar transistor includes bump pad connectors to provide thermal contact with a heat spreader for dissipating heat away form the insulated gate bipolar transistor.
US07973385B2	Semiconductor device A semiconductor device including a doped substrate of a first doping polarity and a doped semiconductor material of a second doping polarity. The semiconductor material is on, or in, the substrate, and the second doping polarity is opposite the first doping polarity such that the semiconductor material and the substrate form a diode. The semiconductor device further includes an inductor on or above the semiconductor material, and a pattern in the semiconductor material for reducing eddy currents. The pattern includes a doped semiconductor material of the first doping polarity and a least one trench within the doped semiconductor material of the first doping polarity, wherein, at least at a depth at which the trench is closest to the inductor, the doped semiconductor material of the first doping polarity fully surrounds the trench so that, at least at the depth, the trench does not touch the doped semiconductor material of the second doping polarity.
US07973379B2	Photovoltaic ultraviolet sensor A photovoltaic ultraviolet sensor comprises a zinc oxide single crystal substrate. On the +c face of the zinc oxide single crystal substrate, an ultraviolet receiver is formed. The exemplary ultraviolet receiver includes a Schottky electrode which, when receiving ultraviolet rays, produces a voltage in cooperation with the zinc oxide single crystal substrate. The ultraviolet sensor does not have any sensitivity to the visible rays. The ultraviolet sensor has a relatively fast response of several microseconds.
US07973377B2	Image sensor comprising isolated germanium photodetectors integrated with a silicon substrate and silicon circuitry In accordance with the invention, an improved image sensor comprises an array of germanium photosensitive elements integrated with a silicon substrate and integrated with silicon readout circuits. The silicon transistors are formed first on a silicon substrate, using well known silicon wafer fabrication techniques. The germanium elements are subsequently formed overlying the silicon by epitaxial growth. The germanium elements are advantageously grown within surface openings of a dielectric cladding. Wafer fabrication techniques are applied to the elements to form isolated germanium photodiodes. Since temperatures needed for germanium processing are lower than those for silicon processing, the formation of the germanium devices need not affect the previously formed silicon devices. Insulating and metallic layers are then deposited and patterned to interconnect the silicon devices and to connect the germanium devices to the silicon circuits. The germanium elements are thus integrated to the silicon by epitaxial growth and integrated to the silicon circuitry by common metal layers.
US07973371B2	Semiconductor integrated circuit device including static random access memory having diffusion layers for supplying potential to well region A static random access memory (SRAM) cell includes a first well region of a first conductivity type, a second well region of the first conductivity type, formed in a location different from a location where the first well region is formed, and a third well region of a second conductivity type, which is located between the first well region and the second well region. The memory cell further includes a first tap diffused layer of the first conductivity type for supplying a potential to the first well region, a second tap diffused layer of the first conductivity type for supplying the potential to the second well region, the first and second tap diffused layers being arranged substantially on a diagonal line in the layout of the SRAM cell, and a metal interconnection connected to the first and second tap diffused layers, the metal interconnection passing on the third well region in the SRAM cell.
US07973366B2	Dual-gate, sonos, non-volatile memory cells and arrays thereof Memory cells which include a semiconductor substrate having a source region and a drain region separated by a channel region; a charge-trapping structure disposed above the channel region of the semiconductor substrate; a first gate disposed above the charge-trapping structure and proximate to the source region; and a second gate disposed above the charge-trapping structure and proximate to the drain region; where the first gate and the second gate are separated by a first nanospace are provided, along with arrays including a plurality of such cells, methods of manufacturing such cells and methods of operating such cells.
US07973363B2	IGBT semiconductor device To provide a semiconductor device in which dielectric breakdown strength in a peripheral region is increased without increasing on-resistance. An IGBT comprises a body region, guard ring, and collector layer. The body region is formed within an active region in a surface layer of a drift layer. The guard ring is formed within a peripheral region in the surface layer of the drift layer, and surrounds the body region. The collector layer is formed at a back surface side of the drift layer, and is formed across the active region and the peripheral region. A distance F between a back surface of the guard ring and the back surface of the drift layer is greater than a distance between a back surface of the body region and the back surface of the drift layer. A thickness H of the collector layer in the peripheral region is smaller than a thickness D of the collector layer in the active region.
US07973344B2	Double gate JFET with reduced area consumption and fabrication method therefor Double gate JFET with reduced area consumption and fabrication method therefore. Double-gate semiconductor device including a substrate having a shallow trench isolator region comprising a first STI and a second STI, a channel region having a first and second channel edges, the channel region formed in the substrate and disposed between and in contact with the first STI and the second STI at the first and second channel edge. The first STI has a first cavity at the first channel edge, and the second STI has a second cavity at the second channel edge. The device further includes a gate electrode region comprising conductive material filling at least one of the first and second cavities. At least one of the first and second cavities is physically configured to provide electrical coupling of the gate electrode region to a back-gate P-N junction.
US07973336B2	Released freestanding strained heterojunction structures Growth of multilayer films is carried out in a manner which allows close control of the strain in the grown layers and complete release of the grown films to allow mounting of the released multilayer structures on selected substrates. A layer of material, such as silicon-germanium, is grown onto a template layer, such as silicon, of a substrate having a sacrificial layer on which the template layer is formed. The grown layer has a lattice mismatch with the template layer so that it is strained as deposited. A top layer of crystalline material, such as silicon, is grown on the alloy layer to form a multilayer structure with the grown layer and the template layer. The sacrificial layer is preferentially etched away to release the multilayer structure from the sacrificial layer, relaxing the grown layer and straining the crystalline layers interfaced with it.
US07973333B2	Lateral DMOS transistor and method for the production thereof A lateral DMOS-transistor is provided that includes a MOS-diode made of a semi-conductor material of a first type of conductivity, a source-area of a second type of conductivity and a drain-area of a second type of conductivity which is separated from the MOS-diode by a drift region made of a semi-conductor material of a second type of conductivity which is at least partially covered by a dielectric gate layer which also covers the semi-conductor material of the MOS-diode. The dielectric gate-layer comprises a first region of a first thickness and a second region of a second thickness. The first region covers the semi-conductor material of the MOS-diode and the second region is arranged on the drift region. A transition takes place from the first thickness to the second thickness such that an edge area of the drift region which is oriented towards the MOS-diode is arranged below the second area of the gate layer. The invention also relates to a method for the production of these types of DMOS-transistors.
US07973332B2	Lamp and method of making the same An LED lamp includes a board, a metal wiring provided on the board, an LED mounted on the metal wiring, and a metal heat dissipation film mainly made of a metal different from a metal for forming the metal wiring. The metal heat dissipation film partially overlaps the metal wiring. The metal heat dissipation film has an irregular surface. The metal heat dissipation film is mainly made of a metal that is softer than the metal wiring. The metal heat dissipation film intervenes between the board and the metal wiring, and part of the metal heat dissipation film that is in contact with the metal wiring has an irregular surface.
US07973327B2	Phosphor-converted LED A light source and method for fabricating the same are disclosed. The light source includes a die, a light conversion component, and a scattering ring. The die emits light of a first wavelength through a top surface of the die and one or more side surfaces of the die, and is bonded to a mounting substrate. The light conversion component converts light of the first wavelength to light of a second wavelength, the light conversion component having a bottom surface bonded to the top surface of the die. The light conversion component has lateral dimensions such that a space exists around the die, the space being bounded by the substrate and the light conversion component. The scattering ring is positioned in the space such that a portion of the light emitted from the side surfaces of the die is scattered into the light conversion component.
US07973325B2	Reflective electrode and compound semiconductor light emitting device including the same Provided are a reflective electrode and a compound semiconductor light emitting device having the reflective electrode, such as LED or LD is provided. The reflective electrode formed on a p-type compound semiconductor layer of a compound semiconductor light emitting device, comprising a first electrode layer formed one of a Ag and Ag-alloy and forms an ohmic contact with the p-type compound semiconductor layer, a third electrode layer formed of a material selected from the group consisting of Ni, Ni-alloy, Zn, Zn-alloy, Cu, Cu-alloy, Ru, Ir, and Rh on the first electrode layer, and a fourth electrode layer formed of a light reflective material on the third electrode layer.
US07973319B2	Display unit, method of manufacturing same, organic light emitting unit, and method of manufacturing same A display unit capable of being simply designed and manufactured by using more simplified light emitting device structure while capable of high definition display and display with superior color reproducibility and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The display unit is a display unit (1), wherein a plurality of organic EL devices (3B), (3G), and (3R), in which a function layer (6) including a light emitting layer (11) is sandwiched between a lower electrode (4) made of a light reflective material and a semi-transmissive upper electrode (7), and which has a resonator structure in which light h emitted in the light emitting layer (11) is resonated using a space between the lower electrode (4) and the upper electrode (7) as a resonant section (15) and is extracted from the upper electrode (7) side are arranged on a substrate (2). In the respective organic EL devices (3B), (3G), and (3R), the function layer (6) is made of an identical layer, and an optical distance L of the resonant section (15) is set to a value different from each other so that blue, green, or red wavelength region is resonated.
US07973313B2	Thin film integrated circuit device, IC label, container comprising the thin film integrated circuit, manufacturing method of the thin film integrated circuit device, manufacturing method of the container, and management method of product having the container The present invention provides an ultrathin thin film integrated circuit and a thin film integrated circuit device including the thin film integrated circuit device. Accordingly, the design of a product is not spoilt while an integrated circuit formed from a silicon wafer, which is thick and produces irregularities on the surface of the product container. The thin film integrated circuit according to the present invention includes a semiconductor film as an active region (for example a channel region in a thin film transistor), unlike an integrated circuit formed from a conventional silicon wafer. The thin film integrated circuit according to the present invention is thin enough that the design is not spoilt even when a product such as a card or a container is equipped with the thin film integrated circuit.
US07973301B2	Low power phase change memory cell with large read signal A memory cell includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and phase-change material including a first portion contacting the first electrode, a second portion contacting the second electrode, and a third portion between the first portion and the second portion. A width of the third portion is less than a width of the first portion and a width of the second portion.
US07973295B2	Method for making transparent carbon nanotube film The present method relates to a method for making a transparent carbon nanotube film. The method includes the following steps: (a) making a carbon nanotube film, and (b) irradiating the carbon nanotube film by a laser device with a power density thereof being greater than 0.1×104 W/m2, thus acquiring the transparent carbon nanotube film.
US07973294B2	Methods and devices for characterizing particles in clear and turbid media The invention provides methods and devices for detecting, identifying, classifying and characterizing particles in a fluid sample. Optical analyzers are provided having a rotating and/or translating sample container for measuring the concentrations of fluorescent particles present in very low concentrations and for characterizing fluorescent particles on the basis of size, shape, diffusion constant and/or composition. Scanning optical analyzers are provided using pattern recognitions data analysis techniques and multichannel detection.
US07973291B2	Electronic apparatus An electronic apparatus of the present invention includes an ion generator which generates ions in an atmosphere to remove chemical emission such as VOC and odor. The ion generator is arranged inside the duct which leads the chemical emission generated from the fixing unit to the discharge opening, and also generates positive ions and negative ions in the atmosphere, thereby can efficiently remove the chemical emission. With this arrangement, an electronic apparatus is realized which sufficiently suppresses the chemical emission such as VOC and odor, and is less likely to dirty the surroundings of the electronic apparatus such as the outer surface thereof and the walls surrounding the electronic apparatus.
US07973285B2	Apparatus for detecting the leakage of heavy water in nuclear reactor system and detection method using the same An apparatus and a method for detecting a leakage of heavy water in a nuclear reactor system includes: a diode laser that injects a generated laser beam to a test sample placed in a light absorption cell; a vacuum pump adjusts a degree of vacuum in the light absorption cell; a test sample introduction unit gathers an air test sample from a location with a high possibility of a leakage of heavy water or a light water test sample from a secondary side of a steam generator and transfers the sample to the light absorption cell; an optical detector detects the laser beam which has passed through the light absorption cell; and a microprocessor controls the operation of the diode laser, the vacuum pump, the test sample introduction unit, and the optical detector, receives a detect signal from the optical detector, and analyzes an absorption spectrum signal.
US07973272B2	Interface techniques for coupling a microchannel plate to a readout circuit Techniques are disclosed that can be used to interface a microchannel plate (MCP) with readout circuitry. The techniques can be employed, for instance, with MCP based devices used in a numerous sensing/detection applications, and are particularly suitable for applications where it is desirable to interface an MCP having a relatively large active area to a readout circuit having a relatively smaller active area. The interface effectively decouples anode geometry from ROIC geometry and may also be configured with flexible anode pad geometry, which allows for compensation of optical blur variations as well as a very high fill factor. The interface can be made using standard semiconductor materials and photolithography techniques, and can be configured with thermal expansion qualities that closely track or otherwise match that of the readout circuitry.
US07973269B1	Actuators for gun-fired projectiles and mortars A ring portion including: a ring body; and one or more actuators formed therein for providing thrust to a projectile and configured for fastening to a shell of an airborne device to form a portion of the shell. The airborne device can be a projectile.
US07973264B2	Toaster oven with low-profile heating elements A toaster oven appliance including low-profile heating elements having a predetermined single-sided surface area calculated to provide uniform heating within the cooking chamber, facilitate cleaning and to increase its usable capacity is disclosed. Various alternative configurations of top, bottom, and side-mounted heating elements in combination with both fixed and vertically movable heating element embodiments are provided for use with standard and digital controls. The heating elements are positioned both internally and externally of the cooking chamber and are provided in unsheathed, plain-sheathed, and metallic-sheathed types for a given application of the present oven. In one embodiment the heating elements are constructed as removable plug-in modules for convenient cleaning and replacement. The present toaster oven further includes an optional forced convection fan to reduce cooking temperature and shorten cooking cycles. An optional rotisserie mechanism is also provided in conjunction with the aforementioned combinations of heating elements and heating controls.
US07973261B2	Cooling structure for plasma lighting system Disclosed is a cooling structure for a plasma lighting system comprising a fan housing having at least two discharge ports having different flow rates for introducing external air into a case and cooling heat generating components in the case. The structure intensively cools heat generating components of high temperature such as a magnetron, thereby prolonging a life span of the components and enhancing a performance of a system.
US07973260B2	Wire electrical discharge machining A wire electrical discharge machine (WEDM) including a motion platform, a sink, a workbench, a connecting element, a jib, a first head and a second head is provided. The sink is disposed separately above the motion platform, and the workbench is disposed in the sink. The workbench is connected to the motion platform via the connecting element such that the motion platform drives the workbench moving along a first direction and a second direction. Besides, the jib is fixedly connected with the sink, and the first head is disposed inside the sink and connected with the jib. The second head is disposed above the first head. Thus, the jib does not cause relative motion to the sink in order to avoid leaking.
US07973256B2	Spring-biased switch for an electronic device A spring member is provided in a switch having a lever to receive a pushing force from outside, by bringing an arch-part formed at the left end of the spring member into resilient contact with the bottom surface of the lever, in addition to the movable contact, the spring member also can return the lever. In the case of developing a compact and low-profile switch, the returning force of the lever can be increased to perform electrical connection or disconnection reliably.
US07973253B2	Neutral draw-out automatic transfer switch assembly and associated method An interlock assembly for a bypass isolation open or closed transition ATS assembly is disclosed. The interlock assembly ensures that a switch assembly being worked upon and/or being inserted is in a neutral configuration, i.e. the switch assembly is not engaging a power source. The interlock assembly is, preferably, an electrical interlock having a control system structured to configure the switch assemblies and to monitor the configuration of the switch assemblies. That is, the switch assemblies each include a power operated, conductive, movable contact arm. The position of each contact arm is controlled, and monitored by, the control system which controls the single actuator for each contact arm.
US07973250B2	Cable conduit and method of mounting a cable relative to a wall opening A cable harness for passing one or more cables through an opening the wall includes a cable conduit including a generally S-shaped channel defined by an inner surface of a first shell portion and an inner surface of a second shell portion attached to the first shell portion and a least one cable disposed in the cable conduit. A method of mounting a cable relative to an opening in a wall is also disclosed.
US07973247B2	Connecting portion of circuit board and circuit board-connecting structure technical field In a circuit board-connecting portion 10, a first connecting portion 15 and a second connecting portion 20 are disposed in facing relation such that first conductors 14 contact second conductors 19, and also a first substrate 12 and a second substrate 17 are fixed to each other by an adhesive 22. The first connecting portion 15 has rigid members 24 provided at a reverse surface 12B of the first substrate 12 which is a soft substrate, and the rigid members 24 are disposed along a direction of a thickness of the first substrate 14, and are provided at positions corresponding to at least parts 14A of the first conductors 14.
US07973243B2	Coil insulator, armature coil insulated by the coil insulator and electrical rotating machine having the armature coil A coil insulator of an electrical rotating machine used as a main insulator for insulating a bundle of conductors formed of a plurality of insulated wires to form an armature coil provided in a slot of a rotor core or a stator core of an electrical rotating machine, wherein the coil insulator includes a mica layer including at least one of a peeled-off mica and a composite mica, a woven- or unwoven cloth including at least one of inorganic and organic materials, hexagonal crystal boron nitride particles having a graphitization index of 1.8 or more, and thermosetting polymer organic resin which integrally connects the mica layer and the hexagonal crystal boron nitride particles to each other, and the hexagonal crystal boron nitride particles is oriented in a longitudinal direction of the coil.
US07973231B2	Music synchronization arrangement The invention generally pertains to a hand-held computing device. More particularly, the invention pertains to a computing device that is capable of controlling the speed of the music so as to affect the mood and behavior of the user during an activity such as exercise. By way of example, the speed of the music can be controlled to match the pace of the activity (synching the speed of the music to the activity of the user) or alternatively it can be controlled to drive the pace of the activity (increasing or decreasing the speed of the music to encourage a greater or lower pace). One aspect of the invention relates to adjusting the tempo (or some other attribute) of the music being outputted from the computing device. By way of example, a songs tempo may be increased or decreased before or during playing. Another aspect of the invention relates to selecting music for outputting based on tempo (or some other attribute). For example, the computing device may only play songs having a particular tempo. Yet another aspect of the invention relates to both selecting music based on tempo and adjusting the tempo of the music.
US07973229B2	Comb Comb (1) for a wind instrument, in particular a harmonica, comprising a plurality of cavities (2) forming channels, the comb (1) being constructed from a plurality of thin strips (3) glued together, which extend with a longitudinal dimension (4) along a width (5) of the comb (1) and are cut from bamboo and joined together so that the longitudinal dimension (4) of the thin strips (3) in each case follows the alignment of the grain orientation (6).
US07973217B2	Stem-regulated, plant defense promoter and uses thereof in tissue-specific expression in monocots The invention is directed to isolated promoters from stem-regulated, defense-inducible genes, such as OMT promoters. The promoters are useful in expression cassettes and expression vectors for the transformation of plants. Particularly, the invention provides transgenic plants of rice and sugarcane that have been modified such that expression of a heterologous coding sequence is directed by an OMT promoter and is limited to stem tissues or may be upregulated by the presence of a defense-inducing agent. The invention also discloses methods for producing the expression vectors and transgenic plants.
US07973212B2	Soybean plants having superior agronomic performance and methods for their production This invention provides compositions including favorable alleles of marker loci associated with genetic elements contributing to superior agronomic performance. Also provided are markers for identifying favorable alleles of marker loci associated with genetic elements involved in superior agronomic performance, as well as methods employing the markers.
US07973204B2	Process to make base oil from thermally cracked waxy feed using ionic liquid catalyst We provide a process for making a base oil, comprising: a) selecting an olefin feed produced by thermal cracking of a waxy feed; b) oligomerizing the olefin feed in an ionic liquid oligomerization zone at a set of oligomerization conditions to form an oligomer; and c) alkylating the oligomer in the presence of an isoparaffin, in an ionic liquid alkylation zone, at a set of alkylation conditions to form an alkylated oligomeric product having a kinematic viscosity at 100° C. of 6.9 mm2/s or greater, a VI of at least 134, and a Bromine Number of less than 4. We provide a process to make base oil from an olefin feed produced in a FCC unit. We also provide a process to make two or more viscosity grades of base oil from an olefin feed produced by thermal cracking of a waxy feed.
US07973200B2	Patchoulol odorant The invention relates to the use as perfuming ingredients of 8a-alkyl-perhydro-naphthalenol derivatives, to impart odor notes of the woody-earthy type.
US07973199B2	Process for producing acetone from bioethanol The present invention provides a technique for producing acetone in a high yield from hydrated ethanol derived from biomass, without requiring a large amount of energy. Hydrated ethanol derived from biomass is heated to a reaction temperature of 400° C. or higher in the presence of a Zr—Fe catalyst, thereby producing acetone. The reaction temperature is preferably from 450 to 550° C., and the Zr—Fe catalyst preferably contains 5 to 10% by mass of Zr. The present invention allows purification of hydrated acetone without requiring purification of the hydrated ethanol.
US07973186B1	Low molecular weight pigment dispersants for phase change ink Disclosed is a compound of the formula or a mixture thereof; wherein R and R′ are the same or different, and wherein R and R′ are independently selected from an alkyl group, an arylalkyl group, or an alkylaryl group, wherein the alkyl group, the arylalkyl group, or the alkylaryl group has from about 18 to about 60 carbon atoms; and wherein m is an integer of from about 1 to about 30.
US07973185B2	Process for the preparation of phenolic hydroxy-substituted compounds The invention relates to a process for the preparation of a phenolic hydroxy-substituted compound of the general formula (I) by desalkylation of an alkyl aryl ether of the general formula (II) by treatment with a thiourea/aluminum chloride reagent pair, in said general formulae R1 stands for straight chain or branched C1-6 alkyl group; R2, R3 , R4 , R5, and R6 have the same or different meanings and stand for hydrogen or halogen atom, hydroxy, carboxy, nitro, oxo, C1-6 alkylcarbonyl, straight chain or branched alkyl or -alkoxy, or aryl group, or R2 and R3 together stand for a 5-7 membered ring or fused ring system; said 5-7 membered ring may be a partially saturated ring optionally substituted with an oxo group or can be an unsaturated ring; or said fused ring system may constitute with the first ring a steroid, preferably an estratriene derivative optionally substituted with an oxo or C1-6 alkylcarbonyloxy group in the 17 position.
