Document	Document Title
US08009977B2	On-vehicle lighting apparatus An image display system generates an image including an intended lighting area surrounding a vehicle to input it on a display. An auxiliary lighting unit can selectively light multiple divided areas into which the intended lighting area is divided. One or more divided areas to be lit out of the multiple divided areas are selected according to a lighting status of a driving lighting system and the selected one or more divided areas are lit by the auxiliary lighting unit.
US08009976B2	Camera having face detection and with automatic focus control using a defocus amount A camera has a face detecting section, a focusing section, and a controlling section. The face detecting section detects a face area in a shooting image plane. The focusing section calculates a defocus amount based on a relative distance of a pair of images of a light beam that has passed through a shooting lens in each of a plurality of optional areas in the shooting image plane. The controlling section designates a focusing area among the optional areas based on an output of the face detecting section and performs a focusing operation of the shooting lens based on the defocus amount in the focusing area.
US08009975B2	Imaging apparatus and focusing control method An imaging apparatus sets a main area and a plurality of subareas around the main area in an image obtained from an image sensor, and acquires each focusing state and each in-focus point based on the each focusing state of the main area and the plurality of subareas in an image obtained from the image sensor at each of a plurality of focus lens positions while moving a focus lens. If the focusing state of the main area does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the imaging apparatus performs focusing control using the focusing state of the main area and a focusing state of a subarea having an in-focus point located within a predetermined range from the in-focus point of the main area among the plurality of subareas.
US08009973B2	Portable electronic device A portable electronic device includes a main body defining a receiving cavity therein, a camera module received in the receiving cavity, and a movable moveable lens. The camera module includes a casing and a wide-angle lens unit received in the casing. The movable lens is received in the receiving cavity and spaced a distance from the camera module. The movable lens is movable between a first position where the wide-angle lens unit is covered by and optically aligned with the movable lens, thereby the movable lens and the wide-angle lens unit cooperatively constituting a telephoto lens, and a second position where the wide-angle lens unit is misaligned with the movable lens and exposed to an exterior.
US08009971B2	Hand-shake correction method and apparatus of camera module for use in mobile device A hand-shake correction apparatus and method for a camera module for typical use in a mobile device. A camera unit includes an angular velocity sensor for sensing an angular velocity of a hand-shake motion of a camera, a position detection sensor for detecting a current position of an image sensor, and an actuator for actuating the image sensor. An Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) circuit unit controls the actuator using a multi-rate Proportional Integrate Derivative (PID) control scheme that performs control a plurality of times using a shorter control period compared with existing PID controls for a basic period, in which a reference value is updated according to a control reference value by which the image sensor optimally shifts to correct a hand-shake motion.
US08009966B2	Methods and apparatus for use in sound replacement with automatic synchronization to images Digital audio and video files are created corresponding to selected scenes from a creative production and are provided with a processing system that enables dialog to be selected from a scene and replaced by a user's dialog which is automatically synchronized with the original dialog so as to be in synchronism with lip movements displayed by the accompanying video display. The processing further includes a graphical user interface that presents the user with the video, the text of the dialog, and cues for rehearsal and recording of replacement dialog by the user. Replay of the user's dialog is accompanied by the video and part of the original audio except that the original dialog corresponding to the user's dialog is muted so that the user's dialog is heard as a replacement. Singing or other sounds associated with visible action may also be replaced by the same processes.
US08009959B2	Optical interconnection methods for high-speed data-rate optical transport systems Optical interconnection methods for high-speed data-rate optical transport systems are disclosed that optically interconnect active assemblies to a fiber optic cable in a polarization-preserving manner. The methods include defining active-assembly-wise connector ports that connect to active assembly transmit and receive ports, and defining or establishing a pairings method between the active-assembly-wise connector ports. In a first optical interconnection assembly, an active-assembly-wise port is optically connected to a cable-wise port. In the second optical interconnection assembly, the cable-wise port that corresponds to the connected cable-wise port in the first optical interconnection assembly is optically connected to a select active-assembly-wise port as defined by the pairings method. The optical connection process is then repeated from the second to the first optical interconnection assembly. The optical interconnection acts are repeated until all of the active-assembly-wise ports are connected.
US08009954B2	Fiber optic splice tray A splice tray includes a splice region and a fiber management region to facilitate splicing together two or more fibers. The splice tray can be pivotally coupled to one or more additional splice trays using pivot linkages to form a splice tray arrangement. A pivot linkage can include first and second laterally spaced coupling sections extending in opposite directions. A magnetic coupling arrangement can releasably secure the splice trays of a splice tray arrangement to one another.
US08009948B2	Apparatus and methods using hollow-core fiber tapers An optical device and methods of using an optical device are provided. The optical device includes a hollow-core fiber including a first portion and a second portion. The first portion includes a hollow core having a first diameter. The second portion includes a hollow core having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter. The difference between the first diameter and the second diameter is less than 10% of the first diameter.
US08009943B2	Magnetically activated photonic switches and switch fabrics employing the same Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to photonic switches and switch fabrics employing the photonic switches. In one embodiment of the present invention, a photonic switch comprises a first waveguide disposed on a surface of a substrate in proximity to an opening in the substrate, and a second waveguide crossing the first waveguide and positioned in proximity to the opening in the substrate. The photonic switch includes a tunable microring resonator disposed on the surface of the substrate adjacent to the first waveguide and the second waveguide and configured with an opening aligned with the opening in the substrate. The photonic switch also includes a wire having a first end and a second end and configured to pass through the opening in the microring and the opening in the substrate.
US08009940B2	Photonic integrated circuit with improved signal quality and electrostatic discharge threshold Embodiments of the present invention provide for enhanced monitoring of optical signal characteristics of an optical signal propagating in a signal channel of a photonic integrated circuit. The optical signal characteristics can be obtained with minimal signal loss in the optical signal path and reduced RF crosstalk, while the electrostatic discharge threshold for the photonic integrated circuit is increased, due to the inclusion of a second electro-optic element electrically coupled to a first electro-optic element as part of the signal channel.
US08009939B2	Fiberoptic clearance detection system and method A fiberoptic system for clearance detection between rotating and stationary turbomachinery components is presented. The system comprises an optical fiber probe comprising a plurality of optical fibers, at least one of the optical fibers comprising a transmission fiber and at least one of the optical fibers comprising a signal fiber; a light source for providing light through the transmission fiber towards a target; filters for receiving light from the signal fibers, at least two of the filters for filtering different wavelengths; and at least one photodetector for receiving filtered light from the filters.
US08009938B2	Advanced process sensing and control using near infrared spectral reflectometry Embodiments described herein provide a method and apparatus for obtaining process information in a substrate manufacturing process using plasma. In one embodiment, a chamber is provided having one or more optical metrology modules that are positioned such that optical energy from the plasma process is detected at substantially orthogonal angles. Metrics derived from detected optical energy may be used for endpoint determination, substrate temperature, and monitoring of critical dimensions on the substrate.
US08009929B2	Image-capturing apparatus, method, and program which correct distortion of a captured image based on an angle formed between a direction of an image-capturing apparatus and a gravitational direction A digital camera includes a tri-axial acceleration sensor. The CPU determines a direction of the camera at a time of image capturing, on the basis of a gravitational direction which is detected by the tri-axial acceleration sensor, calculates a parameter for projection-correcting a captured image in a predetermined direction on the basis of the direction of the camera, and corrects a distortion of the captured image by using the parameter.
US08009927B2	Tone correcting apparatus providing improved tone correction on image A tone correcting apparatus includes: a first acquiring unit that acquires first brightness information indicating brightness of each of a plurality of block regions that are set to cover an entire area of an image; a face detecting unit that detects a face portion where a human face is positioned in the image; a second acquiring unit that acquires second brightness information indicating brightness of the face portion detected by the face detecting unit; and a correction unit that corrects brightness of the image based on the first brightness information and the second brightness information.
US08009921B2	Context dependent intelligent thumbnail images An apparatus and method are disclosed for context dependent cropping of a source image. The method includes identifying a context for the source image, identifying a visual class corresponding to the identified context from a set of visual classes, applying a class model to the source image to identify a candidate region of the image based on its relevance to the visual class, and identifying a subpart of the source image for cropping, based on the location of the candidate region.
US08009917B2	Image processing device An image processing device is structured such that an appropriate judgement of an image, at which blurring or disappearance or the like will occur, is possible. When pixels, which form a line image at which there is the possibility that blurring or disappearance will occur at the time of printing by using a printing plate, are extracted, a line image warning function gives notice by displaying a warning message on a monitor of a client terminal. Thereafter, image converting and print setting are carried out such that an extracted line image is clarified. In this way, when a proof is prepared, an image, at which there is the possibility that blurring or disappearance will occur on a printed matter obtained by using a printing plate, is clarified, and appropriate proofing is possible.
US08009915B2	Recognition of mathematical expressions In embodiments consistent with the subject matter of this disclosure, a user may input strokes as digital ink to a processing device. The processing device may partition the input strokes into multiple regions of strokes. A first recognizer and a second recognizer may score grammar objects included in regions and represented by chart entries. The scores may be converted to a converted score, which may have at least a near standard normal distribution. The processing device may present a recognition result based on highest converted scores according to a recurrence formula. The processing device may receive a correction hint with respect to misrecognized strokes and may add a penalty score with respect to chart entries representing grammar objects breaking the correction hint. Incremental recognition may be performed when a pause is detected during inputting of strokes.
US08009912B2	Image-processing apparatus which has an image region distinction processing capability, and an image region distinction processing method In an image-processing apparatus having a capability of performing region distinction processing and an image region discrimination processing method, a first region distinction unit uses a previously set threshold value for an image region distinction to perform a region distinction processing of a character and a non-character on image data read from an original document, an edge feature amount image and a character determination signal are obtained, a second region distinction unit makes a region distinction on the edge feature amount image based on the threshold value and generates and displays sub-region images obtained by dividing the edge feature amount image into plural parts, a character discrimination strength adjustment is performed on a display screen while each of the sub-region images is visually identified, the correction parameter is reflected in the edge feature amount image, and the region distinction processing is performed again.
US08009910B2	Method, a system, a computer program product and a user interface for segmenting image sets The current invention relates to the segmentation of image sets in four dimensions. A method for segmenting image sets comprises steps for defining deformation by at least one control point in a deformation area defined in four dimensions and modifying the content of said deformation area based on said control point, wherein the steps are iterated. The invention also relates to a system, a computer program product and a graphical user interface.
US08009908B2	Area testing method for image processing A method for deciding correctly a type of a specific area of an image having inclination includes the steps of generating an edge image based on a target image to be a target of image processing, generating a first histogram indicating the number of edge pixels existing in the lateral direction at each position in the longitudinal direction within a predetermined area and a second histogram indicating the number of the edge pixels existing in the longitudinal direction at each position in the lateral direction with respect to the edge pixels that indicate an edge in the predetermined area of the edge image, determining a variance value of a width of a mountain having an extreme value that exceeds a predetermined threshold value in the histograms, and deciding whether or not the predetermined area is one of a table area and a graph area based on the variance value.
US08009887B2	Method and system for automatic quantification of aortic valve function from 4D computed tomography data using a physiological model A method and system for modeling the aortic valve in 4D image data, such as 4D CT and echocardiography, is disclosed. An initial estimate of a physiological aortic valve model is determined for at least one reference frame of a 4D image sequence based on anatomic features in the reference frame. The initial estimate is refined to generate a final estimate in the reference frame. A dynamic model of the aortic valve is then generated by estimating the physiological aortic valve model for each remaining frame of the 4D image sequence based on the final estimate in the reference frame. The aortic valve can be quantitatively evaluated using the dynamic model.
US08009885B2	Image processing device and method for blood flow imaging An image processing device is proposed and includes a reconstruction unit (51) for reconstruction of a 3D volume image of said object from said first series of X-ray projection images (D), a segmentation unit (52) for segmentation of the vessel tree from said 3D volume image, a forward projection unit (54) for forward projection of the segmented vessel tree onto said first and projection plane (R1, R2), respectively, and a mapping unit (55) for mapping of the image values of pixels of the vessel tree in said second and third, respectively, series of X-ray projection images onto corresponding voxels of said 3D volume image to obtain said time series of 3D volume images showing the blood flow in the vascular tree of the object.
US08009882B2	System and method for collecting DNA and fingerprints A system and method is provided that simultaneously or consecutively collects DNA samples and ridge and valley signatures from the same subject during the same collection window that adds value to forensic data collection processes. The collection of the DNA samples and ridge and valley signatures occur during the same collection window to assured the DNA sample and ridge and valley signatures identify the same individual.
US08009881B2	Digitization of a papillary structure A method and apparatus is described for recording and digitizing intensity profiles (IP) of the papillary structure of the skin with high intensity resolution using sensors S with low intensity resolution. For this purpose, a plurality of digital image signals (DS, DS1, DS2) of an identical subarea e.g. of a fingerprint are recorded, whereby the continuous intensity domain (KI) of the fingerprint is scanned in different intensity resolutions, and/or different portions (A1, A2) of said continuous intensity domain (KI) are mapped to discrete intensity domains of the single digital image signals (DS, D1, DS2). By the pixelwise combination of all digital image signals (DS, DS1, DS2), a digital fingerprint image signal (PS) is finally produced whose discrete intensity domain (DI) represents a larger portion of the continuous intensity domain (KI) of the fingerprint and/or has a higher resolution intensity than each single one of the digital image signals (DS, DS1, DS2).
US08009870B2	Autonomous wide-angle license plate recognition A system in a moving surveillance vehicle operates in background mode to capture images of license plates of neighboring moving vehicles, which may occupy lanes other than the lane in which the surveillance vehicle is moving. The images are used to determine the license plate numbers of the moving vehicles, which are then checked against a database to determine whether there are any potential law enforcement-related problems that require the attention of the operator. If so, the system alerts the operator using an audible tone, visual prompt, vibration, or in some other suitable manner. The entire process, including generation of the alert can occur autonomously of the operator.
US08009864B2	Determination of inventory conditions based on image processing Image analysis techniques, including object recognition analysis, are applied to images obtained by one or more image capture devices deployed within inventory environments. The object recognition analysis provides object recognition data (that may include one or more recognized product instances) based on stored product (training) images. In turn, a variety of functionalities may be enabled based on the object recognition data. For example, a planogram may be extracted and compared to a target planogram, or at least one product display parameter for a product can be determined and used to assess presence of the product within the inventory environment, or to determine compliance of display of the product with a promotional objective. In yet another embodiment, comparisons may be made within a single image or between multiple images over time to detect potential conditions requiring response. In this manner, efficiency and effectiveness of many previously manually-implemented tasks may be improved.
US08009863B1	Method and system for analyzing shopping behavior using multiple sensor tracking The present invention is a method and system for automatically analyzing the behavior of a person and a plurality of persons in a physical space based on measurement of the trip of the person and the plurality of persons on input images. The present invention captures a plurality of input images of the person by a plurality of means for capturing images, such as cameras. The plurality of input images is processed in order to track the person in each field of view of the plurality of means for capturing images. The present invention measures the information for the trip of the person in the physical space based on the processed results from the plurality of tracks and analyzes the behavior of the person based on the trip information. The trip information can comprise coordinates of the person's position and temporal attributes, such as trip time and trip length, for the plurality of tracks. The physical space may be a retail space, and the person may be a customer in the retail space. The trip information can provide key measurements as a foundation for the behavior analysis of the customer along the entire shopping trip, from entrance to checkout, that deliver deeper insights about the customer behavior. The focus of the present invention is given to the automatic behavior analytics applications based upon the trip from the extracted video, where the exemplary behavior analysis comprises map generation as visualization of the behavior, quantitative category measurement, dominant path measurement, category correlation measurement, and category sequence measurement.
US08009862B2	Embedding data in images Disclosed are embodiments of systems and methods for embedding and/or extracting data from images. In embodiments, an image may be segmented into regions, and characters or other image groups within a segmented region may be determined to be embedding sites. A data vector may be embedded into a set of corresponding ordered embedding sites by representing each data element as different intensity values assigned to the pixels within one portion of an embedding site relative to the pixels in another portion of the embedding site. In embodiments, embedded data may be extracted from an image by extracting and decoding a set of bit values from a set of identified and ordered embedding sites.
US08009854B2	System for the projection of cinematographic works and digital works with sound A system for the projection of cinematographic works or digital works with sound having at least one sound channel. The system comprises a screen and, for the sound channel, at least one woofer and at least one medium/treble transducer. The screen is a non-perforated screen. The medium/treble speaker is a flat sound transducer placed against the screen to the rear thereof in relation to the direction of projection. An extreme treble speaker is disposed on the periphery of the screen.
US08009843B2	Microphone circuit A microphone circuit includes an amplifier for amplifying an electric signal output from an electroacoustic transducing module, an external power supply circuit capable of supplying power for driving at least the amplifier from the outside, a light source that is turned on when an external power is supplied through the external power supply circuit, and a photo relay having contacts that are turned on and off in response to blinking of the light source. The contacts of the photo relay are connected so as to output an output signal of the amplifier as a microphone output when the light source is turned on and output an output signal of the electroacoustic transducing module as the microphone output when the light source is turned off.
US08009841B2	Handsfree communication system A handsfree communication system includes microphones, a beamformer, and filters. The microphones are spaced apart and are capable of receiving acoustic signals. The beamformer compensates for propagation delays between the direct and reflected acoustic signals. The filters are configured to a predetermined susceptibility level. The filter process the output of the beamformer to enhance the quality of the received signals.
US08009825B2	Signal processing The present invention relates to detection of echo in telecommunications networks. The invention provides a method of echo detection comprising the steps of: generating a series of inbound vectors for an inbound signal; generating a series of outbound vectors for an outbound signal; repeating a predetermined number of comparison steps comprising the sub-steps of selecting an outbound vector from the outbound vectors; selecting an inbound vector from the inbound vectors; comparing said outbound vector with said inbound vector and with successive inbound vectors to generate a plurality of similarity metrics; and determining a relative position of the compared outbound vector having maximum correlation with said inbound vector; and counting the number of times each relative position is determined to be the position of maximum correlation.
US08009822B1	System for geographic agent routing A call center system that routes calls to geographically dispersed agents based on agent skill-set, agent location and caller location that results in the call being delivered to the best available agent. The call center system is comprised of a call center application module coupled to a database module with a communications network being used to couple incoming calls from customers, as well as various call center agents, to the system. A database contains a ranking of available agents, based on a dataset including information regarding skill-set, previous interaction with the customer, proximity to the customer, language capability, current availability, and the like. The system then chooses the best available agent to service a customer call based on the agent rankings. In the case where the customer has a preference for proximity of the agent to the customer, the system adjusts the agent rankings according to the agent's distance from the customer prior to making a selection.
US08009821B1	Stores as call center resources An exemplary method of integrating existing physical stores in call center operations comprises registering a plurality of physical stores each having at least one phone line, obtaining availability information of one or more phone lines of a registered store, determining a phone line to route a call for the registered store based on call center routing rules, and routing the call to the determined phone line.
US08009809B2	Method and system for call proceeding in an intelligent network system Embodiments of the invention disclose a method for call proceeding in an intelligent network system, which includes the following steps: receiving a service request from an exchange device; instructing the exchange device to proceed calling when a malfunction occurs at an intelligent network device. The invention also discloses an intelligent network system for call proceeding, a Service Control Point (SCP) for call proceeding, a malfunction processing apparatus.
US08009807B2	Radiation screen for an x-ray device The invention relates to a radiation screen for an X-ray device, comprising at least one radiation limiting means which is displaceably mounted and is embodied as a diaphragm. According to the invention, the radiation limiting means is displaceably mounted on a plane in a perpendicular manner in relation to a defining bundle of rays, and comprises a plurality of differently shaped diaphragm apertures for continuously limiting the different bundle of rays. It can, for example, be embodied as an essentially rotation-symmetrical perforated disk. In another embodiment, the radiation screen comprises two radiation defining means which are arranged in an overlapping manner in the direction of the bundle of rays which are to be defined.
US08009803B2	Treatment plan optimization method for radiosurgery Systems and methods for providing radiosurgery treatment to a patient by combining methods from both traditional radiosurgery and radiotherapy are disclosed. A dose sufficient to kill tissue is applied to a target area while a steep drop off, or gradient, is provided at the border between the target area and adjacent areas so that other portions of the brain or nearby structures or organs are not damaged. The treatment plan is optimized by using both measures known in the art along with a new gradient index or curve that indicates the amount of the drop off at the border between the target area and the surrounding tissues.
US08009796B2	X-ray CT system to generate tomographic phase contrast or dark field exposures An x-ray CT system that generates tomographic phase contrast or dark field exposures, has at least one grating interferometer with three grating structures arranged in series in the radiation direction, with a modular design of the second and third grating structures. The distance between the first grating structure of the x-ray source and the second grating structure (fashioned as a phase grating) of the respective grating/detector modules is adapted, depending on the fan angle, corresponding to a period of the grating structure of the x-ray source projected onto the grating detector module at a respective fan angle (φi).
US08009787B2	Method for non-destructive testing Non-destructive testing method may include providing a source material that emits positrons in response to bombardment of the source material with photons. The source material is exposed to photons. The source material is positioned adjacent the specimen, the specimen being exposed to at least some of the positrons emitted by the source material. Annihilation gamma rays emitted by the specimen are detected.
US08009785B2	Method and system for implementing a PLL using high-voltage switches and regulators A method and apparatus in an integrated circuit radio transceiver are operable to apply a modified control signal to drive logic that includes a plurality of first devices having a first threshold voltage and a first gate oxide thickness that are both greater than a second threshold voltage and a second gate oxide thickness for a greater second plurality of devices within the integrated circuit radio transceiver. The transceiver therefore generates a first control signal having a first magnitude operable to drive logic that includes a plurality of devices having a second threshold voltage and applies the first control signal to a level shifter to produce the modified control signal.
US08009783B2	Synchronous digital data transmission interface The field of the invention is that of transmission interfaces for synchronous digital input signals composed of bits transmitted in series at a frequency of transmission equal to a first integer multiple M of a first clock frequency. The interface according to the invention comprises at least one deserializer operating in over-sampling mode and supplying digital output samples of each bit in parallel. The output samples are transmitted at a second clock frequency, integer multiple N of a third frequency. The third frequency is substantially equal to the first frequency. Each sampled bit is substantially composed of N samples. The interface has an electronic device for frequency-locking the third frequency onto the first clock frequency. The device has means for counting the number of samples composing each sampled bit. The device also has incrementation-decrementation means for the third clock frequency configured in such a manner that the third clock frequency is increased when the number of samples is less than the integer multiple N and decreases when the number of samples is greater than N.
US08009775B2	Automatic frequency control for a wireless communication system with multiple subcarriers Techniques for performing frequency control in an OFDM system are described. In one aspect, frequency acquisition is performed based on a received pilot, and frequency tracking is performed based on received OFDM symbols. For frequency acquisition, an initial frequency error estimate may be derived based on the received pilot, and an automatic frequency control (AFC) loop may be initialized with the initial frequency error estimate. For frequency tracking, a frequency error estimate may be derived for each received OFDM symbol, and the AFC loop may be updated with the frequency error estimate. Frequency error in input samples is corrected by the AFC loop with the initial frequency error estimate as well as the frequency error estimate for each received OFDM symbol. In another aspect, a variable number of samples of a received OFDM symbol are selected, e.g., based on the received OFDM symbol timing, for use for frequency error estimation.
US08009774B2	Devices for carrier recovery and related methods Devices for carrier recovery and related methods are provided. A receiving signal is provided to perform an interpolation filtering process and a frequency multiplication sampling process. The receiving signal is then processed with a dealing signal. The dealing signal is generated by shifting a PN code with a frequency offset.
US08009758B2	Apparatus and method for channel-interleaving and channel-deinterleaving data in a wireless communication system An interleaving and deinterleaving apparatus and method in a wireless communication system are provided, in which it is determined whether coded bits to be transmitted in one modulation symbol are selected from a plurality of code blocks. The coded bits are interleaved on a modulation symbol basis if the coded bits to be transmitted in the modulation symbol are selected from a plurality of code blocks.
US08009754B2	Wireless communication method, radio receiving apparatus, radio transmitting apparatus, and wireless communication system A wireless communication system capable of achieving adaptive STTD (Space-time Transmit Diversity). In this system, a receiving apparatus uses a channel estimation to calculate SINR (Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio) of each of substreams in all the combinations of transmission antennas and also calculate the performance of the whole system in all the combinations of transmission antennas, thereby deciding a particular combination, which provides the best performance of the whole system, and obtaining a parameter for antenna selection. The SINR of each substream in the decided particular combination is used to decide an AMC parameter. A transmitting apparatus performs STTD and AMC based on the AMC parameter fed back from the receiving apparatus, and further selects, based on the antenna selection parameter fed back from the receiving apparatus, a particular combination of transmission antennas for performing a transmission.
US08009748B2	Downlink channel transmission device and method thereof A transmission device able to improve signal quality in a downlink channel is disclosed. The transmission device is for transmitting a control channel, a pilot channel, and a data channel, and includes a unit for transmitting the data channel by using a multi-beam or a variable directional beam, and a unit for transmitting a known signal as the pilot channel by using the multi-beam or the variable directional beam. The multi-beam includes plural fixed directional beams having respective fixed directions different from each other, and the variable directional beam is of a direction changing along with a position of a mobile terminal.
US08009745B2	Time tracking for a receiver with guard interval correlation Techniques for performing time tracking at a receiver are described. A first arriving path (FAP) and a last arriving path (LAP) are detected based on a channel impulse response estimate for a communication channel. The detected FAP and LAP may be correct or swapped. To resolve ambiguity in the detected FAP and LAP, a first hypothesis corresponding to the FAP and LAP being correctly detected and a second hypothesis corresponding to the FAP and LAP being incorrectly detected are evaluated. For each hypothesis, hypothesized FAP and LAP are determined based on the detected FAP and LAP, a correlation window is determined based on the hypothesized FAP and LAP, and correlation is performed using the correlation window. The correct hypothesis is determined based on correlation results for the two hypotheses. The receiver timing is updated based on the hypothesized FAP and LAP for the correct hypothesis and used for demodulation.
US08009728B2	Parallel equalizer for DS-CDMA UWB system and method thereof A parallel equalizer for a DS-CDMA UWB system and method thereof are provided. The parallel equalizer includes: a filter block for filtering a training input signal in a ‘training mode’, and filtering the plurality of input signals in parallel in a ‘symbol decision mode’; a symbol decision block for obtaining a symbol error based on a output from the filter block and a training symbol in the ‘training mode’, and estimating a transmission symbol for each of the input signals in the ‘symbol decision mode’, obtaining an error of one among the estimated transmission symbols for a symbol error calculating input signal; and an weight update block for updating a filter tap coefficients of the filter block based on the training input signal or the symbol error calculating input signal and the symbol error and transmitting the updated filter tap coefficients into the filter block.
US08009726B2	Carrier grouping in multi-carrier systems In the present invention, a plurality of carriers in a multi-carrier DMT communication system is grouped into one or multiple carrier groups according to at least one carriergroup parameter. A carriergroup parameter defines a parameter relating to each carrier group rather than to individual carriers, and is used for receiving and transmitting messages or data using the carrier group or groups. In one embodiment of the present invention, multiple carrier groups of fixed-size are determined and the worst case signal-to-noise ratio for each carrier group is used for the carriergroup parameter for that specified carrier group. In another embodiment of the present invention, multiple carrier groups of variable-size are determined based on a carriergroup parameter such as a carriergroup bitloading parameter. The carriergroup bitloading parameter and the worst case carriergroup SNR parameter for each carrier group are used to define each carrier group for transmitting and receiving messages or data.
US08009721B2	Wireless communication apparatus and response signal spreading method A wireless communication apparatus capable of minimizing the degradation in separation characteristic of a code multiplexed response signal. In this apparatus, a control part (209) controls both a ZC sequence to be used in a primary spreading in a spreading part (214) and a Walsh sequence to be used in a secondary spreading in a spreading part (217) so as to allow a very small circular shift interval of the ZC sequence to absorb the interference components remaining in the response signal; the spreading part (214) uses the ZC sequence set by the control part (209) to primary spread the response signal; and the spreading part (217) uses the Walsh sequence set by the control part (209) to secondary spread the response signal to which CP has been added.
US08009718B2	Wireless transmitter and receiver for use in an ultra-wideband direct spread pulse communication system A wireless transmitter and receiver increase a desired/unwanted (D/U) ratio of a correlation output without increasing the number of data in an ultra-wideband direct spread pulse communication system for transmitting and receiving two series of data through different spreading code streams. In the spreading codes used in matched filters of the wireless transmitter, (2N−2)-th and (2N)-th values of a cross-correlation signal between first and second spreading codes are greater than 0, (2N−3)-th and (2N+1)-th values of an auto-correlation signal of the first spreading code are less than 0, and (2N−3)-th and (2N+1)-th values of an auto-correlation signal of the second spreading code are less than 0. The peak value of the cross-correlation signal does not need to be small, and since a value other than the peak value does not become large, the D/U ratio can increase.
US08009717B2	Process and equipment for the treatment of loads or residues of non-ferrous metals and their alloys Equipment for the treatment of loads or residues of non-ferrous metals and their alloys include a rotary furnace having a vessel with a sealed door. An electrode is introduced into the rotary furnace and is used to establish a free burning convective electric arc with the load introduced into the furnace or with the furnaces bottom wall. The equipment is assembled over a hinged base which allows elevating or lowering its rotation axis with respect to a horizontal plane.
US08009713B2	Semiconductor laser A semiconductor laser includes an active layer, a first GaAs layer formed on the active layer, the first GaAs layer including a plurality of recessed portions periodically arranged, each of the recessed portions including a bottom surface of a (100) crystal surface and a slope including a (111) A crystal surface at least in parts, the recessed portion being disposed in contact with each other or with a minimal gap between each of adjacent ones of the recessed portions, the width of the bottom surface being greater than the minimal gaps, an InGaP layer formed on the recessed portion, and a second GaAs layer formed on the InGaAs layer over the recessed portion.
US08009709B2	DC coupled driver with active termination A DC coupled driver is described for modulating a vertical cavity surface emitting laser at high speeds with active termination. High speed and low total power dissipation is achieved by improving the driver immunity to pulse reflections, which can arise due to impedance mismatch between the driver output impedance and the VCSEL impedance. The rise and fall times of the driver may be adjusted for particular applications. The driver may be fabricated using a choice of bipolar, NMOS and PMOS technologies.
US08009708B2	Optical amplification module and laser light source apparatus The present invention relates to an optical amplifier module, or the like, having a structure for enabling effective suppression of photodarkening and efficient optical amplification. The optical amplifier module comprises a first optical amplification waveguide which is comprised of a phosphate glass as a main component and includes a ytterbium-doped first optical waveguide region, a second optical amplification waveguide which is optically coupled to the first optical amplification waveguide and includes a ytterbium-doped second optical waveguide region which is co-doped with aluminum, and pumping light source units which supply pumping light respectively to the first optical amplification waveguide and the second optical amplification waveguide. The light to be amplified, having inputted to the first optical amplification waveguide, is amplified only once by means of the pumping light, in each of the first optical amplification waveguide and the second optical amplification waveguide.
US08009707B2	Dual mode single cavity pulse compressor An rf pulse compressor has a single high Q cavity resonator fed by a four port hybrid coupler which is connected to the resonator at coupling ports located at the intersection of two of the resonator's orthogonal axes with the resonator cavity walls. The hybrid coupler divides pulse power from an rf pulse power source and excites two space and phase orthogonal modes in the single cavity, the stored energy of which aids in producing compressed pulses at the output of the hybrid. On-axis perturbations in the cavity walls can be used to lock the orthogonal orientation of the modes excited in the cavity.
US08009705B2	Fiber MOPA system without stimulated brillouin scattering Methods and systems for increasing the threshold for stimulated Brillouin scattering are described. A seed source may generate one or more chirped seed pulses characterized by a pulse duration τ, and a frequency chirp. The pulse duration τ may be greater than about 2 nanoseconds. A photonic crystal amplifier amplifies the seed pulses to produce one or more amplified pulses characterized by a peak power P greater than about 1 kilowatt. The pulse duration τ, frequency chirp, and the photonic crystal fiber may be selected such that a threshold for stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in the photonic crystal fiber is greater than the peak power P.
US08009700B2	Multi-carrier signal transmitter and multi-carrier signal receiver A multi-carrier signal transmission apparatus transmits a transmission stream including at least preamble information necessary for synchronizing a transmission signal and data information as a multi-carrier signal. A modulator generates a transmission symbol stream by modulating an arrangement of the preamble information and the data information. A symbol expanding portion expands the transmission symbol stream on a frequency axis by generating a complex conjugate value of at least one part of the preamble information symmetrically on the frequency axis.
US08009699B2	Efficient encoding of out of order data packets in a network An apparatus and system for encoding out of order data packets in a network are described. At a source unit, an out-of-order parameter is selected as the maximum out of order range value of data packets to be encoded with a minimum header size. A shifting parameter is then calculated using the selected out-of-order parameter. For a new data packet received, having a predetermined header field value, an interpretation interval is further calculated as a function of the shifting parameter and a reference value of a header field within a previously transmitted data packet. An encoding and compression algorithm is then applied to the predetermined header field value using the calculated interpretation interval, and the compressed value is further transmitted to a destination unit.
US08009694B2	Wireless services provider network system and method An application service provider provides wireless access to a packetized data network, such as the Internet. The application service provider includes a server computer. The server computer is connected to the network, which is at least in part a wired network. The wired network is connected to a cellular wireless communications system. Data is communicated over the network, both wired and wireless, via OSI models, for example, according to TCP/IP protocols or specialized variants. A wireless device, such as a modern-equipped laptop computer or personal digital assistant, a web-enabled telephone, or the like, is communicatively connected to the cellular wireless communications system. The application service provider can maintain a website, including targeted content, on the server computer for access by the wireless device.
US08009688B2	Decoding packets with deadlines in communications channels processing unit A method of processing first and second record packets of real-time information includes computing for each packet a deadline interval and ordering processing of the packets according to the respective deadline intervals. A single-chip integrated circuit has a processor circuit and embedded electronic instructions forming an egress packet control establishing an egress scheduling list structure and operations in the processor circuit that extract a packet deadline intervals, place packets in the egress scheduling list according to deadline intervals; and embed a decoder that decodes the packets according to a priority depending to their deadline intervals.
US08009685B2	Signalling the presence of extension frames Aspects of the invention are directed to signalling extension frames in a telecommunication system. Extension-frame-signalling data may signal whether one or more extension parts are present in one or more gaps in time between data frames, when the one or more extension parts occur, and one or more durations for the one or more extension parts. The one or more extension parts may occur on the same radio frequencies as the data frames. The extension-frame-signalling data may signal when the one or more extension parts occur by signalling after which of one or more data frames in a super frame the extension parts occur. The one or more durations for the extension parts may be expressed in units of time.