US07973178B2	Chemical process for the preparation of an amido-phenoxybenzoic acid compound A process for making a compound of formula (I), which is useful as an intermediate to compounds which activate glucokinase, is described, (wherein P1, R1 and R2 are as defined in the description).
US07973177B2	Process for producing cyclic compounds The invention includes methods of processing an initial di-carbonyl compound by conversion to a cyclic compound. The cyclic compound is reacted with an alkylating agent to form a derivative having an alkylated ring nitrogen. The invention encompasses a method of producing an N-alkyl product. Ammonia content of a solution is adjusted to produce a ratio of ammonia to di-carboxylate compound of from about 1:1 to about 1.5:1. An alkylating agent is added and the initial compound is alkylated and cyclized. The invention includes methods of making N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP). Aqueous ammonia and succinate is introduced into a vessel and ammonia is adjusted to provide a ratio of ammonia to succinate of less than 2:1. A methylating agent is reacted with succinate at a temperature of from greater than 100° C. to about 400° C. to produce N-methyl succinimide which is purified and hydrogenated to form NMP.
US07973176B2	Process for production of aralkyloxypyrrolidine derivative The present invention provides a process for producing a 3-aralkyloxypyrrolidine derivative which is important for production of pharmaceutical products and the like. In the present invention, a N-protected-3-hydroxypyrrolidine is converted into a N-protected-3-aralkyloxypyrrolidine by allowing an aralkyl halide to act in the presence of a base and at least one of a metal halide and a phase-transfer catalyst followed by deprotecting a N-protecting group to convert it to a 3-aralkyloxypyrrolidine derivative and subsequently treating the derivative in a solvent containing a polar solvent, thereby obtaining the 3-aralkyloxypyrrolidine derivative as a crystal. According to the present invention, a 3-aralkyloxypyrrolidine derivative of high purity can be produced conveniently and efficiently on an industrial scale.
US07973174B2	Process of making 3-aminopentanenitrile A process for making 3-aminopentanenitrile from a crude 2-pentenenitrile (“crude 2PN”) comprising 2-pentenenitrile, 2-methyl-2-butenenitrile, and 2-methyl-3-butenenitrile includes contacting the crude 2PN with an ammonia-containing fluid and water. The ammonia-containing fluid can include at least one reactant selected from the group consisting of ammonia, aqueous ammonia, and ammonium hydroxide.
US07973171B2	Process for synthesis of dialkoxyorganoboranes The invention relates to a process for the synthesis of dialkoxyorganoboranes, in particular to a process for the synthesis of dialkoxyorganoboranes by an ester exchange reaction. Moreover, the invention relates to a process for the synthesis of organo-oxazaborolidine catalysts (organo-CBS) and of trialkylboroxins. Furthermore, the invention relates to methods of using dialkoxyorganoboranes for the preparation of organo-CBS catalysts and in Suzuki-type coupling reactions.
US07973169B2	Modulators of ATP-Binding Cassette transporters The present invention relates to modulators of ATP-Binding Cassette (“ABC”) transporters or fragments thereof, including CF Transmembrane Regulator (“CFTR”), compositions thereof, and methods therewith. The present invention also relates to methods of treating ABC transporter mediated diseases using such modulators.
US07973165B2	Imidazole derivatives The present invention relates to process for the preparation of an imidazole derivative of formula I, wherein R1, R2, R3 and R4 are described hereinabove. These compounds can be used in the treatment or prevention of mGluR5 receptor mediated disorders. These compounds are useful, inter alia, in the treatment or prevention of acute and/or chronic neurological disorders such as psychosis, epilepsy, schizophrenia, Alzheimer' disease, cognitive disorders and memory deficits, as well as chronic and acute pain.
US07973155B2	Stable and long-lasting siRNA expression vectors and the applications thereof The invention relates to a siRNA expression vector that can inhibit or eliminate the expression of a target gene in a mammalian cell, said vector comprising: a bacterial cassette containing a bacterial origin of replication and a bacterial selection marker M1; a eucaryotic cell selection cassette comprising a marker M2 for selecting eucaryotic cells under the control of an appropriate promoter; a cassette EBV comprising at least one fragment of the antigen EBNA-1, at least one fragment FR, and at least one fragment of the region DYAD; and a siRNA transcription cassette comprising at least one region coding for a siRNA corresponding to the target gene to be inhibited or eliminated, under the control of elements for regulating transcription in mammalian cells, said regulating elements including at least one promoter capable of transcribing a siRNA in mammalian cells, and a transcription terminator. The invention also relates to the applications of one such expression vector.
US07973143B2	Sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase polypeptides, polynucleotides and modulating agents and methods of use therefor Compositions, methods and kits for diagnosing and treating cancer are provided. Therapeutic compositions may comprise agents that modulate the expression or activity of a sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase (SPL). Such compositions may be administered to a mammal afflicted with cancer. Diagnostic methods and kits may employ an agent suitable for detecting alterations in endogenous SPL. Such methods and kits may be used to detect the presence of a cancer or to evaluate the prognosis of a known disease. SPL polypeptides, polynucleotides and antibodies are also provided.
US07973135B2	Compositions and methods for targeting cancer-specific transcription complexes The invention provides molecules that target cancer-specific transcription complexes (CSTC), compositions and kits comprising CSTC-targeting molecules, and methods of using CSTC-targeting molecules for the treatment) detection and monitoring of cancer.
US07973132B2	Cell-permeable fluorescent proteins This invention relates to methods and compositions for designing novel fluorescent proteins, preferably to a green fluorescent proteins (GFP). The engineered GFPs are modified by substituting negatively charged amino acids with positively charged amino acids on the exterior of the protein making the protein cell permeable. The ability of the engineered fluorescent proteins to permeate cells obviates the need for transfections, allowing these novel proteins to be used in numerous biological applications.
US07973118B2	Ink receiving particles, method for producing the same, and curable resin dispersion composition Ink receiving particles is provided. The ink receiving particles includes polymer particles, the polymer particles including a resin including an acidic group and a polyoxyethylene chain, the acidic group at least partially having a salt structure.
US07973095B2	Water-soluble or water-swellable polymers, particularly water-soluble or water-swellable copolymers made of acrylamide and at least one ionic comonomer having a low residual monomer concentration The invention relates to a process for the production of water-soluble or water-swellable polymers having a low content of residual monomers, particularly on the basis of acrylic acid and/or acrylamide and at least one additional water-soluble comonomer, in which process a monomer solution in a polymerizing state is treated with electromagnetic radiation at the earliest after reaching the maximum temperature of polymerization, and the gel obtained is subsequently crushed and dried, and it also relates to the water-soluble or water-swellable polymers as such, which can be obtained according to said process, to their use in the hygiene industry, packaging industry, in the agrarian technology or in agriculture and horticulture, in the cable industry and information technology, in the food industry, papermaking industry, and to their use as flocculation aids and as drilling fluid in petroleum production.
US07973089B2	Membrane preparation method comprising the extrusion of a thermoplastic polymer bearing alkaline groupings The invention relates to a process for the extrusion of thermoplastic polymers having alkaline ionic groups.The process consists in preparing a mixture composed of a thermoplastic polymer having alkaline ionic groups and a plasticizer, in extruding the mixture obtained to form a film; then in washing the film obtained in aqueous medium to remove said plasticizer(s). The plasticizer is chosen from non-volatile compounds which are stable with respect to the ionic groups of the polymer, which are soluble in water or in solvents that are miscible with water, said plasticizers being chosen from the compounds that react with the ionic group of the polymer via formation of a weak bond of the hydrogen bond-type, and the compounds that react with the ionic group of the polymer via formation of a strong bond, of the ionic bond-type.
US07973088B2	Polymer electrolyte membrane, method for producing the same, and proton conductivity evaluation method for polymer electrolyte membrane The present invention provides a polymer electrolyte membrane with excellent proton conductivity in its thickness direction. Preferably, the polymer electrolyte membrane containing a polymer compound comprising an ionic segment having an ionic functional group and a nonionic segment having substantially no ionic functional group, and the phase containing ionic segments as a main component and the phase containing nonionic segments as a main component are phase-separated, and in the surface region thereof, the change in the amount of the ionic segment from the surface toward the interior substantially decreases monotonically.
US07973069B2	Methods for treating hepatitis C The present invention provides compounds, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of using such compounds or compositions for treating infection by a virus, or for affecting viral IRES activity.
US07973067B2	Heterocyclic aspartyl protease inhibitors Disclosed are compounds of the formula I or a stereoisomer, tautomer, or pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof, wherein W is a bond, —C(═S)—, —S(O)—, —S(O)2—, —C(═O)—, —O—, —C(R6)(R7)—, —N(R5)— or —C(═N(R5))—; X is —O—, —N(R5)— or —C(R6)(R7)—; provided that when X is —O—, U is not —O—, —S(O)—, —S(O)2—, —C(═O)— or —C(═NR5)—; U is a bond, —S(O)—, —S(O)2—, —C(O)—, —O—, —P(O)(OR15)—, —C(═NR5)—, —(C(R6)(R7))b— or —N(R5)—; wherein b is 1 or 2; provided that when W is —S(O)—, —S(O)2—, —O—, or —N(R5)—, U is not —S(O)—, —S(O)2—, —O—, or —N(R5)—; provided that when X is —N(R5)— and W is —S(O)—, —S(O)2—, —O—, or —N(R5)—, then U is not a bond; and R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, and R7 are as defined in the specification; and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds of formula I. Also disclosed is the method of inhibiting aspartyl protease, and in particular, the methods of treating cardiovascular diseases, cognitive and neurodegenerative diseases, and the methods of inhibiting of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, plasmepins, cathepsin D and protozoal enzymes.Also disclosed are methods of treating cognitive or neurodegenerative diseases using the compounds of formula I in combination with a cholinesterase inhibitor or a muscarinic m1 agonist or m2 antagonist.
US07973060B2	Fab I inhibitor and process for preparing same A compound which is effective for inhibiting Fab I, and a method for treating a bacterial infection.
US07973059B2	Potassium channel inhibitors The present invention relates to compounds having the structure useful as potassium channel inhibitors to treat cardiac arrhythmias, and the like.
US07973051B2	Aminothiazoles as FBPase inhibitors for diabetes Compounds of formula (I) as well as pharmaceutically acceptable salts and esters thereof, wherein R1 to R3 have the significance given in claim 1 and which can be used in the form of pharmaceutical compositions.
US07973049B2	Morphinan compounds This disclosure relates to novel morphinan compounds and their derivatives, pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates, and hydrates thereof. This disclosure also provides compositions comprising a compound of this disclosure and the use of such compositions in methods of treating diseases and conditions that are beneficially treated by administering a σ1 receptor agonist that also has NMDA antagonist activity.
US07973046B2	Use of allopurinol for the treatment of palmar plantar erythrodysesthesia Allopurinol or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof can be used for the treatment or prevention of palmar plantar erythrodysesthesia induced by chemotherapy. The allopurinol or its salt may be administered topically to the affected areas, palms and soles, preferably in the form of a cream.
US07973028B2	Pyrimidine compound and pests controlling composition containing the same The present invention relates to a pyrimidine compound of the formula (I): wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom, halogen atom or C1-C4 alkyl; R2 represents C3-C7 alkynyloxy; R3 represents a hydrogen atom, halogen atom or C1-C3 alkyl; X represents C7 polymethylene, in which a CH2—CH2 may be replaced with a CH═CH, optionally substituted with at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of halogen atoms, trifluoromethyl and C1-C4 alkyls. This pyrimidine compound has an excellent activity of controlling pests.
US07973026B2	Thienopyrroles as antiviral agents The present invention relates to tetracyclic thienopyrrole compounds of formula (I), wherein Ar, A, D1, D2, W, X, Y and Z are defined herein, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, pharmaceutical compositions comprising them, and their use for the treatment or prevention of infection by hepatitis C virus.
US07973024B2	24-sulfoximine vitamin D3 compounds The present invention provides novel sulfoximine compounds, compositions comprising these compounds and methods of using these compounds as inhibitors of CYP24. In particular, the compounds of the invention are useful for treating diseases which benefit from a modulation of the levels of 1α,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3, for example, cell-proliferative disorders.
US07973023B2	Oxidized lipids and uses thereof in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and disorders Novel synthetic oxidized lipids and methods utilizing oxidized lipids for treating and preventing an inflammation associated with an endogenous oxidized lipid are provided.
US07973019B1	Transferrin/transferrin receptor-mediated siRNA delivery The invention provides interfering RNA molecule-ligand conjugates useful as a delivery system for delivering interfering RNA molecules to a cell in vitro or in vivo. The conjugates comprise a ligand that can bind to a transferrin receptor (TfR). Therapeutic uses for the conjugates are also provided.
US07973011B2	Blockade of gamma-secretase activity to promote myelination by oligodendrocytes Methods are provided for enhancing myelination. Myelination is enhanced by administration of agents that are inhibitors of γ-secretase. Methods of screening for pharmaceutically active compounds that enhance myelination, and for genes involved in myelination are also provided.
US07973006B2	Antibacterial agent based on fatty acid esters of hydroxy carboxylic acid acids The present invention relates to an antibacterial composition based on a combination of fatty acid ester of fatty acid and hydroxy carboxylic acid with an antibacterial agent selected from polylysine, protamine, their salts and mixtures hereof. The hydroxy carboxylic acid may be present as acid in its free form, in its salt form and/or in its ester form.The present invention further is directed to the use of said composition as antibacterial agent against gram-negative bacteria in various products, applications and methods. Furthermore, the present invention is related to products comprising said antibacterial agent.
US07973004B2	Rheology modifier for aqueous surfactant-based formulations The present invention relates to aqueous formulations useful in useful in personal care, oral care, household and institutional applications which contain polymers comprised of water soluble synthetic backbone with covalently connected hydrophobic ends can deliver ‘salt-like’ rheology to surfactant formulations containing surfactant concentrations at which thickening by salt is not effective.
US07972998B2	Dry blend fracturing fluid additives A method and composition for crosslinking a polymer based fluid includes providing a dry blend of crosslinker and delay agent. The crosslinker and delay agent are mixed and granulated in a dry form prior to addition to the polymer fluid.
US07972993B2	Identification of protein binding sites The invention relates to the field of molecular recognition or detection of discontinuous or conformational binding sites or epitopes corresponding to a binding molecule, in particular, in relation to protein-protein, protein-nucleic acid, nucleic acid-nucleic acid or biomolecule-ligand interactions. The invention provides a synthetic molecular library allowing testing for, identification, characterization or detection of a discontinuous binding site capable of interacting with a binding molecule, the library having been provided with a plurality of test entities, each test entity comprising at least one first segment spotted next to a second segment, each segment having the capacity of being a potential single part of a discontinuous binding site.
US07972988B2	Electrocatalysts and processes for producing Noble metal catalysts and methods for producing the catalysts are provided. The catalysts are useful in applications such as fuel cells. The catalysts exhibit reduced agglomeration of catalyst particles as compared to conventional noble metal catalysts.
US07972986B2	Fibrous structures and methods for making same Fibrous structures that exhibit a pore volume distribution such that greater than about 40% of the total pore volume present in the fibrous structure exists in pores of radii of from about 121 μm to about 200 μm, and methods for making such fibrous structures are provided.
US07972981B2	Microporous composite sheet material A moisture vapor permeable, water impermeable composite sheet material is provided which is suitable for use as a housewrap material, and is also useful for other applications such as tarpaulins, or as covers for automobile, boats, patio furniture or the like. The composite sheet material includes a nonwoven substrate and an extrusion-coated polyolefin film layer overlying one surface of the substrate. The nonwoven substrate is comprised of polymeric fibers randomly disposed and bonded to one another to form a high tenacity nonwoven web. The nonwoven substrate has a grab tensile strength of at least 178 Newtons (40 pounds) in at least one of the machine direction (MD) or the cross-machine direction (CD). The extrusion coated polyolefin film layer is intimately bonded to the nonwoven substrate. The film layer has micropores formed therein to impart to the composite sheet material a moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) of at least 35 g/m2/24 hr. at 50% relative humidity and 23° C. and a hydrostatic head of at least 55 cm. In one embodiment, the nonwoven substrate comprises a spunbonded nonwoven fabric formed of randomly disposed substantially continuous polypropylene filaments. The spunbonded nonwoven fabric is an area bonded fabric in which the filaments are bonded to one another throughout the fabric at locations where the randomly disposed filaments overlie or cross one another.
US07972980B2	Method of forming conformal dielectric film having Si-N bonds by PECVD A method of forming a conformal dielectric film having Si—N bonds on a semiconductor substrate by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) includes: introducing a nitrogen- and hydrogen-containing reactive gas and a rare gas into a reaction space inside which a semiconductor substrate is placed; applying RF power to the reaction space; and introducing a hydrogen-containing silicon precursor as a first precursor and a hydrocarbon gas as a second precursor in pulses into the reaction space wherein a plasma is excited, thereby forming a conformal dielectric film doped with carbon and having Si—N bonds on the substrate.
US07972979B2	Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus Provided is a substrate processing method comprising: loading a substrate, on which polysilazane is applied, into a substrate process chamber; maintaining an inside of the substrate process chamber, into which the substrate is loaded, in water vapor atmosphere and depressurization atmosphere at a temperature of 400° C.; performing a first heat treatment process on the substrate in a state where the inside of the substrate process chamber is maintained in the water vapor atmosphere and the depressurization atmosphere at the temperature of 400° C.; next, increasing an inner temperature of the substrate process chamber from the temperature of 400° C. in the first heat treatment process to a temperature ranging from 900° C. to 1000° C.; and performing a second heat treatment process on the substrate in a state where the inside of the substrate process chamber is maintained in water vapor atmosphere and depressurization atmosphere at the temperature ranging from 900° C. to 1000° C.
US07972973B2	Method for forming silicon oxide film, plasma processing apparatus and storage medium The present invention provides a method for forming a silicon oxide film, with a substantially uniform film thickness and without being so influenced by dense sites and scattered sites in a pattern provided on an object to be processed, while keeping advantageous points of a plasma oxidation process performed under a lower-pressure and lower-oxygen-concentration condition. In this method, plasma of a processing gas is applied to a surface of the object having a concavo-convex pattern, in a processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus, so as to oxidize silicon on the surface of the object, thereby forming the silicon oxide film. The plasma is generated under the condition that a ratio of oxygen in the processing gas is within a range of 0.1% to 10% and pressure is within a range of 0.133 Pa to 133.3 Pa. This plasma oxidation process is performed, with a plate, having a plurality of through-holes formed therein, being provided between a region for generating the plasma in the processing chamber and the object to be processed.
US07972969B2	Method and apparatus for thinning a substrate A method is provided for controlling substrate thickness. At least one etchant is dispensed from at least one dispenser to a plurality of different locations on a surface of a spinning substrate to perform etching. A thickness of the spinning substrate is monitored at the plurality of locations, so that the thickness of the substrate is monitored at each individual location while dispensing the etchant at that location. A respective amount of etching performed at each individual location is controlled, based on the respective monitored thickness at that location.
US07972968B2	High density plasma gapfill deposition-etch-deposition process etchant A high density plasma dep/etch/dep method of depositing a dielectric film into a gap between adjacent raised structures on a substrate disposed in a substrate processing chamber. The method deposits a first portion of the dielectric film within the gap by forming a high density plasma from a first gaseous mixture flown into the process chamber, etches the deposited first portion of the dielectric film by flowing an etchant gas comprising CxFy, where a ratio of x to y is greater than or equal to 1:2 and then deposits a second portion of the dielectric film over the first portion by forming a high density plasma from a second gaseous mixture flown into the process chamber.
US07972958B2	Method of fabricating semiconductor device Provided is a method of fabricating a semiconductor device including a dual silicide process. The method may include sequentially siliciding and stressing a first MOS region, and sequentially siliciding and stressing a second MOS region after siliciding and stressing the first MOS region, the second MOS region being a different type than the first MOS region.
US07972956B2	Method for manufacturing a wire structure of a semiconductor device A wire structure of a semiconductor device capable of ensuring a process margin for bit line patterning in a 6F2 cell layout of a semiconductor device, and a method for manufacturing the same.
US07972954B2	Porous silicon dielectric Embodiments of the invention provide a semiconductor device having dielectric material and its method of manufacture. A manufacturing method comprises forming a layer of silicon over a substrate, forming an opening through the layer of silicon, filling the opening with a conductor; and anodically etching the layer of silicon so as to form porous silicon. Embodiments may further include passivating the porous silicon such as by treating its surface with an organometallic compound. Other embodiments of the invention provide a semiconductor device comprising a layer comprising functional devices; and an interconnect structure over the layer, wherein the interconnect structure comprises a porous silicon dielectric. In an embodiment of the invention, the interconnect structure comprises a dual damascene interconnect structure. Other embodiments may include a passivation step after the step of oxidizing the porous silicon.
US07972952B2	Compound semiconductor light-emitting device and method for manufacturing the same A compound semiconductor light-emitting device which includes an n-type semiconductor layer, a light-emitting layer and a p-type semiconductor layer, that are made of a compound semiconductor, formed on a substrate, the n-type semiconductor layer and the p-type semiconductor layer are stacked so as to interpose the light-emitting layer therebetween, a first conductive transparent electrode and a second conductive electrode. The first conductive transparent electrode is made of an IZO film containing an In2O3 crystal having a bixbyite structure. Also discussed is a method of manufacturing the device.
US07972946B2	Plasma treatment method and plasma treatment device Provided are a plasma treatment method and a plasma treatment device capable of forming a silicon nitride film having high compressive stress. In the plasma treatment method for depositing the silicon nitride film on a process target substrate by use of plasma of raw material gas containing silicon and hydrogen and of nitrogen gas, ion energy for disconnecting nitrogen-hydrogen bonding representing a state of bonding between the hydrogen in the raw material gas and the nitrogen gas is applied to the process target substrate so as to reduce an amount of nitrogen-hydrogen bonding contained in the silicon nitride film.
US07972944B2	Process simulation method, semiconductor device manufacturing method, and process simulator A process simulation method includes: converting condition data of plasma doping for introducing an impurity into a semiconductor in a plasma atmosphere to corresponding condition data of ion implantation for implanting impurities as an ion beam into the semiconductor; and calculating device structure data on the basis of the ion implantation condition data converted from the plasma doping condition data.
US07972940B2	Wafer processing Methods, devices, and systems for wafer processing are described herein. One method of wafer processing includes modifying a peripheral edge of a wafer to create a number of edge surfaces substantially perpendicular to a number of dicing paths and dicing the wafer along the number of dicing paths. In one or more embodiments, the method includes modifying the peripheral edge of the wafer with a first tool and dicing the wafer with a second tool different from the first tool.
US07972937B2	Method for producing semiconductor substrate An object of the present invention is to provide a method by which bonding at a low temperature is possible and an amount of metal contaminants in an SOI film is decreased. An embodiment of the present invention is realized in the following manner. A single crystal silicon substrate 10 surface-activated by a plasma-treatment and a quartz substrate 20 are bonded together at a low temperature, to which an external impact is given to mechanically delaminate silicon film from a single crystal silicon bulk thereby obtaining a semiconductor substrate (SOI substrate) having a silicon film (SOI film) 12. Next, the SOI substrate is subjected to a heat-treatment at a temperature of 600° C. to 1250° C. so that metal impurities accidentally mixed into an interface of the SOI film and the quartz substrate and into the SOI film in such a step as a plasma-treatment are gettered to a surface region of the silicon film 12. Then, in the end, a surface layer (gettering layer) of the silicon film 12 of the SOI substrate after the heat-treatment is removed to finally prepare an SOI film 13 and a semiconductor substrate (SOI substrate) is obtained.
US07972936B1	Method of fabrication of heterogeneous integrated circuits and devices thereof A heterogeneous integrated circuit and method of making the same. An integrated circuit includes a surrogate substrate including a material selected from the group consisting of Group II, Group III, Group IV, Group V, and Group VI materials and their combinations; at least one active semiconductor device including a material combination selected from the group consisting of Group IV-IV, Group III-V and Group II-VI materials; and at least one transferred semiconductor device including a material combination selected from the group consisting of Group IV-IV, Group III-V and Group II-VI materials. The at least one active semiconductor device and the at least one transferred device are interconnected.
US07972926B2	Methods of forming memory cells; and methods of forming vertical structures Some embodiments include methods of forming memory. A series of photoresist features may be formed over a gate stack, and a placeholder may be formed at an end of said series. The placeholder may be spaced from the end of said series by a gap. A layer may be formed over and between the photoresist features, over the placeholder, and within said gap. The layer may be anisotropically etched into a plurality of first vertical structures along edges of the photoresist features, and into a second vertical structure along an edge of the placeholder. A mask may be formed over the second vertical structure. Subsequently, the first vertical structures may be used to pattern string gates while the mask is used to pattern a select gate. Some embodiments include methods of forming conductive runners, and some embodiments may include semiconductor constructions.
US07972923B2	Non-volatile memory device and method of manufacturing the same A semiconductor device may include a tunnel insulating layer disposed on an active region of a substrate, field insulating patterns disposed in surface portions of the substrate to define the active region, each of the field insulating patterns having an upper recess formed at an upper surface portion thereof, a stacked structure disposed on the tunnel insulating layer, and impurity diffusion regions disposed at surface portions of the active region adjacent to the stacked structure.
US07972921B2	Integrated circuit isolation system A method of manufacturing a self-aligned inverted T-shaped isolation structure. An integrated circuit isolation system including providing a substrate, forming a base insulator region in the substrate, growing the substrate to surround the base insulator region, and depositing an insulator column having a narrower width than the base insulator region on the base insulator region.
US07972917B2	Method for manufacturing semiconductor device and semiconductor device A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes: forming a LDMOS region, an offset drain MOS region, and a CMOS region; simultaneously forming a first well in the LDMOS region and the offset drain MOS region; simultaneously forming a second well in the first well of the LDMOS region and the CMOS region; and forming a second well in the CMOS region, wherein a depth of the first well is larger than a depth of the second well and the second well is a retrograde well formed by a high energy ion implantation method.
US07972904B2	Wafer level packaging method A wafer level packaging method is revealed. Firstly, a wafer with a plurality of bumps disposed on a surface is provided. Placing a dielectric tape on a mold plate is followed. Then, the wafer is laminated with the mold plate to make the dielectric tape be compliantly bonded to the surface of the wafer and to make the bumps be embedded in the dielectric tape. After removing the mold plate, flattening the dielectric tape to form a plurality of exposed surfaces of the bumps wherein the exposed surfaces and the flattened surface of the dielectric tape are coplanar. Therefore, the exposed surfaces of the bumps can be regarded as effective alignment points for easy pattern recognition of the wafer level packaged wafers during singulation process.
US07972897B2	Methods for forming resistive switching memory elements Resistive switching memory elements are provided that may contain electroless metal electrodes and metal oxides formed from electroless metal. The resistive switching memory elements may exhibit bistability and may be used in high-density multi-layer memory integrated circuits. Electroless conductive materials such as nickel-based materials may be selectively deposited on a conductor on a silicon wafer or other suitable substrate. The electroless conductive materials can be oxidized to form a metal oxide for a resistive switching memory element. Multiple layers of conductive materials can be deposited each of which has a different oxidation rate. The differential oxidization rates of the conductive layers can be exploited to ensure that metal oxide layers of desired thicknesses are formed during fabrication.
US07972893B2	Memory device manufacturing method A method for making a memory device includes providing a dielectric material, having first and second upwardly and inwardly tapering surfaces and a surface segment connecting the first and second surfaces. First and second electrodes are formed over the first and second surfaces. A memory element is formed over the surface segment to electrically connect the first and second electrodes.
US07972890B2	Methods of manufacturing image sensors Example embodiments may provide methods of manufacturing an image sensor. Example methods of manufacturing an image sensor may include forming a photoelectric converter in a semiconductor substrate, forming an interlayer insulating film covering a surface of the semiconductor substrate, forming metal wires and an inter-metal insulating film filling between the metal wires on the interlayer insulating film, forming openings above the photoelectric converter by removing a part of the inter-metal insulating film and the interlayer insulating film, curing the surface above the photoelectric converter by irradiating light into the openings, and/or forming a light transmitter filling the openings.
US07972887B2	Micro-electro-mechanical-system package and method for manufacturing the same According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a MEMS package, the method including: forming a MEMS device on a substrate; forming a sacrificing member on the MEMS device; forming a cavity formation film on the sacrificing member; forming a through hole in the cavity formation film at a portion other than above the MEMS device; removing the sacrificing member through the through hole, thereby forming a cavity around the MEMS device; and forming a seal layer on the cavity formation film to block the through hole and to seal the cavity, by performing a film forming process in which a seal layer material is straightly applied in a direction of perpendicular to a surface of the substrate.
US07972879B2	Multi-level integrated photonic devices A laser and electroabsorption modulator (EAM) are monolithically integrated through an etched facet process. Epitaxial layers on a wafer include a first layer for a laser structure and a second layer for an EAM structure. Strong optical coupling between the laser and the EAM is realized by using two 45-degree turning mirrors to route light vertically from the laser waveguide to the EAM waveguide. A directional angled etch process is used to form the two angled facets.
US07972877B2	Fabricating method of light emitting diode package A method of fabricating a light emitting diode package structure is provided. First, a first circuit substrate having a first surface and a corresponding second surface and a second circuit substrate having a third surface and a corresponding fourth surface are provided. The second surface and the third surface respectively have a plurality of electrodes. Then, a plurality of N-type semiconductor materials and a plurality of P-type semiconductor materials alternatively arranged on the electrodes are formed. Then, the first circuit substrate and the second circuit substrate are assembled. The two type semiconductor materials are located between the electrodes of the first circuit substrate and the second circuit substrate. The two type semiconductor materials are electrically connected to the first circuit substrate and the second circuit substrate through the electrodes. Finally, an LED chip is arranged on the first surface and electrically connected to the first circuit substrate.
US07972873B2	Material removing processes in device formation and the devices formed thereby Devices having voids are producible by employing an electrochemical corrosion process. For example, an electrically conductive region is formed to have a surrounding chemically distinct region. Such formation is possible through conventional semiconductor processing techniques such as a copper damascene process. The surrounded conducting material is configured to be in electrical communication with a charge separation structure. The electrically conducting region is contacted with a fluid electrolyte and electromagnetic radiation is made to illuminate the charge separation region to induce separation of electrons and holes. The resulting separated charges are used to drive an electrochemical corrosion process at the conductive material/electrolyte interface resulting in the removal of at least a portion of the electrically conducting material. The induced corrosion leaves a void that is useful, for example, as a highly effective dielectric in integrated circuits, functions to allow component separation such as gear separation in microelectromechanical devices or produces long cavities useful for material separation analogous to the distillation columns used in liquid chromatography.
US07972872B2	Chromatography detection apparatus, detection method, and kit utilizing the same This invention provides an immunochromatography detection apparatus exhibiting excellent convenience, sensitivity, and specificity, a detection method therefore, a kit using the same, and a method for producing such apparatus and kit, by constructing a solid-phase support, on which the conditions for the reaction wherein an analyte specifically binds to a labeled reagent containing a ligand that specifically binds to the analyte and those for the reaction wherein a capture reagent specifically binds to a complex of the analyte and the labeled reagent in the immunochromatography detection method are continuously optimized, and the pretreated specimens are optimized for such reactions. This chromatography detection apparatus comprises: a sheet-like solid-phase support; a specimen-supply site thereon at which a specimen deduced to contain at least an analyte or a mixture of such specimen and a labeled reagent containing a ligand that specifically binds to the analyte is supplied; and a capture reagent site to which a capture reagent capable of specifically binding to and capturing a complex of the analyte and the labeled reagent has been immobilized, wherein at least one functional site having a particular or multiple functions is provided between the specimen-supply site and the capture reagent site.
US07972867B2	Methods for detecting vitamin D metabolites by mass spectrometry Provided are methods of detecting the presence or amount of a vitamin D metabolite in a sample using mass spectrometry. The methods generally comprise ionizing a vitamin D metabolite in a sample and detecting the amount of the ion to determine the presence or amount of the vitamin D metabolite in the sample. Also provided are methods to detect the presence or amount of two or more vitamin D metabolites in a single assay.
US07972866B2	Biosensor and ultrasonic method of making a biosensor There is provided a test strip for testing a fluid sample, including a sample cavity configured to receive the fluid sample and an ultrasonically-spread reagent layer arranged on at least one surface of the sample cavity. There is also provided a method for making a biosensor, including providing a substrate having a region for receiving a sample; dispensing a liquid substance on at least one surface of the region for receiving a sample; and subjecting the substrate to ultrasonic vibrations to quickly and uniformly spread the liquid substance on the at least one surface of the region for receiving a sample.
US07972865B2	Sensor for detecting and differentiating chemical analytes A sensor for detecting and differentiating chemical analytes includes a microscale body having a first end and a second end and a surface between the ends for adsorbing a chemical analyte. The surface includes at least one conductive heating track for heating the chemical analyte and also a conductive response track, which is electrically isolated from the heating track, for producing a thermal response signal from the chemical analyte. The heating track is electrically connected with a voltage source and the response track is electrically connected with a signal recorder. The microscale body is restrained at the first end and the second end and is substantially isolated from its surroundings therebetween, thus having a bridge configuration.
US07972863B2	System and method for alkylation process analysis A method and apparatus is provided for determining concentration of components in a liquid hydrocarbon mixture including hydrocarbons and water flowing through an alkylation process. A fluid flow path conveys the liquid continuously from the alkylation process through a first instrument configured for measuring a property of the liquid mixture, and having responsivities to concentration of the components, which are independent of the concentration of the water. A temperature detector generates temperature data for the liquid, and a second instrument measures another property of the liquid mixture. The instruments have mutually distinct responsivities to concentrations of the components. A processor captures data from the temperature detector and instruments, using the data with a model of responsivities of various concentrations of the components at various temperatures, to determine a temperature compensated concentration of the components while the liquid mixture flows continuously through the fluid flow path.
US07972860B2	Methods and compositions for the detection and analysis of nucleic acids by signal amplification The present invention relates to a novel integrated PCR-free signal amplification polynucleotide detection system which combines a specific receptor, an optical transducer, and an amplification mechanism. This novel detection system is based on different electrostatic interactions and confirmations between a cationic polythiophene (i.e., polymer 1) and single-stranded or double-stranded polynucleotides (such as ss-DNA or ds-DNA), and the efficient energy transfer between the triplex (complexation between the cationic polythiophene and ds-DNA) and neighboring fluorophores attached to ss-DNA or ds-DNA probes. It is to be understood that in the case of ss-DNA, triplex formation occurs via the hybridization of complementary ss-DNA strands, combined with complexation and with the cationic polythiophene. The present detection system allows for the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from samples in only a few minutes, without the need for nucleic acid amplification.
US07972855B2	Microorganisms that extracellularly secrete lipids and methods of producing lipid and lipid vesicles encapsulating lipids using said microorganisms There are provided microorganisms, for example, Mortierella alpina, having a property of producing a lipid containing unsaturated fatty acids as constituent fatty acids and extracellularly secreting the produced lipid encapsulated in lipid vesicles, methods of screening said microorganisms, as well as methods of efficiently producing a fatty acid-containing lipid using said microorganisms. Furthermore, there are provided lipid vesicles encapsulating a lipid containing unsaturated fatty acids, and foods, cosmetics, and animal feeds comprising said lipid vesicles added thereto. Artificially treated microorganisms or microorganisms collected from nature are grown on a solid medium, and microbial strains that form lipid vesicles at the periphery of the colonies and/or microbial strains that, when cultured in a transparent liquid medium, make the culture liquid cloudy are selected. The microorganisms obtained are cultured, lipid-containing lipid vesicles secreted in the culture liquid, are separated from the culture liquid, and the lipid is separated and purified.
US07972846B2	Cadherin-11 antagonists and methods for the treatment of inflammatory joint disorders The present invention relates to Cadherin-11 antagonists and compositions comprising Cadherin-11 antagonists. The invention also relates to methods for treating inflammatory joint disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, in a mammalian subject by administering a therapeutically effective amount of a Cadherin-11 antagonist.
US07972843B2	DNA-transfection system for the generation of infectious influenza virus The present invention is based on the development of a dual promoter system (preferably a RNA pol I-pol II system) for the efficient intracellular synthesis of viral RNA. The resultant minimal plasmid-based system may be used to synthesize any RNA virus, preferably viruses with a negative single stranded RNA genome. The viral product of the system is produced when the plasmids of the system are introduced into a suitable host cell. One application of the system is production of attenuated, reassortant influenza viruses for use as antigens in vaccines. The reassortant viruses generated by cotransfection of plasmids may comprise genes encoding the surface glycoproteins hemagglutinin and neuraminidase from an influenza virus currently infecting the population and the internal genes from an attenuated influenza virus. An advantageous property of the present invention is its versatility; the system may be quickly and easily adapted to synthesize an attenuated version of any RNA virus. Attenuated or inactivated RNA viruses produced by the present invention may be administered to a patient in need of vaccination by any of several routes including intranasally or intramuscularly.
US07972836B2	Method of enzymatic optical resolution of racemic 4-hydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline The present invention relates to a method for preparing an optically active 4-hydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline compound [I], which comprises the steps of: treating a racemic 4-hydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline compound represented by general formula [I]: [wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a protecting group for amino group.] with an enzyme having an ability of selectively or preferentially acylating one enantiomer of the racemic compound [I] in the presence of an acyl donor; and if necessary, subjecting the reaction product to solvolysis.
US07972829B2	Process for producing transglutaminase The present invention relates to a process for secretory production of a foreign protein, in particular, transglutaminase by a coryneform bacterium.According to the present invention, a process is provided for the secretory production of a foreign protein, in particular, transglutaminase, by making a coryneform bacterium to produce an industrially useful foreign protein, in particular, transglutaminase and efficiently release the product extracellularly (i.e., secretory production).An intended foreign protein, in particular, transglutaminase, is produced by using an expression construct wherein the gene sequence of the intended foreign protein containing the pro-structure part, in particular, pro-transglutaminase gene sequence, is ligated to the downstream of a sequence encoding the signal peptide region from a coryneform bacterium, introducing this expressional genetic construct into a coryneform bacterium, culturing the thus transformed coryneform bacterium, and treating the extracellularly released protein with a protease, etc. to cleave and eliminate the pro-part.
US07972825B2	Integrated apparatus for ethanol production and extraction An apparatus includes a mash circulating system with pump and fermentation tank, an atmosphere circulating system with blower for circulating atmosphere between the tank and an ethanol-removal station, and an integrated refrigerating heat-transfer system with first coils for condensing out ethanol from the atmosphere, and second coils for warming the mash. A support frame supports portions of the above components, making it a transportable modular unit to facilitate installation, minimize cost, and provide for efficient operation. The entire apparatus can be up-sized or down-sized for specific applications. In one form, the system includes electrically-driven pump, blower, and refrigeration compressors, with the external energy consumption kept surprisingly low. Methods related to the above are also disclosed.
US07972817B2	Method enabling use of extracellular RNA extracted from plasma or serum to detect, monitor or evaluate cancer This invention relates to the use of extracellular ribonucleic acid (RNA) found circulating in the plasma or serum fraction of blood. Specifically, this invention enables the extraction of circulating RNA from plasma or serum and utilizes nucleic acid amplification assays for the identification, detection, inference, monitoring, or evaluation of any such RNA. Further, this invention allows the qualitative or quantitative detection of extracellular RNA circulating in the plasma or serum of humans.
US07972811B2	Eukaryotic signal sequences for polypeptide expression and polypeptide display libraries The present invention generally relates to methods and compositions for expressing proteins or polypeptides in prokaryotic hosts using eukaryotic signal sequences.
US07972809B2	Methylotrophic yeast producing mammalian type sugar chain This invention is to provide a process for producing a glycoprotein comprising a mammalian type sugar chain, characterized in that the process comprises introducing an α-1,2-mannosidase gene into a methylotrophic yeast having a mutation of a sugar chain biosynthesizing enzyme gene, so that the α-1,2-mannosidase gene is expressed under the control of a potent promoter in the yeast; culturing in a medium the methylotrophic yeast cells with a heterologous gene transferred thereinto; and obtaining the glycoprotein comprising a mammalian type sugar chain from the culture. Using the newly created methylotrophic yeast having a sugar chain mutation, a neutral sugar chain identical with a high mannose type sugar chain produced by mammalian cells such as human cells, or a glycoprotein comprising such a neutral sugar chain, can be produced in a large amount at a high purity. By introducing a mammalian type sugar chain biosynthesizing gene into the above-described mutant, a mammalian type sugar chain, such as a hybrid or complex, or a protein comprising a mammalian type sugar chain can be efficiently produced.
US07972797B2	Compositions and methods for the diagnosis and treatment of immune disorders The present invention relates to methods and compositions for the treatment and diagnosis of immune disorders, especially T helper lymphocyte-related disorders. In particular, the invention describes a gene known in the art, alternatively, as ST2, T1 and Fit-1, and referred to herein as the 103 gene. The 103 gene is disclosed herein to be differentially expressed in TH2 cells and not in TH1 cells. Further, the 103 gene product is demonstrated herein to be an important modulator of TH2 and TH2-like immune response both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, the 103 gene, its gene products and antibodies that specifically bind thereto can be used diagnostically or as targets for therapeutic intervention in the treatment of a variety of immune disorders.In this regard, the invention provides methods for the identification and therapeutic use of compounds for treatments of immune disorders, especially TH cell subpopulation-related disorders and including TH2 and TH2-like disorders (i.e., disorders associated with a TH2 or TH2-like mediated immune response) such as atopic conditions (e.g., allergy and asthma). Additionally, methods are provided for the diagnostic evaluation and prognosis of TH cell subpopulation related disorders, for the identification of subjects exhibiting a predisposition to such conditions, for monitoring patients undergoing clinical evaluation for the treatment of such disorders and for monitoring the efficacy of compounds used in clinical trials.
US07972795B2	Angiopoietin-like 2 as a biomarker of vascular endothelial cell abnormal function and senescence A method for assessing a physiological state of a mammal. The method includes: obtaining from the mammal a biological sample; measuring the expression of angiopoietin-like 2 in the biological sample; and assessing the physiological state of the mammal by comparing the measured expression of the angiopoietin-like 2 to a predetermined normal expression level in normal subjects, wherein an increase in angiopoietin-like 2 level over the predetermined normal expression level indicates an abnormal physiological state.
US07972789B2	Dye compounds The present disclosure provides compounds that may be used as chromogens, fluorochromes, or as both. Said compounds may further be used as substrate for at least one enzyme, wherein said enzyme is capable of processing an aromatic amine group (—NH2), an aromatic hydroxyl group (—OH), or an aromatic phosphate group (—PO4). Furthermore, the present disclosure also provides methods for precipitating said compounds as well as methods for detecting a target using said compounds. Even further, kits comprising said compounds are disclosed. Said compounds may be used in any method utilizing a fluorochrome, a chromogen, or both.
US07972786B2	Detection and analysis of influenza virus An assay comprising more than one primer pair and more than one detection probe, a low copy number synthetic amplicon corresponding to each of the primer pairs. The assay can detect and distinguish between various sub-types and strains of an influenza virus using any suitable nucleic acid amplification technique. Related kits and methods are also described.