US08009682B2	Systems and methods for packet steering in a multi-core architecture Described herein is a method and system for distributing whole and fragmented requests and responses across a multi-core system. Each core executes a packet engine that further processes data packets and data packet fragments allocated to that core. A flow distributor executing within the multi-core system forwards client requests to a packet engine on a core that is selected based on a value generated when a hash is applied to a tuple comprising a client IP address, a client port, a server IP address and a server port identified in the request. The packet engine maintains each element of the tuple and forwards the request to the selected core. The packet engine can also process data packet fragments by assembling the fragments prior to transmitting them to the selected core, or by transmitting the data packet fragments to the selected core.
US08009679B2	Communication system and method In a communications system a transmitter is arranged to transmit asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cells in which synchronous transfer mode (STM) channels are assembled. In order to minimize the bandwidth required at lease some of the ATM cells include one or more switch command(s) (12) that indicate a change in the activation state of one or more STM channels (11-0 to 11-n).The switch commands (12) and STM channels (11) fill the ATM cell from opposite ends of the cell.Activate switch commands comprise two bytes, a high byte including a pointer (18) pointing to the start of a block of STM channels (11) and a low byte that includes a pointer (19) that points to the channel within a block of STM channels (11) to which the switch command applies.
US08009677B2	Path setting method and communication device in network segmented into plurality of areas The communication device includes a transmission node connected to a transmission network, and a control node connected to a control network for controlling the transmission on the transmission network and setting the transmission of the transmission node, and the control node has a control link collecting unit collecting link information on the control network, a transmission link collecting unit collecting link information on the transmission network, a selection unit selecting, when determining a route from the transmission node to another transmission node as a terminating node outside the area, any one of the boundary control nodes as an egress node becoming an egress in a direction of the area, to which the terminating node belongs, based on the link information on the control network, and a determination unit determining a route to the egress node based on the link information on the transmission network.
US08009672B2	Apparatus and method of splitting a data stream over multiple transport control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) connections A method, system and apparatus for improving data transfer rate over a network are provided. When a piece of data is to be transmitted to a target system, it is divided into a number of packets and a determination is made as to whether the number of packets exceeds a threshold number. If so, the packets are transferred in parallel over a plurality of network connections. The ideal network connections are TCP/IP connections. Thus, each packet has an IP header, which contains an IP identification field. An indicium is placed into the IP identification field for proper reconstruction of the data by the target system.
US08009662B2	Digital broadcasting system and method of processing data A digital broadcasting system and method of processing data are disclosed. The digital broadcasting system includes a transmitting system and a receiving system. The transmitting system comprises a distributed transmission adapter and a plurality of transmitters each being operated as a slave of the distributed transmission adapter, and each sharing the same frequency and transmitting the same signals.
US08009661B2	Cell searching system and method For wireless networks that transmit synchronization signals allowing user equipment to synchronize to cells within the network and transmit reference signals allowing user equipment to determine cell identities, a method and apparatus taught herein advantageously link the synchronization signal sequences to the reference signal sequences according to a defined mapping. The linking simplifies the cell search process by allowing user equipment to determine cell identities based on mapping detected synchronization signal sequences to the corresponding reference signal or to the corresponding subset of reference signals in embodiments where there are more reference signal sequences than synchronization signal sequences. In at least one embodiment, the network is a 3G LTE network and at least the Primary Synchronization Signal (P-SyS) sequences are linked to the Downlink (DL) reference symbol sequences according to a defined mapping, thereby allowing to user equipment to determine cell identities from detected P-SyS sequences.
US08009658B2	Method for sharing bandwidth using reduced duty cycle signals and media access control A method is provided for transmitting data. A first device generates a first signal having a first duty cycle, comprising a first gated-on portion and a first gated-off portion in a time slot; and a second device generates a second signal having second duty cycle, comprising a second gated-on portion and a second gated-off portion in the same time slot. The first gated-on portion is generated during a first segment of the time slot and the first gated-off portion is generated during a second segment of the time slot, while the second gated-on portion is generated during the second segment and the second gated-off portion is generated during the first segment. Media access control (MAC) can be used to further define positions within time slots and provide error correction, power control, and the like. A preamble can be transmitted at an increased power level to facilitate acquisition.
US08009648B2	Mobile ad hoc network with isosynchronous communications and related methods A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) may include a plurality of mobile nodes. Each mobile node may include a wireless transceiver and a controller cooperating therewith for exchanging isosynchronous Internet Protocol (IP) communications with at least one adjacent mobile node. The isosynchronous IP communications may comprise at least one of voice communications and data communications.
US08009646B2	Methods and apparatus for overlapping MIMO antenna physical sectors Methods and apparatus for positioning antennas of a first wireless cell to form MIMO physical sectors and MIMO virtual sectors. Selecting a MIMO virtual sector for communication responsive to throughput, data throughput, signal-to-noise ratio, signal error rate, data error rate, retransmission requests, interference, rejection of multipath signals, transmission rate, and signal strength.
US08009642B2	System for transmitting high throughput data between multiple devices A system for transmitting data directly between a plurality of client network devices in a network having an Access Point (“AP”) device separate from the plurality of client network devices is disclosed. The system may include a first client network device having a first client (“STA”) module and a second client network device of the plurality of client network devices.
US08009638B2	Method for reduced access delay in multiple access attempt exchanges A system and method for reducing access delay associated with multiple access attempt exchanges in a communications network is provided. A system of the present invention may include a mobile station and a base station system for sending and receiving signals; an air interface link for carrying the signals; and a set of timing modules for governing the transmission of the signals, whereby the set of timing modules controls activation periods of the battery's current flow to the transmit clock according to a predetermined time interval. Control of activation periods minimizes delay during access attempts and conserves power resources.
US08009635B2	Reducing handoff latency in a wireless local area network through an activation alert that affects a power state of a receiving mesh access point If a handoff by a mobile station currently associated with a particular access point is probable, then the particular access point sends an activation alert to one or more other access points. An access point receiving the activation alert that is in a low-power state enters a higher-power state. An access point receiving the activation alert that is in a higher-power state, remains in that higher-power state.
US08009613B1	Systems and method of coupling a wireless macro network to a wireless adapter Systems and methods of coupling a wireless network to one or more wireless adapters by way of powerlines are provided. A communication device can be employed to couple a wireless macro network to one or more wireless adapters. The communication device can provide quality of service and encryption on a per wireless adapter basis. The communication device can also identify frequencies that experience interference, and are suppressed by a harmonic suppressor, and avoid these frequencies when transmitting communications over the powerlines.
US08009608B2	Method and system for extended network access services advertising via a broadband access gateway A system and method supporting the advertising of extended network access to multimedia services via a broadband access gateway is disclosed. A representative embodiment of the present invention may comprise a wireless interface and may be capable of exchanging multimedia communication between the wireless interface and a broadband network. The gateway may determine available media-related services, and may transmit information about those services to an access device that may comprise, for example, a mobile multimedia handset, a personal digital assistant, and a personal computer. The access device may notify a user of the availability of the media-related services using visual and/or audible means. The gateway may receive from the access device capability and/or subscriber related information, and the gateway may transmit service information based upon the capability and/or subscriber-related information.
US08009592B2	Method and apparatus for exchange of information in a communication system A technique for connecting a dialed B-party number to a data object is described. The connecting of a B-party number to a specific data object, hereafter referred to as phonepage, will allow an A-party direct access to information that a B-party wishes to display to a calling party. The phonepage resides in a memory in a telecommunications network, or in a memory in a data-communications network connected thereto. The phonepage may have a similar appearance to an Internet web page, but may also take other appearances. The displaying of the phonepage may be made dependent upon the capabilities of the A-party user equipment.
US08009587B2	System and method of discovery of wireless control device Disclosed herein is a wireless infrastructure node configured to receive a discovery message from a wireless control device, and reply to the wireless control device with a connection request if the wireless infrastructure node is not statically assigned to another wireless control device and the wireless infrastructure node is not being managed by another wireless control device.
US08009581B2	Method in a scheduler for reducing inter-cell interference The present invention relates to a method for reducing inter-cell interference in a cellular radio system in which said scheduler controls a set of shared radio resources. The method comprises the steps of—assigning cell specific resource priority weights (RPW) to the different radio resources of a cell, said assignment differs from the assignment of the same radio resources in at least one neighboring cell utilizing the resource priority weights for selection of radio resources. The resource priority weights can furthermore be combined with channel quality indication reports (CQI) to form weighted quality indexes (WCQI) for the radio resources that are available to the scheduler. The invention also relates to a scheduler performing said method and a radio network node comprising such scheduler.
US08009568B2	Congestion control in stateless domains Reducing congestion in an IP domain wherein congested data flows arriving at an egress edge node of the network are identified. Total congestion represented by the congested flows is determined, and a congestion extent notification is sent from the egress edge node to its ingress edge node peer. The congestion extent notification includes information regarding the total congestion and is sent on a per-class basis. Congested core routers in the network insert DSCPs into data packets passing through them to enable the egress edge nodes to identify the affected flows. The core routers may also send congestion metric messages, designed to follow the same path as the marked packets, to inform the egress edge nodes of the extent of congestion. In an alternative method, the egress edge nodes inform their ingress peers that congestion is present, without initially identifying the extent. The ingress edge node sends a query downstream with a congestion metric.
US08009564B2	Transmitting apparatus and transmission rate control method In a communication of explicit multicast system used in SICC, the frequency of variation of the transmission rate is reduced to achieve a multimedia data transmission exhibiting a high quality. An available bandwidth estimating part (102) of a transmitting apparatus (100) uses feedback information, which is received by a receiving part (101) from a receiving apparatus (200), to estimate a bandwidth available to the receiving apparatus. A bandwidth correcting part (103) corrects, based on a difference in header size between a current class and an upper-order class, the estimated available bandwidth. A class deciding part (104) uses the corrected bandwidth to change the class to which the receiving apparatus belongs.
US08009559B1	Global flow tracking system A device may obtain a flow signature, identify a destination collector to which packets bearing the flow signature are sent, obtain a list of potential source collectors that may have sent the packets bearing the flow signature to the destination collector, and identify a source collector, among the potential source collectors, that sent the packets to the destination collector. In addition, the device may output information related to a path from the source collector the destination collector.
US08009555B2	Mechanism for transparent real-time media server fail-over with idle-state nodes In one embodiment, a mechanism for transparent real-time media server fail-over with idle-state nodes is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes replicating a start time of a request related to a bidirectional stream of media sent to an original master media server, receiving notification of selection as a new master media server after failure of the original master media server, determining an offset time by subtracting the replicated request start time from a current time, and resuming playback of the request at the offset time within the request.
US08009532B2	Recording device and method, and computer program, and recording medium A recording apparatus includes: a first strategy calculating device (SCD) for calculating a first optimum strategy allowing jitter recorded at a first speed to satisfy a desired condition by adjusting a first standard strategy; a second SCD for calculating a second standard strategy at a second speed by performing clock cycle conversion according to a difference between the first and second speeds on the first standard strategy; a second power calculating device for calculating a second optimum power used at the second speed; a third SCD for calculating a second optimum strategy allowing jitter recorded at the second speed to satisfy a desired condition, by adjusting the second standard strategy; and a fourth SCD for calculating a third optimum strategy at a third speed, based on each of a difference between the first standard and optimum strategies and a difference between the second standard and optimum strategies.
US08009530B2	Information providing system, reproduction device and method, information providing device and method, recording medium, and program There are provided an information providing system, a reproduction device and method, an information providing device and method, a recording medium, and a program capable of comparatively freely utilizing the content recorded on a disc according to the user preference. When download of an audio file of Japanese language is instructed, the update file of the content recorded on the optical disc (11) is downloaded. The Audio stream file as an audio file of Japanese language, the Clip Information file accompanying it, the Play List file controlling the reproduction of the Audio stream file, and the navigation program file which has been updated are recorded as the update file in a local storage (12). By the navigation program which has been updated, for example, the Audio stream file of Clip 3 as the Japanese language audio is reproduced. The present invention can be applied to a player to which a recording medium where the content has been recorded is detachably attached.
US08009527B2	Optical pickup device The optical pickup device according to the present invention includes: a light source which emits a first light at a first wavelength, a second light at a second wavelength and a third light at a third wavelength; an optical path combining unit which combines vectors of the first, second and third light emitted by the light source, and matches optical axes of the first light and the third light; a light collection unit which condenses the light from the optical path combining unit into the optical information storage medium; a diffraction element which diffracts reflected light from the optical information storage medium; a first photo detector, a second photo detector and a third photo detector which receives the diffracted light from the first diffraction element; and a prevention unit formed between the first diffraction element and the first photo detector, the second photo detector and the third photo detector, and which prevents irradiation of + first-order diffracted light diffracted by the first diffraction element into the first photo detector, the second photo detector, and the third photo detector.
US08009525B2	Optical disc signal processing device, optical disc signal processing method, optical disc reproduction and recording device, and optical disc reproduction and recording method An optimum method for adjusting the physical position or angle of an optical pickup (a1) is automatically selected for each optical disc signal processing device so that a control target value after adjusted is included in a previous margin measurement result which is stored in a nonvolatile memory, thereby providing an optical disc signal processing device, an optical disc signal processing method, an optical disc reproduction and recording device, and an optical disc reproduction and recording method, which can reduce the start-up time and the recording start time, and enhance the user's convenience.
US08009520B2	Method and system for operating an atomic clock using a self-modulated laser with electrical modulation A polarization gain medium such as an emitting laser diode provides the optical pumping. An atomic vapor cell is positioned in the laser cavity providing spontaneous push-pull optical pumping inside the laser cavity. This causes the laser beam to be modulated at hyperfine-resonance frequency. A clock signal is obtained from electrical modulation across the laser diode.
US08009512B2	Networked sonar observation of selected seabed environments A sonar transducer network for observing a seabed includes a controller. A first transducer assembly includes a first acoustic transducer to convert a first ping to a first electrical signal; and a first transducer processor to receive a first electrical signal from the first acoustic transducer to generate the first transducer data. At least one second transducer assembly is spaced apart from the first transducer assembly. The second transducer assembly includes a second acoustic transducer to convert a second ping to a second electrical signal. The second transducer processor receives the second electrical signal from the second acoustical transducer to generate second transducer data. A network bus communicates first transducer data and second transducer data with the controller.
US08009511B2	Pressure waves decoupling with two transducers A telemetry system for communication in a borehole uses two spaced-apart transducers. The outputs from the two transducers are filtered to decoupled tool signals traveling in opposite directions. One of the two signals may be it telemetry signal while other signal may be pump noise.
US08009510B2	Two way check shot and reverse VSP while drilling Methods and related systems are described making seismic measurements. Seismic energy is transmitted into the earth using a surface seismic source. The seismic energy is received with one or more downhole receivers located in a borehole. In response to the received seismic energy from the surface seismic source, seismic energy is transmitted into the earth using a downhole seismic source. The seismic energy from the downhole seismic source is then received with one or more surface receivers located on the surface of the earth. A delay interval is measured downhole between the first arrival of the seismic energy from the surface seismic source and the transmission from the downhole seismic source. A surface interval is measured between the transmitting of seismic energy from the surface seismic source and first arrival of the seismic energy from the downhole seismic source using the one or more surface receivers. Travel time can be calculated by subtracting the delay interval from the surface interval.
US08009501B2	Storage apparatus and power saving method thereof This storage apparatus includes an access history storage unit for storing, when there is a write request for writing data into the data storage unit or a read request for reading data stored in the data storage unit, history of the write request or read request as access history, an operational information storage unit for storing operational information showing whether the data storage unit is operating, an access prediction unit for predicting whether the data storage unit will be accessed based on the access history, and an operational control unit for performing operational control of pre-starting the data storage unit when the data storage unit is shut off and the access prediction unit predicts that the data storage unit will be accessed, or stopping the data storage unit when the data storage unit is operating and the access prediction unit predicts that the data storage unit will not be accessed.
US08009497B2	Auto-refresh control circuit and a semiconductor memory device using the same An auto-refresh control circuit includes a control signal generating section configured to simultaneously or individually enable first and second control signals in response to an information combination signal having refresh information and operation mode information and first and second chip selection signals, and an auto-refresh signal generating section configured to generate first and second auto-refresh signals in response to a plurality of command signals and the first and second control signals.
US08009489B2	Memory with read cycle write back A memory has a first bit line, a second bit line, and a word line. A memory cell is coupled to the word line and the first and second bit lines. A sense amplifier has a first input, a second input, a first output, and a second output. A pair of coupling transistors includes a first transistor and a second transistor. In one embodiment, the first transistor is coupled between the first bit line and the first input of the sense amplifier and the second transistor is coupled between the second bit line and the second input of the sense amplifier. A write back circuit is coupled to an output of the sense amplifier. The write back circuit writes back to the memory cell a value read from the memory cell during a read cycle.
US08009479B2	Memory formed by using defects A non-volatile memory is provided. The non-volatile memory comprises at least a silicon-on-insulator transistor including a substrate; an insulating layer disposed on the substrate; an active region disposed on the insulating layer; and an energy barrier device disposed in the active region and outputting a relatively small current when the non-volatile memory is read.
US08009476B2	Semiconductor memory device using variable resistor Example embodiments relate to a variable resistance semiconductor memory device including: a plurality of memory blocks belonging to different memory sectors and alternately arranged in a memory bank including the memory sectors so as to be adjacent to each other; and a line selecting unit simultaneously selecting word lines of the plurality of memory blocks and simultaneously selecting bit lines of the memory blocks belonging to the same memory sector among the plurality of memory blocks in an access operation mode.
US08009473B2	Semiconductor memory device including memory cell array having memory cells using floating body transistors A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, which includes a cell array having multiple cell blocks. Each cell block includes source and word lines arranged in one direction, bit lines arranged in a perpendicular direction, and memory cells having corresponding floating bodies. Adjacent memory cells share source or drain regions to form common source or drain regions, respectively. The source regions are arranged in a word line direction and connected to corresponding source lines, and the drain regions are arranged in the bit line direction and connected to corresponding bit lines. Gates of the memory cells are arranged in the word line direction and are connected to form the word lines. The source lines are formed on a layer of the word lines, and the bit lines are formed at a different layer to be insulated from the word and source lines.
US08009471B2	Low-wear writing in a solid state memory device A method includes programming a non-volatile memory. The memory includes a plurality of cells, wherein each cell is configured to store a plurality of values, wherein each of value is represented by N digits where N is an integer greater than 1, wherein each of the plurality of cells is further configured to store electric charge representing a plurality of voltage levels, and wherein each of the plurality of voltage levels represents one of the plurality of values. Programming comprises providing the plurality of voltage levels into a first group of voltage levels and a second group of voltage levels in one of the plurality of cells, wherein a highest voltage level of the first group is less than or substantially equal to a lowest voltage level of the second group, and storing, in the first group of voltage levels, electric charge representing a value comprising, at most, N-1 digits.
US08009470B2	Nonvolatile semiconductor memory A memory includes first and second select gate transistors, memory cells, a source line, a bit line, a selected word line which is connected to a selected memory cell as a target of a verify reading, a non-selected word line which is connected to a non-selected memory cell except the selected memory cell, a potential generating circuit for generating a selected read potential which is supplied to the selected word line, and generating a non-selected read potential larger than the selected read potential, which is supplied to the non-selected word line, and a control circuit which classifies a threshold voltage of the selected memory cell to one of three groups by verifying which area among three area which are isolated by two values does a cell current of the selected memory cell belong, when the selected read potential is a first value.
US08009466B2	Semiconductor storage device A semiconductor storage device is provided with a memory array including a plurality of memory cells. The plurality of memory cells includes: first and third memory cells arranged along one of an even-numbered row and an odd-numbered row, and a second memory cell arranged along the other. Each of the plurality of memory cells includes: a first transistor comprising first and second diffusion layers; a second transistor comprising third and fourth diffusion layers; and a magnetoresistance element having one of terminals thereof connected to an interconnection layer which provides an electrical connection between the second and third diffusion layers. The fourth diffusion layer of the first memory cell is also used as the first diffusion layer of the second memory cell. In addition, the fourth diffusion layer of the second memory cell is also used as the first diffusion layer of the third memory cell.
US08009460B2	Device and method for using dynamic cell plate sensing in a DRAM memory cell A memory cell, device, system and method for operating a memory cell utilize an isolated dynamic cell plate. The memory cell includes a first and second pass transistor and a first and second capacitor. The first pass transistor and first capacitor and the second pass transistor and second capacitor are each configured in series for individual respective coupling between a first digit line and a second digit line. The first and second pass transistors are further configured for respective control by first and second wordlines. The memory cell further includes an interconnection formed on a cell plate conductor between a terminal end of the first capacitor and a terminal end of the second capacitor. Furthermore, the interconnection is electrically isolated from other portions of the cell plate conductor.
US08009453B2	High density planar magnetic domain wall memory apparatus A magnetic domain wall memory apparatus with write/read capability includes a plurality of coplanar shift register structures each comprising an elongated track formed from a ferromagnetic material having a plurality of magnetic domains therein, the shift register structures further having a plurality of discontinuities therein to facilitate domain wall location; a magnetic read element associated with each of the shift register structures; and a magnetic write element associated with each of the shift register structures, the magnetic write element further comprising a write wire having a constriction therein, the constriction located at a point corresponding to the location of the plurality of discontinuities in the associated shift register structure.
US08009450B2	Method and apparatus for phase current balance in active converter with unbalanced AC line voltage source Active power converters and methods are presented for converting input electrical power to output electrical power with converter switching control in which the individual phase voltage command values are compensated according to phase line voltage imbalances to compensate the converter control to provide balanced phase currents in the presence of unbalanced phase supply line voltages.
US08009447B2	Energy effective switching power supply apparatus and an energy effective method thereof An energy effective switching power supply apparatus and an energy effective method thereof. The energy effective switching power supply apparatus includes a power transforming part having first and second coils to induce a voltage to the second coil using interactions between the first and the second coils with respect to the input voltage, a power outputting part to output a sensing signal when it is determined that a first DC voltage output by rectifying and smoothing the voltage induced to the second coil is greater than or equal to a reference voltage level, and a switching controlling part to adjust a switching frequency of a switching device to interrupt a current flowing in the first coil of the power transforming part when the sensing signal is received. Accordingly, a switching loss is controlled and an energy loss is reduced.
US08009446B2	Ripple voltage suppression method for DC/DC converter and apparatus thereof A ripple voltage suppression apparatus includes a DC/DC converter and a control circuit. The DC/DC converter has a power electronic switch. The control circuit has a voltage detector detecting a DC output voltage of the DC/DC converter, a ripple voltage suppression circuit receiving the detected DC output voltage to generate an AC control signal for controlling an AC component of a duty ratio of the power electronic switch, an output voltage regulation circuit receiving the detected DC output voltage to generate a DC control signal for controlling an DC component of a duty ratio, an adder adding the AC and DC control signals to form a combined control signal, and a PWM circuit converting the combined control signal into a PWM signal to control the power electronic switch. Only the DC output voltage of the DC/DC converter has to be detected for the control circuit.
US08009443B2	DC/DC converter and AC/DC converter A DC/DC converter (1) having a plurality n of two-pole inverters (2a, 2b) connected in parallel or in series, n transformers (Ta, Tb) and n two-pole rectifiers (3a, 3b) connected in parallel or in series is described. One inverter (2a, 2b) each and one rectifier (3a, 3b) each are connected to a transformer (Ta, Tb). The inverters (2a, 2b, 2a′, 2b′) are in turn connected to a control which is provided for frequency-synchronous actuation of the inverters (2a, 2b, 2a′, 2b′) with a 180°/n phase shift. According to the invention, leakage inductances (LS1, LS2) of the transformers (Ta, Tb, Ta′, Tb′), together with capacitors (C1, C2) of the inverters (2a, 2b , 2a′, 2b′) and/or capacitors (C3, C4) of the rectifiers (3a, 3b, 3a′, 3b′), form in each case a resonating circuit whose resonant frequency is substantially twice as great as a clock frequency of the control signal. Furthermore, an AC/DC converter (6) is described which has a DC/DC converter (1) according to the invention with an AC/DC stage (5) connected on the input side.
US08009441B2	Electronic component cover and arrangement An electronic component cover comprises a plate having a first region adapted to substantially cover at least one side of a first electronic component. The plate is adapted to accommodate a second electronic component thereon, such as a SIM card or a SIM card reader. The plate may include a second region to accommodate the second electronic component therein. The electronic component cover may comprise one or more leads adapted to provide electrical communication between the first electronic component and the second electronic component. The one or more leads are electrically isolated from the plate. The cover may further comprise a nonconductive mount adapted to accommodate the second electronic component thereon. The nonconductive mount secures the one or more leads to the plate while electrically isolating the one or more leads from the plate.
US08009440B2	Cartridge for space-restricted installation in rack-mounted computer system A computer device includes a chassis, a card connector, and a cartridge. The card connector is attached to the chassis and is adapted to receive a card. The cartridge includes a guide plate, a card holder, and an actuator. The guide plate is removably engaged to the chassis. The card holder is connectable to the card and movable, relative to the guide plate, between an engaged position and a disengaged position. In the engaged position, the card is connected the card connector, and in the disengaged position, the card is disconnected from the card connector. The actuator is engaged with the guide plate, and the actuator linearly moves between a first position and a second position relative to the guide plate. The movement of the actuator from the first position to the second position causes the movement of the card holder from the disengaged position to the engaged position. The computer device is a server, and the cartridge is introduced into front face or a rear face of the server.
US08009439B2	Metal foil interconnection of electrical devices An electrical assembly (300, 400) includes a power IC such as a MOSFET (112, 412) attached to a substrate module (114, 214). The MOSFET includes a top surface comprising first and second conductive device surfaces (A, B), associated with first and second device ports, and a bottom surface comprising a third conductive device surface C associated with a third device port. A first foil element is bonded to the first conductive device surface(s) A and to each of the first conductive substrate surfaces (A1, A2) and provides a continuous conductive pathway from each conductive surface (A) to each other conductive surface (A) and to each conductive surface (A1, A2). A second foil element is bonded to the second conductive device surface(s) B and to the second conductive substrate surface B1 and provides a continuous conductive pathway from each device conductive surface (B) to the substrate conductive surface (B1). A third foil element may be installed to electrically interconnect the discrete second device surfaces (B). The foil elements reduce interconnection parasitics and reduce charge and thermal energy density at device conductive surfaces as compared to wire bonded electrical interconnections. The foil elements may be comprised of formed metal elements that are flexible but sufficiently rigid to hold a formed shape or flexible foils supported on a flexible dielectric substrate.
US08009437B2	Wireless communication modules The present disclosure generally pertains to wireless communication modules that can be used for enabling wireless communication in various applications. A wireless communication module in accordance with one embodiment may be interfaced with other devices, such as nodes of a wireless sensor network (WSN). The module has rows of male integrated circuit (IC) pins that may be interfaced with female pin receptacles of another device. The module receives wireless signals and provides the data of such wireless signals to the other device. The module also receives data from the other devices and packetizes such data for wireless communication.
US08009435B2	Card level enclosure system having enhanced thermal transfer and improved EMI characteristics An enclosure or containment system for expansion cards includes first and second sub-enclosures that interengage to form an enclosure assembly that substantially surrounds the major surface areas of the expansion card while providing support along some of the edges thereof to provide a protected volume that physically protects and shields the electronic and electrical components on the expansion card while providing enhanced heat transfer therefrom.
US08009430B2	Techniques for data center cooling Techniques for cooling in a data center are provided. In one aspect a computer equipment rack is provided comprising one or more air inlets; one or more exhaust outlets, and one or more of: an air inlet duct mounted to the computer equipment rack surrounding at least a portion of the air inlets, the air inlet duct having a lateral dimension that approximates a lateral dimension of the computer equipment rack and a length that is less than a length of the computer equipment rack, and an air exhaust duct mounted to the computer equipment rack surrounding at least a portion of the exhaust outlets, the air exhaust duct having a lateral dimension that approximates the lateral dimension of the computer equipment rack and a length that is less than the length of the computer equipment rack.
US08009426B2	Housing for protecting electronic components having vents Settop box (STB) or other housing for use in protecting electronic components. The housing may include an interior portion for protecting the components. The housing may include feet on a bottom and side to facilitate stabilizing the STB in a vertical and horizontal position. The housing may include vents to facilitate air flow to the interior. The vents may be associated with blocking aspects to protect against blocking the vents.
US08009423B2	Electronic device An electronic device is formed by a cabinet having a bottom surface and is equipped with a tabular electronic part. The electronic device has an undersurface guiding rib. The top surface of the undersurface guiding rib is formed by an inclined surface and a supporting surface. The inclined surface guides a front end of an undersurface of the electronic part when inserted. The supporting surface is formed beside the inclined surface and supports the front end of the undersurface of the electronic part that is guided by the inclined surface and made horizontal with a rear end of the electronic part made lowered. An overhanging piece is disposed at a position above the undersurface guiding rib and supports a top surface on the front end of the electronic part that is made horizontal with the undersurface of the electronic part supported by the supporting surface of the undersurface guiding rib.
US08009420B1	Heat transfer of processing systems A processing module may be provided. The processing module may include a mounting member configured to structurally support a first processing unit and receive thermal energy from the first processing unit through a coupling side of the first processing unit by conduction. The processing module may also include a base member coupled to the mounting member. The base member may be configured to receive thermal energy from the mounting member. A thermal conductivity of at least one of the mounting member and the base member may be greater than about 50 Watts/meter Celsius (W/m-C). Coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) of the mounting member, the base member, and the coupling side of the first processing unit may be matched.
US08009416B2	Retaining apparatus for data storage device A retaining apparatus for a data storage device includes a tray, a gasket and a fastener. The tray defines a receiving space for receiving the data storage device. The tray includes a front wall and a side wall. A tongue is located on the side wall. The gasket is attached to the tongue. The gasket is capable of absorbing shock from the tray to the data storage device. The fastener is inserted through the gasket and the tongue into the receiving space to retain the data storage device.
US08009415B2	Screen of laptop computer and laptop computer having the same The present invention relates to a screen of a laptop computer and a laptop computer having the same. And the laptop computer comprises: a back cover; a fixing body mounted on the back cover; a liquid crystal screen mounted on the fixing body; and a cover plate received on the fixing body, wherein the cover plate covers the liquid crystal screen and the fixing unit, and the area of the cover plate corresponding to the liquid crystal screen is transparent. The fixing body comprises a fixing frame and/or supporting member. Each supporting member is connected to a side of the liquid crystal screen. The screen for a laptop computer having a configuration described above has an integral appearance, which not only protects the screen but also makes the screen appear more neat enhancing visual effect of the screen. The present invention also proposes a laptop computer having the above screen so that the computer has an excellent visual appearance in usage, which is more adapted to practical use.
US08009414B2	Electronic equipment and shelf member The present invention includes flat-panel type display section (11), main body (12) which supports this flat-panel type display section (11), angle adjustment mechanism (13) for adjusting an inclination angle to a perpendicular direction of a display surface of flat-panel type display section (11), and shelf member (14) on which an article is to be placed. Then, as for shelf member (14), one end of the shelf member is provided near an upper edge of flat-panel type display section (11), and the other end of the shelf member is supported by main body (12). According to the present invention, since supporting plate (22) of shelf member (11) is supported by main body (12), shelf member (14) is not moved in connection with flat-panel type display section (11) when the display angle of flat-panel type display section (11) is adjusted by angle adjustment mechanism (13), and hence, the article is stably placed on shelf member (14).
US08009412B2	Display apparatus and method for positioning a display panel A display apparatus including a stand, a display panel, a location adjusting mechanism, a power switch and a biometric verification device is provided. The display panel is disposed on the stand. The location adjusting mechanism is disposed on the stand or the display panel and capable of adjusting relative positions of the display panel to the stand. The power switch is disposed on the stand or the display panel and electrically connected to the location adjusting mechanism. The biometric verification device is disposed on the stand or the display panel and electrically connected to the power switch. The biometric verification device identifies a biometric datum to activate the location adjusting mechanism via the power switch so as to drive the display panel to move relative to the stand according to the biometric datum.
US08009406B2	Capacitance arrangement and method relating thereto A capacitance arrangement comprising at least one parallel-plate capacitor comprising a first electrode means, a dielectric layer and a second electrode means partly overlapping each other. A misalignment limit is given. Said first electrode means comprises a first and a second electrode arranged symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal axis, said first and second electrodes have a respective first edge, which face each other, are linear and parallel such that a gap is defined there between. Said second electrode means comprises a third electrode with a first section and a second section disposed on opposite sides of said gap interconnected by means of an intermediate section, which is delimited by a function depending on a first parameter and a second parameter. One of said two parameters is adapted to be selected hence allowing calculation of the other parameter to determine the shape and size of the second electrode means.
US08009403B1	Disk preconditioning apparatus and related method An apparatus and method for preconditioning a magnetic recording disk is provided in which two substantially identical, but opposing, pancake coils are disposed generally parallel to one another with a gap therebetween into which a disk to be preconditioned is inserted. A large pulse of current is delivered to the coils to generate a magnetic field that is sufficiently strong to precondition the disk. The radial fields of each respective pancake coil add together in the gap where the disk is located, and the field presets both the data layer and the hard bias layer of the SUL. Outside of the gap region, the fields cancel one another such that there are essentially no perpendicular fields due to the symmetry of the coils, such that there is very little net residual perpendicular magnetization when the disk is removed from the gap. An electrical circuit for producing the current pulse is provided. An aluminum support structure provides thermal management and magnetic flux conductivity for the system.
US08009391B2	Magnetic sensing element and method for manufacturing the same An underlying layer is composed of Co—Fe—B that is an amorphous magnetic material. Thus, the upper surface of the underlying layer can be taken as a lower shield layer-side reference position for obtaining a gap length (GL) between upper and lower shields, resulting in a narrower gap than before. In addition, since the underlying layer has an amorphous structure, the underlying layer does not adversely affect the crystalline orientation of individual layers to be formed thereon, and the surface of the underlying layer has good planarizability. Accordingly, PW50 (half-amplitude pulse width) and SN ratio can be improved more than before without causing a decrease in rate of change in resistance (Δ R/R) or the like, thereby achieving a structure suitable for increasing recording density.
US08009387B2	Forming an aluminum alloy oxynitride underlayer and a diamond-like carbon overcoat to protect a magnetic recording head and/or media A method for forming a protective bilayer on a magnetic read/write head or magnetic disk. The bilayer is formed as an adhesion enhancing underlayer and a protective diamond-like carbon (DLC) overlayer. The underlayer is formed of an aluminum or alloyed aluminum oxynitride, having the general formula AlOxNy or MezAlOxNy where Mez symbolizes Tiz, Siz or Crz and where x, y and z can be varied within the formation process. By adjusting the values of x and y the adhesion underlayer contributes to such qualities of the protective bilayer as stress compensation, chemical and mechanical stability and low electrical conductivity. Various methods of forming the underlayer are provided, including reactive ion sputtering, plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition, pulsed laser deposition and plasma immersion ion implantation.
US08009381B2	Method and system for manufacturing a hard-disk drive A method for manufacturing a hard-disk drive (HDD). The method for manufacturing a HDD includes writing servo tracks, and writing servo tracks into the HDD using a calculated control target value of a calculated servo pattern overlap amount. Writing servo tracks includes a first, second, third and fourth operation. The first operation includes: producing a first control equation for obtaining a servo pattern overlap amount; and, converting a root-mean-square error (RMSE) into a probability distribution. The second operation includes calculating a second control target value that results in an increased product yield, from the RMSE probability distribution. The third operation includes producing a second control equation for obtaining a calculated servo pattern overlap amount, by assigning the second control target value into the first control equation. The fourth operation includes calculating the calculated control target value using the second control equation and the magnetic-recording-head characteristic value.
US08009378B2	Storage device and information processing apparatus According to one embodiment, a power management module of a storage device executes a process of stopping rotation of a disk storage medium by selectively using one of a first mode of stopping the rotation of the disk storage medium on condition that a media access command is not received during a predetermined time from last reception of a media access command, and a second mode of stopping the rotation of the disk storage medium on condition that a media access command which causes access to the disk storage medium is not received during a predetermined time from last reception of a media access command which causes access to the disk storage medium. In addition, the power management module executes a process of starting the rotation of the disk storage medium by selectively using one of a third mode and a fourth mode.
US08009375B2	Apparatus and method for receiving and recording digital information A digital information receiving apparatus and method in which a receiver receives a digital signal including a video signal and an audio signal, wherein the received video signal is bit-compressed by a first compression method and the received audio signal is bit-expanded by a second compression method which is different from the first compression method, a demodulator demodulates the received digital signal, and an expander bit-expands the demodulated digital signal.
US08009368B2	Aspherical fiber coupling lens An aspherical fiber coupling lens applied to a photoelectric coupling module is disclosed. The spherical fiber coupling lens is a bi-convex lens with positive refraction power and having a first optical surface and a second optical surface, both are aspherical surfaces while optical features of the lens satisfy the following conditions: 0.5 < d 2 f < 1.5 ; 1.0 < R 1 - R 2 R 1 + R 2 < 2.0 ; 1.2 < ( 1 R 1 - 1 R 2 ) · f < 2.2 wherein f is the effective focal length of the lens, d2 is thickness of the lens on optical axis, Nd is refraction index of the lens, R1, R2 respectively are curvature radiuses of the first optical surface and the second optical surface of the lens. Thereby the lens has features of small focus, compact volume and high coupling efficiency so that applications of the photoelectric coupling module are improved.
US08009367B2	Zoom lens system A zoom lens system includes, in order from an object side to an image side along an optical axis thereof, a first lens group having positive refractive power, a second lens group having negative refractive power, a third lens group having positive refractive power and a fourth lens group having positive refractive power. When zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, both the first and third lens groups move to the object side, and the second lens group first moves to the image side and then moves to the object side, whereby a first variable distance between the first and second lens groups is increased and a second variable distance between the second and third lens groups is decreased. The fourth lens group is also movable along the optical axis, so as to change a third variable distance between the third and fourth lens groups. Each of the third and fourth lens groups includes at least one aspheric surface. The zoom lens system provides a high zoom ratio and a high image resolution, and is short in overall length and small in size.
US08009362B1	Display device and light enhancement film of the display device A light enhancement film provided in the disclosure includes a substrate and an optical microstructure having a plurality of hexagonal cylindrical lenses inseparably arranged on a surface of the substrate in accordance with a honeycombed arrangement. Each of the hexagonal cylindrical lenses has different cross-sectional areas that are gradually narrowed from the surface of the substrate in a direction away from the substrate, and every two adjacent lenses have a gap therebetween. Furthermore, a display device having the light enhancement film is provided as well.
US08009359B2	Lenticular container and method of making The present disclosure relates to a lenticular display article, such as a container, and a method of making the article. The article includes a lenticular sidewall, which defines a cavity having a top end, and a bottom end, the sidewall having a seam; and an optional base attached to the bottom end of the sidewall. The method of making the article can includes forming a frustoconical sidewall having a seam joining the opposite ends and optionally affixing a base to the bottom end of a lenticular sidewall. Alternatively, the bottom end of the sidewall may be sealed to itself to form a baseless tube.
US08009357B2	Image screen An image screen includes a transparent substrate, a metal film, and an optical reflective stack layer. The metal film is disposed on a first surface of the transparent substrate, having a thickness and a set of material characteristic constants being predetermined. The optical reflective stack layer is disposed over the metal layer. The metal film and the optical reflective stack layer function together to selectively reflect a light with a portion of wavelength. In addition, according to the need, a diffusion micro-structure layer can be disposed on a second surface of the transparent substrate. Further for example, another reflective layer or optical absorbing layer can be further disposed on another surface of the optical reflective stack layer. The reflective layer can be, for example, a metal film.
US08009352B2	Microscope with centered illumination A microscope comprising a main objective having a variable focal length and comprising an illuminating unit including a light source and an illuminating optical system for generating an illuminating beam path directed onto the object plane and extending outside the main objective. A unit is provided for centering the illumination dependent on a variation of the focal length of the main objective. The illuminating optical system is mounted at least in part in a laterally shiftable manner for centering the illumination.
US08009350B2	Laptop-size high-order harmonic generation apparatus using near field enhancement Disclosed herein is a laptop-size high-order harmonic generation apparatus using near field enhancement. The laptop-size high-order harmonic generation apparatus using near field enhancement includes a femtosecond laser generator, light transfer means for transferring light output from the femtosecond laser generator, micro patterns formed of metallic thin films and configured to have nano-sized apertures for generating near field enhancement when the light output from the light transfer means passes through the micro patterns, a gas supply unit for supplying inert gas to the light when the light transferred through the light transfer means passes through the micro patterns, and a vacuum chamber for accommodating the micro patterns and the gas supply unit under a vacuum atmosphere.
US08009348B2	Machine-readable displays A reflective electro-optic display (200) has a bar code display area (206) arranged to display a bar code readable by a bar code scanner.
US08009344B2	Multi-layer sheet for use in electro-optic displays A multi-layer film, useful as a front sub-assembly in electro-optic displays, comprises, in this order: a light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer (114); a light-transmissive first protective layer (112); a light-transmissive moisture barrier layer (108); and a light-transmissive second protective layer (106). This multi-layer film can be used in forming an electro-optic display by the processes described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,179 or Patent Publication No. 2007/0109219.
US08009343B2	Optical imaging device having at least one system diaphragm An optical imaging device (PL), in particular an objective for semiconductor lithography, is provided with at least one system diaphragm. The system diaphragm comprises a multiplicity of mobile plates, which are rotatably mounted. The plates have a spherical curvature.
US08009341B2	Holographic information recording and reproducing apparatus for the same In a holographic information recording and reproducing apparatus, an optical fiber guides a reference beam toward a recording medium for holographic recording, and a precision rotator is turned, so that the reference beam is incident on the recording medium at different angles and interferes with a data-carrying signal beam to complete the recording of holographic information on the recording medium. To reproduce the holographic information, the optical fiber guides a reading beam, and the reading beam is incident on the recording medium at an angle the same as the reference beam for the recording to reproduce the holographic information stored on the recording medium. With the optical fiber and the precision rotator, a simplified light path system and a wide range of incident angles for the reference and reading beams may be achieved, and the transmissive, reflective, and 90-degree holographic storage techniques may be integrated in one single apparatus.
US08009339B2	Holographic recording medium, holographic writing system and holographic reading system A holographic recording medium including a recording layer on a substrate, which records data information in a light interference pattern. In the holographic recording medium, information on a thermal expansion characteristic of a recording material contained in the recording layer and/or information on temperature dependency of the refractive index of the recording material are recorded within the holographic recording medium in advance.
US08009328B2	Document optimization using solid monochrome colors and outlining Methods of the present invention allow for optimization of color and shades of gray documents prior to their conversion to a monochrome format. If color/gray elements are identified in the document, the distance between them and their intensity is determined. If there are elements with the same or similar intensity in close proximity to each other, colors of some of the elements may be replaced with solid monochrome colors, and/or dithered surfaces, and/or monochrome patterns. Further, the elements may be outlined. These improvements make elements in the document more distinguishable after its conversion to a monochrome format. The described color optimization and outlining may have wide applicability in the Internet Fax technology.
US08009317B2	Printing method and apparatus for setting overrunning widths in marginless printing The present invention prevents necessary image data from deviating from a print medium and thereby executes a good printing operation without a loss of necessary image data. For this purpose, when performing a so-called marginless printing, in which ink is applied also to an area overrunning from the print medium to form an image without leaving a blank margin at edges of the print medium, the overrunning widths of the area are made adjustable.
US08009314B2	Image processing apparatus image processing method, and a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium for causing a recording apparatus to record an image In a copy operation for a first sheet of requested plural sheets, a reading unit reads a document and a data conversion section converts the document image data into recording data. A recording unit records the recording data, while the recording data is stored in an image memory. A data amount of recording data to be stored in the image memory is determined. If, when a copy operation for a first sheet is completed, all of recording data is incapable of being stored in the image memory and the determined data amount of recording data is equal to or smaller than an available storage capacity of the image memory on condition that a read operation and a record operation are separately executed, a residual sheet record operation is executed by separately executing the read operation and the record operation.
US08009306B2	Printing apparatus and print system A print data forming apparatus has an authentication information setting unit which sets authentication information into a print job. A print processing apparatus has: a print job storing unit which receives and stores the print job in which the authentication information has been set; an operation panel control unit which receives the authentication information based on a print request; an authentication discriminating unit which compares the authentication information based on the print request received through the operation panel control unit with the authentication information of the stored print job, thereby discriminating whether or not they coincide; and a print job managing unit which, if they coincide, allows all print jobs having the authentication information that coincides with the authentication information based on the print request among the stored print jobs to be print-processed. A print system which can perform the authentication printing with high workability is obtained.
US08009305B2	Method, program, and apparatus for detecting a copy-prohibited document and prohibiting a reproduction of the detected copy prohibited document An image processing apparatus includes a first memory, a data detector, a second memory, a third memory, and a determiner. The first memory stores a reference pattern including a plurality of reference basic units, each of which represents specific minimal information, is superposed on input image data, and represents specific entire information. The data detector detects a basic unit in the input image data based on the reference basic unit included in the reference pattern stored in the first memory. The second memory accumulates a number of basic units detected by the data detector. The third memory stores a predetermined value. The determiner determines whether the number of basic units detected by the data detector and stored in the second memory is equal to the predetermined value stored in the third memory.
US08009290B2	Compact, low cost particle sensor A compact, low cost particle sensor utilizing a photodetector (31) which directly collects light scattered by particles (33) entrained in a fluid traversing a beam of light (32). The beam of light (32) is aligned such that it is in close proximity to the photo detector (31). The beam of light (32) is typically provided by a laser and associated focusing/collimating optics. The beam of light (32) intersects a portion of the fluid flow permitting a low pressure drop system and fluid flow generated by a low cost, low pressure device such as an axial fan (50).
US08009277B2	Sensor technique for black liquor oxidation control A method for determining simultaneously from an oxidized black liquor sample an amount of sulfide, an amount of total dissolved solids, and an amount of effective alkali present in the sample, wherein the sulfide amount, the total dissolved solids amount, and the effective alkali amount are determined by subjecting the sample to attenuated total reflection (ATR) ultraviolet/visible (UV/V) spectroscopy over a wavelength of from about 190 to about 500 nm. Data from analyzing oxidized black liquor samples, and from analyzing one or more black liquor samples which may be subjected to black oxidation, may be used in a black liquor oxidation (BLOX) system for monitoring and/or controlling sulfur emissions from a kraft process.
US08009271B2	Projection optical system, exposure apparatus, exposure system, and exposure method A projection optical system PL for forming an image of a first plane M on a second plane P has at least one first wedge prism 4 each of an entrance surface and an exit surface of which has a plane and in which a predetermined first wedge angle is made between the plane of the entrance surface and the plane of the exit surface, and when a coordinate system is so defined that a Z-axis direction is set along a direction of a normal to the first plane M, an X-axis direction along a direction of an intersecting line between the plane of the entrance surface and the plane of the exit surface, and a Y-axis direction along a direction perpendicular to the Z-axis direction and the X-axis direction, the first wedge prism 4 is arranged rotatably substantially around the Y-axis direction.
US08009262B2	Flat panel display wtih external integral heater A flat panel display has an optically-transparent electrically-conductive layer, especially an indium tin oxide layer, directly formed on an outer front surface of a liquid crystal display (LCD) assembly having a front plate, a rear plate, and a layer of liquid crystal material interposed between said front and rear plates. The optically-transparent electrically-conductive layer is preferably uniform and functions as an integral heater when connected to a direct current power source.
US08009256B2	Display substrate, method of manufacturing the same and display device having the same A display substrate includes a base substrate, an organic ridge pattern, a pixel electrode and a shielding electrode. A plurality of pixel regions arranged in a matrix shape are formed on the base substrate. The organic ridge pattern is protruded between adjacent pixel regions. The pixel electrode is in each of the pixel regions. The shielding electrode is disposed on the organic ridge pattern, and is electrically connected to the pixel electrode.
US08009255B2	Display panel comprising a mark located outside of a sealant and a flattening film including a sealing exposing portion A liquid crystal display panel includes an active matrix substrate, a counter substrate, a liquid crystal layer, and a sealant. The counter electrode is opposed to the active matrix substrate. The liquid crystal layer is provided between the active matrix substrate and the counter substrate. The sealant, which surrounds the liquid crystal layer between the active matrix substrate and the counter substrate, joins the active matrix substrate and the counter substrate and seals the liquid crystal layer. A portion of the surface on the liquid crystal layer side of the active matrix substrate which is located at the periphery of the liquid crystal display panel is flat.
US08009254B2	Bend alignment type liquid crystal display apparatus A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a liquid crystal layer sealed between a first substrate and a second substrate opposed to each other. Inner surfaces of the first and second substrates have been subjected to aligning treatment to splay-align liquid crystal molecules. The liquid crystal display further includes electrodes formed on the inner surfaces of the first and second substrates to generate an alignment transition electric field to cause the liquid crystal molecules to transit from splay alignment to bend alignment. The alignment transition electric field includes a vertical electric field in the thickness direction of the liquid crystal layer, and a horizontal electric field in a direction parallel to the inner surfaces of the first and second substrates to twist the liquid crystal molecules between the substrates.
US08009249B2	Liquid crystal display device In a liquid crystal display device that carries out image display using multiple liquid crystal panels stacked, the average change in the direction of the optical axis due to the response of liquid crystal molecules with respect to the applied voltage, that is, the change in the direction of the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules with respect to the applied voltage, is made different among the liquid crystal panels. The desired brightness is attained at the overlaid portion of the liquid crystal panels.
US08009246B2	Liquid crystal display device comprising reflecting portions for reflecting light beams and focusing them on circumferences of electrode portions of linear light sources A direct type backlight unit used in a liquid crystal display device is provided which can suppress lowering of luminance at an electrode portion of a linear light source. A reflecting plate is formed on a side wall of a box-shaped reflector close to an end of a linear light source. The reflector reflects light beams from the linear light source to be guided toward a liquid crystal panel. The reflecting plate on the side wall has at least two inclined surfaces. The inclined surfaces may have a stepped shape or a convex ridge shape. According to this arrangement, it is possible to reduce or eliminate decrease of the luminance level at ends of an effective display area of a liquid crystal panel.
US08009245B2	Backlight, backlight assembly, liquid crystal display having the same and method thereof A backlight, a backlight assembly and a liquid crystal display having the same, the backlight including a substrate with a plurality of wiring provided thereon, a plurality of LED modules disposed on the substrate and at least one color sensor disposed on the substrate. The color sensor includes a color sensor chip mounted on the substrate and a molding portion enclosing the color sensor chip on the substrate.
US08009241B2	LCD driving device having plural TFT channels connected in parallel with either increasing channel widths or decreasing channel distances from central part to edges of the device There is disclosed a liquid crystal display device that is adaptive for preventing the driving device defect of a driving circuit part and a method of fabricating the same. A liquid crystal display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a driving device of a structure that a plurality of thin film transistor having a channel of poly silicon are connected in parallel, in a driving circuit, and wherein at least one of widths of the channels and distances between the adjacent channels is different in accordance with their location.
US08009240B2	Liquid crystal display devices Fringe field switching mode liquid crystal display (FFS LCD) devices are disclosed. A first substrate is disposed opposing a second substrate with a gap therebetween. A liquid crystal layer is interposed between the first and the second substrate. A gate line and data lines are formed on the first substrate in a matrix configuration and defining pixel areas. A counter electrode is disposed on each pixel area of the first substrate. A pixel electrode is disposed above the counter electrode with an insulating layer therebetween. The pixel electrode includes a plurality of parallel electrodes. Each electrode includes a first segment, a second segment, and a third segment, wherein the first segment has an included angle θ from the horizontal direction, the second segment has an included angle φ from the horizontal direction, and the first segment has an included angle θ from the horizontal direction.
US08009228B2	Camera and direction indicating switch A camera includes a direction indicating switch to specify an arbitrary indicating direction which is attached to a case member. The direction indicating switch has a switch base having a contact point which is capable of abutting intermittently; an operating section held by the switch base to be capable of tilting for tilting for intermittently abutting of the contact point; and a tilt controlling section which controls a tilt of the operating section. The operating section is capable of tilting in a radial direction from a reference position where the contact point is in a nonconductive state. When the operating section is tilted over a predetermined angle from the reference position, the contact point is in a conductive state. The tilt controlling section allows the operating section to tilt over the predetermined angle in a predetermined indicating direction from the reference position and prevents the operating section from tilting over the predetermined angle in a direction different from the predetermined indicating direction from the reference position.
US08009227B2	Method and apparatus for reducing device and system power consumption levels A method of managing power consumption in a device, such as a video image processing device for processing data from one or more pixels, includes forming a frame of an image. The method further includes determining one or more regions of interest in the image, identifying one or more pixels located in the one or more regions of interest, and processing the one or more identified pixels in a predetermined manner. Power for at least part of the device is switched off if no pixels are identified in a region of interest within a predetermined period of time.
US08009224B2	Image signal processing method and image signal processing device It is possible to improve a response of a dynamic range expansion processing. The present image signal processing method includes a first step (ST2) of extracting distribution parameters from a distribution of pixel signal levels composing an image signal of one picture, a second step (ST4, ST5) of determining a target value (BP1, BP2, etc.) of a break point based on extracted distribution parameters for a break point at which an inclination of an image signal level changes with respect to a cumulative change of amount of incident light upon pixels of the imaging portion changes, and a third step (ST6, ST7) of controlling the imaging portion so as to obtain a target value and change an output saturation characteristic of the image signal.
US08009222B2	Image pickup apparatus and method of manufacturing the same To provide an image pickup apparatus with excellent optical characteristics as well as high reliability and a method of manufacturing the same, capable of efficiently manufacturing the image pickup apparatus in large quantities. The image pickup apparatus of the present invention includes a support board 10, an image pickup device 20 mounted on the support board 10, and a lens component 30 provided on the light receiving region of the image pickup device 20, wherein the lens component 30 has a protrusion part 33 provided around the lens part 31, and the height of the protrusion part 33 from the surface of image pickup device 20 is greater than that of the top 31A of lens part 31 from the surface of the image pickup device 20.
US08009216B2	Pixel sensor cell with frame storage capability A set of frame transfer transistors are provided between a hold gate transistor and a transfer gate transistor of a CMOS image sensor to enable storage of charge generate in the photosensitive diode after exposure. The readout of the charges from the set of frame transfer transistors may be performed after a plurality of exposures of the CMOS image sensor, between each of which charges are shifted toward the transfer gate transistor within the set of frame transfer transistors. Useful operation modes are enabled including a burst mode operation for rapid capture of successive images and high dynamic range operations in which multiple images are taken with different exposure times or a large capacitance is provided by ganging the diffusions of the set of frame transfer transistors.
US08009214B2	Individual row calibration in an image sensor A column parallel image sensor such as an active pixel sensor includes a calibration circuit for the readout circuit within the active pixel sensor. The calibration circuit produces a value that is stored and used to offset any noise in the A/D converter. The calibration is carried out each time that each row is read out so in effect the calibration's individual for each pixel. Hence, any noise within the calibration evens out within the image, and is effectively random within the image and hence becomes less noticeable within the image.
US08009212B2	Image processing system with a 4-T pixel and method thereof capable of reducing fixed pattern noise Circuitry for reducing fixed pattern noise in an image processing system with a 4-T (4 transistors) pixel and a method thereof is proposed. The image processing system includes two voltage sources, two current sources, a 4-T pixel, a second portion of a linearized source follower, a ping pong memory, a PGA, and auto-zero circuitry. By coupling the auto-zero circuitry to the PGA, an open loop is formed to clamp the output of an op amp of the PGA to a stable reference when resetting the PGA so as to remove DC offsets at the output terminal of the op amp.
US08009206B2	Adaptive sensitivity control, on a pixel-by-pixel basis, for a digital imager A system and method adaptively control sensitivity, on a pixel-by-pixel basis, of a digital imager. An illumination intensity level mapping controller determines a number of pixels of image data having illumination intensity levels within a first defined range of illumination intensity levels and determines an illumination intensity level mapping function based upon the determined number of pixels within the first defined range of illumination intensity levels. An exposure controller determines a number of pixels having illumination intensity levels within a second defined range of illumination intensity levels and determines an integration time based upon the determined number of pixels having illumination intensity levels within the second defined range of illumination intensity levels. A transfer control function generation circuit determines a composite transfer control function based on the determined integration time and determined illumination intensity level mapping function; determines each transition point between a plurality of discrete transfer control functions from the determined integration time and the determined illumination intensity level mapping function; and imposes the determined transfer control function upon a pixel of the digital imager.
US08009191B2	Integrated marine search system The invention relates to a marine recovery system comprising the following features: a chart plotter (1) a position sensor (10) arranged for displaying the vessel's (2) position (2N, 2E) in said chart plotter (1); a position receiver (21) for other vessels' (221, 222, . . . ) or objects (24) position (23N, 23E) and possibly their identity, and for displaying them in said chart section (4); an pointing camera unit (3) for directing a stabilized main axis (31) towards a target (5) in or by the sea, and arranged for calculating the target's position (5N, 5E), a camera image (45) for being displayed in said chart plotter (1) with an aiming circle (55) representing said stabilized main axis (31), and for moving said camera image (45) to a new desired position (53N, 53E) in said chart section (4); an identification unit (7) connected to the pointing unit (3) arranged to select and assign to said target (5) a class (51) and for storing said assigned class (51) and said target's (5) position (53N, 53E) as an object (24) with a stored position (58N, 58E) in a second memory (82) for display as symbols (22s) in said chart plotter (1).
US08009181B2	Display method and display apparatus using this method An object of the present invention is to provide a display method capable of displaying all gray levels of an input image signal with reduced flicker, and a display apparatus using this method. The present invention provides a display method that allows a display apparatus to display gray levels represented by a first number of bits of an image signal inputted to a driver circuit that drives the display apparatus, when the first number of bits is larger than a second number of bits of gray-level data outputted from the driver circuit. The display method of the present invention includes a first pseudo gray-level display step of performing frame rate control while handling a first number of frames as one set, so as to add pseudo gray levels into the intervals between the individual gray levels represented by the second number of bits, and a second pseudo gray-level display step of performing frame rate control while handling a second number of frames as one set, so as to add at least one pseudo gray level into at least one of the intervals between the individual gray levels to which the first pseudo gray-level display step has been applied, wherein the second number of frames is different from the first number of frames.
US08009175B2	Methods and apparatus for calibrating a color display Improved methods are provided for calibrating color on a color display coupled to a computer, which are useful for obtaining calibrated data in a virtual proof network for enabling different color devices to render consistent color. Methods involve user interactions with screens on the display to set color display parameters. An apparatus is also provided for calibrating a sensor which may be used for measuring color of a display in one or more of these methods.
US08009170B2	Systems and methods for computing a variogram model Systems and methods for computing a variogram model, which utilize a variogram map and a rose diagram to compute the model.
US08009160B2	Circuit for timing controller A reset circuit of a timing controller includes: a transistor including an emitter connected to a first node, a base connected to a second node and a collector connected to a third node, a digital input voltage (DVCC) being applied to the first node; a first resistor connected between the first and second nodes; a second resistor connected between the second node and a fourth node, the fourth node being grounded; a third resistor connected between the third and fourth nodes; a fourth resistor connected between the third node and a fifth node, the fifth node being connected to an input terminal of the timing controller; and a capacitor including a first electrode connected to the fifth node and a second electrode grounded.
US08009159B2	Semiconductor display device and method of driving a semiconductor display device A semiconductor display device capable of performing clear display of a high definition image, in which flicker, vertical stripes, horizontal stripes, and diagonal stripes are unlikely to be seen by an observer, is provided. An image signal input from the outside to a RAM of a frame conversion portion in a semiconductor display device is written in, and the written in image signal is read out two times, in order. A period for reading out the image signal input to the RAM one time is shorter than a period for writing in the image signal to the RAM. The electric potentials of display signals input to each pixel in two consecutive frame periods are inverted, with the electric potential of opposing electrodes (opposing electric potential) as a reference, whereby the same image is displayed in a pixel portion in the two consecutive frame periods.
US08009152B2	Refined coordinate detection method and error correction method for touch panel A refined coordinate detection method for a touch panel, which more finely measures coordinates of an object without increasing the number of infrared emitting/receiving elements, and an error correction method, which minimizes position detection errors caused by received optical level errors due to external environment or their inherent characteristics, are provided. In the detection method, received levels of infrared emitting/receiving elements corresponding to left and right ends of object are measured and stored and the levels and a maximum received level are compared to calculate the refined coordinates. In the correction method, a lower limit level at a position where infrared reception is most significantly impeded by object is calculated through a comparison calculation of maximum and minimum received levels and it is detected that an object is present at a position only when a lower limit level at that position is not greater than the calculated one.
US08009151B2	System for software interaction using printed forms and sensing device A system for enabling user interaction with computer software which includes a printer and sensing device. The printer receives print data and prints a form by printing information related to at least one text field coincident with coded data indicative of the text field, receiving indicating data from the sensing device and transferring the indicating data to a computer system to allow the interaction to be interpreted. The sensing device has an image sensor for capturing images of the coded data when moved relative to the text field, and a processor which identifies the coded data from the captured images, determines an orientation and position, within the captured images, of the coded data, decodes the coded data, and generates the indicating data using the decoded coded data and the determined orientation and position.
US08009140B2	Master-slave manipulator system In a master-slave manipulator system, an intuitive operation can be achieved by a simple structure in which a layout of a monitor and an operation input device is not limited. A master-slave manipulator system is provided with a manipulator, a camera, a monitor, an operation input device, a manipulator controller and a master controller. The master controller is provided with an operation an information acquisition portion for operation command acquiring an operation reference data on the basis of the command by the operation input device, an acquirement information division portion dividing the operation reference data into a position movement reference data and an orientation reference data, and a moving direction compensation controller compensating the position movement reference data on the basis of the orientation reference data so as to output a position moving command compensation information. The manipulator controller controls the position and orientation of the manipulator on the basis of the position moving command compensation information and the orientation reference data.
US08009126B2	Current drive circuit and display device In a current drive circuit, variation in output current is reduced. A current adjustment section and a current output section generate a grayscale according to a target grayscale. The current adjustment section generates an intermediate current lint, which is a reference current Iref multiplied by a first coefficient, and the current output section generates an output current Iout, which is the intermediate current Iint multiplied by a second coefficient. The minimum value of the first coefficient is set in advance such that when the first coefficient is at a minimum value the voltage at a node (for the minimum grayscale) is greater than or equal to a predetermined first value which is larger than the operation threshold voltage of PMOS transistors in the current output section.
US08009120B2	Reinforcement fabrics with electronic transmission capabilities Antennas using nonwoven geotextiles with embedded metallic or other wave carrying fibers are described herein. The geotextiles antennas are designed to be an internal, integral part of the nation's infrastructure. Geotextile antennas are flexible and easily conform to natural and manmade surfaces such as exterior building surfaces, for example, roads, roofs and bridges. Geotextile antennas are considerably less vulnerable to damage and probably much less expensive than the current, highly vulnerable and costly cell towers. In particular, geotextiles used in roads are especially well protected by the asphalt pavement above. The fabric-based conformal antenna enhances the usefulness and reliability of the communication infrastructure which is exceedingly vulnerable to vandalism, terrorism and natural disasters.
US08009119B2	Multiband antenna A multiband antenna includes a first antenna unit for receiving/sending wireless signals having higher frequencies and a second antenna unit for receiving/sending wireless signals having lower frequencies than those frequencies received/sent by the first antenna unit. The first antenna unit includes a first main portion, a first resonating portion and a first connecting portion connected in order and positioned in a same plane. The second antenna unit includes a second connecting portion, a second resonating portion and a second main portion connected in order. The second connecting portion is coplanar with the first connecting portion, the second resonating portion is perpendicular to the second connecting portion, and the second main portion is perpendicular to both the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion.
US08009118B2	Open-ended two-strip meander line antenna, RFID tag using the antenna, and antenna impedance matching method thereof An open-ended two-strip meander line antenna, an RFID tag using the same and an antenna impedance matching method thereof are provided. The antenna includes: a radiating strip line for deciding a resonant frequency of the antenna; and a feeding strip line for providing a radio frequency (RF) signal to an element connected to the antenna, wherein ends of the radiating strip line and the feeding strip line are open.
US08009113B2	System and method for focusing antenna signal transmission The system contains an antenna feed. A signal is in communication with the antenna feed. The signal has a wavelength and a period. A signal lens has a periphery portion that is thicker than an interior portion, wherein the signal propagates through the signal lens. The signal lens is designed such that the signal propagates through the periphery portion of the signal lens approximately one wavelength slower than through the interior portion of the signal lens.
US08009110B2	Electronic apparatus with hidden antenna An electronic apparatus with a hidden antenna comprises a metal frame and a substrate. The metal frame comprises a plurality of side walls and a notch is passed through at least one side wall. A feeding terminal is configured at a bottom side of the notch. A first shorting terminal and a second shorting terminal are configured at two lateral sides of the notch. A metal surface of the substrate is electrically connected to the first shorting terminal, the second shorting terminal and the side walls, and the notch is faced to the substrate. The metal frame receives or transmits an electromagnetic signal, and delivers the electromagnetic signal over the feeding terminal, and a length of the bottom side of the notch is one half of a wavelength of the electromagnetic signal.
US08009098B2	Staccato pulse edge correlation The present invention discloses a system and method for mitigating multipath in DSSS CDMA radio navigation signals by a) transmitting a rapid pulsing pattern from a transmitting device to a position receiver that samples the transmitted signal, b) separating the received samples and storing sample-based correlation accumulation values into independent bins that are synchronous with the received pulsing pattern, c) applying a logical decision process to determine the accumulation bin associated with the leading edges of the received pulses, and d) generating a range estimate from the correlation accumulation bin associated with the leading edges of the received pulses.
US08009092B2	Method and apparatus for processing satellite signals at a satellite positioning system receiver Method and apparatus for processing satellite signals in an SPS receiver is described. In one example, the satellite signals are correlated against pseudorandom reference codes to produce correlation results. A determination is made whether the SPS receiver is in a motion condition or a stationary condition. The correlation results are coherently integrated in accordance with a coherent integration period. The coherent integration period is a value that depends upon the motion condition of the SPS receiver.
US08009088B2	Method and transit time tester for monitoring the transit time of small-sized goods to be conveyed, particularly of letters and similar mail items Disclosed is a method and a transit time tester for monitoring the transit time of an item to be conveyed, particularly a mail consignment, wherein the movements of a consignment are registered and stored in a transit time tester for later evaluation of the sequence of transportation. The transit time tester is equipped with sensors, satellite-based positioning system (GPS) receiver and storage media, corresponding in its dimensions and characteristics to the item to be conveyed to be monitored and determined from the sensor data the current type of conveyance with the aid of a microprocessor. To be monitored, the transit time and the routes of transportation of standard letters and similar mail consignments over a number of days. The receiver for the GPS is selectively switched on and off as a function of the changing conditions of reception and the current type of conveyance of the item to be conveyed.
US08009080B2	Weather radar and weather observation method A weather radar includes an antenna unit of an active phased array system in which a plurality of antenna elements configured to transmit a radar pulse and receive a reflected pulse are arranged in a vertical direction, a transmission beam formation unit configured to divide an observation range in the elevation angle direction into a plurality of observation elevation angles, subdivide each observation elevation angle into a plurality of regions, assign a set of a plurality of regions not adjacent to each other to a pulse repetition interval (PRI), and form a fan-shaped transmission beam in the elevation angle direction for each of the regions in the set, and a reception beam formation unit configured to form a plurality pencil-shaped reception beams for each of the plurality of regions.
US08009076B2	Intermediate frequency receiving circuit and intermediate frequency receiving method An intermediate frequency receiving circuit and an intermediate frequency receiving method are provided. The intermediate frequency receiving circuit includes an inductor-capacitor (LC) resonance circuit whose primary resonance frequency is a central frequency of received signals. The LC resonance circuit receives intermediate frequency signals and suppresses transmitted signals and control signals. A band-pass filter connected to the LC resonance circuit filters the transmitted signals and control signals. An automatic gain control circuit connected to the band-pass filter compensates the attenuation of an intermediate frequency cable. A low-pass filter connected to the automatic gain control circuit compensates an in-band flatness. An analog-to-digital converter connected to the low-pass filter performs a sampling and digital demodulation on the received signals.
US08009072B2	Predictive analog-to-digital converter and methods thereof Predictive Analog-to-Digital Converter system in one embodiment includes a sampling section producing a sampled analog input signal with a first summer section combining the sampled analog input signal and an analog prediction signal to produce an analog prediction error signal. There is at least one error analog-to-digital convertor digitizing the analog prediction error signal, wherein a digital error signal output from the error analog-to-digital convertor is one of a full bitwidth error signal during an over-range condition else a lower bitwidth error signal. A second summer is coupled to the digital error signal output and a digital prediction signal, and generates a full bitwidth digital output signal. A feedback section is coupled to the digital output signal and providing the digital prediction signal and the analog prediction signal.