US07972775B2	Method of risk management for patients undergoing Natalizumab treatment Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) has been identified in patients taking natalizumab (NMAB) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). This patent application provides a novel method of patient screening and monitoring intended to decrease the risk of PML and other opportunistic central nervous system (CNS) diseases in patients undergoing MS therapy with NMAB, and proposes a novel method of screening and monitoring intended to decrease the risk of opportunistic disease processes of the CNS during the treatment of other medical disorders with NMAB.
US07972765B2	Pattern forming method and a semiconductor device manufacturing method A pattern forming method is disclosed, which comprises forming a photo resist film on a substrate, irradiating the photo resist film with an energy ray to form a desired latent image pattern, placing the substrate on a spacer provided on a hot plate, heating the photo resist film by using the hot plate, and developing the photo resist film to form a photo resist pattern, wherein an amount of irradiation of the energy ray is set such that the amount of irradiation of the energy ray in an exposure region in which a distance between a back surface of the substrate and an upper surface of the hot plate is long is larger than the amount of irradiation of the energy ray in an exposure region in which a distance between the back surface of the substrate and the upper surface of the hot plate is short.
US07972761B2	Photoresist materials and photolithography process A material for use in lithography processing includes a polymer that turns soluble to a base solution in response to reaction with acid and a plurality of magnetically amplified generators (MAGs) each having a magnetic element and each decomposing to form acid bonded with the magnetic element in response to radiation energy.
US07972747B2	Direct reaction fuel cells utilizing taylor vortex flows Direct reaction fuel cells (10) and fuel cell batteries (200) with rotating electrodes (18) that generate Taylor Vortex Flows (54) and Circular Couette Flows (56) in electrolyte chambers (24) are disclosed.
US07972743B2	Membrane electrode assembly, method for producing the same, and solid state polymer fuel cell A membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) 1 has a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 2. The membrane 2 has ion-conductive domains 3 and non-ion-conductive domains 4 and an electrode catalyst 5. The electrode catalyst 5 is present selectively on surface sites of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 2 which corresponds to the ion-conductive domains 3 rather than surface sites of the membrane 2 which corresponds to the non-ion-conductive domains 4. A spray liquid containing the electrode catalyst and a solvent is applied onto a surface of the membrane 2 by electrostatic spray deposition to selectively adhere the electrode catalyst 5 on the surface sites of the membrane 2 which corresponds to the ion-conductive domains 3. The membrane 2 is preferably subjected to a hydrophilization treatment before being sprayed with the spray liquid.
US07972742B2	Tube type fuel cell to decrease current path length It is an object to shorten current path between an anode and a cathode in a tube type SOFC and thereby to decrease resistance. The tube type fuel cell contains a tube type electrolyte placed between an anode and a cathode, wherein an auxiliary electrode is provided over the entire region of a cell reaction region on at least one of the anode and cathode. The current path is shortened and resistance is decreased, because the anode auxiliary electrode or cathode auxiliary electrode is provided over the entire peripheral surface of the anode or cathode, and the current path in the auxiliary electrode has a greatly increased cross-sectional area.
US07972740B2	Fuel cell coolant bubble control To mitigate bubble blockage in water passageways (78, 85), in or near reactant gas flow field plates (74, 81) of fuel cells (38), passageways are configured with (a) cross sections having intersecting polygons or other shapes, obtuse angles including triangles and trapezoids, or (b) hydrophobic surfaces (111), or (c) differing adjacent channels (127, 128), or (d) water permeable layers (93, 115, 116, 119) adjacent to water channels or hydrophobic/hydrophilic layers (114, 120), or (e) diverging channels (152).
US07972739B2	Method for inerting the anodes of fuel cells A method for inerting and protecting the anodes of fuel cells, especially high-temperature fuel cells, and a fuel cell system, in which, during a shutdown, when the supply of fuel gas to the anodes is interrupted, during emergency shutdown or standby operation, water vapor is supplied to the anodes, and an external voltage is applied to the fuel cells to produce a reducing atmosphere at the anodes by electrolysis. This makes it possible to inert the anodes of the fuel cells without having to maintain a supply of a flushing or protective gas expressly for this purpose.
US07972737B2	Fuel cell In a fuel cell which includes a plurality of stacks in which a plurality of cells, which cause reaction gases to undergo electrochemical reaction and generate electricity, are stacked in layers; and an electrically conductive member which electrically connects together end portions of the stacks, so that the stacks constitute a series circuit, there is also provided a first relay which electrically connects together some cell other than one at an end portion of a stack, and a cell of another stack. This first relay can create a bypass for cutting out a cell whose cell voltage value has become less than or equal to a predetermined value from the series circuit of the fuel cell.
US07972736B2	Fuel cell system with warming-up and method of operating the same In a fuel cell system including a fuel cell supplied with reaction gases for generating an electric power, and a combustion heater supplied with the reaction gases for heating the fuel cell during warming-up, an electric discharging circuit is provided to discharge an electric current from the fuel cell supplied with the reaction gases to decrease a voltage difference applied to the membrane sandwiched between the anode and cathode during the warming-up. The combustion heater is connected in series or in parallel with the fuel cell system.
US07972719B2	Battery assembly having slim battery tray A battery assembly (10) has a series of rectangular cells (20) and a square-U shaped tray (14) to support the cells (20) in series, with bottoms (24) coplanar and adjacent sides parallel. The tray (14) has spaced arms (43) for opposing the endmost ones of the series of cells (12) interconnected by a rigid web (41) that provides a generally flat seating surface for the cell bottoms (24). The web (41) has longitudinal tracks (49) which raise above the seating surface of the wen (41) and which extend beneath all the cell bottoms (24). The cell bottoms (24) have counterpart longitudinal channels (52) for self-assembling with the tracks (49) of the web (41) and provide properly aligned seating of the cell bottoms (24) by disallowing lateral displacement but allowing longitudinal sliding order to form as dense as a single-file line-up (12) as possible. The tracks (49) also serve to stiffen the web (41) against sagging or twisting.
US07972718B2	Fluid manager using two shape memory alloy components and a battery including the same A fluid consuming battery (10) is provided with a fluid regulating system (50) for regulating fluid entry into the battery. The battery (10) includes a fluid consuming cell (20) having a cell housing with fluid entry ports for the passage of a fluid into the cell housing. A first fluid consuming electrode and a second electrode are disposed within the cell housing. The fluid regulating system (50) includes a valve having a moving plate (66) disposed adjacent to a fixed plate (62). The moving plate and fixed plate both have fluid entry ports (68, 64) that align in an open valve position and are misaligned in a closed valve position. The fluid regulating system (50) also includes an actuator that may include one or more shape memory alloy (SMA) components (82a, 82b) for moving the moving plate (66) relative to the fixed plate (62) to open and close the valve.
US07972714B2	Coated cutting tool The present invention relates to a coated cutting tool (1) including a substrate (8) and a coating (9) formed on the substrate (8), wherein the coating (9) includes a first coating (10) composed of TiCN and a second coating (11) composed of α-Al2O3, the first coating (10) is positioned between the substrate (8) and the second coating (11) and has tensile stress S1, the second coating (11) has compressive stress S2, and the tensile stress S1 and the compressive stress S2 are defined by the following equation (I): 400 MPa≦\|S2−S1\|≦3500 MPa (I).
US07972711B2	Large area, uniformly low dislocation density GaN substrate and process for making the same Large area single crystal III-V nitride material having an area of at least 2 cm2, having a uniformly low dislocation density not exceeding 3×106 dislocations per cm2 of growth surface area, and including a plurality of distinct regions having elevated impurity concentration, wherein each distinct region has at least one dimension greater than 50 microns, is disclosed. Such material can be formed on a substrate by a process including (i) a first phase of growing the III-V nitride material on the substrate under pitted growth conditions, e.g., forming pits over at least 50% of the growth surface of the III-V nitride material, wherein the pit density on the growth surface is at least 102 pits/cm2 of the growth surface, and (ii) a second phase of growing the III-V nitride material under pit-filling conditions.
US07972707B2	Trailer flooring with hotmelt coating A coated wood board flooring having improved moisture protection, the flooring comprising: a plurality of solid wood components which together form the wood board, such that the wood board has a first surface and a second surface; and a coating substantially free of water and solvents, wherein the coating is applied to at least one of the first and second surfaces of the wood board.
US07972695B2	Coating composition for thermoplastic resin particles for forming foam containers Expandable or pre-expanded thermoplastic particles, e.g. polystyrene particles, used to form foam containers e.g. cups, bowls, are coated with a coating composition comprising a liquid part consisting of a) liquid polyethylene glycol with an average molecular weight of 200 to 800; and a solid part comprising components selected from the group consisting of b) polyolefin wax, e.g. polyethylene wax, c) a metal salt of higher fatty acids, e.g. zinc stearate or calcium stearate; d) polyethylene glycol with an average molecular weight of 900 to 10,000; and e) a fatty bisamide or fatty amide, e.g. ethylene bis-stearamide; and combinations of b) through e). The coating composition prevents or resists leakage of liquids and foods with oil and/or fatty components and improves the rim strength and ATF properties of foam containers.
US07972694B2	Triple-layer semiconductor nanoparticle and triple-layer semiconductor nanorod A semiconductor nanoparticle and semiconductor nanorod that have optical characteristics (luminescence intensity and emission lifetime) superior to those of conventional core/shell nanosized semiconductors. There are provided a triple-layer semiconductor nanoparticle, and triple-layer semiconductor nanorod, having an average particle diameter of 2 to 50 nm and comprising a core layer, an interlayer and a shell layer, wherein the layers are composed of different crystals, and wherein the crystal constructing the shell layer exhibits a band gap greater than that of the crystal constructing the core layer, and wherein the crystal constructing the interlayer has a lattice constant assuming a value between those of the crystal constructing the core layer and the crystal constructing the shell layer.
US07972693B2	Enamel varnish composition for enamel wire and enamel wire using the same Disclosed are enamel varnish compositions for an enamel wire and an enamel wire using the same. The present invention relates to enamel varnish compositions for an enamel wire in which a polymeric resin component is included in an organic solvent, wherein the polymeric resin component includes a first polyamideimide resin, presented in the Chemistry FIG. 1; and a second resin having polyamideimide in which a triazine ring is introduced into a major chain. The enamel wire, in which such a coating pigment composition is applied to the innermost insulated coating layer contacted with the conducting wire, shows the increased adhesivity of the insulated coating layer to the conducting wire without forming an additional bonding layer, as well as the excellent physical properties such as the wear resistance and flexibility, etc.
US07972687B2	Porous silicon and method of preparing the same The present invention relates to a porous silicon material comprising one or more pore parts which include a first pore, a second pore, and a third pore. The first pore is formed in an upper side of the silicon. The second pore is formed in a lower side of the first pore and has a diameter that is larger or smaller than a diameter of the first pore. The third pore is formed in a lower side of the second pore and has a diameter that is identical or similar to the diameter of the first pore. The pore part having a double structure is formed in a silicon material. Since different electronic materials can be implanted into different pores of the porous silicon, it is easy to form interfaces of the implanted electronic materials.
US07972676B2	Process for the production of fibre-reinforced composite parts The invention relates to a process for the production of fiber-reinforced composite components in which an outer film is bonded with a layer containing fiber-reinforced polyurethane, characterised in that a) first an elastic intermediate layer which has a modulus of elasticity of 0.5 MPa to 50 MPa and a thickness of 0.3 mm to 6 mm, is applied to the outer film which has a thickness in the range of 0.2 mm to 5 mm, and then b) at least one other layer is applied to the back of the intermediate layer, at least one layer containing fiber-reinforced polyurethane being applied.
US07972674B2	Information recording medium, its manufacturing method, and sputtering target for forming information recording medium A write-once information recording medium having a high recording sensitivity and reliability with respect to long-term storage is provided. The information recording medium has a recording layer on a substrate, to which information can be recorded and from which information can be reproduced by irradiating the recording layer with laser light or applying electrical energy to the recording layer. The recording layer contains, as its primary components, TeO2 and a material A, where the material A is a material that exhibits a eutectic reaction with TeO2.
US07972667B2	Gas container packing structure having a material crystallized in needle form The present invention relates to a packing structure for containers, characterized in that it comprises a material of xonotlite and/or tobermorite and/or foshagite crystal structure crystallized in the form of needles, at least 50% by volume of which have a length ranging from 2 to 10 μm and a thickness ranging from 0.2 to 1 μm. Process for manufacturing such a packing structure and gas container containing it.
US07972660B2	Electrostatic fluidised powder bed coating process The present invention pertains to a process for forming a coating on a substrate using a tribo-charging electrostatic fluidized bed process; characterized in that a powder coating is used which has a particle size distribution such that a) d(v,90)≦42.5 μm, and b) i) the percentage of particles <10 μm in size is ≦12% by volume, and/or ii) [d(s,90)÷d(s,10)]2≦3.5, [d(s,90)−7]d(s,90) being greater than 7 μm and d(s,90) and d(s,10) being measured in microns.
US07972640B2	Lemon/lime flavored beverages having improved stability A combination of an acidulant system and a buffer salt system is included in lemon/lime flavored beverages to achieve improved stability. The acidulant system includes citric acid and/or phosphoric acid and an additional organic acid having a smaller dissociation constant than both phosphoric acid and citric acid; the buffer salt system includes a citrate salt and a phosphate salt.
US07972638B2	Foodstuff There is provided use of a conversion agent to prepare from a food material a foodstuff comprising at least one functional ingredient, wherein the at least one functional ingredient has been generated from at least one constituent of the food material by the conversion agent.
US07972632B2	Identification of Free-B-Ring flavonoids as potent COX-2 inhibitors The present invention provides a novel method for inhibiting the cyclooxygenase enzyme COX-2. The method is comprised of administering a composition containing a Free-B-Ring flavonoid or a composition containing a mixture of Free-B-Ring flavonoids to a host in need thereof. The present also includes novel methods for the prevention and treatment of COX-2 mediated diseases and conditions. The method for preventing and treating COX-2 mediated diseases and conditions is comprised of administering to a host in need thereof an effective amount of a composition containing a Free-B-Ring flavonoid or a composition containing a mixture of Free-B-Ring flavonoids and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
US07972629B2	Product comprising a combination of milk serum apoproteins and free fatty acids The present invention relates to use of a milk apoprotein or a mixture thereof to prevent or treat microbial or viral infection of the human or animal body. It is believed that this is achieved by inhibiting adhesion of potential pathogens. More preferably, at least one milk apoprotein or a mixture thereof is administered, simultaneously or sequentially, with either or both of at least one free fatty acid or a mixture thereof or a monoglyceride thereof; and/or at least one organic acid or a salt or ester thereof or a mixture thereof. The active agent(s) may be delivered by means of a pharmaceutically acceptable delivery system which includes parenteral solutions, ointments, eye drops, nasal sprays, intravaginal devices, surgical dressings, medical foods or drinks, oral healthcare formulations and medicaments for mucosal applications.
US07972619B2	Biodegradable polymer for marking tissue and sealing tracts A tissue marker formed of a biodegradable polymer having drug-delivery capabilities is combined with a sealant that encapsulates the tissue marker and which serves to help anchor the tissue marker against migration. The sealant is delivered to a site in dehydrated form and moisture inherent in tissue at the site expands the sealant. The expanded sealant is formed of a hydrogel and is therefore more compatible to the surrounding tissue than the material of the tissue marker. The sealant and the tissue marker are both bioabsorbed over time.
US07972613B2	Insect screening sheet Described is an insect screening sheet having an insect-repellent layer (10) in which the insect-repellent layer (10) has a three-dimensional surface structure which comprises a regularly periodically and/or statistically distributed coarse structure (12g) and/or nanostructure (12n).
US07972609B2	Method of treating cancer Present invention relates to the method of treating cancer. According to present invention, a pharmaceutical composition made from ‘Mycobacterium w’ (Mw) is found to be useful in the management of cancer. We have now found that the same therapeutic agent is useful in management of cancer. The use of Mycobacterium w containing formulations is associated with decrease in burden of cancer tissue, decreasing symptoms associated with cancer and improving quality of life. It also improves tolerance to other therapies.
US07972604B2	Recombinant attenuated clostridium organisms and vaccine The present invention discloses attenuated Clostridium perfringens organisms that express a substantially nontoxic alpha-toxin. The expressed alpha-toxin is a deletion mutein that relative to the alpha-toxin of the mature alpha-toxin of Clostridium perfringens strain 13, is missing at least nine consecutive amino acid residues including His68. The present invention also discloses attenuated organisms that encode the muteins, as well as the use of such attenuated organisms as vaccines.
US07972599B2	Immunomodulation of inflammatory conditions utilizing Follistatin-like protein-1 and agents that bind thereto Follistatin-like protein (FSTL-1) is a secreted glycoprotein of unknown function, first isolated from mouse osteoblastic cells as a transforming growth factor-β1-inducible gene. The inventors have discovered that FSTL-1 is a proinflammatory mediator. As such, the invention provides for composition and methods of using agents that bind to FSTL-1 to modulate various types of inflammation (e.g., autoimmune diseases). Inhibitors and antagonists of FSTL-1, particularly antibodies or antibody fragments, may be used to treat conditions related to inflammation, such as arthritis. In addition, the inventors have discovered that FSTL-1 has a role in the Th17 pathway. Accordingly, the invention provides for compositions and methods of using agents which bind to FSTL-1 to modulate the generation of Th17 cells. Such agents are useful for delaying development of and treating diseases associated with undesired production of Th17 cells, such as autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, since FSTL-1 is a proinflammatory mediator with a role in cancer, the invention provides for compositions and methods of using a pharmaceutical composition of FSTL-1 to delay development of or treat cancer.
US07972596B2	Antibodies against vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 Monoclonal antibodies that are specific for vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR-I). This invention also provides nucleotide sequences encoding and amino acid sequences comprising variable heavy and light chain immunoglobulin molecules, including sequences corresponding to the complementarity determining regions of CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3. The invention also provides methods for generation and expression of anti -VEGFR-I antibodies and methods of treating angiogenic-related disorders and reducing tumor growth by administering anti-VEGFR-I antibodies.
US07972593B2	Delivery of therapeutic agents to the bone This invention relates to compositions and methods of delivering therapeutic agents to bone. More specifically, the invention relates to endowing a large molecule vectors i.e., adeno virus, retrovirus, liposomes, micelles, natural and synthetic polymers, or combinations thereof, with the ability to target bone tissue in vivo and with improved stability in the blood, by attaching multiple copies of acid amino acid peptides. One preferred embodiment of the invention relates to endowing an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector with the ability to target bone-tissue in vivo and improve its stability, by the addition of multiple acidic amino acid peptides attached to the capsid of the viral vector.
US07972591B2	Methods for treating rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis using MCP1 fusions The present invention provides polypeptides including MCP1 fused, optionally, by a linker, to an immunoglobulin. Methods for using the polypeptides to treat medical disorders are also covered.
US07972588B2	Radiolabelling methods The invention relates to radiodiagnostic and radiotherapeutic agents, including biologically active vectors labelled with radionuclides. It further relates to methods and reagents labelling a vector such as a peptide comprising reaction of a compound of formula (I) with a compound of formula (II): R*-L2-N3 (II) or, a compound of formula (III) with a compound of formula (IV) in the presence of a Cu (I) catalyst. The resultant labelled conjugates are useful as diagnostic agents, for example, as radiopharmaceuticals more specifically for use in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) or Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) or for radiotherapy.
US07972584B2	Magnesiothermic methods of producing high-purity silicon Magnesiothermic methods of producing solid silicon are provided. In a first embodiment, solid silica and magnesium gas are reacted at a temperature from 400° C. to 1000° C. to produce solid silicon and solid magnesium oxide, the silicon having a purity from 98.0 to 99.9999%. The silicon is separated from the magnesium oxide using an electrostatic technology. In a second embodiment, the solid silicon is reacted with magnesium gas to produce solid magnesium silicide. The magnesium silicide is contacted with hydrogen chloride gas or hydrochloric acid to produce silane gas. The silane gas is thermally decomposed to produce solid silicon and hydrogen gas, the silicon having a purity of at least 99.9999%. The solid silicon and hydrogen gas are separated into two processing streams. The hydrogen gas is recycled for reaction with chlorine gas to produce hydrogen chloride gas.
US07972580B2	Methods and compositions for the removal of impurities and water from the Bayer process A liquid phase that comprises an oxalate-extracting amount of an organic salt is useful as an extractant in a liquid/liquid extraction process for purifying Bayer process streams.
US07972568B2	Apparatus for separating para-xylene from a mixture of C8 and C9 aromatic hydrocarbons The apparatus includes at least two adsorptive separation zones to separate para-xylene from a feed stream comprising C8 aromatic hydrocarbons and at least one C9 aromatic hydrocarbon component. The first adsorptive separation zone delivers a raffinate stream to a raffinate distillation zone and an extract stream to an extract distillation zone. The raffinate distillation zone delivers a stream to the second adsorptive separation zone and at least one of the extract distillation zone and raffinate distillation zone delivers a recycle stream to the first adsorptive separation zone.
US07972567B2	Apparatus for manufacturing ultra-fine particles using corona discharge and method thereof The present invention discloses an apparatus and method for manufacturing ultra-fine particles using corona discharge capable of manufacturing the ultra-fine particles nanometers in size from a reaction gas using the corona discharge. In the apparatus for manufacturing ultra-fine particles of the present invention, a reaction gas feeder supplies a nozzle with reaction gas, and the reaction gas is injected. When a power supply applies a high voltage to the nozzle, the corona discharge occurs at the nozzle. Thus, the injected reaction gas is dissolved, and a large number of ultra-fine particles are produced. Then, a collection plate collects the ultra-fine particles. In addition, a duct encloses the nozzle, so that a passage is formed between the nozzle and duct. Sheath gas supplied to the passage of the duct forms a gas curtain between the nozzle and the collection plate, so that the gas curtain leads the flow of the ultra-fine particles. If other reaction gas is supplied to the passage of the duct and heat energy is supplied thereto, the other reaction gas reacts thermochemically, so that a large number of other ultra-fine particles are produced. The ultra-fine particles produced by the corona discharge are coated with the other ultra-fine particles. If the corona discharge is generated while the ultra-fine particles and the other reaction gas are injected by another nozzle positioned downstream of the nozzle, the ultrafine particles are coated with the other ultra-fine particles produced from the other reaction gas.