US08009071B2	Gain circuit A gain circuit comprises a main amplification unit and a first refresh unit. The main amplification unit comprises an amplifier, a first capacitor connected between a first input terminal of the gain circuit and a first input terminal of the amplifier, and a second capacitor connected between the first input terminal of the amplifier and a first output terminal of the amplifier. The first refresh unit comprises a first capacitor connected with a first terminal of the first capacitor to a common node of the first refresh unit, and a second capacitor connected with a first terminal of the second capacitor to the common node of the first refresh unit. The common node of the first refresh circuit is arranged to be supplied with a reference voltage (Vref, Vcm,ref) during a first phase of a refresh interval and connected to the first input terminal of the amplifier during a second phase of the refresh interval.
US08009069B2	Method and device for encoding a bit sequence The invention is related to a method and a device for encoding of a bit sequence. Said method comprises generating, for each run of Ones comprised in the bit sequence, a unary representation of length of the respective run of Ones, generating a first sequence by concatenating the generated unary representations of lengths of runs of Ones, generating, for each run of Zeroes comprised in the bit sequence, a unary representation of the length of the respective run of Zeroes, generating a second sequence by concatenating the generated unary representations of lengths of runs of Zeroes, and bit plane encoding the generated first and second sequence of unary representations. In most cases, overall entropy of bit planes of unary representations of run lengths is smaller than entropy of the bit sequence. Thus, more compact encoding can be achieved.
US08009064B2	Data input device for portable terminal Provided is a data input device which is employed in a portable terminal and used as an auxiliary input device. The data input device includes first data input means mounted on a predetermined position of a side surface of the main body of the portable terminal so that a portion of the first data input means is exposed to the outside, and operating when the exposed portion is rotated; second data input means operating when the exposed portion is pressed; a holding unit for maintaining a stopped state of the first data input means; and an elastic sliding unit for returning the second data input means to an initial position.
US08009062B2	Vehicle traffic flow data acquisition and distribution Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for vehicle traffic flow data acquisition and reporting for onboard vehicle navigation. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for vehicle traffic flow data acquisition and reporting for onboard vehicle navigation can include acquiring imagery of multiple vehicles traveling on a roadway between two locations and individually identifying the different vehicles in the imagery. An elapsed time of travel can be determined for the individually identified vehicles between the two locations and a rate of travel can be computed for each of the individually identified different vehicles based upon the elapsed time of travel. Thereafter, the rate of travel for at least one of the individually identified different vehicles can be broadcast to a subscriber for at least one of the two locations.
US08009057B2	Self-powered wireless sensor system including a power generating subsystem A wireless sensor system for sensing a characteristic associated with a conveying system from which the sensor system generates operating power. The sensor system includes a transducer including an axle, a roller connected to the axle, and a link connected to the roller. The transducer may be configured to permit the roller to be positioned in contact with a conveyor belt of the conveying system so that the roller rotates about the axle or with the axle in response to translation of the conveyor belt. The sensor system also includes a power generator connected to the link, wherein the link transfers rotary motion from the roller to the generator, which generates power using the rotary motion input by the link. The sensor system further includes a sensor connected to the generator for receiving power, wherein the sensor is configured to sense the physical characteristic associated with the conveying system.
US08009040B2	Medication dispensing system A device for dispensing medication includes a medication hopper, a dispensing mechanism that is configured to dispense medication from the hopper to a user and a processor. The processor is in communication with a communication network and is configured to generate instructions to the dispensing mechanism that cause the dispensing mechanism to dispense medications according to a stored prescription and track an amount of medication in the medication hopper. If the amount is less than a predetermined threshold, then the processor is configured to send a message to a designated entity indicating that the amount of medication in the hopper is less than the threshold.
US08009024B2	Automotive display device showing virtual image spot encircling front obstacle A display device of the present invention is mounted on an automotive vehicle. An obstacle located in front of the vehicle is detected by a camera, and its features including speed, distance, size, etc. are analyzed by electronic circuits. An image showing the features of the front object is outputted from a liquid crystal panel. The outputted image is reflected on the windshield, displaying a virtual image to a driver. The virtual image is displayed in a form of a spot encircling the front obstacle seen through the windshield. The ways of displaying the encircling spot are variously changed according to a degree of collision danger that is determined according to a period in which the vehicle reaches the obstacle. For example, if the degree of collision danger is high, the spot is shown in red-orange color and/or with a high brightness. Thus, the driver easily recognizes the front obstacle in a high degree of collision danger.
US08009014B2	Device and method for identifying a user of a medical device A medical device with an operating element for triggering the medical device is disclosed. The medical device includes a safety system for preventing an erroneous triggering of the device. The safety system further includes an identification device and a securing mechanism.
US08009011B2	Electrically adjustable resistor An electrically adjustable resistor comprises a resistive polysilicon layer dielectrically isolated from one or more doped semiconducting layers. A tunable voltage is applied to the doped semiconducting layers, causing the resistance of the polysilicon layer to vary. Multiple matched electrically adjustable resistors may be fabricated on a single substrate, tuned by a single, shared doped semiconductor layer, creating matched, tunable resistor pairs that are particularly useful for differential amplifier applications. Multiple, independently adjustable resistors may also be fabricated on a common substrate.
US08009010B2	Water resistant in-line fuse holder Embodiments for an in-line fuse holder each include at least one housing and two mating pieces, which can snap-fit together and be held moveably together via a strap. Each embodiment houses at least one fuse, such as an automotive fuse. In one example, the fuse includes a first housing forming a first cavity, which is configured to house a first portion of the fuse. The first housing also includes a projection having sides that taper outwardly as the sides extend away from the first housing. The fuse holder also includes a second housing forming a second cavity, which is configured to house a second portion of the fuse. The second housing includes a channel having sides that taper outwardly as the sides extend into the second housing. The projection and channel snap-fit together in a water resistant relationship.
US08009006B2	Open pattern inductor Various embodiments includes a stacked open pattern inductor fabricated above a semiconductor substrate. The stacked open pattern inductor includes a plurality of parallel open conducting patterns embedded in a magnetic oxide or in an insulator and a magnetic material. Embedding the stacked open pattern inductor in a magnetic oxide or in an insulator and a magnetic material increases the inductance of the inductor and allows the magnetic flux to be confined to the area of the inductor. A layer of magnetic material may be located above the inductor and below the inductor to confine electronic noise generated in the stacked open pattern inductor to the area occupied by the inductor. The stacked open pattern inductor may be fabricated using conventional integrated circuit manufacturing processes, and the inductor may be used in connection with computer systems.
US08009003B2	Method for powering a magnetic coupler and device for powering an electric dipole A method for powering a magnetic coupler, in which: a) each winding of a first magnetic elementary cell is powered such as to produce a magnetizing flux in a bar of the first cell which is joined with a second cell, the fundamental component of which has an angular offset xi; and b) powering each winding of the second cell such as to produce a magnetizing flux in the bar of the second cell which is joined with the first cell, the fundamental component of which has an angular offset xj. The absolute value of the difference between the angular offsets xi and xj is greater than or equal to (I) rad.
US08008993B2	Thin-film bulk-acoustic wave (BAW) resonators A thin-film bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator, such as SBAR or FBAR, for use in RF selectivity filters operating at frequencies of the order of 1 GHz. The BAW resonator comprises a piezoelectric layer (14) having first and second surfaces on opposing sides, a first electrode (16) extending over the first surface, and a second electrode (12) extending over the second surface, the extent of the area of overlap (R1) of the first and second electrodes determining the region of excitation of the fundamental thickness extensional (TE) mode of the resonator. The insertion loss to the resonator is reduced by providing a dielectric material (18) in the same layer as the first electrode (16) and surrounding that electrode. The material constituting the dielectric material (18) has a different mass, typically between 5% and 15%, from the material comprising the first electrode (16) it surrounds. The mass of the dielectric material (18) can be lower or higher than the mass of the first electrode (16). Planarisation of the dielectric material (18) enhances the performance of the device.
US08008991B2	Electrical filter having a dielectric substrate with wide and narrow regions for supporting capacitors and conductive windings An electrical filter includes a circuit board with an insulative substrate of alternating wide and narrow portions between input and output ends. Capacitors received in through-holes in the wide portions are electrically coupled to signal traces on a signal surface and ground traces on a ground surface of the circuit board. Conductive coils about narrow portions may form inductors, electrically coupled between the signal traces and an input and/or output. The circuit board, capacitors and inductors may be positioned in a first enclosure, (e.g., tube), with sealed electrical connections to an exterior. The first enclosure may be positioned in a second enclosure (e.g., tube). The filter may also include a high frequency dissipation filter section employing a metal powder filter, with metal powder and epoxy. Non-magnetic and/or superconducting materials may be employed.
US08008981B2	Multi-phase ultra-wideband signal generator using differential pulse oscillators and array thereof A multi-phase ultra-wideband signal generator uses differential pulse oscillators. The multi-phase ultra-wideband signal generator using differential pulse oscillators includes N pulse oscillators for generating pulse signals based on a supply of power, and further comprises N inverting amplification units for outputting inverted amplified signals of output signals of the N pulse oscillators when a number of pulse oscillators is at least two, wherein, when the number of pulse oscillators is an even or odd number, the pulse oscillators are arrayed such that they have a connection form in which output terminals OUT(+) and OUT(−) of a relevant pulse oscillator are connected to output terminals OUT(+) and OUT(−) of a next pulse oscillator through a relevant inverting amplification unit, and the connection form is consecutively applied to the pulse oscillators.
US08008980B2	Surface mount type crystal oscillator A surface mount crystal oscillator comprises a crystal blank, an IC chip having an oscillation circuit integrated thereon, and a hermetic package for accommodating the crystal blank and IC chip therein. The hermetic package comprises a substantially rectangular ceramic substrate formed with a metal film which makes a round on one main surface thereof, and a concave metal cover having an open end face bonded to the metal film. The IC chip is secured to the one main surface of the ceramic substrate through ultrasonic thermo-compression bonding using bumps, the crystal blank is disposed above the IC chip, and the ceramic substrate has the one main surface formed as a flat surface.
US08008975B1	Gate-boosted, variable voltage supply rail amplifier In at least one embodiment, an electronic system includes an amplifier having an on-chip charge pump to provide a gate boost voltage to boost a gate voltage of at least one on-chip field effect transistor (FET) of an output stage of an amplifier. In at least one embodiment, the gate boost voltage boosts the gate voltage higher than the supply voltage rail to increase an overdrive voltage of the on-chip FET. In at least one embodiment, the gate boost voltage boosts the DC bias of an input signal and, thus, generation of gate boost voltage by the on-chip charge pump is signal-independent, i.e. independent of the input signal. Increasing the overdrive voltage increases the efficiency of the amplifier by decreasing the difference between the maximum swing of the output voltage and the voltage supply rails of the at least one on-chip FET relative to conventional designs.
US08008970B1	Apparatus and method for enabled switch detection Apparatuses and methods for enabled switch detection are disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a complimentary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) switch having a gate, a drain, a source, and a well. The source and drain are formed in the well, and the gate is formed adjacent the well between the source and drain. The source is configured to receive a radio frequency signal from a first power amplifier. The apparatus further includes a switch enable detect block configured to compare a signal indicative of the gate voltage of the first switch to a first reference signal and to generate an output comparison signal based at least partly on the comparison. The apparatus further includes a power amplifier bias control block configured to enable the first power amplifier based at least partly on the output comparison signal from the switch sense block.
US08008967B2	Power supply voltage adjusting device In a semiconductor integrated circuit including plural types of transistors having different threshold voltages, a plurality of oscillators including respective types of transistors are provided. The respective oscillation frequencies of these oscillators are counted, and based on the count values, a voltage to be set on a power supply voltage device for the semiconductor integrated circuit is determined according to the count values.
US08008957B2	Inverting zipper repeater circuit Repeater circuits including an inverting zipper repeater circuit and an inverting gain-enhanced repeater circuit are described.
US08008953B1	Gate control circuit An integrated circuit for switching a transistor is disclosed. In some embodiments, an operational amplifier is configured to drive a transistor, and slew rate control circuitry is configured to control the slew rate of the transistor source voltage during turn on. The transistor source voltage is employed as feedback to the operational amplifier to facilitate closed loop control of the transistor source voltage during switching of the transistor.
US08008950B2	Bootstrap circuit that may be used in a shift register or output buffer Disclosed herein is a bootstrap circuit configured to employ first, second and third transistors of the same conduction type wherein: a node section connecting a gate electrode of the first transistor and a specific one of the source and drain areas of a third transistor to each other is put in a floating state when the third transistor is put in a turned-off state; a gate electrode of the second transistor is connected to a clock supply line which conveys the other one of the two clock signals; and a voltage-variation repression capacitor is provided between the node section and a first voltage supply line.
US08008949B1	Clock selection for a communications processor having a sleep mode A clock selector operative on two clocks operating on different domains and responsive to a SELECT input provides a transition from a first clock to a second clock, and from a second clock to a first clock with a dead zone therebetween. The delay is provided by a doublet register having a first register coupled to a second register, the two registers operative on one of the clock domains. Additionally, a clock selector is operative on two clocks which are each accompanied by a clock availability signal where the state machine provides a variety of states to create a dead zone between selections, and to bring the state machine to a known state until a clock signal is again available.
US08008946B2	Semiconductor integrated circuit A first counter detects a rising edge of a clock signal, and generates a first signal having a multiplied cycle of the clock signal.A second counter detects a falling edge of the clock signal, and generates a second signal having a multiplied cycle of the clock signal. A first line transfers the first signal, while a second line transfers the second signal. A phase comparator is connected to the first line and the second line to generate a third signal based on a phase difference between the first signal and the second signal and output the third signal to one of the circuit units.A plurality of the phase comparators are connected to the first line and the second line, and are disposed between one of the ends of the first line and the second line and one of the circuit units.
US08008944B2	Low voltage differential signaling driver with programmable on-chip resistor termination A low voltage differential signaling driver is disclosed and may include a current steering output circuit having a first driver output and a second driver output. The low voltage differential signaling driver may also include a programmable on-chip resistor.
US08008942B2	Analog processor comprising quantum devices Analog processors for solving various computational problems are provided. Such analog processors comprise a plurality of quantum devices, arranged in a lattice, together with a plurality of coupling devices. The analog processors further comprise bias control systems each configured to apply a local effective bias on a corresponding quantum device. A set of coupling devices in the plurality of coupling devices is configured to couple nearest-neighbor quantum devices in the lattice. Another set of coupling devices is configured to couple next-nearest neighbor quantum devices. The analog processors further comprise a plurality of coupling control systems each configured to tune the coupling value of a corresponding coupling device in the plurality of coupling devices to a coupling. Such quantum processors further comprise a set of readout devices each configured to measure the information from a corresponding quantum device in the plurality of quantum devices.
US08008936B2	Probe card actuator A probe card test interface is described. The probe card test interface includes a first frame configured to support a probe card circuit card assembly (CCA). The probe card CCA is configured to contact a semiconductor wafer with one or more test probes. The first frame is also configured to support a first group of electrical contact points, the first group of electrical contact point being electrically coupled to circuitry of the probe card CCA. A second frame is coupled to a test interface CCA, where the test interface CCA includes a second group of electrical contact points. A number of actuation devices are slidably mounted on the second frame. The actuation devices have a tip member configured to engage a lip of the first frame when the corresponding actuation device is moved to an engagement position. When all of the actuation devices are in the engagement position, simultaneous actuation of the actuation devices moves the first frame toward the second frame to couple the first and second groups of electrical contact points. The first group of electrical contact points is supported by the first frame such that the probe card CCA experiences little or no deflection during actuation of the actuation devices, thereby preventing damage to the probe card CCA.
US08008922B2	Ballast and wiring lamp fixture tester Apparatus and methods for testing a light fixture power circuit are therefore provided. The light fixture power circuit may energize a fluorescent lamp by providing power at first and second power terminals. The lamp holder may include a lamp pin guide for guiding the tube's contact pins toward the first and second power terminals. The apparatus may have probes that simulate the tube's contact pins. The probes may be robotically inserted into the lamp holder in a manner that is similar to the manner in which the contact pins would be inserted. This may eliminate the requirement to use fluorescent tubes to test the light fixture power circuit. The apparatus may include circuitry for testing the impedance of the light fixture power circuit at the first and second power contacts.
US08008918B2	Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and scanning-condition setting method A Signal-to-Noise (SN) ratio maintained scanning-condition recalculating unit re-sets a value of a scanning parameter other than an SN ratio included in scanning conditions when the size of a Field Of View (FOV) to be set for a scan is changed, so as to make the SN ratio of an image to be taken under after-change scanning conditions equal to or larger than the SN ratio of an image assumed to be taken under before-change scanning conditions. A scanning-condition edit/scan positioning unit then sets scanning conditions based on the value of the scanning parameter recalculated by the scanning-condition recalculating unit.
US08008916B2	Magnetic resonance apparatus having an asymmetrical cylindrical gradient coil and at least one asymmetrical shim-coil A magnetic resonance apparatus has a cylindrical gradient coil with an x-gradient coil and a y-gradient coil that are asymmetrical relative to the z-direction of a coordinate system, the z-direction extending along a longitudinal direction of a patient receptacle. Shim coils are provided that generate magnetic fields to homogenize the basic magnetic field, produced by a cylindrical basic field magnet, in an examination volume in the patient receptacle. At least some of the shim coils are asymmetrical relative to the z-direction to minimize coupling induction between the asymmetrical x-gradient coil and y-gradient coil and the asymmetrical shim coils.
US08008906B2	Prime-based frequency sampling Various embodiments provide methods, apparatuses, and systems for sampling a waveform using relatively prime sampling methods. A waveform with a first plurality of cycles and a first frequency may be sampled with a waveform sampling device. Sampling the waveform may include sampling the waveform at a sampling rate of the waveform sampling device. Sampling the waveform may include taking a sample number of samples of the waveform where the sample number may be relatively prime with respect to the number of cycles of the waveform. The sample number of samples of the waveform may be interleaved with a controller.
US08008901B2	Regulated power supply with multiple regulators sharing the total current supplied to a load Disclosed is a digital current sharing structure and method in which a plurality of regulators are configured to share the load current. Current share circuits in each of the regulators are configured to measure and compare the average current provided by that particular regulator with the overall average current provided by all the regulators. Each of the current share circuits then provides an output so that the output of each regulator is adjusted to provide the same amount of current to the load. Digital processing with both analog and digital averaging are disclosed. Also disclosed is a programmable hysteresis technique to eliminate relatively trivial adjustments.
US08008877B2	Electrically-driven dump truck An electrically-driven dump truck 1 uses resistors to convert electric power generated during retarder braking operation into heat energy. A body frame 2 has front and rear wheels, a support base 2A, a cab 4 mounted on an upper left surface of the support base, and a control cabinet 3 mounted on an upper surface of the support base. A plurality of resistor boxes 5 are mounted on an upper base plate 2B and are arranged in a stacked manner such that the plurality of resistor boxes 5 are located to the right of the control cabinet 3 in order to secure right side visibility from the cab 4. Each resistor box has a casing with plural resistors connected in parallel, an inlet port and an outlet port. A fan for cooling the resistors is housed in the casing.
US08008873B2	Restart circuit for multiple lamp electronic ballast A restart circuit for causing an electronic ballast to perform a restart in response to reconnecting any lamp of a multiple lamp configuration of the electronic ballast to the electronic ballast is disclosed. The electronic ballast includes a filament health check circuit for providing a first current through a monitored filament of the lamps to a controller of the ballast. The controller restarts the electronic ballast when a determined ratio of the first current to a reference current indicates that the monitored filament has been disconnected or broken (i.e., the first current substantially decreases) and is subsequently replaced or reconnected to the ballast (i.e., the first current returns to a predetermined level). The ballast further comprises a dv/dt circuit for reducing the first current for a transient time period in response to reconnecting a filament other than the monitored filament to the ballast, causing the controller to restart the ballast.
US08008871B2	Method for controlling a driving circuit of a light-emitting device and related electronic device and light source system A method for controlling a driving circuit of a light-emitting device is disclosed. The driving circuit is utilized for transforming an input power into a driving power for the light-emitting device according to a plurality of state values. The method includes receiving the input power, outputting a first state value of the plurality of state values to the driving circuit, and outputting a second state value of the plurality of state values to the driving circuit according to variation of the input power.
US08008861B2	Plasma display panel including a phosphor layer having predetermined content of pigment A plasma display panel is disclosed. The plasma display panel includes a front substrate, a rear substrate facing the front substrate, a barrier rib that is positioned between the front substrate and the rear substrate and partitions a discharge cell, and a phosphor layer formed inside the discharge cell. The phosphor layer includes a first phosphor layer emitting first color light, a second phosphor layer emitting second color light, and a third phosphor layer emitting third color light. The first phosphor layer includes a first pigment. A thickness of the second phosphor layer is larger than a thickness of the first phosphor layer.
US08008853B2	Organic electroluminescent display An organic electroluminescent display includes a pair of substrates; an organic electroluminescent device between the pair of substrates, including: a pair of electrodes of an anode and a cathode, and a light-emitting layer between the pair of electrodes; and a light scattering film on a substrate on the viewing side of the pair of substrates, including: a transparent substrate film, and a light scattering layer which contains a light transmitting resin and a light scattering particle having a particle size of front more than 1.2 μm to 3.0 μm, wherein a ratio of (np/nb) is from 0.80 to 0.95 or from 1.05 to 1.35, taking a refractive index of the light scattering particle and the light transmitting resin as np and nb, respectively.
US08008851B2	Organic light emitting display An organic light emitting display (OLED) includes a substrate, first and second driving units positioned on the substrate, a first light emitting diode (LED) connected with the first driving unit and including a first organic light emitting layer and a second emitting diode electrically connected with the second driving unit and including a second organic light emitting layer. The second emitting diode is positioned on the first emitting diode.
US08008848B2	Field emitting device and display apparatus having the same A field emitting device includes a base substrate and at least three light emitting units and configured to respectively emit at least three lights having different wavelengths from each other. Each light emitting unit includes a first electrode arranged on the base substrate, a field emitter arranged on the base substrate, an insulating layer arranged on the first electrode and including an opening to expose the field emitter, a second electrode arranged on the insulating later to control an operation of the field emitter, a third electrode facing the first electrode, and a fluorescent layer arranged on a surface of the third electrode facing the first electrode. A transmissive area is located between the florescent layers of two adjacent light emitting units.
US08008842B2	Micromachined piezoelectric ultrasound transducer arrays A piezoelectric composite micromachined ultrasound transducer including single and multilayer 1-D and 2-D arrays having through-wafer-vias (TWVs) that significantly decreased electrical impedance per element, and hence the improved electrical impedance matching to T/R electronics and improved signal to noise ratio is disclosed. The TWVs facilitate integrated interconnection in single element transducers (positive and negative contact on the same side) and array transducers (contact pads array for integration with T/R switches and/or pre-amplifier circuits).
US08008835B2	Multiple element electrode cMUT devices and fabrication methods Multiple electrode element capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (“cMUT”) devices and fabrication methods are provided. A cMUT device generally comprises a top electrode disposed within a membrane, a bottom electrode disposed on a substrate, and a cavity between the membrane and the bottom electrode. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode comprises a plurality of electrode elements. The electrode elements can be positioned and energized to shape the membrane and efficiently transmit and receive ultrasonic energy, such as ultrasonic waves. Other embodiments are also claimed and described.
US08008834B2	Toothed-rotor shaft, toothed rotor equipped with such a shaft and rotary electrical machine equipped with such a rotor The claw-pole-rotor shaft has a front end with a radially larger-sized section, two knurled regions known as crimping regions, intended to be assembled with the claw-pole rotor by local deformation of the material of the claw-pole rotor, and a centring region for centring the claw-pole rotor, the crimping regions being positioned on each side of the centring region while the centring region projects radially with respect to the crimping regions of the shaft, these themselves projecting radially with respect to the section of larger radial size at the front end of the shaft. The claw-pole rotor is characterized in that it is equipped with such a shaft while the rotary electrical machine is characterized in that it is equipped with such a rotor.
US08008833B2	Stator for an electrical machine A stator for an electrical machine, in particular a rotary current generator, is proposed, in which the stator (36) is made by the flat-packet technique and comprises at least one stator iron (10) and a stator winding (30), and the stator iron (10) has a substantially annular-cylindrical shape, and the stator iron (10) has an axial direction (a) which is oriented in the direction of a cylinder axis, and the stator iron (10) has an end face, oriented in the direction of the cylinder axis and defining a slot area (ANut), and a ratio (A) formed of the slot area (ANut) and the end face area amounts to between 0.4 and 0.8.
US08008832B2	Electric motor and method for manufacturing an electric motor An electric motor, includes a stator, which is composed at least of stamp-packed tooth segments, the tooth segments being able to be slid together radially in the manufacture and being able to be held together by retaining elements slid on axially.
US08008823B2	Electric machinery of magnetic pole or magnetic circuit wrapped PM magnetic pole An electric machinery provided with a PM magnetic pole wrapped by a permeable polar face and a magnetic circuit from an individual magnetic pole provides an innovative design of having disposed the PM magnetic pole wrapped between the permeable polar face and the magnetic circuit from the individual magnetic pole to prevent PM magnetic pole from falling off and avoid PM magnetic pole magnetic force from being weakened by inverse excitation during the operation.
US08008822B2	Electrical generator arrangement In some circumstances such as with regard to contra-rotating turbo prop arrangements in aircraft it is desirable to vary the pitch of the blades and/or provide de-icing facilities. Advantageously, these blade pitch and de-icing facilities could be provided through electrical actuators. Unfortunately, provision of electrical power to such rotating components traditionally requires utilization of slip rings which are subject to wear. By providing a self-contained electrical generator including a first hub and second hub with respective generator parts it is possible to utilize the contra-rotating nature in order to create relative motion and therefore electrical power generation in coils opposed by permanent magnets. Slide contacts for electrical connection are avoided whilst electrical power can be generated within the rotating reference frame defined by the hubs.
US08008817B2	Wheel-mounted electrical machine A hybrid-electric vehicle is provided having a respective electrical machine in each wheel thereof. Each electrical machine is of the axial-flux type, having a rotor sandwiched axially between two parts of a stator. Each electrical machine is fitted to the respective wheel such that the rotor takes the place of a disc of a disc brake system, and the stator is mounted in place of a calliper of the disc brake system.
US08008816B2	Device with magnetoplastic and/or magnetoelastic thin-film transducer and pick-up coil for harvesting energy A magnetoplastic and/or magnetoelastic material transduces linear motion, delivered to it by a mechanical connection, into a change of magnetic field, via twin boundary deformation. A bias magnetic field assures a net change of magnetization during the deformation, and a coil, coaxial with the magnetoplastic/elastic material, couples the magnetic field change to an electrical output. The bias magnetic field or a device that produces strain in a reverse direction resets the magnetomechanical transducer to its initial state. Microgenerators using the magnetoplastic/elastic material may be connected in series or parallel, combined with solar cells, and used to capture energy from passive motion such as random, cyclic or vibrational motion.
US08008810B2	Phase-control switching apparatus and switching control method for phase-control switching apparatus A residual-magnetic-flux calculating unit includes a voltage-change-rate detecting unit that detects a transformer-voltage change rate from a phase voltage between a breaker and a transformer, a residual-magnetic-flux detecting unit that detects a residual magnetic flux remaining on the transformer based on the phase voltage, and a breaker-switching-state identifying unit that detects a switching state of the breaker. The residual-magnetic-flux calculating unit recalculates the residual magnetic flux based on the transformer-voltage change rate and a predetermined threshold while the breaker is in an open state.
US08008802B2	Bi-level switching with power packs An electrical power pack may include a first power switch and a cycle control to cycle between the first power switch and a second power switch. An electrical power pack may include a first power switch and a delay element to delay an operation of the first power switch. A power pack system may include a first power switch to operate in response to a constant-on control and a second power switch to operate in response to an automatic control. A power pack system may include a first power switch to operate in response to a manual-on control, and a second power switch to operate in response to an automatic-on control.
US08008801B2	Vehicle power supply device A vehicle power supply device which prevents a lack of power supply to the motor and insufficient recovery of regenerative electric power of the motor at the time of switching between power running and regeneration. First input-output sections (3a, 3b) of a first DC-DC converter (3) are connected to second input-output sections (4d, 4e) of a PDU (4), second input-output sections (3c, 3d) of the first DC-DC converter (3) are connected to a fuel cell (1) and a capacitor (2), first input-output sections (20a, 20b) of a second DC-DC converter (20) are connected to second input-output sections (4d, 4e) of the PDU (4), and second input-output sections (20c, 20d) of the second DC-DC converter (20) are connected to a lithium-ion battery (21). A voltage control means (31) places the first DC-DC converter (3) or the second DC-DC converter (20) in a direct connection state and controls an output voltage of the other DC-DC converter according to an output voltage of the DC-DC converter placed in the direct connection state during the power running of the motor (5) and during regeneration thereof.
US08008797B2	System for converting wind power to electrcial power with transmission A system for converting wind power to electrical power comprising a transmission module with multiple power flows to an output and a first generator coupled to the output, wherein the first generator operates at substantially constant speed for the multiple power flows. A method is also disclosed that operates a system that converts wind power to electrical power utilizing a transmission module and comprises the steps of operating the transmission module with a first power flow to an output coupled to a generator, and operating the transmission module with a second power flow to the output coupled to the generator, wherein the generator operates at substantially constant speed for the first and second power flows.
US08008796B2	Power generation system A water tower includes a reservoir configured to store fluid. The reservoir includes a bottom surface. The water tower also includes a recirculating passageway fluidly connected to the reservoir. The recirculating passageway includes a first end connected to and located near or below the bottom surface of the reservoir, and a second end connected to the reservoir above the bottom surface of the reservoir. The water tower further includes a pump located in the recirculating passageway and configured to pump fluid through the recirculating passageway, and a fluid-driven energy generating device fluidly connected to the recirculating passageway. At least a portion of fluid directed through the energy generating device is directed through the recirculating passageway.
US08008786B2	Dynamic pad size to reduce solder fatigue A semiconductor device is provided which comprises a substrate (501) having a plurality of bond pads (503) disposed thereon. Each bond pad has a major axis and a minor axis in a direction parallel to the substrate, and the ratio of the major axis to the minor axis increases with the distance of a bond pad from the center of the substrate.
US08008783B2	Dicing tape and die attach adhesive with patterned backing Provided are a tape, apparatus, and method that relate generally to a single layer adhesive which functions as a dicing tape and also as a die attach adhesive for dicing thinned wafers and subsequent die attach operations of the diced chips in semiconductor device fabrication. The tape, apparatus, and method include a backing with a surface modification that includes a pattern.
US08008766B2	Stacked semiconductor module A stacked semiconductor module is made by stacking a second semiconductor device having a second semiconductor chip mounted to the top surface of a second semiconductor substrate above the top surface of a first semiconductor device having a first semiconductor chip mounted to a first semiconductor substrate. The top surface of the first semiconductor substrate is provided with a first connection terminal and the bottom surface of the first semiconductor substrate is provided with an external connection terminal. A region of the bottom surface of the second semiconductor substrate lying opposite to the second semiconductor chip is provided with a second connection terminal. A conductive connecting member connects the first connection terminal to the second connection terminal.
US08008758B1	Semiconductor device with increased I/O leadframe In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor package (e.g., a QFP package) including a uniquely configured leadframe sized and configured to maximize the available number of exposed leads in the semiconductor package. More particularly, the semiconductor package of the present invention includes a generally planar die pad or die paddle defining multiple peripheral edge segments. In addition, the semiconductor package includes a plurality of leads. Some of these leads include exposed bottom surface portions which are provided in at least one row or ring which at least partially circumvents the die pad, with other leads including portions which protrude from respective side surfaces of a package body of the semiconductor package. Connected to the top surface of the die pad is at least one semiconductor die which is electrically connected to at least some of the leads. At least portions of the die pad, the leads, and the semiconductor die are encapsulated by the package body, with at least portions of the bottom surfaces of the die paddle and some of the leads being exposed in a common exterior surface of the package body.
US08008756B2	Heat dissipating wiring board and method for manufacturing same A heat dissipating wiring board includes a metal wiring plate with a circuit pattern formed therein, a filler containing resin layer embedded with the metal wiring plate such that a top surface of the metal wiring plate is exposed, and a heat dissipating plate arranged on an under surface of the filler containing resin layer. The circuit pattern is formed of a through groove provided in the metal wiring plate. The through groove includes a fine groove that opens at the top surface of the metal wiring plate and an expanded groove that expands from a lower end of the fine groove toward the under surface of the metal wiring plate. The heat dissipating wiring board is capable of improving reliability against electric insulation due to dust or the like in a space of the through groove.
US08008749B2	Semiconductor device having vertical electrodes structure A semiconductor device is provided with a drain electrode 22, a semiconductor base plate 32, an electric current regulation layer 42 covering a part of a surface of the semiconductor base plate 32 and leaving a non-covered surface 55 at the surface of the semiconductor base plate 32, a semiconductor layer 50 covering a surface of the electric current regulation layer 42, and a source electrode 62 formed at a surface of the semiconductor layer 50. A drift region 56, a channel forming region 54, and a source region 52 are formed within the semiconductor layer 50. The drain electrode 22 is connected to a first terminal of a power source, and the source electrode 62 is connected to a second terminal of the power source. With this semiconductor layer 50, it is possible to increase withstand voltage or reduce the occurrence of current leakage.
US08008746B2	Semiconductor device An n+-emitter layer arranged under an emitter electrode is formed of convex portions arranged at predetermined intervals and a main body coupled to the convex portions. A convex portion region is in contact with the emitter electrode, and a p+-layer doped more heavily than a p-base layer is arranged at least below the emitter layer. In a power transistor of a lateral structure, a latch-up immunity of a parasitic thyristor can be improved, and a turn-off time can be reduced.
US08008744B2	Selective STI stress relaxation through ion implantation A first example embodiment comprises the following steps and the structure formed therefrom. A trench having opposing sidewalls is formed within a substrate. A stress layer having an inherent stress is formed over the opposing trench sidewalls. The stress layer having stress layer sidewalls over the trench sidewalls. Ions are implanted into one or more portions of the stress layer to form ion-implanted relaxed portions with the portions of the stress layer that are not implanted are un-implanted portions, whereby the inherent stress of the one or more ion-implanted relaxed portions of stress layer portions is relaxed.
US08008736B2	Analog interferometric modulator device Disclosed is new architecture of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device. The device has a partially reflective optical layer, a deformable mechanical layer and a mirror layer, each of which forms an independent electrode. A support post separates the optical layer from the mechanical layer. The mirror layer is located and movable between a first position and a second position, which are located between the optical layer and the mechanical layer. The mirror is spaced from the support post, and mirror is responsive to voltages applied to the three electrodes, thereby moving between the first position and the second position. By applying various combinations of voltage differences between the optical layer and the mirror, and between the mirror and the mechanical layer, the location of the mirror between the first and second positions is tunable throughout the space between the two positions. The tunable MEMS device can be used as an analog display element or analog electrical device such as a tunable capacitor. The MEMS device of the disclosed architecture can also be operated in a non-analog manner.
US08008734B2	Power semiconductor device A power semiconductor device is provided having a field plate that employs a thick metal film in an edge termination structure and which permits edge termination structure width reduction even with large side etching or etching variation, which exhibits superior long-term forward blocking voltage capability reliability, and which allows minimal forward blocking voltage capability variation. The edge termination structure has multiple ring-like p-type guard rings, a first insulating film covering the guard rings, and ring-like field plates, provided via the first insulating film atop the guard rings. The field plates have a polysilicon film and a thicker metal film. The polysilicon film is provided on a first guard ring via first insulating film, and a dual field plate made of the polysilicon film and metal film is provided on a second guard ring. The dual field plate is stacked via a second insulating film. The first and second guard rings alternate.
US08008726B2	Trig modulation electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection devices Trig modulation electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection devices are presented. An ESD protection device includes a semiconductor substrate. A high voltage N-well (HVNW) region is formed in the semiconductor substrate. An NDD region, a first P-body region and a second P-body region are formed in the HVNW region, wherein the first P-body region is separated from the second P-body region with a predetermined distance, and wherein the NDD region is isolated from the first P-body region with an isolation region. An N+ doped source region is disposed in the NDD region. An N+ doped region is disposed in the first P-body region. A P+ doped region is disposed in the second P-body region. A first gate is disposed between the N+ doped region and the isolation region, and a second gate is disposed between the N+ doped region and the P+ doped region.
US08008722B2	Multi-layer nonvolatile memory devices having vertical charge storage regions Some embodiments of the present invention provide nonvolatile memory devices including a plurality of intergate insulating patterns and a plurality of cell gate patterns that are alternately and vertically stacked on a substrate, an active pattern disposed on the substrate, the active pattern extending upwardly along sidewalls of the intergate insulating patterns and the cell gate patterns, a plurality of charge storage patterns disposed between the plurality of cell gate patterns and the active pattern, respectively, the plurality of the charge storage patterns being separated from each other, tunnel insulating patterns disposed between the plurality of cell gate patterns and the active pattern, respectively, and the tunnel insulating patterns extending to be directly connected to each other and a plurality of blocking insulating patterns disposed between the plurality of cell gate patterns and the plurality of charge storage patterns, respectively. A sidewall of the cell gate pattern may be recessed laterally so that an undercut region is defined and the charge storage pattern is disposed in the undercut region.
US08008721B2	High-voltage-resistant MOS transistor and method for manufacturing the same A high-voltage-resistant MOS transistor having high electrical strength and a method for manufacturing the same, whereby to effectively decrease cost of manufacturing, are provided. The gate electrode includes a pair of separate opposition parts and a combination part sandwiched by the pair of opposition parts so that the opposition parts are opposed to each other so as not to overlap with the element region and the combination part overlaps with the element region. Each length of the opposition parts in a junction direction is longer than that of the combination part. The sidewall insulating film is formed so as to be continuous between the opposition parts and partially overlap with the element region. Therefore, the number of processes and a processing period for forming the MOS transistor can be decreased and uniformity of LDD lengths of the MOS transistors can be improved.
US08008710B2	Non-volatile semiconductor storage device A memory string has a semiconductor layer with a joining portion that is formed to join a plurality of columnar portions extending in a vertical direction with respect to a substrate and lower ends of the plurality of columnar portions. First conductive layers are formed in a laminated fashion to surround side surfaces of the columnar portions and an electric charge storage layer, and function as control electrodes of memory cells. A second conductive layer is formed around the plurality of columnar portions via a gate insulation film, and functions as control electrodes of selection transistors. Bit lines are formed to be connected to the plurality of columnar portions, respectively, with a second direction orthogonal to a first direction taken as a longitudinal direction.
US08008708B2	Metal line of semiconductor device having a diffusion barrier and method for forming the same An insulation layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate so as to define a metal line forming region. A diffusion barrier having a multi-layered structure of an Mox1Si1-x1 layer, an Mox2Siy2Nz2 layer, and an Moy3N1-y3 layer is formed on a surface of the metal line forming region. A metal layer is formed on the diffusion barrier so as to fill the metal line forming region of the insulation layer.
US08008707B2	Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device provided with charge storage layer in memory cell A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a semiconductor substrate, a first insulation layer formed on the semiconductor substrate, a charge storage layer formed on the first insulation layer, a second insulation layer formed on the charge storage layer, and a control electrode formed on the second insulation layer. The second insulation layer includes a first silicon oxide film formed above the charge storage layer, a silicon nitride film formed on the first silicon oxide film, a metal oxide film formed on the silicon nitride film, and a nitride film formed on the metal oxide film. The metal oxide film has a relative permittivity of not less than 7.
US08008702B2	Multi-transistor non-volatile memory element A multi-transistor element including a substrate, a first floating gate disposed on the substrate, a second floating gate disposed on the substrate and coupled to the first floating gate, and a first active region disposed in the substrate and coupled to the first and second floating gates.
US08008700B2	Non-volatile memory cell with embedded antifuse A nonvolatile memory device includes at least one memory cell which comprises a first diode portion, a second diode portion and an antifuse separating the first diode portion from the second diode portion.
US08008691B2	Ion sensitive field effect transistor and production method thereof The present invention discloses an ion sensitive field effect transistor, comprising: a GaN/sapphire layer, used as a substrate; an a-InN:Mg epilayer, deposited on the GaN/sapphire layer, used to provide a current path; a first metal contact, deposited on the a-InN:Mg epilayer to provide drain contact; and a second metal contact, deposited on the a-InN:Mg epilayer to provide source contact; and a patterned insulating layer, used to cover the first metal contact, the second metal contact and the a-InN:Mg epilayer, wherein the patterned insulating layer has a contact window defining an exposure area of the a-InN:Mg epilayer.
US08008687B2	Electrostatic discharge protection device An electrostatic discharge protection device including a substrate, a first doped region, a first gate electrode, a second doped region, a second gate electrode, and a third doped region is disclosed. The substrate has a first conductive type. The first doped region has a second conductive type and is formed in the substrate. The first gate electrode is formed on the substrate. The second doped region has the second conductive type and is formed in the substrate. A transistor is constituted by the first doped region, the first gate electrode, and the second doped region. The second gate electrode is formed on the substrate. The first and the second gate electrodes are separated. The third doped region has the first conductive type and is formed in the substrate. A discharge element is constituted by the first doped region, the second gate electrode, and the third doped region.
US08008686B2	Light emitting diode chip An LED chip includes a substrate, a semiconductor device layer, a wall structure, and a number of electrodes. The semiconductor device layer is disposed on the substrate and includes a first-type doped semiconductor layer disposed on the substrate, an active layer disposed on a portion of the first-type doped semiconductor layer, and a second-type doped semiconductor layer disposed on the active layer and having a first top surface. The wall structure is disposed on the first-type doped semiconductor layer that is not covered by the active layer and surrounds the active layer. Besides, the wall structure has a second top surface higher than the first top surface of the second-type doped semiconductor layer. Additionally, the electrodes are disposed on and electrically connected with the first-type doped semiconductor layer and the second-type doped semiconductor layer.
US08008680B2	Light-emitting diode device and manufacturing method thereof A light-emitting diode (LED) device and manufacturing methods thereof are provided, wherein the LED device comprises a substrate, a first type conductivity semiconductor layer, an active layer, a second type conductivity semiconductor layer, a transparent conductive oxide stack structure, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The first semiconductor layer on the substrate has a first portion and a second portion. The active layer and the second semiconductor layer are subsequently set on the first portion. The transparent conductive oxide stack structure on the second semiconductor layer has at least two resistant interfaces. The first electrode is above the second portion, and the second electrode is above the transparent conductive oxide stack structure.
US08008664B2	Component comprising a thin-film transistor and CMOS-transistors and methods for production An electrical component, in the crystalline semiconductor body of which several CMOS transistors in high-voltage or low-voltage technology are formed. The individual CMOS transistors are separated from one another by insulation regions. On one insulation region, a thin-film transistor is formed, having a gate that is realized simultaneously with the gates of the CMOS transistors from the same polysilicon layer. The gate oxide of the thin-film transistor, just like a second polysilicon layer for source drain and body of the thin-film transistor, can be produced together with the structural elements already present in the CMOS process.
US08008660B2	Display apparatus and electrophoretic display apparatus A display apparatus includes a substrate; a display area including a plurality of pixels provided on the substrate; a switching element provided for each of the pixels, the switching element including a first semiconductor layer formed of a first organic semiconductor; and a humidity sensor provided on the substrate and outside the display area. The humidity sensor includes, as a humidity sensitive layer, a second semiconductor layer formed of a second organic semiconductor having a correlation in terms of electric characteristics with the first organic semiconductor.
US08008658B2	Thin film transistor, method of manufacturing the same, and flat panel display device having the same A thin film transistor (TFT) using an oxide semiconductor layer as an active layer, a method of manufacturing the TFT, and a flat panel display (FPD) including the TFT are taught. The TFT includes a gate electrode formed on a substrate, an oxide semiconductor layer electrically insulated from the gate electrode by a gate insulating layer, and the oxide semiconductor layer including a channel region, a source region, and a drain region, and a source electrode and a drain electrode respectively electrically contacting the source region and the drain region. The oxide semiconductor layer is formed of an InZnO or IZO layer (indium zinc oxide layer) including Zr. The carrier density of the IZO layer is controlled to be 1×1013 to 1×1018 #cm−3 by controlling an amount of Zr.
US08008652B2	Light emitting device An object of the present invention is to provide a light emitting element or a light emitting device that can be formed without any regard for a work function of an electrode. Another object of the invention is to provide a light emitting element or a light emitting device in that the range of choice for a material of an electrode can be widened. In an aspect of the invention, a light emitting device includes first, second and third layers between mutually-facing first and second electrodes. The first layer has a donor level. The second layer is a single layer or a laminated body containing a light emitting substance. The third layer has an acceptor level. When a potential of the second electrode is set higher than that of the first electrode, holes generated in the second layer are injected in the third layer.
US08008649B2	Incorporating gate control over a resonant tunneling structure in CMOS to reduce off-state current leakage, supply voltage and power consumption A semiconductor device and method for fabricating a semiconductor device incorporating gate control over a resonant tunneling structure. The semiconductor device includes a source terminal, a gate terminal, a drain terminal, and a resonant tunneling structure located beneath or adjacent to the gate terminal, where the gate terminal controls an electrostatic potential drop through the resonant tunneling structure as well as controlling a potential within a portion of the conduction channel immediately beneath the gate terminal as in a MOSFET. The semiconductor device is fabricated by growing epitaxial layers of tunnel barriers and quantum wells, where a quantum well is formed between each set of two tunneling barriers. Additionally, the epitaxial layers of tunnel barriers and quantum wells are grown, etched and patterned to form a resonant tunneling structure. Further, the semiconductor device is grown, etched and patterned to form a gate, source and drain electrode.
US08008644B2	Phase-change memory cell having two insulated regions A phase-change-memory cell is provided which comprises two insulated regions formed in a first phase-change material connected by a region formed in a second phase-change material. The crystallization temperature of the second phase-change material is below the crystallization temperature of the first phase-change material. By locally changing the material properties using a second PCM material, which switches phase at a lower temperature, a localized “hot spot” is obtained.
US08008640B2	Maxim electron scatter chamber The present invention includes a system, methods and apparatus for sterilization of an object (e.g., food products). The present invention takes advantage of the electron scatter that occurs when electron beam is applied onto a surface. The present invention is capable of treating irregular surfaces (e.g., carcasses, spherical/round surfaces) or any type of surface where complete penetration is not needed or desired.
US08008638B2	Ion implantation apparatus and ion implantation method This ion implantation apparatus is provided with a holding devise which holds the wafer, and which turns it along its circumference. In addition to holding the wafer at a prescribed position, the ion implantation apparatus subjects the wafer to ion implantation in regions where there is partial overlap of its circumference. The holding devise turns and inclines the wafer, and also holds the wafer by three or more holding pins. The side face of the holding pin has an inversely tapered shape, and the multiple holding pins include a first holding pin whose protrusion amount is relatively small, and a second holding pin whose protrusion amount is relatively large. The holding pin which is on the upper side from the center of the wafer in the planar direction of the inclined wafer is the second holding pin, and the angle of inclination of the side face of the second holding pin at a position where ions are implanted into the wafer has an angular degree which is equal to or less than an angle of incidence of the ion beam relative to the wafer.
US08008637B2	High-temperature ion implantation apparatus and methods of fabricating semiconductor devices using high-temperature ion implantation A semiconductor device fabrication apparatus includes a load lock chamber, a loading assembly in the load lock chamber, and an ion implantation target chamber that is hermetically connected to the load lock chamber. The load lock chamber is configured to store a plurality of wafer plates. Each wafer plate respectively includes at least one semiconductor wafer thereon. The ion implantation target chamber is configured to implant an ion species into a semiconductor wafer on a currently loaded wafer plate. The loading assembly is also configured to load a next one of the plurality of wafer plates from the load lock chamber into the ion implantation target chamber. The loading assembly may be configured to load the next wafer plate from the load lock chamber into the ion implantation target chamber while substantially maintaining a current temperature within the ion implantation target chamber and/or without depressurizing the ion implantation target chamber. Related methods and devices are also discussed.
US08008614B2	Device for detecting emission light of micro-object having means for suppressing reflected and scattered excitation light The object of the present invention is to provide a device for detecting with higher sensitivity emission light in the form of fluorescence or phosphorescence emitted from a micro-object irradiated by an excitation light. The present invention provides means for suppressing reflected and scattered light arising from excitation light impinging on the semiconductor detection element of the device, comprising a pinhole formed in a fluorescence collecting microlens, through which the excitation light passes, irradiating the micro-object. The device may also be provided with another means for suppressing reflected and scattered excitation light comprising a non-horizontal surface that is not perpendicular to the excitation light, formed on a part of the light-transparent chip surface from which the excitation light exits.
US08008604B2	Low profile heater A portable, low profile electric radiant heater has an elongated heating element. A plurality of thermistors are disposed proximate to and along the length of the elongated heating element, spaced at substantially equal intervals. A microcontroller switches a reference resistor in series with a charging capacitor to determine a reference timer value. The microcontroller switches banks of multiple thermistors in series with the charging capacitor to determine associated timer values. The microcontroller calculates thermistor resistance values using the reference timer, reference resistor, and thermistor timer values. A lookup table is employed to determine a temperature value associated with the thermistor resistance value. This serves as the sensed temperature of the associated bank of thermistors. A plurality of tip-over switches are provided. One tip-over switch is disposed between the microcontroller and the heating element. Another tip-over switch is disposed between the microcontroller and the banks of temperature sensing thermistors.
US08008598B2	Method for forming staple pockets of a surgical stapler A system and method for forming a staple pocket, e.g., on the anvil portion of a surgical stapler device. A laser-machining system may include a laser-emitting device that is configured to emit a laser beam or beams for forming staple pockets on the anvil of a surgical stapler. The staple pockets of an anvil may be formed successively or simultaneously. The anvil of the surgical stapler is mounted in a mounting mechanism so as to control its movement, and the laser-emitting device is controlled by a control module, which may control any aspect of the laser-machining operation, e.g., the intensity of the laser beam, the movement of the laser-emitting device relative to the anvil, etc. The control module may be a processor that includes software that provides instructions for the operation of the control module, and may be programmable by a user for inputting parameters, e.g., shape, arrangement, etc., corresponding to the staple pockets.
US08008592B2	Side key assembly for portable electronic device A side key assembly comprises a base plate, a first push button and a second push button. The base plate has an opening defined therein and two opposite sidewalls defined in the opening. The first push button is rotatably assembled to the base in the opening, and the first push button is situated adjacent to one of the sidewalls. The second push button is rotatably assembled to the first push button in the opening and the second push button is situated adjacent to another sidewall.
US08008587B2	Circuit breaker carrier assembly with spring guide A spring guide is provided for a carrier assembly of an electrical switching apparatus such as, for example, a circuit breaker. The carrier assembly includes a carrier body, a plurality of movable contact arms pivotably coupled to the carrier body, and a plurality of contact springs. Each of the contact springs is disposed between a portion of the carrier body and a corresponding number of the movable contact arms. Each spring guide includes a guide member disposed between a corresponding one of the contact springs and the corresponding number of movable contact arms to maintains alignment therebetween. The guide member preferably includes a planar portion including a first side, which spans a pair of adjacent movable contact arms, and a second side, which includes a projection. The projection is disposed within the coils of the corresponding one of the contact springs.
US08008582B2	Anisotropic electrically conductive structure An anisotropic electrically conductive structure comprising: a dielectric matrix having a first surface and a second surface; a heat curable adhesive layer disposed on at least one or both of said first surface and said second surface; a plurality of passages at least extending from said first surface of said matrix to said second surface of said matrix; and electrically conductive members in said passages; wherein said dielectric matrix does not exhibit thermal fluidization at a temperature required for heat curing of said heat curable adhesive layer.
US08008578B2	Multilayer insulated electric wire A multilayer insulated electric wire includes a conductor and three or more insulating layers covering the conductor. In the multilayer insulated electric wire, the outermost layer (A) of the insulating layers includes a coating layer formed of a resin composition of a polyamide resin containing copper iodide, and the innermost layer (B) of the insulating layers includes a coating layer formed of a resin composition of 100 parts by mass of a polyester-based resin (B1), all or a part of which is formed of an aliphatic alcohol component bonded with an acid component, and 5 to 40 parts by mass of an ethylene-based copolymer (B2) having side chains of a carboxylic acid or a metal salt of a carboxylic acid.
US08008575B2	Solar cell with reduced base diffusion area In one embodiment, a solar cell has base and emitter diffusion regions formed on the back side. The emitter diffusion region is configured to collect minority charge carriers in the solar cell, while the base diffusion region is configured to collect majority charge carriers. The emitter diffusion region may be a continuous region separating the base diffusion regions. Each of the base diffusion regions may have a reduced area to decrease minority charge carrier recombination losses without substantially increasing series resistance losses due to lateral flow of majority charge carriers. Each of the base diffusion regions may have a dot shape, for example.
US08008569B2	Musical sound generating device and storage medium storing musical sound generation processing program Upon activation by a power-on operation, a CPU transfers part of waveform data items of predetermined tone colors from a waveform data storage to a waveform RAM, and after this, transfers data items including the remaining waveform data to be transferred. Thereby, a musical sound generating device assigns the transferred waveform data items to make it playable when the transfer of the part of the waveform data has been completed, and changes the assignment of the waveform data to make it playable in an ordinary state when the transfer of the remaining waveform data has been terminated.
US08008565B2	Performance apparatus and tone generation method Plural key switches are arranged in two dimensions along X- and Y-coordinate axes, and an X-coordinate position of each of the key switches is associated with tone generation timing while a Y-coordinate position of each of the key switches is associated with a tone pitch. Storage section stores a music piece data set that includes tone generating data having data of tone pitches and tone generation timing associated with the key switches. In a repeat-section setting mode, a repeat-section setting section causes the plural key switches to function as setting operators and sets a repeat section of the music piece data set on the basis of the X-coordinate position of any operated one of the key switches. In reproduction of the stored music piece data set, a reproduction section repetitively reproduces the tone generating data of the music piece data set which are included in the set repeat section.
US08008562B2	Image processing apparatus, musical score editing method executed thereon, and storage medium storing program An image processing apparatus that processes image data representing a musical score inputs image data of a musical score document to the image processing apparatus, detects a blank area in the musical score based on the input image data, and generates image data in which an assistance sign has been added in the blank area in correspondence with a sign in the musical score.
US08008557B1	Inbred corn line NPJC7538 Basically, this invention provides for an inbred corn line designated NPJC7538, methods for producing a corn plant by crossing plants of the inbred line NPJC7538, with plants of another corn plant. The invention relates to the various parts of inbred NPJC7538, including culturable cells. This invention also relates to methods for introducing transgenic transgenes into inbred corn line NPJC7538, and plants produced by said methods.
US08008555B1	Maize variety hybrid 10139630 A novel maize variety designated 10139630 and seed, plants and plant parts thereof, produced by crossing Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. proprietary inbred maize varieties. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprises crossing maize variety 10139630 with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into 10139630 through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. This invention relates to the maize variety 10139630, the seed, the plant produced from the seed, and variants, mutants, and minor modifications of maize variety 10139630. This invention further relates to methods for producing maize varieties derived from maize variety 10139630.
US08008554B1	Inbred corn line NPID4789 Basically, this invention provides for an inbred corn line designated NPID4789, methods for producing a corn plant by crossing plants of the inbred line NPID4789 with plants of another corn plant. The invention relates to the various parts of inbred NPID4789 including culturable cells. This invention also relates to methods for introducing transgenic transgenes into inbred corn line NPID4789 and plants produced by said methods.
US08008553B2	Sweet pepper line SBY28-1223 The invention provides seed and plants of the pepper line designated SBY28-1223. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of pepper line SBY28-1223, and to methods for producing a pepper plant produced by crossing a plant of pepper line SBY28-1223 with itself or with another pepper plant, such as a plant of another line. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of a plant of pepper line SBY28-1223, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.
US08008548B2	Plants with reduced susceptibility to pathogenic oomycetes The present invention relates to a for obtaining a plant showing a reduced susceptibility towards infection with a pathogen, in particular an oomycete, comprising treating MO seeds of a plant species to be modified with a mutagenic agent to obtain M1 seeds and growing plants therefrom the thus obtained M1 seeds to obtain M1 plants, inoculation of the thus obtained M1+n plants with the pathogen and selecting plants that show a reduction or absence of sporulation of the pathogen as plants having a reduced susceptibility phenotype. The invention further relates to plants, seeds, pollen, cells and tissues that have the reduced susceptibility towards oomycetes.
US08008544B2	Methods for altering the reactivity of plant cell walls Methods and means are provided for the modification of the reactivity of plant cell walls, particularly as they can be found in natural fibers of fiber producing plants by inclusion of positively charged oligosaccharides or polysaccharides into the cell wall. This can be conveniently achieved by expressing a chimeric gene encoding an N-acetylglucosamine transferase, particularly an N-acetylglucosamine transferase, capable of being targeted to the membranes of the Golgi apparatus in cells of a plant.
US08008543B2	Modification of flavonoid biosynthesis in plants by PAP1 The present invention relates to nucleic acids encoding flavonoid biosynthetic enzymes, more particularly flavonoid biosynthesis-regulating transcription factors, and the use thereof for the modification of flavonoid biosynthesis in plants. The present invention also relates to constructs and vectors including such nucleic acids, and related polypeptides. More particularly, the present invention relates to a PURPLE ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENT 1 (PAP1) or PAP1-like transcription factor.
US08008536B2	Simulated moving bed adsorptive separation process for handling multiple feedstocks An improved process for the production capacity and feedstock handling flexibility of a simulated moving bed adsorptive separation process by introducing a second feed stream to the adsorbent chamber comprising a feed material of a different concentration of the desired compound than the concentration of the desired compound in the first feed material stream. The introduction of this second feed material stream may be performed at any location on the adsorbent chamber between (i) a transfer point located immediately upstream of the point of the raffinate material stream withdrawal from the adsorbent chamber to (ii) a transfer point located immediately downstream of the point of extract material stream withdrawal from the adsorbent chamber. A recycle stream may be introduced into the system at a location having a concentration similar to the concentration of the first feed material stream.
US08008530B2	Process for preparing methyl mercaptan The present invention relates to a process for continuously preparing methyl mercaptan from hydrogen sulphide and methanol in a direct connection with the preparation of hydrogen sulphide.
US08008516B2	Method of processing ethanol byproducts and related subsystems In one aspect of the invention, a method recovers oil from a concentrated byproduct, such as evaporated thin stillage formed during a dry milling process used for producing ethanol. The method includes forming a concentrate from the byproduct and recovering oil from the concentrate. The step of forming the concentrate may comprise evaporating the byproduct. Further, the step of separating the oil from the concentrate may comprise using a centrifuge and, in particular, a disk stack centrifuge. Other aspects of the invention include related methods and subsystems for recovering oil from thin stillage.
US08008513B2	4-((phenoxyalkyl)thio)-phenoxyacetic acids and analogs The invention features 4-((phenoxyalkyl)thio)-phenoxyacetic acids and analogs, compositions containing them, and methods of using them as PPAR delta modulators to treat or inhibit the progression of, for example, dyslipidemia.
US08008511B2	Process for modifying drug crystal formation A process for modifying the crystal habit of acicular drug substances, crystals obtained by such a process, and particular crystal forms or modifications of mycophenolic acid or mycophenolate sodium are provided, as well as pharmaceutical compositions comprising the crystals, methods of treatment and uses thereof.
US08008507B2	Fluorescent diketopyrrolopyrroles The present invention relates to fluorescent diketopyrrolopyrroles of the formula (I), or (III), a process for their preparation and their use for the preparation of inks, colorants, pigmented plastics for coatings, non-impact-printing material, color filters, cosmetics, polymeric ink particles, toners, as fluorescent tracers, in color changing media, in solid dye lasers, EL lasers and electroluminescent devices. A luminescent device comprising a compound, or composition according to the present invention is high in the efficiency of electrical energy utilization and high in luminance.
US08008506B2	Indazole compounds Provided are compounds represented by the following formula (A-1) and formula (1), or salts thereof. The compounds of formula (A-1) and formula (1) or salts thereof have β3 adrenergic receptor agonist activity, and thus are useful as therapeutic and prophylactic agent for diabetes mellitus, obesity, hyperlipidemia, depression, diseases caused by gallstones or hypermotility of the biliary tract, diseases caused by hyperactivity of the digestive tract, interstitial cystitis, overactive bladder or urinary incontinence, or as therapeutic and prophylactic agents for diseases concomitant with decreased tears.
US08008500B2	Intermediates useful for making tetrabenazine compounds A method of preparing a tetrabenazine compound (TBZ compound) having structure I comprising the steps of reacting a nucleophilic alkenyl species with aldehyde compound II and oxidizing the resultant allylic alcohol to provide enone III. The protecting group P1 on the tetrahydroisoquinoline nitrogen is removed and the resultant deprotected intermediate is induced to undergo an amino cyclization reaction to provide a product TBZ compound having structure I. The method may be used to prepare either enantiomeric form of tetrabenazine; (+)-tetrabenazine or (−)-tetrabenazine. Alternatively the method may be adapted to provide a mixture enriched in one tetrabenazine enantiomer, a racemic mixture, or a diastereomeric mixture of tetrabenazine compounds. In addition, the present invention provides novel synthetic intermediate compositions which may be used to prepare either or both enantiomers of tetrabenazine, derivatives of tetrabenazine, and analogs of tetrabenazine.
US08008499B2	Anabaseine derivatives, pharmaceutical compositions and methods of use thereof Disclosed are novel anabaseine derivatives that act as agonists of the α7 nAChR. Also disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions, methods of treating inflammatory conditions, methods of treating CNS disorders, methods for inhibiting cytokine release from mammalian cells and methods for the preparation of the novel compounds.
US08008494B2	Soluble amide and ester pyrazinoylguanidine sodium channel blockers The present invention relates to pyrazinoylguanidine compounds represented by formula (I): where X, Y and R1-R4 are as defined herein. The compounds of the present invention are useful as sodium channel blockers.
US08008485B2	Process for producing 2,3-dihydropyridazine compound A process for producing a 2,3-dihydropyridazine compound represented by the formula (2): wherein R1, R2 and R3 are the same or different and each represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group which may be substituted with a halogen atom or atoms, an alkenyl group which may be substituted with a halogen atom or atoms, an alkoxy group which may be substituted with a halogen atom or atoms, an alkylthio group, an alkylsulfenyl group, an alkylsulfonyl group or a dialkylamino group; which comprises reacting a salt consisting of bromoacetic acid and an amine compound with a pyridazine compound represented by the formula (1): wherein R1, R2 and R3 are the same meanings as defined above.
US08008478B2	Process for the preparation of cefixime The present invention provides an improved process for the preparation of Cefixime of formula (I), a cephalosporine antibiotic with an improved quality in regard to color and solubility. This process includes: (i) reaction of 7-β-(4-chloro-2-alkoxycarbonyl methoxyimino-3-oxobutyromido)-3-cephem-4-carboxylic acid (V) with thiourea at pH 5.0 to 6.0 at temperature 25-40° C. in water, (ii) carbon treatment to the reaction mixture in presence of sodium dithionite or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) followed by filtration, (iii) acidification of the filtrate obtained in step (ii) to pH 2.0 to 3.0 with acid at 50-80° C. to give cefixime ester (IV) (iv) alkaline hydrolysis of cefixime ester of formula (IV) in water followed by acidification to pH 5.0 to 6.0, (v) precipitation of cefixime (I) by adding ketone solvent followed by acidification to pH 2.0 to 3 and (vi) isolation of solid.
US08008472B2	RNA interference mediated inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) gene expression using short interfering nucleic acid (siNA) This invention relates to compounds, compositions, and methods useful for modulating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) gene expression using short interfering nucleic acid (siNA) molecules. This invention also relates to compounds, compositions, and methods useful for modulating the expression and activity of other genes involved in pathways of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) gene expression and/or activity by RNA interference (RNAi) using small nucleic acid molecules. In particular, the instant invention features small nucleic acid molecules, such as short interfering nucleic acid (siNA), short interfering RNA (siRNA), double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), micro-RNA (miRNA), and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) molecules and methods used to modulate the expression of HIV genes. The small nucleic acid molecules are useful in the treatment of HIV infection, AIDS, and/or disease and conditions related to HIV infection and/or AIDS in a subject or organism.
US08008469B2	Antisense compound for inducing immunological tolerance A method and conjugate for selectively killing antigen-activated T cells are disclosed. The conjugate is composed of a substantially uncharged antisense compound targeted against the human cFLIP protein, and a reverse TAT (rTAT) polypeptide coupled covalently to the antisense compound. The rTAT polypeptide is effective to produce selective uptake of the conjugate into antigen-activated T cells, relative to the uptake of the conjugate into non-activated T cells. The cFLIP antisense compound causes activation induced cell death (AICD) of activated lymphocytes. The method is useful in treating transplantation rejection and autoimmune conditions.
US08008468B2	RNAi expression constructs with liver-specific enhancer/promoter The present invention provides compositions and methods suitable for RNAi specifically in the liver so as to treat diseases or disorders.
US08008463B2	Compositions and methods for diagnostics and therapeutics for hydrocephalus The present disclosure relates to RFX4_v3 protein and nucleic acids encoding the RFX4_v3 protein. The present disclosure provides non-human transgenic animals with altered RFX4_v3 genes, and provides assays for the detection of RFX4_v3 and RFX4_v3 polymorphisms associated with disease states. The present disclosure additionally provides methods of determining a subjects' risk of developing congenital hydrocephalus, and treating or inhibiting its development.
US08008457B2	Process for the preparation and use of a bivalent vaccine against morphine-heroine addiction The structural design, preparative methods and chemical composition of two structural formulations of bivalent vaccines against morphine-heroin addiction (morphine-6-hemisuccinyl-EDC-TFCS-tetanus toxoid and 3-O-carboxymethylmorphine-EDC-TFCS-tetanus toxoid), are disclosed. These vaccines are suitable for human use in which they are capable of triggering the synthesis of polyclonal antibodies against morphine opiate and its structural analogue, heroin, through the repeated in vivo administration of these formulations, in active vaccination protocols, in pre-clinical studies in rodents. The active vaccination paradigm through which these immunogens trigger a humoral immune response consolidated with a long-term immunological memory, characterized by the presence of high titers of specific antibodies against these two drugs of abuse, is also disclosed. Furthermore, the present invention reveals the efficacy of these conjugate formulations for triggering a sustained immunoprotection against morphine and heroin addiction using an intravenous self-administration paradigm of these two opiate substances in the rodent. Finally, a discussion is also made on the potential future use of these immunoconjugates in active vaccination protocols for treating both morphine and heroin addiction in the humans.
US08008448B2	Cotinine neutralizing antibody The present application discloses monoclonal antibody against cotinine and nicotine.
US08008443B2	Modulation of antibody effector function by hinge domain engineering The present invention relates to novel molecules (Fc variants) comprising at least one antigen binding region and an Fc region that further comprises a modified hinge which alters the binding of Fc to one or more Fc ligand (e.g., FcγRs) and/or modulates effector function. More specifically, this invention provides Fc variants that have modified binding affinity to one or more FcγR and/or CIq. Additionally, the Fc variants have altered antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and/or complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) activity. The invention further provides methods and protocols for the application of said Fc variants particularly for therapeutic purposes.
US08008442B2	Antibodies and molecules derived therefrom that bind to STEAP-1 proteins Antibodies and molecules derived therefrom that bind to novel STEAP-1 protein, and variants thereof, are described wherein STEAP-1 exhibits tissue specific expression in normal adult tissue, and is aberrantly expressed in the cancers listed in Table I. Consequently, STEAP-1 provides a diagnostic, prognostic, prophylactic and/or therapeutic target for cancer. The STEAP-1 gene or fragment thereof, or its encoded protein, or variants thereof, or a fragment thereof, can be used to elicit a humoral or cellular immune response; antibodies or T cells reactive with STEAP-1 can be used in active or passive immunization.
US08008437B2	Cancer-associated genes The present invention is related to a DNA comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide represented by SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:2. The DNA according to the present invention is highly expressed in prostatic adenocarcinoma and ovarian carcinoma, and is a cancer-associated gene, so that it is possible to inhibit cancer by blocking the binding of the present protein to its ligand. Accordingly, the present antibody is used not only in the detection of the present protein, but also as an agent for the treatment or prevention of cancers such as prostatic adenocarcinoma and ovarian carcinoma.
US08008435B2	Polymer stabilized neuropeptides A substantially hydrophilic conjugate is provided having a peptide that is capable of passing the blood-brain barrier covalently linked to a water-soluble nonpeptidic polymer such as polyethylene glycol. The conjugate exhibits improved solubility and in vivo stability and is capable of passing the blood-brain barrier of an animal.