US07972564B2	Combined labyrinthine fluid sterilizing apparatus The present invention provides a combined labyrinthine fluid sterilizing apparatus, comprising a chamber having an inlet and an outlet as well as a blower/fan provided in the chamber. Ultraviolet lamps are mounted in the lumen of the chamber. The lumen of the chamber is divided by a plurality of bafflers having pores. The pores in the adjacent bafflers are arranged to stagger up and down or from side to side. A mesh plate is provided at the pore. The top and bottom plates of the chamber can be flipped open. The baffler is inserted in the slots in the inner side of the front and back plates. The top and bottom plates have the pore and a cover plate which are both covered by a shield. At least one of the bafflers has a pore, and is provided with a one-way openable valve. The blower is mounted at the pore of the baffler. The chamber and the bafflers are coated with a layer of titanium dioxide. According to the present invention, it is possible to add, remove, or replace the baffler, the filter mesh, the blower or the purifying accessories and the like. The one-way openable valve can prevent the polluted water or air from flowing backwards. Further the to and fro winding disinfecting and sterilizing path prolongs the disinfecting and sterilizing process and increases the duration. With the photocatalytic effect of titanium dioxide, the organic substances are effectively decomposed, the dirt is eliminated, and deodorization and sterilization achieved. As a result, an ideal effect of disinfection and sterilization is achieved.
US07972556B2	Electromagnetic agitator An electromagnetic stirring apparatus includes a vessel (2) for containing an electroconductive material in a molten state, such as a molten metal (1); an axially traveling magnetic field generating coil (3) for generating magnetic line of force (15) in an axial direction of the vessel (2) towards the molten metal (1) contained in the vessel (2) from an outside of the vessel (2); and a strip-shaped magnetic plate (4) disposed between the coil (3) and the vessel (2). Portions (11) where an axial electromagnetic force is generated in the molten metal contained in the vessel by the coil (3), and portions (10) into which a magnetic field is prevented by the magnetic plate (4) from locally entering, are formed in the vessel (2), whereby a circumferential pressure gradient is generated. Only with the axially traveling magnetic field generating coil (3), streams formed by convolution of axial motion and rotary motion are generated in the molten metal (1) in accordance with the axial electromagnetic force and the circumferential pressure gradient, thereby to perform stirring of the molten metal (1).
US07972545B2	Device and method for manufacturing end mill A device and a method for manufacturing an end mill in which the amount of grinding of a blank end mill is small. The device for manufacturing an end mill includes: upper and lower punches; a die; a feed box for supplying a powder of material for the end mill; and a cleaner for eliminating the powder from a top surface of the die. The upper and lower punches are movable up and down relative to each other and have a lengthwise molding cavity formed thereon. The die has a penetrating slit sized to be approximated to the width of the upper and lower punches. The penetrating slit allows the up-and-down movements of the upper and lower punches. The feed box supplies the powder into a space formed by the wall of the penetrating slit and the lower punch.
US07972544B2	Resin multilayer injection molding method While a second layer resin is being charged, a movable platen is moved backward to reach a given movable platen position (S1) to enlarge the capacity of a second cavity. After the completion of charging of the resin, a toggle mechanism is promptly driven to reduce the second cavity capacity to reach a given movable platen position (S2), and after the lapse of a given time, the toggle mechanism is driven again to enlarge the second cavity capacity to reach a given movable platen position (S3). Thus, a high quality multilayer injection molded article which has small variations in the wall thickness, dimension, and mass and which is free from deformation or warpage can be stable obtained.
US07972542B1	Layer by layer self-assembly of large response molecular electro-optic materials by a desilylation strategy The preparation of robust, thin film materials with large second-order optical nonlinearities through the covalent self-assembly of chromophoric compositions and innovative use of silyl chemistry.
US07972541B2	Doped organic semiconductor material The present invention relates to a doped organic semiconductor material comprising at least one organic matrix material, which is doped with at least one dopant, the matrix material being selected from a group consisting of certain phenanthroline derivatives; and also an organic light-emitting diode which comprises such a semiconductor material.
US07972533B2	Chromate free waterborne corrosion resistant primer with non-carcinogenic corrosion inhibiting additive A waterborne corrosion resistant primer composition is composed of a waterborne resin system; an optional curing agent; and a non-chromate containing corrosion inhibiting additive. The non-chromate corrosion inhibiting additive includes at least one of an anodic corrosion inhibitor, a cathodic corrosion inhibitor and a metal complexing agent. The metal complexing agent increases the solubility of at least one of the anodic and cathodic corrosion inhibitors.
US07972528B2	Refrigerant composition A refrigerant composition consists essentially of three hydrofluorocarbon components selected from HFC134a, HFC125 and HFC143a and an additive selected from a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon or mixture thereof boiling in the range −50° C. and +40° C.
US07972526B2	Grease resistant coatings, articles and methods Disclosed herein is an environmentally safe, grease resistant article comprising an absorbent substrate, a cross-linking agent, and a polymer; wherein the substrate is first coated with the cross-linking agent and is then coated with the polymer.
US07972523B2	Method of manufacturing magnetic recording medium According to one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a magnetic recording medium includes forming a magnetic recording layer, an oxidation inhibiting layer, a hard mask layer includes carbon on a substrate, coating the hard mask layer with a resist, transferring patterns of protrusions and recesses to the resist by imprinting to form resist patterns, sequentially performing etching of the hard mask layer using the resist patterns as masks, etching of the oxidation inhibiting layer, and etching and/or magnetism deactivation of the magnetic recording layer to form patterns of the magnetic recording layer, and sequentially performing stripping of the resist patterns, stripping of the hard mask layer and stripping of the oxidation inhibiting layer, in which ion beam etching is used for stripping the oxidation inhibiting layer.
US07972521B2	Method of making reliable wafer level chip scale package semiconductor devices The present invention relates to a method of making a robust wafer level chip scale package and, in particular, a method that prevents cracking of the passivation layer during solder flow and subsequent multiple thermal reflow steps. In one embodiment, a passivation layer that is formed using an insulating material applied in a highly compressive manner is used. In another aspect, another layer is applied over the passivation layer to assist with preventing cracking of the passivation layer.
US07972520B2	Process for operating a centrifuge The present invention relates to a process for operating a centrifuge which has a drive shaft used for loading, a drum which is connected to the drive shaft and has a drum casing and a drum base, a filter with a working region situated within the filter, an annular space formed between the filter and the drum casing, at least one drum base opening which is formed in the drum base and opens out into the annular space, and at least one swirl nozzle which is arranged in such a manner that it injects a fluid through the at least one drum base opening into the annular space. The process according to the invention includes the steps of loading a product suspension into the working region through the drive shaft, centrifuging the product suspension and drying the product suspension, wherein the drum rotates continuously during drying, and a fluid is injected into the drum through the annular space by means of the at least one swirl nozzle, and the rotational speed of the drum during drying is selected such that a product cake formed in the drum does not collapse.
US07972493B2	Filter wash for chloralkali process Filter wash methods and apparatuses for chloralkali processes are provided. The filter wash uses in-process fluids from the chloralkali process to wash filters. The in-process fluids may be drawn from a point in the chloralkali process where the in-process fluids contain active chlorine values such as bleach. A filter may then be isolated from the chloralkali process and contacted with the in-process fluids containing active chlorine values to wash the filter. The in-process fluids containing active chlorine values may be operable to oxidize organic material clinging to the filter, thereby cleaning the filter. After washing, the in-process fluids containing active chlorine values may be returned to the chloralkali process to a point at or near where they were drawn from. The filters may be membrane filters. The filters may comprise expanded polytetrafluoroethylene.
US07972484B2	Gas diffusion electrode for electrolyte-percolating cells The invention relates to a gas-diffusion electrode for chlor-alkali electrolysis cells integrated in a percolator of plastic porous material suitable for being vertically crossed by a downward flow of electrolyte. The electrode comprises a catalytic composition based on silver and/or nickel mixed to a polymeric binder, directly supported on the percolator without any interposed reticulated metal current collector.
US07972483B2	Method of fault detection for material process system A method for material processing utilizing a material processing system to perform a process. The method performs a process (510), measures a scan of data (520), and transforms the data scan (530) into a signature (540) including at least one spatial component. The scan of data (530) can include a process performance parameter such as an etch rate, an etch selectivity, a deposition rate, a film property, etc. The signature (540) can be stored (550), and compared with either a previously acquired signature or with an ideal signature (560). If at least one spatial component substantially deviates from the reference spatial component, then a process fault has potentially occurred. If the cumulative deviation of all spatial components or a select group of components substantially deviates from a reference set of spatial components, then a process fault has potentially occurred.
US07972482B2	Method for processing hydrocarbon pyrolysis effluent A method is disclosed for treating the effluent from a hydrocarbon pyrolysis unit without employing a primary fractionator. The method comprises passing the gaseous effluent to at least one primary heat exchanger, thereby cooling the gaseous effluent and generating high pressure steam, and then cooling the gaseous effluent to a temperature at which tar, formed by reactions among constituents of the effluent, condenses. The gaseous effluent and the condensed tar are fed to at least one knock-out drum, whereby the tar is separated from the gaseous effluent. The gaseous effluent is then further cooled to condense a pyrolysis gasoline fraction from the effluent and to reduce the temperature of the effluent to a point at which it can be compressed efficiently. The condensed pyrolysis gasoline fraction is separated from the effluent and then distilled so as to reduce its final boiling point.
US07972480B2	Apparatus for removing a broken pulp web from a pulp dryer The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for removing a broken pulp web from a pulp dryer. The apparatus includes a maintenance platform arranged at the first or the second end of the pulp dryer, outside the walls of the pulp dryer; a device for shifting the maintenance platform in a substantially vertical direction to a desired height with respect to the pulp dryer, and an extraction device fixed to the edge of the maintenance platform facing the dryer for pulling a broken pulp web out of the pulp dryer.
US07972478B2	Method of producing high dry strength paper and cardboard and paper and cardboard thus obtained In a method of producing a sheet of paper and/or cardboard and similar products, prior to the formation of the sheet from a fibrous suspension, at least two dry strength agents are added to the suspension either separately in any order or mixed together and at one or more injection points, namely: a first agent corresponding to a product for Hofmann degradation in solution on a base (co)polymer comprising at least one non-ionic monomer which is selected from the group containing acrylamide and/or methacrylamide, N,N dimethylacrlamide and/or acrylonitrile; and a second agent corresponding to a (co)polymer having an anionic charge density greater than 0.1 meq/g. The Hofmann degradation product comprises an organic polymer produced at a concentration greater than 3.5% by weight, and preferably greater than 4.5% and the first and second agents are each introduced into the pulp suspension at a concentration of between 0.01 and 2% by weight of active polymer material in relation to the dry weight of the pulp suspension.
US07972476B2	Method for the production of tissue paper This invention relates to a method for the production of a tissue paper web, which is produced from a pulp suspension having fibers. The method according to the present invention is characterized in that the pulp suspension is formed, at least partly by, a pulp suspension fraction obtained through the treatment of old paper, has a refining degree of less than 30° SR and is of such condition that a laboratory sheet according to TAPPI 205 SP 95 (Rapid Köthen), whose breaking length measured according to TAPPI 220 and TAPPI 494 is 4.0 km or more, is produced therefrom.
US07972461B2	Hermetically sealed container and manufacturing method of image forming apparatus using the same A manufacturing method of a hermetically sealed container, comprises steps of placing, on a first member, a first bonding material and a second bonding material having a larger compressibility in relation to a pressing force than a compressibility of the first bonding material, such that the first and second bonding materials are arranged side-to-side relationship, and the first bonding material has a height lower than a height of the second bonding material; pressing a second member to the second bonding material; heating and melting sequentially part by part the first bonding material; and cooling the first bonding material to bond together the first and second members.
US07972460B2	Method of manufacturing printed circuit board Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a printed circuit board. The method of manufacturing a printed circuit board having a via for connecting one layer to another layer can include forming a circuit pattern on one surface of a carrier; processing a hole corresponding to the via on one surface of the carrier; compressing the surface of the carrier into one surface of an insulation body; removing the carrier; processing a via hole on the insulation body, corresponding to a position of the hole; and forming a conductive material in the via hole, to thereby easily process a hole for forming a via and have high design freedom.
US07972457B2	Device and method for draping and pre-shaping curved profiled structural components of fiber materials A device for draping and pre-shaping curved profiled structural components of fiber materials includes at least one shaping tool having a curved shaping face which has a profiled cross-section and which defines the outer contour of the profiled structural component. The device also includes a plurality of unwinding devices each for discharging a web-like fiber material, a device for performing a relative movement between the shaping tool and the plurality of unwinding devices for tangentially winding the web-like fiber materials onto the curved shaping face under tension, and a fixing device for finally fixing the shape of all of the web-like fiber materials wound on the curved shaping face. A method of draping and pre-shaping curved profiled structural components of fiber materials is also disclosed.
US07972453B2	Enhanced blast explosive A thermobaric munition including a composite explosive material, the composite explosive material having a high-explosive composition, and a detonable energetic material dispersed within the high-explosive composition, the detonable energetic material in the form of a thin film, the thin film having at least one layer composed at least in part by a reducing metal and at least one layer composed at least in part by a metal oxide. A related method includes tailoring the blast characteristics of high explosive composition to match a predetermined time-pressure impulse, the method including disbursing a detonable energetic material having a preselected reaction rate within the high-explosive composition, the detonable energetic material in the form of a thin film, the thin film having at least one layer composed at least in part by a reducing metal and at least one layer composed at least in part by a metal oxide.
US07972450B2	High resistance magnet and motor using the same A magnet comprising grains of a ferromagnetic material whose main component is iron and a fluorine compound layer or an oxy-fluorine compound layer of fluoride compound particles of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals and rare earth elements, present on the surface of the ferromagnetic material grains, wherein an amount of iron atoms in the fluorine compound particles is 1 to 50 atomic %.
US07972448B2	Method for the production of an anisotropic magnetic powder and a bonded anisotropic magnet produced therefrom Disclosed herein is a method for the production of an anisotropic magnetic powder or a magnet produced from said powder, wherein a hydrogenating and dehydrogenating method is applied to the starting material in order to produce the powder. An anisotropic oriented magnetic material, more particularly magnetic scrap metal, is advantageously used as starting material so that the complicated use of a molten mass with isotropic distribution of the c axes of the hard metal crystals is not required. The result is an anisotropic material having a fine grain structure and a crystallographic orientation matching a TMXB phase formed during hydrogenation.
US07972447B2	Screening arrangement for a dishwasher, and associated apparatus and method A screening arrangement is provided for a dishwasher having a tub portion defining a sump about a lower end thereof. The dishwasher further includes a heating element disposed proximate to the lower end of the tub portion and defining laterally-opposed inner and outer peripheries. A screen element is arranged adjacent the sump and is configured to screen a dishwashing fluid entering the sump from the tub portion. The screen element extends laterally inward of the inner periphery of the heating element and laterally outward of the outer periphery of the heating element. The screen element is also configured to be heat-resistant so as to protect one of the lower end, the sump, and a lower spray arm from heat emitted by the heating element. An associated apparatus and method are also provided.
US07972438B2	High-index UV optical materials for immersion lithography This invention is related to material for use as an ultraviolet (UV) optical element and particularly for use as a 193 nm immersion lens element. The material for use as a UV optical element includes a Lithium Magnesium Aluminate (LMAO) body. The specific compound for this application is the disordered lithium magnesium spinel, having the general composition of LixMg2(1−x)Al4+xO8 where x=0 to 1 as the high-index UV transparent material for immersion lithography. The LMAO body may include a disordered spinel, such as, for example, a single crystal that may be cubic in symmetry, optically isotropic, and having cation disorder within the structure to reduce the intrinsic birefringence (IBR). The LMAO body has certain desired material properties and may be readily made in relatively large sizes suitable for use as the UV optical element for photolithography.
US07972436B2	Air management in cementitious mixtures having plasticizer and a clay-activity modifying agent An exemplary surface active agent admixture composition of the invention comprises (1) a first surface active agent comprising a betaine, an alkyl or aryl or alkylaryl sulfonate, or mixture thereof; and (2) a second surface active agent comprising a nonionic oxyalkylene-containing polymer surfactant. The present invention therefore provides a system for ensuring the presence in a hydratable cementitious composition (when hardened) a sufficient air volume and sufficient air void fineness and consistency. Further exemplary admixture compositions may comprise one or more plasticizers and one or more clay activity-modifying agents. Cementitious compositions and methods for modifying cementitious compositions, which incorporate the above-mentioned surface active agent combination, are also described. The invention provides the ability to adjust and stabilize air void systems in hydratable cementitious compositions, while allowing conventional air entraining agent (AEA) dosage practices to be followed.
US07972433B2	Fiber reinforced cement composition and products and manufacturing process The problems to be solved by the invention are to provide a fiber reinforced cement composition for obtaining a fiber reinforced cement product which is excellent in bending strength, dimensional stability and installing property such as handling property, flexibility performance and nail performance, as well as a process for manufacturing the product.Namely, the fiber reinforced cement composition comprises the following raw materials: a hydraulic inorganic material, a siliceous material and a woody reinforcement, wherein the siliceous material is an inorganic hollow material and/or an inorganic spherical material and a finely dividing inorganic hollow material and/or a finely dividing inorganic spherical material.The effects of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a fiber reinforced cement product having good bending strength, dimensional stability and installing property such as handling property, flexibility performance and nail performance.
US07972432B2	High early strength pozzolan cement blends A high early strength pozzolan cement includes larger sized pozzolan particles blended with smaller sized hydraulic cement particles containing tricalcium silicate and/or dicalcium silicate (e.g., Portland cement). Excess calcium release from the hydraulic cement when mixed with water forms calcium hydroxide available for reaction with the pozzolan. The fineness of the hydraulic cement particles is substantially greater than the fineness of the pozzolan particles (e.g., about 1.25 to about 50 times greater). Reducing or eliminating coarse hydraulic cement particles that cannot fully hydrate but include unreacted cores reduces or eliminates wasted cement normally found in concrete. Replacing some or all of the coarse cement particles with pozzolan particles provides a pozzolan cement composition having significantly lower water demand compared to the hydraulic cement by itself.
US07972429B2	Bituminous composition This invention relates to bituminous compositions and methods of producing the same. More particularly, the invention relates to the production of bituminous compositions formulated with performance-graded bitumen-containing solvent-free bitumen emulsions which exhibit controllable, temperature-dependent interfacial rheology. When employed in paving applications, these bituminous compositions develop adhesive strength and load-bearing strength properties at rates comparable to traditional hot mix paving compositions and at rates faster than traditional cold mix paving compositions.
US07972417B2	Hydrogen gas separator system having a micro-channel construction for efficiently separating hydrogen gas from a mixed gas source A hydrogen purification method that is used to separate hydrogen gas from a source gas. A hydrogen separator into which flows the source. Within the hydrogen separator is at least one hydrogen permeable tube that is made of a hydrogen permeable material. A support tube is provided for each hydrogen permeable tube. A support tube is coaxially aligned with the hydrogen permeable tube, wherein a micro-channel exists between the hydrogen permeable tube and the support tube in an area of overlap. The source gas is introduced into the micro-channel. The source gas spreads thinly over the hydrogen permeable tube in the micro-channel. The restrictions of the micro-channel cause the source gas to embody turbulent flow characteristics as it flows through the micro-channel. The turbulent flow causes the hydrogen separator to separate hydrogen from the source gas in a highly efficient manner.
US07972412B2	Process for recovering platinum group metals from ores and concentrates A method for recovering at least one platinum group metal (PGM) species from a feed product selected from the group consisting of chromite ore, chromite ore concentrate and PGM concentrate comprising the steps of: mixing the feed with at least one salt so as to produce a mixture, whereby the concentration of salt in the mixture is sufficient to convert at least one PGM species into a corresponding PGM chloride salt; and contacting the mixture with gaseous chlorine and CO at a temperature between about 240° C. and 800° C. to induce the conversion of at least one species of PGM into a solid material containing a corresponding PGM chloride salt, whereby said chloride salt of at least one PGM species can be recovered.
US07972401B2	Air intake filter assembly An air intake filter assembly for filtering air flowing from a front end to a rear end includes a housing, a first filter stage, and a second filter stage. The filter stages are insertable in and removable from the housing. A latch is movable between a latched position in which the first filter stage is secured to the housing, and an unlatched position in which the first filter stage is not secured to the housing. A hinge is formable between the housing and the first filter stage, and the hinge allows the first filter stage to pivot with respect to the housing when the latch is in the unlatched position. When the first filter stage and the second filter stage are inserted in the housing and the latch is in the latched position, then the first filter stage is compressed against the second filter stage, which is compressed against the housing.
US07972396B2	Method of producing polishing pad The present invention relates to a method of producing a polishing pad, comprising steps of: (a) providing a base material comprising a plurality of fibers; said base material having a surface for polishing a substrate, wherein the fibers comprise a core and a cladding surrounding the core, and the cladding comprises a hydrophobic polymer; (b) impregnating the surface of the base material with an elastomer solution; (c) coagulating the elastomer impregnated in the surface of the base material to mold the elastomer and to form a plurality of first continuous pores between the elastomer, and between the elastomer and the fibers; (d) planarizing the surface of the base material; (e) impregnating the surface of the base material and elastomer obtained in the step (d) with a condition polymer solution; and (e) curing the condition polymer impregnated in the surface of the base material and elastomer and partially filling the condition polymer into the first continuous pores to form a plurality of second continuous pores.