US08008429B2	Thermosetting resin composition Disclosed is a thermosetting resin composition of excellent low-temperature curability comprising an oxetane compound and also disclosed is a cured article obtained therefrom. The thermosetting resin composition comprises an oxetane compound (A) containing two or more oxetane functional groups in the molecule represented by the following general formula (1) and a heteropolyacid (B) as essential components. A cured article obtained by heat curing of this composition shows excellent mechanical properties, electrical properties, adhesive properties, resistance to heat, moisture, and chemicals, and the like. In formula (1), R1 is a hydrogen atom, alkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, fluorine atom, fluoroalkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, allyl group, aryl group, aralkyl group, furyl group, or thienyl group.
US08008419B2	Siloxane monomers and methods for use thereof The invention provides novel siloxane monomers useful in a variety of adhesive applications. In one aspect, the siloxane compounds described herein can be used as Diels-Alder type curatives for bismaleimide or poly-maleimide monomers. The unsaturated resins shown here are attractive for use as maleimide curatives due to their poly-functionality. Each substituted styrenyl residue can react with two maleimide functional groups. Thus, an invention adhesive composition typically contains an excess of bismaleimide monomers.
US08008412B2	Polymer production at supersolution conditions This invention relates to a process to polymerize olefins comprising contacting propylene, at a temperature of 65° C. to 150° C. and a pressure of 1.72 to 34.5 MPa, with: 1) a catalyst system comprising one or more activators and one or more nonmetallocene metal-centered, heteroaryl ligand catalyst compounds, where the metal is chosen from the Group 4, 5, 6, the lanthanide series, or the actinide series of the Periodic Table of the Elements, 2) optionally one or more comonomers selected from ethylene and C4 to C12 olefins, 3) diluent or solvent, and 4) optionally scavenger, wherein: a) the olefin monomers and any comonomers are present in the polymerization system at 30 wt % or more, b) the propylene is present in the feed at 80 wt % or more, c) the polymerization occurs at a temperature above the solid-fluid phase transition temperature of the polymerization system and a pressure greater than 1 MPa below the cloud point pressure of the polymerization system, and d) the polymerization occurs: (1) at a temperature below the critical temperature of the polymerization system, or (preferably and) (2) at a pressure below the critical pressure of the polymerization system.
US08008410B2	Epoxy resin composition for encapsulating semiconductor and semiconductor device There is provided an epoxy resin composition for encapsulating a semiconductor comprising an epoxy resin (A), wherein the epoxy resin (A) including: a crystalline epoxy resin (a1) having a melting point of 50° C. to 150° C., an epoxy resin (a2) represented by formula (1), and at least one epoxy resin (a3) selected from an epoxy resin represented by formula (2) and an epoxy resin represented by a formula (3): in which R1's, which may be the same or different, represent a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R2's, which may be the same or different, represent a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; m is an integer of 0 to 5; and n is an integer of 0 to 6.
US08008409B1	Energetic poly (azidoaminoethers) The currently disclosed device is a novel poly(azidoaminoether)-based energetic polymer utilizing a chemical design that possesses great versatility in tailoring properties such as endothermicity, oxygen balance, flexibility, toughness, and crystallinity. Furthermore, this new chemical design will also be compatible with current polyisocyanate curing chemistry. These attributes will give such novel polymers great potential in meeting the demands of a highly energetic, yet insensitive propellant binder. This material's tailorable mechanical properties and oxygen balance as well as its backwards compatibility with current diisocyanate crosslinking methods make this novel polymer an ideal energetic binder material for use in a variety of munition systems.
US08008408B2	Aromatic polyimide composition and articles manufactured therefrom Aromatic polyimide composition and articles manufactured therefrom. This invention relates to an aromatic polyimide molding composition, comprising at least one aromatic polyimide (A) chosen from the group consisting of aromatic polyamide-imide, aromatic polyesterimides and aromatic polyimide free of any ester and amide group of specific type and typically from 0.5 to 30% wt of at least one fluoroelastomer (B), with respect to the total weight of (A) and (B), to a method for manufacturing the same, to a molding process of the same, and to the articles manufactured therefrom. Preferably, the component (A) of the composition is at least one aromatic polyamide-imide manufactured by a process including the polycondensation reaction between (i) at least one acid monomer chosen from trimellitic anhydride and trimellitic anhydride monoacid halides and (ii) at least one commoner chosen from the group consisting of 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane, 4,4′-diaminodiphenylether, m-phenylenediamine and mixtures therefrom. Advantageously, the aromatic polyimide composition of the invention, owed to its improved flexibility during the molding process, is suitable for the manufacture of articles from mold of complex geometries, such as undercuts, without permanently deforming or cracking upon ejection from the mold.
US08008397B2	Impact strength modifiers for polyvinyl chloride resin and method of preparing them Provided are a rubber latex having a multi-layer structure, wherein an inner-layer rubber latex has a refractive index greater than that of an outer-layer rubber latex, a graft copolymer prepared from the rubber latex, a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin blend containing the graft copolymer, and a method of preparing the rubber latex. The PVC resin blend containing the graft copolymer including the rubber latex according to the present invention has improved color property and low-temperature impact strength than conventional PVC resins.
US08008395B2	Organic-inorganic hybrid particle material and polymer compositions containing same Particulate materials useful as fillers, reinforcing agents, radioopacifiers, or impact modifiers. The particulate material has an average particle size range of about 10,000 nm or less and comprises an organic-inorganic hybrid material that has a ceramic material network having organic polymer segments distributed throughout the ceramic network. The ceramic network may be prepared by a sol-gel technique. The particulate material may be compounded in thermoplastic polymer compositions useful in a variety of applications such as preparation of medical device components.
US08008394B2	Low-VOC primer for plastic coating The invention is directed to coating compositions for direct coating of plastic substrates, comprising the following components: A) a hydroxy-functional binder component, comprising at least one branched hydroxy-functional polyester having a hydroxyl value of 50-300 mg KOH/g solid, a polydispersity of <2 and a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 300 to 4000, having at least three branches, and having at least one hydroxyl group on each of the at least three branches, B) a crosslinking component for the hydroxyfunctional binder component A), C) at least one adhesion promoting component and optionally, D) organic solvents, additives conventionally found in paints as well as pigments and/or fillers.
US08008393B2	Automobile water-based paint This invention provides an automobile water-based paint capable of forming coating film of little metallic mottling and excellent flip-flop property and smoothness, which comprises hydroxyl-containing resin, viscosity-regulating agent and hydrophobic solvent, the viscosity-regulating agent being a copolymer obtained by copolymerizing a monomeric mixture containing a (meth)acrylic acid (salt), monomer represented by the following formula (1) [in which R1 stands for hydrogen or methyl, R2 and R3 stand for hydrogen, methyl or ethyl, R4 stands for C8-24 hydrocarbon group, and n is an integer of 3-60], alkyl (meth)acrylate of which alkyl moiety has 1-4 carbons and a monomer having at least two polymerizable unsaturated groups per molecule, at specific ratios.
US08008389B2	Polyamide resin composition Provided is a polyamide resin composition superior in mechanical properties such as strength and elastic modulus and also in toughness, durability, frictional abrasion resistance, and water absorption resistance, wherein the polyamide resin composition contains 0.1 to 4 parts by mass of an aliphatic epoxy compound (B) having three glycidyl groups in the molecule, formulated to 100 parts by mass of a polyamide resin (A) with silicate layers of swellable lamellar silicate dispersed therein. The epoxy equivalence of the aliphatic epoxy compound (B) is preferably 180 g/eq or less, and the aliphatic epoxy compound (B) preferably has trimethylolpropane and/or glycerol as a skeleton.
US08008387B2	Laser-weldable resin composition and molded product A laser-weldable polybutylene terephthalate-series resin composition having a high laser weldability is provided. The resin composition comprises (A) a polybutylene terephthalate-series resin and (B) a fatty acid-series compound (e.g., a C12-36 fatty acid ester, and a metal salt of a C12-36 fatty acid), and if necessary (C) a cyclic polyester oligomer (e.g., a cyclic polyalkylene terephthalate oligomer). In the resin composition, the proportion of the fatty acid-series compound (B) may be usually about 0.01 to 1.0 part by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the polybutylene terephthalate-series resin (A).
US08008381B2	Polycarbonate resin composition An object of the present invention is to provide a polycarbonate resin composition which has a high content of biogenic matter and is excellent in heat resistance, heat stability, moldability, hue and transparency. The present invention relates to a resin composition including 0.0005 to 0.5 part by weight of at least one heat stabilizer (component S) selected from the group consisting of phosphorus-based heat stabilizers (PS) and hindered phenol-based heat stabilizers (HS) based on 100 parts by weight of a polycarbonate resin (component A) which contains a recurring unit represented by the following formula (1) as the main constituent, and a molded article thereof:
US08008377B2	Modified asphalt binders and asphalt paving compositions A process for preparing a modified asphalt binder composition, the process comprising mixing asphalt, an unsaturated polymer, and an organothionating agent to form a modified asphalt composition.
US08008375B2	Poly(vinyl chloride) product containing cyclodextrin derivatives with suppression of the migration of plasticizer and manufacturing method thereof The present invention relates to a PVC product containing cyclodextrin derivative particles and capable of suppressing migration of a plasticizer and a method for manufacturing the same, which includes (S1) preparing cyclodextrin derivative particles, in which a hydroxyl functional group is replaced by a predetermined compound; (S2) inputting the cyclodextrin derivative particles, a water-based dispersion medium and a vinyl chloride monomer into a high-pressure reactor and performing polymerization to obtain cyclodextrin derivative particles-capsulated PVC particles, in which a plurality of the cyclodextrin derivative particles are dispersedly capsulated in PVC particles; and (S3) mixing the cyclodextrin derivative particles-capsulated PVC particles with a low molecular weight liquid plasticizer and molding the mixture in a predetermined shape using heat.
US08008374B2	Process for producing polymers having amide and ester groups in the solid state A process for preparing a polymer P having amide and ester groups in the solid state of aggregation, comprising (a) reacting a homo- or copolymer P1 of (meth)acrylic acid, itaconic acid or crotonic acid with at least one monohydroxy compound E at a temperature up to 200° C. to give a polymer P2, so that anhydride groups form in addition to ester groups, (b) cooling the polymer P2 prepared in step (a) being cooled to below 60° C. so that the polymer P2 is present in the solid state of aggregation or as supercooled melt, and (c) amidating the polymer P2 having anhydride groups and present in the solid state of aggregation or as supercooled melt with at least one amine compound A at temperatures below 60° C., the amine compound A used in step (c) being present in the solid state of aggregation or on or in a solid carrier material.
US08008369B2	Ink set, ink cartridge including the same, and inkjet recording apparatus employing the same An ink set includes an ink composition including an encapsulated black pigment in which a black pigment is coated with a polymer resin.
US08008368B2	Oil-based ink composition for inkjet recording An oil-based ink composition for inkjet recording capable of exhibiting desired properties of drying after print, rubfastness and re-solubility is achieved by performing solubilization on an acrylic resin which is not easily dissolved conventionally. The oil-based ink composition for inkjet printing comprises glycol ether dialkyl ethers as a prime solvent; and an acrylic resin that results from solution polymerization in a solvent of the glycol ether dialkyl ethers by use of a radical polymerization initiator.
US08008364B2	Curable composition The present invention provides a pigment dispersion liquid including a pigment, a compound having a cyclic urea structure and having an acid group or a basic group, a dispersant, and a solvent. The pigment may be a pigment having a urea structure or an imide structure. The pigment may also be a pigment having a barbituric skeleton.
US08008338B2	Ketorolac tromethamine compositions for treating or preventing ocular pain Compositions comprising ketorolac tromethamine at a therapeutically effective concentration of less than 0.5% are disclosed herein. Methods of treating or preventing ocular pain using said compositions are also disclosed herein.
US08008335B2	Indole and benzimidazole derivatives The present invention relates to new indole and benzimidazole compounds and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, esters or prodrugs thereof, compositions of the new compounds together with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, and uses of the new compounds. The compounds of the invention have the following general formula (I).
US08008334B2	Bis-heterocyclic imidazolyl compounds The patent application relates to new heterocyclic compounds of the general formula (I) in which R, R1, R2, R3, R4 and n have the definitions elucidated in more detail in the description, to a process for preparing them and to the use of these compounds as medicaments, particularly as aldosterone synthase inhibitors.
US08008325B2	Plasma carboxypeptidase B inhibitors Compounds of the following formula (I), for example: wherein R1, R2, R3, and R4 are described herein, are useful as inhibitors of plasma carboxypeptidase B. Pharmaceutical compositions containing these compounds, methods of using these compounds as antithrombotic agents and processes for synthesizing these compounds are also described herein.
US08008302B2	N-hydroxyamide derivatives and use thereof The present invention is related to N-hydroxyamide derivatives of Formula (I) and use thereof, in particular for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of autoimmune disorders, inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases and fibrosis, including multiple sclerosis, arthritis, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, liver and pulmonary fibrosis.
US08008295B2	Tyrosine kinase inhibitors The present invention relates to compounds that are capable of inhibiting, modulating and/or regulating signal transduction of both receptor-type and non-receptor type tyrosine kinases. The compounds of the instant invention possess a core structure that comprises an indole-sulfonamide moiety. The present invention is also related to the pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates and stereoisomers of these compounds.
US08008282B2	Lipoxin analogs as novel inhibitors of angiogenesis The present invention is directed to methods for the prevention or inhibition of angiogenesis. The method is accomplished by the administration of an effective amount of 15-epi-16-(para-fluoro)-phenoxy-lipoxin A4, LXA4, 15-epi-LXA4 or 15-R/S-methyl, LXA4 and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, esters, amides, carboxylic acids, or prodrugs thereof, to a subject in need thereof. As a consequence of the action of the therapeutic agent, angiogenesis is prevented or inhibited in the subject.
US08008271B2	Methods and compositions for treating gain-of-function disorders using RNA interference The present invention relates to novel methods for treating dominant gain-of-function diseases. The invention provides methods for targeting regions of the copper zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1), which causes inherited amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with RNAi agent. The invention further provides RNAi resistant replacement genes containing mismatches with their respective RNAi agents. The invention also provides for vectors that express RNAi agent and RNAi resistant replacement gene of the present invention.
US08008263B2	Organic compounds and their uses The present application describes organic compounds that are useful for the treatment, prevention and/or amelioration of human diseases.
US08008250B2	Macrocyclic compounds and compositions useful as BACE inhibitors Macrocyclic compounds of the formula in which R1, R3, V1, V2, X1, X2, Y, Z, Ar, AA and n are as defined in the specification, the number of ring atoms included in the macrocyclic ring being 14, 15, 16, 17 or 18, in free base form or in acid addition salt form, to their preparation, to their use as medicaments and to medicaments comprising them are presented.
US08008244B2	Compositions of tetrafluoropropene and hydrocarbons Provided are azeotrope-like compositions comprising tetrafluoropropene and one or more selected hydrorocarbons and uses thereof, including use in refrigerant compositions, refrigeration systems, blowing agent compositions, and aerosol propellants.
US08008241B2	Automatic dishwashing detergent composition An automatic dishwashing detergent composition comprising: a. at least 0.1 mg of active protease per gram of composition, wherein the protease is a variant of a protease that has at least 70% identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1. wherein said variant comprise variations in one or more of the following positions: 32, 33, 48-54, 58-62, 94-107, 116, 123-133, 150, 152-156, 158-161, 164, 169, 175-186, 197, 198, 203-216 as compared with the protease in SEQ ID NO:1; and b. at least 0.05 mg of an active low temperature amylase per gram of composition.
US08008240B2	Process for treating a hard surface using an EO/PO trisiloxane The present invention relates to a process of treating a hard surface with a composition comprising polyalkoxylate trisiloxane. More specifically, it relates to a process of treating an horizontal hard surface, wherein a composition comprising polyalkoxylate trisiloxane is applied onto said hard surface.
US08008236B2	Ortho ester breakers for viscoelastic surfactant gels and associated methods Many methods are provided including a method comprising: providing a surfactant gel having a first viscosity that comprises an aqueous base fluid and a surfactant; providing an ortho ester breaker; contacting the surfactant gel with the ortho ester breaker; allowing the ortho ester breaker to hydrolyze to produce an acid and an alcohol; and allowing the acid and/or the alcohol to interact with the surfactant gel so as to reduce the first viscosity of the surfactant gel to a second viscosity. Other methods are provided that include a method comprising: providing a surfactant gel that comprises an aqueous base fluid and a surfactant having a first viscosity; placing the surfactant gel into a subterranean formation; providing an ortho ester breaker; contacting the breaker with the surfactant gel; allowing the breaker to hydrolyze to produce an acid and an alcohol; and allowing the acid and/or the alcohol to interact with the surfactant gel so as to reduce the first viscosity of the surfactant gel to a second viscosity.
US08008226B2	Oil-based thermo-neutral reforming with a multi-component catalyst A method is provided for the thermo-neutral reforming of liquid hydrocarbon fuels which employs a Ni, Ce2O3, La2O3, Pt−ZrO2, Rh and Re catalyst having dual functionalities to achieve both combustion and steam reforming.
US08008223B2	Mesostructured zeolitic materials, and methods of making and using the same One aspect of the present invention relates to mesostructured zeolites. The invention also relates to a method of preparing mesostructured zeolites, as well as using them as cracking catalysts for organic compounds and degradation catalysts for polymers.
US08008217B2	Fabrics with strain-responsive viscous liquid polymers A penetration resistant article with an area density less than 1.5 lb/ft2 made of a plurality of fibrous fabric layers that have applied thereto about 1 to 8 percent by weight of a polymer having a glass transition temperature in the range of minus 40 to about 0° C. and a zero shear melt viscosity 2×106 to about 1013 poise at 20° C.
US08008214B2	Method of forming an insulation structure and method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using the same In a method of forming an insulation structure, at least one oxide layer is formed on an object by at least one oxidation process, and then at least one nitride layer is formed from the oxide layer by at least one nitration process. An edge portion of the insulation structure may have a thickness substantially the same as that of a central portion of the insulation structure so that the insulation structure may have a uniform thickness and improved insulation characteristics. When the insulation structure is employed as a tunnel insulation layer of a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device may have enhanced endurance and improved electrical characteristics because a threshold voltage distribution of cells in the semiconductor device may become uniform.
US08008213B2	Self-assembly process for memory array A method of making a device includes forming at least one anodizable metal layer over at least one of an electrode or a semiconductor device, forming a plurality of pores in the anodizable metal layer by anodization of the anodizable metal layer to expose a portion of the electrode or semiconductor device, and filling at least one pore with a rewritable material such that at least some of the rewritable material is in electrical contact with the electrode or semiconductor device.
US08008186B2	Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same A semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a semiconductor substrate; a wiring formed in predetermined pattern above the semiconductor substrate, a first insulating film lying right under the wiring, and a second insulating film lying in a peripheral portion other than a portion right under the wiring, in which a surface layer of the first insulating film lying in a boundary surface between the first insulating film and the second insulating film is chemically modified to reinforce the surface layer.
US08008184B2	Semiconductor device manufacturing method, semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and storage medium A seed layer is formed on a surface of an insulating film and along a recess of the insulating film, and after a copper wiring is buried in the recess, a barrier film is formed, and an excessive metal is removed from the wiring. On a surface of a copper lower layer conductive path exposed at the bottom of the recess, a natural oxide of the copper is reduced or removed. On a substrate from which the natural oxide is reduced or removed, the seed layer, composed of a self-forming barrier metal having oxidative tendency higher than that of copper or an alloy of such metal and copper, is formed. The substrate is heated after burying copper in the recess. Thus, a barrier layer is formed by oxidizing the self-forming barrier metal. An excessive portion of the self-forming barrier metal is deposited on a surface of the buried copper.
US08008182B2	Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing semiconductor device A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: a) preparing a structure including a semiconductor substrate, an electrode provided on a first surface of the semiconductor substrate, and an insulation film provided on the first surface and having an opening positioned on a first part of the electrode; b) forming a first metal layer from an upper surface of the first part of the electrode to an upper surface of the insulation film; c) forming a resin layer on a first part of the first metal layer, which is positioned on the first part of the electrode, and on the insulation film after the step b); d) removing at least a second part of the resin layer, which is positioned on the first part of the first metal layer, in a manner to leave a first part of the resin layer so as to form a resin protrusion; and e) forming a second metal layer, which is electrically connected with the electrode, from an upper surface of the first metal layer to an upper surface of the resin protrusion.
US08008170B2	Method for manufacturing semiconductor device There is provided a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device in which a selective growth mask for partially covering a growth substrate is formed on a growth substrate; a buffer layer that is thicker than the mask is formed on a non-mask part not covered by the mask on the growth substrate, and a predetermined facet is exposed on the surface of the buffer layer; a semiconductor film is laterally grown using the buffer layer as a starting point, and a lateral growth layer for covering the mask is formed while cavities are formed on the upper part of the mask; and a device function layer is epitaxially grown on the lateral growth layer. The cavity formation step includes a first step for growing a semiconductor film at a growth rate and a second step for growing another semiconductor film at another growth rate mutually different from the first growth rate, wherein the first and second steps are carried out a plurality of times in alternating fashion.
US08008163B2	Method of fabricating semiconductor device A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, the method including forming a buffer oxide layer in a first region and a second region of a semiconductor substrate; forming a plurality of first preliminary mask patterns on the buffer oxide layer in the first region; forming a plurality of second preliminary mask patterns between every two adjacent first preliminary mask patterns from among the plurality of first preliminary mask patterns, respectively; forming a plurality of first mask patterns and a plurality of second mask patterns by trimming the plurality of first preliminary mask patterns and the plurality of second preliminary mask patterns; forming a plurality of first active region mask patterns for exposing the semiconductor substrate; defining a plurality of active regions in the semiconductor substrate by forming a trench including a plurality of first trench spaces having same width as the first space and a plurality of second trench spaces under the second space in the first region; and forming a first liner layer on the semiconductor substrate having the trench therein such that the plurality of first trench spaces are completely filled with the first liner layer.
US08008155B2	Gate electrode structure An electrode structure, e.g., a gate electrode for a transistor, includes: a volume of semiconductor material; a gate oxide on the semiconductor volume; a barrier layer, including silicon nitride, on the gate oxide layer; an adhesion layer on the barrier layer; and a metallic layer on the adhesion layer.
US08008153B2	Methods of fabricating nonvolatile memory devices having gate structures doped by nitrogen Nonvolatile memory devices are provided including an integrated circuit substrate and a charge storage pattern on the integrated circuit substrate. The charge storage pattern has a sidewall and a tunnel insulating layer is provided between the charge storage pattern and the integrated circuit substrate. A gate pattern is provided on the charge storage pattern. A blocking insulating layer is provided between the charge storage pattern and the gate pattern. The sidewall of the charge storage pattern includes a first nitrogen doped layer. Related methods of fabricating nonvolatile memory devices are also provided herein.
US08008152B2	Method of manufacturing semiconductor device A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising a first insulating film formed on a semiconductor substrate, a charge storage layer formed on the first insulating film, a second insulating film formed on the charge storage layer, and a control electrode formed on the second insulating film, forming the second insulating film comprises forming a lower insulating film containing oxygen and a metal element, thermally treating the lower insulating film in an atmosphere containing oxidizing gas, and forming an upper insulating film on the thermally treated lower insulating film using film forming gas containing at least one of hydrogen and chlorine.
US08008148B2	Method of manufacturing M-I-M capacitor of semiconductor device A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes sequentially forming an insulating layer and a metal layer over a semiconductor substrate, forming a photoresist pattern over the metal layer and etching the metal layer using the photoresist pattern as an etching mask to form a metal line pattern, subjecting the photoresist pattern to a reflow process to form a photoresist pattern over the metal layer and etching the metal layer using the photoresist pattern as an etching mask to form a metal line pattern, subjecting the photoresist pattern to a reflow process to form a reflowed photoresist pattern surrounding the metal line pattern, forming a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) layer over the semiconductor substrate provided with the reflowed photoresist pattern, and removing the MIM layer arranged over the photoresist pattern and the photoresist pattern.
US08008142B2	Self-aligned Schottky diode A Schottky barrier diode comprises a doped guard ring having a doping of a second conductivity type in a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. The Schottky barrier diode further comprises a first-conductivity-type-doped semiconductor region having a doping of a first conductivity type, which is the opposite of the second conductivity type, on one side of a dummy gate electrode and a Schottky barrier structure surrounded by the doped guard ring on the other side. A Schottky barrier region may be laterally surrounded by the dummy gate electrode and the doped guard ring. The doped guard ring includes an unmetallized portion of a gate-side second-conductivity-type-doped semiconductor region having a doping of a second conductivity type. A Schottky barrier region may be laterally surrounded by a doped guard ring including a gate-side doped semiconductor region and a STI-side doped semiconductor region. Design structures for the inventive Schottky barrier diode are also provided.
US08008141B2	Method of fabricating a semiconductor device with multiple channels A semiconductor device with multiple channels includes a semiconductor substrate and a pair of conductive regions spaced apart from each other on the semiconductor substrate and having sidewalls that face to each other. A partial insulation layer is disposed on the semiconductor substrate between the conductive regions. A channel layer in the form of at least two bridges contacts the partial insulation layer, the at least two bridges being spaced apart from each other in a first direction and connecting the conductive regions with each other in a second direction that is at an angle relative to the first direction. A gate insulation layer is on the channel layer, and a gate electrode layer on the gate insulation layer and surrounding a portion of the channel layer.
US08008135B2	Method for manufacturing pixel structure A method for manufacturing a pixel structure includes providing a substrate having an active device thereon and forming a dielectric layer covering the active device. The dielectric layer has a contact hole disposed over the active device. Next, a first photoresist layer is formed on the dielectric layer over the active device, and a transparent conductive layer is formed to cover a portion of the dielectric layer and the first photoresist layer. The transparent conductive layer is electrically connected to the active device via the contact hole. Besides, the transparent conductive layer is irradiated with use of a laser beam, and a portion of the transparent conductive layer on the first photoresist layer is removed, such that the other portion of the transparent conductive layer on the portion of the dielectric layer forms a pixel electrode. The first patterned photoresist layer is then removed.
US08008133B2	Chip package with channel stiffener frame Various semiconductor chip packages and methods of making the same are provided. In one aspect, a method of manufacturing is provided that includes providing a substrate that has a first side and a first plurality of passive devices on the first side. A stiffener frame is coupled on the first side. The stiffener frame has first and second spaced apart opposing walls that define a channel in which the first plurality of passive devices is positioned, and a central opening that does not cover a central portion of the first side of the substrate.
US08008130B2	Multilayer interconnection board, semiconductor device having the same, and method of forming the same as well as method of mounting the semicondutor chip on the interconnection board In accordance with the present invention, during formation of the interconnection board, the interconnection board remains securely fixed to a high rigidity plate being higher in rigidity than the interconnection board for suppressing the interconnection board from being bent.
US08008129B2	Method of making semiconductor device packaged by sealing resin member A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and a semiconductor device including a first semiconductor element mounted on a first surface of a base plate, wherein solder balls are formed on a second opposite surface of the base plate-such that the second opposite surface includes an area without solder balls. At least one second semiconductor element is mounted to the base plate at the area of the second surface without solder balls. The at least one semiconductor element may be mounted to the base plate using low molecular adhesive, or in the alternative, high temperature solder.
US08008128B2	Thin quad flat package with no leads (QFN) fabrication methods Embodiments of the present invention include a method of packaging semiconductor devices. The method comprises the steps of molding a surface of a wafer, sawing the wafer into individual devices, attaching the individual semiconductor device to an adhesive surface, molding the exposed surface, and sawing the wafer into individual semiconductor devices. The step of molding forms a continuous molded layer. The step of sawing results in each individual semiconductor having a molded layer. This molded layer corresponds to a portion of the continuous molded layer. The step of attaching includes attaching the molded layer of the individual semiconductor devices to the adhesive surface. The step of molding the exposed area includes molding an exposed area above the adhesive surface. This forms a solid expanse of material. The step of sawing the wafer into individual semiconductor devices includes sawing the solid expanse of material.
US08008126B2	Castellation wafer level packaging of integrated circuit chips Systems and methods for packaging integrated circuit chips in castellation wafer level packaging are provided. The active circuit areas of the chips are coupled to castellation blocks and, depending on the embodiment, input/output pads. The castellation blocks and input/output pads are encapsulated and held in place by an encapsulant. When the devices are being fabricated, the castellation blocks and input/output pads are sawed through. If necessary, the wafer portion on which the devices are fabricated may be thinned. The packages may be used as a leadless chip carrier package or may be stacked on top of one another. When stacked, the respective contacts of the packages are preferably coupled. Data may be written to, and received from, packaged chips when a chip is activated. Chips may be activated by applying the appropriate signal or signals to the appropriate contact or contacts.
US08008123B2	Manufacturing method of semiconductor device A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, including a first step of forming a first electrode pad at an external edge part of a semiconductor chip mounting area of a supporting board; a second step of fixing a rear surface of a semiconductor chip having a main surface, the main surface where a second electrode pad is formed, to an inside of an area of the main surface of the supporting board, the area where the first electrode pad is formed; a third step of forming a first internal connecting terminal on the first electrode pad, and forming a second internal connecting terminal on the second electrode pad; and a fourth step of forming a first insulation layer on the main surface of the supporting board.
US08008099B2	LED package structure with concave area for positioning heat-conducting substance and method for manufacturing the same An LED package structure with concave area for positioning heat-conducting substance includes a substrate unit, a heat-conducting adhesive unit, a light-emitting unit, a conductive unit and a package unit. The substrate unit has a substrate body, a concave space formed on the substrate body, and a plurality of positive and negative pads exposed on the substrate body. The heat-conducting adhesive unit has a heat-conducting adhesive layer positioned in the concave space. The light-emitting unit has a plurality of LED chips disposed on the heat-conducting adhesive layer and received in the concave space. The conductive unit has a plurality of wires. Each LED chip is electrically connected between each positive pad and each negative pad. The package unit has a translucent package resin body disposed on the substrate body in order to cover the LED chips and the wires.
US08008090B2	Vapochromic coordination polymers for use in analyte detection This application relates to vaprochromic coordination polymers useful for analyte detection. The vapochromism may be observed by visible color changes, changes in luminescence, and/or spectroscopic changes in the infrared (IR) signature. One or more of the above chromatic changes may be relied upon to identify a specific analyte, such as a volatile organic compound or a gas. The chromatic changes may be reversible to allow for successive analysis of different analytes using the same polymer. The polymer has the general formula MW[M′X(Z)Y]N wherein M and M′ are the same or different metals capable of forming a coordinate complex with the Z moiety; Z is selected from the group consisting of halides, pseudohalides, thiolates, alkoxides and amides; W is between 1-6; X and Y are between 1-9; and N is between 1-5. Optionally, an organic ligand may be bound to M. In alternative embodiments of the invention M may be a transition metal, such as Cu and Zn, M′ may be a metal such as Au, Ag, Hg and Cu, and Z may be a pseuodohalide, such as CN, SCN, SeCN, TeCN, OCN, CNO and NNN. In one particular embodiment a new class of [Metal(CN)2]-based coordination polymers with vapochromic properties is described, such as Cu[Au(CN)2]2 and Zn[Au(CN)2]2 polymers.
US08008083B2	Natriuretic peptides for diagnosing cardiac complications due to coronary catheterization The present invention discloses a method for diagnosing a cardiac complication in a patient due to coronary catheterization, comprising the steps of (a) obtaining at least one baseline sample from the patient during or after coronary catheterization, and then (b) obtaining at least one test sample from the patient after coronary catheterization, (c) determining a change of the level of an ANP-type peptide between the baseline sample and the test sample, wherein a significant decrease in the level of the ANP-type peptide according to step c) indicates a cardiac complication.
US08008077B2	Photochemical internalization for delivery of molecules into the cytosol The present invention provides a method for introducing a molecule into the cytosol of a cell in which the cell is contacted with a photosensitising agent, the cell is irradiated with light of a wavelength effective to activate the photosensitising agent and, substantially at the same time or after the irradiation, the cell is contacted with the molecule to be introduced, particularly for use in cancer treatment, gene therapy and vaccination.
US08008075B2	Stem cell aggregate suspension compositions and methods of differentiation thereof The present invention relates to methods for production of undifferentiated or differentiated embryonic stem cell aggregate suspension cultures from undifferentiated or differentiated embryonic stem cell single cell suspensions and methods of differentiation thereof.
US08008065B2	Disposable bioreactor vessel port A port for use with a bioreactor vessel comprising: i) a base member comprising a hollow tubular portion and a base plate configured to be sealingly affixed to a hole in the wall of a bioreactor vessel ii) a hollow, generally tubular bushing member for containing electrical, optical, microfluidic and/or chemical monitoring components which bushing member fits inside the bore of the tubular portion of the base member, both the base member and bushing member providing access to the contents of a bioreactor by; iii) a monitoring assembly inserted into the bushing member which assembly comprises means for providing incoming optical and/or electrical signals and means for collecting and transmitting measurement signals resulting from the interaction of incoming optical and/or electrical signals with the contents of a bioreactor; and iv) a cover which maintains the position and alignment of components ii) and iii) relative to the base member.
US08008060B2	Method for growing Cordyceps sinensis on a substrate Two different strains of Cordyceps sinensis are placed at two different locations in a medium containing purified rattle snake venom and the two strains are allowed to grow until they meet in a boundary zone where a hybrid strain is formed due to exchange of genetic material. The hybrid strain is allowed to grow and is harvested and can be analyzed for the presence and quantity of desired medicinal substances. The amount of N6-(2-hydroxyethyl)-adenosine in a Cordyceps sinensis strain or product sample is a reliable indicator of the overall health benefiting qualities of the strain or sample.Strains of Cordyceps sinensis, are grown in a substrate at 20 to 22° C. at sea level atmospheric pressure for 28 to 30 days in diffuse light, and thereafter in an atmosphere containing approximately 50% of oxygen of the sea level atmosphere, at approximately 3° C. with exclusion of light, for approximately 15 to 20 weeks to provide a Cordyceps sinensis product that has the characteristic analytical signature of wild Cordyceps sinensis and includes substantial quantities of the health benefiting compounds of the strain found in the wild.
US08008058B2	Ketose 3-epimerase, its preparation and uses An object of the present invention is to provide a novel ketose 3-epimerase, a process for producing the same, a DNA encoding the enzyme, a recombinant DNA and transformant comprising the DNA, and a process for producing a ketose by using the enzyme. The present invention solves the above objects by providing a ketose 3-epimerase which is obtainable from a microorganism of the genus Rhizobium, a process for producing the same, a DNA encoding the enzyme, a recombinant DNA and transformant comprising the DNA, and a process for converting D- or L-ketohexose into corresponding D- or L-ketohexose by epimerizing the hydroxyl group at the C-3 position of the D- or L-ketohexose; and D- or L-ketopentose into corresponding D- or L-ketopentose by epimerizing the hydroxyl group at the C-3 position of the D- or L-ketopentose; by using the enzyme.