US07972390B2	Methods for controlling crystal growth, crystallization, structures and phases in materials and systems This invention relates to novel methods for affecting, and/or directing various crystal formation, structure formation or phase formation/phase change reaction pathways or systems by exposing one or more components in a holoreaction system to at least one spectral energy pattern. In a first aspect of the invention, at least one spectral energy pattern can be applied to a crystallization reaction system. In a second aspect of the invention, at least one spectral energy conditioning pattern can be applied to a conditioning reaction system. The spectral energy conditioning pattern can, for example, be applied at a separate location from the reaction vessel (e.g., in a conditioning reaction vessel) or can be applied in (or to) the reaction vessel, but prior to other (or all) crystallization reaction system participants being introduced into the reaction vessel.
US07972388B2	Methods and kits for maintaining the condition of colored hair The present invention provides for kits and methods of treating hair in order to inhibit color fading and/or impart both shine- and condition-enhancing properties to colored hair, comprising a pre-treatment composition, a color-altering composition, a developer composition, a shampoo composition, a conditioner composition, and a post-treatment composition, wherein the post-treatment composition contains at least about 5% by weight of at least one oily component, based on the total weight of the post-treatment composition.
US07972387B2	Composition for dyeing keratin fibers comprising at least one oxidation base and a polyoxyethylenated sorbitan ester The present disclosure relates to a composition for dyeing keratin fibers such as the hair, which comprises, in a suitable medium, at least one oxidation base, optionally at least one coupler and at least one polyoxyethylenated sorbitan ester with a number of moles of ethylene oxide of less than or equal to 10. Such a composition makes it possible to conserve a strong coloration, while at the same time limiting the discomfort that may be experienced on the scalp at the time of application of the dye composition or after this application.
US07972371B2	Magnetic resonance compatible stent An intravascular stent (50) is provided for use in conjunction with a magnetic resonance imaging system. The stent is constructed to minimize the radio-frequency cage effect which results from currents being induced in stents when subjected to magnetic resonance related radio frequency signals. The stent includes a mesh of electrically conductive material and a non-conductive material disposed within the mesh for connecting the mesh in a generally tubular arrangement such that a net current flowing through the mesh is approximately zero and the RF cage effect is minimized.
US07972368B2	Refillable therapeutic pack A refillable therapeutic pack is disclosed that is comprised of an outer bag having a generally rectangular shape having two sides, a closed end and an open end. Tie straps are secured on the outer bag near the closed end and the open end and extend from the ends. An inner bag is provided internally within the outer bag. The inner bag has two sides, a closed end attached to the closed end of the outer bag and an open end. The open end of the inner bag is of a smaller diameter than the closed end of the inner bag such that the open end of the inner bag contains a neck section. Ice or cooling material may be filled into the inner bag of the cold pack through the neck section of the open end of the inner bag. The cold pack additionally includes flexible opening aids contained within the neck section of the open end to aid in opening and holding open the open end of the inner bag during filling and emptying. The cold pack additionally includes attachment wings to attach the side of the inner bag to the side of the outer bag to hold the inner bag in place. Further, the cold pack includes a sleeve for holding a clip or closure device when the clip or closure device is not in use. The clip or closure device is used to seal and close the inner bag after the inner bag is filled with cooling material.
US07972366B2	Bone plate and screw retaining mechanism A bone plate assembly utilizing at least one bone screw for fixation of adjacent bones of a spine including a base plate having at least one aperture extending therethrough and screw retaining mechanism mounted and movable on the plate between locked and unlocked positions relative to the aperture for preventing the bone screw from backing out from the base plate. Furthermore, a device for placement into an aperture of a base plate including a screw retaining mechanism mountable and movable on a plate between locked and unlocked positions relative to an aperture for preventing a bone screw from backing out from the base plate.
US07972364B2	Locking assembly for securing a rod member in a receiver part for use in spinal or trauma surgery, bone anchoring device with such a locking assembly and tool therefor A locking assembly for securing a rod in a receiving part of a bone anchoring device includes a first locking element having a first end and a second end and a longitudinal axis of rotation and an outer surface provided with an external thread, a coaxial bore passing entirely through said first locking element and an internal thread provided at said bore, a second locking element having a: longitudinal axis of rotation and an outer surface with an external thread cooperating with the internal thread of said first locking element. The first locking element has a recess between the first end and the second end, that defines a circumferentially closed wall portion. The interior of the wall portion has a longitudinally extending structure for engagement with a tool. Furthermore, a tool is provided which has sections which can be independently engaged with the first and second locking element, respectively.
US07972363B2	Bi-directional fixating/locking transvertebral body screw/intervertebral cage stand-alone constructs and posterior cervical and lumbar interarticulating joint stapling guns and devices for spinal fusion A bi-directional fixating transvertebral (BDFT) screw/cage apparatus, a posterior lumbar facet staple and a staple gun for a posterior lumbar facet staple, a posterior cervical facet joint staple, and a staple gun for a posterior cervical facet joint staple are provided. The BDFT apparatus includes an intervertebral cage including a plurality of internal angled screw guides, a plurality of screw members, and a screw locking mechanism that prevents the screw members from pulling out of the internal angled screw guides. The internal angled screw guides orient a first screw member superiorly and a second screw member inferiorly. The intervertebral cage is adapted for posterior lumbar intervertebral placement, anterior lumbar intervertebral placement, anterio-lateral thoracic intervertebral placement, or anterior cervical intervertebral placement.
US07972359B2	Intracardiac cage and method of delivering same A method of preventing ingress of material into the left atrium of a heart includes providing a delivery sheath, advancing the sheath distal end through an opening between the right atrium and the left atrium of the heart, providing an expandable cage, delivering the expandable cage to the left atrium, and expanding the expandable cage within the left atrium. The expandable cage includes a proximal end, a distal end, and a plurality of supports extending therebetween. The expandable cage also includes a first membrane provided at its proximal end and a second membrane provided at its distal end. The expandable cage has a collapsed configuration so that it can be received within the lumen of the delivery sheath, and an expanded configuration for deployment within the heart. When expanded, the first membrane is positioned at an opening between the left and right atria of the heart, and the second membrane is positioned at the ostium of the left atrial appendage. The first membrane substantially prevents passage of blood between the atria and the second membrane prevents passage of embolic material from the left atrial appendage into the left atrium of the heart.
US07972339B2	Syringe for biomaterial An injector device for percutaneously injecting biomaterial in the form of particles of different sizes or in the form of paste includes a trocar (12) of generally cylindrical shape presenting a open first end with a sharp edge, the wall of the first end presenting at least one orifice (36, 38) for passing the biomaterial, and a second end (42) that is likewise open; a reservoir (14) for receiving the biomaterial, the reservoir including a part (20) of substantially cylindrical shape having two open ends, the cylindrical part being capable of being inserted at least in a portion of the trocar via the second end thereof; removable plugs for closing both ends of the reservoir; and a piston (16) insertable in the cylindrical part when the plugs are removed, the piston being capable of sliding in the cylindrical part and in the first end of the trocar.
US07972338B2	Self-supporting osteotomy guide and retraction device and method of use An improved osteotomy guide and retraction device for use during the performance of bunionectomies, whereby the improved device provides a self-supporting instrument that does not require independent fastening means to secure the device in the desired position at the surgical site, and a method of use of the device.
US07972336B2	Methods for treating fractures of the femur and femoral fracture devices The present invention relates to methods and devices for treating femoral fractures, wherein a polyaxial cross member is employed to accommodate a wide range of angles and anteversions/retroversions in the femur, and different securing mechanisms can also be employed to hold and retain such polyaxial cross member in place at the desired orientation.
US07972329B2	Electrosurgical generator and method for cross-checking output power The functionality and the output power delivered are evaluated in an electrosurgical generator by calculating first and second values related to the output power delivered by using separate first and second computations. The two calculated values are compared, and an error condition is indicated when the two values differ by a predetermined amount. The separate computations, coupled with the other separate activities of measuring, averaging and sampling the output current and voltage measurements, serve as an effective basis for detecting errors caused by malfunctions or equipment failure. The error condition may be used to as a basis to terminate the output power delivery or indicate the error.
US07972326B2	Illuminated laser probe with adjustable area of illumination An illuminated laser probe primarily designed for ophthalmic surgery provides both illumination light to a surgical site and laser light to the surgical site. The probe has an elongate handle with a tubular tip extending from a distal end of the handle. A length of illumination optic fiber and a length of laser optic fiber extend through the handle and the tip. A mechanism is provided on the handle at a position where the mechanism can easily be manipulated by a finger of a surgeons hand holding the handle. The mechanism is operatively connected with the laser optic fiber and is manipulated to selectively extend a distal portion of the optic fiber from the instrument tip and retract the distal portion of the optic fiber back into the instrument tip.
US07972325B2	Direct wavefront-based corneal ablation treatment program A method for measuring an optical system comprises transmitting an image with the optical system. Gradients of the optical system can be determined by separating the transmitted image with a lenslet array. An error-correcting change in the shape of the optical system can be mapped by integrating across the gradients. The change in elevation around the path is related to the accuracy of the gradient array. A system for measuring a wavefront of an eye includes an image source for projecting an image into the eye, lenslets, a detector for measuring angles of light rays of an optical surface of an eye, and a computer for mapping the errors of the eye. A tomographic wavefront map is made by deflecting the measurement path of the wavefront sensor. Aberrations are selected for treatment in response to an order of the aberration and a tissue structure corresponding to the aberration.
US07972324B2	Catheter and method of manufacturing same A catheter basically has a catheter shaft in which a catheter tip of which is provided with a joint made of a material which is more flexible than the material of the catheter shaft. The joint is disposed between the distal end of the catheter shaft and the distal end of the catheter tip. The front end consists of a material being the same or more rigid than that of the catheter shaft.
US07972323B1	Steerable device for introducing diagnostic and therapeutic apparatus into the body An apparatus including an elongate body having a lumen extending therethrough and a steering wire associated with the distal portion of the elongate body.
US07972315B2	Implantable injection port and protective cap 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 fit 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.
US07972297B2	Breast cup assembly for a breast pump A breast cup assembly for a breast pump has a generally funnel-shaped support member with an open wide end, an open narrow end, a tapered central passage extending between the wide end and the narrow end. A liner is positioned at least in part in the support member. The liner has a first noncircular opening therein for receiving at least a portion of a breast including a nipple, a second opening spaced from the first noncircular opening, and a tubular passageway between the first noncircular opening and the second opening for allowing milk expressed from the breast received in the liner to pass through the liner. The liner is configured for movement between an opened configuration of the noncircular opening and a collapsed configuration of the noncircular opening.
US07972296B2	Fluid component analysis system and method for glucose monitoring and control Disclosed are methods and apparatus for determining analyte concentration in a sample such as bodily fluid. Systems and methods disclosed herein can also include a treatment dosing system to infuse or inject a treatment drug (e.g. insulin or glucose) and provide glycemic control. The dose of the treatment drug may be based on the concentration of the analyte or the average value for the concentration of the analyte and/or the rate of change of the value of the concentration of the analyte.
US07972289B2	Blood-draw finger restraint An apparatus for drawing blood from a finger includes a flexible band, at least a portion of which is adapted to surround a portion of a finger. A remaining portion of the apparatus is disposed under at least one joint of the finger. The apparatus provides sufficient strength along its longitudinal length to restrict a child or other person from excessively bending the joint when the finger restraint is in position. After a puncture is provided near the tip of the finger, the apparatus is then squeezed to help force an additional quantity of blood to flow out through the puncture. After the blood sample is taken, the apparatus continues to “restrain” the finger until a required bandage is applied. A few of the many possible modifications are also shown.
US07972278B2	Method and apparatus for objective electrophysiological assessment of visual function For electrophysiological assessment of visual function using a head mounted stereo display (e.g. virtual reality goggles) for displaying a stimulus which is used to generate a retinal or cortical response. In particular, a method for objective electrophysiological assessment of visual function of at least one eye of a subject includes presenting a visual stimulus to at least one eye of the subject, recording at least one of a retinal response and, a cortical response generated as a result of the presenting; analyzing said response and, as a result of said analyzing, forming a map of the visual function of the at least one eye of the subject6. The invention also relates to as system for such electrophysiological assessment.
US07972277B2	Exhaled breath analysis method Handling of the condensate collecting vessel in conventional breath analysis apparatuses having a cold condensation mechanism is complicated, and time consuming.The present invention provides a method for analyzing exhaled breath using a breath analysis apparatus, the breath analysis apparatus including: a vessel; an injection port of the exhaled breath; an outlet port of the exhaled breath; a cooling unit; an electrode zone; a counter electrode zone; and a chemical substance detection unit, in which the exhaled breath contains water vapor and a volatile organic compound, the volatile organic compound having a molecular weight of no lower than 15 and no higher than 500, and the method for exhaled breath analysis comprising the steps of: injecting the exhaled breath from the injection port into the vessel; condensing the exhaled breath on the outer peripheral surface of the electrode zone by cooling the electrode zone with the cooling unit; forming charged fine particles from the condensed breath; recovering the charged fine particles into the chemical substance detection unit by an electrostatic force; and detecting the volatile organic compound included in the charged fine particles recovered.
US07972266B2	Image data normalization for a monitoring system A method for providing normalized physiological monitoring data of an individual with a measure of the quality of the normalization, including providing a reference feature based on a physiological attribute of the individual for which an attribute value can be determined; unobtrusively capturing physiological monitoring data for the individual during a series of capture events and determining the capture conditions present during each capture event; detecting the presence of the reference feature in the series of captured physiological monitoring data and determining associated attribute values for each capture event; normalizing the captured physiological monitoring data from each capture event according to differences in the attribute values associated with each event and previously calculated attribute values; and calculating normalization confidence values for the individual at the series of capture events, based on capture conditions, normalization transforms, or semantic data, wherein the confidence values statistically measure the quality of the normalization.
US07972265B1	Device and method for remote vessel ligation A retractor and a surgical tool are positioned at the distal end of the cannula. A dissection cradle is located at the distal end of a distal portion of the retractor that is resiliently skewed relative to the cannula axis, and includes two substantially parallel, spaced legs with the retractor shaped in a loop therebetween. The procedure includes locating a vessel and side branch of interest and extending the retractor to retain the vessel in the dissection cradle to urge the vessel away from the axis of the cannula in order to isolate a side branch for exposure to the surgical tool.
US07972255B2	Self-supporting bag The invention provides a self-supporting bag (10) in which a synthetic resin bag main body (11) constituted by a body portion (20) and a bottom portion (30) is molded preferably by a metal mold, and the entire main body (11) is set in a folded state in a step before filling the bag's main body (11), wherein the folded state of the bag's main body (11) is formed by folding the entire bottom portion (30) in parallel to the body portion (20).
US07972247B2	Method and apparatus for creating a virtual workout community A method for creating a virtual online gym for providing members with a shared workout experience and decreasing the feeling of isolation when members are not all working out at the same physical location. The method including the steps of receiving a request for access to the virtual online gym and receiving a selection for a first exercise program from a plurality of available exercise programs from the first member. The method also includes the steps of determining a program length based on the selection of the first exercise program; presenting updated status information during a length of the program length; and, providing a notification when the program length has been reached. An apparatus and system for implementing the method are also disclosed.
US07972242B2	Vehicle trajectory control system Systems and methods for controlling a throttle plate to adjust airflow to the engine are provided. A transmission having an input speed and an output speed and including a clutch and a driver-selectable transmission lever is controlled to adjust engine speed to a synchronous speed in a future gear ratio in response to driver foot pedal positions and driver-selectable transmission lever positions.
US07972234B2	Silent chain String vibration is reduced without causing friction loss. A silent chain is comprised of a multiple number of link plates, each of which has a pair of tooth portions and pin holes and which are laminated laterally and longitudinally and guide plates which are arranged at outermost positions of the link plates. The link plates and the guide plates are connected by connecting pins. In this construction, some of the guide plates are made heavier than that of other guide plates and are irregularly mixed in a longitudinal direction of the chain. Thus, the natural frequency can be changed in an arbitrary chain span and string vibration may be reduced without causing friction loss.
US07972227B2	Lacrosse handle with gripping structure A lacrosse handle including a gripping structure that provides a user with an improved grip of the handle. The gripping structure can provide tactile feedback regarding the precise positioning of the lower hand at a particular location between the top end and bottom end of the handle. Optionally, the upper portion of the lacrosse handle may remain substantially bare, allowing a user to easily position and reposition their upper hand by sliding the hand up and down the upper portion of the handle during play. The gripping structure can be formed having one or more layers of a clear lacquer material and one or more ink layers applied to the outer surface of the handle via a wet transfer technique, or other processes.
US07972223B2	Golf club A graphite golf club which is formed on a mandrel is provided. The graphite golf club comprises a club head which strikes a golf ball; a club shaft which comprises a coupling unit to be coupled with the club head and a main body unit extending from the coupling unit to a golf club grip. The mandrel includes a mandrel joint unit which is formed with mandrel steps that decrease in diameter from one end of the mandrel to the other end of the mandrel. The golf club shaft is formed on the mandrel with a lower sheet layer contacting and overlapping the mandrel and an upper sheet layer overlapping an outer part of the lower sheet layer. The lower sheet layer and the upper sheet layer form a sheet joint unit which includes sheet steps decreasing in diameter corresponding to the mandrel steps.
US07972219B1	Rotary game table A rotary game table includes a combination game table, two side support members, and at least one cross member. The combination game table includes a pool table surface formed on one side and an air powered hockey table surface, a gaming surface or a table soccer game formed on the opposite side. The at least one cross member is terminated on each end by a single side support member. The combination game table is pivotally retained by a side support member on each end thereof. To pivotally constrain the combination game table, at least one locking pin device is used; in a second embodiment at least two pivotal support arms; and in a fourth embodiment a pair of support latches. A third embodiment includes at least one side support member configured to retain a plurality of game accessories.
US07972215B2	Application-centric user interface techniques Various application-centric user interface techniques are described. A user can easily launch, add, or update applications. An application-centric activity center can be presented as part of a user interface for an operating system shell. A file defining metadata for an application can be defined. The techniques can be applied to game-related software.
US07972211B2	Pattern codes used for interactive control of computer applications Methods for determining input to be supplied to a computer program are provided. One of the methods include processing a first video frame having a pattern code before light is applied to the pattern code. The first video frame defines a first characteristic of the pattern code, and the pattern code is defined by at least two tags. The method further includes processing a second video frame having the pattern code when light is applied to the pattern code, such that the second video frame defines a second characteristic of the pattern code. Then, decoding the first characteristic and the second characteristic of the pattern code to produce decoded information. An interactive command is then initiated to the computer program. A type of the interactive command is defined by the decoded information, wherein one of the tags has a reflective surface and one of the tags has a non-reflective surface.
US07972210B2	Electronic slot machine An improved slot machine provides a plurality of animated scenes, the outcomes of which determine whether the player has won. The slot machine provides some of the traditional elements of a slot machine but with improved entertainment replacing the spinning reels. Scenes may depict objects that are moving toward a line, which is reminiscent of the line in the traditional slot machine, but in this case represents something physical with which the objects interact. For example, the objects could be birds that are falling/flying down onto a wire. In another example, the objects are freely falling onto the ground or floor. The scenes depict several possible outcomes of the interaction between the objects. Based upon the resulting outcomes (e.g. matching outcomes, like a traditional slot machine) the player wins or loses.
US07972208B2	Slot machine and control method of game A slot machine of the present invention comprises: a symbol display device capable of variably displaying a plurality of symbols; an image display device; and a controller, the controller programmed to conduct the processing of: (A) executing a game in which the plurality of symbols are variably displayed and then stop-displayed to the symbol display device after game media are BET in number equal to or less than a previously set maximum number of BETs, and game media are paid out in number according to the plurality of symbols stop-displayed or a combination thereof; (B) shifting a mode from a non-insurance mode to an insurance mode on condition that a predetermined number of game media is inserted; (C) counting the number of games played after shifting to the insurance mode, in the insurance mode; (D) paying out a predetermined number of game media when the number of games counted in the processing (C) reaches a specific number; (E) shifting the mode from the insurance mode to the non-insurance mode, when the predetermined number of the game media is paid out in the processing (D); (F) shifting the mode from the insurance mode to the non-insurance mode, when a predetermined insurance canceling condition is established before the number of games counted in the processing (c) reaches the specific number; (G) displaying an image showing that the mode is shifted to the non-insurance mode to the image display device, when the mode has been shifted from the insurance mode to the non-insurance mode.
US07972203B2	Windshield saver An air flow device for generating an air flow 30 across a windshield 4 of a vehicle 2, the air flow device has one or more means 10 for generating an air flow 32 located in proximity on a lateral end or side of the windshield 4, the one or more means 10 for generating an air flow 30 directs the flow of air laterally onto the windshield 4. The one or more means 10 for generating an air flow 30 has one or more fans 20 rotatable about an axis 22. Each fan 20 has a plurality of fan blades 24 for intaking air near the axis of rotation 22 of the fan blade 24, the fan blades 24 extend longitudinally having a cross section of increasing curvature to a substantially flattened unshaped terminal end 24E for directing the air flow 30 laterally. The one or more fans 20 can be driven by a single motor 25. Alternatively, each fan 20 may include a motor 25 for driving the fan blade 24.
US07972200B2	Abrading wheel with sintered metal core Article and method of making an abrading wheel having a sintered metal core and radially inward openings having curved inner edges to reduce stress in operation and to improve the ability of the wheel to clear residue from the wheel during operation.
US07972194B2	Weld gun tip dressing A method for dressing a pair of weld gun tips on a weld gun controlled by a robot is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: placing an alignment tool in a mounting head of a tip dresser tool, with the alignment tool including a central alignment bore having a diameter corresponding in size to a diameter of the pair of weld gun tips; teaching a robot path to cause the pair of weld gun tips to slide into the central alignment bore while the alignment tool is mounted in the mounting head; removing the alignment tool from the mounting head; inserting a cutter head into the mounting head; using the taught robot path to bring the pair of weld gun tips into contact with the cutter head; and dressing the weld gun tips with the cutter head.
US07972176B2	Hardline coaxial cable connector A hardline coaxial cable connector includes a body subassembly, a back nut subassembly and a deformable ferrule disposed within the back nut subassembly. The back nut subassembly is rotatable with respect to the body subassembly and a coaxial cable inserted therein. Axial advancement of the back nut subassembly toward the body subassembly causes the ferrule to deform radially inwardly.
US07972162B2	Socket with fixing equipment A socket, adapted for electrically connecting an IC package to a printed circuit board, comprises an insulative housing accommodating a plurality of contacts and a cover pivotally assembled on an end of the insulative housing. The insulative housing has two lateral sides and a base portion disposed between the lateral sides, and each lateral side is formed with two incepting portions on two opposite ends thereof. The cover has two fixing portions extending downwardly from two sides thereof and corresponding to the incepting portions of the insulative housing. When the cover rotates to a close position, the fixing portion of the cover directly latches the incepting portion of the insulative housing to prevent the cover from tilting.
US07972157B2	Electrical connection device The present invention relates to an electrical connection device that connects a rotating electrical machine and an inverter within a housing. The electrical connection device is configured with a first bus bar connected to a terminal of the rotating electrical machine such that the first bus bar that is insulated from the housing, and a second bus bar that is connected to a terminal of the inverter device such that the second bus bar is also insulated from the housing. An insulating connection member is configured to connect the first bus bar and the second bus bar. The first bus bar and second bus bar are housed within the housing such that they face each other to form a gap between them. The connection member is configured to pass through a wall of the housing so as to electrically connect the first and second bus bars.
US07972156B2	Electronic card connector with an improved housing for assembling a switch terminal thereof favorably An electronic card connector includes an insulative housing, a number of contacts and a first switch terminal retained on the insulative housing. The insulative housing has a receiving space, a receiving slot communicating with the receiving space along an up to down direction and a limiting block at a front side of the receiving slot. The first switch terminal has a fastening portion retained on the insulative housing, a connecting portion forwardly extending to the receiving slot, a limiting portion forwardly extending to a lower side of the limiting block and a tail portion. The switch terminal further has a guiding portion extending sidewardly. The insulative housing has a pre-pressing surface at one side of the receiving slot to pre-press the guiding portion and prevent the switch terminal from bouncing upwardly to resist a front side of the limiting block in an assembly process of the switch terminal.
US07972145B2	Electrical connector having adapter with hook so as to prevent and reduce distortion of the adapter An electrical connector (100) adapted for electrically connecting a package to a printed circuit board comprises a base (4), an adapter (3) assembled on the base (4), a plurality of contacts (6) received in the base (4), a frame (1) assembled on the base (4) and moves up and down relative to the base (4), an actuator (2) assembled on the base (4) and moves from a closed position to an opened position when the frame (1) moves up and down, the base (4) comprises a plurality of passageways (4101), the adapter (3) comprises a plurality of receiving holes (31) corresponding to the passageways (4101) of the base (4), the contacts (6) are received in the passageways (4101) and go through the receiving holes (31), a hook (311) is formed on one of the adapter (3) and the base (4) to latch the adapter (3) on the base (4).
US07972144B2	Electrical contact having additional mounting feet arranged to ensure reliable electrical connections with conductive pad around via of circuit board A contact (1) for an electrical connector mountable on a substrate (3) having at least a via (311) therethrough comprises a medial portion (10), a contact engaging portion (121) extending from the medial portion (10), a solder terminal portion extending from the medial portion (10) in a direction away from said contact engaging portion (121) and includes at least a first spring arm (11) having a standing point (111), and at least an auxiliary foot (112) extending sideway from the first spring arm (11) having a distance with respect to the standing point (111), the contact engaging portion (121) is adapted to engage with a mating contact.
US07972140B2	Method and apparatus for performing a behaviour analysis using a virtual environment A method and apparatus is disclosed for providing a virtual environment or a visual presentation to a user. A portion of interest is created and depending on a response of the user to the virtual environment or to the visual presentation, a feedback is preferably provided.
US07972139B2	Training device for forcibly opening a locked door A training device for training the techniques of forcible entry through a locked door includes a door having an inner vertical edge, the door being hingedly mounted within a door frame for swinging movement between closed and open positions, the door frame including a hollow vertical jamb having a vertical surface adjacent the inner vertical edge of the door and an opening in the vertical surface communicating with the hollow. A pin projects from the door and is received within the opening in the jamb. When the door is in the closed position the pin is clamped by a pair of vertically opening and closing hinged jaws, the jaws being operable within the hollow between open and closed positions and being biased into the closed position by compression springs.
US07972132B2	Injection molding valve gated hot runner nozzle A valve gated hot runner nozzle with at least two transition members made of different materials located between a nozzle tip and a mold gate component to provide a thermal transition region. A first transition member in contact with the nozzle tip is less thermally conductive than a second transition member in contact with the mold gate component. The valve pin when in the closed position makes sealing contact with at least the second transition member such that cooling from the mold gate component is transferred to the valve pin to cool the melt in the mold gate area.
US07972126B2	Power steering system hydraulic pump A power steering system hydraulic pump has a pump component which is to be sealed and a first pump cover. A flat sealing element is provided between the pump component which is to be sealed and the first pump cover.
US07972125B2	Compressor having output adjustment assembly including piston actuation A compressor may include a housing, first and second scroll members, and a compressor output adjustment assembly. The first scroll member may define a first chamber having first and second passages in communication therewith, a second chamber having third and fourth passages in communication therewith, and first and second apertures. The first and third passages may be in communication with a first pressure source and the second and fourth passages may be selectively in communication with a second pressure source. The compressor output adjustment assembly may include a first piston located in the first chamber and displaceable between first and second positions and a second piston located in the second chamber and displaceable between first and second positions. The first piston may isolate the first aperture from the first passage and the second piston may isolate the second aperture from the third passage when in their respective second positions.
US07972123B2	Electric compressor An inverter assembly includes a substrate, a capacitor assembly and a coil, a varistor and a base. The base fixes and supports thereto the substrate, the capacitor assembly, the coil, and the varistor, and is detachably fixed together to a first housing with screws.
US07972121B2	Limited free-motion pump impeller coupling device A limited free-motion coupling device 10 coupling an impeller 14 to a shaft 16 of a rotor 12, the coupling device 10 comprising first and second parts 20, 22 which are axially engaged for relative angular displacement about a rotational axis A, and two spherical coupling members 24 for engaging the first and second parts 20, 22 to prevent the relative angular displacement. One of the first and second parts 20, 22 is provided on the shaft 16 of the rotor 12, and the other is provided on the impeller 14. The first part 20 comprises two spaced coupling member arms 30 which project radially. The second part 22 comprises a cylindrical wall 66 extending coaxially with the rotational axis A of the coupling device 10. Two spaced arcuate channels 50 are formed in the cylindrical wall 66. Each coupling member 24 is received in and projects radially from a respective arcuate channel 50, and is freely movable between end walls of the arcuate channel 50. As the first part 20, rotates relative to the second part 22, the coupling member arms 30 of the first part 20 engage and move the coupling members 24 along the respective arcuate channels 50 until the coupling members 24 abut the end walls of the arcuate channels 50, thus locking the first part 20 relative to the second part 22.
US07972120B2	Discharge system for compressors A discharge system for a compressor which includes a first plurality of discharge chambers connected to provide a serial discharge from the compression chamber of the compressor to an outlet and a second set of discharge chambers providing a parallel discharge path from the compression chamber of the compressor to the outlet upon the pressure in the compression chamber exceeding a predetermined value.
US07972119B2	Variable displacement compressor A variable displacement compressor includes a housing, a rotary shaft, a swash plate, a suction pressure region, a suction throttle valve, an oil reservoir, a lubricating oil passage, a gas flow passage, a communication passage, and a throttle mechanism. The suction-pressure region includes a suction chamber and a suction passage. The suction throttle valve is arranged in the suction passage and defines an upstream suction-pressure region and a downstream suction-pressure region. The lubricating oil passage connects the oil reservoir to the upstream suction-pressure region. The gas flow passage connects the crank chamber to the suction chamber. The communication passage connects the lubricating oil passage to at least one of the downstream suction-pressure region, the gas flow passage and the crank chamber. The throttle mechanism is provided in the lubricating oil passage between the oil reservoir and a position where the communication passage connects to the lubricating oil passage.
US07972118B2	Variable capacity compressor The first maximum inclination angle θ1 is a maximum inclination angle of a link member 45 allowed by a clearance between a slit 41s of a rotor 21 and one end 45a of the link member 45; the second maximum inclination angle θ2 is a maximum inclination angle of the link member 45 allowed by a clearance between a slit 43s of a swash plate 24 and the other end 45b of the link member 45; the third maximum inclination angle θ3 is a maximum inclination angle of a first linking pin 46 allowed by a clearance between the first linking pin 46 and a first bearing hole 41a; the fourth maximum inclination angle θ4 is a maximum inclination angle of a second linking pin 47 allowed by a clearance between the second linking pin 47 and a second bearing hole 43a; and the fifth maximum inclination angle θ5 is a maximum inclination angle of the swash plate 24 with respect to the drive shaft 10 allowed by a clearance between the drive shaft 10 and a pair of the tilting guide faces 37, 37. Relations (θ3+θ4)<θ5<θ1, θ2 are established.
US07972116B2	Blade for a gas turbine engine A blade for a gas turbine engine includes an aerofoil portion and a root portion defined by concave and convex walls having opposing inner surfaces. A reinforcing member is located between the concave and convex walls and is bonded to the inner surfaces of the concave and convex walls, and the root portion includes an unbonded region in which the reinforcing member contacts an inner surface of one of the concave and convex walls but is not bonded to the concave and convex walls.
US07972113B1	Integral turbine blade and platform A turbine blade for a gas turbine engine, in which the turbine blade includes an airfoil portion with a root having a dovetail shape, and two platform halves that include a dovetail shaped opening within the platform halves to secure the blade root within the platform halves when fastened together. The platform halves have an outer fir tree shaped surface so that the blade assembly can be inserted into a slot within a rotor disk. the blade is uncoupled from the platform in the invention so that the airfoil can be made from a single crystal material with low casting defects because the platform is not cast with the airfoil. the two platform halves include the openings with side walls that are curved to follow the contour of the airfoil root so that the airfoil is secured within the platform halves against all directions of movement. An annular groove extends around the platform opening to provide for a seal to produce a seal between the high pressure cooling air supply passage within the platform and the lower pressure hot gas flow passing through the blade.
US07972111B2	Fan assembly A fan assembly for creating an air current includes a nozzle mounted on a base. The base comprises an outer casing, an impeller housing located within the outer casing, the impeller housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, an impeller located within the impeller housing and a motor for driving the impeller to create an air flow through the impeller housing. The nozzle includes an interior passage for receiving the air flow from the air outlet of the impeller housing and a mouth through which the air flow is emitted from the fan assembly. A flexible sealing member is located between the outer casing and the impeller housing.
US07972110B2	Centrifugal blower A centrifugal blower having a fan including a blade. A scroll casing houses the fan and has a first axial wall portion, a second axial wall portion, and a side wall extending between the first and second axial wall portions. The scroll casing includes a suction port in the first axial wall portion. The scroll casing also defines a scroll start portion and a scroll finish portion. The scroll casing has a scroll radius measured transverse to the rotation axis that changes from the scroll start portion to the scroll finish portion. Also, a maximum radius of the scroll radius is closer to the second axial wall portion than the first axial wall portion.
US07972093B2	One-way clutch and a clamping structure for a handled tool using the same The present invention discloses a one-way clutch capable of eliminating the phenomenon of “teeth scraping”, comprising: ratchet member, pawl seat, pawl member, control outer sleeve and control member provided with control portion, wherein at least one of the control portion or the pawl member has a first slope capable of being in contact with the other one of the control portion or the pawl member and said pawl member exerts a force towards the second direction on the control portion.
US07972087B2	Vacuum transfer apparatus and process with improved product weighing controls A vacuum transfer apparatus and process with weighing controls. An exemplary vacuum transfer apparatus includes a hopper that retains food product and includes a discharge port. A vacuum chamber has an inlet coupled to the discharge port of the hopper, and a member that is time-controlled to dispense product from the vacuum chamber. A portioning hopper receives product from the vacuum chamber and dispenses a predetermined weight of product.
US07972082B2	Collection of landfill gas at variable rates to match temporal needs for energy generation The invention involves a method of collecting biogas from a landfill with a variable rate of collection varied to match periods of greatest need for energy and greatest economic value of energy during a day. The variable collection rate is made possible by a landfill design that includes a gas permeable layer and a gas containment layer with gas collection from an extraction locus beneath the gas permeable layer. In some embodiments the landfill also includes a porous gas storage layer above the gas-permeable layer.
US07972078B2	Power transmission mechanism of shaft and hub A power transmission mechanism of a shaft and a hub, wherein a shaft tooth part comprises a ridge part formed of a crowning with varied tooth thickness, and a hub tooth part comprises a ridge part having tooth thickness formed in a specified linear shape and having an inner diameter varying from the end part thereof to a shaft shank side. A first step part swelling to the hub tooth part is formed in the bottom part of the shaft tooth part, and a second step part recessed in a direction opposite to the shaft tooth part is formed in the ridge part of the hub tooth part. The start point of the first step part and the start point of the second step part are set at positions offset by a specified distance from each other.
US07972077B2	Connector for linear members Connectors for linear members of wall structure which allows a variety of guide rails, fences, and pipes to be assembled in a desired pattern conveniently are provided. The connector includes a central body of annular shape; at least one socket member 6, the one end of the socket member being connected to the central body and the other end being connected to the linear member, such as pipe, wire or bar; and a rail means that connects the central body and the socket member such that the socket member can be moved along the circumferential surface of the central body.
US07972071B2	Spool adapter An adapter for a spool includes a body having a first body portion and a second body portion that are slidably joined together. The first and second body portions are slidably adjustable to each other. The first body portion includes a first contact surface and a second contact surface comprising at least one projection adaptable for joining to the spool.
US07972069B2	Camera system and camera body A camera body includes a body mount that supports an attachable lens unit, an imaging element that captures an optical image of a subject and generates image data, a shutter unit disposed between the body mount and the imaging element, a protecting plate that has a first condition of shielding an opening of the shutter unit and a second condition of retracting from the opening of the shutter unit, a motor that drives the protecting plate, a power source operable to supply power, and a camera controller that controls the motor before power supply from the power source is stopped, so that the protecting plate is in the first condition when the power supply from the power source is stopped.
US07972066B1	One-piece optical fiber adapter An optical fiber adapter according to the present invention includes a main body, an inner housing and a cover plate. The main body has an axial cavity defined by a first wall, a second wall, a third wall and a fourth wall, wherein the first wall faces the third wall and connects with the second and fourth walls. The axial cavity has two opposing axial openings and is configured to receive the inner housing. An access opening is arranged on the first wall for the inner housing to place within the axial cavity. A plurality of protruding portions is positioned on the second and fourth walls, respectively, wherein each the protruding portion has an indentation formed thereon and facing the access opening. The cover plate is configured to cover the access opening on the first wall of the main body, wherein the cover plate has a plurality of protrusions formed thereon and positioning corresponding to the indentations on the protruding portions of the main body. When the protrusions on the cover plate are melted and the cover plate is brought to cover the access opening, the molten protrusions will bond with the protruding portions of the main body.
US07972064B2	One way valve and container The present invention provides a one way valve having a valve body, a wall, a fluid inlet, and a fluid outlet. The valve has a plunger which is moveable with respect to the valve body from a first position to a second position. The valve also has a diaphragm positioned in the valve body for movement between a third position and a fourth position when the plunger is in the first position. When the diaphragm is in the third position the fluid outlet is closed and when the diaphragm is in the fourth position the fluid outlet is open.
US07972060B2	Dental radiology image sensor with soft overmolding The invention relates to an intra-oral dental radiology sensor. The sensor comprises an electronic image acquisition module and a molded casing made of a hard plastic which is locally provided with overmoldings made of a softer plastic having the consistency of smooth rubber, covering the hard plastic in areas located on the outside of the casing and corresponding to projecting angular portions of the hard plastic, and also in areas located inside the casing at places where the electronic module may bear. The soft plastic is preferably a copolymer of the SEBS (styrene/ethylene-butylene/styrene) type whereas the hard plastic is preferably a polyamide. The patient's comfort is improved and the module is better protected against shocks without increasing its size.
US07972056B2	Machine for mixing hair colors A countertop apparatus dispenses hair coloring, developers and bleach in specified quantities and mixes them, substantially reducing the manual labor involved in performing such tasks. A housing has an upstanding back wall and a bottom wall. A plurality of hair color tube stations is mounted on a forward side of the back wall and a hair color tube squeezing device is positioned at each hair color tube station. The hair color tube squeezing device includes a pair of confronting rollers that engage the trailing end of an inverted hair color tube. A plurality of developer reservoirs and a bleach hopper are also mounted to the apparatus. First and second mixing bowls receive and mix hair coloring and developer at first and second stations, and a third mixing bowl receives and mixes bleach and developer at a third station. Operation of the apparatus is keypad-controlled.
US07972054B2	Lighting assembly and light module for same A lighting assembly that has a light fixture and an LED light module is provided. One or more resilient members generate a compression force when the LED light module is removably coupled to the light fixture to thereby exert a generally axial force on the LED light module to resiliently maintain the LED light module in resilient contact with the light fixture or socket of the light fixture to thereby resiliently couple the LED light module to the light fixture or socket of the light fixture. One or both of the LED light module and light fixture have one or more engaging members that extend radially from a circumferential surface thereof, and one or both of the LED light module and the light fixture have one or more slots configured to removably receive the one or more engaging members therein when coupling the LED light module to the light fixture.
US07972051B2	Double-sided backlight and assembly incorporating a double-sided light source coupling light guide Described are a backlight, a backlight assembly for use in an electronic device and an electronic device configured to activate the backlight's first light source and to activate the backlight's second light source independently of one another. The described double-sided backlight may illuminate either the primary display or the secondary display. The disclosed backlight includes two light sources, each used to direct light in opposite directions from the double-sided backlight. The light guide of the backlight is configured to direct light from the first light source in a first direction to exit the light guide via its first face, and to direct light from the second light source in a second direction different from the first direction to exit the light guide via its second face.
US07972048B1	Window mounted solar powered night light A window mounted solar powered night light has a structural attachment fastener, a lighting module; and a holder for attaching the lighting module to the attachment fastener. The lighting module includes a light emitting diode, a rechargeable battery, a solar cell for recharging the battery, and a switch for turning the light emitting diode on and off. A housing maintains the various elements of the lighting module in circuit communication.
US07972038B2	Direct view LED lamp with snap fit housing A direct view LED lamp (10) comprising: a heat sink body (12) having a longitudinal axis (14) and a wall (16) having an exterior (18) and an interior (20). A cavity (22) is formed in the interior (20) and is defined by a circumferential side wall (24) and a back wall (26). A circuit board (28) is positioned in the cavity (22) adjacent the back wall (26). At least one LED (30) is mounted on the circuit board (28) facing in an axial direction parallel to the longitudinal axis (14) and away from the circuit board (28). An optical light guide (32) is positioned adjacent the at least one LED (30). A housing (42) spans the cavity (22) and has a coupling face (44) to mate with the heat sink body (12).
US07972031B2	Addressable or static light emitting or electronic apparatus The present invention provides an addressable or static electronic apparatus, such as a light emitting display. An exemplary apparatus comprises a substrate having a plurality of cavities; a plurality of first conductors coupled to the substrate and at least partially within the cavities, with the plurality of first conductors having a first and substantially parallel orientation; a plurality of light emitting diodes or other electronic components coupled to the plurality of first conductors and having a second orientation substantially normal to the first orientation; and a plurality of substantially optically transmissive second conductors coupled to the plurality of light emitting diodes and having a third orientation substantially normal to the second orientation and substantially perpendicular to the first orientation. In an exemplary method, the plurality of electronic components in a suspending medium are deposited within the plurality of cavities, and the plurality of electronic components are oriented using an applied field, followed by a bonding of the plurality of electronic components to the plurality of first conductors.
US07972025B2	Light emitting diode device A light emitting diode device includes a light emitting diode illumination element, a solar cell unit generating power for the illumination element and a rechargeable cell unit storing the power.
US07972008B2	Projection system using high-frequency drive modulation to reduce perceived speckle An image producing system (1400) delivers images (1414) having reduced speckle by employing one or more drive circuits (1404, 1405, 1406) that deliver both a direct current drive signal (205) and an alternating current drive signal (405) to one or more lasers (1401, 1402, 1403). Specifically, an alternating current drive circuit (403) is used in conjunction with a direct current drive circuit (203) to modulate a drive signal. The modulation can be at a frequency of between 400 MHz and 600 MHz. When lasers, such as the red laser (1401) or the blue laser (1403) of a multi-laser system are modulated in such a fashion, their emitted spectral widths (407) greatly expand, thereby reducing speckle in projected images (1414).
US07972006B2	Apparatus, system, and method for the desktop-based creation, management, and publication of enhanced audiovisual presentations A software apparatus for the user-friendly, desktop-based authoring, creation, management, and publication of a personal, enhanced audiovisual presentation comprising a software program which automatically captures and encodes the audiovisual presentation recorded by the user using the webcam, allows the user to edit an application-imported textual resume and synchronize parts of the textual resume with segments of the recorded audiovisual presentation, assigns a URL to the completed enhanced audiovisual presentation, and. A computer teleprompter especially adapted for use with the disclosed apparatus for desktop-based recording of an enhanced audiovisual presentation comprising a front enclosure with an opening, a webcam mount, a webcam position adjustment knob attached to the webcam mount, a lower mirror, and a beam splitter mirror with a transmission-to-reflection ratio that is adapted for use with a webcam.