US08008057B2	Subtilases The present invention relates to methods for producing variants of a parent JP170 subtilase and of a parent BPN′ subtilase and to JP170 and BPN′ variants having altered properties as compared to the parent JP170/BPN′ subtilase.
US08008055B2	Thermotolerant ribonuclease H Polypeptides having an RNase H activity highly useful in genetic engineering; genes encoding these polypeptides; and a process for genetic engineeringly producing these polypeptides.
US08008049B2	DNA coding for polypeptide participating in biosynthesis of pladienolide The present invention provides polypeptides that participate in the biosynthesis of the pladienolide macrolide compounds, DNA that encodes these polypeptides and variants of this DNA, transformants that maintain all or a portion of this DNA or variant thereof, and a method of producing the pladienolide macrolide compounds using these transformants. More particularly, it provides an isolated pure DNA that contains at least one region encoding a polypeptide that participates in pladienolide biosynthesis; polypeptide encoded by this DNA; a self-replicating or integrated-replicating recombinant plasmid carrying this DNA; a transformant maintaining this DNA; and a method of producing a pladienolide, characterized by culturing this transformant on culture medium and collecting pladienolide from this culture medium.
US08008048B2	L-cysteine-producing bacterium and a method for producing L-cysteine The present invention provides a bacterium belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae which has L-cysteine-producing ability and has been modified to decrease the activity of the protein encoded by the yhaM gene. This bacterium is cultured in a medium, and L-cysteine, L-cystine, their derivatives, or a mixture thereof is collected from the medium.
US08008045B2	Primers for isothermal amplification of hepatitis C virus The present application relates to primers for isothermal amplification of HCV each include at least eighteen consecutive bases corresponding to a 3′ end region of one selected from base sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 1-10, 21 and 22. The primers are specific to HCV subtypes 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b and 3a, respectively and enable genotyping of HCV by isothermal amplification.
US08008042B2	Aspergillus niger promoter for expressing genes in host cells The present invention relates to isolated promoter sequences, particularly a promoter isolated from Aspergillus niger designated herein as A4-L or A4 and DNA constructs and vectors including the same.
US08008040B2	Process for production of 5-ene-3-one or 3,6-dione derivatives of sterols, processes for production of lipid metabolism improvers, foods, drinks, and animal feeds, and analytical method An object of the present invention is to provide a process according to which 5-ene-3-one or 3,6-dione derivatives of sterols can be synthesized with a better yield, as well as a process for production of lipid metabolism improvers, foods, drinks, and animal feeds containing the 5-ene-3-one or 3,6-dione derivatives of sterols.The process for production of 5-ene-3-one or 3,6-dione derivatives of sterols of the present invention involves preparing a culturing solution containing an Arthrobacter bacterium, which is a microorganism exhibiting a cholesterol oxidase activity, and then, adding to the culturing solution an equivalent amount of hexane so as to prepare a bilayer solution consisting of an aqueous layer and a hydrocarbon-based solvent layer. Thereafter, sterol, or a derivative thereof, is made as a substrate contained therein, a reaction performed with cholesterol oxidase at 30° C. for 2 days, and, ethanol then added to separate a hydrocarbon-based solvent layer. Thereafter, the layer is dried to a state of dryness by means of a vacuum dryer so as to obtain 5-ene-3-one or 3,6-dione derivatives.
US08008009B2	Method for ProNGF assay for in vitro diagnosis of cancer in particular breast, thyroid or lung cancer and therapeutic use of ProNGF The present invention concerns a method for in vitro diagnosis of cancer, in particular breast, thyroid or lung cancer, which consists in determining the presence of ProNGF in a biological sample derived from a patient suspected of suffering from cancer, in particular breast, thyroid or lung cancer. Said method may be used for early diagnosis, screening, therapeutic follow-up, prognosis and for diagnosing relapses in cancer and in particular breast, thyroid or lung cancer.The present invention also concerns the use of a ProNGF inhibitor for preparing a drug, said drug being in particular useful for blocking remote dissemination and cell invasion in patients suffering from cancer, in particular breast, thyroid or lung cancer.The invention is applicable in the field of diagnosis and therapeutics.
US08008005B2	Method for the synthesis of DNA sequences A method is disclosed for the direct synthesis of double stranded DNA molecules of a variety of sizes and with any desired sequence. The DNA molecule to be synthesis is logically broken up into smaller overlapping DNA segments. A maskless microarray synthesizer is used to make a DNA microarray on a substrate in which each element or feature of the array is populated by DNA of a one of the overlapping DNA segments. The DNA segments are released from the substrate and held under conditions favoring hybridization of DNA, under which conditions the segments will spontaneously hybridize together to form the desired DNA construct. This method makes possible the remote assembly of DNA sequence, through a process analogous to facsimile transmission of documents, since the information on DNA to be made can be transmitted remotely to an instrument which can then synthesize any needed DNA sequence from the information.
US08008003B2	Gene expression profiling of EGFR positive cancer The present invention concerns prognostic markers associated with EGFR positive cancer. In particular, the invention concerns prognostic methods based on the molecular characterization of gene expression in paraffin-embedded, fixed tissue samples of EGFR-expressing cancer, which allow a physician to predict whether a patient is likely to respond well to treatment with an EGFR inhibitor.
US08008002B2	Nucleic acid sequencing A method is disclosed for determining a target nucleic acid sequence, where the target nucleic acid sequence is comprised in a preparation comprising a non-target nucleic acid sequence, the target nucleic acid sequence and the non-target nucleic acid sequence each having a first region of common sequence upstream of a first region of dissimilar sequence upstream of a second region of dissimilar sequence, and includes the steps of contacting the preparation with an oligonucleotide primer complementary to at least a portion of the first region of common sequence, under conditions to hybridise the primer thereto; contacting the preparation with a first labelled nucleotide bearing a first label, wherein the first labelled nucleotide is complementary to a first template nucleotide comprised in the first region of dissimilar sequence of either the target nucleic acid sequence or the non-target nucleic acid sequence, under conditions to incorporate the first labelled nucleotide either into the primer hybridised to the target nucleic acid sequence or into the primer hybridised to the non-target nucleic acid sequence but not into both; and subjecting the preparation to a sequencing reaction, thereby extending the primer to form one or more first-labelled sequencing products comprising the first labelled nucleotide and one or more non-first-labelled sequencing products comprising no first labelled nucleotide; and determining at least a portion of the sequence of the first-labelled sequencing products and/or the non-first-labelled sequencing products, thereby determining at least the second region of dissimilar sequence of the target nucleic acid sequence.
US08007995B2	Moesin, caveolin 1 and yes associated protein 1 as predictive markers of response to dasatinib in breast cancers The invention described herein relates to methods and compositions useful in the diagnosis, treatment and management of cancers that express particular genes, including the moesin, caveolin 1, and/or yes-associated protein 1 genes.
US08007989B1	Method and solution for forming a patterned ferroelectric layer on a substrate A method for forming a patterned ferroelectric layer, having ferroelectric electronic properties, on a substrate. A composite layer, made of ferroelectric layer producing metal acrylate compounds, a photoinitiator compound and an acrylate crosslinking compound is formed on the substrate. A photomask is formed on the composite layer. Unmasked areas of the composite layer are irradiated with ultraviolet light. A solvent removes non-irradiated areas of the composite layer from the substrate. The patterned composite layer is heated in an oxygen atmosphere to cause a chemical reaction among the ferroelectric layer producing metal acrylate compounds and oxygen, a patterned ferroelectric layer being formed on the substrate.
US08007988B2	Method for manufacturing lens forming master and method for manufacturing thin film transistor substrate using the same A method for manufacturing a lens forming master includes coating an organic insulation material on a substrate to form an organic insulation layer, removing a portion of the organic insulation layer with a laser which is irradiated through a first mask to form a lens shape on a surface of the organic insulation layer, and removing portions of the organic insulation layer with a laser irradiated through a second mask to form a contact hole and a bank area in the organic insulation layer.
US08007987B2	Manufacturing methods of asymmetric bumps and pixel structure A manufacturing method of asymmetric bumps is provided. First, a substrate is provided. A film layer is then formed on the substrate. Next, a complex photomask including at least one transparent region, a number of opaque regions, and a number of semi-transparent regions is provided. Each of the semi-transparent regions is disposed between two adjacent opaque regions, and at least one light-shielding pattern is randomly disposed in each of the semi-transparent regions. The film layer is then patterned with use of the complex photomask, and multiple asymmetric bumps are formed on the substrate. By using the complex photomask, manufacturing steps of the asymmetric bumps can be reduced. Besides, a manufacturing method of a pixel structure having the above-mentioned asymmetric bumps is also provided.
US08007978B2	Aqueous dispersions for use as toners A compound that includes an aqueous dispersion, wherein the dispersion includes a thermoplastic resin and at least one stabilizing agent, and at least one selected from the group consisting of a colorant and a magnetic pigment, wherein the dispersion has an average volume diameter particle size from about 0.05 to about 10 microns is described.
US08007974B2	Toner, image forming apparatus using the same, image forming method using the same, and process cartridge A toner that is excellent in low-temperature fixing property, offset resistance, storage stability, charge rising property, charge stability with time and pulverizability and allows for forming high-quality images over a long period of time. The toner contains at least a binder resin, a colorant and a charge controlling agent, wherein the charge controlling agent contains an aromatic oxycarboxylic acid metal compound having a trivalent or more central metal, the binder resin comprises a polyester resin (A) having a softening point Tm (A) of 120° C. to 160° C. and a polyester resin (B) having a softening point Tm (B) of 80° C. to less than 120° C., and at least any one of the polyester resins (A) and (B) contains 1,2-propane diol at 65 mol % or more in a divalent alcohol component and can be obtained by condensation polymerizing an alcohol component substantially composed of only an aliphatic alcohol with a carboxylic acid component.
US08007973B2	Full-color toner kit, process cartridge, and image forming method A full-color toner kit including yellow, magenta, and cyan toners each including a benzimidazolone, a naphthol, and a copper phthalocyanine colorants, respectively, and resins (A) and (B) each of which having a polyester skeleton and containing a wax, and a resin (C) having a polyester skeleton and containing no wax. Each of the toners has a softening point of from 125° C. to 135° C. The following relationships are satisfied: Ts(A)
US08007971B2	Tris(enylaryl)amine containing photoconductors A photoconductor that includes, for example, a supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer, and a tris(enylaryl)amine containing charge transport layer.
US08007964B2	Photomask blank and photomask A photomask blank to be used as a material for a photomask is provided with a mask pattern having a transparent area and an effectively opaque area to exposure light on a transparent substrate. On the transparent board, one or more layers of light shielding films are formed with or without other film (A) in between, at least one layer (B) which constitutes the light shielding film includes silicon and a transition metal as main component, and a molar ratio of silicon to the transition metal is silicon:metal=4-15:1 (atomic ratio). The photomask provided with the mask pattern having the transparent area and the effectively opaque area to exposure light on the transparent board is also provided.
US08007957B2	Electrode for fuel cell, fuel cell system comprising the same, and method for preparing the same The electrode for a fuel cell of the present invention includes a carbonaceous electrode substrate, a microporous layer formed on the surface of the electrode substrate with the microporous layer including a carbonized polymer, and nano-carbon formed on the surface of the microporous layer with a catalyst layer coated on the surface of the nano-carbon. Alternatively, an electrode for a fuel cell includes a carbonaceous electrode substrate in which carbon particles are dispersed, a nano-carbon on the electrode substrate with a catalyst layer on the surface of the nano-carbon.
US08007955B2	Bipolar plate for fuel cell with deformed metal distribution sheet The bipolar plate is of a relatively simple design and a low production cost. In addition, it only requires two supply ducts.It consists essentially of a separator (20) sandwiched between two distributors (14) each consisting of a deformed sheet so that a distribution channel (16A, 16B) is formed on each of the two sides. A central hole (15) is used to connect both channels so as to only form a single distribution channel from one end of the distributor to the other. The fuel and oxidant gases may be evacuated to the outside or collected in peripheral evacuation holes (28) similar to the supply holes (17).
US08007946B2	Fuel cell system warm-up strategy with reduced efficiency losses A method for quickly and efficiently heating a fuel cell stack at system start-up. The method uses and prioritizes various stack heat sources based on their efficiency to heat the stack. A thermal set-point for heating the stack to the desired temperature is determined based on the ambient temperature and, the stack cooling fluid temperature. The set-point is then compared-to the stack heating provided by the heat sources that are operating through normal system start-up operation. If more heat is necessary to reach the set-point, the method may first charge a system battery using stack power where the load causes the fuel cell stack to heat up. If additional heating is still required, the method may then turn on a cooling fluid heater, then flow a small amount of hydrogen into the cathode inlet stream to provide combustion, and then increase the compressor load as needed.
US08007943B2	Cascaded stack with gas flow recycle in the first stage A fuel cell system including a humidification system is described. The humidification system employs a recycling system that recycles relatively humid gas exhausted from a multistage fuel cell stack, either on the anode and/or cathode side, and sends this relatively humid gas back to be combined with relatively dry supply gas, such as but not limited to hydrogen and/or air. The humidified supply gas mixture is then reintroduced into the first stage of the multistage fuel cell stack. A recirculation device, such as but not limited to a pump and/or an ejector, can be used to aid in moving the humid exhaust gas back through a recycle gas line to be combined with the supply gas.
US08007935B2	Plate assembly, core and lithium ion battery Disclosed are a plate assembly for a battery, a core and a lithium ion battery. The plate assembly comprises a plate, a conductive terminal and a membrane bag, the plate is encapsulated in the membrane bag, an encapsulation line is formed when the membrane bag is encapsulated, and the conductive terminal is disposed at one end of the plate and protruded out of the membrane bag, wherein the encapsulation line has at least two loops around the periphery of the plate. The core comprises the plate assembly of the present invention. The lithium ion battery comprises the core of the present invention. Since the membrane bag included in the plate assembly of the present invention is encapsulated by at least two loops of encapsulation line around the periphery of the plate, the membrane bag can be encapsulated tightly, which can prevent effectively the membrane bag from being cracked, and prevent the short circuit from being occurred due to the contact of the positive and negative plates, and thereby effectively improves the mechanical impact resistance of the battery.
US08007915B2	Resin composition, molded component, electrophotographic transfer film and image-forming apparatus A resin composition comprises a polyphenylene sulfide resin and a nylon resin having a χ-parameter of less than 1.3 at 25° C., and has one glass transition temperature, and an image-forming apparatus comprises a latent-image supporting member, and an intermediate transfer member that supports a toner image transferred thereon from the latent-image supporting member, transfers the supported toner image onto an image receiving material, the intermediate transfer member comprising a polyphenylene sulfide resin and a nylon resin having a χ-parameter of less than 1.3 at 25° C., and has one glass transition temperature.
US08007913B2	Laminated glass articles and methods of making thereof Disclosed are laminated glass articles and methods of making the same.
US08007910B2	Ultrahard multilayer coating comprising nanocrystalline diamond and nanocrystalline cubic boron nitride A multilayer coating (MLC) is composed of two chemically different layered nanocrystalline materials, nanodiamond (nanoD) and nano-cubic boron nitride (nono-cBN). The structure of the MLC and fabrication sequence of layered structure are disclosed. The base layer is preferably nanoD and is the first deposited layer serving as an accommodation layer on a pretreated substrate. It can be designed with a larger thickness whereas subsequent alternate nano-cBN and nanoD layers are typically prepared with a thickness of 2 to 100 nm. The thickness of these layers can be engineered for a specific use. The deposition of the nanoD layer, by either cold or thermal plasma CVD, is preceded by diamond nucleation on a pretreated and/or precoated substrate, which has the capacity to accommodate the MLC and provides excellent adhesion. Nano-cBN layers are directly grown on nanodiamond crystallites using ion-assisted physical vapor deposition (PVD) and ion-assisted plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), again followed by nanodiamond deposition using CVD methods in cycles until the intended number of layers of the MLC is obtained.
US08007903B2	Method for manufacturing ceramic member, and ceramic member, gas sensor device, fuel cell device, filter device, multi-layer piezoelectric device, injection apparatus and fuel injection system A ceramic member in which the metal layers with high void ratio are sufficiently sintered to lower a residue of resin is produced. The method for manufacturing a ceramic member which comprises a step of forming a stacked compact from a plurality of metallic paste layers containing a metal component M1 that are stacked one on another via ceramic green sheets, and a step of firing the stacked compact, wherein at least one of plural metallic paste layers is formed as a second metallic paste layer that has the mass percentage X higher than that of the metallic paste layer that adjoin therewith in the stacking direction and a ceramic powder is contained in the second metallic paste layer in the step of forming the stacked compact, the mass percentage X being the proportion of the metal component M1 to the total metal content in the metallic paste layer.
US08007900B2	Light absorbing layer for photo-chromic systems A composition which comprises a light absorbing layer adhered to an underlying layer containing a photo-chromic colorant, which photo-chromic colorant has been activated by exposure to UV light to undergo a reversible color change, and wherein the rate of color reversion is dependent on temperature, is provided. The ultraviolet light and/or visible light absorbing layer may also contain components which reflect rather than absorb light and can be conveniently applied via thermal transfer or ink jet to a substrate comprising the photo-chromic colorant to protect it from unwanted exposure to UV and/or certain wavelengths visible light. The composition is conveniently employed in a temperature time indicator (TTI).
US08007894B2	Process and equipment for manufacture of advanced composite structures A process for continuous, tailored lamination of aligned composite materials in such a way that either pre-formed or pre-consolidated sheets are made available for subsequent infusion molding or stamping processes, the process comprising the steps of: material placement, consolidation/stabilization, cut and kit, fabrication, and final trim. A tailored blank machine is also described. The blank machine includes a series of material placement heads arranged in a linear or serial fashion along a single moving placement table, wherein each head lays down a single angle of the prescribed stacking sequence as the conveyer passes under the head at a constant speed wherein the angle is proportional to head traverse rate divided by conveyer speed.
US08007890B2	Article in a sheet form and method for preparation thereof The sheet material produced in accordance with the invention has soft and enriched texture like natural leather and is suitable as any type of artificial leather for shoes, clothes, gloves and the like, particularly for sports gloves.
US08007889B2	Flocked multi-colored adhesive article with bright lustered flock and methods for making the same A multi-colored flocked article is provided having a plurality of flock and adhesive regions. Each flock region is defined by a plurality of flock fibers that are substantially the same in color and are substantially free of light dispersants, such as titanium dioxide. Further, each flock region is of a different color relative to an adjacent flock region to form a patterned, multi-colored design. Each of the plurality of adhesive regions corresponds to a flock region and includes a colored adhesive. The color of the adhesive is at least similar or substantially similar in color to the flock fibers in the corresponding flock region.
US08007886B2	Performance enhancing underlayment, underlayment assembly, and method An underlayment for supplementing one or more physical properties of wall, ceiling, and floor construction components is used to in a wall, ceiling, or floor assembly that may be fabricated on site. The assembly includes: first and second wall, ceiling, or floor construction components which each have physical properties and an underlayment component which has at least one supplemental physical property for supplementing the physical properties of the first and second construction components. The construction components may or may not be secured together with the underlayment sandwiched between the second and first construction components to form a wall, ceiling, or floor assembly with the supplemental physical property or properties of the underlayment. The supplemental physical property or properties of the underlayment may include, but are not limited to, latent storage of thermal energy, sound transmission reduction, and/or burn through resistance.
US08007884B2	Irrigation, erosion control, root growth control and clean-up techniques The invention provides processes for coating the surface of substrates such as a sheet, film, foam, fiber, etc., with a curable liquid resin or solution of curable resin, then in one embodiment, stably attaching a superabsorbent polymeric powder to such resin, and then curing the resin to form a coated superabsorbent product. Such substrates may include polymeric materials. Other process embodiments utilizing curable and thermoplastic resinous powders may be used instead of curable liquid resins and resulting products are included in the invention. The coated product may be utilized for water and nutrient retention in combination with irrigation, erosion control, to direct plant root growth, and to clean up standing water and petroleum spills.
US08007882B2	Packaging laminate, method for its manufacturing and packaging container manufactured from the packaging laminate A packaging laminate comprising a core layer of paper or carton with a through-going hole, a layer of thermoplastics applied onto one outer side of the core layer, an aluminum foil applied onto the other, inner, side of the core layer and bonded to the core layer by means of an intermediate layer of thermoplastics, the two layers of thermoplastics being sealed to each other within the region of the hole to form a membrane of aluminum foil and thermoplastics, and a first adhesive part-layer applied onto the inner side of the aluminum foil, an intermediate part-layer comprising a material providing barrier properties towards migration of free fatty acids, applied adjacent to the first adhesive part-layer, and an innermost part-layer comprising in the majority a metallocene polyethylene. The packaging laminate has improved sealability properties and provides improved or maintained package integrity and openability to a packaging container manufactured from the laminate, for the purpose of aseptic, long-term storage of for example fruit juice, having an opening arrangement, which at opening removes the membrane of laminated layers of aluminum foil and thermoplastics from the region of the hole in the core layer. Preferably, the material providing barrier properties towards migration of free fatty acids is a cyclo-olefin copolymer and/or a filler.
US08007881B2	Wood-like molded product, manufacturing apparatus for the same, and manufacturing method of the same A wood-like molded product which is permitted to have wood-like features without using a natural wood material, and is usable as a bottle case to keep a wine bottle or the like inserted therein, and the like. The wood-like molded product includes: a cylindrical main body which is made of a mixed material containing: fine cellulose powder particles obtained from a wood material; and resin, and permits a bottle to be inserted thereinto; and a supporting member provided in the cylindrical main body, to support a bottom face of the bottle inserted in the cylindrical main body.
US08007877B2	Liquid crystal optical modulation element and optical head device To provide a liquid crystal optical modulation element which is excellent in durability against blue laser and which can maintain the characteristics for a long period of time.A liquid crystal optical modulation element to modulate a laser beam having a wavelength of at most 500 nm, which comprises a layer of a polymer liquid crystal composition sandwiched between a pair of transparent substrates facing each other, characterized in that each of the pair of transparent substrates has an alignment film on the surface which faces the other transparent substrate, and the polymer liquid crystal composition is a polymer liquid crystal containing a hindered amine compound and a hindered phenol compound.
US08007872B2	Electrostatic coating method and apparatus for the same An electrostatic coating method in which a coating material cartridge is used. When a coating material feeding path (68, 88) is cleaned by a liquid fed from a coating material feeding unit (20), the liquid is fed from the coating material feeding unit to a storage part (13) and stored. The liquid in the storage part is then fed to a fluid chamber (83) inside a coating material cartridge (19) via a fluid circuit (10A). The liquid in the fluid chamber pushes out the electrically conductive coating material inside a coating material chamber (84) via a free piston (82), and the electrically conductive coating material is fed to a coating gun (14).
US08007871B2	Electrospray deposition: devices and methods thereof Disclosed herein are apparatus and methods for selectively depositing molecular ions on nanoscale substrates such as carbon nanotube arrays using electrospray ionization.
US08007859B2	Manufacturing method of electrolyte filled cathode for molten carbonate fuel cell Disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing the electrolyte-filled cathode of a molten carbonate fuel cell. The method includes the steps of a) manufacturing an air electrode through a sintering process; b) dispersing electrolyte powder throughout one surface of the air electrode according to a composition of eutectics; c) attaching the electrolyte powder, uniformly dispersed throughout the one surface of the air electrode, to the air electrode using pressure by pressing the electrolyte powder on the air electrode at a predetermined pressure; and d) filling the air electrode with the electrolyte powder, attached to the air electrode, through heat treatment.
US08007858B2	System and method for coating implantable devices A method and system of coating an implantable device, such as a stent, are provided.
US08007856B2	Mounting assembly for a stent and a method of using the same to coat a stent A mounting assembly for a stent and a method of coating a stent using the assembly are provided.
US08007847B2	Feeding formula appliance A device for preparing a fluid food at a desired consumption temperature on demand, comprising two reservoirs of water, a container containing a formula, a data processor and a controller for dispensing water of the correct temperature from each of the reservoirs and the formula from the container into a vessel. Also provided are methods for preparing specialized foods at desired consumption temperatures on demand, and methods for marketing both foods and food-preparation devices.
US08007841B2	Conjugated dienamides, methods of production thereof, compositions containing same and uses thereof Described are mixtures of at least four of the alkadienamides defined according to the structure: wherein R represents C1-C2 n-alkyl; R1 is 2-methyl-1-propyl and R2 is hydrogen, or R1 and R2 taken together is a moiety having the formula —(CH2)n—, wherein n is 4 or 5, or compositions containing substantial concentrations of such mixtures, prepared according to novel processes: (a) extraction of a ground substantially dried fruit of one of the Piper species, Piper longum Linn or Piper peepuloides; (b) natural product-forming synthesis; or (c) synthetic product-forming synthesis. Also described are uses of the thus-formed products for augmenting, enhancing or imparting an aroma, taste, chemesthetic effect and/or antibacterial effect in or to a consumable material and/or in the oral cavity and/or on the mammalian epidermis.
US08007838B2	Process for producing a stable concentrated dietary supplement and supplement produced thereby A stable concentrated dietary supplement containing fucoxanthin as the main active component. The dietary supplement is made by a process including grinding crude freeze-dried flakes of wakame seaweed (Undaria pinnatifida) with desirable characteristics into a powder, extracting the active fucoxanthin from the powder with use of an aliphatic or aromatic organic solvent, then filtering and distilling the extract to form a thick syrupy fucoxanthin-containing mass having a solids content of from about 10-99% by wt. The mass is then purified by dissolving it in an organic non-polar solvent having a Polarity Index of <6, wherein the resultant solution is filtered to remove any solid material therefrom and the remaining liquid is then concentrated to a dried mass by removing substantially all of the solvent, which mass is thereafter ground and sifted to obtain a plurality of particles measuring approximately 60-100 mesh in size. The supplement contains at least about 10% by weight of fucoxanthin, less than about 1 ppm iodine and less than about 1 ppm arsenic, and the fucoxanthin contained in the supplement remains substantially stable for at least about 2 years. The particles by themselves, or in admixture with other components well known in the relevant art, comprise a supplement that may be constituted in a form selected from, for example, tablets, capsules, powders and granules.
US08007836B2	Cleome spinosa extract used in pharmaceutical preparations and cosmetic compositions The invention relates to a Cleome spinosa extract used as an active ingredient in a cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition for extending the growth of hair follicles.
US08007834B2	Microbiocidal coatings There is provided a coating composition comprising (a) one or more microbicide, (b) one or more soluble polymer comprising, as polymerized units, one or more monomer with one or more pendant heterocycle, wherein said heterocycle has one or more hetero atom selected from the group consisting of N, O, S, and combinations thereof, and wherein said polymer has no anionic groups, and (c) solvent, wherein said polymer is dissolved in said solvent; wherein said composition contains no polymeric biguanide; and wherein 50% or more of said microbicide, by weight based on the total weight of microbicide, is not covalently bonded to any polymer.
US08007830B2	Granule formation The present invention relates to oral granules of montelukast sodium.
US08007828B2	Stabilized biodegradable neurotoxin implants Biodegradable neurotoxin implants and methods of making and using such implants are provided. Biodegradable neurotoxin implants include a neurotoxin, a biodegradable polymer component, and an acidity regulating component. The biodegradable polymer component is effective in controlling the release of the neurotoxin from the implant when the implant is located in a patient's body. The acidity regulating component is effective in maintaining a pH of the implant in a desired range that may be effective in stabilizing the neurotoxin as the implant biodegrades when the implant is located in a patient's body. In one embodiment, an implant includes a botulinum toxin, a biodegradable polymer, and either monomers from which a biodegradable polymer is derived or oligomers including monomeric units substantially identical to a monomer from which a biodegradable polymer is derived, or a combination of such monomers and oligomers. The oligomers and biodegradable polymer may be derived from a single type of monomer. The implants disclosed herein may be administered to a human or animal patient in which a therapeutic effect is desired for prolonged periods of time.
US08007817B2	Compositions and methods for treating microbial infections The present invention relates to methods and compositions for treatment of microbial infections and for the enhancement of resistance to infection. The invention comprises administration of an effective amount of bacterial lysate compositions for the treatment of pathological conditions of microbial infections. The present invention can also be used to enhance the immune system to prevent infections by the administration of an effective amount of the compositions.
US08007816B2	Yeast-based therapeutic for chronic hepatitis C infection Disclosed are compositions, including vaccines, and methods for vaccinating an animal against hepatitis C virus (HCV) and for treating or preventing hepatitis C viral infection in an animal. The invention includes a variety of novel HCV fusion proteins that can be used directly as a vaccine or in conjunction with a yeast-based vaccine vehicle to elicit an immune response against HCV in an animal. The invention also includes the use of the HCV fusion gene and protein described herein in any diagnostic or therapeutic protocol for the detection and/or treatment or prevention of HCV infection.
US08007810B2	HLA-A2 tumor associated antigen peptides and compositions A peptide or composition comprising at least one HLA-A2 epitope or analog from CEA, HER2/neu, MAGE2, MAGE3, or p53.
US08007809B2	Activin-actrii antagonists and uses for increasing red blood cell levels In certain aspects, the present invention provides compositions and methods for increasing red blood cell and/or hemoglobin levels in vertebrates, including rodents and primates, and particularly in humans.
US08007807B2	Multiple vaccination including serogroup C meningococcus Various improvements to vaccines that include a serogroup C meningococcal conjugate antigen, including: (a) co-administration with acellular B. pertussis antigen; (b) co-administration with an inactivated poliovirus antigen; (c) supply in a kit together with a separate pneumococcal conjugate component, which may be in a liquid form; and (d) use in combination with a pneumococcal conjugate antigen but without an aluminum phosphate adjuvant. A kit may have: (a) a first immunogenic component that comprises an aqueous formulation of a conjugated capsular saccharide from Streptococcus pneumoniae; (b) a second immunogenic component that comprises a conjugated capsular saccharide from Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C.
US08007804B2	Complement receptor 2 targeted complement modulators Modulation of the complement system represents a therapeutic modality for numerous pathologic conditions associated with complement activation. In a strategy to prepare complement inhibitors that are targeted to sites of complement activation and disease, compositions comprising a complement inhibitor linked to complement receptor (CR) 2 are disclosed. The disclosed are compositions can be used in methods of treating pathogenic diseases and inflammatory conditions by modulating the complement system.
US08007796B2	Means and methods for the treatment of tumorous diseases The invention relates to pharmaceutical means and methods for the prevention, treatment or amelioration of indolent or aggressive B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B NHL) and B cell leukemia comprising the administration of a bispecific single chain antibody construct to a subject and the use of the bispecific single chain antibody construct for the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention, treatment or amelioration of indolent or aggressive B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B NHL) and B cell leukemia. The construct is to be administered for at least 1 week in specified daily doses. Moreover, the invention relates to kits comprising a bispecific single chain antibody construct to be used in accordance with this invention.
US08007786B2	Radioprotective SOD soluble isoform and uses thereof The invention refers to a specific isoform of MnSOD (Mn-superoxide dismutase) and its uses for protecting and curing subjects exposed to radiations, specifically space radiations.
US08007783B2	Quality of life for hepatitis C patients with a formulation for administration to the oral mucosa including Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and N-acetyl D-glucosamine Disclosed are quick dissolve tablets, each including Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp bulgaricus (LBD) and N-acetyl-glucosamine (NAG), as well as excipients, for oral mucosal administration, for improving the quality of life of Hepatitis C patients. Any formulation suitable for oral mucosal administration can be employed for administering the active ingredients in a sufficient dosage for therapeutic effect, one such formulation being: 50 mg of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp bulgaricus lysate strain YB-I 10 mg of N-acetyl D-glucosamine. Excipients can include one or more of, maltodextrin; xanthan gum; acesulfam K; lemon powder and a flavoring, e.g., juice; Mannitol TL-32-04, Microcrystalline Cellulose and Carrageenan, Fructose, PVP-XL TL-11-04, Gellan Gum, Citrus TL 1-04, Orange TL 19-04, Sucrolose TL-13-04, and Mg ST TL-13-04.
US08007768B1	Pharmaceutical composition of nanoparticles The invention discloses a pharmaceutical composition of the nanoparticles composed of chitosan, a negatively charged substrate, a transition metal ion, and at least one bioactive agent for drug delivery. The nanoparticles are characterized with a positive surface charge configured for promoting enhanced permeability for bioactive agent delivery.
US08007766B2	Microwave method for preparing radiolabelled gallium complexes The present invention relates to a method of producing radiolabelled gallium complexes that could be used as diagnostic agents, e.g. for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.
US08007765B2	Microporous crystalline material, zeolite ITQ-37, preparation method and use The present invention relates to a microporous crystalline material characterized in that it has the following chemical composition in the calcined from: xX2O3:nYO2:mGeO2 in which (n+m) is at least 5, X is one or more trivalent elements, Y corresponds to one or more tetravalent elements other than Ge, “x” may have any value, including zero, and the ratio Y/Ge is greater than 0.1, and it has a characteristic X-ray diffraction pattern. Its also relates to a method for preparing it and to its use in the conversion of organic-compounds supplies.
US08007753B2	Catalytic oxidation of hydrocarbon gas A process for the catalytic oxidation of a hydrocarbon gas comprising the steps of releasing pulses of a compressed hydrocarbon gas into an expansion chamber (8) and passing the expanded hydrocarbon gas over a catalytic converter (11) to oxidize the hydrocarbon gas.
US08007750B2	Multilayered catalyst compositions A layered, three-way conversion catalyst having the capability of simultaneously catalyzing the oxidation of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide and the reduction of nitrogen oxides is disclosed. Methods of making and using the same are also provided. In one or more embodiments, the catalyst comprises three layers of catalytic material in conjunction with a carrier. A first layer comprises a platinum component on a first support; a second layer comprises a rhodium component on a second support; and a third layer comprises a palladium component and a third support. The palladium, rhodium, and/or platinum can independently be deposited on a support of high surface area refractory metal oxide, or of an oxygen storage component, or both.
US08007749B2	Method for scavenging mercury Disclosed herein is a method for removing mercury from a gas stream comprising contacting the gas stream with a getter composition comprising bromine, bromochloride, sulphur bromide, sulphur dichloride or sulphur monochloride and mixtures thereof. In one preferred embodiment the getter composition is adsorbed onto a sorbent. The sorbent may be selected from the group consisting of flyash, limestone, lime, calcium sulphate, calcium sulfite, activated carbon, charcoal, silicate, alumina and mixtures thereof. Preferred is flyash, activated carbon and silica.
US08007742B2	IRIS digester-evaporator interface A digester-evaporator for partially digesting a sample and for evaporating the solvent after partial digestion. The digester includes at least one reaction coil; a heating element arranged along a portion of the reaction coil; at least a portion of the reaction coil proximate to its output being preheated by the heating element to a degree sufficient to convert a partially digested sample into vapor; a collector spoon with carrier water for collecting sample vapor; and an evaporator portion including an evaporation chamber including a substantially vertically-oriented tube The collector spoon is arranged in the top of the substantially vertically-oriented tube, and a gas supply tube for supplying a preheated gas provided in a top of the substantially vertically-oriented tube so as to create a cyclonic gas flow into the chamber and carry the sample to a container area in a bottom portion of the chamber.
US08007735B2	Selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia to water and nitrogen A catalyst includes a platinum coating deposited on a silica support. The support has an average surface area between about 100 m2/g and about 120 m2/g. The platinum coating is between about 5 wt % and about 15 wt % of the catalyst. The combination of the selected surface area, silica support, and selected amount of platinum coating provides a catalytic activation temperature below 200° C. and avoids the formation of NOx.
US08007734B2	Isothermal reactor The present invention concerns an isothermal reactor (1) for carrying out exothermal or endothermal heterogeneous reactions comprising: —a substantially cylindrical outer shell (2) with longitudinal axis (X), —at least one catalytic bed (6) extending in the shell (2) and comprising opposite perforated side walls (7, 8) respectively for the inlet of a gaseous flow of reactants and for the outlet of a gaseous flow comprising reaction products, and —a heat exchange unit (12) immersed in said at least one catalytic bed (6) and crossed by a heat exchange fluid, characterized in that said heat exchange unit (12) comprises at least one succession of heat exchangers (13) arranged substantially parallel to each other and substantially parallel to the direction in which said at least one catalytic bed (6) is crossed by said gaseous flow of reactants.
US08007733B2	Non-contact radiant heating and temperature sensing device for a chemical reaction chamber An apparatus and methods are provided for heating and sensing the temperature of a chemical reaction chamber without direct physical contact between a heating device and the reaction chamber, or between a temperature sensor and the reaction chamber. A plurality of chemical reaction chambers can simultaneously or sequentially be heated independently and monitored separately.
US08007731B2	Fluid treatment device having a multiple ceramic honeycomb layered structure A device for treating fluids, such as automotive exhaust gases is provided, as well as a method of manufacturing such a device. The device provides a honeycomb structure, a matrix of ceramic walls that defines a plurality of parallel, fluid-conducting cells oriented along an axis, arranged in a stacked or discontinuous configuration between an inlet and outlet, where adjacent layers of honeycomb structure are separated by layers of air spaces. Each matrix layer has opposing faces that defines the inlets and outlets of the cells, and a peripheral portion or peripheral region including an outer skin. The peripheral portions or peripheral regions of adjacent stacked ceramic layers are mutually contiguous to prevent fluid flowing through the stacked ceramic layers from leaking between said outer skins.
US08007730B2	Synthetic method and automation device for fluorine-18-ACETATE An automatic synthesis device for fluorine-18-ACETATE ([18F]fluoroacetate) consists of a machinery housing that has multiple reactors and multiple raw material containers, and uses multiple control valves between each reactor and container, and operates the control valves through a control system to charge the raw material from each container to each reactor in an automatic and sequential fashion to execute the six procedures: fluorination, azeotropic dewatering, synthesis (reaction with precursors), purification and separation, hydrolysis and neutralization, purification and collection. The operation simply requires adding raw materials to the containers in advance, turning on power, charging reactive gases. In 50 minutes, the process to produce the product will be completed. The operation is really simple and can effectively improve production efficiency.
US08007719B2	Method and device for disinfecting a microtome cryostat A device and a method for disinfecting a microtome cryostat with introduction of a disinfection agent (3) into the cryostat chamber (2), action of the disinfection agent on the cryostat chamber, removal of the disinfection agent (3) by precipitation in a colder area (6) and drainage away from there. To enable such a microtome cryostat (1) to be disinfected several times per day without prolonged interruption of operation, a disinfection agent is used (3) that is effective below 0° C. and is introduced as a mist into the cryostat chamber (2) at below 0° C., the disinfection agent (3) being effective as a frost deposit in the cryostat chamber, wherein the frost deposit is displaced into a colder area (6) by sublimation and is converted to liquid by sporadic defrosting phases of this area (6) and thus removed.
US08007705B2	Method of manufacture of one-piece composite parts using a two-piece form including a shaped polymer that does not draw with a rigid insert designed to draw A polymer is formed into the shape of a one-piece composite part and then solidified by curing, setting, hardening or otherwise solidifying the polymer to form a shaped polymer form having a shape that does not draw. Composite material is laid up on the form and solidified to from the composite part. The rigidity required of the form to lay up the composite part can he provided by operating in the polymer form's glassy state, forming the shaped polymer form with a hollow core and placing a rigid insert designed to draw inside the hollow core with the polymer form in its elastomeric state or through a combination of both. In its elastomeric state the form becomes pliable (without relaxing to a different memorized shape) and can he drawn out of the one-piece composite part. Because the shape of the form does not draw, the form deforms as it is drawn. If used, the rigid insert is drawn out prior to removing the shaped polymer form. Upon removal, the polymer form in its elastomeric state returns to its original shape. The form may be used once and thrown away or reused to form multiple composite parts of the same shape.
US08007703B2	Process to prepare a shaped solid detergent A system for continuous casting of melt-cast products such as soaps, detergents and the like comprising: i) a substantially vertically disposable mold unit to favor solidification/casting of the melt cast composition during an upstream motion through the mold unit; ii) the mold unit operatively connected at it's lower end to a supply source of the melt-cast composition; iii) means for controlling the temperature of the melt in the mold unit to achieve the desired solidification and shaping during traverse of the melt from the bottom of the mold towards the top thereof, which is adapted to eject the formed cast product.
US08007697B2	Method for manufacturing articles in the form of thin slabs of composite stone and resultant articles In a method for manufacturing slabs which are thin (10-30 mm) and broad, a cement mix comprising water, cement and a fluidizer is mixed with inert stone aggregate having a controlled particle size. The resultant mix is deposited in a predetermined thickness onto a temporary support and subjected to vacuum vibrocompression. The slab thus formed is subjected to the steps of setting and hardening by means of curing, enclosing it between two thin sheets of plastic impermeable to water vapor which are hermetically sealed along their edges. The method envisages specific measures as regards the method of mixing performed during the steps of preparation of the cement mix and mixing of the cement paste with the stone aggregrate. Other improvements concern the components of the cement paste as well as the order of introduction of the aggregate during mixing with the latter.
US08007692B2	Coating liquid for nickel film formation, nickel film, and production method thereof It is aimed at providing: a coating liquid for nickel film formation suitable for forming a nickel film combinedly possessing an excellent electroconductivity and an excellent film-forming ability (surface flatness), by a coating method, particularly inkjet printing; a nickel film obtained by using the nickel film formation coating liquid; and a production method of such a nickel film.A coating liquid for nickel film formation comprises: nickel formate; and an amine based solvent having a boiling point within a range between 180° C. inclusive and 300° C. exclusive, as a main solvent, thereby allowing obtainment of a coating liquid for nickel film formation suitable for inkjet printing; and there can be obtained a uniform and flat nickel film having a low resistance and being excellent in film strength (adhesion force), by coating the nickel film formation coating liquid onto a substrate; drying the coated coating liquid; and subsequently calcining the dried coating liquid at a temperature of 200° C. or higher in an inert atmosphere or reducing atmosphere.
US08007687B2	Solvent An organic solvent which is very useful in paints is made up primarily of n-butyl acetate, n-heptane, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, acetone and a light hydrotreated petroleum distillate. The solvent typically has a closed cup flash point of about 50 to 75° F. The petroleum distillate typically has a boiling range from 230 to 320° F., a closed cup flash point from 35 to 75° F. and a kauri-butanol value not less than 25. A mixture of 8-carbon and 9-carbon hydrocarbons which are typically primarily paraffins or cycloparaffins typically makes up the vast majority of the petroleum distillate.
US08007684B2	Oxynitride fluorescent material and light-emitting device The invention has for its object the provision of an oxynitride fluorescent material has higher emission luminance than conventional rare earth element-activated sialon fluorescent materials.To this end, an oxynitride fluorescent material is designed in such a way as comprising a JEM phase as a mother crystal and a luminescence center element M1. For instance, the luminescence center element M1 is at least one kind of an element selected from Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu. And the JEM phase is expressed as a general formula MA1(Si6-zAlz) N10-zOz (where M indicates a metal element, 0.1≦z≦3).
US08007682B2	Compound, liquid crystal composition, optical anisotropic material and optical device A compound of the following formula (1): CH2═CR1—COO—R2—OCO-Cy-COO-Cy-A-Cy-R3 (1) wherein R1 is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; R2 is a hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms, provided that some or all of hydrogen atoms bonded to carbon atoms in the group may be substituted by fluorine atoms, and when it has 2 or more carbon atoms, it may have an etheric oxygen atom in a carbon-carbon bond, R3 is an alkyl or alkoxy group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms, or a fluorine atom, provided that when it is the alkyl or alkoxy group, some or all of hydrogen atoms bonded to carbon atoms in the group may be substituted by fluorine atoms; Cy is a trans-1,4-cyclohexylene group, provided that hydrogen atoms bonded to carbon atoms in the group may independently be substituted by fluorine atoms, chlorine atoms or methyl groups; and A is a single bond, a trans-1,4-cyclohexylene group or a 1,4-phenylene group, provided that hydrogen atoms bonded to carbon atoms in the group may independently be substituted by fluorine atoms, chlorine atoms or methyl groups.
US08007680B2	Electrolyte solution for electrochemical device and electrochemical device using same The present invention has for its object to provide an electrolyte solution which can dramatically suppress the time degradation in performance of an electrochemical device, especially an electrochemical capacitor.The present invention relates to an electrolyte solution for electrochemical device which comprises an imidazolium salt (A) represented by the general formula (1) as a main component, wherein the content of the imidazolium salt (B) represented by the general formula (2) is not more than 15% by weight to the total weight of the imidazolium salt (A) and imidazolium salt (B); (in the formula, R1, R2 and R3 may be the same or different and each represents an alkyl group containing 1 to 3 carbon atoms; R4 and R5 may be the same or different and each represents an hydrogen atom or an alkyl group containing 1 to 3 carbon atoms; and X− represents a counter anion) (in the formula, R1, R3, R4, R5 and X− are the same as the definition for the general formula (1)).
US08007673B2	Method of manufacturing circuit board An adhesive layer, an insulating layer and a copper foil are laminated together on both surfaces of a metallic base material by way of for example thermal press molding. In this case, openings (window holes) are formed in opposed positions on a portion of the adhesive layer. A circuit pattern is formed by etching on the copper foil in this state, followed by an external shape machining step of executing separation treatment reaching the metallic base material in predetermined positions including the openings. After that, a part of the insulating layer is cut off along the edge of the opening to obtain a circuit board with the end of the metallic base material exposed.
US08007672B2	Method for demineralizing condensate The present invention provides a multiple bed-type condensate demineralization method and apparatus for the method that are able to provide an improved treated water quality in ammonia operation by substantially reducing the cross contamination ratio during resin regeneration from the current cross contamination ratio.In the method of condensate demineralization using ion-exchange resin in a multiple-bed regime, condensate is passed through a resin layer having a multiple-bed structure in which an anion resin layer and a layer of a uniform particle size strong acid gel-type cation resin with a 10% to 16% degree of crosslinking, divided by a partition in such a manner that they do not mix with each other, are combined in alternation. The uniform particle size strong acid gel-type cation resin with a 10% to 16% degree of crosslinking is an ion-exchange resin that has a uniform particle size of 500 to 800 μm for which at least 95% of the resin particles fall in the range defined by the average particle size ±100 μm and the uniformity coefficient is less than or equal to 1.2. Ion-exchange resin that has come to require chemical regeneration is separately withdrawn and subjected to chemical regeneration by type and is returned into the originating partition.
US08007671B2	Microfiltration devices A method of treating a hollow fiber membrane microfiltration filter having an influent side and an effluent side to improve performance of the filter is disclosed. The method entails sealing imperfections in surfaces of the filter by flushing the filter with a liquid aqueous suspension of particulates. Filter cartridge devices also are disclosed. The devices may include a bactericidal chamber. A radial flow filter may be included in the devices. The filter cartridges may include a drain tube positioned within the filter for removing of effluent generated by the filter. A plurality of filter cartridges may be positioned on the drain tube.
US08007665B2	Advanced wastewater treatment device having movable dividers Disclosed herein is an advanced wastewater treatment device. The device includes a wastewater treatment bath having an anaerobic bath in which phosphorus is discharged, an anoxic bath in which denitrification of nitrate nitrogen is performed, and an aerobic bath in which decomposition and nitrification of organic matter is performed. A first movable divider separates the anaerobic bath from the anoxic bath and is movably provided in the wastewater treatment bath to change relative volume of the anaerobic and anoxic baths. A second movable divider separates the anoxic bath from the aerobic bath and is movably provided in the wastewater treatment bath to change relative volume of the anoxic and aerobic baths. A divider moving unit moves the first and second movable dividers. An air supply unit includes air nozzles, an air pump, and valves. A recycling unit recycles activated sludge of the aerobic bath to the anoxic bath.
US08007663B2	Mesostructured zeolitic materials and methods of making and using the same One aspect of the present invention relates to mesostructured zeolites. The invention also relates to a method of preparing mesostructured zeolites, as well as using them as cracking catalysts for organic compounds and degradation catalysts for polymers.
US08007660B2	Reduced puffing needle coke from decant oil A reduced puffing needle coke is formed from decant oil, which includes a lesser amount of nitrogen within the coke so that carbon articles produced from such coke experience minimal expansion upon heating to graphitization temperatures.
US08007658B2	Reduced puffing needle coke from coal tar A reduced puffing needle coke is formed, which includes a lesser amount of nitrogen within the coke so that carbon articles produced from such coke experience minimal expansion upon heating to graphitization temperatures.
US08007656B2	Enzymatic electrochemical biosensor An electrochemical sensor strip has a base and a first electrode and a second electrode on the base. An oxidoreductase enzyme and a mediator are on the first electrode, and a soluble redox species is on the second electrode. The soluble redox species may be an organotransition metal complex, a transition metal coordination complex, an electroactive organic molecule, or mixtures thereof.
US08007655B2	Method and apparatus for measuring properties of weak electrolytic, organic fluids such as hydrocarbon-based fluids A method and system for determining chemical properties of a fluid. The method and system include providing a weak electrolyte fluid, a container for the fluid, a detection method performed by a device having at least two electrodes, a detection and amplification device coupled to the electrodes and a sensed current compared to an uncontaminated, base fluid or compared to data characteristic of fluid contaminated or chemically changed in order to monitor and characterize the fluid.
US08007645B2	Biosensor A biosensor can supply a sample solution accurately and easily, and includes a capillary for collecting a sample solution and analyzes a specific substance in the sample solution, an air hole, and at least two supply ports, i.e., a sample supply port and an auxiliary sample supply port, so that supply of the sample solution can be performed from either of the supply ports. Even when the sample supply port is closed up with a fingertip or the like and supply of the sample solution is stopped, the sample solution can be quickly supplied from the other auxiliary sample supply port.
US08007642B2	Electrochemical gas generator for combustible gases An electrochemical gas generator is provided with an electrolysis cell (1) with a housing, which is closed by a gas-permeable membrane (2) for the escape of the test or calibrating gas. A cathode (5) is provided formed of a noble metal, a mixture of noble metals or a material containing carbon. The cathode is in direct contact with an electrolyte (7) disposed in the housing. An anode (4) is provided formed of a noble metal, a mixture of noble metals or a material containing carbon. The anode is in direct contact with an electrolyte (7). The electrolyte (7) contains a carboxylic acid salt. A control unit (6) is provided that acts as a current source and which is connected to the electrodes (4, 5).
US08007634B2	Wafer spin chuck and an etcher using the same A wafer spin chuck and an etcher using the same are provided. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provide a wafer spin chuck device comprising: a spin body which spins a wafer; and a stationary body which holds the spin body and is under the spin body with a space between the spin body and the stationary body, wherein the stationary body includes a blocking unit which blocks the space with a fluid.
US08007620B2	Translucent, flame resistant composite materials A translucent composite material that can be used in various airplane interior applications that allows sufficient light transmissivity while preferably meeting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flammability requirements for overhead materials in the cabin of a commercial aircraft. The material also meets FAA standards regarding vertical burn, smoke emissions tests, and toxic fume emissions tests. The composite material is formed by laminating long glass fibers and (PPSU) into a composite sheet under controlled heat and pressure. The composite sheet is then cut, bent or thermoformed to form the desired part. The parts formed are available for a wide variety of uses within the passenger cabin of a commercial aircraft. The long glass fibers may be unidirectional or weaved into a glass cloth like material. While preferably formed for airplane interior applications, these components may also be used in other aerospace or non-aerospace applications.
US08007619B2	Ceramic sanitary fixture A ceramic sanitary fixture, in particular a ceramic toilet bowl (1) made by casting in resin or porous molds comprises: a first, bottom component (2) comprising a liquid collection pan (3) and a siphon portion (4) for draining out the liquids; a second, top component (5), or rim, composed of a front portion (6) forming the upper edge of the pan (3) and a rear extension (7) comprising a channel (8) for the passage of liquids; the first component (2) and the second component (5) of the bowl (1) are made in one piece in the mold to form a single part (2-5) and there is also a third, covering component (10), or outer casing, in which the single part (2-5) can be housed, the latter being able to be associated and assembled with the casing (10) at least at its upper edges.
US08007617B2	Method of transferring carbon nanotubes Provided is a method of transferring carbon nanotubes formed on a donor substrate to an acceptor substrate which may include vertically forming carbon nanotubes on a first substrate, providing a second substrate, aligning the first substrate with the second substrate so that the carbon nanotubes face the second substrate, and transferring the carbon nanotubes onto the second substrate by pressing the first substrate onto the second substrate.
US08007608B1	Infrared tracer composition and tracer projectile The present invention is directed to a tracer composition for tracer bullets and other projectiles. One preferred formula of the tracer composition generally includes about 58 parts by weight of magnesium, about 38 parts by weight of polytetraflouroethylene, about 4 parts by weight of acrylic rubber, and a burn rate stabilizer such as about 1.5 parts by weight of carbon black or graphite. Tracer bullets including the tracer composition of the invention tend to exhibit a projectile path that is almost unnoticeable to the naked eye but quite visible through the use of equipment detecting energy in the near infrared range.
US08007607B2	Combustible structural composites and methods of forming combustible structural composites Combustible structural composites and methods of forming same are disclosed. In an embodiment, a combustible structural composite includes combustible material comprising a fuel metal and a metal oxide. The fuel metal is present in the combustible material at a weight ratio from 1:9 to 1:1 of the fuel metal to the metal oxide. The fuel metal and the metal oxide are capable of exothermically reacting upon application of energy at or above a threshold value to support self-sustaining combustion of the combustible material within the combustible structural composite. Structural-reinforcing fibers are present in the composite at a weight ratio from 1:20 to 10:1 of the structural-reinforcing fibers to the combustible material. Other embodiments and aspects are disclosed.
US08007606B2	Salvage process for spring elements An improved method for salvaging a spring element with a degraded force constant for return to a work environment. The spring element is subjected to a high temperature and extended duration annealing treatment alone or in combination with other treatments. The resultant salvaged spring is characterized by a more durable force constant relative to the original spring when it was new.
US08007601B2	Methods of producing high-strength metal tubular bars possessing improved cold formability A method for producing a tubular bar, more particularly a stabilizer bar, is provided. The method comprises providing a tubular bar of desired size having an outer and inner surface, heating the bar to an elevated temperature, quenching the bar by application of a cooling fluid to the surfaces of the bar, and forming the tube to a desired shape without annealing. The method further provides for the composition of a high-strength, high formability carbon steel alloy to be used in conjunction with the method. Advantageously, the bar is formable without thermal processing subsequent to quenching. In this fashion, metal tubular bars, such as stabilizer bars, may be formed at reduced cost.
US08007596B2	Cleaning device having drive means with multiple driving modes A cleaning device (10) incorporates drive means (14) and cleaning means (20), wherein the drive means (14) are operable to drive the cleaning means (20) across a surface to be cleaned, and wherein the drive means (14) are operable to adopt first and second driving modes, the first driving mode being a travelling mode and the second driving mode being a turning mode, wherein locking means (40, 42) of the drive means (14) allow selection between the first and second driving modes.
US08007595B2	Method for in-situ cleaning and inspecting of a tubular A method for in-situ cleaning and inspecting of a tubular, comprising: deploying a closable housing to a tubular, hydraulically opening the closable housing and then hydraulically closing the closable housing around the tubular. Marine growth is removed from the tubular using a marine growth plough and high pressure water from at least one high pressure water jet unit, disposed a cleaning end of the closable housing. The cleaned tubular is inspected using at least one enclosable camera block containing at least one digital camera disposed on an inspection end of the closable housing. Signals from the cameras are communicated to a remote location. Hydraulic fluid and high pressure water are provided from the remote location to the closable housing. A tether is used to roll the closable housing along the tubular for continuous in-situ cleaning and inspection of the tubular without interrupting use of the tubular.
US08007572B2	Filter element, air cleaner, and methods A filter arrangement includes a filter element, a frame construction secured to the filter element, and a handle member secured to the filter element. In preferred embodiments, the handle member is secured to the frame construction. Preferably, the filter element includes a central core member, wherein fluted filter media is coiled around the central core member. Preferably, the central core member includes a plurality of corrugations, wherein the corrugations mateably engage at least some flutes. Preferably, the handle member is integral with the central core member, and also includes a fastening member for connection to a frame construction on the filter element. Methods for cleaning air and servicing an air cleaner preferably include constructions as described herein.
US08007568B2	Filter with memory, communication and pressure sensor The present invention describes a system and method for accurately measuring the pressure within a filter housing. A pressure sensor and a communications device are coupled so as to be able to measure and transmit the pressure within the filter housing while in use. This system can comprise a single component, integrating both the communication device and the pressure sensor. Alternatively, the system can comprise separate sensor and transmitter components, in communication with one another. In yet another embodiment, a storage element can be added to the system, thereby allowing the device to store a set of pressure values. The use of this device is beneficial to many applications. For example, the ability to read pressure values in situ allows integrity tests to be performed without additional equipment. In addition, integrity testing for individual filters within multi-filter configurations is possible.
US08007566B2	Electrostatic precipitator having a spark current limiting resistors and method for limiting sparking An electrostatic precipitator including: a collecting electrode in a gas passage; a discharge electrode in the gas passage and separated by a gap from the collecting electrode; a power supply applying a voltage to the discharge electrode, wherein the voltage establishes an electric field between the discharge electrode and the collecting electrode to ionize gas flow in the gap, and a resistor in series with the discharge electrode and having an effective resistance in series with the discharge electrode of at least 50 Ohms.
US08007558B2	Organo-mineral soil amendment A soil amendment comprising compost and between about 5% and about 30% by weight of an agricultural liming material, wherein at least about 50% of said liming material has an average particle size of about 65 microns or less is described. Methods for using and manufacturing this soil amendment are also described.
US08007557B2	High-strength low-microcracked ceramic honeycombs and methods therefor A low-microcracked porous cordierite honeycomb ceramic particulate filter having a high strength in combination with a very low pressure drop, a very high filtration efficiency, and a high thermal shock resistance. Little or no microcracking, a fine median pore diameter, and a narrow pore size distribution contribute to high strength. A thin channel wall, high wall permeability, and narrow pore size distribution, contribute to low pressure drop. A fine pore diameter and narrow pore size distribution with a minimum of coarse pores contribute to high filtration efficiency. A high strain tolerance, MOR/E, contributes to high thermal shock resistance. Particulate filters disclosed herein can be useful as a hot gas particulate filter, and particularly as an internal combustion engine exhaust gas particulate filter, such as an exhaust gas filter for a gasoline direct injection engine.
US08007556B2	Block for filtering particles contained in exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine A block, particularly for filtering particulates present in the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine, includes a plurality of flow channels for the gases (14e,14s), each of the channels (14e,14s) being bounded by a side wall (22), a plug (15e,15s) and an opening (19e,19s) terminating outwardly. The block according to the invention is remarkable in that a first portion (34) of the side wall (22) of at least one of the channels (14p,14p″), called the “reinforced channel”, includes a reinforcement compared to the rest of the side wall (22) forming a second portion (36) of the side wall (22), the ratio (R) of the thickness of the first portion (34) to the thickness of the second portion (36), in any transverse plane of section (P), being between 1.1 and 3.
US08007553B2	Ceiling type air conditioner There is provided a ceiling type air conditioner capable of controlling the operation of at least one of a moving unit for moving a brush assembly or a suctioning unit for suctioning foreign matters stored in the brush assembly based on the position of the brush assembly for collecting and storing the foreign matters filtered by a filter. Therefore, it is possible to properly control the movement of the brush assembly to effectively collect and store the foreign matters filtered by the filter. In addition, since a user does not have to exchange or clean the filter, it is possible to prevent inconvenience from being caused by exchanging or cleaning the filter and to prevent the filter from being contaminated.
US08007551B2	Super finishing stone and super finishing method The super finishing stone has such a shape that a width of an abrasive surface in a direction perpendicular to a radial direction becomes gradually narrower from outside to inside in the radial direction, when the raceway surface and the abrasive surface in contact with the raceway surface are seen at a plurality of sections perpendicular to the radial direction of the object to be worked, so that the abrasive surface and the raceway surface in contact with the raceway surface may intersect with each other at a constant angle at opposite side edges of the abrasive surface.
US08007542B2	Freeze-dried collagenous biomaterial medical sponge device The invention involves a submucosa tissue that has the capability of being shape formed or shape configured. The submucosa involves a purified form of submucosa tissue. Optionally, the submucosa can be packaged in such a manner to permit sterility or maintain sterility of the submucosa.
US08007539B2	Metal-on-metal modular hybrid liner A prosthetic joint assembly that includes a shell including an inner surface. The assembly also includes a bearing member including an outer surface. The bearing member is received by the shell such that the outer surface of the bearing member is adjacent the inner surface of the shell. Furthermore, the joint assembly includes a compressible member that is rigidly fixed to the inner surface of the shell or the outer surface of the bearing member to only cover a portion thereof. The compressible member is made of a material that is different from the shell or the bearing member.
US08007538B2	Shoulder implant for glenoid replacement The invention features a glenoid (shoulder socket) implant prosthesis, a humeral implant prosthesis, devices for implanting glenoid and humeral implant prostheses, and methods of their use for the treatment an injured or damaged shoulder.
US08007536B2	Disc implant A problem with total disc implant surgery appears to be the positioning of the implant which if not correct may lead to pain and eventually new surgery. The present invention relates to an improved disc implant (1) for total disc replacement, comprising two inter-vertebral elements (2) which are flexibly connected via coupling means (4,5). Following surgery, the relative movability of said two inter-vertebral elements is decreased overtime, as bone ingrowth occurring around the implant and specifically through osseointegrative sections gradually degrease the movability of the elements relative to each other. Following, the relative movability of the implant elements is replaced by fixation of the elements. The fixation has flowingly occurred in a position affected by the movement of the patient, and is thereby more acceptable to the patient.
US08007534B2	Expandable implant with expander An at least in part cylindrical threaded interbody spinal fusion implant having an expandable height.
US08007532B2	Dimensionally adjustable soft tissue expander A soft tissue expander includes an expandable cover, a base, an adjustable central portion and a connecting member joined to side portions and extending across the central portion to determine the width of the expander.
US08007531B2	Implantable prosthesis for positioning and supporting a breast implant An implantable prosthesis for use in positioning a breast implant comprising a sheet of a prosthetic material configured to form a sling-shaped receiving area for receiving and supporting the breast implant. The surface area of the implantable prosthesis contacting the breast implant comprises a biocompatible or chemically inert material to prevent abrasion of or reaction with the breast implant. The implantable prosthesis of the present invention can be used during corrective procedures to reposition and support a malpositioned breast implant or during reconstructive or cosmetic procedures at the time the implant is first positioned within the patient. The prosthesis is used with implants in the partial sub-muscular, completely sub-muscular, and sub-glandular position and is used to prevent medial, lateral and inferior displacement of the implant.
US08007524B2	Heat treatment and heat loss reduction for treating meibomian gland dysfunction A method of treating meibomian gland dysfunction. Heat is applied to the tissue proximate the patient's meibomian glands to provide conductive heat transfer to the meibomian glands. The application of heat assists in the expression of obstructions or occlusions in the meibomian glands to restore sufficient sebum flow to the lipid layer to treat dry eye. A force may also be applied to the tissue proximate the patient's meibomian glands to improve conductive heat transfer and reduce blood flow in the tissue that causes convective heat loss. Thus, the application of force can further increase the temperature level and/or reduce the time to reach desired temperature levels for removing obstructions. Reaching increased temperature levels may improve the melting, loosening, or softening of obstructions or occlusions in the meibomian glands while reducing the amount of time to reached desired temperature levels and/or aid in reducing discomfort to the patient during treatment.
US08007511B2	Surgical instrument design A surgical instrument system having an instrument member or shaft with a distal portion positionable through an incision of a patient to an internal site and for operation by a surgeon from outside the patient. A tool is carried at the distal end of the instrument shaft controlled by the surgeon in performing a procedure at an operative site of the patient. At least first and second turnable members are spacedly disposed along the instrument shaft distal portion, both disposed within the internal site, and each controlled from outside the patient for providing at least respective first and second degrees of freedom of control of the tool. The turnable members may be either a pivot joint or a bendable section.
US08007505B2	System for tissue approximation and fixation A system for tissue approximation and fixation is described herein. The devices are advanced in a minimally invasive manner within a patient's body to create one or several divisions or plications within a hollow body organ. The system comprises a tissue acquisition and folding device and a tissue stapling or fixation device, each of which is used together as a system. The acquisition device is used to approximate tissue regions from within the hollow body organ and the stapling device is advanced through a main lumen defined through the acquisition device and is used to affix the approximated tissue. The stapling device is keyed to maintain its rotational orientation relative to the acquisition device as well as to provide the user positional information of the stapling device. The acquisition device is also configured to provide lateral stability to the stapling device prior to the stapling device being clamped onto tissue.
US08007504B2	Device and method of use for functional isolation of animal or human tissues A method and apparatus for functionally occluding the lumen of the left atrial appendage (LAA) is provided. Access to the LAA is through an epicardial approach. The devices function to capture the LAA through various non-invasive means. After capturing the LAA with the devices and methods provided, a clamping device is preferably disposed about the base of the appendage. In certain embodiments, the appendage remains viable subsequent to the functional occlusion of the lumen.
US08007493B2	Methods and devices for treating tissue The invention provides a system and method for achieving the cosmetically beneficial effects of shrinking collagen tissue in the dermis or other areas of tissue in an effective, non-invasive manner using an array of electrodes. Systems described herein allow for improved treatment of tissue. Additional variations of the system include array of electrodes configured to minimize the energy required to produce the desired effect.
US08007490B2	Reduced width dual-lumen catheter A dual-lumen catheter for use in a body vessel. The catheter includes an elongate shaft having a longitudinal axis and defining at least a first and a second lumen. The elongate shaft has a cross sectional width normal to the longitudinal axis and a webbing section disposed between the two lumens. The webbing section has a webbing length less than the cross sectional width to reduce a tendency of the shaft to bend perpendicular to the webbing length when the shaft is rotated.
US08007487B2	Method of treating a joint using an articular injection system Systems for injecting fluids and/or other materials into a targeted anatomical location, in particular, an intra-articular space, include a handpiece assembly having a proximal end and a distal end, a needle extending from the distal end of the handpiece assembly, a fluid delivery module comprising a cassette and a fluid transfer device. A conduit is generally configured to place the fluid delivery module in fluid communication with the handpiece assembly. Medications, formulations and/or other fluids or materials contained within vials that are secured to the fluid delivery module can be selectively delivered into an anatomy through a needle located at the distal end of the handpiece assembly. In some embodiments, ultrasound or other imaging technologies can be used to locate a joint or other targeted anatomical location.
US08007482B2	Pre-filter for an ostomy bag An ostomy bag with a filter assembly having a gas filter and a pre-filter for preventing or delaying solid/semisolid matter and liquid from reaching the gas filter. The pre-filter is at least substantially flat and comprises a number of constrictions, such as ribs extending along and between two inner surface parts of the channel. These constrictions/ribs form narrower and wider passages where the gas may more quickly pass a narrow passage and where the wider passages tend to receive and hold the liquid, solid matter and semisolid matter. At least a part of the constrictions may be provided in a random pattern.
US08007476B2	Administering apparatus comprising a dosing device An administering apparatus having a casing including a reservoir for a product to be administered, a piston which can be shifted in the reservoir in an advancing direction towards a reservoir outlet to administer the product, a piston rod, a dosing and drive element for performing a dosing movement for selecting a product dose and a delivery movement for delivering the product dose, and a dose setting member which is moved in the advancing direction during the delivery movement, and which engages the piston rod and the casing such that it can only be moved in the advancing direction jointly with the piston rod and is moved counter to the advancing direction relative to the piston rod during the dosing movement.
US08007475B2	Positive displacement flush syringe A flush syringe assembly comprises a barrel including a cylindrical side wall having an inside surface defining a chamber for retaining fluid, an open proximal end and a distal end including an elongate tip extending distally therefrom having a passageway in fluid communication with the chamber. A plunger including an elongate body portion has a stopper at its distal end. The stopper is slidably positioned in fluid-tight engagement with the inside surface of the barrel for driving fluid out of the chamber. The distal end of the stopper is configured to collapse while fluid is being driven though the passageway through motion of a plunger and to continue to drive fluid through the passageway after motion of the plunger has stopped.
US08007463B2	Bi-directional catheter assembly and method therefor A catheter assembly includes a catheter body extending from a deflectable distal end to a proximal end, and the catheter body includes an actuator lumen. A housing is engaged to the proximal end of the catheter body. A flexible element extends from the housing through the actuator lumen to the deflectable distal end. The deflectable distal end is deflected by pushing and pulling of the flexible element. An actuator is movably coupled with the housing and connected to the flexible element. A tubular support is engaged around the flexible element and connected to the actuator, the tubular support moves with the actuator, and the tubular support substantially constrains lateral movement of the flexible element. The tubular support is telescopically received and engaged with an inner surface of the actuator lumen. The inner surface of the actuator lumen substantially constrains lateral movement of the tubular support and the flexible element.

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