US07972001B2	Projection illumination device and method for projection visual display system using multiple controlled light emitters having individual wavelengths A method for compensating for a shift in color in a light source and a system of color illumination for a projection visual display (PVD) system. In one embodiment, the method includes: (1) field sequentially operating an array of emitters to generate a sequence of light beams, each light beam comprising an uncompensated saturated color, (2) determining a compensated target color from the uncompensated standard color, the compensated target color determined based upon a variation in the uncompensated standard color and variations in at least two other uncompensated standard colors, (3) combining a first light beam of a first color with a second light beam of a second color to produce said compensated target color, the first and second light beams combined in an optical path to travel concurrently, the combination of the first and second light beams resulting in a composite color coordinate and without exceeding the etendue limit and (4) directing the combination of the first and second light beams at the spatial light modulator, said modulator operable to receive the combination and produce a desired color on a display.
US07972000B2	Method and arrangement for determining the individually required addition of a vision aid The invention is directed to a method for determining the individually required addition (Add) of a vision assist for an eye, the method having the following steps: a) a preliminary addition (Addpreliminary) is determined; b) the depth of field (T) of the eye is individually determined; and, c) the addition (Add) is computed according to the following equation: Add=Addpreliminary−ωT; wherein ω defines a real number which lies in the range 0<ω≦1. The invention is further directed to a corresponding arrangement for carrying out the method as well as a computer program.
US07971995B2	Net-molded optical articles and methods of making the same An injection molding apparatus and method of use are provided whereby a net-molded optical article can be produced. Edge wave deviations are reduced by controlling the cooling profile of the resin. The apparatus can be configured to include at least one heat control element disposed adjacent to an edge of the mold cavity. After plasticized resin has been injected into the mold cavity, the edge of the mold cavity can be thermally regulated relative to the center of the cavity.
US07971992B1	Eyewear with interchangeable components Apparatus and methods described herein provide for an eyewear system having interchangeable components. According to one aspect of the disclosure provided herein, eyewear includes at least one lens structure and a temple that are configured to removably attach to one another. The lens structure includes two engaging elements with one attached to the lens structure towards the center and the other toward the temple. The temple includes two curved portions shaped to secure the temple to the engaging elements of the lens structure.
US07971984B2	Systems and methods for varying dye concentrations Systems and methods for varying dye loads. A fluid ejection apparatus includes a reservoir and an assembly. The reservoir stores ink with a first dye load and the assembly receives the ink with the first dye load from the reservoir. To obtain ink with higher dye load, the assembly evaporates a portion of the liquid solvent in the ink to obtain ink with a higher dye load.
US07971976B2	Liquid storage container A liquid storage container prevents quality degradation of liquid caused by evaporation of moisture in the liquid stored in a liquid storage chamber and contact between the liquid and air introduced into the liquid storage chamber. Quality is stably maintained for a long time. As ink contained in a liquid storage chamber is consumed, an atmosphere communicating path guides air into the liquid storage chamber from the outside. The atmosphere communicating path has a thin communicating path at an intermediate position. The thin communicating path is thinner than other portions and is capable of holding ink by a meniscus. An amount of ink sufficient for blocking the ink contained in the liquid storage chamber from the atmospheric air is held in the thin communicating path.
US07971962B2	Collective transfer inkjet nozzle plate and method of producing the same There provides a nozzle plate having fine nozzle holes capable of transferring a pattern collectively, and a method of producing the same. Further, there provides a method of forming fine nozzle holes in a required shape, at a required position on a substrate, and an inkjet nozzle plate obtained by the method. Moreover, there provides a collective transfer inkjet nozzle plate can have a high imaging efficiency, and can reduce the cost by simplifying a nozzle controller; and a method of producing the same.Fine nozzle holes in a plate of a setting material are formed by: forming three-dimensional structures on a substrate in accordance with a fine inkjet process based on data in a computer, coating a setting material in a portion other than portions where the three-dimensional structures are formed, and then hardening and removing the setting material.
US07971961B2	Forming images with stitched swaths A method for forming an image on recording media includes providing a support adapted to receive the recording media; providing a controller programmed for controlling a print head comprising a plurality of individually controllable marking elements to form the image on the recording media in accordance with image data corresponding to the image; and operating the print head to form a plurality of sub-images on the recording media, wherein the plurality of sub-images are stitched together to form the image with a stitching pattern that is determined based at least one a size of a portion of a feature of the image that can be formed in each sub-image of the plurality of sub-images.
US07971959B2	Inkjet printer employing disposable sheet for printhead maintenance An inkjet printer comprises a printhead having an ink ejection face and an ink supply system including a face flooding system. A sheet feed arrangement feeds a disposable sheet past the printhead and through a maintenance zone spaced apart from the face, and a print media feed arrangement feeds print media past the printhead and through a print zone. The maintenance zone is nearer the face than the print zone, and no part of the disposable sheet makes contact with the printhead.
US07971957B2	Ink-jet line printer and image forming apparatus using the same An ink-jet line printer (30) is constituted by multiple ink-jet heads (1-1 to 1-3). Actuators (3-1 to 3-3) are arranged so as to be moved between a home position and a print position, and backup mechanisms (2-1 to 2-3) are arranged at home positions. In this ink-jet line printer, the ink-jet heads can be protected and recovered by backup mechanisms, thus making high-speed continuous printing possible. Even though the backup mechanisms are incorporated, a compact apparatus can still be achieved.
US07971956B2	Liquid container Provided herein is a liquid container including a liquid containing portion for containing liquid; and a detection portion which outputs a detection signal having a frequency of about 1/odd number of a frequency of a detection signal output when the amount of liquid contained in the liquid containing portion is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, when the amount of liquid contained in the liquid containing portion is greater than the predetermined amount.
US07971954B2	Recording apparatus and method of controlling recording apparatus A recording apparatus having a transporting unit to transport a target, a recording unit recording on the target transported, a fluid supply adjusting unit to switch an operation between supply and non-supply of fluid from a fluid supply source, a drive source for the transporting unit and the fluid supply adjusting unit, a control unit to control the drive source, a jam detection unit to detect a jam of the target, a storage unit to retain jam data, a determining unit configured to determine the presence or absence of occurrence of the jam, wherein the control unit carries out a first control or a second control according to the detection of the jam when the power is turned OFF and carries out a third control or a fourth control according to the state of occurrence of the jam when the power is turned ON.
US07971950B2	Method of controlling printhead A method is provided of controlling a printhead having nozzles which discharge ink by application of a firing pulse to respective actuators. The actuators are connected in groups to a power source which applies the firing pulses. In the method firing pulses are applied to each group of the actuators in turn to discharge ink from the nozzles in each group. The firing pulses are applied to the subsequent groups so that the fired nozzles are physically separated in the printhead as far as possible from the nozzles fired in the immediately prior group and the immediately subsequent group.
US07971943B2	Food display with shelving system A food storage device for storing a food product, a shelf positioned at least partially within the housing, and a coupling assembly coupling the shelf to the housing and adjustable (e.g., infinitely) to position the shelf in one of a plurality of different angles relative to the housing. Preferably, the housing comprises a frame creating a surface coupled to the coupling assembly, and a translucent panel coupled to the frame to facilitate viewing food product positioned in the housing. In one embodiment, the coupling assembly comprises a magnetic assembly including a magnet secured to the shelf and magnetically coupled to the housing. Preferably, the magnetic assembly further comprises a magnet holder secured to the shelf, wherein the magnet is secured to the holder. In this embodiment, the magnet can be secured to the magnet holder by an intermediate material (e.g., plastic) positioned between the magnet and the magnet holder. The coupling assembly preferably includes a bracket that is positioned in an opening in the shelf. For example, the bracket can include an upper protrusion that engages an upper surface of the shelf and a lower protrusion that engages a lower surface of the shelf.
US07971941B2	Motorcycle brake system In a dual-circuit hydraulic motorcycle brake system with two hand or foot-operated master cylinders, at the commencement of the pump operation in one of the brake circuits, the change-over valve (20) and/or the separating valve (19) of that brake circuit assume a switching position in which the pressure which can be generated by the pump (9) is prevented from causing a reactive effect on the associated hand-operated or foot-operated master brake cylinder (7, 13). To this end, the separating valve (19) in the brake line may be switched to a closed or throttling position, while the change-over valve (20) in the suction path is closed. Alternatively, both the change-over valve (20) and the separating valve (19) can be opened at the same time so that the pump conveys brake fluid in a circle.
US07971938B2	Vehicle seat assembly A vehicle seat assembly adapted to perform an easy entry function includes a seat body having a seat bottom and a pivotally connected seat back. The seat body is configured to limit the seat back to pivot through a first angular range that inhibits the seat back from actuating the easy entry function. The seat body is further configured to limit the seat back to pivot through a second angular range that allows the seat back to actuate the easy entry function. The first actuator is provided to actuate the seat back to pivot through the first angular range. A second actuator is provided to actuate the seat back to pivot through the second angular range. The seat back maintains a generally upright orientation as the seat back pivots in a forward direction through the first angular range and the second angular range.
US07971928B2	Drive appratus for sunroof A sunroof driving device includes a pair of rail members adapted to be arranged at both edges of a roof opening formed in a vehicle roof in a vehicle width direction and each extending along a vehicle longitudinal direction, a slide member slidably supported by each of the rail members in a longitudinal direction therof, a supporting member connected to the slide member and supporting a movable panel opening and closing the roof opening, a cross-connecting member extending along the vehicle width direction for establishing connection between respective front ends of the rail members, a drive motor arranged at the cross-connecting member and including a rotating shaft extending along the cross-connecting member, a torque wire extending along the cross-connecting member and integrally rotating with the rotating shaft, and a torque-transmitting member rotated by the torque wire and sliding the slide member along each of the rail members.
US07971927B2	Door trim for vehicle A door trim for a vehicle to be mounted to a door panel of the vehicle is provided. This door trim includes a door trim body and a mounting part to which a shock absorbing member for absorbing an impact load between the door panel and the door trim is mounted. The mounting part has a position restricting member for restricting the position of the shock absorbing member in the vehicle width direction relative to the door trim body.
US07971919B2	Cargo bed insert for utility vehicle, front end mounting assembly, and optional accessories items for use therewith, along with utility vehicle incorporating the same Various enhancements to the capabilities of vehicles in general, and particularly light-duty utility vehicles, which can advantageously enhance the cargo-carrying capabilities of such vehicles. The present invention provides a cargo bed insert, as well as an insert system, for removable attachment to a vehicle's existing cargo box. Improvement to a light-duty utility vehicle, where the improvement is in the form of a cargo box for the vehicle which includes one or more features of the described cargo bed insert and/or system is disclosed. The invention contemplates methods for enhancing the cargo-carrying capability of a light-duty utility vehicle. In particular, methods for enhancing the cargo-carrying capacity of such a vehicle beyond a manufacturer's specified cargo weight capacity are provided. Lastly, the invention includes a mounting assembly for a removable attachment to a vehicle's frame. The mounting assembly may be employed as a stand-alone item, or in conjunction with the cargo bed insert, to create a system for enhancing a vehicle's cargo-carrying capability.
US07971914B1	Auxiliary handle attachment for a tool An auxiliary handle attachment for efficiently decreasing or eliminating the requirement to bend over and cause strain upon ones back when using a long-handled tool, such as a shovel, broom, rake, or the like. The auxiliary handle attachment generally includes a mounting structure having a first channel member including a first channel and a second channel member including a second channel aligned with the first channel, an auxiliary shaft extending upwardly from the mounting structure, and an auxiliary handle extending from the shaft. The mounting structure is adapted to attach to the shaft or handle of the tool by collectively receiving the shaft from an upper side of the first channel opposite the first channel member and a lower side of the second channel opposite the second channel member. Various fastening members and grips may also be used to secure the shaft within the channel members of the mounting structure.
US07971912B2	Quick connector A quick connector with sealing capacity for preventing the leakage and penetration of fuel and the entrance of foreign matters, such as mud, and water past a retainer. The quick connector includes a housing (12) internally provided with first sealing rings (29) and (30) for sealing a gap between the metallic surface of an uncoated end part of a tube (16) and the inside surface of the housing (12), and second sealing rings (33) and (34) for sealing a gap between the surface of a coated part of the tube (16) and the inside surface of the housing (12).
US07971911B2	Plug part of a plug-type connection arrangement and plug-type connection arrangement Plug part of a plug-type connection arrangement for connecting two fluid lines and plug-type connection arrangement including the plug part. The plug part includes at least one two-layer area, the two layers of the two-layer area including a metallic material. At least a portion of the plug part is structured and arranged to be fed into a coupling part of the plug-type connection arrangement.
US07971909B2	Pipe joint, refrigeration device, heat pump hot water supply device, closing valve, water supply piping, method of connecting piping, and in-the field piping method A pipe joint and a method of joining pipes using the pipe joint prevent loss of a sleeve, enhance workability in the pipe joining operation, and ensure sealing performance. The pipe joint may be utilized in a refrigerant device, a heat pump hot water supply device, a closing valve and a water supply piping. The method for connecting piping may be used in an in-the filed piping method. The pipe joint includes a joint body, a fastening member such as a nut, and a sleeve. The sleeve is integrated with the fastening member or the joint body before the fastening member is attached to the joint body. When the fastening member is attached to the joint body, the sleeve is cut off and separated from the fastening member or joint body. When the nut is fully attached, the sleeve bites into the pipe, and the pipe is joined to the joint body.
US07971908B2	Guide assembly for a safety belt A seat assembly includes a seat of a vehicle, a safety belt, and a guide assembly. The seat includes a seat back and an attachment feature that is operatively connected to the seat back. The safety belt includes webbing that is configured to extend in a generally diagonal direction across the seat back. The guide assembly includes a clip, a cord, an attachment mechanism, and a breakaway mechanism. The clip is configured for operative attachment to the webbing of the safety belt. The cord operatively extends from the clip. The attachment mechanism is operatively connected to the cord. The attachment mechanism is configured for selective attachment to the attachment feature of the seat back. The breakaway mechanism operatively interconnects the cord and the clip and is configured to separate such that the cord pulls free from the clip upon the application of a force to the clip or the cord.
US07971900B2	Side airbag apparatus for vehicles A side airbag apparatus provided with an airbag cushion installed in an armrest side portion of a seat frame of a vehicle, may include an airbag module having the airbag cushion therein; and a strap fastened at a first end portion thereof to a portion of the airbag cushion and fastened at a second end portion thereof to the seat frame or a bolster support wire frame, the strap surrounding a front portion of the seat frame.
US07971898B2	Multiple link, self-jacking work cart wa002 A multiple link, self-jacking mobile work cart includes the main body defining upper and lower portions supported by the plurality of rotating wheels. A multiple link, self-jacking mechanism is provided in connection with two laterally deployable work tables which can serve as infeed/outfeed tables for a power tool or the like supported by the main body of the cart. The multiple link mechanism includes an actuator arm, a linkage arm, a control arm and moveable support legs all pivotally connected to one another such that when the work tables are deployed, substantial weight placed on the tables is transferred to the support legs, rather than the wheels which support the main body.
US07971896B2	Towing hitch apparatus and method A towing hitch assembly for use with a vehicle and method is provided and includes a towing hitch frame structure, the towing hitch frame structure having a front surface, a top surface, and a bottom surface. The front surface can be configured to face away from the vehicle. A towing hitch can be located adjacent the towing hitch frame structure, and a mounting assembly can be configured to mount the towing hitch frame structure to a vehicle frame. The mounting assembly can include a first bracket configured to be adjacent the vehicle frame, and a second bracket capable of receiving the first bracket, the second bracket extending along the bottom surface and the front surface of the towing hitch frame structure. The towing hitch assembly according to the disclosed subject matter provides for, among other features, improved styling, safety, loading and bumper attachment.
US07971890B2	Independent suspension assembly An independent suspension assembly having a wheel support member and upper and lower control arms that is well adapted for use with the front steerable wheels of a large truck. The upper and lower control arms are each pivotally secured to the wheel support member at a first location on the control arm and pivotally supported relative to the frame at a second location on the control arm. The wheel support member is vertically displaceable relative to the frame by pivotal movement of the upper and lower control arms relative to both the frame and wheel support member. A leaf spring and an air spring may be positioned between the lower control arm and frame to communicate loads therebetween. A vertically extending linkage member may be disposed between the lower control arm and frame. The lower control arm may extend across the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle below the engine.
US07971880B2	Token game machine A spiral rod that is rotated by a motor is disposed in a fall passage connected to a token chute 4. A second special game medium AM2 is captured at an opening W2 between the spiral rod and a rear wall positioned diagonally rearward from the spiral rod. A first special game medium AM1 is captured at an opening W1 between the spiral rod and a rear fall guide, the opening W1 being positioned on a downstream side of the opening W2. A token M passes through the openings W1 and W2 and is received by a token reception section. The special game media that have been captured are transferred due to the spiral movement of the spiral rod. The special game media are discriminated by a first rear side opening and a second rear side opening, and separately received by guide slopes.
US07971879B2	Gaming machine with superimposed display image A spinning reel slot machine comprises a plurality of mechanical rotatable reels and a video display. In response to a wager, the reels are rotated and stopped to randomly place symbols on the reels in visual association with a display area. The video display provides a video image superimposed upon the reels. The video image may be interactive with the reels and include such graphics as payout values, a pay table, pay lines, bonus game features, special effects, thematic scenery, and instructional information.
US07971874B2	Printing assembly for printing and binding pages Provided is a printing assembly for printing and binding pages. The assembly includes pinch rollers for feeding a sheet of paper into the assembly, and a printhead arrangement arranged after the rollers for printing on the paper. The assembly also includes an adhesive applicator arranged after the printhead for applying adhesive to the printed paper, as well as a binding press arranged after the applicator for binding printed sheets of paper together.
US07971873B2	Image forming device An image forming device, which is configured to form an image on a sheet, includes a main body casing, a catch tray provided on the main body casing to be loaded with the sheet discharged in a first direction with the image formed thereon, and a cover configured to cover a downstream-side face of the main body casing in the first direction in an openable and closable manner. The catch tray is disposed such that a downstream-side end thereof in the first direction faces an upstream-side end of the cover in the first direction. The downstream-side end of the catch tray and the upstream-side end of the cover are configured to mutually overlap when viewed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and a vertical direction.
US07971870B2	Medium feeding unit and image forming apparatus having the same A medium feeding unit having an improved structure for sensing that the number of print media loaded onto a loading plate is equal to or exceeds a predetermined remaining number, and an image forming apparatus having the same. The medium feeding unit includes a sensor that outputs sensing signals having different voltages according to quantities of received light. The medium feeding unit also includes a plurality of actuators that sense the number of print media on a loading plate, differentially intercept the sensing area of the sensor thus changing the voltage level of the sensing signal, and therefore signal the medium feeding unit when the number of print media on the loading plate falls below the predetermined remaining number.
US07971868B2	Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus with lifter mechanism A sheet feeding apparatus includes a middle plate, a lifter mechanism, and a sheet-feed roller. The sheet-feed roller can move to a first position retracted from the sheet, a second position lower than the first position for feeding the sheet, and a third position lower than the second position. The sheet feeding apparatus has a position control mode in which when a sheet is fed, the sheet-feed roller is moved from the first position to the third position and stopped there, the middle plate is moved toward the sheet-feed roller by the lifter mechanism, the sheet stacked on the middle plate is brought into abutment against the sheet-feed roller, the middle plate is moved until a position detection sensor outputs the detection signal that the sheet-feed roller is in the second position, and a height of the sheet is controlled.
US07971863B2	Clamping apparatus with position validation function and clamping process using same An exemplary clamping apparatus includes a supporting body, a plurality of clamping units installed on the supporting body, a PWM controller, and a detection unit. Each clamping unit includes a magnet, a clamping pin, an electrical coil, and a coil core mechanically engaged with the clamping pin. The magnet is configured for holding the clamping pin at a target position. The PWM controller is configured for supplying a pulse signal to the respective electrical coil of each clamping unit and for thereby creating a magnetic force causing a corresponding coil core and a corresponding clamping pin to, synchronously, move. The detection unit is configured for detecting a back electromotive force representative of the arrival to the target position of a clamping pin and signaling the PWM controller to stop supplying the pulse signal. A clamping process utilizing the clamping apparatus is also provided.
US07971858B2	Variable venturi carburetor A carburetor includes a main body defining a bore, a main passage and a venturi defined within the bore, and a fuel nozzle carried by the main body and including a fuel nozzle outlet communicating with the venturi. The carburetor may also include a valve member translatable across an axis of the bore, such that in a closed state, the valve member closes the main passage but maintains the venturi at least partially open. The carburetor may also include a needle valve disposed at an end of the fuel nozzle substantially opposite of the fuel nozzle outlet to variably control flow of fuel into a fuel nozzle inlet, and a needle valve transmission may be coupled between a throttle shaft and the needle valve to convert rotation of the throttle shaft to translation of the needle valve.
US07971848B2	In-situ gel casting machine An In-Situ gel casting machine comprising a gel casting stand (1), a rubber cushion (2), and a locking base (3). Overlapping a notched glass (121) with a glass plate (122) tightly together will form a gel room (123), it is called as the slab gel casting mold (12). Put the same two slab gel casting molds (12) into each side of the portable casting stand (11) along its insides, and then insert the wedge frames (13) against each slab gel casting mold (12), which will form the gel-casting stand (1). Because each sidewall locking structure (32) of the locking base (3) compresses the slab gel casting molds from two directions, it ensures that the slab gel casting molds are sealed well. Without moving the slab gel casting molds, an electrophoresis experiment can be started right after the gel has been solidified, which can avoid the leakage of the gel solution and the production of air bubbles into the slab gel casting molds.
US07971839B2	Equipment mount for waterborne vessels An apparatus for mounting equipment on a waterborne vessel includes a base member configured to support an instrument. An elongate spacer arm is connected to the base member. A selectively deployable elongate transducer arm is pivotably coupled to the spacer arm. The transducer arm is configured to pivot between a deployed position and a stored position. The length of the transducer arm is at least sufficient for the transducer end to reach the water surface when the transducer arm is in the deployed position. The spacer arm is substantially parallel to or collinear with the transducer arm when the transducer arm is in the stored position, allowing the apparatus to be folded for compact storage.

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